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Right, that’s just about enough of that “Main Event” carry on WWE. We went through all of this very recently with the whole “Triple Main Event” at Hell in a Cell! At this point it just feels as if you’re trolling your fans. If it was really the Main Event you’d be worried about people leaving afterwards so you definitely wouldn’t stick it in the middle of the show.
But alas, that’s what happened tonight with Becky and Alexa’s Championship match, which in fairness was entertaining enough in its own right that it could’ve gone on last, but I’m afraid I have to deduct points for Smackdown, letting me down, and putting it in the middle of the show while still calling it a main event. This was never gonna be a feud ending match anyway, but I applaud them for keeping some intrigue by not announcing Becky as the de facto Survivor Series captain due to being the champ, which would’ve spoiled the result of this match. Good match, good selling from Becky, good character work from Alexa, and a messy finish to continue to TLC, where they’ll probably have the first Women’s TLC match (or some other gimmick match if TLC’s been done). Becky wins tonight by submission but Alexa’s foot was on the rope.
Ellsworth-mania continues running wild, much to the joy of Otunga, who gets to throw out zingers like “He’s a ch-international superstar!” (He’s been dying to say that all week) and JBL continues “being a star”. So after some more in-team bickering like we saw on RAW, Ellsworth is named as the official Team Smackdown Live mascot for Survivor Series, and Shane sets a match for the end of the episode (see! I can’t even call it a main event because that was “apparently” earlier in the night!) between The Wyatt’s and Dean Ambrose, Ellsworth and Corbin. This doesn’t sit well with Billy-no-mates Corbin, who protests his involvement in this match to Shane-O-Mac, who then puts him instead into a singles match with the returning Kalisto. The match was basically a non-starter, with Corbin attacking Kalisto as he made his entrance and dominating for a few minutes, but after a planned fumble where Baron slipped off the side of the apron, popping his knee in the process, Kalisto was able to exact a measure of revenge from the man who put him on the shelf.
“Fashion Police” Breezango defeated the Vaudevillains tonight for the final place on the tag division’s Survivor Series Team, Curt Hawkins defeated Apollo Crews (welcome to rock bottom Crews), and Naomi defeated Natalya after some ringside distractions from Nikki and Carmella, so not the strongest night wrestling-wise, but next week should be a hell of a show! With Undertaker and Edge making appearances and The Miz vs Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental championship, I don’t even care about Dolph anymore, I’ve become such a fan of The Miz recently, I can’t believe I just wrote that, time to examine my life…
So due to Baron Corbin getting injured earlier the evening, a place has opened up on the Smackdown Survivor Series team, and Daniel Bryan assures Shane that he’ll have found someone by the end of the show. I’m sure a lot of people were cringing at the notion that Ellsworth would find his way onto the team, I was personally hoping that it would be ‘Taker :(.
But after a so-so not-a-main event between The Wyatts (including Orton) and Dean, Ellsworth and Kane in which Ellsworth had been told by Kane to NOT tag in, Ellsworth cost his team the match by tagging in and sweet-no-chin-musicing himself straight into a vicious Sister Abigail. Good good. Can’t have Wyatt falling to the likes of that. As Dean tries to protect his prone partner’s body from the looming heels, Shane comes running down for the save, but it is D-bry who gets everyone’s attention when he comes down to announce that Shane McMahon will be the fifth member of Team Survivor Series! Okay, I’m fine with that, I don’t really get it but hey, why not.
So that’s that. Not a great show, but still somehow fun. I am gonna take marks off for the whole “main event” thing, and it was weak wrestling wise so I have to grade this episode a C. See ya next week folks!
(Sean)
SCOTTISH WRESTLING NETWORK | SWN 