10 Reasons Why WWE SmackDown Is Better Than Raw
Why Tuesdays are the new Mondays...
Anyone who's been closely following WWE since the brand split in July knows that SmackDown has been superior to Raw. For the past 15 weeks, the blue brand has had its ups and downs, but the overall product is so much better than the Monday evening institution that sometimes, it's hard to imagine that the same man has final say over both shows.
It's true that Raw is still considered WWE's "A" show, and that it gets the lion's share of the attention - but in spite of that (or because of it, maybe), SmackDown has still managed to outperform Raw in terms of the quality of its product on an almost a weekly basis. The fact that the red brand has bested SmackDown in the ratings every week is confusing, but it can be chalked up to habit more than anything else.
So why is SmackDown so superior to Raw, and how did it improve so quickly? There are a lot of reasons for the show's dominance, and while some were easy to see coming, others turned out to be monumental surprises. Still, it's not all a game of chance - hopefully, WWE can learn some lessons from SmackDown and apply them to Raw for the sake of the whole company.
Here are 10 reasons why SmackDown is better than Raw:
10. A More Well-Rounded Women's Division
Don't let this be misinterpreted as a snipe at the entirety of Raw's women's division - Sasha Banks and Charlotte are amazing, and it's a good thing, because they've been carrying the weight of the entire division. Bayley has been horribly misused since coming up after SummerSlam, Nia Jax only just returned from an inexplicable absence, and the rest of Raw's women aren't doing anything worthwhile.
SmackDown, by contrast, has a strong champion in Becky Lynch, but the rest of the division also feels solid. Alexa Bliss is doing great work as the number one contender, Natalya and Naomi are always consistent players (and should have an even greater profile), Nikki Bella comes off as a star, and even Carmella is doing well in her feud with Bella. Overall, the SmackDown women's division just feels like a better use of talent, from top to bottom.
Let's just hope that things don't slide backwards once Eva Marie returns.