WWE Raw vs. SmackDown: Winner, Top Highlights and Botches for Week of July 6

WWE television has heated up with the arrival of the summer, with both Raw and SmackDown Live delivering immensely entertaining and engaging products on the road to their respective July pay-per-view presentations.

Just six days from Great Balls of Fire, though, Raw was feeling the pressure this week to deliver a broadcast that encouraged fans to tune into Sunday's WWE Network presentation. Samoa Joe confronted Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns attacked Braun Strowman and Enzo Amore cut the promo of a lifetime.

SmackDown laid the groundwork for its July 23 Battleground show with the return of John Cena, the crowning of a new No. 1 contender to the United States Championship and a stern war of words between Randy Orton and WWE champion Jinder Mahal.

Which brand produced the better show and generated greater excitement about its upcoming extravaganza, all the while winning the battle for brand supremacy for the week of July 6?

Why Raw?

Monday's Raw was the penultimate stop on the road to Great Balls of Fire, and as such, WWE Creative put great effort and attention into wrapping up the top feuds in a nice little package for fans to consume Sunday night in Dallas.

Samoa Joe attempted to continue his warpath of recent weeks but was stopped by officials and general manager Kurt Angle. Roman Reigns responded to Braun Strowman's attack from the previous week, fighting fire with fire. Sasha Banks put an exclamation point on her recent string of successes while sending a message to women's champion Alexa Bliss, and a huge 30-Minute Iron Man match for the Raw Tag Team Championships was announced.

What segments and matches hit, though, staking Raw's claim to brand supremacy this week?

Enzo Amore Shoots From The Heart

The Certified G kicked off Monday's broadcast with a blistering response to Big Cass' recent betrayal, referring to his former buddy and tag team partner as a seven-foot catchphrase that he, himself, wrote.

Amore vowed never to stay down, to continue getting back up because he is grateful for everything fans have given him and every opportunity he has ever received. Referencing Cass' claims that he writes checks his ass can't cash, Amore admitted he has never met a check he didn't want to bounce.

There was a ton of pressure on Amore to come through Monday night, to deliver a verbal performance that continued to build momentum and hype for Sunday's showdown between longtime partners. He did just that and more. With one promo, he silenced doubters who suspected he may fall into obscurity without his much larger tag team partner there to keep him in the spotlight.

Determined to prove he was more than the modern equivalent to Santino Marella, Amore cut a promo that fans may one day look back upon as the moment he saved his career and proved that he, not Cass, was the star of the duo.

Roman Reigns Fires Back At Braun Strowman

The Big Dog responded to a vicious assault by Braun Strowman a week earlier by emerging from the driver's seat of an ambulance and unleashing hell on The Monster Among Men.

Reigns launched himself and caught his Great Balls of Fire opponent with a spear, taking him off the Raw stage and through an announce table.

The angle was red-hot and put added emphasis on the Ambulance match that will, hopefully, settle the differences between Reigns and Strowman Sunday night. Their confrontation was also short enough to ensure they were not overexposed, something absolutely essential to preserving heat given how many times fans have seen them square off in 2017.

No Time For Talking

Samoa Joe shunned the idea of a sit-down interview Monday night, forcefully removing a microphone and stomping through the backstage area in search of WWE Universal champion Brock Lesnar, whom he will challenge for the title Sunday at Great Balls of Fire.

When he found him, it took a swarm of security, producers and general manager Kurt Angle to ensure Joe did not physically assault The Beast Incarnate. Given the damage he did to Lesnar a week earlier, choking him out ahead of their titanic clash, it was probably a wise decision.

Joe has been so engaging in recent weeks that it will be difficult to justify him losing Sunday and falling back into the mix. Fans have become legitimately invested in his story, compelled by his relentless aggression and believable intensity.

For the first time since Lesnar returned in 2012, he has in Joe an opponent who is every bit the credible badass he is, and that has set up an eagerly anticipated showdown that will have the attention of the wrestling world Sunday night.

Why SmackDown?

The blue brand countered Raw's strong effort with a broadcast that began setting the stage for July 23's Battleground pay-per-view event.

AJ Styles emerged victorious not once, but twice, cashing his ticket to Philadelphia and a date with Kevin Owens for the United States Championship. Naomi vanquished Lana, eliminating her from women's title contention with a fast, uncontested win, and Carmella lost the assistance of her homeboy James Ellsworth, who was suspended without pay for the next 30 days.

The women continued to enjoy increased exposure, while some of the most talented young male athletes seized the spotlight Tuesday.

AJ Styles' Monumental Fourth

After much protesting from United States champion Kevin Owens, general manager Daniel Bryan forced AJ Styles and Chad Gable into a "Win and You're In" match, the winner receiving entry into the Independence Day Battle Royal and the loser forced to watch from the sidelines.

Styles picked up a victory against the determined tag team specialist and offered a sign of respect that will do more to elevate Gable's star than a close loss or even a win may have.

From there, he channeled the momentum he gained from that win into another, eliminating Sami Zayn to earn one last shot at Owens' United States Championship.

Styles' performance, as usual, was the backbone of a SmackDown Live broadcast that did not rest on its laurels despite the national holiday.

Bye Bye, James Ellsworth

One of the hottest heel acts in all of WWE is the pairing of Carmella and James Ellsworth. Fresh off another victory in a second Money in the Bank ladder match, The Princess of Staten Island was understandably braggadocious as she addressed the fans Tuesday night.

Her celebratory promo was interrupted by Bryan, who proceeded to punish Carmella in the only way he could: eliminate the advantage of having Ellsworth by her side. He suspended, fined and barred the chinless wonder from the building for the next 30 days.

The decision takes the spotlight off of Ellsworth for the moment and forces Carmella to maintain her heat on her own. Recent promos suggest she is more than capable of doing that but without the safety net of Ellsworth, her ability to star will be put to the test.

A Nastier, More Vicious Randy Orton

When Randy Orton ramps up the intensity, there are few Superstars more compelling. Such was the case Tuesday night as The Viper channeled his aggression into a thoroughly entertaining ass-whooping of Aiden English, who may have won by disqualification but was the big loser after suffering an RKO.

From there, he referred to Jinder Mahal as a jackass and hardly touched on the Punjabi Prison match he will compete in on July 23.

A meaner, more ruthless and unforgiving Orton is exactly what fans need to see ahead of the Punjabi Prison match at Battleground. That match has a notorious history and is widely considered one of the worst gimmick bouts in WWE. Ensuring fans can expect a violent match rather than a comical one by booking Orton in the manner the writing team did was the right choice.

John Cena Returns

Say what you will, but Cena adds a level of credibility few other Superstars can. He is the franchise star of WWE, and he lends star power to the program. Everything he takes part in is more important thanks to his presence alone.

That was the case Tuesday night as the show received a tremendous boost in significance that few were expecting, especially considering its status as a holiday broadcast.

Biggest Botch

One of the biggest talking points coming out of last week's WWE television was Nia Jax, whose 33-minute performance in the gauntlet match to determine the No. 1 contender to Alexa Bliss' Raw Women's Championship was one of the best by any female Superstar in 2017.

Just seven days later, she was inexplicably teamed up with Bliss in a losing effort against Sasha Banks, who was forced to go it alone after partner Bayley was injured by Jax.

The dominant Jax could not beat Banks on her own, let alone with Bliss as her partner.

The heels were done a great disservice Monday, with their credibility hampered by a terrible booking decision that did not elevate Banks' star or get her anymore over than she already was. It was unnecessary and halted the momentum Jax had going for her.

WWE Creative needs to make it up to her.

How it goes about doing that is the question.

Winner

Despite possessing the biggest botch of the week, Raw wins this one quite handily.

The hype for Sunday's pay-per-view was simply phenomenal. The interaction between Samoa Joe and Brock Lesnar, the brawl that ensued between Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman and Finn Balor's victory over Cesaro in a physical singles battle helped catapult Raw past a thoroughly entertaining and effective episode of SmackDown Live.

The red brand is riding a wave of momentum it garnered thanks to stronger storytelling, compelling stories and the emergence of Samoa Joe as a legitimate main event star.

Its work over the last two months to rebound from a creatively bankrupt spring has been nothing short of fantastic and will only help fuel Raw heading into the all-important build to SummerSlam.

SmackDown will win many more of these battles, but for now, Raw appears to have found its way in a crowded pro wrestling landscape.