Is SmackDown becoming the "A" show again?

It's been a wild ride to Survivor Series, and yet, all the right decisions have been made. Chaotic as it's been, it's actually added to the feel of a war that's set to unfold in Houston this Sunday. This all culminated in the go-home show last night, which was, in my opinion, the best SmackDown show all year. Nothing seemed to go wrong.

Two weeks ago, that would have been an outlandish thing to say. SmackDown seemed to be stuck indefinitely in the rut it's been in all year long, but especially since the Superstar Shakeup. Now, SmackDown's prospects for 2018 suddenly look much brighter.

Widely considered the superior show from the draft until early this year, there are many reasons to believe the "B show" might actually become "the show" again, regardless of Survivor Series hyperbole. There are just as many reasons to believe that RAW could soon return to being the inferior show.

---

#1. SmackDown has no Stephanie

The blue brand is better off with this face not running the place.

This was always one of SmackDown's selling points. While Stephanie was constantly running down Mick Foley and everyone else in 2016, hogging as much airtime as she could, SmackDown was doing its own thing. It's far from a coincidence that part of the great momentum RAW has had since the Superstar Shakeup was that Stephanie was no longer on the show.

Stephanie may play her role well, but everyone else on the roster suffers because of it. Every time I see her I can't help but ask what positives she brings to the show? Nothing as far as I can tell. She's a bug zapper that destroys any character who flies too close, or a black hole warping and distorting the space of any story around her, making herself the centre of everything.

And her victims almost never have a chance at retaliation, even in promos.

While Stephanie was more like her father in the early 2000s, where she was willing to taste defeat or humiliate her character in the interest of the overall story being told, those days are long gone. The tyrant that never faces any consequences isn't a particularly endearing character in a medium that's supposed to be entertaining.

It's too much like real life for there to be an element of escapism. While Stone Cold Steve Austin epitomized the fantasies of so many around the world by beating and humiliating his tyrannical boss, the daughter and heir of that tyrant instead remind so many people too much of what they have to deal with all the time.

Where's the fun in that?

While Shane McMahon can be tiresome on SmackDown, he's at least more like his father in this regard. His feud with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn is actually entertaining, and he's willing to beat himself up to put people over. No Stephanie on SmackDown is an automatic selling point for the blue brand.

#2. The right champions are coming into place

The champ that runs the camp once again!

A big reason why SmackDown has been in a dark age this year is because of its previous roster of champions, barring the Usos and the New Day just wasn't exciting. Even Kevin Owens and AJ Styles' US title reigns were somewhat lacklustre, as they just seemed to lack chemistry together in their lengthy summer feud.

In the build to Survivor Series, the picture changed.

AJ Styles is now WWE Champion and the odds are increasing that he'll hold it into WrestleMania, which would set up the showdown with Shinsuke Nakamura so many fans are clamouring for. Compared to the purported Jinder Mahal vs. John Cena match, it's a gift from heaven.

Charlotte proved again that she's the right person to hold the SmackDown Women's Championship, as her match with Natalya on the go-home show was the best for that title all year. Though I doubt she'll hold it into WrestleMania with the horsewomen match purported to be coming and with Carmella looming, a few more such matches would help to elevate that title a lot.

The Usos continue their excellent run as tag team champions and with tag teams being a highlight of the blue brand throughout its dark period, there's no reason to expect this won't continue, as compared to RAW's very thin division at the moment.

Even Baron Corbin is in the right spot now as United States Champion. Here we'll get to see whether he can elevate himself into a true main event act.

It was too soon for him to become WWE Champion, as it seemed he would when he won the Money in the Bank briefcase in June.

With the championship picture shifting seismically as WrestleMania begins to creep over the horizon, SmackDown should finally be worth watching again weekly and not just because Survivor Series has added intrigue to the show for a few weeks.

#3. RAW's championship picture suddenly looks shaky

What happens AFTER the big match?

Though RAW's main event scene was on fire over the summer thanks to the likes of Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman, it has since cooled significantly after the Monster Among Men's disappointing loss at No Mercy. We learned then beyond a shadow of a doubt that no amount of momentum from Braun or anyone else will stop Roman Reigns from dethroning Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania.

But after that happens, things don't look so hot in the long term. Who will Roman really have left to defeat? Who would really threaten him? It looks rather lacklustre from here unless the Shield remains together, to be honest.

Then there's the Intercontinental Championship, which is in need of new blood. With few challenges over the last number of months, the title has felt like a prop for the Miz more than something to compete for. It's also unclear who's in a position to take the championship from him, though I'm on the record as saying Elias should get a push and do it in early 2018.

RAW's women's division has been harmed by Alexa Bliss' reign, though it thankfully will have Asuka and possibly Paige as fresh challenges, so if the champ's booking changes, that could be a bright spot. If not, all bets are off.

Finally, there's the tag team division, which is a desert. Only the Shield and the Bar are championship calibre teams at this point, and an injection of new competitors is sorely needed. We still don't know when that will be, though.

Behind RAW's glittering facade that tore up the road to SummerSlam, there was truthfully almost nothing, and that became clear after No Mercy. SmackDown ironically now looks to be in a much better institutional position.

#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.