Last night’s edition of WWE SmackDown came just 24 hours after the blue brand’s all out siege of Monday Night Raw.
The WWE is in full Survivor Series mode already and WWE SmackDown has appeared to be the dominant brand in the company in the early stages of the buildup towards Survivor Series. Last night’s SmackDown gave us further insight on what we can expect at Survivor Series in terms of team members as well.
There were several key points of last night’s SmackDown that will affect the blue brand not only for Survivor Series, but beyond the event. Let’s take a look at five takeaways from the Oct. 24 edition of SmackDown.
Photo by WWE.com
5. Becky Lynch Needs a More Prominent Role on SmackDown
The Irish Lass Kicker Becky Lynch is one of the most talented performers in the WWE’s stacked women’s division. She was one of the biggest driving forces in the initial women’s revolution that took the WWE by storm and has had a standout career in both NXT and on SmackDown.
But as of late, Lynch has not been on the same level she had been on in the past. Lynch was the first-ever SmackDown Women’s Champion back in 2016, but over the past few months, she has not been enough of a focal point on Tuesday nights and hasn’t been in the SmackDown Women’s Championship picture.
However, last night’s SmackDown gave Lynch more of a spotlight heading into Survivor Series. In a Fatal 5-Way match to determine which superstar would captain Team SmackDown’s women’s team at Survivor Series, Lynch got the win and will operate as her team’s leader in less than four weeks. This isn’t a huge move, but anything to put Lynch into more prominence is a good thing.
Some think a changing of brands would benefit Lynch, but the WWE could easily have her get lost in the shuffle on Raw, especially with the added addition of Asuka. Lynch has been a blue brand staple ever since the initial brand split of last summer and she should remain on SmackDown for at least the time being.
The Irish Lass Kicker’s newfound importance heading into Survivor Series could help her out tremendously in the future as one of the top superstars on SmackDown.
Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter
4. Baron Corbin Still Has a Long Way to Go
The reigning and defending United States Champion has had an up and down career in the WWE so far. Baron Corbin has career highlights such as winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32 and winning the U.S. Championship, but has also unsuccessfully cashed in his Money in the Bank contract as well as having apparent backstage issues.
But despite his ups and downs, Corbin has had more ups as of late since becoming the U.S. Champion. His feud with A.J. Styles for the title did a lot of good for the Lone Wolf, but the past two weeks on SmackDown have been subpar, to say the least.
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His two recent matches with Sin Cara on SmackDown have done absolutely nothing for Corbin and in fact, they have seemingly helped cool off whatever momentum he had going into the matches. Maybe it’s just the way the WWE has booked him against Sin Cara, but they were two uninspiring performances that made him look like a weak champion.
Last night was especially hard to watch with Corbin and Sin Cara having absolutely zero chemistry in the ring before the Lone Wolf got disqualified and lost to Sin Cara for the second straight week. There has to be a time where Corbin has a great feud with someone who doesn’t have to carry him like Styles did recently. At least the WWE realized he wasn’t ready for the WWE Championship.
The Lone Wolf has the potential to be a top heel on SmackDown, but he has a ways to go in that quest.
Yes, that’s AJ Styles on Raw again. Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter
3. AJ Styles is the WWE’s Best Workhorse
Every wrestling roster needs a guy you can count on no matter what, and The Phenomenal AJ Styles has been one of those guys for many years. It didn’t take Styles long to become one of the WWE’s top stars after debuting at the 2016 Royal Rumble and he has helped carry SmackDown on his shoulders since last summer.
Styles’ value is undeniable, but recently, he has been even more valuable for not only the blue brand, but the entire WWE. With the unexpected illness of Raw’s Bray Wyatt leading into TLC this past Sunday, the WWE needed a replacement to battle The Demon Finn Balor. And there was no better replacement for Wyatt than Styles.
Flying back to the states on a whim after being on SmackDown’s tour of South America, Styles competed against Balor at TLC in one of the best matches the WWE has seen in 2017. He followed that up with an appearance on Raw the next night which featured a six-man tag match to open up the show and SmackDown’s siege of Raw at the end of the show.
And last night on SmackDown, Styles competed against Sunil Singh and got a quick win over one of Jinder Mahal’s lackeys. While this match was very short and didn’t require as much as he usually gives in the ring, it further solidifies Styles’ position as the WWE’s best workhorse with a loaded past week of being relied upon.
Styles is indeed phenomenal and is one of the WWE’s top stars not only currently, but in many years as well.
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.
Credit: WWE.com
1. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn Could Cost Team SmackDown at Survivor Series
Arguably the two hottest heels in the WWE right now reside on SmackDown in the newly-reformed duo of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Zayn’s heel turn at Hell in a Cell aided Owens’ victory against Shane McMahon inside Hell in a Cell and the two have carried that momentum into the past few editions of SmackDown.
The Owens/Zayn against Shane O’Mac feud is still prevalent even as attentions have shifted towards brand supremacy at Survivor Series. And last night showed as much with Shane saying he didn’t want Owens or Zayn on Team SmackDown, but gave Zayn the opportunity to earn a spot on the team if he could defeat Randy Orton.
Zayn lost to Orton and The Viper earned a spot on Team SmackDown in the process. Owens has the same opportunity next week against Shinsuke Nakamura, but whether he wins or loses, a possibility for Survivor Series is out there.
Given the issues between the duo of Owens and Zayn and Shane O’Mac, can they coexist for SmackDown’s sake? It seems like a real possibility that Owens and Zayn could cost Team SmackDown at Survivor Series and up the ante in their feud with Shane. Things of this nature have been done before, but given how personal the Owens/Zayn vs. Shane O’Mac feud is, it could fit into the storyline perfectly if done the right way.
Next: 5 Takeaways From Oct. 23 Raw
KO and Zayn have given Shane fits over the past few weeks, and they could take those fits to another level with major brand betrayal at Survivor Series.