WWE SmackDown: Results, Highlights and Grades for Nov. 1

Following chaotic travel woes in Saudi Arabia, tonight’s WWE SmackDown has been entirely changed, with Bayley now defending her Women’s Championship against Nikki Cross.

After AC/DC’s “Are You Ready” serenades us into tonight’s episode, the show opens with tonight’s commentators – Aiden English, Renee Young and Tom Phillips – introduce us to the festivities right before WWE Champion Brock Lesnar’s music blares across the Buffalo, New York arena.

The champ and his advocate, Paul Heyman, hit the ring to say that despite successfully defending his title against Cain Velasquez the previous night, Brock Lesnar is “pissed off.”

Before telling us the reason, Heyman shows us footage from Brock vs. Cain. And by footage, I mean every single second of the entire fight from bell to bell.

Heyman points out that Brock got retribution for losing to Cain back in UFC, but Brock is pissed because Rey Mysterio attacked Brock with a chair after that match. They’re pissed because they requested a match vs. Rey Mysterio, but Mysterio is “contractually obligated” by USA Network to compete on Raw

Heyman promises that if Mysterio contractually can’t come looking for Brock, then Brock is going to come looking for Rey this Monday on Raw. And nobody is going to do a thing about it because if they try to sue Brock, then they’ll sue right back. Even better, to end any confusion, Heyman quit SmackDown on behalf of Brock Lesnar and will head to Raw this Monday.

Brock and Heyman storm out the arena as Triple H and Shawn Michaels ominously look on in the background.

Grade: C+

Showing about 5 minutes worth of Crown Jewel footage in the first 10-15 minutes of SmackDown is a good way to stall for time when half your roster’s gone. Not a bad move, but also clearly a means to stall. Still, we got a typically solid Heyman promo as well, but the real intrigue comes in Brock quitting on the spot. Interesting to see where that goes. Assuming it means Bray Wyatt stays on SmackDown and moves the Universal Title with him, while Brock moves to Raw with his title.

On the surface, not a special promo, but effective in advancing storylines and creating intrigue.