Raw, SmackDown, Randy Orton and More from the Bragging Rights Mailbag

Raw and SmackDown had similar ratings this past week. It wasn't so much that SmackDown is catching up to Raw as it is Raw's Labor Day rating sank down to SmackDown's level.

SmackDown can use its "momentum" from a very good Backlash pay-per-view and a brand that's hitting on all cylinders to begin mocking Raw, thus casting the first stones of the rivalry WWE has promised since Vince McMahon gave these shows to his kids.

Red or Blue?

I would be shocked if there wasn't some iteration of a Raw vs. SmackDown Elimination match at Survivor Series. This type of match would make the most out of not only the traditional Survivor Series match, but also the competitive nature of the brand split.

WWE hasn't done enough to establish tension between the two brands. If there are plans to do a Raw vs. SmakDown match, seeds need to be planted. Continued social media feuds, like the shots fired by Mick Foley at Daniel Bryan over the acquisitions of Jack Swagger and James Ellsworth, are a good start. This would also be a good time to have a select few wrestlers from each roster appear on opposing shows.

WWE needs to do its best to simulate an actual feud between Raw and SmackDown so there is a demand for a Survivor Series matchup. Only then would a match for bragging rights actually mean something other than an exhibition. WWE could even add a stipulation, like the winning brand will be represented in the main event of WrestleMania.

TKO Outta Nowhere?

WWE was very awkward in its handling with the Randy Orton injury. According to PWInsider (h/t WrestlingInc.com), Orton was not cleared to compete at WWE Backlash, presumably stemming from injuries from his TKO loss to Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam.

To get out of this match, WWE shot an angle where Bray Wyatt injured Orton prior to their match before Wyatt lost to Kane later on in the show. This was a missed opportunity for WWE, as it could have used Lesnar's real-life ground-and-pound at SummerSlam as the reason Orton was still out of commission. This would have kept the oft-dormant Lesnar strong while also serving as a marketing tool to promote the upcoming rematch between Lesnar and Orton in Chicago.

Wyatt didn't even have to compete. His continued taunting of Orton would have played into the story of getting into Orton's head.

Perhaps WWE was trying to sweep the controversy of Lesnar inflicting legit head trauma on Orton under the rug. A bloodied Orton and the resulting backstage scuffle between Chris Jericho and Lesnar, per F4WOnline (h/t WrestlingInc.com), that resulted from the hard-to-watch finish weren't exactly the greatest public relations moments for the promotion.

Monday Night Quarterback?

Raw would not be wise to switch nights. Wrestling fans have been conditioned, for generations now, to watch pay-per-views on Sundays and Raw on Mondays. WWE has a built-in audience of fans, so even low ratings draw over 2 million viewers. It just needs to weather the storm when it comes to the NFL. The Olympics, the NBA playoffs, the NCAA basketball national championship and an overall saturated cable television market means WWE will always have a major threat on another network regardless of the day.

WWE needs to do its best to be the best WWE. Little tricks like big angles during halftime are savvy moves, but angles, wrestlers and stories that draw a large casual viewing audience is key.

WWE's ongoing love affair with the Internet Wrestling Community is cute, but if this is the philosophical direction it decides to take for the next three months, ratings will continue to bottom out at historical lows. WWE needs to mix these talented wrestlers with more traditional, mainstream talents whose popularity isn't based on a proverbial inside joke that only diehard fans understand.

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report and Forbes. Like him on Facebook.