Monday Night Raw or Smackdown Live for the Week of August 22nd- Who Won?
Which show shined brighter in the aftermath of Summer Slam, Raw or Smackdown?
By Nolan P. Smith
With the WWE hot off the heels of Summer Slam 2016, we headed straight into the two flagship shows- Monday Night Raw and Smackdown Live. So, now that both shows have aired, who won?
Let’s break the shows down by matches, entertainment, and quality of time:
Matches:
Raw saw a series of matches to determine the fatal four way match for next week, where the winner is crowned the next Universal Champion, as Finn Balor had to relinquish it due to an injury. Rollins Vs. Zayn could have been way better if not for Zayn’s “injury”, giving Rollins the win. Owens Vs Neville was great until the interference by Jericho. Neville truly doesn’t get the respect he deserves most of the time. Big E vs Anderson was predictable and boring, can’t wait for Gallows and Anderson to get a fair rematch. Rusev Vs. Big Cass had promise with a cop out ending. Bayley Vs. Dana Brooke was a filler but a cool introduction to Raw’s latest hugger. Braun Strowman needs to be given a regular opponent; the jobber card has been pulled too many times. Jericho Vs. Reigns was, alas, predictable as well; as I think most saw Reigns going to the fatal four way match. A shame for Jericho, who has been great and killing it on the mic as of late.
Smackdown brought the excitement, with the introduction of the new Smackdown Tag Team Championships and a Smackdown Women’s Championship. Alexa Bliss Vs. Becky Lynch was great and fast paced, both women are great to see in the title picture. The Usos Vs, the Ascension was ok, but the Uso’s carried that match. Carmella Vs, Nikki Bella never happened, instead turning the Queen of Staten Island heel. Breezango Vs. American Alpha takes match of the night as these two teams delivered a high-octane match. Dolph Ziggler Vs. AJ Styles takes a close second for the best match tonight as the Phenomenal One continues to show why he is the face that runs the place.
Winner: Smackdown Live
Entertainment:
Raw had a good segment with Finn, Mick and Stephanie- sad to see the champ go down with an injury. Titus O’ Neil is horrible on the microphone, which is a shame to see the much hyped Darren Young and Bob Backlund once again get buried by the former Prime Time Player. Owens and Jericho are awesome on the mic, making for another great interview segment. Seeing Bayley debut was great, like the crowd said: she deserves it. The Dudley Boyz farewell speech was ruined from being entertaining by the god awful mic skills of the Shining Stars, but some redemption from the beat down by Gallows and Anderson.
Smackdown, though shorter in length, packed the fun into this episode. AJ Styles continues to shine on the mic and in the ring #beatupjohncena. Orton and Bray could be interesting, and is a Segway away from Brock. But Bray needs a decent push to a belt- the man is gold on the mic and awesome in the squared circle. Dean’s nonchalant demeanor is a contrast to the hungry competitors going for the gold- but it’s hard to win a crowd over when Styles is in the conversation. Sorry Dean.
Winner: Smackdown Live
Quality of Time:
This is a big component of the show. With Raw at three hours and Smackdown at 2, which show had the most bang for its buck? At times, Raw left me wishing I could hit fast forward, as to where Smackdown felt like it ended too soon. I have to give it to Smackdown.
Winner: Smackdown Live