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

Holiday episodes can be the kiss of death for Raw or SmackDown Live in that they are typically schlock television with happy endings in an attempt to capitalize on the family dynamic of that particular week's viewing audience.

On Monday and Tuesday, though, WWE Creative opted to keep ongoing stories rolling, providing fans of the two brands with shows that were both entertaining and meaningful in a nice departure from the typical holiday fare.

Which brand was able to shake off the holiday cookies, set aside its Red Ryder BB gun and deliver the best product this week?

Why Raw?

The red brand made history Monday night, as it was the first time it had ever been presented live on Christmas night. In doing so, it provided two big championship matches and John Cena's return.

Cena returned Monday night and not only added star power to the show but also did a solid job of putting Elias over as a star for the flagship, giving him the majority of the offense in a 15-minute opening match before finishing him off with the Attitude Adjustment and putting smiles on faces.

Jason Jordan and Seth Rollins defeated Sheamus and Cesaro to capture the Raw Tag Team Championships. For Jordan, it was the culmination of weeks of frustration as he finally won the big one, subbing for Dean Ambrose and creating a wacky dynamic with new mentor Rollins. 

The hints of a romance between Enzo Amore and Nia Jax continued Monday night, with the Superstars teasing a kiss under the mistletoe. The fans responded favorably, popping for the segment and then audibly groaning when Alexa Bliss interrupted. The inevitable payoff should make for a memorable Raw moment.

Kane's squash victory over Heath Slater may have been inevitable, but the Raw creative team told the story of Rhyno trying to toughen Slater up perfectly within the context of the match. A midcard story at best, sure, but one that should be fun to see play out.

Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe's rivalry escalated Monday, as the Samoan Submission Machine awakened a more vicious and vengeful Big Dog than the WWE Universe has ever seen before. Their program should fuel WWE programming in the weeks to come, culminating with a high-profile Intercontinental Championship war at the Royal Rumble.

Why SmackDown?

The drama that continues to unfold in the SmackDown Live main event scene is making for some of the best TV in wrestling. After commissioner Shane McMahon inadvertently cost him a non-title match against Kevin Owens, WWE champion AJ Styles figures to have harsh words for his WrestleMania 33 opponent.

The stories involving Styles, McMahon, Owens, Sami Zayn and Daniel Bryan have been intricately woven together to make one big overarching program that is captivating audiences.

Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin won the right to challenge The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships on the first episode of 2018, but it was once again Rusev and Aiden English who stole the spotlight, drawing their biggest pop to date.

Their growth in popularity and rise up the ranks will be one of the stories to watch early in the new year.

In the first round of a United States Championship Tournament, Bobby Roode and Jinder Mahal won their matches to advance. It was Baron Corbin's loss, though, that could lead to The Lone Wolf rediscovering his inner beast and unleashing it on the SmackDown roster.

Biggest Botch

Hideo Itami may be an internationally recognized Superstar, but like in NXT, he arrived on the main roster with no discernible character or anything remotely close to a reason for fans to care about him. Yes, pre-debut video packages can do a world of good for Superstars looking to make and immediate impact, but nowhere in Itami's was there any indication a to why fans should invest in him.

They were expected to know who he is and why he is important without any sort of indication as to what he is all about.

The result, as we saw Monday in a wrestling-rich city of Chicago, was apathy for him and his match against The Brian Kendrick.

There was no excitement or energy whatsoever as he put the former cruiserweight champion away with a Go To Sleep that ended up breaking Kendrick's nose and orbital socket.

His run in the cruiserweight division will end up a massive disappointment, like those of many others, if WWE does not find a reason to convince audiences Itami is a big deal.

Winner

Raw was a solid, if unspectacular, show from top to bottom Monday night. With that said, its counterpart delivered one of its best shows in months thanks in large part to a quality main event, even better storytelling and high-stakes matches.

SmackDown felt like a show where things happened but at the same time made sense within the context of the story, whereas Raw's tag title change felt almost forced, a reason to justify Jordan's continued push despite it being obvious fans are not sold on him in the role he fills.

The blue brand's ability to bring so many stories together to create an engaging and compelling product makes it the winner this week and, most likely, the winner for the foreseeable future as long as it continues to deliver thoughtful programs.