WWE Raw vs. SmackDown: Winner, Top Highlights and Botches for Week of Feb. 16

Pay-per-view events breed more urgency and excitement and, thus, better television, which is something fans of WWE found out this past week as both Raw and SmackDown Live delivered in spades.

From memorable angles to hellacious matches, the shows kept fans invested in their products. With WrestleMania right around the corner, the feuds that will shape that event's card became more apparent, and as a result, every segment was meaningful and significant.

Add in one last spectacular before that fateful April night, Raw's Fastlane, and you have even more reason to be invested in the current WWE television product. The build to the March 5 extravaganza continued this week as Raw delivered one of its best shows to date, including a promo segment that ranks as one of the best of the last decade.

SmackDown Live, fresh off its own exclusive pay-per-view, countered with steady build to its WrestleMania main event and a marquee bout for the WWE Championship.

With both brands hitting their strides, there was only room for one winner for the week of Feb. 16.

Who was it, and why?

Why Raw?

Kevin Owens' shocking betrayal of Chris Jericho during the Festival of Friendship on Raw was one of the best, most explosive segments the company has produced in nearly a decade. Expertly laid out with incredible performances from both men, it planted the seeds for what should be an extraordinarily personal program heading into WrestleMania.

The disdain in Owens' face as he dropped the microphone to the ground, the hurt in Jericho's voice as he asked "Why is my name on the list?" and then the sad realization that he was about to be beaten mercilessly by someone he considered his best friend—all of it came together to create a visceral experience for the viewer.

Sadness and disgust may have hung over that segment, but pure joy and ecstasy surrounded the main event.

Bayley, in her first opportunity to headline Raw, defeated Charlotte Flair to capture the brand's women's title.

It was an emotional moment for the consummate underdog. Her jump to the main roster has not always been a smooth one, but Monday night, she received the stamp of approval from WWE management via championship victory.

That Sasha Banks was influential in the outcome suggests The Boss, who had her credibility called into question by Flair moments before the main event, may be prepared to undergo a heel turn that would position her opposite Bayley in time for The Showcase of the Immortals.

On a night that was defined by a shocking betrayal that will have long-reaching implications on WWE programming, it was the rare happy ending for one of WWE's most beloved characters that capped off an explosive show where things actually happened.

That is not always the case with the three-hour marathon episodes of the flagship show.

Why SmackDown?

In the wake of Elimination Chamber, SmackDown Live featured the coronation of Bray Wyatt as the focal point of the brand's main event scene. The Reaper of Souls made his first appearance as WWE champion, addressing the WWE Universe, enduring an ass-kicking at the hands of Luke Harper and then successfully defending his title in a strong Triple Threat match over John Cena and AJ Styles.

Most impressively was the fact that, just 48 hours after doing so inside the Elimination Chamber, Wyatt pinned Cena cleanly.

The show went off the air with Randy Orton stalking toward the ring and vowing his allegiance to Wyatt, capping off what was a signature night for The Eater of Worlds. For so long, he was so inconsistently booked that it is rewarding for viewers to witness his resurgence and championship reign.

That WWE Creative is openly taking the necessary steps to build his credibility as champion by allowing him to knock off Cena and Styles in consecutive shows without any controversy is proof of the SmackDown writers' belief in the character.

The continuation of SmackDown's devotion to the women's division was once again on full display Tuesday.

Not only did fans get a pay-per-view-quality match between Becky Lynch and Mickie James, but they also bore witness to a promo segment involving Alexa Bliss and Naomi that set up the former's rematch for the SmackDown Women's Championship and an intense backstage vignette that culminated in the announcement of a Falls Count Anywhere match between Nikki Bella and Natalya.

Whereas Raw touts the women's revolution, books Sasha Banks to battle Charlotte Flair in a pay-per-view main event but fails to develop characters or tell coherent stories, SmackDown builds logical feuds featuring women fans care about.

The result is a much more focused, interesting and effective women's division that represents the true spirit of a women's revolution.

Biggest Botch

For 17 weeks, fans watched vignettes hyping the evolution of Emma into Emmalina, a throwback to the highly sexual female characters of the Attitude Era.

Monday night, she stepped through the curtain for the first time...and proceeded to announce the demise of the new character and the return to her old persona.

Just over a quarter of a year was wasted building up a new character that management had no plans for. Then, when it finally bit the proverbial bullet and introduced said persona, it got cold feet and scrapped it on live television.

It was reflective of Raw's problem when it comes to booking Superstars who reside outside the handful of competitors WWE Creative has been trained to focus its attention on. They often fail miserably, and the results are highly talented individuals whose promise and potential are never fully realized.

That appears to be the direction Emma is poised to take, especially considering the lack of room for her in the current Raw Women's Championship picture.

Winner: SmackDown Live

This week was especially difficult to judge.

The execution of the Raw angle involving Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho was so perfect that it almost won the red brand the honors on its own. When Bayley captured the Raw Women's Championship to close out the show, the case for the flagship show was strengthened even further.

The problem is that both of those segments occurred in the third hour, meaning there were two full hours of television preceding them. Those two hours, while largely effective, were wholly uninteresting.

SmackDown Live did not have that problem.

The Tuesday night show was hot from start to finish and featured a fantastic main event in which Bray Wyatt's status as WWE champion was further established.

With the continued focus on women, a sneak peak at the next tag team program and a beatdown from Baron Corbin to Dean Ambrose, suggesting they will wage war over the intercontinental title, the brand was more consistent throughout than its opposition.

The result is a narrow victory for the blue brand.

Scorecard

SmackDown: 16, Raw: 9