WWE Raw vs. SmackDown: Analyzing Who Won the Week of August 1

After Raw delivered a thorough, one-sided ass-kicking in the first week of WWE's latest brand extension, SmackDown needed a strong second effort to keep from re-establishing itself as the clear No. 2 show in the WWE Universe.

The red brand would not make things easy for its competitor, delivering another strong broadcast featuring excellent performances from Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, Sasha Banks, Charlotte and Enzo Amore. SmackDown's Randy Orton made a surprise appearance, dropping Brock Lesnar with an RKO, and Roman Reigns appeared to ignite a rivalry with United States champion Rusev.

SmackDown countered with a showcase devoted to Dolph Ziggler and his character's development ahead of SummerSlam and a date with Dean Ambrose for the WWE World Championship. In the main event, he battled Bray Wyatt with his title shot on the line, but all show long, he had to withstand doubts and questions about his ability to capture the top prize in the sport from co-workers and fans alike.

Apollo Crews earned himself an Intercontinental Championship opportunity, but it was Baron Corbin who got the last laugh, laying waste to anyone within eyesight.

And finally, it was a verbal spar between John Cena and AJ Styles that both presented fans with one of the highlights of the broadcast and set in stone the definitive match of their rivalry for SummerSlam.

But was it all enough to elevate it past Raw and give SmackDown its first victory of the New Era?

Match Quality

Raw wins this one again—though just barely.

The main event pitting Zayn against Rollins was an exercise in athleticism and dramatic near-falls. Tuesday's match between Ziggler and Wyatt leaned on those same near-fall exchanges but centered around the babyface's story of redemption and determination.

It was as good as its counterpart, but a Raw undercard pitting Cesaro against Sheamus and a Mixed Tag Team match featuring Sasha Banks and Enzo Amore against Charlotte and Chris Jericho edged the flagship show past its competition.

Consider that SmackDown's semi-main event, a Triple Threat match involving Crews, Corbin and Kalisto, was barely enough to survive the commercial break that halved it and women's wrestling was sacrificed in the name of angles designed to set up new rivalries, and you have a recipe for a progressive show—but not one dedicated to the best in-ring product.

Creative Direction

SmackDown wins this one easily, presenting a show that furthered storylines and introduced new rivalries that will play out well beyond Aug. 21's SummerSlam.

There was Ziggler's continued quest to prove himself a worthy contender to the WWE Championship, as well as Bray Wyatt's interjection into the title picture. Eva Marie feigned injury to escape a beating at the hands of Becky Lynch. Natalya attacked Carmella before a scheduled match, igniting a program between them, and Lesnar repaid Orton for his RKO on Monday with an F-5.

Over on Raw, a tag team feud pitting Enzo and Big Cass against Jericho and Kevin Owens was teased. Orton delivered that aforementioned RKO to The Beast Incarnate, and Rollins confronted Finn Balor during an in-ring promo.

But as has long been the case with the three-hour Raw format, it felt as though too much of what occurred Monday was filler rather than legitimate creative direction. There was little in the way of character development or storyline advancement on the red brand, leaving some to feel as though the entire broadcast was inconsequential.

Booking Decisions

The decision to have Charlotte and Sasha Banks kick off the show Monday night was a step in the right direction to ensure that women's wrestling is taken as seriously as men's. Unfortunately, that choice was unraveled moments later when Amore and Jericho interrupted, as if WWE Creative lost faith in the female performers to carry the segment.

At least Banks and Charlotte saw ring time. Over on SmackDown, two proposed matches were cut out of the show via angles designed to start rivalries rather than encourage actual in-ring work.

Fans will never buy women's wrestling as a legitimate sport in WWE if it keeps second-guessing its decisions to feature it heavily.

The best booking decision of the week came on SmackDown, where the writing staff focused its attention on building Ziggler into a credible threat to Ambrose's WWE title and an engaging character for fans to invest in. His frustration with the lack of belief in him and his willingness to do what was necessary to defeat Wyatt later in the show were developments that could fuel a heel turn at SummerSlam or in its immediate aftermath.

Raw's lack of advancement hurt it in this category and cost it an overall victory this week.

Week 2 Winner

SmackDown gets the nod this week for the simple fact that it advanced storylines and was a more interesting and compelling broadcast than Raw.

Ziggler's growth as an on-screen persona and Corbin skating the line of good and evil by flooring The Miz with End of Days helped that show set itself apart from the flagship, which was steady but did nothing to improve upon the first impression it made a week earlier.

Going forward, it will be imperative that Raw not fall back into the same pattern that hurt it prior to the draft. It must maximize its three-hour run time without relying on meaningless filler that will not be followed up on a week later.

There was a greater sense of urgency from SmackDown, with fresh, new stories and continued growth of the characters it has at its disposal. That is the trademark of a successful broadcast.

Scorecard

Raw: 1; SmackDown: 1