11 Ups & 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Nov 13)

9. 'The Advocate' Invades

Paul Heyman
WWE.com

Well, this was a pleasant surprise.

Raw's invasion of SmackDown was more modest than the blue brand's women's division takeover the night before, with only Paul Heyman making his presence felt throughout the episode's two hours. He interrupted AJ Styles during his early in-ring promo, claiming that he was there out of respect, and that there was nobody his client, Brock Lesnar, wanted to fight more than the WWE Champion. He'd then undo all the niceties with one well-placed barb, making a point to call Styles the "second best" wrestler in the company.

AJ retorted, calling Lesnar vulnerable, but didn't have much time to really get rolling before Daniel Bryan arrived. Their recent rivalry was revived with another trading of barbs, leading to a massive pull-apart brawl, and eventually, Shane McMahon booking their main event.

These SmackDown openers always do their job. This one was no different, and it gets a nice little bump for the surprise Heyman appearance.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.