WWE SmackDown Preview: Surprise attack on Roman Reigns, last-minute change before Survivor Series (19th November, 2021)

#2 Shinsuke Nakamura makes a strong statement on WWE SmackDown

While most titleholders from WWE SmackDown pose a massive threat to their RAW counterparts, the same can’t be said for Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura. He has been involved in several underwhelming feuds over the last few months, which is a shame considering his potential.

On the other hand, United States Champion Damian Priest has been pushed as a world champion in the making.

Before the two men face each other at Survivor Series, it would make complete sense for the creative team to make Nakamura look strong on WWE SmackDown. He could pick up a big victory on the episode tonight to get the right momentum before the upcoming pay-per-view.

The question is, which superstar can serve the purpose on the show this week?

---

#1 Last chance for brand invasion on WWE SmackDown

While the WWE Survivor Series has interesting matches on the card, fans are not that excited about the pay-per-view. The biggest reason behind this problem can be boiled down to the lack of appropriate build-up.

Apart from The Usos’ one-off appearance on RAW, we have not seen anything that remotely adds to the hype surrounding the battle for brand supremacy. Could that change on WWE SmackDown tonight?

The narrative has been lazy so far, but the show writers can make up for most of it by relying on their traditional technique – brand invasion. Top superstars from each brand engaging in brutal altercations in the locker room, backstage area, inside the ring, and sometimes all across the arena often works wonders in selling the idea of “Survivor Series.”

WWE SmackDown should see superstars from RAW invade the Blue band, creating the right amount of chaos that generally hypes the clash between the two brands.

After everything Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair have said about each other over the last few weeks, wouldn’t it make sense to bring them face-to-face before they face each other? That is only one example.

Hopefully, the creative team will craft a much-awaited takeover of the final show before Survivor Series. Otherwise, it will be disappointing to learn that the writers have given up on such a powerful, fan-favorite tradition.