Unlike the Raw brand, Smackdown Live have a PPV just around the corner, with TLC airing on December 4th. Despite the need to address the aftermath of Survivor Series, the build towards their next PPV was the main focus of the blue brand this week.
Tensions continued to mount between AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose (with James Ellsworth) heading into Styles and Ambrose’s TLC match. The Miz defended his Intercontinental Championship against Kalisto but soon found out that he would be facing Dolph Ziggler in a ladder match at TLC.
American Alpha emerged victorious from a tag team turmoil meant to determine the number one contenders for the Smackdown tag championships, but Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt challenged the duo for next week’s show as their final opponents.
Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss’ bad blood continued to boil, with their rematch announced for TLC as well.
So, did Smackdown Live successfully begin the build towards TLC, or was Raw the better show this week? Let’s find out, as I Analyse and Grade each segment from the 23rd November edition of Smackdown Live.
#1 Shane McMahon opens the show:
Grade: 6/10
This was a fine segment to open the show, although nothing particularly noteworthy happened here besides the announcement of the Styles-Ellsworth main event. Shane O-Mac is still incredibly over with every Smackdown crowd, and it was no different here.
Ellsworth’s involvement was decent, but he is starting to sour the main event scene on Smackdown. Some of you may enjoy his comedic segments, but instead of the intense, personal feud between Ambrose and Styles that we could’ve got, we have received a comedic feud based around Ellsworth instead.
Also read: Best and Worst of WWE SmackDown Live : 22nd November, 2016
When the main event between Styles-Ellsworth was announced, fans knew they weren’t going to receive a quality match. Although he is valuable now for his comedy, Ellsworth will eventually tarnish Smackdown Live as a whole, and he has already affected the Styles-Ambrose build.
Styles was his usual brash, arrogant character which he plays so well, but instead of Styles clashing with a determined, intense Ambrose, he is locked in a feud with a comedic Ambrose and a largely irrelevant Ellsworth.
#2 The Miz vs Kalisto (Intercontinental Championship):
Grade: 8/10
This was a relatively short affair, but Kalisto and Miz worked well with the time they were given. Kalisto looked great as he dominated the IC champ for a large portion of the matchup, and Miz continued his brilliant heel work by mocking Daniel Bryan.
The interference from Baron Corbin was great, as it allowed Miz to pick up the win and for Corbin to appear as the relentless monster like he should be booked. Kalisto’s underdog character coincides well with Corbin’s new persona, and seeing the Luchador screwed out of another championship painted him as the clear babyface.
Dolph Ziggler confronting Miz after losing the title last week due to Maryse was awesome, and the superkick popped the crowd to end the segment.
A ladder match between Ziggler and Miz was announced later in the night for TLC, and that is sure to be a match of the year contender given how incredible their feud has been so far.
#3 Tag Team Turmoil (Winner becomes Number one contender for Smackdown Tag Titles):
Grade: 8/10
This was a fun, fast-paced series of matches, although some teams (Vaudevillians, Breezango) came away with no credibility after being beaten very quickly. Still, the action was great, and American Alpha and the Usos had a splendid match to finish the segment.
American Alpha emerging victorious was a smart choice, as they haven’t been given much opportunity thus far on Smackdown Live.
Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton entering the tag division is an intriguing prospect and gives them something to work with for a while. Expect the match next week between American Alpha and the new Wyatts to steal the show, no matter who ends up winning.
#4 Becky Lynch vs Natalya:
Grade: 8/10
This was a short, but effective matchup that saw Lynch pick up a significant win heading into her title match with Alexa Bliss at TLC, which was announced during the show in a backstage segment.
Bliss’ heel work on commentary was a nice touch as well, and she continues to play the role of the conniving, dastardly heel extremely well.
Her attack on Lynch after the match was predictable, but also gave Bliss some momentum with TLC just around the corner. Natalya’s character right now is entertaining, and she continues to do well as the veteran who puts the younger competitors over.
Overall, an entertaining match that gave both Lynch and Bliss some momentum and heat respectively heading into TLC.
#5 Baron Corbin vs Kane:
Grade: 6/10
This was way too short to be anything noteworthy, although Kalisto gained some revenge on Corbin for his attack on the Luchador earlier in the night. Kalisto’s use of a chair felt a tad too heelish, however, and there could have been alternatives to set up the later announced chairs match for TLC between the two.
Corbin didn’t benefit from this segment at all, as all the heat he had earned from the earlier attack was taken away. Still, at least the Corbin-Kalisto feud got some significant build and exposure, and their Chairs matchup at TLC is bound to be enjoyable.
Overall, a forgettable match, but Kalisto at least gained some revenge on Corbin to further their feud heading into TLC.
#6 James Ellsworth vs AJ Styles (Ladder Match):
Grade: 3/10
I hate to say it, but James Ellsworth has outstayed his welcome in the main event scene.
As enjoyable as it has been for fans to see Ellsworth gain fluky wins over AJ Styles, it is starting to hurt the main event product on Smackdown Live, especially the current Ambrose-Styles rivalry.
Ambrose should be determined and focused to get his WWE World Championship back, but instead his comedic character has been brought back, which was the reason fans had begun to turn on him toward the end of his reign.
AJ Styles has been made to look like a fool for not winning the matches against Ellsworth straight away, and this time he was single-handedly defeated by the chinless jobber. Unless he gains some sort of revenge through a dastardly act of villainy, Styles will continue to lose momentum at the hands of Ellsworth.
Still, if booked well (outside of the main event scene), Ellsworth could be a fun character for Smackdown Live. As long as he is alongside Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles, however, he is tarnishing the build towards their match at TLC, as well as Smackdown Live in general.
Of course, this match was also weak due to Ellsworth’s complete lack of offence, and Ambrose dressed as a hockey player only reminded fans of the awful goofy side of his character that should have been eradicated months ago.
Overall, unless this Ellsworth shtick is building towards a Styles brutalisation or an Ambrose heel turn, it is pointless and a waste of Smackdown Live’s World title scene, which has seen a blemish with this Ellsworth angle.
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