Unpredictability: This was again a tie. From a RAW perspective, who would have expected to see Reigns beaten clean on live TV? For starters, it has been a while since he was beaten clean. The main event went down as one of the most unpredictable events in recent times.
The suspense continues heading into Summerslam, since it was expected that Seth Rollins would be somehow in the title picture for a really long time. However, with Vince stating that this is the land of the opportunity, it’d be interesting to see how many would be able to ‘grab the brass ring’
SmackDown on the other hand, had its own share of unpredictability in the main event of the night. Looking at the card, it was expected that John Cena or AJ Styles would come out on top. Especially after we were all introduced to the ‘super Cena’ moments at the end of the match. Having Ziggler win adds a certain mystery around the title picture. For one, both Ambrose and Ziggler are great with promos, excellent in ring work and are few of the best athletes in the current locker room.
Also Read – Weekly review of RAW vs SmackDown Part 1
Heading into Summerslam, it is really an unpredictable predicament to predict who would come up on top in the title matches. Added to that, the announced returns of Shelton Benjamin, and the unexpected arrival of Rhyno were true mark out moments!
Viewership: Although RAW managed to draw in more numbers than SmackDown, RAW found it difficult to maintain the viewership throughout the 3 hour duration. This has been a problem RAW has been struggling to cope with ever since it made the transition to a three hour show. Although RAW managed to garner decent ratings when compared to ratings of the recent past, it certainly managed to get the audience hooked this way. SmackDown on the other hand invested too much in the adage, ‘Good things come in small packages’ and kept it short and sweet.
In conclusion, although I would say SmackDown gained the upper hand, it appears that RAW would be catching up pretty soon!
- Updated card for the WWE Royal Rumble pay per view - January 28, 2017
- WWE SmackDown Results – 01/24/2017 - January 26, 2017
- WWE RAW Results – 01/23/2017 - January 24, 2017
