5 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Nov 7)
4. Bad Guys
WWE may not realise quite what they have in Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens in these particularly difficult pre-Survivor Series weeks.
With the entire company trapped inside the oppressive confines of the Raw Vs SmackDown narrative, few are able to commit even to the match or feud their having without keeping half a mind on whatever the hell they're supposed to be selling at the Supercard.
The Miz was on typical form on Monday Night Raw, but even he struggled to remain on message as he tried to slap Baron Corbin with his left hand and silence Kurt with his right. Similarly, The New Day are currently wearing more hats than Xavier Woods would even suggest for their WrestleMania attire. If it's not smiling babyfaces, it's '#UnderSiege' warlords via Halloween punchlines.
Zayn and Owens meanwhile, are robustly consistent. They don't like Shane McMahon, Daniel Bryan, the (ahem) 'SmackDown Live! fans', or frankly any of the needless side effects that come with Survivor Series fever. They're self-serving, self-righteous baddies, and long may that continue at least until we're stepping out from under this November rain. The w*nkers have become the anchors.