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The November 8 episode of SmackDown took place in Manchester, England, which meant WWE taped the show several hours prior to it airing on television.
WWE announced heading into the episode that Roman Reigns and Baron Corbin would go one-on-one in a match that had previously been advertised for last week’s SmackDown, which had to be rewritten at the last minute due to the travel issues coming back from Saudi Arabia.
A title match between SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder) and The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston) had also been advertised by WWE, while Sasha Banks was confirmed to make her in-ring return against Nikki Cross.
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WWE also announced that Manchester’s own Tyson Fury would appear on the show following his countout victory over Braun Strowman at Crown Jewel on October 31.
So, did Reigns or Corbin come out on top? Were new Tag Team Champions crowned? Did the WWE Universe witness another confrontation between Fury and Strowman?
In this article, let’s take a look at 13 spoilers from the pre-recorded episode of SmackDown.
#1 Baron Corbin began the show by mocking Roman Reigns
Ahead of their match later in the night, Baron Corbin mocked Roman Reigns during an in-ring promo in the opening segment of the show.
The 2019 King of the Ring winner said Reigns’ testicles have “shrunk into marbles” and pointed everybody in the direction of the titantron, which showed the former Shield member’s “Big Dog” logo.
Edited graphics showed the dog letting out a high-pitched bark, much like a chihuahua, as opposed to a “Big Dog”.
#2 The New Day made fun of Charlotte Flair’s title record
Having won 10 Women’s Championships over the last four years, Charlotte Flair is the most decorated WWE Women’s Champion of all time.
The high tally of title reigns has caused a lot of debate amongst fans, simply because a lot of those reigns have been very short.
Speaking before The Revival vs. The New Day, Big E joked that his faction will not be able to catch Flair if they failed to win their seventh Tag Team titles by defeating The Revival.
#3 Unique SmackDown stage
As is often the case when WWE visits the United Kingdom for their biannual RAW and SmackDown overseas shows, the stage area had a different look for this episode of SmackDown.
The design, which you can check out in the tweet above, was not too dissimilar to how WWE used to have their stage for SmackDown Live before the new deal with FOX began.
#4 The New Day defeated The Revival to win the tag titles
WWE has booked three title changes at shows in Manchester, England in recent years (AJ Styles, The Bar and AOP), and another title change took place on this week’s taping of SmackDown.
One week after their title match was originally due to happen, Kofi Kingston and Big E defeated The Revival to win the SmackDown Tag Team titles, earning The New Day their seventh Tag Team Championship as a faction.
#5 Sami Zayn tried to align with Daniel Bryan
Sami Zayn invited Daniel Bryan to join him at ringside to watch Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura team with Cesaro against Ali and Shorty G.
Two weeks ago, Zayn tried to convince Bryan that an alliance would be good for both men but “The Planet’s Champion” refused to answer him.
#6 Imperium attacked Heavy Machinery
Imperium members WALTER, Fabian Aichner, Marcel Barthel and Alexander Wolfe attacked Heavy Machinery duo Otis and Tucker as they made their way to the ring.
New SmackDown Tag Team Champions Big E and Kofi Kingston then got involved to help Heavy Machinery fight off the NXT UK faction.
#7 Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro defeated Ali & Shorty G
Shinsuke Nakamura picked up the victory for his team following a Kinshasa on Ali.
Daniel Bryan stood on the ramp for the match and chose not to join in with Nakamura, Cesaro and Sami Zayn’s post-match celebrations.
#8 Women’s Survivor Series elimination match
The build-up to Survivor Series has been a little different this year, with the RAW vs. SmackDown vs. NXT theme prompting questions about whether or not there will be five-on-five elimination matches at the upcoming pay-per-view.
Well, those questions were answered when it was announced that Carmella would team with Dana Brooke to face Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, with the winners going on to be part of SmackDown’s Survivor Series team.
#9 New Sasha Banks theme
Sasha Banks has changed her attitude, appearance and brand in recent weeks, and now she has new theme music to go along with her fresh persona.
Remember when Snoop Dogg, Banks’ cousin, rapped as “The Boss” made her way to the ring at WrestleMania 32? Well, judging by what has been shared online, it appears that her new theme is the same as Snoop Dogg’s 2016 remix.
#10 Sasha Banks defeated Nikki Cross; cue Shayna Baszler!
Sasha Banks marked her in-ring return with a victory over Nikki Cross, while SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley joined Michael Cole and Corey Graves on commentary for the match.
Just as Banks made her way up the ramp after her victory, Bayley began to target Cross but she was soon stopped by NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler, who sent out another message ahead of the Survivor Series Triple Threat match by attacking the SmackDown Women’s Champion.
#11 Carmella & Dana Brooke defeated Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville
Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville suffered a quick defeat at the hands of Rhea Ripley and Tegan Nox on last week’s SmackDown, and things did not get much better for them this week.
The victory went to Carmella and Dana Brooke, who became the first Superstars to book their places on Team SmackDown for the women’s elimination match.
The finish saw Brooke land a Swanton on Deville to earn a rare pinfall win.
#12 Baron Corbin defeated Roman Reigns
The main event saw Roman Reigns face Baron Corbin in a match that, just like The Revival vs. The New Day, would have taken place last week if WWE did not have travel issues on their way back from Crown Jewel.
Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler attempted to attack Reigns on multiple occasions but "The Big Dog" fought back every time, preventing a disqualification.
In the end, the distractions from the former RAW Tag Team Champions proved to be decisive, as they assisted Corbin to help him pick up a shock victory with the End of Days over the four-time WrestleMania main-eventer.
#13 Tyson Fury and Braun Strowman formed a team
SmackDown ended with Tyson Fury calling out Braun Strowman following their blockbuster battle at Crown Jewel last week.
Instead of a confrontation, the two rivals ended up being on the same page, with Fury saying he wants to be tag team partners with Strowman.
The B-Team interrupted and quickly got dismantled by both Strowman and Fury, who closed the SmackDown taping by posing with Strowman's signature arm raise on the stage area.
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