WWE Raw vs. SmackDown: Winner, Top Highlights and Botches for Week of January 18

The week that was in WWE programming was one of the most one-sided in recent memory. One brand approached the build to Royal Rumble with respect and a sense of urgency, while the other failed to present a show that inspired excitement.

Raw was the former. It put on an explosive show that positioned certain stars as worth watching leading into the January 28 pay-per-view. The red brand executed a layered main event that captivated the audience and created interest in the product.

SmackDown Live...not so much.

Relive the past week of WWE television and find out why Raw was so much better than its opposition.

Why Raw?: Braun Strowman's Star-Making Night

Braun Strowman took center stage during the first hour of Raw, with the first 60 minutes of the broadcast built around him.

Upon learning Raw general manager Kurt Angle fired him, The Monster Among Men unleashed hell on an unforgettable warpath. Superstars, security, announcers and tractor-trailers all felt his wrath. No one and nothing was safe, and with every display of fury, his popularity with the WWE Universe grew.

By the time WWE rehired him and reinstated his spot in the Triple Threat match for the Universal Championship at Royal Rumble, he was a bigger star than he was when the night's festivities began.

It was the perfect use of Strowman, whose destructive ways are what got him over with the masses in the first place.

Yes, he needs a big win to solidify his spot as a lead babyface on Raw, but more segments like this will keep him over with the fanbase until management figures out where to plug in that victory.

Why SmackDown?: New United States Champion

The tournament to determine the new United States champion wrapped up Tuesday night on SmackDown Live, and WWE built the entire show around the coronation of the new titleholder.

Bobby Roode and Jinder Mahal advanced past Mojo Rawley and Xavier Woods, respectively, in the semifinal round. From there, they clashed in the night's main event, waging war over the prize Dolph Ziggler vacated in December.

The action throughout was solid, and Roode predictably went over, creating a scenario in which Ziggler will almost assuredly return to television in short order to dispute who the real U.S. champion is.

Roode's victory shone a spotlight on him that had been missing since his arrival on the main roster in August and finally made him feel like a big deal. Whether he can ride the momentum from that victory going forward is the question.

Why Raw?: Asuka vs. Nia Jax

Nia Jax was finally presented as the unstoppable force she should have been seen as all along Monday, as she pummeled and overpowered Asuka in a high-profile singles match. Overwhelming The Empress of Tomorrow, it even appeared as though Jax may do what no other woman had been able to in the two years prior by beating Asuka.

Then tragedy struck, and a stiff kick to Jax's left leg caused a referee stoppage and concern over injury.

Jax limped out of the squared circle with the assistance of the officials, selling the pain and agony she was in. After a fantastic showing, questions about her health abounded.

It was a quality angle that allowed Jax to stay over without hurting Asuka. It also set up a backstage vignette involving the heel and her love interest, Enzo Amore.

For a match that easily could have been one-dimensional, another straightforward Asuka victory, this was well-executed and creates a scenario wherein fans may be intrigued by the idea of a rematch and the possibility that Jax knocks off the enigmatic Asuka.

Why SmackDown?: Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin Attack The Usos

During a backstage promo in which The Usos jokingly discussed their Royal Rumble match with Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin, the No. 1 contenders attacked the SmackDown tag team champions from behind, leaving them writhing at their feet.

Gable and Benjamin mocked their words, sending a clear message to the twins ahead of a 2-out-of-3 Falls match that could well solidify their team's claim to being the best in the division.

It was a quick, relatively by-the-books segment, but what it did was introduce a cheap-shot side of Gable and Benjamin. Yes, they have been slowly turning heel, but this was the first impression we got that they are going full villain.

It also demonstrated they were not above a sneak attack, a cowardly assault or any other means of getting a leg up on the competition. As a new heel act, they need that to continue connecting with audiences.

Why Raw?: A Layered Main Event

Seth Rollins battled Finn Balor in the main event of Raw, a rematch of their SummerSlam 2016 classic for the Universal Championship. It was not just the match that deserves recognition but also the number of stories weaved throughout that elevated the bout.

First, there was the history between the competitors, dating back to that fateful night in Brooklyn, New York. Then there was Rollins' tag team partner, Jason Jordan, and his eagerness to prove himself to Rollins, even though he was the idiot who got the match booked in the first place.

At ringside were Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, whose past behavior suggested they may interfere on behalf of Balor.

Sheamus and Cesaro appeared during the match, presumably to be the same sort of distraction for Rollins that Jordan was for them earlier. Their arrival earned them not only the attention of Jordan and Rollins but of The Balor Club as well.

With so many moving pieces, the main event could have become cluttered, with too many ideas to work. Instead, it was a well-executed exercise in creative work and further proof of just how red-hot all those involved are.

Biggest Botch: SmackDown's Lack of Urgency

This close to the Royal Rumble, it is unforgivable for SmackDown Live to present a show as creatively lackluster and uneventful as Tuesday's broadcast.

Yes, Bobby Roode won the vacant United States Championship, but outside of that newsworthy occurrence, the show was one-dimensional and lazily written, and it failed to capture the audience's attention.

It was a disappointing effort from a show that has routinely delivered a quality product, even when faced with a lack of star power.

Ahead of one of the most anticipated pay-per-views of the year, it was not at all the way WWE should want to appeal to its fans. 

Winner: Raw

Whereas SmackDown was a show that never felt like anything significant happened, Raw was an explosive broadcast that featured Braun Strowman's warpath, the superb main event, a quality win for Sonya Deville over Sasha Banks and the latest chapter in the budding romance between Enzo Amore and Nia Jax.

There was a sense of urgency with Raw that did not exist with SmackDown.

While Raw approached its program with the idea it must continue advancing stories and creating excitement for the Royal Rumble, SmackDown sleepwalked through its show and did nothing to generate buzz for the extravaganza.

Raw wins this one handily.