WWE SmackDown 5 Takeaways: Shane McMahon Counters Raw

WWE SmackDown successfully responded to an action-packed Monday Night Raw on Oct. 30 last night with more Survivor Series focus.

As both brands prepare to do battle, last night’s WWE SmackDown saw a more personal side of the upcoming battle with Raw and three more members of Team SmackDown were announced, including its team captain.

SmackDown countered Team Raw’s momentum successfully and more intrigue continues to build for not only Team Raw vs. Team SmackDown at Survivor Series, but the entire show in general.  There were several key takeaways from last night so with that being said, let’s take a look at five takeaways from the Oct. 31 edition of SmackDown.

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5. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin’s Tag Team Championship Opportunity Comes at Inopportune Time

The SmackDown tag team division has been on fire over the past few months with the emergence of The Usos as the team to beat.  Their feud with The New Day changed the game among tag team wrestling in the WWE and established them as arguably the best tag team in the WWE today.

Following a win over The New Day inside Hell in a Cell, new challengers were set to be determined for The Usos and their SmackDown Tag Team Championship.  That opportunity was earned by the recently-formed tag team of Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin on the SmackDown following the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.

The interactions between The Usos and Gable and Benjamin have been limited over the past few weeks, but a backstage interaction last night told us that the teams will battle on next week’s SmackDown for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship.  Gable and Benjamin have their tag team title shot, but it’s coming at an inopportune time in the grand scheme of things.

With Survivor Series being the sole focus of the WWE right now, Gable and Benjamin don’t get a marquee enough opportunity at the gold and their title shot is being overshadowed by Survivor Series and the buildup towards it.  Not to mention, it seems rather predictable that they won’t defeat The Usos in large part to further maintain The Usos vs. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose at Survivor Series.

Gable and Benjamin deserve an opportunity to prove they’re a legitimate tag team threat, but it’s coming in the midst of a pay-per-view buildup that takes away much of the intrigue in their match.