Is WWE RAW The Superior Brand?

WWE Raw completed a clean sweep of Smackdown at Survivor Series. Does that mean Raw is the superior WWE brand?

This past weekend, WWE held their annual Survivor Series PPV, where stars from RAW and Smackdown were pitted against each other. RAW decimated Smackdown by winning 6 out of 7 matches.

So does RAW’s win mean they’re the better brand?

Well, that’s up for debate.

Since the blue brand’s debut in April 1999, RAW has always been viewed as the superior show compared to Smackdown. Although, there are times when Smackdown is better than RAW. Yet, given RAW’s history and their epic moments throughout the years, it’s still considered the #1 WWE show.

For today’s article, I decided to take a look at the positive and negative aspects of RAW, then decide if it’s really the A show.

Positives:

• One thing that RAW holds in its favor is star power. With Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey as their top champions, the red brand has created a lot of buzz with the two being in the title picture.
• Heel authority figures are another intriguing aspect of RAW. With Stephanie McMahon being the Commissioner, she’s often viewed as the villain with the way she treats talent. But lately, she’s giving off babyface vibes as she’s questioning the motives of heel General Manager Baron Corbin. With Corbin’s job as GM in jeopardy, this battle for control of RAW is heating up.
• The hottest storyline on RAW at the moment is Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose. They’re two of RAW’s top stars and when they step inside the ring it’s electrifying. The two have feuded in the past, but this time with Ambrose as a heel and Rollins as a babyface; they’re going to be on another epic feud.

Negatives:

• You’d think that three hours of wrestling would be great for any WWE fan, yet sometimes it’s the opposite. With that much time, RAW struggles to fill spots in the show, which results in long promos or comedy skits. Segments like this have fans struggling to get through the show.
• Wasting their other talent is another drawback for RAW. With stars such as Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Finn Balor on their roster, you’d figure the red brand would have big plans for the stars. Instead, most of the talent is stuck in meaningless feuds with little championship opportunities.
• Repeated matches have becoming a running occurrence on RAW. For the past few months, we’ve seen the same tag matches with The Riott Squad versus Natalya, Bayley, and Sasha Banks. WWE like to prolong feuds for as long as they can, but fans need a break from seeing the same matches over and over again.
• Lack of tag team division is one area of RAW that is suffering. Aside from AOP, The Revival, and the newly formed team of Bobby Roode and Chad Gable, there’s not much star power in the tag division.

RAW has its share of positive and negative aspects, although I’d say more of it leans on the bad side. With its stacked roster, RAW should be the A show, yet the lack of creative direction for its stars is hurting the brand. If they can fix this issue, then maybe RAW will once again be viewed as the superior show.

What do you think? Let us know on social media @theCHAIRSHOTcom and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!