Is SmackDown becoming the "A" show again?

#4. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn

The besties have been one of SmackDown's brightest spots.

Kevin Owens' program with Shane McMahon has served as a badly needed bright spot on SmackDown for the past two months. Sami Zayn added to its depth with his excellent heel run. Watching the two of them constantly act as thorns in the side of Shane McMahon has been very entertaining.

RAW, on the other hand, currently has few non-title feuds that are interesting, and in a three-hour show, this matters more. One that seems to be looming on the horizon is between RAW General Manager Kurt Angle and what we should probably call the Authority in the duo of Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. For reasons mentioned earlier, this doesn't invite much excitement.

I know which one I would rather watch, and it's the one on the "B show."

There seems to be a strange pattern in WWE that when one show gets hot, the other cool off. As far back as 2002, when the brand extension first began, this was the case. The second brand extension hasn't seemed to change that dynamic. SmackDown got hot in the latter half of 2016 while RAW was cold. Then RAW got hot after WrestleMania as SmackDown got cold. It's almost a day-night cycle.

Now that cycle could be repeating again. As 2018 dawns, it may well be SmackDown's time in the sun once more.