5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (1 Nov - Results & Review)

This week's SmackDown shot for the stars with three specific building blocks for upcoming WWE fare, but only two of them will get blood pumping amongst regular viewers.

One, a fan-pleasing reunion between OG Bloodline members Roman Reigns, Jimmy and Jey Uso. Two, the continuation of killer heel Kevin Owens doing his best Gene Snitsky by claiming 'it wasn't my fault' whilst blaming everyone else for failing friendships. Three, some last-minute hype for Saturday's Crown Jewel supershow over in Saudi Arabia.

The episode was pre-taped during a marathon double header for live fans last week. That lack of organic energy came across throughout the night, but there was even less buzz and excitement in the general production (which is a-typical for WWE). God only knows what went wrong there, but the show's commentary links sounded like they'd been recorded in Michael Cole's hotel room after the play-by-play man had just woken from a vintage nap.

Bloodline stuff, KO's character development, a well-executed dropped hint on one of the biggest WWE Title matches coming in 2025, a splash of intrigue for the otherwise-bland Women's Crown Jewel Title match, and a surprisingly up-tempo four-way all qualified as positives from Friday. The obvious downside is that nobody's really that interested in either Crown Jewel belt as things stand.

Caring about those has been a struggle since Bad Blood, and it's pretty clear even Triple H wants to whizz past the pretence that they're a big deal before focusing on Survivor Series.

Here's all the good and bad from an in-the-can edition of blue brand action!