Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.

This week, Robert DeFelice, Andy Sahadeo and Jordan Chaffiotte will be giving their opinions on what they expect from WWE Survivor Series 2017!


DeFELICE: Who are the head writers? Yeah, those guys! Joking! Seriously, this depends on a matter of perspective. I would like to say that the MVPs are Triple H and John Cena, but I don't know if they have brand loyalty. Therefore, I will say look for The Viper to be the MVP for team blue in the 5-on-5, as he has always been in these situations, and on the red side, BRAAAAAAAAAUN. I think overall, you have to say that the MVP for team blue is AJ Styles, while The Hounds of Justice are the overall MVPs for Raw. Also, look for Asuka, Miz, and The Usos to shine in their respective bouts. With the latter possibly being the only victors on the blue squad.

SAHADEO: Given Braun Strowman's grand entrance on SmackDown Live, we can definitely expect Strowman to have a very strong showing at the PPV. With James Ellsworth being freshly released (which hurts so much to say), Strowman has no means of getting eliminated by shenanigans to that extent. Aside from Strowman, I can see the NXT 4 – Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, Bobby Roode & Shinsuke Nakamura – to make a huge impact in the match.

Yes, this is a very star-studded match and what I'm saying above is a very bold claim to make given the amount of star power in this match, but if WWE is truly onboard with the whole "new era" schtick, they'll find a way to have a healthy balance between the nostalgia factor and showcasing each of the NXT 4's talents. So far Joe and Nakamura have had great main roster careers (aside from losses to Brock Lesnar and Jinder Mahal, respectively), but I find that Balor and Roode have a lot left to prove to the WWE Universe. We know how great these two are, but with Balor's injury and Roode's slow build, some casual fans are still a bit weary on the two. I believe Sunday is the best opportunity for them to shine.

As for the women, I think Charlotte and Asuka have the most capability to stand out in their respective matches. While Charlotte catches a lot of flak due to her being the daughter of one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time, I think she has paved her own way and has shown that she is indeed capable of putting on great matches. As for Asuka, is there much that really needs to be said? We get to see Asuka slaughter five women in one match! Since Asuka is undefeated, I expect for her to have an incredibly strong showing where she runs through anyone who gets in her way. After all, nobody is ready for Asuka!

CHAFFIOTTE: From the perspective of this weird make-believe brand vs brand competition in which there are no stakes, Braun Strowman and Charlotte are likely to have the best showing for their respective teams. Charlotte is one of the greatest Women's Champions of all time and especially given the buzz around Ric Flair's 30 for 30, she's due for her annual push. Obviously, one woman can't be champion forever, unless you're Moola, but doesn't it feel right to have the belt back on the Queen? I'm really looking forward to her match with Alexa because Alexa does best with opponents who have their technique on lock and can guide her a bit. In return, Alexa can bump, and bump she will for Charlotte on Sunday night. Meanwhile, Braun will just murder everyone and it'll be wonderful.

However, in pure wrestling, I fully expect the Shield and the New Day to put on the most entertaining match of the night. Tag team wrestling is in an almost-golden age right now and while this will not get the spotlight it deserves, it will be the best part of the whole show. One of these days they'll put these guys in the main event where they belong. Until that time, we'll have to settle with an early, yet incredible showing from these six men. They'll both bring pride back to their teams.


SAHADEO: Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn! It's so disappointing that we won't get to see two of the best wrestlers that SmackDown Live has to offer wrestle but I can almost guarantee they'll be involved in some shenanigans that ultimately cost SD Live the 5-on-5 match. Of course, any time Bray Wyatt gets screwed by creative, a part of me loses faith in humanity. I mean, the guy put over Jason Jordan (who I like, don't get me wrong) on Raw! Jason Jordan beat a WWE Champion clean! I don't get what they're doing to Wyatt, and it's a damn shame because they actually booked him right up until WrestleMania – which shows that they know what to do, but literally choose not to do it. Instead, Wyatt is forced to play second fiddle to everyone he feuds with and every match he has. It's a shame how mishandled the entire Wyatt Family has been on the main roster.

CHAFFIOTTE: WHERE is Paige?? They had me so excited for her to return and get the last spot in the five-on-five. I had a whole thing about how she would be the sole survivor and the SmackDown team would give her respect, man it was great. Those rumors, and my fantasy booking, appear to have been wrong as Paige did not make her triumphant return to WWE on Monday night. I suppose there's a possibility she goes straight for Alexa Bliss and the Raw Women's Championship come Sunday or next week. That certainly would be an exciting matchup, but I'm not convinced she leapfrogs Asuka. Paige's return really would've added a lot. The timing's good, it's the last major pay-per-view before we hit the Rumble and the road to WrestleMania. She's been away long enough that the fans miss her, and hopefully, the grossest have forgotten about any so-called scandals, but not so long that we've forgotten all about her. This is the perfect timing for a big push with any one of the other equally talented women. We never saw Paige and Bayley, Sasha, or Nia. They could write such a great b-storyline for her with one of those and hey then maybe we could have more than one women's match over three hours of programming.

I'd also love to see Kevin and Sami but it seems unclear if we will. Reports of their dismissal from the UK tour are varied and even the worst among them have me shrugging and telling them to go apologize like big boys. Hopefully, that punishment won't last all the way through Sunday night by keeping them on the bench. Sami and Kevin are the heart of SmackDown, I'm pretty sure I love Sami more now that he's a heel than when he was a face. It's dialed up to 11 and just ridiculous, I can't help but smile. Wasting this would be the biggest mistake.

DeFELICE: Fear not, Jordan! Paige may very well be on Team SmackDown. I am gonna play it safe and say where are Kevin and Sami? They were the hottest act on Ol' Bluey coming out of October and yet they're not booked on one of the biggest show of the season. I was really looking forward to them co-captaining The male five-on-five against The Shield +2. However, they're not here, but I'm hoping they make an impact in some way. Also, you have to wonder why Jinder Mahal isn't on the show. Poor guy. Honorable mention goes to Bray Wyatt/Abigail. This really was a hastily booked show, and the talent booking casualties definitely reflect that.


CHAFFIOTTE: SmackDown has the most to gain from a win, Raw has the most to lose. If SmackDown doesn't walk out looking dominant, they will essentially be in the same place they started and the siege was all for nothing. But Kurt needs this win. So that's a pickle. Ultimately, we're probably headed for Kurt vs. Triple H eventually, which gives SmackDown the distinct advantage from a storytelling standpoint. On the other hand, when given the choice between something bold and business as usual, it's a pretty safe assumption that WWE will choose the later.

AJ will probably do the job, Baron ought to lose to the Miz after he's embarrassed himself in the buildup, though Charlotte will destroy Alexa and the Usos really need this win right now. I expect the card to split pretty well down the middle and for none of it to matter because they will judge the night by the five-on-five Survivor Series matches. There's only two this year, so one team has to pitch a shutout in them. I'm putting my money on SmackDown, partially for the storytelling and partially for the strength of their teams, but it's not a confident bet. The women's team seems to have a little extra something compared to the Raw team, perhaps that comes from Becky Lynch being so goddamn charming and great at everything she does. She feels like a captain who can lead them to victory, while Alicia is just fun to watch. The men's team does have Braun Strowman, who will probably take out two, maybe three men himself, but we know he doesn't play well with others. Kurt and H are bound to clash at some point in the match. In both cases, I see Raw falling apart at the seams while SmackDown maintains a united front.

DeFELICE: Honestly, it's the same thing every time they try to do brand warfare. SmackDown is portrayed as the underdog and then, they pick up all the big wins. I really think it will be different this time, especially because three of the major players in the main event haven't actually shown brand loyalty and I really just being inserted do to name value. I definitely think from a television standpoint SmackDown has really owned Raw, but I definitely expect a part-time player to pick up the victory for whichever brand. It'll be interesting to see what stories, if any, are built from this Sunday.

SAHADEO: As usual, the whole argument of brand warfare is that Raw is the A-show and SmackDown Live is the B-show, so this year won't be as different. I don't think any brand has a specific advantage on the macro level, but on a micro level, we can see that even though it's pretty well balanced out, Raw does hold a slight advantage.

The Miz and Baron Corbin are two Superstars who can win and lose on a whim so they're pretty evenly matched. The 5-on-5 men's match each has a fair share of OP Superstars in their own right with a good mix of established stars and NXT talents. As for the women, I guess the advantage can go to Raw due to Asuka's presence alone, but who knows – maybe we'll see Paige show up as the 5th member of Team SmackDown Live? Perhaps that'll give SD Live some much-needed momentum, but would they want Paige to lose her return match? As for Raw's other advantages, obviously, Lesnar and Reigns pose a major threat to Styles and the New Day, respectively.

Overall, both shows have a tremendous roster going into Survivor Series so it really is up in the air for who wins each match aside from the Lesnar/Styles match. As Jordan said, SmackDown has the most to gain from a win and Raw has the most to lose.