WWE Raw vs. SmackDown: Winner, Top Highlights and Botches for Week of July 13

One would assume SmackDown Live would make a comeback in the battle for weekly brand supremacy, having lost the last few weeks to a surging Raw brand. With Battleground just under two weeks away, the show touted stars the likes of John Cena, AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura and a huge tag team main event.

Factor in WWE champion Jinder Mahal's warning to Randy Orton ahead of their Punjabi Prison match and in-ring action featuring Charlotte and Becky Lynch against Tamina and Natalya, the potential for the blue brand to come through with a win was certainly there.

It would be more difficult than ever to dethrone Raw, though.

On the heels of an electrifying Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view, the red brand exploded on to the USA Network airwaves with fresh new stories and an intense altercation between universal champion Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe.

Would the Monday night staple be able to produce three quality hours of television to thwart the strong effort of SmackDown Live to beat it this week?

Why Raw?

Just 24 hours removed from Great Balls of Fire, the Raw brand set its sights on wrapping up the biggest news stories coming out of the July 9 pay-per-view while laying the groundwork for the feuds that will captivate audiences on the road to SummerSlam.

Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe and Brock Lesnar all made their presences felt, but it was Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, The Miz and Co. that shined brightest under the flagship spotlight.

New Stories

The July 10 broadcast introduced the WWE Universe to several new stories that will weigh heavily on the build to the August 20 pay-per-view.

After wrapping up his program with Bray Wyatt in losing fashion Monday night, it became clear that Rollins will now have to set aside his differences with Ambrose and focus his energy on intercontinental champion The Miz and his Miztourage of Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas.

That two-on-three rivalry should supply SummerSlam with a solid addition to the midcard, even if Rollins should probably be engaged in something higher profile since the recent revelation of him as the 2K18 cover athlete.

Earlier in the night, Big Cass kicked off the show by documenting his squash victory over Enzo Amore from Great Balls of Fire and warning fans against jumping on his bandwagon. He didn't want the support of fans, he told them, before finding himself confronted by The World's Largest Athlete, The Big Show.

Their brief scuffle and Cass fleeing from the scene puts the giants on a collision course. While the likelihood of a superb wrestling match is unlikely, setting the stage for Cass to assume the role of the resident big man from Big Show is the logical next step in his main event push.

The WWE Universal Championship Picture

When Reigns announced he would be the No. 1 contender for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam, most assumed The Big Dog would square off with Brock Lesnar in a rematch of their WrestleMania 31 classic.

As fans found out Monday night in an intense and electric confrontation, that may not be the case.

Reigns and Lesanr came face-to-face but were interrupted by Samoa Joe, fresh off a phenomenal and star-making performance against The Beast Incarnate at Great Balls of Fire. The promo segment kept Joe a significant part of the title picture and mentioned Braun Strowman just enough to suggest that The Monster Among Men may find his way into the scenario sooner than later.

The unpredictability will benefit Raw exponentially in the weeks preceding The Biggest Party of the Summer. It will also help with the evolution of Strowman and the continued legitimizing of Joe as a marquee player on Monday nights.

This week's confrontation was the most memorable moment of a solid episode of Raw. The interactions that follow will likely replicate that success.

Who Is Kurt Angle Talking To?

One of the most interesting elements of any wrestling show is a well-crafted mystery.

General manager Angle has spent weeks dealing with a situation that threatens both his professional and personal life. Warned several times by Corey Graves that the information may be leaked, Angle has struggled to keep everything under wraps.

Monday night's broadcast went off the air with him talking to an unknown person on the phone. Ending the conversation with, "I love you," he generated speculation as to who may be revealed as the centerpiece of the controversy.

Could it be Stephanie McMahon? Might it be Dixie Carter? Is he inviting his wife Giovanna to the show?

Whatever the case is, the unknown has sparked intrigue and should lead to a memorable moment on next week's broadcast.

Why SmackDown?

Building to Battleground on July 23 proved the main objective of this week's SmackDown Live, with several matches for the pay-per-view announced and ongoing rivalries intensified.

AJ Styles, John Cena, Kevin Owens and Rusev were the cornerstones of the broadcast, bookending the show and suggesting the United States Championship match and Flag match will be as significant to the booking of the spectacular as the Punjabi Prison match for the WWE Championship between Randy Orton and Jinder Mahal.

Speaking of The Modern Day Maharaja, he had a strong night that suggested the WWE hype machine may finally be fully committed to him.

Strengthening Jinder

The WWE champion in title only, Mahal has struggled to be taken seriously as the top heel on SmackDown Live. Even some 50 days into his reign, his booking has oftentimes let him down and portrayed him as a journeyman midcarder lucky to be at the top spot on the roster.

Tuesday night was the first time it appeared as though management within WWE was legitimately behind him as a character and a champion.

Mahal battled the immensely popular Tye Dillinger, and whereas he struggled to beat Mojo Rawley just weeks after winning the title, that was not the case for The Maharaja Tuesday night. He was precise and focused in his attack.

He won clean and put an end to the audience's spirited support of The Perfect 10.

Soaking in the jeers of the WWE Universe, he issued a warning to Orton ahead of their championship clash and put over the Punjabi Prison structure in the process. It was a thorough and effective night for Mahal, one that may one day be recognized as the turning point of his title reign.

How he is booked against The Viper in Philadelphia will almost certainly be another.

Multiple Main Events

By focusing so much attention on Cena vs. Rusev and Styles vs. Owens, SmackDown Live created a scenario where Battleground now has three legitimate main events. A tripleheader of sorts, the show could conceivably be headlined by any three of those matches.

It will almost assuredly be Orton vs. Mahal that closes the broadcast out, but enhancing the importance of the other bouts not only gives fans a greater selection, but it also creates a must-see product.

The more the merrier in the wrestling business, and that goes double for perceived main events. Anytime a card can tout three separate matches with talent like Cena, Styles and Orton spread across them, the depth of a show's roster and quality of its writers is exhibited.

Considering Battleground is largely seen as a B- or C-level presentation, stacking the card is a wise move that should pay off with more eyes and interest in the event.

Runway Walker, Texas Rangers

Do we really have to solve the mystery behind Tyler Breeze's attack anytime soon?

The Fashion Police segments that have taken the wrestling world by storm are, routinely, the best part of WWE TV. In a day and age where everyone takes themselves so seriously, Breeze and Fandango are out here riding ponies-on-a-stick and talking ghost aliens.

It is a joy to watch and a throwback to the days of vignettes that got characters across and helped them connect with audiences rather than relying on repetitive matches and 50-50 booking to try to do it for them.

Plus, the actual mystery itself is surprisingly intriguing.

Was it Mojo Rawley, who is rapidly descending into a more serious and focused competitor? Could it have been American Alpha, who cowardly attacked Breeze and ruined the Fashion Police office? What if it was a new team, never before seen on WWE television?

The potential suspects are endless, as is the entertainment value of Fandango and Breeze's ongoing series of pre-taped segments.

Shinsuke Nakamura and Baron Corbin's Non-Match

Nakamura vs. Corbin was advertised for Tuesday's show, but mounting frustration on The King of Strong Style's part led to a massive pull-apart brawl and the announcement of a match between the two for Battleground. 

The Lone Wolf's sneak attacks on Nakamura have awakened in him a fire that has led to The Artist lashing out, unable to control his rage. That lends itself to an engaging and entertaining story, not to mention an explosive match in The City of Brotherly Love come July 23.

Corbin will benefit exponentially from working with someone of Nakamura's experience and acclaim while the Japanese competitor should see his character evolve—the emotion Corbin draws out of him helping audiences to connect with him on a level higher than catchy theme music.

Biggest Botch

The women's divisions in WWE have hit a funk—the revolution that was so widely applauded just one-year ago bogged down in creative mediocrity. Both Raw and SmackDown Live are to blame.

Monday night, current Raw women's champion Alexa Bliss teamed with Nia Jax to battle No. 1 contender Sasha Banks and former champion Bayley. Despite the unsettled issues between Banks and Bliss, it was Bayley who scored the win over the titleholder and earned the momentum that comes along with it.

Meanwhile, Jax, who had impressed the wrestling world with her 33-minute performance just three weeks earlier, appears no closer to championship gold than she was prior to that breakout showing.

As the road to SummerSlam begins, it appears as if the Raw writing staff is content to go ahead and book another Fatal 4-Way match between the women. That would not be such a bad idea if fans had not witnessed exactly the same scenario unfold leading into WrestleMania 33, where Charlotte substituted for Bliss.

Speaking of the second-generation competitor, Charlotte is no closer to Naomi's SmackDown women's title, either.

Since arriving on the brand in April, she has been embroiled in a multi-woman rivalry over the top prize on the blue brand. The repetitiveness of matches with Becky Lynch, Carmella, Tamina and Natalya has hurt the division and stripped it of the unique characters and stories that once existed.

Rather than taking multiple women, splitting them off from each other and giving fans various feuds to sink their teeth into, the Superstars remain entangled in a messy web.

This has, in turn, hurt Naomi's credibility as champion because she has not had a single, legitimate program during her time with the gold.

Yes, that includes the three-match series with Lana in which she embarrassed and beat up The Ravishing Russian.

It is time for both brands to rediscover the creative juices that helped the divisions garner the support of a skeptical WWE Universe and reignite the stories, rivalries and matches that once made women's wrestling the hottest element of WWE programming.

Otherwise, fans may tune out again, forcing the company to regroup and start the process from scratch.

Winner

From an overall quality standpoint, SmackDown Live would win this handily. But as SummerSlam approaches, fans deserve more than a solid show. They demand the feeling that something major is happening before their eyes.

That has been the case with Raw of late.

The red brand has produced red-hot segments that have earned it victory after victory in this battle for brand supremacy, and that is the case this week.

The interaction between Reigns, Joe, Lesnar and Paul Heyman Monday night was phenomenal, and most importantly, it created buzz about next week's main event between The Big Dog and The Destroyer.

Throw in the Angle mystery, the blossoming feud between Big Cass and Big Show, and the mistrust between Ambrose and Rollins as they turn their attention to The Miz and you have a show that is hitting its stride ahead of the August 20 pay-per-view.

SmackDown may be more consistent, with household names and solid stories of its own, but Raw feels more important at this point.

Winner: Raw