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From Seth Rollins and Rey Mysterio's No Holds Barred clash to Drew McIntyre invading the Blue brand, this week's edition of WWE SmackDown featured many contrasting moments.
The second-last episode of SmackDown before Survivor Series delivered in terms of expectations. For what it's worth, WWE finally addressed the top title scenario to some extent when it comes to the brand vs. brand clash at Survivor Series.
Which show was better this week, RAW or SmackDown? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Here are the five biggest news stories from this week's episode of WWE SmackDown (November 13, 2020).
#5: Otis picked up a clean victory against Dolph Ziggler on WWE SmackDown as Chad Gable tried to recruit him backstage
Some have spun the narrative that WWE officials may have lost their faith in Otis after booking him to lose the Money in the Bank contract to The Miz. But the exact opposite became evident during this week's WWE SmackDown, as Otis stepped into the ring against his longtime rival, Dolph Ziggler, and defeated him despite Robert Roode's attempts to interfere during this match.
Otis failed to earn a spot in the men's Survivor Series team for SmackDown last week, but that only turned out to be the case because of Murphy's interference that went in Seth Rollins' favor.
It looks like Otis will be standing up against mid-card/lower mid-card heels on WWE SmackDown from this point onwards.
Later backstage, Chad Gable approached Otis and encouraged him to keep up this level of intensity. Gable handed out a flyer and said that Otis could unlock his "inner alpha" under a former Olympian's guidance.
Although Otis's naivety prevented him from figuring out what was really going on, he may find out about Gable's potentially nefarious intentions in the near future.
Otis is one of the most entertaining stars in and out of the ring, and the weight of the Money in the Bank briefcase was the only thing holding him down in recent memory.
#4: Sami Zayn defended his WWE Intercontinental Championship against Apollo Crews before Survivor Series
Sami Zayn and Bobby Lashley's "Champion vs. Champion" clash is one of the only few stories that was addressed frequently on the road to Survivor Series, other than WWE RAW's buildup for the traditional tag team matches at the aforementioned event.
Before the pay-per-view, Sami Zayn was ordered to defend his Intercontinental title against the former United States Champion, Apollo Crews, on this week's WWE SmackDown. Lashley had defeated Crews to become the current U.S. Champion in the recent past.
As expected, Zayn ended up winning this match, but not via pinfall or submission. Zayn tied up Crews' foot using the ropes underneath the ring, which allowed the Intercontinental Champion to successfully retain via count-out this week.
On the other hand, Sasha Banks was ambushed by Carmella for the second consecutive episode on WWE SmackDown. The Legit Boss was involved in a short segment before that where she talked about proving the critics wrong by defeating Bayley. Her Survivor Series match against Asuka remained mostly unaddressed, unlike Zayn and Lashley's upcoming clash.
One may have hoped to see Banks being integrated in a more extensive way on last night's show, given that her appearance on Season Two of The Mandalorian has grabbed some mainstream attention recently.
#3: Liv Morgan became the third woman to join Team SmackDown; Chelsea Green made her WWE SmackDown debut but got injured
Although it's good to hear that a talented superstar like Chelsea Green will be joining WWE SmackDown's slightly-deficient roster of female challengers, she suffered a broken wrist injury during last night's Fatal-Four-Way contest. Green will be undergoing surgery for the aforementioned injury as well.
Tamina, Natalya, and Liv Morgan were also involved in this Fatal-Four-Way match to determine a new member for the SmackDown women's Survivor Series team.
Morgan qualified for the Survivor Series team by pinning Tamina, and Natalya lost her third opportunity to qualify for Team SmackDown.
Liv Morgan will be joining Ruby Riott and Bianca Belair to represent the Blue brand at WWE Survivor Series. The SmackDown women's team consists of babyfaces so far, and their unity might be an advantage they could hold against a broken, but dominant Team RAW.
Chelsea Green could have earned one of the two remaining spots on Team SmackDown, but let's hope that she makes a big splash in WWE when she comes back.
#2: Rey Mysterio defeated Seth Rollins to end their long-term WWE rivalry, but Rollins and Murphy's feud isn't over yet
Whether fans liked this long-term family saga or not, the Mysterio family's storyline with Seth Rollins definitely drew a lot of attention over these past few months, and it finally concluded with a No Holds Barred match between Rey Mysterio and Rollins during this week's WWE SmackDown.
The match itself was entertaining, although it featured a noticeable botch when Rey Mysterio attempted the 619 finish. Regardless of that, the finish was immediately rectified with a follow-up 619 and a Frog Splash tribute to Eddie Guerrero on the 15th anniversary of Guerrero's death.
Murphy turned on his messiah, Seth Rollins, during this match. The betrayal played a huge role in ensuring the Mysterio family's victory over Rollins last night.
Things ended on a good note for everyone except Rollins, as Rey and Dominik Mysterio resolved their issues against Murphy after the match. Aalyah Mysterio and Murphy's romance finally got Rey Mysterio's seal of approval this week.
Although Seth Rollins is done with the Mysterios, he will face Murphy to gain some revenge on next week's WWE SmackDown. With Becky Lynch's due date inching closer in December, it is quite likely that Rollins will put over Murphy before taking a temporary leave from WWE.
#1: Roman Reigns took some shots at WWE RAW in an epic confrontation against Drew McIntyre to kick-off this week's SmackDown
Drew McIntyre will face Randy Orton on next week's RAW to determine who will walk out as the WWE Champion. The winner will also get an opportunity to face Roman Reigns at WWE Survivor Series.
Before next Monday, McIntyre arrived on the Blue brand to let Reigns know that he is the more dominant star out of the two at the moment. McIntyre has held the fort during the pandemic, while Reigns had taken leave until SummerSlam.
Roman Reigns called RAW a show that nobody watches since every WWE fan is busy watching The Tribal Chief on Friday Night SmackDown, which is true to some extent.
Jey Uso did step-up to the former WWE Champion against Reigns' wishes. Uso paid the price when McIntyre defeated him in the main event, despite the Universal Champion's distraction.
Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns is a match that everyone wants to see now that Reigns is the heel, and McIntyre is the babyface. But this epic clash depends on the result of McIntyre vs. Orton on next week's RAW. Alexa Bliss recently responded to Roman Reigns' comments against WWE RAW, and it is quite possible that The Fiend may influence the outcome of McIntyre and Orton's upcoming bout.
Do catch Sportskeeda Wrestling experts Rick Ucchino and Denise Salcedo as they share their thoughts on all that went down during last night's WWE SmackDown in the video linked above.
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