On SmackDown Live this week, there are several matches that can, and will, affect Survivor Series. First, Dolph Ziggler and Bobby Roode see who’s the better wrestler in a 2 Out of 3 Falls Match with the winner joining Team SmackDown. The same goes for the main event with Shinsuke Nakamura taking on Kevin Owens. Also, AJ Styles takes on Samir Singh and things get heated between United States Champion Baron Corbin and Sin Cara.
Opening Segment
To kick off the show, Shane McMahon (the Commissioner of SmackDown Live) comes down to the ring to address the battle between brands. He mentioned that for the past twenty years, SmackDown has always been perceived as the inferior brand. The crew behind the blue brand got together and decided to come up with a plan to change that and that is why Raw was “#UnderSiege” last week.
At the end of his promo, Shane McMahon announces that along with Randy Orton and three unconfirmed competitors, he will be SmackDown’s team captain.
Bobby Roode vs. Dolph Ziggler – 2 Out of 3 Falls Match
At Hell in a Cell, former NXT Champion Bobby Roode made his WWE main roster debut when he defeated Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler thought the victory was unfair, so he requested a second match that he ended up winning by cheating. To settle the score, Roode and Ziggler compete in a 2 Out of 3 Falls Match to make sure that there are no open ends. On top of proving to be the better wrestler, the winner of this match will join Randy Orton and Shane McMahon on Team SmackDown at Survivor Series.
After a superkick out of nowhere, Dolph Ziggler takes the first fall and gains the advantage. During the commercial break, Bobby Roode pins Ziggler with a sunset flip powerbomb to tie it up. First Fall: Dolph Ziggler | Second Fall: Bobby Roode
Roode and Ziggler exchange pinfall attempts until Roode switches into the Glorious DDT, pinning the Showoff and penciling his name in for Survivor Series. Winner: Bobby Roode
Baron Corbin vs. Sin Cara
For the third week in a row, Sin Cara goes one-on-one with the United States Champion, Baron Corbin. The first time, Sin Cara surprised the WWE Universe and defeated Corbin by count-out. The following week (last week), Corbin ignored the rules to send a message by assaulting Sin Cara and forcing the disqualification. The former NXT Tag Team Champion now has a chance to score a clean win over the US champ.
This time, the tables are turned. When the fight heads to ringside, Sin Cara never lets up on Corbin (who kept trying to rip his mask) and forces the referee to call for the no contest. The assault ends with Sin Cara throwing an office chair at Corbin (shades of Braun Strowman) and Corbin running away through the crowd. Result: No Contest
Announcement
Next week, The Usos defend the SmackDown Tag Team Championships against the #1 Contenders, Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin. If Gable and Benjamin capture the gold, they will face Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose at Survivor Series instead of the Usos.
AJ Styles vs. Samir Singh (w/Sunil Singh & Jinder Mahal)
A couple weeks ago, AJ Styles made it clear that he wants to capture the WWE Championship from Jinder Mahal. Instead of fighting his own battles, Mahal has set the Singh Brothers to fight in his honor.
Just like last week, Styles defeats Singh in about thirty seconds. However, Mahal enters the ring right after the match ends along with Sunil to assault Styles. Next week, Styles and Mahal will battle for the title, with the winner facing Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series. Winner: AJ Styles
Big E (w/Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. Rusev (w/Aiden English)
Earlier tonight, Rusev yelled at the New Day for celebrating Halloween instead of looking out for spies from Monday Night Raw. On top of that, the Bulgarian Brute wants it to just be Rusev Day every day instead of any other holiday.
English attacks Xavier Woods outside the ring before running into the ring to get away from Kofi Kingston. After Big E lays English out with the Big Ending, Rusev hits him with a superkick on the back of the neck to win the match. Winner: Rusev
Kevin Owens vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
With three spots of the men’s Survivor Series filled (Shane McMahon, Randy Orton, and Bobby Roode), this clash between Kevin Owens and Shinsuke Nakamura will determine who takes the fourth spot.
Sami Zayn tries to get involved, but Randy Orton comes to ringside and throws Zayn onto the announce table. Nakamura takes advantage of Owens being distracted and hits him with the Kinshasa knee strike to pick up the win. Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
