Raw vs. Smackdown

[Guest Nevermortal]

I have a big fucking question.

 

Why does the WWE always see Smackdown as the better show, when Raw clearly rules the roost?

 

I mean, the most shocking, entertaining, and cool angles come from Raw. Heck, the better wrestling comes from Raw too.

 

Smackdown to me just seems like a 2 hour borefest full of the most generic skits, angles, and whatnot. Every match on there seems the same no matter who's in it.

 

Heck, even when Raw is at its worst, I still find it more entertaining than Smackdown.

 

So, WWE, tell me again, why is Smackdown better?

[Guest SuperTonyJaymz]

Well its like this:

Smackdown has the best array of wrestlers, is on a tv network, and has more main eventers

 

thus, after the spit, SD was deemed best

 

But Raw was the underdog, actually had to and did work hard to get better and is now number one

[Guest chirs3]

Raw ownz Smackdown.

 

That is all.

[Guest Nevermortal]

Raw ownz Smackdown.

 

That is all.

2nd Time Today: Damned Straight!

[Guest ryankeast]

I think Raw has got better than Smackdown but only in the last couple of weeks.

 

It seems to me that Smackdown is turning more into a midcard federation, with the criusers and the new talent (Even Brock has moved there)

 

I find the Smackdown matches very entertaing though.

 

No way will this weeks Smackdown live upto Raw though.

[Guest BionicRedneck]

RAW

 

Benoit

Guerrero

Booker

Flair

RVD

 

SmackDown!

 

Jericho

Angle

Crusierweights

 

mmmmm

 

tough choice...HHH is on Raw now...but SmackDown has the anti-christ:

 

 

TEST

 

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

 

Not to mention Cena/Orton

 

I'll go with Raw

[Guest SteveyP93]

Its hard to describe, but I like the feel of Raw better than Smackdown. It's live, it seems to be a more urgent show, and I even like its colors better.

[Guest El Psycho Diablo]

I'm not usually the one with 'conspiracy theories'..but it seemed like they WANTED SD to fail..so they could show 'the little guys didn't draw'..until they started trading 'em off.

[Guest ryankeast]

I think the in ring product will still be high with Heyman still booking the show.

 

They really do need some angles though as I can literally only think of The Jericho/Edge feud that is going on???

 

Maybe more feuds will be put in motion tonight. Like Raw did yesterday.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

I think there was only one week since the split that I like SD! better than Raw...and I couldn't even tell you what week it was.

 

I really am not a fan of SD!

 

Since Angle and Jericho haven't had much direction...and until recently Storm and Christian have struggled for airtime.

 

Not to mention the fact that sometimes the piped in crowd noise gives me a headache.

 

and yes...that last line was said in truth.

[Guest ryankeast]

[i'm not usually the one with 'conspiracy theories'..but it seemed like they WANTED SD to fail..so they could show 'the little guys didn't draw'..until they started trading 'em off. ]

 

Ha Ha.

 

I don't think thats true.

 

At the begining of the split Smackdown was the stronger roster.

 

Unfortunatley the REAL workers ie Angle, Jericho, Storm, Christian have not had any angles to get their teeth into. Angle / Edge was ok i suppose.

 

Hopefully this will change after tonights tapings (me hopes)

 

RAY is Comeing!!!!!!!!!!

[Guest The Mountie]

Ray Charles is coming to SmackDown?

 

OH MY GOD!!!

[Guest Nevermortal]

PEPSI~!

[Guest EricMM]

Well you have to argue which show used it's qualities best.

 

RAW had the hardcore devision, as well as the hardcore wrestlers, and while Bradshaw has had people cringing, Dreamer and Steven actually had a good hardcore matchup.

 

SD! has the cruisers. While it does contain Tajiri, I haven't seen a cruiser show that was better than the ME's of old wrestling wise. Very few spots, it just doesn't feel like cruiser matches. It's like hardcore without the chairs...

 

RAW is live so it has the whole "live" feel. Anything can happen.

 

SD! is taped. This should be used to create a much more polished show. Instead it seems to only go towards faking audience reation. As if the people at home didn't know, they know they're not gonna pop for albert. Who the fuck pops for albert?

 

Plus in RAW, the main eventers went from Ric Flair and the NWO to RVD and Eddy and Benoit.

 

In SD! the main eventers have been Undertaker, HHH, Angle, and Edge. If you want to say Jericho ME'd, you have to also say Cena did. And Hogan. It just seems like SD! used lesser main eventers, besides angle of course. And HHH generally has weaker matches than people like RVD, so its just not gonna be as exciting.

 

But RAW's getting Brock...

 

But SD! getting HHH...

 

I still say raw. The Proof is in the product. Which one IS better? Clearly RAW. IMO.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

Does the whole rivalry thing hurt the overall product though? I like RAW better and have liked RAW better for a while, but I gave up Smackdown officially after last week and have not looked back. Right now I feel like Smackdown can kiss my ass and I wonder if people will start to take sides since the shows are supposed to rival each other. Since I don't watch Smackdown anymore, someone switching sides will have a bigger impact to me because I'm only watching one of the shows now.

[Guest Nevermortal]

If Raw signs Angle somehow, I won't have to watch Smackdown any longer.

[Guest Olympic Slam]

Smackdown was WAY better when the split first started. Many of threads on this board were devoted to lauging at RAW's inferior crew. However, I find myself ALWAYS looking forward to RAW more than Smackdown and I have NO reason why I do. I have a few theories on this despite being a huge fan of Smackdown's wrestlers

 

- It's live, anything can happen

- Title changes more likely to occur. The Euro title's death diminishes this somewhat

- JR/The King are better to listen to than Cole and Tazz........but not by much

- Red! For some reason the red color scheme makes the show feel darker and live. I can't explain it, but it just "feels" better than Smackdown's blue color scheme

- RAW was THE show of the more recent glory days of the WWF (see 1997-late 1999)

- Fresh matchups - This may sound crazy considering that SD has all the rookies but Brock, RVD, Booker, RVD, Benoit, Eddie are getting chances to be major players. As lame as the Benoit/Eddie v Bubba and Spike feud was, at least it was fresh. One of the more interesting main events was a Brock v Booker match and the RVD/Eddie ladder match. No signs of Undertaker, HHH, Rock and Austin in the main events makes for an interesting show.

 

I can't explain why I like RAW better, I just do. It's a mystery......

[Guest I Fear Hogans Air Guitair]

Raw Pisses all over SD It's Live and they have RVD, Eddy and Beniot.

[Guest Austin3164life]

WWF Raw is the WWE"s premier show and it has been because it is a WWF Staple. Smackdown seems like another bastard-child show concocted in the wake of "attitude". Smackdown has had awesome shows in the past, but it only serves to quench the fans' "thirst" for wrestling, to keep the fan interested in tuning into Raw again. Raw is the WWF's child that defeated WCW's Nitro in the rating-wars. Raw has that symbolic aura around it that "anything can happen, anyone can appear, any title can change". Add the fact that it's live, and there you have why Raw has been the WWF's premier show for the past 5 years.

[Guest Shaved Bear]

if they kept Benoit on SD! it would be better cause hed be perfect for Team Canada

[Guest Olympic Slam]

if they kept Benoit on SD! it would be better cause hed be perfect for Team Canada

Benoit is too good to be wasted on some played out jobber stable

[Guest Creepy Crawl]

Raw will always be the best . It was the original and just seems to keep my attention more than Crackdown .

 

 

 

[Guest JMTapes]

Smackdown blows.

[Guest evenflowDDT]

The two main reasons have been mentioned over and over, but I'll repeat them anyway:

 

- RAW was the original. It's the show that beat Nitro, it's the show that will soon be celebrating its 500th episode. RAW is the classic beloved overachieving older child, the one you never want to see fail, but also the one that you know isn't afraid to take risks.

 

- RAW is live. This makes such a big difference because it makes events seem more important, as it's spur of the moment, and as the cliche goes, anything can happen.

 

Another reason that I just thought of though, to go along with RAW being the program more apt to take risks, is because it's on an hour later, on cable, and bears a TV14 as opposed to TVPG rating. On Smackdown, because of its rating and "prime time" location, a wrestler can't even say "asshole" without it being bleeped out... how are you supposed to be daring when you're that restricted?

[Guest Shaved Bear]

yea i think thats the best way yo say it

[Guest claydude14]

i used to be a huge RAW mark, a huge one. Then my sig happened.

[Guest BobbyWhioux]

Don't overlook the obvious, guys.

 

Why is Smackdown pushed as "the better show" but RAW actually IS the better show?

 

It's the McMahon factor.

 

Smackdown was "Vince's show" while Raw was "Flair's show" so naturally, Vince's show "must be better" because Vince must always win. That's why it got the overloaded roster. But a funny thing happened on the way to the victory stand.

 

Raw became better than smackdown. In spite of Vince's presence. (Perhaps BECAUSE of Vince's presence?)

 

Smackdown got the bigger share of big names, but Raw put on a better show (good team of players beating a collection of good individuals). So they started having Taz and Cole bash Raw and pitch SD as the better show with NO counterpoint from Ross and Lawler. But Raw was still the better show.

 

Then the Ross report started to chastize the Raw workers for not being as driven as Smackdown (notice you never hear any reaming of Smackdown after a bland Smackdown show, for some reason only Raw gets blasted for putting on a subpar show?)

 

But Vince's show was still losing. So, ever the sportsman, in the interest of fairness, Vince just declared the competition over and himself the winner, going over Flair to regain full control of everything.

 

Now, Raw Is Bischoff and Smackdown is McMahon. Sure, it's Stephanie McMahon now and not Vince, but do you really think that it matters which McMahon it is? No. Only that it is a McMahon.

 

So once again, look for Smackdown to be billed as better and pushed as "better" and yet for Raw to actually be better, if for no other reason than the "Drag Factor" of the McMahon presence on Smackdown. And once again, look for Brand Extention to resemble the "election" of 2000; The Supreme McMahon Court suddenly calls off the competition and simply declares Steph's show the winner as it becomes more apparent that Steph's show ISN'T going to win.

[Guest Brian]

Also that they didn't see Flair as an worthy on-air opponent to McMahon.

[Guest evenflowDDT]

I thought Smackdown was "The Rock's show"?