5 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (29 Nov - Results & Review)
SmackDown's last stop before Survivor Series: WarGames shows the strength of WWE's product.
Most of the heavy lifting for Survivor Series: WarGames had been done heading into Friday's pre-taped episode of SmackDown, but WWE still managed to check off a few last-minute positives. The not so small matter of exactly who gained the numbers advantage in the men's WarGames match had to be thrashed out, and Triple H also booked a cinematic style sit-down between Roman Reigns and CM Punk.
Somewhat surprisingly, Paul Heyman was the star of the show there.
Cody Rhodes followed up on his heated altercation with Carmelo Hayes in-ring, Shinsuke Nakamura worked his first televised match since an April episode of Raw, and the Women's United States Title tournament continued. That last bout marked one of two negatives from the broadcast. Sadly, both of those 'Downs' involved the female ranks. This has not been a hot end to the year for SmackDown's women, put it that way.
Being honest, a stiff main event between Jey Uso and Jacob Fatu, some much-needed context within the ranks of DIY, and that aforementioned 'When Roman Meets Punk' skit more than offset any negativity. Bloodline vs. Bloodline is the biggest story in WWE by far, and then there's Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens to focus on once WarGames is in the rearview mirror.
So, this pre-taped SmackDown was hardly the most essential two hours of telly you'll watch in 2024. Was it bad? Not even close. WWE can get away with a few easy episodes like this every now and then.
Here's all the good and bad from the final show before Survivors.