With the blue brand “invading” RAW last night, we can expect similar fireworks on SmackDown this evening. What WWE probably is hoping for, however, is that no Superstar leaves the show with a busted face (see Lynch, Becky from last night). So, with what appeared to be a gruesome facial injury suffered by the SmackDown women’s champion, along with several prominent openings on the various blue brand teams, something has to give. Specifically, it’s time for Paige and company to start shaking up Survivor Series, for better or worse. Want to see how? Let’s crack open this Nutshell and find out!
Best Match of the night:
Hands down, this was the main event. Hard hitting, looked like Bryan was cut or busted open in a few spots (nothing like Becky, but blood is blood). And of course, it lead to a title change, so it kind of has to land here.
However, the women’s segment was nice too.
Worst match of the night:
Honestly, not enough to complain about.
Crowd Chants of the Night:
Becky
Let them fight
Daniel Bryan
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Star of the Night
I have to give it to the new World Champion, Daniel Bryan.
Now, to be a wise guy, considering how Bryan usually goes down with a major injury shortly after a major win….how long before he relinquishes the belt?
Spot of the Night:
No major spot, though I suppose the image of Daniel Bryan giving AJ a low blow to help him win will be something we see a lot of. Only issue with it? How many did we see Shinsuke give AJ, and Nakamura always came up empty.
Jobber of the Night:
Can’t say that there was one
Upset of the Night:
If Jinder had not brought it up last night….if it had not happened before last year’s Survivor Series too…Daniel Bryan becoming the new champ might have qualified..
Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:
Well, instead of a massive RAW invasion, we had…Paul Heyman?! But Heyman stirred the pot with AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan, and that led to the two brawling. And THAT? That led to a world title defense as our main event…which then gave us a brand new SmackDown Champion heading into Survivor Series for the second year in a row. Daniel Bryan defeats AJ, and in doing so surely appeared to cross that line he needed to cross in order to become a heel. First the low blow, then the post-match beating.
This move helps explain or justify Daniel Bryan’s removal from Team SmackDown earlier in the night, that’s for sure.
Noteworthy Moment:
Well, for anyone that saw last night’s final segment clash, the amount of blood coming from Becky’s face definitely pointed to a bad injury. She looked worse for wear tonight, and it was announced that the SmackDown Women’s Champion had sustained a severe concussion and a broken face, and would not be medically cleared for Sunday. So, Paige allowed her to choose her replacement.
Lynch selected sometime friend, sometimes enemy Charlotte Flair, and the two sealed the deal with a hug. The bigger question now is: will WWE use this to sow the seeds of a future Horsewomen battle? I’d say probably.
As the title indicates, there was some shaking up of the SmackDown side of the lineup. Obviously, Flair is in for Lynch. Jeff Hardy replaces the ousted Daniel Bryan, a move that also made The Miz be the team’s sole captain. But, we cover Daniel in another section, for good reason.
Overall lowlights:
I am a Daniel Bryan fan, so I was bummed seeing him turn. That being said, it seemed bound to happen, considering his wife already had. Makes sense. I see the point of doing it…doesn’t mean I have to be on board right away.
Overall highlights:
The women’s segment was nice. Sucks to lose the Becky component of Survivor Series, but Charlotte is clearly a great alternate. Having Becky hug Charlotte, considering what has been discussed about the Horsewomen? That sure makes a truce seem more likely, and I would bet dollars to donuts that we see the first bricks laid for a MMA versus WWE Horsewomen match soon. Perhaps as soon as the Royal Rumble, though building things from now till next April makes a ton of sense. Plus, it gives the greener MMA folks time to catch up.
After the final bell:
I find it both interesting and odd, and perhaps a little bit crazy, that just days away from Survivor Series, WWE is giving us two new, and massive, matches with little time to promote them. On the one hand, Charlotte replacing Becky was not by choice, but rather by need due to injury. That being said, WWE could have saved the huge match for say, WrestleMania, by perhaps putting Asuka in the big spot and burying the match on the card.
On the other side, unless news comes out that AJ Styles is banged up and needed to have time off, putting Bryan in against Brock this late is a bit of a surprise. The only thing I could think of otherwise, is if perhaps early feedback was lukewarm for a second straight Styles/Lesnar clash…but considering WWE does not sweat PPV buys anymore…I don’t see the concern being as big a deal.
I am sure we will hear more soon, in particular about the change that they really had more control over (Daniel Bryan).
I have to think we had a more subdued amount of hype tonight because, perhaps, WWE didn’t want to risk another injury. But that said, it was really surprising that the only red brand presence we had was Heyman.
