5 Things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown before Survivor Series: Possible spoiler on top Survivor Series match, Former World Champion's WrestleMania 38 storyline officially begins?

Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on the SmackDown before Survivor Series 2021. We're now less than two days before the fourth (or now fifth) biggest pay-per-view of the year, and the build-up is officially complete.

A special shoutout to the incredibly unique promo package made for Xia Li, whose highly-anticipated debut seems to be getting closer.

Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura picked up a win over Angel of Los Lotharios ahead of his Survivor Series clash against United States Champion Damian Priest. The company also announced a 25-man Dual Brand Battle Royal for Survivor Series to commemorate the 25th anniversary of The Rock's WWE debut at Madison Square Garden.

Here's what WWE subtly told us on a solid go-home episode of SmackDown before Survivor Series 2021:

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#5. Dissent on Team SmackDown to play a big role at Survivor Series?

Shotzi vs. Sasha Banks has been a relatively minor feud on the Friday night show. While Banks was initially targeting the brand's Women's Champion Charlotte Flair, her priorities shifted when she was announced for Team SmackDown and was made the captain as well.

Shotzi has been in her way and following a loss, she attacked The Boss viciously and turned heel in the process. Since then, the two women have been clashing horns on SmackDown, with a match having been booked between them for two days before Survivor Series.

Sonya Deville, the authoritarian, tried to play peacemaker and told both women that she expected them both to shake hands after the bout. The match was a brutal one for Sasha Banks.

Shotzi put her hand inside the steel steps and started assaulting her, injuring her arm in the process. It led to a dragged-out effort from Banks, who brilliantly utilized her legs to lock in the Bank Statement and the win.

Post-match, Sasha Banks shook Shotzi's hands as she said she would, but transitioned it immediately into a Backstabber, with Sonya Deville having no choice but to accept what happened.

This story between the two superstars is going to tie directly into the five-on-five elimination clash at Survivor Series. Shotzi, in all likeliness, is going to attack Banks, who already has an injured arm in the storyline because of the match. The chances of Team SmackDown beating Team RAW seem slim to none at this point.

#4. Sheamus' long-term storyline on SmackDown

For weeks now, SmackDown's newcomer Ridge Holland has been talking about how he idolizes Sheamus, and how The Celtic Warrior inspired him to get off the streets of England and into WWE.

Sheamus hadn't wrestled since September, and he made his in-ring return tonight as a part of the Fatal-Four-Way match to determine the vacant Survivor Series team spot that Sami Zayn lost.

His opponents were Cesaro, Ricochet, and Jinder Mahal. While The Swiss Cyborg looked like he was on the verge of victory, Holland came out and helped cause the distraction, allowing Sheamus to hit the Brogue Kick on his old tag team partner Cesaro.

As a result, The Celtic Warrior is now the fifth member on the men's SmackDown team. Later backstage, Kayla Braxton caught up with the two who confirmed their alliance before heading off to a pub.

There were rumors that WWE sees Ridge Holland as World Championship material, and this could be the start of a long-term storyline. By long-term, we only mean a few months as it's likely that their alliance could last until March, after which Holland could get the big win over Sheamus at WrestleMania 38.

#3. Sonya Deville and the crooked referee on SmackDown

On the latest episode of SmackDown, we witnessed yet another crooked refereeing moment. This isn't a new concept to WWE.

It happened all the way back in the 80s when Hulk Hogan controversially lost the WWE Championship to Andre the Giant, it happened in the Montreal Screwjob in 1997, and during Daniel Bryan's storyline with The Authority in 2014, the presence of a crooked referee was key in the storyline.

These are only a few of many examples, and on SmackDown, we may have seen history be made with the first-ever crooked female referee. Aja Smith was the referee for the match featuring Naomi and Aliyah against Natalya and Shayna Baszler.

Natalya had a crucifix pin position on Naomi, but the latter kicked out after just one count. This didn't matter as Smith rang the bell anyway. Later backstage on SmackDown, Sami Zayn was talking to Sonya Deville, and Aja Smith approached her to check if she did alright, hinting at a bribe.

What better place to ask for a bribe than on live television? Either way, WWE is doing a good job of getting heat on Deville, whose payoff and beatdown at the hands of Naomi is getting closer and closer.

#2. Charlotte Flair's immediate feud on SmackDown post-Survivor Series

When Toni Storm confronted SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair last week, she made a huge statement. Without any match whatsoever, Sonya Deville simply declared the 26-year-old star as the final member of Team Smackdown, replacing Aliyah in the process.

Storm had a swagger about her last night that we hadn't seen on the main roster before. She showed her confidence with regards to Survivor Series, but more importantly, her future match against The Queen.

While last week was meant to simply tease the SmackDown Women's title feud, this week fully confirmed it. Toni Storm will be waiting on the other side of Survivor Series to get a shot at Charlotte Flair's title.

For the latter, the focus will be this Sunday as she takes on her long-time friend-turned-rival Becky Lynch. The feud has been the most heated one in the entire build-up to the pay-per-view, and WWE had a special preview of it on the Blue brand.

The only sad news for fans of Toni Storm is that the chances of her becoming SmackDown Women's Champion are virtually nonexistent. With that said, it's still a great spot to be this early into her main roster career.

#1. Roman Reigns, King Woods, and the build-up to Survivor Series on SmackDown

Perhaps the defining marquee match of Survivor Series will be SmackDown's Roman Reigns vs. RAW's Big E. In what is expected to be the main event of the pay-per-view, we're set for another epic world champion vs world champion clash.

However, this week was focused on King Woods and the heat that The Bloodline received. While Reigns was getting cheered, that quickly turned to boos as he told Paul Heyman and his cousins that he didn't care about the material equipment of the King of the Ring tournament.

King Woods came out to reiterate the material aspect of it, which made Roman Reigns destroy each and every part of the King of the Ring attire. This infuriated Woods, who was then assaulted by The Bloodline.

He challenged The Tribal Chief to come out and meet him one-on-one, and that turned out to be a trap as The Usos were flung mysteriously from the back. WWE Champion Big E came out and had a clash with Roman Reigns, standing tall in the end.

Unfortunately, this was the company subtly hinting that the New Day member can look good on SmackDown, but he isn't winning at Survivor Series 2021. The highlight of this is the continued elevation of King Woods.