6 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Oct 30)

1. Maximum Effort, Minimum Reward

Billie Kay Natalya Bianca Belair
WWE.com

Another issue with Survivor Series is that WWE never properly explain why everyone on the roster suddenly cares about brand loyalty. They couldn't give a toss 11 months out of 12, so it doesn't make sense when November looms and everyone gets all uptight and protective.

KO and Dolph Ziggler put a ton of effort into their qualifying match, and so did Natalya, Billie Kay and Bianca Belair, but there's nothing really at stake. Winners get a spot on the pay-per-view team - big whoop. WWE need more than that. They need to explain that these are money spots and could put wrestlers in the frame for title shots if they impress.

"Brand supremacy" is a sh*t idea and always has been. The writers are letting everyone down badly when they fail to come through with some proper consequences year after year. Does anyone even remember which brand won last year? Does anyone even care?

Advertisement
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.