WWE Raw vs. SmackDown: Winner, Top Highlights and Botches for Week of January 11

The road to Royal Rumble is hotter than ever thanks to the events of this week's WWE programming, which intensified rivalries, heightened excitement for impending matchups and provided a quality in-ring product.

From The Miz's return on Raw to an explosive Three-on-Two Handicap main event on SmackDown, the week that was in WWE television created genuine buzz for one of the most prestigious events on the company's calendar.

Which brand left the greatest impression on fans? What made it superior to its competitor?

Find out with this recap of WWE's two most prominent brands for the week of January 11.

Why Raw: Balor Club's Success

Finn Balor, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows' reunion in The Balor Club has breathed fresh air into all three Superstars and created another main event-level trio to benefit WWE's flagship.

Monday night, in just their second contest as a team in Vince McMahon's land of sports entertainment, the trio defeated intercontinental champion Roman Reigns and tag team champions Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan in a blockbuster Six-Man Tag Team match.

The victory not only lent Balor Club credibility, but it was also proof positive of the company's devotion to giving the faction a legitimate push.

Balor, Anderson and Gallows looked refreshed and energetic, as if their hard work and dedication despite lackluster creative support over the past 10 months had finally paid off.

The arrogance and smiles in the face of threats from Reigns, Rollins and Jordan suggest a heel turn by leader Balor may be coming in the near future. If so, expect an even more renewed and energetic former universal champion as he introduces a side of himself the WWE Universe has never seen inside North America.

Why SmackDown: Dissension at the Top

The tension that exists between SmackDown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon and general manager Daniel Bryan intensified Tuesday, as the former called his employee out for perceived irrational decision-making, only to have his genes and sordid history called into question.

Recognizing the potential for escalation, McMahon merely left the room.

The digs each authority figure made represented mounting frustration between them and hinted, yet again, at an impending blowup.

The manner in which the writing team has expertly built the story without hot-shotting it or letting it go on for too long has helped elevate the quality of SmackDown, particularly a main event scene that was one-dimensional and boring over the summer.

Why Raw: Titus Worldwide's Monumental Upset

The Titus Worldwide act is one that has always had potential, especially with Titus O'Neil at the forefront. But it was never allowed to evolve because of a lack of credibility. The former Florida Gator and Apollo Crews were routinely beaten and never allowed to build momentum.

Monday night, they picked up a signature victory that may finally buy them a push of sorts. 

The newest member, Dana Brooke, watched from ringside as Crews and O'Neil upset former tag team champions Sheamus and Cesaro, almost instantly inserting themselves into the Raw Tag Team Championships discussion.

It remains to be seen whether Monday's win was part of the Titus Worldwide story or whether it was more about the tale of an overconfident Sheamus and Cesaro looking past them, but for one week, watching the team celebrate a landmark victory was a refreshing change of pace.

Why SmackDown: Kevin Owens Leaves Sami Zayn...Again

For the second time since reuniting as best friends, Kevin Owens abandoned Sami Zayn, leaving him to endure the wrath of Shinsuke Nakamura and Randy Orton in Tuesday's massive SmackDown Live main event.

It is completely within Owens' character to do such a thing. After all, we are nearing the one-year anniversary of him violently and vindictively ending his friendship with Chris Jericho, proof of his overwhelming selfishness and lack of empathy.

Thus far, though, Zayn has not taken exception to being left to suffer an ass-kicking.

It happened once before and is likely to happen again. Is this SmackDown's way of hinting at another split between the two and, potentially, an even more intense rivalry between The Prizefighter and The Underdog from the Underground?

If so, it would be difficult to imagine a single fan who would find fault in that decision given the incredible series of matches they have already had with each other.

Why Raw: The Miz's Message to Roman Reigns

There are few Superstars who can claim to have routinely placed an entire brand on their back and carried it the way The Miz has with Raw for the past year. Monday night, The Hollywood A-Lister returned from a brief hiatus and immediately reinserted himself in the Intercontinental Championship picture via an attack on Roman Reigns.

The flagship went off the air with Miz standing tall over the fallen Big Dog, the last bit of hype for their January 22 showdown over the prestigious title. After a Miz TV segment earlier in a show, it was further proof of WWE Creative's commitment to Rolling Stone's Wrestler of the Year for 2017.

A heel who can talk, work and generate the reaction WWE desires from its fans, Miz is one of the most complete performers on the roster. Highlighting him just makes for a better show. It is as simple as that.

Evidence of as much was on display Monday night.

Why SmackDown: Becky Lynch Knocks Off Ruby Riott

Becky Lynch and Ruby Riott not only had a fun match Tuesday night, but The Lass Kicker also scored a big victory fresh off her hiatus. The fiery redhead from Dublin tapped her opponent out to The Dis-arm-her.

The win will stoke the fire that exists between The Riott Club and the rest of the SmackDown women's division while allowing the often overlooked and undervalued Lynch the opportunity to build some momentum.

Lynch was chosen to be the first woman to knock Riott off in singles competition. While that may not seem like a big deal, that is a distinction that easily could have gone to Charlotte Flair. The fact WWE Creative opted to bestow it upon Lynch is a potential hint at a bigger role on the horizon from the co-star of The Marine 6: Close Quarters.

Why Raw: Nia Jax Comforts a Battered Enzo Amore

The reactions for the teased Enzo Amore-Nia Jax relationship are evidence WWE Creative is on to something with the two.

Just moments after Amore was injured and unable to continue defending his Cruiserweight Championship against Cedric Alexander, he sat in the trainer's room, clearly in agony. As Jax entered the shot, though, false bravado took over. The champion dismissed the injury, telling his budding love interest he was fine.

It was a short television segment but one that continued telling a story fans are invested in. The cheers whenever the two share the screen are obvious, and the electricity between them is palpable. Fans want to see them get together, and the writing team will almost certainly make that happen sooner rather than later.

The weekly ride to that moment, though, is what should make every Monday night a lot of fun.

Why SmackDown: Shinsuke Nakamura's Subtle Title Hint

There was a moment backstage during Tuesday's SmackDown Live in which WWE champion AJ Styles and Randy Orton were discussing strategy for the handicap match main event later in the show. The talk turned to The Viper winning the Royal Rumble and consequently challenging The Phenomenal One for the title.

Then Shinsuke Nakamura interrupted with a "not so fast" and proceeded to tap the WWE title resting on Styles' shoulder. "Good talk," he said before disappearing off screen.

It was such a short segment it is likely to be forgotten, and perhaps that is what made it so effective.

It was not overly loud or explosive. Nakamura did not scream for 10 minutes during an in-ring promo about how he is going to take the title. He simply walked up to Styles, delivered the Too Sweet hand gesture to the title and walked away, as if to say he has eyes on taking it from Styles after the Royal Rumble.

That sort of foreshadowing creates excitement long before a storyline begins and, in the process, makes it an even more anticipated program.

Biggest Botch: Rusev Day Loses

At some point, WWE management has to recognize how special the Rusev Day shtick is and push its namesake and tag team partner Aiden English, right?

Because if there is anything we know, it is that failure to push something fans are clamoring for will result in a backlash and passionate attempts to hijack shows.

Just ask Daniel Bryan, the SmackDown general manager.

Rusev and English may not have the fan support Bryan did at the height of his run, but they are generating some of the loudest reactions on either Raw or SmackDown every week. The idea WWE Creative is marginalizing them and booking them to lose to Breezango only seems to suggest stubbornness on its part to accept that fans love the accidentally entertaining act.

Failure to strike while the proverbial iron is hot will not only cost it potential stars but, more importantly, further alienate a portion of the audience that does not think WWE officials give a damn about that as it is.

Raw or SmackDown?

Both Raw and SmackDown have hit their creative grooves, producing shows that are both engaging and quality entertainment.

From intricately written stories to bombastic angles, the shows have seemingly hit their strides ahead of the massive Royal Rumble pay-per-view in Philadelphia on Jan. 28.

SmackDown has done a fine job of presenting a main event angle that features everyone from AJ Styles to Daniel Bryan, captivating audiences with the number of moving pieces therein.

Raw, though, featured The Miz's return and the continued elevation of Balor Club, not to mention a red-hot angle involving Braun Strowman, Brock Lesnar and Kane that we did not even touch on.

For all the critics of Jason Jordan's continued push, even he has contributed to the show in ways that has fans remembering the goofy awkwardness of his on-screen father, Kurt Angle.

With all that said, the flagship felt like a show on which things actually happened, whereas SmackDown continued on with its quiet consistency.

With such an enormous show on the horizon, Raw has done a better job of generating excitement and this week picks up the victory.

Winner: Raw