SmackDown airs tonight (Nov. 10) with a live show emanating from Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. This is the first episode of SmackDown during the three week build towards Survivor Series, which takes place on November 25.
It’s time for the WWE women to go to war
Kairi Sane returned to WWE at Crown Jewel and helped IYO SKY retain her WWE women’s championship against Bianca Belair.
One big issue that needs to be addressed is how Sane’s return affects Damage CTRL. IYO looked much happier to have Kairi’s help than Bayley’s during that match. Is IYO planning to break away from Damage CTRL to form a new group with Kairi? If so, could this open the door for Asuka to join up with them?
WWE officially booked a men’s WarGames match for Survivor Series on this week’s episode of Raw. That means now it’s the women’s turn. Depending on how the pieces fall between Bayley & IYO/Kairi, it shouldn’t take too long for battle lines to be drawn. Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Asuka, Shotzi, and WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Chelsea Green and Piper Niven could all possibly be involved in such a match.
Even if WWE doesn’t intend to book a second WarGames match, there’s enough intrigue here to at least book a traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination match featuring these women.
Either way, there are only three episodes of SmackDown between now and Survivor Series, so we’ll know pretty soon what direction WWE is going with the women’s division now that Kairi Sane is back.
The rest of the title scene
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defeated LA Knight to retain the gold at Crown jewel. Roman did it in his usual fashion, relying on a bunch of outside interference and help from The Bloodline. Rumor has it that the Tribal Chief isn’t booked for Survivor Series and might not defend the title on TV/PLE again until 2024, so we might not be seeing much of the part-timer as 2023 comes to a close.
YouTube star Logan Paul used brass knuckles to defeat Rey Mysterio and become the new United States champion. Did Santos Escobar leave those brass knuckles on the ring apron by accident, or was he intentionally trying to screw over Rey?
WWE Tag Team Champions Damian Priest and Finn Balor have a war on their hands on Raw against Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, and Seth Rollins. Will The Judgment Day show up tonight looking to recruit a SmackDown star to join their WarGames team at Survivor Series?
Other stuff to keep an eye on
– Carlito vs. Bobby Lashley is booked for tonight. Hit Row member B-Fab had a private conversation with Bob last week. Is she looking to help him win this match and join his group with the Street Profits?
– What’s next for LA Knight after doing the job for Roman Reigns in Saudi Arabia? As far as tonight is concerned, he’s prepared to take out Grayson Waller with a BFT when they go one-on-one. There isn’t much time between now and Survivor Series. Will the megastar be dealing with Waller and Austin Theory on that card, or is this just a one-off to get LA back in the winner’s column?
– WWE has not openly said that AJ Styles is returning tonight, but the rumor mill indicates he’s coming back and WWE’s web site lists him as being on the show. AJ will have a bone to pick with Solo Sikoa and Jim Uso after they sent him to the hospital in September.
– Pretty Deadly has demonstrated multiple times that the Sheamus-less Brawling Brutes are no match for them. However, unless they plan to challenge The Judgment Day for tag team gold, it’s not clear where Pretty Deadly goes from here. Maybe a tag team match against Dragon Lee and Cameron Grimes?
– Karrion Kross has been on the backburner for quite a long time. Now that Crown Jewel is over with, will WWE remember that this guy exists and he wants to start a shitty new faction?
– Are SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis and Raw General Manager Adam Pearce cooking up any ideas for a potential battle for brand supremacy at Survivor Series?
What will you be looking for on SmackDown?
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