WWE SmackDown Flops and Hits: Roman Reigns steals King Woods’ crown, big twists planned for Survivor Series (12th November, 2021)

WWE SmackDown had a solid show planned for this week. The Blue brand featured excellent matches and quite a few surprises. The show also teased a couple of last-minute changes before the upcoming battle of WWE brands when they removed one member each from both the men's and women's teams.

However, it is admittedly strange to see no build-up towards the Survivor Series pay-per-view other than the confirmed matches and a couple of digs.

Here, we look at some of the biggest flops and hits from WWE SmackDown this week. So, without further ado, let's begin.

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#5 Hit on WWE SmackDown: Roman Reigns takes the crown

Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman first featured in an interesting backstage segment early on in the show. Kayla Braxton approached them, but the Universal Champion believed that she could be there for one of the two reasons: she wanted to acknowledge the Tribal Chief or flirt with his Wiseman.

Reigns authorized Heyman to confirm later that they want to up the stakes of the match against King Woods.

Paul Heyman then brought back the "bend the knee" stipulation, this time for Roman Reigns. He said that Woods would have to bend the knee if he loses against Reigns, and the latter would do the same if he loses. A confident Heyman even said that The Tribal Chief could be stripped of his championship if he loses against the New Day member.

Reigns and Woods met in the main event of WWE SmackDown. Both superstars were determined to unleash hell inside the squared circle and worked hard throughout their battle on the show.

It was a well-balanced encounter between a Tribal Chief and a King that made both the titles look equally credible. Woods was particularly impressive with his speed and offense that took him close to victory on multiple occasions.

Towards the end of the match, King Woods managed to hit Reigns with a Coast to Coast elbow drop and went for a pinfall. However, The Usos made a timely interference and pulled Woods out of the ring.

The New Day member ended up winning the match via DQ, but that was not all. Jey and Jimmy Uso launched a vicious attack on King Woods to make a big statement on WWE SmackDown before taking away his crown.

Following that, The Usos took the crown to the ring and placed it on Roman Reigns' head. The latter had no regrets about stealing the King of the Ring's signature piece of gold on WWE SmackDown despite losing his first match on television in almost a year.

It was an excellent way to draw more heat towards Reigns before he is involved in a confrontation with WWE Champion Big E, whom he will face at Survivor Series next weekend.

Moreover, King Woods will take this as a sign of disrespect, and he will have enough reasons to continue the feud with The Bloodline even after the next pay-per-view. We have seen Roman reigns dominate the Universal Championship picture for more than a year. Thus, the remote prospect of him pursuing something new on WWE SmackDown could account for an exciting storyline.

#4 Flop on WWE SmackDown: Charlotte Flair refuses to put her title on the line

WWE SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair returned on the show tonight. She launched a verbal attack on RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch ahead of their upcoming match at Survivor Series. Both superstars are reportedly involved in a real-life rift, and The Queen left no stone unturned in making their feud seem as legit as it could get on television.

From questioning The Man's credibility to questioning her decision to return soon after her daughter's birth, there's no topic that Flair didn't cover in her monolog. She even encouraged the crowd to learn a new chant that could mock her counterpart from the Red brand. She also hailed herself as a star-maker, and soon Toni Storm walked out to dispute that claim.

Storm pointed out how Lynch puts her title on the line, but Flair doesn't do the same. She even suggested that the WWE SmackDown Women's Champion should defend her gold, but The Queen refused to do the same. She simply exited the ring, making all of Toni Storm's claims seem like the truth.

Several backstage reports claimed the WWE is planning another 'Screwjob' involving Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch at Survivor Series. However, the creative team will find it difficult to book both heels equally well ahead of their match.

This kind of booking will ultimately push everyone to support Lynch at the pay-per-view, leaving little to no room for an exciting twist. Moreover, Flair should be booked as a fighting champion on WWE SmackDown. She can still manage to get heat from viewers while actively proving her in-ring worth.

Is the creative team purposely compromising Charlotte Flair's on-screen persona in light of the backstage heat between her and Becky Lynch?

#3 Hit on WWE SmackDown: Jeff Hardy back in serious action

It all started with a backstage segment on WWE SmackDown that saw Sami Zayn practicing his motivational speech in front of a mirror. He was interrupted by Jeff Hardy, who did not hold back while sharing his honest opinion on Zayn's self-proclaimed role as a locker-room leader.

The latter then approached Adam Pearce backstage, demanding Hardy's removal from the team, but the move proved costly for him as the WWE official booked a match between the two superstars. He further added that he wants to strengthen the team, and hence, the loser of the bout between Jeff Hardy and Sami Zayn would be eliminated from the Blue brand's Survivor Series team.

Later on, in the show, both superstars faced each other in an entertaining singles match to fight for their place in WWE SmackDown's team. Zayn and Hardy played to their respective strengths while putting an equal focus on an engaging in-ring narrative.

The entire crowd was invested in their match, rooting for both the competitors. In the end, Jeff Hardy prevailed and sealed his victory with the help of a picturesque Swanton Bomb. The Charismatic Enigma celebrated his much-awaited victory while a disappointed Zayn looked at his picture disappearing on the titantron.

It appears that we will see last-minute changes to WWE SmackDown's Survivor Series teams by next week. For now, fans can relish the booking that allowed both Jeff Hardy and Sami Zayn to enjoy the much-deserved spotlight. Up until now, it was borderline painful to watch Hardy chase the 24/7 Championships and lose to soon-to-be-released superstars.

He belongs to the top of the roster and will make for an excellent addition to WWE SmackDown's team at the upcoming pay-per-view. Zayn's elimination was unfortunate, but he can turn it into a memorable angle with the correct booking.

It will be interesting to see his next steps as we move forward. A potential rivalry between Sami Zayn and Jeff Hardy after Survivor Series could account for an entertaining storyline.

#2 Flop on WWE SmackDown: Shinsuke Nakamura takes another underwhelming loss

WWE SmackDown has enjoyed a lot of positives lately, but Shinsuke Nakamura's booking is not one of them. The reigning Intercontinental Champion has not been a part of multiple underwhelming matches. He has lost a lot of matches that he should've ideally won, and this week was no different. Nakamura teamed up with Rick Boogs to take on Los Lotharios in a tag team match.

Angel and Humberto have relentlessly targeted Nakamura and Boogs on WWE SmackDown over the last few weeks. The Japanese star sought revenge against the newly formed tag team but failed in his mission.

Both teams squared off in a decent match, but it was met with a disappointing end. Los Lotharios successfully isolated Nakamura before delivering a modified version of Total Elimination to seal their victory.

While it was great to see the new tag team get a push on WWE SmackDown, it shouldn't be at the cost of a reigning champion. Nakamura has been a victim of this pattern for far too long now. He performs well inside the ring but ultimately loses big matches on the show.

These booking decisions are gradually taking away the credibility of the Intercontinental Championship bit by bit.

The creative team is making a massive mistake regarding Shinsuke Nakamura's title reign, especially when he has to face United States Champion Damian Priest soon. It would be challenging to make both the champions look level, which should not be the case when someone as talented as Nakamura is involved in the conversation.

#1 Hit/Flop on WWE SmackDown: Aliyah wins debut match, removed from Survivor Series team

The opening segment of WWE SmackDown saw Sonya Deville bring out all the female superstars that will represent the Blue brand in the traditional five-on-five match against Team RAW. Sasha Banks, who is set to lead the team at the upcoming pay-per-view, walked out to a big pop and went straight after Shotzi.

The latter had attacked The Boss to confirm her heel turn, while Banks is seemingly a babyface. Their heated exchange also prompted Naomi to enter the equation, much to Deville's dismay. She went straight after Shayna Baszler, and soon everyone present inside the ring was involved in a brawl.

Soon, it was confirmed that all the superstars from this segment, including Naomi, will engage in a six-woman tag team match. Banks, Naomi, and Aliyah joined forces to take on Natalya, Shayna Baszler, and Shotzi.

This was Aliyah's first match on WWE SmackDown, and she did excellent in carving a special spot for herself while sharing the spotlight with the biggest names in the women's division. She was sharp in her tactics and worked well alongside her two partners.

The closing moments of the match saw Natalya attempting to lock Aliyah in with a Sharpshooter. She even tried to take assistance from the ropes, but Naomi intervened at the right time. She slammed Natalya face-first into the middle rope, and Aliyah took advantage by rolling the veteran up for a successful pinfall.

This marked her victory in her debut match on WWE SmackDown, an achievement that she will never forget. However, she wasn't expecting the turn of events that would follow.

While Aliyah was celebrating her huge victory backstage, she was surprisingly interrupted by Sonya Deville. The latter announced that she would no longer be a part of WWE SmackDown's Survivor Series team, leaving the emerging superstar heartbroken. Who could be her possible replacement?