WWE SmackDown Rankings: Randy Orton Beats Sami Zayn

Smackdown. Photo by WWE.com

The Smackdown Live World Title Picture

Highlights of the division

Jinder Mahal held his own on the mic by insulting Paul Heyman on Smackdown Live but that’s the only battle he’ll win in his upcoming clash with Brock Lesnar. The WWE Champion has absolutely no shot in beat Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series, which makes this matchup a complete wash. If AJ Styles faces Mahal for the WWE Championship before Survivor Series and wins the gold, he could face Lesnar at Survivor Series. That potential matchup would be a lot better for the fans and will be a lot more competitive than the Mahal versus Lesnar massacre. I’m only calling it a massacre because Lesnar will destroy the Singh Brothers with Mahal in the ring at the same time.

As for Randy Orton, he defeated Sami Zayn in the main event of Smackdown Live to qualify for the Survivor Series team. I’d also expect Shinsuke Nakamura to beat Kevin Owens next week and join Orton on the blue team as well. Having these two title contenders on the Survivor Series team should be a no-brainer as they are the best shots that Smackdown Live has in winning that huge match. Randy Orton has won so many Survivor Series matches that Smackdown Live is the favourite in that main event bout next month.

Meanwhile, for the rest of the division…

Bobby Roode and Dolph Ziggler will be facing off one more time next week in a 2 out of 3 falls match. This match should have been made into a Survivor Series qualifying match as well. It would have added more stakes into their final showdown between these two competitors. Rhode should obviously be favoured to win this match because he has a lot more to lose than Dolph Ziggler. The Glorious One made his debut at the end of August and has yet to make a huge splash on Smackdown Live. Winning this match is a must, if he doesn’t then what was the point of him leaving NXT in the first place?

Next: WWE Raw Rankings: SD Live Draws First Blood

Let’s see the rankings for the division this week.

WWE World Champion: Jinder Mahal (16 Wins – 12 Losses)

Contenders

• Top Contender: Shinsuke Nakamura (13 Wins – 5 Losses)
• Contender No. 2: Randy Orton (18 Wins – 11 Losses)

Pretenders

• Pretender No. 1: Bobby Roode (4 Wins – 1 Loss)

What are your thoughts on this week’s Smackdown Rankings?