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, Dallas Allsopp, Bodeen Green and Callum Wiggins review the 2020 edition of WWE Survivor Series.

Survivor Series 2020 was a solid show, although a few questionable finishes brought down the overall quality. The Undertaker's final farewell was emotional, whilst Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns stole the show. Did Team SmackDown deserve to lose so easily against Team Raw in the men's elimination match? Can The Street Profits eclipse The New Day's legacy? And just what is going on with Lana?


ALLSOPP: Considering who was on the SmackDown team, I am extremely disappointed with the heavy defeat they sustained. Seth Rollins' antics were not surprising considering the upcoming birth of his baby, but the rest of the team should have put up a better fight. This was effective in solidifying the Raw team as stars, whilst also creating the impression that SmackDown is the inferior product. Yes, a closer score would have resulted in a better encounter, but in all honesty, Raw would still be presented as the superior product.

GREEN: Whilst I would have preferred a closer and more back and forth contest, Raw beating SmackDown with a clean sweep was still enjoyable to watch and help set up the show. Despite losing 5-0, SmackDown didn't look completely weak, especially with Seth Rollins eliminating himself, which will definitely lead to him leaving for a short period of time as he becomes a father. Team SmackDown losing also helped with the storyline between Jey Uso and The Tribal Chief Roman Reigns, and may also help with other storylines on the blue brand. Overall, Team SmackDown losing isn't a bad thing as it can help progress storylines on both Raw and SmackDown.

WIGGINS: It very much depends on if there is any significant follow up to this on either the Raw or SmackDown sides. Raw at least made the positive step of giving everyone on the winning team opportunities to earn a WWE Championship match, but you could have done that if the result was significantly closer as well. Personally, I think the creative team thought it would be interesting for the completely dysfunctional team to come together and dominate against the slightly dysfunctional team. Fundamentally, it made SmackDown's upper-mid tier of wrestlers seem completely inferior. Yes, they can blame it on Seth Rollins essentially handing them the win by refusing to fight, but it doesn't help build anyone up to potentially fight Roman Reigns any time soon.


GREEN: This was an amazing match that definitely lived up to high expectations. All four men involved in this match worked extremely hard in the small amount of time that they were given. The New Day lost nothing in defeat, and they are already easily one of the best tag teams of all time, therefore they can suffer losses without ever looking weak. The Street Profits winning is definitely a passing of the torch moment, and I look forward to seeing them dominate the tag team division more in the future. To me, it's too early to say if The Street Profits can have a career as distinguished as The New Day. A part of what has made The New Day's legacy so great is that they have lasted for so long without breaking up, in addition to also being a 3 man group that benefited from the Freebird rule. That being said, if The Street Profits stay together and don't get lost in the shuffle due to any major injuries, they can definitely reach the level of The New Day.

WIGGINS: There's no question that The Street Profits have unlimited potential as a tag team, and their run as champions has been impressive, albeit not underpinned by a particularly memorable feud or story. It's almost as if they've been champions by default, because WWE just doesn't want to give any other team the belts right now. However, there are two major things standing in the way of The Street Profits reaching The New Day's level – WWE's hatred of tag teams and the inevitable Montez Ford singles push. I hope they are a tag team for significantly longer because I'm a big fan of both Ford and Angelo Dawkins, but deep down, we all know how this is going to end up.

ALLSOPP: I absolutely love The Street Profits. They are on equal footing with The New Day as their matches are consistently high quality. But without a doubt, it is clear to me that they have the potential to surpass all records set by their peers, primarily because they have time on their side. As long as WWE want to build a tag team division, they should always be involved in a title feud. Hopefully they aren't split up, as both they and fans would benefit from the team dominating whichever show they are on.


WIGGINS: It was completely predictable if you had been watching any WWE television over the month building up to Survivor Series. Whilst this match could have been a launching pad for Bianca Belair, someone you could realistically build the entire women's division around for the next several years, WWE was consumed with the Lana story, and how the underdog would have her day at Survivor Series. But, then they couldn't even get that right! By just having her win by default and celebrate it like she just pinned Charlotte Flair in the WrestleMania main event doesn't present her as a credible or inspiring babyface, except the mouth-breathers in the WWE Universe. And evidently there are plenty of those…

ALLSOPP: This was unexpected, but nevertheless, it was oddly impressive. There is no world in which Lana should ever be presented as a threat, but I don't mind finishes like this to avoid predictable outcome. I do think that Lana will be able to turn this into a shot at the Raw Women's Championship, albeit an unsuccessful one. The negative aspect to this match, similar to the men's match, is how the rest of the women were presented as inferior. It was a good match, but nothing special, and that is evident in Lana being the winner.

GREEN: I don't know what WWE are trying to do with Lana, and I feel WWE doesn't either. One moment she's being booked as an inspirational babyface who has faced many challenges whilst being passionate about pro wrestling, but the next moment she is being booked as a comedy character who only wins through sheer luck. I was expecting Lana to help her team win in some lucky manner, but for her to do it the way she did just annoyed me. Whilst she may get another title shot in the future, I can't see her winning, especially as Asuka has been booked so strongly. It is also clear there are plenty of women on the Raw roster who are more deserving of a title shot.