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No, I wasn't very kind to RAW last night, really. I thought SmackDown Live made up for it with an entertaining show. It wasn't the best show that I've seen by a long shot. But there was enough on the show to keep me absolutely invested.
Welcome to the 'Best and Worst' review and analysis of the blue brand's latest episode. Much like RAW, this episode came to us from the United Kingdom. But unlike RAW, it did seem like WWE put in effort and tried to make SmackDown Live an actual entertaining affair.
I thought SmackDown Live did far more to advance storylines than RAW did, especially when it comes to the actual Survivor Series build. I suppose the invasions will begin on next week's show.
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Here's my take...
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#1 Best: A volatile team
I loved the pairing of Daniel Bryan and The Miz as co-captains as soon as it was announced. The two men have had a heated rivalry leading into the Survivor Series build, and can play off that to make Survivor Series a riveting affair. Of course, Shane McMahon expected Daniel Bryan to be level-headed and The Miz to be the hot-headed superstar.
Only, it would be Daniel Bryan whose buttons Samoa Joe would push at the end of the night. This would cause him to snap and take the fight to his team. He would even assault the babyface Shane McMahon in the process, and walk out of the arena, looking like a boss!
This is an extremely dramatic cliffhanger and should build quite brilliantly in the weeks that follow. I am intrigued to see how it plays out on next week's show.
#1 Worst: Was it all worth it?
Many explanations were offered for why Shane McMahon won the World Cup tournament. Some alleged that a heel turn was in the works. Others said that it would be an important storyline development, leading up to the Survivor Series pay-per-view. Neither was really the case on this week's show.
Shane McMahon was the complete babyface as he dedicated the win to those in the back, making me wonder if he should have won at all. The World Cup could have helped elevate an actual full-time superstar. Shane McMahon winning the cup makes no sense now.
Had the win actually gone to someone like The Miz, he could have used it to go more heel than he is. It would have made for some compelling television.
McMahon's win feels like a wasted opportunity, really.
#2 Best: Orton attacks Mysterio
Randy Orton is one of the most twisted characters in all of WWE. We saw just how much he could push the envelope during the feud with Jeff Hardy at Hell in a Cell, where he twisted Hardy's ears with a screwdriver. He went on to attack Tye Dillinger's fingers in a similar assault.
It does seem like Mysterio will be his next opponent, going forward. Mysterio and Orton had quite the battle at Crown Jewel, which the former won. This led to Orton snapping and laying an absolute beatdown on Rey Mysterio which would seemingly cost him his spot in the rest of the tournament.
It's pretty strange to see that Randy Orton is not a member of Team SmackDown Live, because he'd be an obvious pick for me. Maybe this plays into the ongoing storyline, in weeks that follow.
#2 Worst: Rey Mysterio's botch
I really thought Rey Mysterio and Andrade 'Cien' Almas had a really solid match this week on SmackDown Live. But there was one blemish during the match that was the only nasty spot during the whole contest. This is when Rey Mysterio botched his patented bottom rope dive.
Mysterio tried to make it look like he'd improvised it into a DDT. Somehow, it just appeared a little botchy, leaving a sour taste in every fan's mouth. I'm certain that when the men do meet again, they will have a far superior match to the one they had this week.
Andrade 'Cien' Almas also seemed a little low on fire without Zelina Vega by his side, who's suffering from a real life injury. I hope she recovers soon and that she can support her business associate again.
#3 Best: Becky Lynch's promo
Becky Lynch was absolutely fiery this week, when she cut a promo on her Survivor Series opponent. She responded to what was a fiery promo from Ronda Rousey in its own right, and told her that here she was, even though she wasn't hand picked like Ronda Rousey.
The crowd serenaded her in chants of 'Becky!' With due respect to The Rock, Lynch is the current People's Champion.
Even though she's actually a heel and Rousey is a babyface, I have a feeling that the crowd will be on her side at Survivor Series 2018. I actually even liked AJ Styles' promo on facing Brock Lesnar and Nakamura's too, as eccentric as it actually sounded.
These inter-brand rivalries feel fresh and I cannot wait to see these men/women actually clash at Survivor Series.
#3 Worst: Losing her debut
Look, I'm really happy for Nikki Cross. She's one of the most unique superstars in WWE right now, and an even better lunatic than Dean Ambrose portrays weekly. I even understand why Becky Lynch would go over in a match with her. The question remains - was this the right stage to bring her up?
Nikki Cross showed a lot of character when she arrived at the ring. She was at her crazy best, and actually cut a pretty creepy promo. The Twisted Sister of NXT was fire, from the very get-go.
It doesn't help that she's a part of SAnitY either, right? As talented as the guys are, they've all been used as absolute jobbers from the time they've been called up to SmackDown Live.
Let's hope this gets rectified over the coming weeks.
#4 Best/worst: The women's Survivor Series team
Pretty much the whole Women's SmackDown Live roster except for Nikki Cross, The IIconics and Mandy Rose was part of the Women's Survivor Series Tag Team. We all knew who'd be part of the team even before it was announced. This was just felt like a completely wasted segment.
I did like Mandy Rose's promo, burying the entire roster though. So that's a positive from what is essentially a negative. I'm glad that she's being given a storyline for the first time, since she was called up to the main roster.
I also like the fact that Charlotte Flair has not shown up to join the team thus far. There's a story in there and I'm intrigued to find out what happens next.
Where does Mandy Rose go from here, except straight to Corey Graves' heart?
