3 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Nov 12)

Roman Reigns becomes 'King'; NXT 2.0 stars debut; WWE phones in Survivor Series build.

by Jamie Kennedy
Roman Reigns King
WWE.com

WWE don't give a flying f*ck about Survivor Series.

That was the loudest message coming out of this week's SmackDown. The company might as well have said, 'Oh yeah - there's a pay-per-view next week, but who cares about that?'. It's a shame, because Survivors could be used to form new teams, launch fresh rivalries and more.

Instead, it's the usual Raw vs. SmackDown tripe on offer this year, and even that's not consistent. SmackDown's women are at war with themselves, Sami Zayn has been booted off the men's team, and there appears to be much more value in just booking regular bouts rather than this 'us vs. them' nonsense that (according to Michael Cole) "only happens once per year".

No, there wasn't a lot to cheer about on Friday night. Again, that's a pity when the show was previously a highlight of the pro wrestling week. Sadly, SmackDown has started to turn into a two-hour Raw, which isn't a compliment.

Here's hoping things pick up post-Survivor Series, because it's rather depressing to see more 'Downs' than 'Ups' for a weekly that once felt so essential.

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Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.