5 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Nov 21)
1. B-Show Syndrome
SmackDown's opening segment was relatively well executed. Shane McMahon, Daniel Bryan, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn were as effective as ever, with the Commissioner keen to fire the long-time frenemies following their Survivor Series shenanigans, but his General Manager talking him out of it.
WWE successfully furthered the tension between the involved parties, and established the night's main event, but in the bigger picture, this segment was a flop.
McMahon began by flogging a dead horse with the now defunct SmackDown vs. Raw angle, claiming that even though his side lost at Survivor Series, they weren't the B-show. His inability to accept the outcome suggests the brand's small-time syndrome is far from cured, though.
Like a bitter, petulant child, Shane pointed his finger at Zayn & Owens, blaming them for the loss, though their interference was completely ineffective. McMahon single-handedly fought the duo off at the pay-per-view. They were non-factors, yet Shane continued pushing his point, with only Bryan's intervention saving their jobs. Positioning Zayn & Owens as a set of rabble-rousing anti-authority trolls is working out for them, but said authority is coming off increasingly poorly, with McMahon's words only strengthening the idea that SmackDown is, in fact, the B-show.