6 Ups & 1 Down From WWE SmackDown (22 Nov - Results & Review)
Paul Heyman returns! CM Punk joins the OG Bloodline! WWE nails SmackDown again!
Paul Heyman returned to dig Roman Reigns out of a hole by revealing CM Punk as the OG Bloodline's trump card heading into a largely family based WarGames showdown.
That was the biggest story coming out of another tidy episode of SmackDown. WWE boss Triple H hasn't quite stuck to his guns in terms of trashing Vince McMahon's tired 'book to the calendar' style for PLEs, but the top billed match at Survivor Series is a winner regardless. There are multiple layers to it that the writers can use marching into the new year too, which is a real bonus.
Sadly, the women's WarGames match doesn't feel anywhere near as intriguing. It's rather forced, being honest, and there are a few annoying plot holes that wreck the idea of trust and story needed. These ladies are teaming together because it's November, not because it's the right thing to do and fans demanded them in the double cage. That comes across loud and clear.
Last week's SmackDown was one of the best of the modern era. Friday's edition ran it close, but there was one negative to talk about. Hence the solitary 'Down'. The 'Ups' are cheerier though - there are some really great dramas going on across WWE's programming right now.
WarGames looms, Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens are cutting sensational face to face promos, Shinsuke Nakamura is stalking LA Knight like some warped version of 'Crow' Sting stalking the nWo, and even the tag-team scene has some developments worth keeping a beady eye on.
Here's all the good and not a lot of bad from another well-produced and easy to watch two hours of WWE TV.