3 reasons why SmackDown looks better than Raw heading into WrestleMania 34

Asuka vs. Charlotte WrestleMania 34
The blue brand will host the biggest women's match in WWE history so far.

What a difference a night can make.

The build to Fastlane was terrible and justly lambasted by wrestling fans. The fallout from the event, though, gave SmackDown much-needed fuel for the final stretch on the Road to WrestleMania. The results are that there are now three angles on the show to get invested in, when there were none before.

Those three angles are superior to that of Raw. In contrast, only Raw's mid-card title angle between Seth Rollins, The Miz, and Finn Balor is better than SmackDown's equivalent between Bobby Roode, Randy Orton, and Jinder Mahal.

There will be ample chances for the blue brand to screw it up, but it stumbled into a killer lineup for WrestleMania.


#1 The tag team title match

youtube-cover

SmackDown's strength throughout the past year has been its tag team division. It will play to that strength heading into New Orleans.

After the feud The Usos and The New Day had last year, both teams deserved a spot on the WrestleMania card. We now know that they'll get it, but there will be another element that will prevent the contest from being repetitive.

Since their November debut, The Bludgeon Brothers have destroyed every team put in front of them. A feud with The Usos was put on hold for Fastlane, but no longer. They destroyed both the champions and challengers, making their intentions clear. A match between all three is inevitable on 8 April, and it should be one of the hardest-hitting of the night.

In contrast, Cesaro and Sheamus have no credible challengers, which will mean either a match with all the teams on Raw thrown in there for their own sake, or something else. There's little reason to get invested in the red straps right now.

#2 Charlotte vs Asuka

youtube-cover

When it comes to the women's title matches, there's no comparison. Charlotte vs Asuka is a genuine, first time ever dream match in an era where that's a rarity. It isn't a stretch to say that it will be the biggest women's match in WWE history up to this point, and it should be one of the best on the WrestleMania card.

In contrast, Alexa Bliss vs Nia Jax feels more like a publicity stunt for Total Divas than a proper women's championship match. There isn't much to get excited about for it, in either the match or build. Hopefully, it's a squash that lasts less than five minutes, otherwise, it will drag into the worst match on the show, and possibly the year.

#3 A phenomenal main event

youtube-cover

Since AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura both came to WWE in January 2016, fans have waited for this match. Their Wrestle Kingdom 10 encounter that month was celebrated and fans wanted a rerun.

It's taken two years, but it's happening, and can now finally get the focus it deserves.

The buildup to the match might be mediocre (unless AJ Styles turns heel), but this is very much a case of the match selling itself.

In contrast, Raw's main event, between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, feels like an inevitability rather than something to get truly excited about. We all just await its conclusion so that the red brand can finally move on.

AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura have the highest chance of stealing the show and the teases leading to it should be fun to watch.

Quick Links

Edited by Raunak J
sk promotional banner
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications