3 Interesting observations from WWE SmackDown (November 22, 2019)

By Kartik Arry
Modified Nov 23, 2019 20:14 IST
Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Road Dogg led Team NXT to battle in a tank!
Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Road Dogg led Team NXT to battle in a tank!

This week's Friday Night SmackDown episode did a great job in hyping fans and viewers for the upcoming Survivor Series Pay-Per-View.

As expected, all three brands (NXT, RAW, SmackDown) clashed together in one of the most ambitious crossovers in WWE History (more on that later).

It is important to acknowledge that this episode probably marks the last time fans got to witness WWE's three major brands clash together in a huge brawl for the time being.

NXT TakeOver: WarGames could feature another invasion by superstars from RAW or SmackDown. But as far as epic brawls go, when was the last time WWE successfully pulled off an inter-brand war of such epic proportions?

What is your take on last night's SmackDown episode?

Here are a few interesting observations from this week's WWE SmackDown on FOX (November 22, 2019):

#3: How an epic brawl between all three brands teased potential scenarios for the Men's Survivor Series Elimination Triple Threat Match

Unlike some of the many brawls that occurred before last night's episode, WWE hinted at some potential scenarios for the Men's Elimination Triple Threat Match at Survivor Series 2019.

Keith Lee and Braun Strowman faced off against each other to one of the loudest pops of the night. This might lead to a potential confrontation at Survivor Series, where Lee and Strowman can finally take on each other in a small, but explosive sequence.

Former Shield Brothers, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins' confrontation showed us that nothing comes above brand supremacy, not even brotherhood.

Most likely, both Reigns and Rollins will battle each other this Sunday to prove who is the most dominant superstar at this stage in their careers.

Team RAW could face some unexpected setbacks at Survivor Series. But as far as the blue brand goes, we have a clear idea of what could break them apart - King Corbin.

Last night's episode made it apparent that Corbin and Reigns' public feud could potentially lead to Team SmackDown's downfall this Sunday.

#2: Why "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan's feud stands apart from the rest of the matches at Survivor Series

Fans witnessed "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt attacking Daniel Bryan during last night's episode, just when the latter was about to bring the YES! Movement back while wrestling The Miz.

Undoubtedly, the amount of production that goes into setting up The Fiend in an arena adds a certain degree of cinematic quality to WWE episodes.

But what sets this feud apart from others is that while most superstars on all three rosters are busy battling each other for brand supremacy, Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan are embroiled in a personal battle that even deals with sensitive themes such as mental health.

Since both The Fiend and Daniel Bryan (the character) are in a state of mental anguish at the moment, you never know what to expect this Sunday.

Clearly, Bray Wyatt is an amazing creative head, even though we are only at the beginning of his Universal Title reign.

But for what it's worth, I don't think that this feud is going to end at Survivor Series. So don't be surprised if the match takes a U-Turn due to some unexpected shenanigans. After all, WWE has only scratched the surface of what could turn out to be an amazing feud.

#1: Why the show's cold opening was a great narrative tactic for events that would occur later on in the episode

Before SmackDown's title sequence kicked in, we saw SmackDown superstars huddled together backstage as Roman Reigns opened the doors for RAW and NXT.

Roman Reigns' decision to go full steam ahead was mirrored by King Corbin's incompetence as a cartoonish leader who only wanted to retreat. As discussed earlier, this theme was further explored during the main event of the night.

Sasha Banks also interrupted the cold opening to create a firm stance amongst the women of SmackDown, and this would directly lead into the first match of the night, where team captains of the Women's Survivor Series Elimination Triple Threat Match (Banks, Ripley, Flair) faced each other in a triple threat match.

Of course, the biggest payoff would occur when NXT would storm the gates along with D-Generation X (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Road Dogg) in a tank. What makes this thematically perfect is that these were the same gates that Roman Reigns had ordered to be opened during the cold opening of the show.

This just goes on to show how effective narrative tactics can be. On the surface, it might just seem like a bunch of people interfering throughout the night, but a recurring theme was persistent during the episode's events.

Which brand will dominate Survivor Series 2019?

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

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