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Two days after Clash of Champions, SmackDown advanced the tension between Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan. Neither man turned on the other yet, but something is brewing.
Aside from the show opener, this week's edition of the blue brand was mostly filler. An average show, few superstars gained or lost momentum.
Gained momentum: Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin
After coming up short at Clash of Champions, Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin look to be ending the year on a high note by scoring a victory over The Usos.
Though the titles weren't on the line in the match, this positions them as the frontrunners to challenge for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships at the Royal Rumble. Though I doubt they'll win, it will give them a big spotlight.
Lost momentum: The Riott Squad
The Riott Squad is finished.
After failing to have any kind of impressive showing at Clash of Champions, the Squad took a pin from the lowly Naomi. Had this occurred at the start of the year, it wouldn't be too damaging. At the end of the year, it looks terrible, since Naomi hasn't done anything of note since SummerSlam.
It's become clear that the callups were primarily to pad the numbers for the upcoming Women's Royal Rumble. While Absolution isn't quite dead yet (they're now hanging on by a thread on RAW), the Riott Squad is done. They'll linger on past their expiration date but their career as a cohesive, threatening force is over.
Gained momentum: Naomi
The Riott Squad's loss is Naomi's gain.
After being the first to formally announce her participation in the women's Royal Rumble match, she teamed with Charlotte and scored the pin over Sarah Logan. It was the best she's looked in a long time.
She has no chance of winning on January 28th, but perhaps she'll go further than initially thought. Or this could just be a typical random WWE match that has no bearing on anything.
But for now, Naomi came away from last night with some wind in her sails.
Lost momentum: Rusev, Aiden English and The New Day
Let me begin by saying Rusev, Aiden English, and The New Day's segments were by far the most entertaining part of last night's show. Booking wise, they didn't really mean anything, though.
After failing to dethrone The Usos on Sunday, the two teams engaged in an enjoyable, but random match. It doesn't look like they'll have anything on their agenda heading into the Royal Rumble.
