WWE SmackDown preview (Nov. 29, 2019): Bliss Friday
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SmackDown returns tonight (Nov. 29) from the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. It is the
Survivor Series fallout show.
The Headliner
The SmackDown women’s division needs Alexa Bliss back.
After the last draft, the SmackDown women’s division was in a weird place. Bayley was the
SmackDown Women’s champion, recently turning full-on heel. Sasha Banks was the other big star and she just came back as a heel as well. These two were aligned so it would take some work and a lot of time to develop a program between the brand’s two biggest stars.
This left an unbalanced roster given both Charlotte and Becky Lynch going to Raw, leaving no top babyfaces. Options on the brand were Carmella and Dana Brooke. While Carmella could, and probably should, have a program with her former bff Bayley, it left the division out of balance.
That’s why it made sense for them to move Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross to SmackDown in one half a trade (the other half may have been Brock Lesnar going to Raw later?) a week after the draft.
Bliss is the biggest non-horsewoman star on the roster. And while she’s normally played a villain, she’s a strong enough character to play a top good gal as well. Having a very likable Nikki Cross at her side helps. She and Nikki were feuding with Bayley when Bayley was still a babyface. Now that she’s flipped sides, it makes sense for a now babyface Bliss to claim this is what she was warning us of the entire time.
Unfortunately, Bliss has not wrestled since
Hell in a Cell, word being she was out dealing with a shoulder injury. The good news is she’s scheduled to wrestle at this Sunday’s
Starrcade event, so that should mean she’s good to go.
With her back, it’s time to position her opposite Bayley. SmackDown had been able to use the interbrand rivalry between Bayley, Becky Lynch, and Shayna Baszler to hide the fact the division is lacking an established top babyface. But that’s all said and done. It’s time to focus on the brand specifically.
They should probably hold off on running the Bliss/Bayley program right away. They could probably wait for a big
Royal Rumble match. I’d run that feud with Carmella for December, but at the same time, feature Bliss in a way people know she’s the eventual major challenger for the former Hugger.
We’ll find out tonight if Bliss is back and ready to take that spot.
The Title Scene
Universal Champion Bray Wyatt successfully defended his title against Daniel Bryan at
Survivor Series. Tonight, he promises to reveal “a new face” to the Firefly Fun House. Are we talking a new puppet? Or will the Fun House give another talent a spot in Bray Wyatt’s wild world?
Much like the women, the
SmackDown tag team champions will need a new program. The New Day were unsuccessful in the championship exhibition at
Survivor Series. That went to the War Raiders from Raw. Now we see which team from the blue brand will slot into the title scene. The Revival? Bobby Roode and Dolph Ziggler? Heavy Machinery? There are some options.
Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura has a newly designed belt but no one to defend it against. He’s in a good spot with Sami Zayn in his corner. It seems like Cesaro is in that group as well. (Hell, maybe that’s another option for a New Day feud.) SmackDown has a talented midcard, with guys like Mustafa Ali or Shorty G making for a good opponent for the King of Strong Style.
It seems like the
Women’s tag team champions have all their stories on Raw. Even though the Kabuki Warriors can defend those titles on Fridays, they’ve been doing their misting on Mondays.
Other things to keep an eye on:
- Roman Reigns and Baron Corbin could not work together at
Survivor Series on Sunday. That did not prevent the Big Dog from picking up the team win though. This match is going to need to happen one more time so Roman can beat Corbin and move on.
- Daniel Bryan tried to channel the power of the Yes Movement to defeat the Fiend on Sunday. It didn’t work, leaving him more lost than ever. What’s next for this adrift Daniel Bryan?
-
Survivor Series fallout has been present on the other two brands. It led to Seth Rollins finally showing his true colors under the guise of “trying to do the right thing” on
Raw. NXT had a big celebration to kick things off. SmackDown lost as well, but they weren’t squashed like Raw. Will this have any impact on tonight’s episode?
What will be the legacy of
Survivor Series for the blue brand? Find out tonight at 8 PM ET on Fox.