WWE Smackdown spoilers: Nov. 10, 2015
The show begins with a promo from The Wyatt Family.
Bray Wyatt challenges The Undertaker and Kane to a two-on-two matchup against a team of Wyatt's at Survivor Series, with Bray deciding which two of his relatives the Brothers of Destruction will face.
While the legendary duo returning to beat down the Wyatts on Monday wasn’t problematic in and of itself due to their supernatural booking in the past, it does present an issue here.
If Kane and Undertaker were able to destroy all four members of the family this week, how is half of the faction supposed to have a chance? This also comes as something of a letdown after speculation that the feud would lead to a traditional elimination match that could involve any number of big names.
Even more perplexing, Fandango came out to interrupt the festivities. Yes, Fandango.
Braun Strowman def. Fandango
There’s really only one way this match would ever go, and Strowman won easily with his bear hug submission. Afterward, Bray demanded an answer to his challenge by the end of the show.
Neville def. King Barrett (World Heavyweight Championship Tournament – First Round)
In somewhat typical match booking for a face victory, Barrett took control early. Neville bounced back for the victory by hitting the Red Arrow in what was a very solid match.
That sets up Neville for a quarterfinal matchup with Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens, who defeated Titus O’Neil on Monday. This should be a really interesting match next week, as Neville is a silent high-flying hero and KO is a brash brawling antagonist.
After the match, The Usos cut a backstage promo on their opponents for the evening, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan. It’s good that the Usos are back in action because it really adds depth to a tag division that desperately needs it.
As entertaining as the Lucha Dragons are in the ring and the Prime Time Players are on the microphone, neither can hold up both ends of the bargain as rivals for The New Day.
Here’s where things got even more confusing. Barrett stuck around in the ring after his match with Neville to complain about Wayne Rooney and request that the WWE never return to Manchester.
For some reason which will hopefully be better explained on the air, this drew out the Undertaker. After empty threats from Barrett, The Dead Man beat him up and hit him with a Tombstone Piledriver.
Kalisto def. Ryback (World Heavyweight Championship Tournament – First Round)
No, that result wasn’t typed incorrectly, and unfortunately, the match wasn’t very good, according to reports. The two faces showed mutual respect but didn’t work together very well. Ryback continued the “show of respect” angle by raising the young daredevil’s hand after the match.
Kalisto will face the winner of the next match in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Alberto Del Rio def. Stardust (World Heavyweight Championship Tournament – First Round)
This match was loaded with potential from the start, but not surprisingly, the U.S. Champion picked up the victory with a stomp in the corner. Apparently, that’s his finisher now instead of the rolling arm breaker, although there has been no official indication to that effect.
Del Rio will face Kalisto in the fourth quarterfinal, with Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro and Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler having been set up Monday on Raw. Most notably, that’s six faces and two heels in the next round, and the more face vs. face matchups this tournament provides, the more talk there will be of someone turning heel.
Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns are the subjects of most of this talk, but Ziggler has also shown subtle signs of turning in recent weeks.
Speaking of Reigns, he was next up for a backstage interview with Renee Young, during which he addressed his decision not to take Triple H’s offer to become World Heavyweight Champion by joining The Authority.
That angle was a prime example of how WWE writing is lacking these days. In years past, Reigns would have been set for a match much later in the evening while he contemplated the decision.
He would perhaps even come out to apparently do Triple H’s bidding and claim his title, only to remain a face in the end. Not so anymore.
Usos def. Luke Harper/Erick Rowan (Disqualification)
The Usos were victorious, but only in a technical sense because it came when Strowman and Wyatt jumped in to interfere with the match. With the business of the actual match out of the way, the Wyatts were left with nothing to do but beat down the Samoan brothers.
During that time, Undertaker’s music hit, and his voice was heard answering Bray’s challenge for Survivor Series.
This show was a real potpourri of results and concepts. On one hand, what reason would Fandango have for coming out to interrupt a juggernaut team like the Wyatts other than so he could job?
There should be more storyline logic for matches like that, and perhaps fans can expect better when the show moves to USA Network in January. On the other hand, it’s a boost for Smackdown to have a legend like the Undertaker making appearances, even if it’s for something as odd as a confrontation with Barrett.
The success of next week’s show will depend on which tournament quarterfinals, if any, are scheduled for Thursday and which have already happened. Since it can be assumed that Reigns, KO and Del Rio will all win their matches, the only remaining drama seems to be the Ziggler-Ambrose tilt.
So whichever show gets that match could experience a spike in ratings.