Biggest winners and losers of SmackDown (November 27)
The post-Thanksgiving SmackDown served up far more intensity than you would expect during an otherwise lazy time of the year when it comes to WWE programming. In the past, one got the impression that WWE was content to essentially take the holiday season off. That was far from the case last night.
Roman Reigns shined like always in this new Tribal Chief role, but many pieces were moving on the board to make for a great episode. Who stood out the most and struck viewers as gearing up for bigger roles at TLC, the Royal Rumble, and beyond on SmackDown? Let's take a look.
SmackDown Winner: Jey Uso
"Do you think that I'm Thanksgiving leftovers?"
That's what Roman Reigns said to Jey Uso as SmackDown got started. Jey Uso's facial expressions, full of fear and confusion, were as good as Roman's promo. Throughout the night, we saw him continue to evolve into the heel role that he's hinting he doesn't want to be a part of.
At this point, it's starting to feel like this story demands something bigger of Jey Uso. And with that, we may already have a Royal Rumble or Elimination Chamber favorite.
That would've been unthinkable a few months ago, but "main event Jey Uso" feels natural now, all thanks to Roman Reigns' new character. We'll just have to see how this story plays out in December and January.
SmackDown Loser: Otis
Otis' time in the spotlight is definitively over. After an unimpressive showing at Survivor Series, he was used as little more than a prop to telegraph Jey Uso's character evolution last night. He was subject to a brutal beating that cancelled his advertised match with King Corbin at the start of the show.
The game is just getting started, but don't expect Otis to be in a notable WrestleMania program this time around.