Hey, everyone! Welcome to the Wrap Up. It's going to be a craz...
Oh hey, Sami. Yes, we see you there.
Sami Zayn leaning even harder into ska and dancing even more like a hapless imbecile is just what the heels of SmackDown need right now, by the way.
Speaking of which...who are the heels of the Blue Brand? Is it - I dunno - the ENTIRE BLUE BRAND?
We're a few days removed now from not only Shane McMahon's big "Under Siege 2: Dark Territory" invasion of the RAW backstage area, but also the giant PPV-changing shakeup that happened this past weekend regarding TLC and both Roman and Bray being felled by what we'll affectionately call "viral mump-ingitis." It was an outbreak that massively shifted the shape of the card just days beforehand, changing things so that we now have an upcoming feud between Kane and Braun (that allowed Kane to pick up a clean dominant win over Finn on RAW right after Finn triumphed over AJ - smdh!) due to a flat-out "murdering" of Braun at the hands of a garbage truck compactor.
Oh sure, Braun will be fine. Even though the human body isn't exactly built for being crushed to death and we're all wondering what shape Braun might be in after dying and being dead, he'll be fine after a couple of week's when the death wears off and he successfully rehabs from murder. But now instead of Kane feuding with Roman, he'll be taking on Braun. Sadly, we'll never know what the TLC main event would have been like with Roman. I don't doubt that the Shield would have won - and with that Shield Bomb on Miz too - but I don't think they'd have done the whole "Roman gets taken out and leaves for the back only to return later and clean house" angle that they did with Kurt. Which was mostly done to protect Kurt and keep him out of the bulk of the match.
Whatever the babyface trio was, the heels were going to lose and look like fools doing it. They just look more like idiots now because they lost to a team that wasn't even the Shield and the third guy was the weakest link (yes, despite being freakin' Kurt Angle). Man, I wish Miz had pinned Kurt right at the end. Oh well. TLC's a spooky half-rememberd ghost now. You can read my thoughts about all the matches here on my TLC live blog from last Sunday.
All that being that, TLC wound up being the least crazy and hectic thing to happen in WWE over the last few days. On Monday, Shane got a bunch of SmackDowners, mostly those not in major storylines, to show up on RAW and BEAT THE EVER LOVING S*** OUT OF WHOEVER THEY SAW. What the hell? Wha? Why?
Okay, so I have MANY thoughts about this. Firstly, I'll share my one positive. I do not like the Bragging Rights shtick. Do not. At all. I am against it. I don't care about who wins between the two brands. Spoilers: SmackDown usually wins where it counts because it's the B show and this is the one time it can shine - when nothing is really on the line and all that's rewarded is a kayfabe pat on the back. I don't mind the brand split, but I roll my eyes super hard when it comes to "competition" between the brands. As if most of these guys and gals don't just go back and forth with drafts and "shakeups" and what have you. It's like how Proctor and Gamble sells Head & Shoulders, Pert, and Aussie shampoos. No matter what you buy, P&G wins. The only real winner is the WWE here.
Being able to brag about a win means nothing when wins and losses are easily and readily forgotten on a whim in the service of storylines. Bray Wyatt beat Finn Balor clean on RAW and even though it mostly started their entire feud, it was never spoken of. If history is often swept under the rug - unless it all of a sudden becomes super relevant for an angle - there's nothing to care about when it comes to RAW vs. SmackDown matches. It's just another case of WWE trying to tell us over and over again that something is important when there are no true stakes.
Survivor Series: The Only Time* Of the Year** Fans Will Get to See RAW Superstars Battle SmackDown Superstars***.
*Not counting TLC this past Sunday or RAW the following night **As of 2016, following the second brand split ***Isn't Kane a SmackDown superstar, or did we miss the "Free Agent" Kane era?
Okay, the positive. Shane's assault on the RAW roster did one thing: It made this Survivor Series feel a little more important. It's a little more savage this year. Why? I'm not sure. It still doesn't matter overall who wins or loses. It never will. But the whole Bragging Rights angle flashed its fangs a bit more. And I guess that's...good?
Now, let's dig into the bad. Firstly, why were there so many babyfaces as part of the invasion? I know it'd be impossible to do it without them, but why were they front and center? Were New Day up front because they were the biggest stars? Becky Lynch too. Why was she so eager to go and kick her friends' teeth in? Why were the babyfaces SO into this?
Continue on for more from RAW and SmackDown Live...
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