Why WWE SmackDown Live Has Been Better Brand So Far
By Jay Sichler
Despite starting with numerous disadvantages, Smackdown has still shown that it has been the better brand so far.
Three weeks ago the WWE universe saw a major shake up when the company decided to restart the brand extension. The roster was split into two separate entities as superstars were drafted to compete on RAW or Smackdown Live.
However despite this being a draft the brands were not split fairly down the middle. With RAW being a three-hour show, the brand was given three picks every round in the draft, compared to Smackdown Live which only received two.
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RAW also received the cruiserweight division, which means their roster will grow even more when the division gets underway in the next few weeks. Despite all the advantages RAW has been given, the scorecard over the last two weeks has Smackdown Live up 2-0.
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When the brands first had their solo shows both did very well. RAW had a memorable Women’s Championship match between Charlotte and Sasha Banks, and they catapulted Finn Balor to the front of the main event picture. However, with the flagship show being three hours there were some dry spots during the show and at times It got a bit boring. This was present in RAW’s show on August 1, as it seemed to drag on and had some confusing moments. Two that came to mind, was the build for Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens teaming up to face Enzo and Cass, and the build of Roman Reigns and Rusev. Mark Henry competing for the United States championship over other big names didn’t help either.
WWE fans also saw that despite how well Finn Balor is in the ring, he still needs a ton of work on his microphone skills. The weird pairing of Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley hasn’t helped things either.
WWE either needs to turn Stephanie into a face or somehow turn Mick Foley into a heel. The heel and face authority figures on RAW makes absolutely no sense and will start to confuse the fans.
Smackdown Live, on the other hand, has had two solid shows both weeks both developing stars new and old, and creating marquee matches for Summerslam. The program has also given the fans two authority figures who the fans both love.
Having Shane McMahon on Smackdown as the commissioner was the smartest thing WWE could’ve done. RAW will always be the flagship show, so even with Stephanie on the brand people will still watch.
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Sending Shane to Smackdown brings fans with him as he has always been the most popular McMahon, and fans will watch the blue brand to see him. WWE solidified a viewing audience, even more, when they made Daniel Bryan the GM of Smackdown.
There might not be a superstar in the last 5 years that has gained more of a cult following than Bryan. The former WWE World Champion instantly gets fans to watch Smackdown because of his presence. His “Yes!” chant and personality as a fan favorite will bring a huge audience to watch the show every week going forward.
A major thing Smackdown has over RAW is a depth of star power at the top of the roster. With a solid big five in Dean Ambrose, John Cena, Randy Orton, AJ Styles and Bray Wyatt, Smackdown hasn’t had a core nucleus like this since the days of Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit and Edge back in 2002.
SD Live has also shown that they will be the show to give the opportunity to stars who have yet to have their big moment just yet. On their first week they rose the career of Dolph Ziggler’s from the ashes into the main event picture.
Ziggler has knocked on the door of the main event picture countless times but it seems on Smackdown, he’ll have a chance to do so again. The match between he and Ambros sets up something new and creates a brand new storyline for people to watch.
Smackdown has a bunch of great new talent to watch such as Apollo Crews and American Alpha to watch. Crews has shown the last few two weeks that he is a star ready to launch with his new pursuit for the Intercontinental Championship. It should be the beginning of a bright future.
Chad Gable and Jason Jordan made their debut this week on Smackdown Live, and showed they are the tag team of the future in WWE. The duo now lead a tag division that can compete with RAW’s having past NXT teams such as The Vaudevillians, The Hype Bros and The Ascension on the show as well.
Even the women’s division has the potential to be special with Becky Lynch and Natalya on top as the veterans helping to develop a new batch of stars such as Carmella and Alexa Bliss into mainstays.
Smackdown also has a potential new monster heel in Baron Corbin. With his look demeanor and attitude, Corbin could really develop into a huge star on Smackdown as well. With a strong batch of future stars, the show has also been digging into the past and adding old stars to the roster as well.
Both Shelton Benjamin and Rhyno are set to return to WWE both on the Smackdown Live brand, with the latter set to make his in-ring debut next week. These two never seemed to hit their full potential during their first run in WWE. So, a return to Smackdown could really help them resurrect their respective careers.
Despite not having a Tag Team or Women’s Championship yet, Smackdown also has the benefit of having the top two Championships in the company the WWE Championship and the Intercontinental Championship. RAW took a blow when they lost the WWE title. The RAW brand now will create the Universal Championship, a name that most fans are making fun of. It will be difficult to take the champion on RAW seriously when he is carrying around a championship with a ridiculous name.
RAW should have just reinstated the World Heavyweight Championship, but unfortunately, they will have to learn the hard way how ridiculous this new championship will be. Smackdown, however, gained the two most prestigious belts in WWE so their champions will most likely be more respected.
Anyway you look at this, Smackdown is clearly the early winner of the Brand Extension so far in WWE. This is quite possibly the first time since 2002, that the blue brand can be seen as the superior show over the mighty RAW.
The future ahead looks bright for Smackdown and the current stars on it. Will RAW be able to close the gap to Smackdown, only time will tell, but for now it’s the blue brand that is winning the brand war.