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Just two days before the final pay-per-view of the year, TLC 2020, WWE presented the go-home SmackDown episode. As has been the case in the last several weeks, the Blue brand had a better outing as compared to Monday Night RAW, which saw record low ratings earlier this week.
The storyline at the center of this episode of SmackDown was that between the Universal Champion Roman Reigns and his challenger this Sunday, Kevin Owens. In an angle that went on throughout the show, WWE did a good job to hype up the upcoming pay-per-view involving tables, ladders, and chairs. As good as the storytelling is, it's highly unlikely that KO will get his revenge this Sunday and walk out as the new Universal Champion.
SmackDown this week was nowhere near perfect and a lot could have been improved and avoided. Let's take a look at five mistakes WWE made on SmackDown this week. Be sure to comment down and let us know your opinions, whether they match with the one mentioned in this article or not.
#5 Bianca Belair loses her big match on WWE SmackDown
Arguably the biggest match on tonight's episode of the Blue brand was the one between 'The EST of WWE' Bianca Belair and the former SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley. A match that certainly was worthy of being on a pay-per-view, it was Bayley who managed to pick up the victory over Belair, after some dirty tactics.
While this is probably WWE's typical way of making the babyface lose and then get a revenge victory, it probably wasn't the best decision to have Belair lose this big match. It's unlikely that the two will have a rematch at the next pay-per-view, which is Royal Rumble 2021, as both will probably be in the over-the-top-rope match.
Interestingly, Bianca Belair is also one of the favorites to win the women's Royal Rumble match next year. Her picking up a victory over Bayley on SmackDown would have certainly helped her gain a lot of momentum heading into the new year.
#4 Shinsuke Nakamura loses to Otis on WWE SmackDown
Another match on WWE SmackDown tonight saw former Money in the Bank holder Otis take on Shinsuke Nakamura and defeat him clean. WWE is trying to build-up the pairing of Otis and Chad Gable and while it was a good decision to give Otis a victory, one has to wonder whether Shinsuke Nakamura needed to be the man to take the loss. There are several other Superstars who could have taken a loss.
Shinsuke Nakamura, a former Royal Rumble winner and one of the best in-ring workers on the SmackDown roster, has unfortunately lost so much momentum that it would be tough for WWE to build him up again as a singles main-event Superstar.
#3 Why separate Peyton Royce and Billie Kay?
One of the most confusing decisions taken by WWE this year was to separate Peyton Royce and Billie Kay, aka The IIconics. There were rumors that Vince McMahon plans to push Royce as a singles Superstar, but as we have witnessed in the last few months, WWE has strangely paired her up with Lacey Evans.
As for Billie Kay, she teamed up with Tamina tonight on SmackDown and lost to the team of Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott. With the 'resume' gimmick to Adam Pearce teasing her to be an authority figure, WWE seems to have no solid plan for Billie Kay. The women's tag team division of WWE isn't very deep and one has to wonder if it was the correct decision to split The IIconics.
#2 The 'Superstars vs. 2020' video package on SmackDown
WWE usually does a great job with pre-match promos and vignettes that are highly appreciated by the fans for the creativity and intensity. Yet, there are certain video packages like the one aired on SmackDown tonight - 'Superstars vs. 2020' that end up looking disastrous to the more mature side of the audience.
The issue with WWE is dealing with fans of all age demographics. We don't see such segments in promotions like AEW because they only focus on the 18-35 age category. As for WWE, segments, and video packages like the 'Superstars vs. 2020' are directed towards kids, but as adults, it just falls into the category of cringe-worthy.
#1 The SmackDown Women's Championship scene
One of the biggest problems with the upcoming WWE TLC 2020 is that the outcomes of almost every match are predictable. While WWE has done a good job in building storylines, it is highly unlikely that any singles Championship will change hands at WWE TLC 2020, from the match card announced so far.
The same goes for the SmackDown Women's Championship feud between Sasha Banks and Carmella. Something about the new gimmick of Carmella isn't clicking with the fans. The repetitive segments with the champagne bottle attacks aren't very appealing. It just doesn't seem like this version of Carmella is ready for a run with the SmackDown Women's Championship. Did WWE rush her into the title scene too soon?
