WWE SmackDown 5 Takeaways: Threats to Team SmackDown Arise

Credit: WWE.com

2. Raw’s Immediate Lack of Retaliation Lessens Survivor Series Buildup

Brand supremacy will be on the line at Survivor Series in less than four weeks and the first shots of the war were fired Monday night.  SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon brought a large portion of the SmackDown roster to Raw and they laid waste to Raw to stake the blue brand’s initial dominance.

Heading into last night’s SmackDown, it seemed likely Raw would retaliate in some form or fashion.  But as we found out last night, there was no retaliation to be found.  There was added security around the building to keep a potential Raw invasion out, so the red brand not showing up goes along with that factor.

But given the impact SmackDown made on Raw Monday night, it would have been a big move to have Raw make an immediate impact on SmackDown in retaliation.  And while it’s obvious to expect Raw to make its impact in the coming weeks, the situation called for some type of response right off the bat.

There’s still plenty of time for Raw to get its shots in on SmackDown, but it would have made the buildup towards Survivor Series feel even bigger had the red brand immediately retaliated last night against SmackDown.  Timing is everything in sports entertainment and the timing was not meant appropriately last night.

Despite this, expect big things out of both brands in the weeks to come leading into Survivor Series.