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Credit to WWE. They put up a good show with last night's SmackDown when they could have mailed it in thanks to the midterm elections in the United States, which will surely make this a poorly rated episode.
In contrast to Raw, we got some fresh, exciting matches, and the build to Survivor Series sped along nicely. With so little time from now to the last major pay per view of the year on November 18th, SmackDown has done an admirable job with its own build for the event.
Let's take a look back at last night's episode and determine who got the most and least out of it.
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Winners: Daniel Bryan and The Miz
As I expected, Daniel Bryan and The Miz were both named to SmackDown's traditional Survivor Series team. More interestingly, though, they were named as co-captains to the team.
This is a nice way to cool off their hot war while keeping tensions simmering between them, as we saw all throughout the evening.
As such, Daniel Bryan and The Miz are continuing their long-term feud, but now need to find a way to coexist for Survivor Series. It's a typical WWE storytelling trope, but it's one that's welcome here. Interest will be kept up on both men but we won't need to be bothered with endless rematches to make the rivalry stale.
Winners: The Usos
Whenever the Usos and New Day have a match together, there's magic to be had. It was much the same way this time around. This was a great first match for the show, but in the end, it was the Usos who prevailed, being named captains for the Survivor Series tag team match.
With The Bar watching backstage, a new rivalry has thus been teased for when Survivor Series ends, and it's one to get excited about.
Winner: Becky Lynch
Is there any doubt that Becky Lynch is the best thing going on WWE's main roster at the moment?
Taking to the microphone, she easily outperformed Ronda Rousey's promo from the previous night, explaining that while the so-called "baddest on the planet" could poke fun of her previous jobs before coming to the WWE, it was she that was excelling. She promised to take Ronda Rousey's arm at Survivor Series.
Unsatisfied, she issued an open challenge, and Nikki Cross was the surprising answer. Whether that was an actual main roster debut for the latter or just a one-off remains to be seen. Either way, it was a fun match that again elevated Becky's stature on the blue brand.
There's not a question in my mind that the women's champions match should be the main event of Survivor Series on November 18th. It has by far the most buzz.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rey Mysterio continued his hot streak since returning to WWE, defeating Andrade "Cien" Almas en route to making it onto SmackDown's traditional Survivor Series team, as I expected.
For Almas, it's another tough, hard-fought loss. If it were up to me, I would have given him the big chance to prove himself on one of WWE's biggest stages, but I know how the company operates and didn't expect such a thing.
The match was a fun exhibition that kept up SmackDown's strong showing last night. After some innovative spots, such as an odd, but awesome looking tornado DDT to the outside of the ring, Rey Mysterio eventually picked up the victory and punched his ticket to the November spectacular.
It was there that Randy Orton, who surprisingly didn't make the men's team, ambushed him with an RKO. It appears that may be his next feud after Survivor Series is over.
Loser: The SmackDown women's division
Other than Becky Lynch, SmackDown's women's division is weak, as seen with this segment. Asuka has been so badly mishandled and the rest of the women here appeared like afterthoughts.
Worse, Mandy Rose got an unusual spotlight. If a push is coming for her, as I expected it would following her performance in the Evolution battle royal, we can expect some kind of push to be coming for her. She has the look that Vince McMahon loves and it doesn't matter that she's not good at anything else. Mandy's segment fell flat, to say the least.
If the division heading into WrestleMania isn't to be a disaster, Asuka in particular needs to be rebuilt at this Survivor Series show.
As for Charlotte Flair, she didn't appear. It's obvious her redemption story is going to start at Survivor Series. All roads lead to her vs. Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania.
Winner: Samoa Joe
Well, I suppose the rebuilding needed to start somewhere.
After failing to capture the WWE Championship from AJ Styles four times, Samoa Joe has been stripped to the bone and revealed as a choke artist. He always looks strong on TV but never wins when it counts on pay per view, much like Braun Strowman and Asuka.
I won't expect a blowout performance at Survivor Series, but having him on the team there is a good way for him to keep himself relevant. He'll also simply be very entertaining in the build, I'm sure. He was the better choice for the team than Jeff Hardy would have been.
I, for one, am looking forward to seeing the possibility of Samoa Joe tangling with the likes of Braun Strowman and Drew McIntyre, who are currently slated to appear on the red brand's Survivor Series team. Joe and McIntyre, in particular, convey auras of authenticity, despite their so-far lopsided results.
