WWE SmackDown: Results, Highlights and Grades for Nov. 15

Drew Gulak educates Braun Strowman

Braun Strowman enters the ring for what appeared to be a handicap match against The B Team and Drew Gulak, but the bell never rang. Weird.

Drew Gulak says he is there to educate The B Team, so he kicks off a powerpoint all about how Gulak would save Team SmackDown if he replaced Braun’s spot at Survivor Series. He also admits Braun lasted longer than he expected. He waves his finger in Braun’s face, but Braun breaks it.

That allows all three men to dog pile on him, but Braun ragdolls them around with ease. Gulak escapes to the outside right before Braun lays out both members of The B Team and caps it off by Powerslamming Curtis Axel as Gulak retreats.

Kayla Braxton interviews The New Day about defending their newfound titles against The Revival without Xavier Woods and if they can do it successfully. “Is Meg the Stallion a gift to the earth?” Big E asks. He then makes a football reference that was lost on me, but the crowd gets a big pop. Kofi promises that since they won the titles in honor of Xavier Woods, they will retain them tonight in his honor as well.

Backstage, Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura approach Daniel Bryan about joining them and points out that after what The Fiend did last week, he needs them now more than ever. He asks once more, but Bryan points out that if Zayn really is a man of his word to have his back, then he shouldn’t have ran away while Bryan was being attacked.

Zayn promises he ran because he thought Bryan was behind him (then says he ran to go get Shinsuke), but D-Bry’s not buying it.

Bryan says he doesn’t need either of their help and won’t join them, but recommends a replacement: Braun Strowman. Zayn says Strowman is just “big and strong” and not an intellectual artist. Braun’s right behind him the whole time. Zayn backtracks and says Bryan’s idea was great and he’ll get back to Braun ASAP. But not now, and begs Braun not to come looking for them. Zayn is hilarious. Put him in the Hall of Fame.

The New Day (c) vs. The Revival – SmackDown Tag Team Championship

Dash Wilder and Kofi start off with a lock up. Dash gets Kofi in a headlock, hits the rope, leapfrog from Kofi, Wilder gets a sneaky tag to Dawson, Kofi goes for an uppercut, but gets pushed into Dawson for a one count. Dawson then hits a northern lights suplex for a kickout.

He sends Kofi to the top rope for a suplex, but Kofi reverses, pushing him off to hit a missile dropkick. Dawson tags Wilder, who refuses to allow Kofi to hit the hot tag to E. Instead, he nails a powerslam to send us to a commercial break.

Back from break, both men are down until Wilder tags to Dawson, who stops Kingston from making a tag. He goes for an elbow drop, but Kofi evades. This time, both men make tags to their partners, but Big E comes in with a massive comeback spot.

After a quick opening, Wilder tags to Dawson, who tries to neutralize the big man, but E takes him down with a uranage. He goes for Big Ending, but Dawson wiggles out of it and tags to Wilder.

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1195522535510556673

Big E goes for the apron spear, but gets stopped by a tornado DDT from Wilder for a near fall. He tries to lift E onto his shoulders for an electric chair (possibly to set up a Doomsday Device). E wiggles out of it, eventually leading to another hot tag to both men. Kofi comes in hot.

Dropkick by Kofi, but Dawson rolls to the outside, where Kofi launches himself to the outside onto both The Revival.

Back in the ring, tag to E for the Midnight Hour, but Wilder shoulder tackles Kofi. Dawson hits a big ole snap DDT for a two count. Tag back to Wilder for a double middle rope DDT attempt, but E throws both men out. E sends Kofi to the outside for a dive, but Revival catch Kofi and send him to the ring post. Back in the ring, The Revival hit the Shatter Machine and go for the pin, but Kofi springboards dive into The Revival to break it up.

Just as it seems like we are reaching a conclusion, all four members of NXT’s Undisputed Era run in to cause the no contest, attacking both tag teams. All of SmackDown’s tag teams (and Apollo Crews, for reasons?) run in to make the save, but by time they hit the ring, Undisputed Era run into the crowd. “We run WWE,” Adam Cole promises as him and his crew make their way out. Message = sent. Like an ill-advised DM.

Winners: No One

Grade: B-

The first third of this match felt … weird. Both like something was missing and that some spots were getting overused/repetitive (i.e. too many hot tag spots), but when this match got hot, it got really hot and was a blast to watch. Prior to the run-in finish, this was shaping up to be a much better rematch than last week.

Heavy Machinery vs. Enhancement Talent (did not catch their names)

This pretty much goes exactly as you’d expect. The big boys dominate the little boys (including ragdolling them, double vertical suplexes, double cross body) for about two minutes until hitting their finisher.

Winners: Heavy Machinery

Grade: N/A

Can’t really grade or critique a squash match, especially when it gets the job done in getting two guys over as beefy monsters. These things aren’t designed to be great matches, but it’s a great squash. If that makes sense.

Kayla Braxton backstage interviews Bayley and Sasha Banks to talk about the SmackDown Women’s Champ dropping Becky Lynch and Shayna Baszler this week on Raw and NXT. Bayley admits she’s a force to be reckoned with and why none of the other brand’s champions should not overlook her. Beating people up gives her personal joy, and she’ll be happy to crush Nikki Cross’ dreams tonight. Banks adds that she has faith that Bayley to drop Cross all by herself, so she won’t even accompany Bayley to ringside tonight.