5 reasons why Smackdown Live was better than Monday Night Raw in 2017

Stephanie McMahon, Shane McMahon,
Shane and Stephanie McMahon exchanging words before the brand split

#1 Better use of their main title

Jinder Mahal,
Former WWE Champion, Jinder Mahal

Monday Night Raw has made a habit of keeping Brock Lesnar off of television, and while some claim it's to heighten the importance of the Universal title when it is defended, it also forces WWE to focus on less prestigious championships to fill the void. Not only that, it robs younger talent of the opportunity to have a run with the belt and establish themselves.

Then there's Smackdown Live, who despite wasting a few months on the Jinder Mahal experiment, tried to build him as a top star for the future. Of course, it didn't work and Styles eventually beat him for the WWE title in Manchester, but at least WWE took a chance on Mahal in the first place.

Furthermore, Smackdown Live gave Bray Wyatt a chance with the WWE Championship earlier in the year and while it too ended disastrously for Wyatt, it is again an example of Smackdown Live taking a chance on a young superstar and using the WWE Championship to do so.

Compare that to Monday Night Raw and their stay-at-home champion, Brock Lesnar, and you have a much more entertaining show to watch. Furthermore, Smackdown Live keeps the title on television as often as possible, which is always a crowd favourite and a great way to create an electric feeling in the building.

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Edited by Nishant Jayaram
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