WWE SmackDown Live vs. WWE Raw – Who won following a fantastic Survivor Series?
What a pay-per-view we had on our hands this Sunday! It has easily been the best one since the brand split. It had everything you want from a pay-per-view - excitement, unpredictability and shocks that only WWE can produce. Yet, I would say that there were no clear winners between the brands, as each had their own share of success.
Raw won the Women’s and Tag Team division matches and SmackDown kept the Intercontinental title and won the 53-minute epic that was the male traditional Survivor Series match.
Last week, in the build-up to the 30th annual extravaganza, SmackDown went ahead 9-8 in my series as they had a much better show than Raw. However, we’re now looking at a new week, so will the ramifications of the results from the pay-per-view motivate Raw to give us a better show this week, or will SmackDown take a two-point lead?
SmackDown has more to lose here, as they have just two weeks to build to their next pay-per-view TLC. This is probably one of the reasons WWE is reportedly looking to remove some of the PPV events from next year’s schedule. Having too many pay-per-views ruin the magic and is ultimately detrimental to the weekly broadcasts.
Nevertheless, if anyone can deal with this pressure, SmackDown Live can. So, without further ado, let’s analyse the best bits of each show and see who won this week’s battle of the brands!
The first entrant in the Royal Rumble
By damn, Goldberg is entering the Royal Rumble match! And by damn, did he regret that slight botch in his promo. Stephanie and Mick used it to their advantage in a backstage skit regarding the surprise entrant in next year’s Royal Rumble event.
For a lot of people, Goldberg being back in WWE was seen as a one-time deal, and nobody expected him to remain as an in-ring competitor through to 2017. However, with the excellent positive reaction from the crowd and the success of his match at Survivor Series, it would seem that he will be in a programme all the way up to WrestleMania 33.
It is most likely we will see Goldberg vs. Lesnar III at the granddaddy of them all.
This was a great way to start off Raw. Since Goldberg has come back from a 12-year hiatus, I have been mightily impressed by his promos and the amount of intensity he conveys in any TV time he gets. I was never a massive fan of Goldberg during his first run but I have to say, this is turning me into a Goldberg mark!
They’ve booked him perfectly so far and I cannot wait to see him in the 30-man main event in January!