5 reasons why WWE SmackDown is now better than RAW
WWE's RAW and SmackDown brands may go head-to-head only once a year during the Survivor Series pay-per-view, but the content they broadcast is compared every week.
Over recent weeks, RAW episodes have drawn criticism from the WWE Universe, while the Blue brand has been praised.
Both shows have strong champions at the helm with Roman Reigns holding the WWE Universal title and Bobby Lashley holding the WWE Championship. Mid-card titles have also been the focus of attention on both shows, as Apollo Crews and Sheamus have proven to be excellent champions.
Meanwhile, both women's rosters are going through a change of era, as Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair now hold the titles.
Despite the apparent similarity in the strength of both rosters, SmackDown has been the better of the two shows. Let's take a look at five reasons why SmackDown is currently better than WWE RAW.
#5 SmackDown has better long term booking than RAW
RAW's booking has never been the neatest. In fact, week in and week out, the Red brand has seen haphazard match-ups, which don't always make sense.
The feuds that start seem to come out of nowhere, and it appears as if the matches have all been thrown together at the last minute. Other than two or three storylines, most of the bouts seem to be throwaway matches of no consequence.
Superstars that were once over have lost their momentum thanks to this sort of booking. The Red brand has the likes of Ricochet and others, simply sitting and waiting for something to happen to them. The breakup of the Hurt Business, the apparent lack of a storyline for RETRIBUTION before they broke up and other such storylines have hurt the show overall.
When it comes to SmackDown, the matches have a greater purpose. There's been better long-term booking with acknowledgment of previous storylines. Kevin Owens' involvement with Sami Zayn, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins' silent respect for each other and Daniel Bryan's retirement match have all been compelling storylines.