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Rohit Nath is off on a well-deserved winter vacation, and I'll be stepping in today to do his weekly column, which would take a look at all the essential things that WWE subtly told us on SmackDown.
SmackDown has been the undisputed 'A show' for the past few weeks, and The Samoan Dynasty storyline deserves all the credit. The Aalyah-Murphy angle has added momentum to the long-drawn feud between the Mysterio family and Seth Rollins.
The Survivor Series build has also dominated the other aspects of the show. As always, there was a lot to unpack on the latest two-hour offering of the Blue brand.
On that note, let's take a look at the five things WWE subtly told us this week on SmackDown:
#5 The burial of Otis continues on SmackDown
Otis' downfall has been both excruciating and predictable to watch. Otis' stint as Mr. Money in the Bank was never expected to succeed with Roman Reigns being in such fine form on SmackDown.
However, it can't get any more alarming than being booked to lose the briefcase. To make matters worse, Tucker turned on Otis and WWE is mysteriously yet to do a follow-up angle on the split.
Otis' booking received another body blow on this week's SmackDown as he lost the Survivor Series qualifying match to Seth Rollins. Another day, another big loss on Otis' resume and the situation doesn't look too good for the former Heavy Machinery member.
Otis was one of the most popular Superstars on the roster not too long ago. He had the woman of his dreams by his side, a World title shot in his kitty, and looked to be in the good books of Vince McMahon.
The WWE boss might still be a fan of Otis, and his goofiness would even get the pops. However, from the booking standpoint, Otis' is being buried, and all his momentum is non-existent.
Otis is in a creative limbo and what happens next with him is anyone's guess at this point.
#4 Big twist in Aalyah's relationship with Murphy on SmackDown
The feud between the Mysterio family and Seth Rollins might actually never end. This week's SmackDown had another big swerve in the storyline that has, quite frankly, left a large section of the fanbase a bit perplexed.
Aalyah confessing her love for Murphy and the subsequent kiss attracted a lot of criticism last week. Still, beyond the glaring flaws in the angle, Murphy's babyface run has a lot of potential. WWE, however, seemingly turned Murphy heel yet again on SmackDown this week.
Murphy helped Seth Rollins beat Otis, and the disciple now sees the light again. Murphy's puzzling decision didn't go down too well with Aalyah, and Rey Mysterio's daughter even confronted her newfound lover backstage on SmackDown.
Murphy tried to convince Aalyah that he needs her to trust him as it's all a part of a bigger plan. What could the plan be?
The first possibility is that Rollins and Murphy were always in cahoots, and their split was just a facade to get Aalyah on their side. Aalyah could even turn on her family for good in due time.
If not that, Murphy's mind games would be a way of making Seth Rollins vulnerable. The third and final possibility is that WWE could be already giving up on the alliance between Aalyah and Murphy. The storyline relationship has garnered widespread disapproval, and Aalyah is also not the most natural actor to fill in the role.
Whatever may be the case, the storyline ran its course weeks ago, but WWE is still attempting to create cliffhanger situations to extend it even further. Is it really worth all the trouble? Let us know your thoughts on the latest development in the story.
#3 New feud for Sasha Banks after overcoming the title defense curse on SmackDown; What's next for Bayley?
The fans will finally get to see a legitimate title reign of The Boss. There was a time when that seemed improbable, right? Sasha Banks broke the title defense curse and successfully retained the SmackDown Women's Champion against Bayley in the opener of this week's episode.
The match was nowhere close to their Hell in a Cell classic as two commercial breaks and just the lack of time hampered the impact of the contest. Nonetheless, Banks picked up one of the most important wins of her career, and she is set to have a title program with Carmella going forward on SmackDown.
Where does this leave Bayley? A three-way feud for the SmackDown Women's title? We have something better for The Role Model, and it was recently teased during a WWE on Fox interview.
Bianca Belair could and ideally should be next in line for a feud with Bayley. Ryan Satin asked the EST of WWE about possibly facing Sasha Banks, and Belair noted that while she wants to capture the title, a match against Bayley is also on her wishlist on SmackDown.
Here is an excerpt from the interview:
"I want to fight Sasha now. I still want to fight Bayley because, you know, when she was the Champion, she was all over the place and kept trolling me on Twitter. So, I still want to fight Bayley, but I'm looking at Sasha, 'Girl, would you try to fight? You got something I want now?"
Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks is the big match to book in the future, but the EST Of WWE needs a credible angle to get her ready for the title push. Bayley could join the Survivor Series team, which also includes Belair.
Bayley can elevate Belair's star power, and the seeds of the feud can easily be planted at Survivor Series.
#2 Kevin Owens could be Roman Reigns' title opponent in the future on SmackDown
SmackDown continued to be the Roman Reigns show with equal emphasis being given on Jey Uso's tremendous transformation as a believable singles Superstar.
Roman Reigns pulled the strings throughout the night and helped his cousin pick up another win against a former World Champion in Kevin Owens in the show's main event.
Kevin Owens and Jey Uso will compete on team SmackDown at Survivor Series, but the Prizefighter richly deserves a title feud in the future.
The immediate plan after Survivor Series would be the scheduled Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan storyline. However, as Dave Meltzer noted in the recent Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Kevin Owens is one of the shortlisted opponents for Roman Reigns.
This week's events on SmackDown hinted towards WWE's plans to have Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns in a Universal Championship storyline.
Kevin Owens' babyface work is right up there with the greats and Roman Reigns is currently the best heel that WWE has created in a very long time. The dynamics of the feud are perfect, and it could lead to must-see TV.
Owens has settled for various mid-card and upper mid-card angles in recent months, and it's high time that he gets promoted to a higher level once again.
#1 What's happening with Lars Sullivan on SmackDown?
Lars Sullivan has undoubtedly impressed the powers that be in WWE. 'The Freak' was involved in another backstage interview segment this week on SmackDown, and it's safe to say that the angle failed to get over with the fans.
Sullivan's latest interview was painstakingly bizarre, to say the least. He spoke about bullying affecting his life and how he was a victim who now has the opportunity to bully whoever he wants on SmackDown. Lars Sullivan's delivery was odd, and the entire segment felt like another missed opportunity to get the fans to buy into his monster push.
Sullivan gave off a Hannibal Lecter vibe last week, and there were still a few promising takeaways. This week's segment failed to hit the mark on various levels.
Lars Sullivan has the trust of you know who and nothing might stop the company from pushing him to the moon.
While WWE's idea of creating a compelling character for a generic monster heel is commendable, Lars Sullivan's storyline background is hurting his cause even more.
Sullivan has endured many setbacks in the WWE, and most of them came as a result of his murky past and questionable online activity. WWE has still chosen to back Sullivan on SmackDown, and by the way things are going, the company will not pull the plug on his push anytime soon.
Time, however, is running out, and a host of major creative tweaks are the need of the hour for The Freak on SmackDown.
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