So let’s do this again! Hopefully Smackdown Live reloads tonight. I especially want to see The Club reunited with AJ Styles. Stay tuned for my reactions as the night goes on.
8:01pm They start off with a rather obvious development. They can’t have both secondary titles on Raw and pretend the shows are equal. KO to SDL!
8:05pm Baron Corbin picks right up where he left off: secondary title feud.
8:07pm You knew Sami Zayn couldn’t be far behind! Welcome to Smackdown!
8:08pm AJ Styles is still here!
8:11pm Wait what? Chris Jericho can win the US Championship and then go away with Fozzy? Does Kevin Owens go back to Raw if that happens? Let’s hope KO keeps the strap and stays on SDL.
8:14pm Commercial break question: who will Shinsuke Nakamura feud with now that Miz is on Raw?
8:20pm So what is Erick Rowan doing by himself on Smackdown?
8:23pm I like the idea of a faction with members on both brands, and it does cultivate a mystique for Bray Wyatt. But the Wyatt Family is misused more often than not. So we shall see…
8:30pm This is would be a good time for Gallows and Anderson to run in… Wishful thinking, perhaps.
8:40pm I was right about the incoming tag team ambush. The Shining Stars were not who I had in mind, however.
8:41pm Jinder Mahal is coming to Smackdown. Woohoo.
8:58pm Now for the Smackdown Live women’s division! Who’s coming? Charlotte, Sasha, both, neither?
9:02pm Tamina is coming to SDL.
9:03pm The crowd wants Sasha. Shane gives them Charlotte. Is Sasha still on the way?
9:04pm Looks like she isn’t.
9:08pm Sin Cara on Smackdown makes no damn sense. They never found a place for Kalisto. Rusev will be a good get when he returns. Rusev and Lana can be an “it couple” in lieu of Miz and Maryse.
9:09pm Aiden English is going to be this round’s Heath Slater.
9:19pm Uh, Bob Fosse used bowler hats–not top hats.
9:21pm SDLanswers my 8:14 question with Dolph Ziggler.
9:30pm Just in case the WWE is reading this, the triple threat match would be a good time to introduce The Club.
9:33pm The New Day is a good addition. They haven’t had much to do on Rawrecently.
9:37pm AJ Styles just Too Sweet-ed himself. Foreshadowing?
9:59pm No Gallows and Anderson. Ah, well.
10:01pm Smackdown Live is a decent wrestling show–it wasn’t 24 hours ago. Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Rusev/Lana aren’t exactly an equal trade for Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt and Miz/Maryse. But the newcomers can tell good stories. It will still be a good show, but I care less for this set of characters/wrestlers. If they aren’t going to put The Club back together with AJ Styles, then they ought to do it on Raw with Finn Balor.
I’m happy that tye is getting a meaningful feud, and with a veteran with Randy at that. But when randy said he was going for the fan favorite, I certainly thought us daniel or rusev before tye. And also will Shinsuke ever have U.S. title feud that randy doesn’t inject himself in?
In my opinion, Shinsuke Nakamura’s match against Baron Corbin was his best since arriving on the WWE main roster. Nakamura didn’t squash Corbin, yet he was dominant; in a way that nobody else has been against the “Lone Wolf”. This was the SUPERSTAR match the fans have been waiting for from the King Of Strong Style. Of course, this helped set-up the #1 Contender match for the WWE Championship against John Cena for next week’s Smackdown Live, but I’m not complaining. The idea of seeing Nakamura challenge Jinder Mahal at SummerSlam is mind-blowing, especially when you consider how WWE has presented him; having him only “feud” with Dolph Ziggler since joining Smackdown Live.Now, the theorist in me believes [Baron] Corbin will interfere in the match. In all likelihood, WWE will push for Cena to have the championship match, but I still DEEP DOWN wanting to see Nakamura defeat “The Face of WWE”. In five days, we’ll see who The Modern Day Maharaja [Mahal] has to prepare for; Strong Style or Mr Hustle, Loyalty, Respect. I cannot wait to see this match. Thank God, it’s not Orton.
For the third week in a row, Shinsuke Nakamura has pinned Kevin Owens in some capacity; twice in tag matches and this time in a one-on-one match.
There are still people who criticise WWE’s handling of Nakamura on the main roster. Yes, the debut match wasn’t the typical debut squash, but he won, and that counts for something, right?
Yes, calling him “The Artist” is strange, but Nakamura has the personality to make it work. He is different. KING OF STRONG STYLE would mean a lot more, but the current moniker is better than what most wrestlers get these days.
One thing WWE has done right by Shinsuke is having him participate in big Smackdown Live matches where he teamed with AJ Styles and Sami Zayn and held his own against the likes of Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, and Kevin Owens.
I sense the fans want him to be thrust upon championships like Goldberg or Brock Lesnar, but that’s not needed here. Both Lesnar and Goldberg had limited schedules along with limited shelf life, in the ring. WWE wants to maximise the money-making opportunity and therefore rushes them to the top. The choice to have Nakamura climb his way to the top (MITB win?), while getting acclimated to WWE’s main roster style of wrestling is the smart play.
It may take awhile, but the slow build is worth it. Nakamura is here for a long time. His WWE Championship match will come but for now, I am fascinated by the potential feud with US Champion Kevin Owens. Owens v. Nakamura brings value to the US Championship, while, at the same time, allows an invigorated Jinder Mahal to establish himself as the new WWE Champion.
If you look at the big picture rather than seek immediate outcomes, you realise just how special the moment is. Smackdown Live has AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Mahal, and Shinsuke. The components needed for some amazing wrestling is here, now. We, the viewers, just have to relax while the puzzle comes together. Nakamura is not losing anything on Smackdown Live. In fact, he’s in the position to gain it all. This is awesome!
Brock Lesnar vs Rey Mysterio in a No Disqualification Match forWWE Championship: So many people stating Rey Mysterio will upset Lesnar with the help of Cain Velasquez. But I don’t see Rey walking out of Survivor Series as the champion. Rey will give Lesnar a fight but in the end The Beast will come out on top. Winner: Brock Lesnar.
‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt vs Daniel Bryan in a Singles Match for the Universal Championship: The Fiend isn’t losing and that’s that. Winner: ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt.
Adam Cole vs Pete Dunne in a Singles Match for the NXT Championship: I just hope Adam Cole is alive and well to appear for this match. This match will be an opportunity for Pete Dunne showcase his skills in front of a much bigger audience. But Adam Cole isn’t dropping the title at Survivor Series. Winner: Adam Cole.
Triple Threat Women’s Champions Match- Becky Lynch(Raw) vs Bayley(SmackDown) vs Shayna Baszler(NXT): Unless a big swerve happens like Ronda Rousey returning I don’t see Baszler winning. A lose wouldn’t hurt Becky Lynch. Bayley has been overlooked when it came to this match and a win means she could make a huge statement. This is definitely a match to look out for because there is a lot of ways in which this could turn out. Winner: Bayley.
Triple Threat Tag Team Champions Match- The Viking Raiders(Raw) vs The New Day(SmackDown) vs The Undisputed Era(NXT): Heart says Undisputed Era. Brain says Viking Raiders. UE coming from their WarGames match could play into this affair. I don’t see New Day winning this. UE will give a standout performance but it won’t be their night. Winner: The Viking Raiders.
Triple Threat Mid Card Champions Match- AJ Styles(Raw) vs Shinsuke Nakamura(SmackDown) vs Roderick Strong(NXT): This is the match I’m most looking forward to. These three guys could steal the show. The epitome of unpredictability. Sami Zayn could get his hands dirty and help Nakamura pick the win. Rody can go toe to toe with the very best to the entirety of a match. But the WarGames fatigue can prove to be costly. Styles can put on a thriller with any given pro wrestler. Lets see how this plays out. I want Rody to win and a win for him means Raw, SmackDown and NXT are equal on scoreboard. Winner: Roderick Strong.
Women’s Survivor Series Elimination Match- Team Raw (Charlotte Flair, Natalya, The Kabuki Warriors & Sarah Logan) vs. Team SmackDown (Sasha Banks, Lacey Evans, Nikki Cross, Dana Brooke & Carmella) vs. Team NXT (Rhea Ripley, Toni Storm, Candice LeRae, Bianca Belair & Io Shirai): The SmackDown team isn’t cohesive from what we saw last week in SmackDown. NXT team is coming in hot especially after Ripley’s win last week and that WarGames match. Ripely is looking unstoppable at the moment. Raw has got a solid team. But, Charlotte and Natalya are feuding with Kabuki Warriors at the moment. So maybe we can expect a back stab from the Kabuki Warriors to add to that rivalry. Again tough one to call. Just because of the momentum Ripley is on right now I think… Winner: Team NXT.
Men’s Survivor Series Elimination Match- Team Raw (Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Randy Orton, Ricochet & Drew McIntyre) vs. Team SmackDown (Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, King Corbin, Mustafa alI & Shorty G) vs. Team NXT (TBD): Well, I don’t see Roman Reigns getting pinned. Unless King Corbin pulls something off I just can’t imagine Roman Reigns getting pinned. Kind of the same with Seth Rollins. Perhaps, it will down to these two men. I want to see WALTER in Team NXT though. That will be huge. As much as I want NXT to win, unless a huge swerve happens like Rollins or Owens turning on their Raw team, team NXT isn’t going to win. Winner: Team SmackDown.
Well my predictions mean it will be a 2-2 tie between SmackDown & NXT. I don’t think that’s happening. There will be a winner so I’m sure this might go wrong.
