3 Interesting observations from WWE SmackDown (November 15, 2019)

By Kartik Arry
Modified Nov 16, 2019 20:11 IST
Bray Wyatt revealed a new look for the WWE Universal Championship!
Bray Wyatt revealed a new look for the WWE Universal Championship!

This week's edition of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX was certainly a step-up from WWE's pre-taped shows that emanated from Manchester, England.

But that doesn't mean it was perfect. Truth be told, despite the show's drawbacks, SmackDown managed to add a whole new dimension to Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan's ongoing saga (more on that later).

On the other hand, the "barking puppy" bit from last week's show managed to seep its way into King Corbin and Roman Reigns' feud this week. Some fans loved it for how bad it was, and others didn't, as expected.

The NXT Invasion angle was decent, albeit a bit repetitive.

Here are a few interesting observations from this week's WWE SmackDown on FOX (November 15, 2019):

#3: Why King Corbin manages to succeed as a cartoonish heel in front of Roman Reigns

King Corbin and his goons (Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode) laughing at a hilariously synchronized spoof of Roman Reigns' entrance might not be everyone's cup of tea.

If there is one clear thing, it's that Corbin has found his comfort zone as a cartoonish heel.

Gone are the days where an intense "Lone Wolf" would wrestle matches to no fanfare, because now, King Corbin can genuinely trigger the fans as part of his job description.

Admittedly the whole premise is the silliest thing ever. It's almost as if Roode & Ziggler also overplayed their allegiance to a "King" because they realize how absurd everything seems.

Fans who love segments like Rusev and Lana's "Divorce Court" and King Corbin's unfunny barking gag see it as spoof movies. For example, you expect a silly premise before watching any installment from the Scary Movie franchise.

Similarly, King Corbin purposefully overplays his new gimmick for the same reason.

Unfortunately, a huge majority of wrestling fans don't like slapstick humor infused with their weekly cup of Friday Night SmackDown, and that's fine.

But for what it's worth, Roman Reigns and King Corbin have carved a niche subplot amongst Team SmackDown members on the Road To Survivor Series.

#2: Did the NXT Invasion Angle run out of steam a week before Survivor Series 2019?

One of the best things about the buildup to this year's Survivor Series Pay-Per-View has been the inclusion of NXT as a third major brand of the company.

RAW and SmackDown have been battling it out between themselves for years without any other motive except to establish dominance, and as much as people liked it this year, NXT's involvement doesn't make things any different.

The only motive still revolves around establishing dominance, and while that is quite obvious, storylines become redundant if that is the only element fuelling weeks worth of buildup.

We all know that WWE kickstarted plans a little early after a lot of big names on the Blue brand were stranded on Saudi Arabia following Crown Jewel. That is probably the reason behind why last night's SmackDown essentially featured a similar plot with a slight twist on things that went down.

The NXT invasion segments involving the men and women on last night's show wasn't bad in any way.

Fans are more likely to favor the current scenario over last year's state of RAW and SmackDown where almost nothing happened every week. But you have to wonder, will things become repetitive if WWE fails to establish another major motive during next week's programming?

#1: Why there is no protagonist or antagonist between Daniel Bryan and Bray Wyatt's current rivalry

In what seemed to be like an impromptu program for the Universal Championship, the feud between Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan actually has a solid reason to exist - mental health plays a huge role in this personal rivalry, and this particular reasoning is way better than simply pitting Brock Lesnar and The Fiend in the ring together just because it's Survivor Series and both champions belong on different brands.

On a serious note, mental health is a very tricky subject to cover in fictional entertainment, especially when WWE can easily cross the line with Bray Wyatt's deranged gimmick.

Thankfully, Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan established clear plot points without going overboard right off the bat.

You see, we now know that both Daniel Bryan and Bray Wyatt's current personalities (of their characters) are a product of a lot of mental health issues manifested in recent times.

As viewers, we now understand that Daniel Bryan just doesn't remain silent because some writer from creative wants him to be that way. Bryan let go of his gimmicks and became reserved because there was a lot more going underneath that surface than we realized.

When mental health becomes the major focus of a feud like this, it is hard to make out who is the antagonist or the protagonist here.

Similarly, after Wyatt's feud with Seth Rollins, we realized that The Fiend brings out the worst in people. But what happens when The Fiend's opponent (Daniel Bryan), unlike Seth Rollins, has already accepted darkness as his only way to win in a battle?

Compelling entertainment - that is what we get.

Did you enjoy SmackDown this week? Rate every match and leave a comment by clicking on this link.

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