SmackDown Reactions: Chain of Command
By Ryan Satin
Roman Reigns ruling his tribe with an iron fist this week on Friday Night SmackDown once again highlighted the best thing on WWE TV.
Before we get to that, though, here are the quick results from the November 6, 2020 edition of the show:
- Sasha Banks retained the SmackDown Women’s Championship over Bayley via submission
- King Corbin defeated Rey Mysterio to earn a spot on Team SmackDown at Survivor Series
- Ruby Riott defeated Zelina Vega and Natalya to earn a spot on the SmackDown women’s team at Survivor Series
- Seth Rollins defeated Otis with help from Murphy to earn a spot on Team SmackDown at Survivor Series
- Jey Uso defeated Kevin Owens
In my opinion, this week’s edition of Friday Night SmackDown was hands down better than Raw on Monday due to the great action and fun moments that filled both hours.
This particular part was a joy.
As for the biggest talking points coming out of the show, here are my four takeaways …
"There’s a Chain of Command Here"
Roman Reigns has such an interesting character right now.
On one hand, we see a man doing things like elevating his cousin’s career and making sure people put respect on their names. Both a noble effort in most scenarios.
But on the other hand, we continue to see a chief with a temper behind closed doors who needs to be feared by his tribe in order to rule.
This dichotomy makes his character feel authentic. It’s almost a new spin on his "not a bad guy, not a good guy" mantra, but with a more realistic approach.
Additionally, Jey Uso getting victories over two former World champions now in Daniel Bryan and Kevin Owens seems to be an indication of how much potential WWE upper brass sees in his future as a singles competitor.
The current changeover from fun-loving tag team wrestler to badass singles competitor is going better than anyone could’ve predicted, and continuing to utilize Jey in a meaningful manner while Jimmy Uso recovers from an injury is smart booking to me.
Especially with how over he’s getting in all of this.
I’m one of those fans who complains about a tag team wrestler disappearing from TV when their partner suffers an injury, so I hope this is a reminder for the future that it doesn’t always have to be done.
Heyman also deserves praise for how magnificently he illustrates his fear of Roman by acting in complete terror whenever they’re close.
It’s clear this is a very different relationship from the one Paul has with Brock Lesnar on-screen.
The building blocks are all being put into place for the next phase of this story and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
The thought of a feud between heel Roman Reigns and babyface Daniel Bryan, with Jey Uso and Kevin Owens in the mix, sounds like great TV.
The (Possible) End of the Road
I’m pretty sure Sasha Banks and Bayley could wrestle a good match together even if they were blindfolded.
Their SmackDown Women’s title match on Friday began with some crisp offense from both competitors and eventually spilled to the apron, where Bayley launched Sasha into the air for a wild visual.
Bayley also hit a Backstabber/Bayley to Belly combo that got her a very close near fall at one point.
Sasha ultimately retained, though, and Carmella returned afterward with a beatdown on "The Boss."
Because of that, the feud with Bayley appears to be over for now.
If that’s the case, these two women should be very proud of everything they’ve accomplished over the past six months.
From tag team matches to the recent Hell in a Cell, Sasha and Bayley maintained one of the best storylines on WWE TV for half a year without fans ever growing tired of it.
That’s not easy.
Can Murphy Step It Up?
Personally, I’ve enjoyed the Mysterio/Rollins saga.
My only concern with this current direction, however, is that Murphy hasn’t necessarily shown he has the acting chops to pull it off with success.
This is the kind of story where a performer needs to have a wide range of emotions at their disposal.
Unfortunately, those aren’t muscles Murphy has ever really had to flex in WWE – even during his time on Raw under Seth – so it’s caused his interactions with Aalyah Mysterio to feel a little flat.
Don’t get me wrong. Murphy is an incredibly talented wrestler who, for all I know, could be waiting to unleash his inner thespian.
It’s just that in order to make the television audience believe he’s so in love with Aalyah that he’d go undercover to ruin Rollins once and for all, which is how this seems to be playing out, the SmackDown Superstar needs to tell more of a story with his facial expressions.
To me, he hasn’t done that yet.
Meanwhile, Aalyah Mysterio should be commended for her work in this angle. She’s been doing a great job of selling her emotions and making them all feel believable.
If anyone is making this angle worth watching right now, it’s her.
SmackDown Women’s Division
The SmackDown women’s division post-draft is showing real promise.
Watching women like Bianca Belair, Zelina Vega, Billie Kaye and now Ruby Riott all try to impress off the bat to cement their spot in the standings has been fun.
On Friday, Ruby reminded viewers of her worth in the ring by wrestling a solid triple threat match that helped rebuild the former Riott Squad leader as a viable threat.
In my opinion, there’s more value in she and Liv Morgan as singles competitors, so it was nice to see her get some shine this week by qualifying for Team SmackDown at Survivor Series.
It’s possible Liv will join the Survivor Series team as well, but having them earn it on their own as opposed to together is best.
Side note: Out of all the new additions to SmackDown’s female roster, I think Zelina Vega has the highest chance of breaking out to become a real star.
The 5’1" Superstar always delivers, and I expect that will continue on Friday nights in her new role.
Her years of in-ring experience now being showcased alongside her standout personality in WWE will only help Vega go further in the company.
So far, even in losing efforts, she’s found ways to impress.
