Although the show lacked in-ring action throughout its duration, except the main event, storyline progression continues to be much better on Smackdown Live than Raw. Randy Orton followed up on his shocking RKO to Kane last week, with further antics alongside the Wyatts.
The Miz and Daniel Bryan’s bad blood rose to the spotlight once again, in an entertaining Miz TV segment. James Ellsworth attempted to fix his issues with Dean Ambrose in the opening segment and the main event, as Ambrose fought AJ Styles once again for an opportunity at the WWE World Championship.
These segments and more were the focus of the show, with Survivor Series approaching fast. So, did Smackdown Live outdo Raw once again? Not with in-ring action, no, but the storytelling continues to be top notch. Which segments shone and which flopped?
Let’s find out, as I analyse and grade each segment from the November 1st edition of Smackdown Live.
#1 Miz TV with Guest Daniel Bryan:
Grade: 8.5/10
This was a stellar segment between Bryan and Miz, with the tension between them being evident, every time they appear together on-screen. Miz continues to shine on the mic, with his heel work still wonderful despite losing the IC title.
Bryan is still so over with the fans, that it highlighted Miz’s heel character even more, and fans were engaged in this segment throughout. Bryan showed both his emotional and witty side, as he lectured Miz’s cowardly style, while also mocking him for not being on the male Survivor Series team. The feud between the two has been building up since the day Miz cut a borderline shoot promo on Talking Smack.
On this week’s episode, Miz said that Bryan can’t do anything right and the best he can do is to clean John Cena’s toilet in Total Bellas. Bryan lost his cool but didn't get physical. All of the build up must lead up to something and we can only hope it is a match. Not being able to wrestle is one of the reasons why Bryan is said to be going through a phase of depression.
Although Bryan can’t compete, the tension continues to grow between him and the Miz, and it should culminate in a significant angle sooner rather than later, maybe one final match for Daniel Bryan if WWE gives him the green signal. Overall, a splendid promo segment between Miz and Bryan, who both brought their A game for Miz TV.
#2 Randy Orton vs Kane (No DQ match):
Grade: 8/10
The match itself was extremely short and underwhelming, but the post-match assault on Kane is the talking point here. Wyatt, Harper and Orton seemed on the same page, as they picked apart the Big Red Machine, with The Viper ignoring the crowd as he allied with the duo.
Whether this is all a plan to gain Wyatt’s trust or not, is yet to be seen; but for now, it is extremely intriguing. If booked right, this could be a wonderful storyline for all three men, with Orton currently as interesting as ever with this fresh character change. Overall, a nice progression in this intriguing story, as Orton seems to have joined the Wyatts for good.
#3 Alexa Bliss and Carmella vs. Nikki Bella and Becky Lynch:
Grade: 7/10
Another very short match did little to excite fans, but it was a smart decision to give Bliss the pinfall over Lynch, one week before their anticipated title match in Glasgow, Scotland. The post-match promo from both Carmella and Bliss highlighted their heel traits, as both women appeared arrogant, (challenging Raw’s women), mean and determined.
One misstep, however, was the overwhelming focus on the women’s Survivor Series bout rather than Bliss’ title shot next week on Smackdown Live. Bliss should have been playing up her superiority over Lynch, much more than she did, but unfortunately, the Survivor Series match was the main talking point.
Overall, another short bout, but a strong post-match promo from the heels that focused on Bliss’ title opportunity and the women’s Survivor Series bout.
#4 Spirit Squad vs. American Alpha (Survivor Series Qualifier):
Grade: 6/10
The high stakes of this bout should have made it more intense, but unfortunately did not. A brief bout once again, so both teams had little time to gain the crowd’s interest with the amount of time given. The extremely quiet reaction to American Alpha is concerning, as they have lost a tonne of momentum, since being introduced on the main roster.
With the Survivor Series tag team bout approaching, their feud with the Usos has been ultimately forgotten, which is a shame. It had the potential to include some stellar matches. But, giving American Alpha the win in this matchup was the right choice, and it will be awesome to see Alpha mixing it up with Raw’s teams at Survivor Series.
Overall, a forgettable bout and a quiet crowd, but a deserving winner in American Alpha.
#5 James Ellsworth apologises to Dean Ambrose:
Grade: 8/10
For now, these fun segments involving Ellsworth are highly entertaining.
Once it’s time to increase the intensity between Styles and Ambrose, however, he should be a non-factor in the rivalry. Ellsworth plays the role of the goofy, clumsy underdog very well, appearing sincere in his efforts to apologise to Ambrose. The tiny hints at an Ambrose heel turn were great as well, as we saw a potential future trigger emerge in Ellsworth.
Styles was bound to come out sooner rather than later, and Ellsworth accidentally causing Styles to gain the upper hand was great, as it led to the perfect scenario later for Ellsworth to avenge himself for Ambrose.
Overall, a fun segment to open the show that set up the main event for later.
#6 Dolph Ziggler’s Open Challenge and Announcement:
Grade: 7/10
So, after weeks of WWE holding off Curt Hawkins debut, he comes out and loses in under 10 seconds?
A dumb way to halt Hawkins, before he could get started, this is exactly the type of booking that should never happen on WWE TV. If Hawkins was given a chance to showcase himself, this segment would have graded higher.
Besides the odd choice of opponent and pointless match, Ziggler’s announcement after, that he is challenging a Raw superstar to face him for the Intercontinental Championship was brilliant.
The intrigue on who will step up to the challenge, will have fans ecstatic, and it could be a splendid way to give someone, who would otherwise be left off the card, a PPV match (Neville, Sami Zayn?). Although seeing his feud with the Miz continue would have been great, this is an interesting subplot for the Intercontinental Championship picture.
Overall, a poor use of Hawkins, but a wonderful challenge from Ziggler, as we look set to have a cross-brand Intercontinental title match for Survivor Series.
#7 The Usos vs. The Headbangers (Survivor Series Qualifier):
Grade: 6/10
This was another ridiculously short match on a night full of them, and this was nothing, but a glorified squash. The returning Headbangers got almost no offence in, as the Usos beat them extremely quickly, with the high stakes for this bout, coming across as non-existent.
The Usos were the right team to go over here, but the lacklustre in-ring action left fans dissatisfied. Hopefully, once all the Survivor Series set-up has been finalised for the tag division, it can go back to having decent matchups.
#8 Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles (If Ambrose Wins, He is No.1 Contender)
Grade: 9/10
Although some fans may disagree, I personally love watching Ambrose and Styles face off, even though we have seen it various times. This was by no means their best match, but it had the crowd hot throughout, and their strong chemistry is evident every time they face each other.
Despite being banned from ringside, James Ellsworth came out on two separate occasions, which only increased the crowd’s enjoyment of the bout. Almost costing Ambrose the match and then helping him win, Ellsworth’s antics were a wonderful aspect of this main event.
Ambrose vs Styles for the WWE World Championship may not feel fresh to fans, but the talent of both men and their chemistry will help this rematch be incredible. The fact that it has been announced for TLC on December 4th as a TLC bout is even better, and expect both men to steal the show.
Overall, this was a highly enjoyable main event that meshed all aspects of the story into a fast-paced bout, as Ambrose and Styles look set to clash once again for the WWE World Championship.
Overall Grade for Smackdown Live: 8/10
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