WWE Raw vs. SmackDown: Winner, Top Highlights and Botches for Week of Sept. 28

The battle for brand supremacy found Raw and SmackDown Live heading in separate directions.

The red brand was coming off a newsworthy No Mercy pay-per-view in which Roman Reigns defeated John Cena, and Brock Lesnar pinned Braun Strowman.

With Lesnar and Cena taking leaves of absence, the show was forced to plant the seeds for storylines that will captivate audiences leading into the October 22 TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view.

SmackDown Live countered with a show dedicated to putting last-minute touches on the build to Hell in a Cell on October 8.

Putting the emphasis on Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon, the show featured solid, if unspectacular, storyline development.

Which show, though, was enough to earn bragging rights and a victory in this week's war for sports entertainment hegemony?

Why Raw?

The followup to any major pay-per-view that generates the type of discussion Sunday's No Mercy did is important to the overall health of the show. Maintaining momentum is key.

Monday night, the flagship show attempted to do just that, introducing new rivalries and positioning new stars in spots designed to elevate their stature on the show. Most importantly, it teased the reunion of the most dominant and celebrated faction of the last decade.

Sierra, Hotel, India, Echo, Lima, Delta...

The Miz, Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel left Roman Reigns lying Monday night, just moments after The Big Dog defeated the intercontinental champion.

Getting the last laugh, the trio of heels extended their fists and engaged in The Shield's trademark fist bump, signifying the inevitable return of the most successful faction in recent WWE history.

The tease, the most noteworthy occurrence on this week's show, sets up months of television.

The Shield's return has been in the works for months, beginning with Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose's reunion over the summer. Now, with Reigns the victim of a three-on-one beatdown and in need of backup, he figures to turn to longtime friends to combat the evil Miztourage.

The Miz and Co. may not be the most credible opposition for a trio of former WWE champions but the IC champion is such a heat magnet—a performer capable of drawing passionate responses from the WWE faithful—that he will make up for Dallas and Axel's lack of main event credibility with his ability to cut a promo.

The eventual match will be hotly anticipated, a legitimate main event for a TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs that will be lacking the star power of Brock Lesnar and John Cena.

Monday was the perfect start to the program and a way to generate excitement without giving everything away in one fell swoop.

Braun Strowman's Path of Rage

Less than 24 hours after losing a Universal Championship match to Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman took his frustrations out on the unsuspecting Curt Hawkins, who made the mistake of issuing another challenge to the Raw locker room.

Like a monstrosity from a horror movie, the big man stalked Hawkins, running him down before putting him through a table. If that wasn't enough, he picked the limp, lifeless body of his prey off the ground and proceeded to slam him through the Raw stage.

The Monster Among Men continued his rage, demanding competition or he was not leaving the squared circle.

He got some, in the form of Raw tag team champion Dean Ambrose.

Even The Lunatic Fringe proved unfit for Strowman's rage, though. Despite a few flurries of offense, the former WWE champion succumbed to the strength and fury of Strowman.

After such a decisive loss to Lesnar at No Mercy, Strowman desperately needed to be rebuilt Monday night. WWE Creative took the necessary steps and while not perfect, it re-established him as the most dangerous man on the roster.

New Blood in an Old Vet

Mickie James stepped forward as the next challenger to Alexa Bliss' Raw Women's Championship on Monday night, introducing a little new blood to the women's division.

The celebrated six-time women's champion took exception to Bliss calling her an old lady and struck out, first verbally, then physically, sending Bliss scurrying to the sanctuary of the arena floor.

Considering just how much the Raw women's division has been dominated by Bayley and Sasha Banks in some form throughout 2017, it is nice to see WWE Creative utilizing some of the other immensely talented individuals at its disposal.

James, a veteran of high-profile title matches, has worked with Bliss before. Now, she has the opportunity to deliver a quality program with a young performer even more experienced and credible than she was during her time with SmackDown Live last year.

Why SmackDown?

Attention turned to the SmackDown Live brand Tuesday night as it continued the build to Hell in a Cell on October 8.

Shane McMahon again confronted Kevin Owens ahead of their match inside the titular steel structure, but it was the announcement of another match inside the cell, as well as the return of a glorious Superstar that helped bolster the broadcast.

Fight Forever

Sami Zayn and Owens appear to be destined to fight forever, especially if Tuesday's episode of SmackDown Live is any indication.

The Underdog from the Underground approached The Prizefighter at the top of the show, suggesting Owens was losing his mind. He had seen the former Universal champion snap before and was growing weary it was happening again.

When that did not dissuade Owens, a match between the Superstars was made for the night's main event.

Owens again lost his composure, delivering an apron powerbomb to Zayn that led the official to call off the match. From there, commissioner McMahon hit the ring, chasing Owens off and continuing the build for their match at Hell in a Cell.

There will be some who take exception to the fact Zayn was used as a supporting character for a feud between Owens and McMahon when, realistically, his own feud with KO is strong enough to headline a Hell in a Cell pay-per-view itself.

Given how irrelevant he had become in the last few weeks, any sort of expanded role for Zayn is a welcome addition to the show. That his performance was so strong, and the writing accompanying made sense within the context of the story being told, only enhanced the show.

Tag Team Hell

Just moments after The Usos defeated The Hype Bros, Jimmy and Jey headed to ringside, where they confronted a playful New Day in the crowd.

They denounced the new SmackDown tag team champions' knack of joking and playing around, only to have Xavier Woods challenge them to a Hell in a Cell match for the titles.

The bout, the first tag team match held inside the unforgiving confines of the Devil's Playground since D-Generation X battled Legacy in 2009, is the culmination of months of show-stealing performances by the frequent opponents.

The New Day and The Usos have single-handedly kept the SmackDown tag team division afloat and in the process, demonstrated their growth as performers through a handful of superb wrestling matches.

Their match on October 8 is a high-profile reward for their hard work and dedication to their craft. They will likely steal the show again, provide fans with a legitimate Match of the Year candidate and force SmackDown Live to come up with a program that will allow the tag titles to shine in the manner they have to this point.

Glorious

Dolph Ziggler's mockery of legendary Superstars came to an end Tuesday night.

Still ranting about the lack of care fans have for wrestlers such as himself, Ziggler found himself interrupted by the returning Bobby Roode, who cut a promo on him and challenged The Showoff to a match at Hell in a Cell.

The bout was accepted and suddenly the upcoming pay-per-view event had another quality match on its card.

Ziggler is the perfect first PPV opponent for Roode. He is a superb wrestler who can all but guarantee a great match, and he will make the former NXT champion look like a million bucks.

At this point, with Roode's stock pointing upward and uncertainty about Ziggler's future in the company, that is exactly what management wants and needs.

Biggest Botch

More Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt? Really?

Suggesting the rivalry will continue beyond No Mercy, after Balor won cleanly and decisively for the second consecutive month, is a poor booking choice that demonstrates just how devoid of ideas the writing team is for both former champions.

A year ago, Balor became the first Superstar to win the Universal championship. Eight months ago, Bray Wyatt was WWE champion preparing to enter WrestleMania at the center of a high-profile main event.

Fast forward and suddenly WWE Creative cannot come up with anything even remotely interesting for them to do, so it continues to program them against each other, despite the fact there is nowhere for the story to go.

Balor has beaten Wyatt. There is no value in this feud for him.

Wyatt has been beaten numerous times and a win at this point would ring hollow.

With no rhyme or reason for its continuation, it is merely filler until something more important or pressing comes up.

If it comes up.

Winner

SmackDown Live presented a quality show Tuesday night.

The build to McMahon vs. Owens has been fantastic, with strong performances by the latter, in particular. A much better segment involving Shinsuke Nakamura and Jinder Mahal and the latest chapter in the AJ Styles vs. Baron Corbin saga strengthened the show.

Raw, though, planted the seeds for the most anticipated reunion in years and advanced stories with a sense of urgency that SmackDown Live continues to lack.

It rebuilt Braun Strowman, introduced Mickie James as the new challenger to Alexa Bliss and took a chance on putting despicable cruiserweight champion Enzo Amore in the main event spot.

The Monday night staple won this week and until the blue brand takes a chance, does something truly outside the box or creates a sense of excitement about its product, the outcome will remain the same.