SmackDown vs. Raw: What Are the Main Differences?

With SmackDown’s return to USA Network a little over a month away, it’s time for the WWE Universe to be honest with themselves: although both SmackDown and Raw are can’t-miss weekly WWE shows, there’s a chasm of difference between the two — as long as you know where to look.

Truth be told, both shows are very different from each other. If you’ve been tuning in to USA Network for decades every Monday night to catch Raw, you may be a little unfamiliar with how things operate over on Friday nights. That’s OK — we’re here to help ease you into the transition.

These are the main differences between SmackDown and Raw!

WWE SmackDown is only two hours long

While Monday Night Raw permanently moved to a three-hour time slot in 2012, SmackDown’s two-hour runtime hasn’t changed in 25 years, and in the eyes of many in the WWE Universe, it’s the most significant — and important — difference between SmackDown and Raw.

Thanks to its two-hour length, SmackDown never wears out its welcome — there’s no chance that the WWE Universe will suffer from pro wrestling fatigue while watching because two hours absolutely flies by! In a way, SmackDown has historically been a prime example of “all killer, no filler” — and beginning this fall, fans can tune in to USA Network every Friday night to catch the fastest, most exciting, and most unpredictable night of WWE’s weekly calendar in a time frame that won’t make you feel (sometimes) exhausted afterward.

WWE’s top championship is on SmackDown

Cody Rhodes wrestles Roman Reigns for Undisputed WWE Universal Title Match during WrestleMania 39 Photo: Getty Images

With all due respect to the World Heavyweight Championship, SmackDown is the home to the Undisputed WWE Championship, unequivocally the top title in professional wrestling. 

While previous iterations of Monday Night Raw’s world title has a fascinating lineage, the current version worn by Gunther has a history that only goes back a few years. Cody Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Championship, however, has a jaw-dropping lineage of former champions that reads like a who’s-who of wrestling royalty.

From pioneers like Harley Race and Bruno Sammartino to living legends like Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, and Stone Cold Steve Austin to larger-than-life current WWE Superstars like The Rock and Roman Reigns, the Undisputed WWE Championship is head and shoulders the most important and prestigious title in the world — and SmackDown on USA Network will shortly be the only place you can catch a glimpse at that beautiful piece of hardware!

SmackDown is the exclusive home of The Bloodline

Roman Reigns typically competes at WWE's high profile premium live events. Photo: WWE

For years, the Undisputed WWE Championship has been firmly in the orbit (or in full-on possession) of The Bloodline, a storied faction composed of some of the most talented and ruthless WWE Superstars ever. For years — until this past WrestleMania — the championship has been held by Roman Reigns while he’s time as champion was guarded against all attackers by his Bloodline brothers. Now that Cody Rhodes holds the title, the group is seemingly out for nothing less than total revenge — a storyline that plays out every week on Friday nights.

For better or worse, SmackDown has been the exclusive home of all members of The Bloodline for years — from Paul Heyman to Solo Sikoa to newcomers like Jacob Fatu. The most dominant faction in WWE history has made SmackDown its stomping grounds from the very beginning:

The baddest men in WWE don’t waste their time on Monday Night Raw — they’re laser-focused on dominating the SmackDown locker room!

Many of WWE’s all-time greatest moments have occurred on SmackDown

Photo: WWE

Since 1999, SmackDown has been the home of countless memorable moments, including some of the most iconic in WWE history. From shocking title changes to jaw-dropping debuts to, well, moments the pro wrestling world had never seen before, tuning in to SmackDown means keeping up with some timeless moments.

Remember when Brock Lesnar gave The Big Show such a massive superplex off the top rope that the ring literally collapsed? That happened on SmackDown!

These kinds of “what-the-heck-did-I-just-see” moments only happen on SmackDown.

SmackDown is always the last show before a Premium Live Event

Due to SmackDown occurring on Friday nights, the show has traditionally been the last stop before massive Premium Live Events. Of course, that means that the latest news, storyline progressions, and matches added to PLEs haven’t taken place on Monday Night Raw — for years, it’s been happening on SmackDown!

When a WWE PLE is just a day or two away, SmackDown becomes even more “must-see television” than ever before. You never know what kind of shake-ups can happen in the final two hours before a massive live event, but at least you know where to find them unfold: only on Friday night and only on SmackDown.

You can tune in to Peacock to watch WWE’s Bash in Berlin on Saturday, August 31. In the meantime, catch up on all things WWE Universe on Peacock and catch WWE SmackDown every Friday night starting this fall on USA Network!