4 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Oct 24)
1. #UnderSiege
While the idea of pushing a Raw vs. SmackDown Survivor Series theme makes sense on paper, WWE's execution has been horrendous thus far. It started on Raw, when Commissioner Shane McMahon stormed the flagship show with a task force of blue superstars who conveniently forgot their respective alignments, rivalries, and storylines, and beat the tar out of anyone they crossed paths with. A follow up was inevitable, and while last night's offerings weren't as significant, the angle is still full of holes.
The show began with Shane in the ring, explaining the previous night's actions. He claimed that his brand needed to strike first ahead of Survivor Series, which would be fine if he wasn't playing babyface, but the guy has been portrayed as WWE's ultimate Superman 'good guy' from the moment he returned last year.
The segment was almost salvaged by Sami Zayn's arrival, but even his involvement lacked logic. One night after claiming he "doesn't fight for tyrants," Sami practically begged McMahon for a spot on the Survivor Series team, resulting in his match with Randy Orton.
The whole thing's a vast mess of inconsistencies. All sides are culpable, and if this first week is anything to go by, the build towards Survivor Series will be rife with logic gaps.