It’s currently 7-7 in my series, and there’s still a lot to play for in the brand war this week. Who will take the lead to kick off November? Raw is coming off one of the best pay-per-views, since the brand split, and SmackDown had a great show last week, so the ramifications of what happened there, are arguably equally interesting.
We also have the Survivor Series coming up, and with it being the first pay-per-view to feature both brands since the draft, there is an air of expectation around the build-up and the actual event. Both shows will continue to build towards the cross-brand battles, which are to take place at the 30th annual Survivor Series.
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This means the audience should be the winner over the coming weeks as the two shows battle for supremacy more fiercely than they have ever done before.
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So let’s look at who had the better show this week:
Goldberg has still got…it!
I’m not sure if it was Halloween or Christmas. We saw a Jackhammer and a spear! The myth was interrupted by Paul Heyman, as he looked to open the show with a promo.
It wasn’t long before Heyman annoyed, the larger than life superstar, and almost ended up on his bad side before everyone’s American hero, Rusev, came down to the ring and challenged Goldberg.
Have you ever noticed that Rusev is always the one to stand up to these returning superstars? Remember his altercation with The Rock, not so long ago?
Regardless, he’s never successful, and he was simply there to take a Jackhammer, while Paul Heyman took the spear. Goldberg looked intense, and it was a much better segment to build up the match. It also served to show that Goldberg still has the strength to execute his finishing move, which may have come as a pleasant surprise to every fan.
GOOOOOOOLDBEEEEEEEEERG!!!
Cross-brand title match!
Dolph Ziggler put his Intercontinental Championship on the line, with an open challenge to the entire Raw roster, and I immediately want to see who’s going to challenge for it. One would assume that Dolph Ziggler would retain, but this is a great way to try and get a bit of mystique and excitement around the event.
Since winning the title, Dolph Ziggler hasn’t really done anything apart from ruining Curt Hawkins debut, so it will be interesting to see if the Intercontinental Champion can still steal the show.
Trick or street…fight
This bit of light relief definitely deserves to be on the list. As the feud between The Club, and Enzo Amore and Big Cass, begins to grow a bit stale, this was a nice breather and allowed for a bit of comic relief in the feud and within the Raw show itself.
I thought the spots were really good. In all honesty, when Karl Anderson went through the table, it sounded pretty brutal and looked impressive as pumpkin exploded all around him.
Now, I head-butted a pumpkin to see what it was like, and to be honest; those things are pretty tough. So to see them pop like they did, as Enzo and Gallows had what looked like a snowball fight was extra impressive to me.
And those shots with a kendo stick to Enzo? Man, that’s gonna leave a mark.
Ellsworth is a cult hero!
The guy that made his name by getting destroyed by Braun Strowman, along with his lack of a chin, has become one of the hottest superstars on SmackDown Live. There are a lot of arguments that would suggest, that having a jobber so involved in the main event scene is a bad idea. However, I think people just warmed up to the fact that he could get absolutely destroyed at any point, but always manages to come out on top.
Ellsworth looked to apologise to Dean this week, and it was quite funny watching the two interact, as Dean held back the urge to completely destroy Ellsworth. He became involved again, as AJ Styles pushed him into Dean which resulted in one of the best phenomenal forearms I’ve ever seen!
If the rumours regarding Ellsworth getting a proper contract are true, then I just hope his character is taken in the right direction, as they can only stretch this for so long.
Daniel Bryan loses his cool
This feud is amazing. I really hope, that Daniel Bryan has been cleared to compete, and just hasn’t told anyone about it because one of the only matches I want to see right now is Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz. Miz TV did not disappoint as Miz questioned the SmackDown General Manager, on why he was not a part of the SmackDown Live team for Survivor Series.
He then taunted Daniel Bryan about not being able to compete again, and he absolutely lost it. The Miz scampered like a scolded dog and DB went to town on him, in a promo that teased the eventuality of a match between the two.
It was a great segment and a great way to add another dimension to the storyline with Miz and Ziggler. It’s always very impressive when a superstar can have multiple rivalries on the go.
SmackDown Live wins!
SmackDown Live won this week, but it wasn’t overwhelming. The storylines and the matches were just better this week, and not even Goldberg could save the flagship show. I have to say, I expected more from both shows this week, but SmackDown Live goes ahead at 8-7, on the way to the 30th annual Survivor Series.
I think both brands are losing their way at the moment. It seems like they’re running out of ideas and having trouble transitioning from one feud to another. It seems like we’ve been on the same feuds since we started the draft, but not in a good way.
I know this conclusion seems quite negative, but it’s just disappointing that after so many good weeks, that this is the first one that felt weak on both counts.
Let’s just hope that the situation improves next week!
Were you Red or Blue this week? Leave a comment and let’s discuss!
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