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As is the case with every episode of SmackDown Live that comes to us from the United Kingdom, spoilers were everywhere on the internet as they are all pre-taped episodes. Watching the show without encountering one of them is like tiptoeing through a minefield, slowly and carefully.
Therefore, we understand that as a viewer, you may have had two very different experiences if you caught this episode. You may have already been informed of the results, or you may have managed to escape the minefield unscathed and enjoyed the show for what it was.
Whatever the case may have been, here is our analysis of the show. Let us know in the comments below if you agree or disagree.
Right off the bat, let's begin with the big title change, at the end of the show.
#1 Best: The rightful new WWE champion
We had complained in our posts, over the past few weeks, that the build for Jinder Mahal vs. Brock Lesnar had been extremely underwhelming indeed. We understood why this week.
Jinder Mahal will not face Brock Lesnar in the clash of the champions at Survivor Series 2017. Instead, it will be SmackDown Live's biggest babyface, the 'Phenomenal' AJ Styles, who will go into the lair of the beast and try his luck against the former UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Jinder Mahal wrestled in perhaps the best match of his career, this week. This is not surprising considering that AJ Styles is a performer who makes his opponent look like pure gold, every time. There was no better man for the job as WWE Champion.
After all, Styles is the only performer in all of WWE who gets an organic and deafening chant in the year 2017. SmackDown Live's glory days last year had him carrying the coveted prize. Let's hope that he holds onto it for a while now.
#1 Worst: The Beast's next victim?
While many wrestling fans are celebrating and salivating at the thought of Brock Lesnar facing AJ Styles in a non-title encounter, at Survivor Series, bear in mind that Lesnar has had extremely non-competitive matches in the recent past.
Styles may be one of the best performers to have ever stepped into a WWE ring, but that does not mean that he won't go to Suplex City. If anything, the move may have just been made to protect the recently deposed WWE Champion from being completely manhandled ahead of the India Tour this December.
We have a feeling that AJ Styles' reign will be quite short. And that his match at Survivor Series will see him go in as a massive underdog, only to step into a flurry of innumerable suplexes.
#2 Best: Hot crowd
The United Kingdom crowd was surprisingly sombre and not very enthusiastic at this week's edition of RAW. It was a whole different story on SmackDown Live right from when the proceedings began. Shane McMahon was extremely over in the United Kingdom. As were The New Day!
The crowd was pretty much on fire for the entirety of the night. It made the show feel a lot more special than it was. When an audience is enthusiastic about the proceedings, it adds a new dimension to the show at hand.
#2 Worst: Strange stipulation
Randy Orton has already qualified for the Survivor Series team. Why would Rusev be wrestling him again, to determine if he could make it to the elimination match? Wouldn't it have made more sense to have put him in a qualification match?
There are a lot of superstars on SmackDown Live who do not get any TV time at all. Tye Dillinger, Mike Kanellis or even Zack Ryder could have competed against Rusev for the spot. This particular stipulation made no sense at all, except to stretch this angle over to the next week.
#3 Best: Carmella's betrayal
The Carmella-Ellsworth saga seems like it has officially come to an end. Ellsworth made some rather sexist comments before his match with Becky Lynch. Some were even directed towards his own companion, Carmella. At the end of the match, it seemed like Carmella had had enough!
When Ellsworth turned into a dog, we knew that the story had run its course and that it was time for a complete reboot. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda Wrestling over the next few weeks, to find out what's next for these two unique characters.
#3 Worst: Jey Uso's injury
Everyone was excited to see The Usos take on The Bar and steal the show at Survivor Series. We do not know if it's a work or if it's happened for real, but it seems like Jey Uso suffered an injury during the course of SmackDown Live this week.
Stay tuned to the site for an official update, but there's no reason for the match to have ended like it did if the injury wasn't real. The Usos were in the midst of the best run of their career, and this injury is unfortunate.
#4 Best/worst: The inter gender match
Becky Lynch vs. James Ellsworth was the first inter-gender match in WWE, in quite a while. In this age of political correctness, where even scripted fights between men and women are frowned upon, it was what it was, really. Both Ellsworth and Lynch did not operate at full capacity.
If anything, what stole the show was Corey Grave's commentary during this very match. We saw glimpses of the Corey Graves of old, from his NXT days. He had us guffawing as he referred to Ellsworth as the 'palest man in England'.
That concludes our review of this week's proceedings. Agree, disagree or have a contrary opinion of your own? Let us know in the comments below, folks.
Until the next time, have a 'Phenomenal' week, ladies and gentlemen.
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