WWE Survivor Series 2018: Ranking The 5 Best RAW vs. Smackdown Brand Warfare Matches
So the predictions came wrong, as WWE has revealed post-Evolution that RAW and Smackdown will once more head to brand warfare at Survivor Series. The 2018 edition of the historic pay per view will once again feature champions of RAW going head to head with Smackdown.
That's not all, there is a chance of a five on five traditional survivor series match to contest bragging rights for the brands. There will, of course, be both a men's and women's variation as the past two years, with the men's one taking precedence again to showcase who finally walks out on top.
A year ago it was RAW, a year before that it was Smackdown. Yet this brand warfare has been ongoing for ages since Smackdown established itself as a sensational alternative to Monday Night RAW. As such there are a few matches that showcase this brand warfare.
Here we shall rank the five men's multi-man tag team matches that determined which brand would take bragging rights, during the years Smackdown pitted itself against RAW.
#5. Team RAW (The Miz, CM Punk, Ezekiel Jackson, John Morrison, R Truth, Sheamus and Santino Marella) vs. Team Smackdown! (Big Show, Alberto Del Rio, Edge, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston, Rey Mysterio and Tyler Reks), Bragging Rights 2010
The 2009-2010 period of WWE is probably its darkest in a long time, featuring a depleted roster and a hokey product neutered by the PG rating. Around this time the battle lines between brands were fading, despite WWE's desperate attempt to fool viewers with this gimmick PPV in its final edition.
As such this main match holds little weight besides also not having a real story going into it, unlike its predecessor. The build centered around the switch of brands between CM Punk and Edge, both men seeking a reset of sorts after an uneven year. Nothing else really mattered including doubts over Big Show's loyalties.
The notoriously flaky Giant had turned on RAW the last time around for partner Chris Jericho. This year he stared down a fast-rising Miz, his former partner whom he knocked out not so long ago. The two teams gave a tepid match showcasing the fresh Alberto Del Rio, giving some space to rising stars such as Tyler Reks (Who?!) and finishing with a thrilling Edge/Rey Mysterio win for Smackdown.
The blue brand went two for two at Bragging Rights, which really didn't matter considering they were by this point well and truly the B Show. To harken back to the Smackdown six with Rey and Edge is the only consolation prize.