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This week's WWE SmackDown was the go-home show before Survivor Series, . The build to the traditional brand warfare pay-per-view hasn't been associated with the outright invasions and gang brawls that we've come to see in the recent past, we saw some subtle, and arguably more artful, stories develop on the Blue brand this week, as several RAW Superstars made the jump to SmackDown to give viewers a final reason for tuning in.
SmackDown was also looking past Survivor Series and toward the end of the year. No doubt, preparations for WrestleMania are already underway. Survivor Series is usually the time when we get to see the first hints of what's about to unfold in the winter as we head to the biggest show of the year.
So who got the most and least out of this week's SmackDown? Let's take a look.
SmackDown Winners: Street Profits
SmackDown got started with the New Day, who visited as RAW tag team champions to promote their match with their counterparts, The Street Profits, on Sunday.
The promo quickly turned into an eight-man tag match featuring themselves, their companions, Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler, and Sami Zayn and Baron Corbin.
There was some tension between the New Day and Street Profits, but the team of champions ultimately prevailed, with the SmackDown champions getting the win after Montez Ford's ridiculously high frog splash.
There was talk about a torch passing moment in the opening promo and it would seem that the Street Profits are favorites to win tomorrow night. It would be a major milestone for them as they have done a lot in the last few months to bring some prestige back to the perennially challenged tag team division on both main roster shows.
SmackDown Winner: Natalya
This likely doesn't lead anywhere long-lasting, but Natalya punched her ticket to be part of SmackDown's women's Survivor Series team last night, defeating Tamina to do so, while Bayley was named as team captain. The match wasn't in any way spectacular and largely existed to fill TV time on SmackDown, but in that regard, it did its job.
The more notable part of this segment had to do with the bickering between Bianca Belair and Bayley at the commentary booth, giving us a hint about rivalries to come on the Blue brand.
Loser: Drew McIntyre
This isn't a knock on Drew McIntyre, who showed up for a contract signing last night on SmackDown, in the slightest.
It's more because Roman Reigns did such a great job as he showed Drew McIntyre up and proved he was a "secondary champion" just by his words alone, never mind what happens on Sunday.
It's hard to overstate how good Roman Reigns is right now. Drew McIntyre was, again, in his words, just there at the wrong time and looked inadequate by comparison.
SmackDown Winner: Carmella
Asuka showed up on SmackDown for a promo ahead of her clash with Sasha Banks at Survivor Series, but the real highlight of the segment was Carmella ambushing the Blue brand's champion for the third week in a row and laying her out.
The focus is clearly on what's going to happen on SmackDown after Survivor Series.
Carmella probably won't be able to unseat Sasha Banks, but she'll have some spotlight on her as she will attempt to prove she's better than her ill-received title reign of two years ago.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
The main event of SmackDown featured a returning Daniel Bryan looking for revenge against Jey Uso, who attacked him viciously once again, as if he were a man possessed.
Nevertheless, Daniel Bryan withstood the onslaught and managed to pull a win out of the contest with his superior technical skills.
Now Jey Uso will undoubtedly have to face the wrath of Roman Reigns.
Meanwhile, Daniel Bryan is emerging as a potential challenger to the Universal Champion at WrestleMania, in a match that could have years of intrigue behind it. Daniel Bryan vs. the current Roman Reigns is a very different prospect from when they first battled in 2015.
We will see what SmackDown gives us in the weeks and months to come.
