10 SmackDown Vs. Raw Matches WWE Got Right
SmackDown versus Raw used to mean something.
At the outset of the brand extension in 2002, interaction between Raw and SmackDown was largely confined to the big four pay-per-views and the occasional draft lottery. Inter-promotional matches carried a special feel because they pitted superstars at the top of their respective shows against one another.
In the years that followed, WWE's dwindling talent pool made two distinct rosters a luxury the company could no longer afford. Being drafted to SmackDown made you no less likely to appear on Raw than Jeremy Piven, and head office finally binned the brand extension outright in 2011 (only four years too late).
Its return has been received favourably, but creative haven't quite been able to resist muddying the waters: Randy Orton's summer feud with Brock Lesnar saw the two trade finishing moves on each other's shows, for example. To their credit, the announcers at least did a commendable job of framing these appearances as unique and unexpected.
Some have suggested it might be a little early to book a Raw versus SmackDown Survivor Series match, but the McMahon sibling rivalry represents a new take on it. Plus, unlike in previous red-blue feuds, these rosters were hand-picked by their respective general managers.
If the build-up has been so-so, Sunday's pay-off at least has the makings of a Survivor Series classic. To help whet your appetite, here are 10 inter-promotional matches WWE got right.
10. Batista Vs. Umaga (WrestleMania XXIV)
Cynics saw this match as a last minute addition to the WrestleMania XXIV card, aimed at giving main event mainstay Batista something to do while more fitting adversaries were otherwise engaged. They weren't wrong, but for what seemed like a total mismatch, he and Umaga delivered a more than serviceable seven minute bout.
The preamble focused less on any personal animosity between the two and more on what the match meant for their respective shows, the prize at stake being "brand supremacy", which in practice meant precisely nothing. Still, it was fun - not least of all because of Raw GM William Regal's insistence on referring to his chosen one as "Youmanga" in the build-up.