Smark Out Moment

Do you have a question that you want to ask the minds over at Smark Out Moment? Our version of the WWE Inbox is the Smark Out Moment Mailbag. Once a month, we set aside some time to answer any of the questions on your mind, whether they be wrestling related, trivia to try to stump us, or just general questions to get to know Tony Mango and the other members of the team better.

Here are your submissions for this month:


Question: "What was the most seen and best costume you saw from Halloween? Saw Evie daughter of The Evil Queen from Snow White and Mal daughter of Maleficent from Descendants. Best was Mal Mom a mom was rocking Maleficent"

Answer: Actually, I didn't see any good costumes this year.

Question: "Any one see Pokemon I choose you movie? I think as a stand alone movie it was pretty good. But as one of 20 year fans who saw the Easter eggs thought it was a middle finger to us and can say in Comic Book Guys voice worse movie ever"

Answer: I haven't seen it, but it definitely looked like a total retcon to me. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I might have to check it out.

Question: "Who do you think is the better commentator David Outunga or Booker T?"

Answer: Booker T, for sure. He's crazy and strange, but at least he's entertaining, while Otunga offers nothing.

Question: "Do you think Booker T dislikes Jason Jordan because Booker is kayfabe Jason's real Dad?"

Answer: Hahaha nope, but he does seem to have an irrational hatred toward him, which is weird.

Question: "Who is the better "Indian" champion the man that was world champion and competed in the Punjabi prison 10 years ago or the man who was champion this year and competed in the Punjabi prison this Jinder Mahal?"

Answer: Jinder Mahal is the better wrestler, but Khali was the better choice for the champion because at least he had the look of someone who was very imposing.

Question: "Who do you think Kurt Angle and Triple H will face at Mania? We can see HHH Vs Braun, Shane or Kurt and Kurt Vs HHH or Jordan I think"

Answer: Part of me is a little suspicious that Daniel Bryan might be cleared to wrestle and face Kurt Angle, while Triple H vs. Angle is a much more likely possibility. If we get Angle vs. Triple H ahead of time, then Triple H faces Braun Strowman and Angle faces either Bryan or maybe Jason Jordan...I'm not sure...

Question: "Do you think if James Strom returns to WWE in the rumble we could possibly see Storm vs Roode at Mania?"

Answer: I think if he returns, he'll go back to NXT at least for a little bit, and we won't see him pop up on SmackDown until after WrestleMania at the earliest.

Question: "Why did Braun Stroman get out of a white and go into a red garbage truck?"

Answer: Wizard did it.

Question: "Does the Universal title not have a rematch clause? Ballor, Owens and Goldberg never got a rematch"

Answer: I think that just goes to show how little WWE thinks things out for the future and how they prioritize certain things over logic and balance. It was SO important to them to put the belt on Goldberg that they just didn't care about anything else.


Question: "Who is the most underrated and overrated wrestler, on the mic right now and all-time?"

Answer: The more time goes by, the more I think Kurt Angle is overrated as a talker, which could really apply to both. Underrated, Jerry Lawler.

Question: "Apples or Grapes?"

Answer: Apples, particularly if they're really crispy, cold, and slightly sour.

Question: "Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks?"

Answer: I'm not a coffee drinker, so that skews my point of view and pushes me toward Dunkin Donuts by default since Starbucks doesn't have as many things I'd order, even though the quality of their stuff is better overall.

Question: "What's your favorite kind of candy? I would go with Kit-Kats, M&M, Hershey, and Crunch."

Answer: Reese's peanut butter cups and Nutrageous are probably my favorites, along with the Oreo Milka bar and Mr. Goodbar. Fifth Avenue is up there. Generic Hershey's is still awesome. Butterfinger is great...

Question: "Now I watched Total Divas cause I wanted to see what Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss were up to. And the episode had Jax and Maryse getting into an argument. Maryse says that she has much to do with the Women's Revolution than any woman, because she had to climb her way through to get time on matches. What's your opinion on that?"

Answer: I think there's certainly an argument for that. The Women's Revolution was a group effort, not just one or two people. If that were to be the case, Lita and Trish would have pulled that off years ago. In fact, I think more than anyone, the revolution is dependent upon the Four Horsewomen breaking that final barrier and Triple H willing to pull the trigger.

Question: "Would you rather make out with Braun Strowman or the Big Show?"

Answer: Oh God, that sounds horrible. I guess Strowman, but I'd be worried that he would say he wasn't finished with me.

Question: "Do you know the YouTuber Velena? She's very dumb and annoying."

Answer: No idea who that is, but I tend to find most YouTubers annoying, so I'm not surprised to hear that.

Question: "Have you been anywhere out of the United States?"

Answer: Sadly, not yet.

Question: "Have you ever been to DisneyWorld? If so, what is your favorite ride?"

Answer: I went to Disney World twice, once as a child and once for my senior trip in high school and loved it both times for different reasons. If I remember correctly, my favorite ride was the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.

Question: "Do you watch The Walking Dead?"

Answer: Nope, I gave it two or three episodes and couldn't get into it. Zombies aren't my thing and it felt like it was a show that revolved around getting you to tune in next week rather than actually giving you much story.

Question: "Are you a fan of pickles?"

Answer: Absolutely 100% hate them in any fashion with anything. If Chick-Fil-A puts pickles on my chicken sandwich, I send it back.

Question: "I know I might be asking something radical, but what's your opinion on Trump?"

Answer: I think he's a charismatic puppet bafoon who got elected because the DNC were idiots and didn't go with the clear and obvious choice of Bernie Sanders, so it bit them in the ass and other people who would have voted anti-Republican suddenly found themselves voting for the weird option because they didn't like Clinton. Now, everyone's seeing that it's just as bad if not worse and it sucks. I expect him to go down in history with one of the absolute lowest approval ratings ever and to certainly not get elected for a second term.

Question: "With Wrestle Kingdom 12 looking amazing, can you now say that NJPW might be catching up to WWE?"

Answer: I still don't think so, but I'll be tuning in to the event, that's for sure.

Question: "Do you have Snapchat?"

Answer: I do, but I barely ever use it. The same goes for Instagram. I just tend not to take all too many pictures.

Question: "What was your best subject in school? What was your worst?"

Answer: I was always best at computer-related subjects and electives like film and theater. My worst was definitely the harder sciences and maths because there's no wiggle room to bullshit and I'm a master at that.

Question: "Did you watch the Ric Flair 30 for 30?"

Answer: I haven't had a chance to yet, but I've heard it was good from a couple different people, so I have to get to that.

Question: "I'm pretty sure you live near Phily, so are you gonna go to the Royal Rumble?"

Answer: I really hope so, but for some reason, all my friends are sitting on their asses about buying tickets even though I was trying to get some when they first went on sale haha.

Question: "What's your go to for Chinese and Mexican food?"

Answer: Mexican food is pretty much all the same to me, so just give me a soft tortilla with lettuce, cheese and beef and I'm pretty good no matter what the variation. With Chinese, I tend to go with a little bit of a lot of options, like general tsos, pork fried rice, chicken lo mein, steamed pork dumplings, etc.

Question: "What car do you have, and what car would you like?"

Answer: I actually don't have a car right now, and I'm not much of a car guy so I don't know what types I like. Maybe a Kia Optima to be reasonable?

Question: "Chicken Wings or Chicken Tenders?"

Answer: Chicken tenders most of the time, but when you're in the mood for chicken wings, only chicken wings can satisfy.

Question: "Since The Undertaker will return to RAW 25, near Royal Rumble, what do you think he'll do?"

Answer: I'm only expecting him to endorse Roman Reigns as the guy to beat Brock Lesnar or something like that. I don't think he'll be setting up any angles for Mania.

Question: "Who has the most potential. Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose, Ruby Riot, Liv Morgan, or Sarah Logan?"

Answer: I think they all have positives and negatives, but I can see Mandy Rose being the least talented overall and Sarah Logan having the hardest time getting her personality over.

Question: "This probably sounds crazy, but do you think Zelina Vega can beat Ember Moon for The NXT Women's Championship? Taynara Conti is my main guess."

Answer: That's definitely a possibility. They have to know that Vega is more than capable in the ring. She, Conti, and the Iconic Duo are definitely the top four candidates in my mind.

Question: "Should WWE have paired up Paige with the Iconic Duo? Would you have been okay with that?"

Answer: I think it makes more sense for Paige to be with Deville and Rose due to their connection together.

Question: "Do you like the "Rusev Day" gimmick?"

Answer: I think it's already run its course.

Question: "Is Sami Zayn doing a good job as a heel?"

Answer: I don't think so, but that might be partially due to how he's booked like a loser.

Question: "Do you like The Usos promo work now? It's really been impressing me."

Answer: They've been the best they've ever been.

Question: "Do you like salad?"

Answer: Nope, my go-to salad for Saladworks is honey BBQ chicken, turkey, dried cranberries and apple slices. I don't eat tomatoes, cucumbers and other normal ingredients, including dressing.

Question: "Do you like yogurt? I think it's disgusting."

Answer: I hate it. It's so gross and bitter.

Question: "What's your favorite kind of pasta?"

Answer: This is such a tough question that I never have a true answer for. Shells might be my favorite, but I love farfalle, angel hair, and rotini...tortellini...and just so, so many shapes.

Question: "If you were the creator of The Simpsons, What would you change about it from the declining seasons?"

Answer: I think the past bunch of seasons have sucked because they just don't have good enough writers who can think of more subtle ways to implement better jokes.

Question: "Do you watch Stranger Things?"

Answer: LOVE that show.

Question: "When was the last time you played Hide and Seek?"

Answer: It must have been something like 20 years ago.

Question: "What was the craziest thing that ever happened during a game of Monopoly? Asking this because of your War Games Predictions Podcast where you talked about it."

Answer: I actually don't have any crazy stories about Monopoly. No friendships were ever broken because of it or anything like that.

Question: "Would you rather be stuck in a dog cage for a entire year, or be stuck in a maze in the middle of no where?"

Answer: I'll take the dog cage, cause at least then, I have access to other people and some food and water.

Question: "If you were in charge of WWE, how and what match would you build towards if The Undertaker were to return?"

Answer: I'm not sure I want him to return unless he can pull off a fantastic match against John Cena. He had a decent enough send-off as it was, so I can't think of a way to bring him back without ruining that.

Question: "Where's No Way Jose? Would you be interested in a him and Velveteen Dream feud?"

Answer: I'd be up for it. I like both of them quite a bit.

Question: "Who's your favorite singer right now? Mine is Ed Sherran."

Answer: I don't have any favorite singers or bands, ever. I'm weird like that.

UFC 218 will take place on December 2nd, 2017 at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. Follow here for predictions and information on the event's card, lineup of matches and news regarding the pay-per-view.

Here are my predictions for UFC 218. Card is subject to change so come back closer to the event for up to date predictions.

FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP: Max Holloway (c) vs Jose Aldo (#1)

I was very unsure about the first fight and I was surprised how well Aldo started, but the brutal nature of the 3rd round and how well Holloway finished him, makes me think Aldo has very little chance. I think we might even see a repeat of what happened the first time.

PREDICTION: Max Holloway, 3rd round KO.

HEAVYWEIGHT: Alistair Overeem (#1) vs Francis Ngannou (#4)

This HAS to be fight of the night. Whoever wins should fight Stipe Miocic for the title and I really hope Ngannou is as good as he seems. Overeem is a big challenge, but out of more hope than judgement, I think Ngannou is going to put him to sleep.

PREDICTION: Francis Ngannou, 1st round KO.

FLYWEIGHT: Henry Cejudo (#2) vs Sergio Pettis (#4)

I don't really like Pettis as a Flyweight, I think he could do well at Bantamweight but Cejudo is better at 125lbs.

PREDICTION: Henry Cejudo, decision.

LIGHTWEIGHT: Eddie Alvarez (#4) vs Justin Gaethje (#5)

This could be amazing!

PREDICTION: Justin Gaethje, 3rd round KO.

STRAWWEIGHT: Tecia Torres (#5) vs Michelle Waterson (#6)

This is a great fight, I hope it goes the distance and I don't really have a preference as to who wins, but I think Torres is getting close to a title fight.

PREDICTION: Tecia Torres, decision.


LIGHTWEIGHT: Charles Oliveira vs Paul Felder

If Oliveira gets it to the ground, it could be over quick, but on the feet, it's only going one way.

PREDICTION: Paul Felder, 2nd round KO.

WELTERWEIGHT: Alex Oliveira (#15) vs Yancy Medeiros

I like Oliveira, I think he deserves more credit, this won't be easy though.

PREDICTION: Alex Oliveira, 1st round KO. I feel like Medeiros is going to make an early mistake.

LIGHTWEIGHT: David Teymur vs Drakkar Klose

I don't know a massive amount about either guy, but the stats favour Klose.

PREDICTION: Drakkar Close, 3rd round KO.

STRAWWEIGHT: Felice Herrig (#9) vs Cortney Casey (#11)

Now this is interesting, I'm looking forward to this fight, Casey could get the stoppage, but I think it goes to the judges.

PREDICTION: Felice Herrig, decision.


STRAWWEIGHT: Amanda Cooper vs Angela Magana

I hope this at least makes it onto TV, should be a decent fight as well.

PREDICTION: Angela Magana, decision.

WELTERWEIGHT: Sabah Homasi vs Abdul Razak Alhassan

8 KO's in 8 wins for Alhassan.

PREDICTION: Abdul Razak Alhassan, 2nd round KO.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT: Jeremy Kimball vs Dominick Reyes

I don't know if Reyes can finish Kimball, if it goes all the way I think he wins it though.

PREDICTION: Jeremy Kimball, 2nd round KO.

HEAVYWEIGHT: Justin Willis vs Allen Crowder

I think Crowder takes this thanks to his better all-round ability, if it's a stand and strike contest, though, Willis might just finish him.

PREDICTION: Allen Crowder, decision.

The WWE NXT Tag Team Championship has changed hands as Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish of The Undisputed Era defeated SAnitY to capture the titles on November 29, 2017 during the tapings for future episodes of NXT. The match will air sometime in December.

My immediate reaction: It was bound to happen, wasn't it? I'm not surprised in the slightest bit, although I did think there was a chance they'd wait until TakeOver to do it.

Click the following links for the full list of title changes for this year and the list of current champions and my predictions for who will take the belts away from them.

The latest round of tapings for WWE NXT were done on November 29, 2017 at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. The following are spoilers of the results for the content during the tapings, which will appear on the next few episodes of NXT. WWE may choose to edit things differently, rearrange matches or add supplemental content.

• With Drew McIntyre out of action, there will be 4 qualifying matches leading to a Fatal 4-Way to determine a new No. 1 contender for NXT Championship to face Andrade "Cien" Almas at NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia.
• (possible dark match) Wolfgang defeated Kona Reeves
• Qualifying Match: Killian Dain defeats Trent Seven by pinfall
• No Holds Barred Match: Sonya Deville defeats Ruby Riott after the referee stops the match when Riott passes out
• Qualifying Match: Johnny Gargano defeats Kassius Ohno by pinfall

• Qualifying Match: Lars Sullivan defeats Roderick Strong by pinfall
• Ember Moon defeats Peyton Royce by pinfall. Billie Kay attacks Moon after the match, but Nikki Cross makes the save and helps run off The Iconic Duo.
• Andrade "Cien" Almas defeats Fabian Aichner
• Qualifying Match: Aleister Black defeats Adam Cole

• The Authors of Pain defeat Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan
• NXT Tag Team Championship Match: The Undisputed Era (Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish) defeat SAnitY (Killian Dain and Eric Young) to win the NXT Tag Team Championship!
• NXT Women's Championship Match: Ember Moon defeated Sonya Deville to retain the title. After the match, Kairi Sane comes out, but is attacked by Shayna Baszler, who stares down Moon.

• United Kingdom Championship Match: Pete Dunne defeated Tyler Bate to retain the title
• The Street Profits defeated Shane Mercer and another jobber by pinfall
• NXT Championship No. 1 Contender's Fatal 4-Way Match: Johnny Gargano defeats Killian Dain, Lars Sullivan and Aleister Black by pinning Black

The November 28, 2017 episode of WWE SmackDown scored a 0.82 rating (roughly 2.6 million viewers) for adults aged 18-49 according to Nielsen Media Research. This is tied with last week's 0.82 rating and ranked #1 for cable programs on Tuesday evening.

The November 27, 2017 episode of WWE Monday Night Raw scored a 0.94 rating (roughly 2.9 million viewers) for adults aged 18-49 according to Nielsen Media Research. This down from last week's 1.12 rating and ranked #3 for cable programs on Monday evening.

This week's episode of WWE NXT was taped on November 29, 2017 at the Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. The following are spoilers of the results from the original tapings. WWE may choose to edit things differently, rearrange or add other supplemental content.

• The Street Profits def. Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss by pinfall
• Kairi Sane def. Peyton Royce by pinfall
• Trent Seven and Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne and Mark Andrews by pinfall
• Drew McIntyre def. Adam Cole by pinfall

What's been going on this week in the world of professional wrestling? On the latest HOT TAGS edition of the Smark Out Moment wrestling podcast SMACK TALK (episode #313), the panel discusses the following topics and more:

Make sure to subscribe on whatever platform you're listening, leave your comments on the videos or this post, share this edition with your friends and smark out with us!

Mojo Rawley turned heel on the November 28, 2017 edition of SmackDown Live by attacking his tag team partner Zack Ryder after a loss to The Bludgeon Brothers, declaring The Hype Bros to be dead.

My first reaction: Given the circumstances, it makes more sense for Rawley to be the heel than Ryder, because Ryder at least proved his ability to get over with the crowd—something that Rawley hasn't done. I don't think I would have split up this tag team quite yet, but whatever. I don't anticipate this being a big deal and I guess we'll see them only have a match or two on SmackDown, but not on a pay-per-view. They'll fade into obscurity in no time.

Click here for the full list of people who have turned heel or face throughout the year.

Tonight's episode of WWE 205 Live for November 28, 2017 is coming to you live from the Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY. Follow along here for ongoing coverage of the results of the show to find out what happens as things occur and chat with fellow WWE fans in the comments below!

• Noam Dar comes out with Enzo Amore, who tries to talk during the entrance, but his mic isn't on (hahaha). Another thing to note is that the orange swoosh on the Cruiserweight Championship seems to have come off most of it, as only half of the paint is still there. They need to repaint it.
• Rich Swann def. Noam Dar by pinfall
• Kalisto def. Gentleman Jack Gallagher by disqualification after interference from The Brian Kendrick.
• Tony Nese and Drew Gulak def. Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali by pinfall

Tonight's episode of WWE SmackDown for November 28, 2017 is coming to you live from the Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY. Follow along here for ongoing coverage of the results of the show to find out what happens as things occur and chat with fellow WWE fans in the comments below!

• 12 minutes to have Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan say basically nothing other than the Kevin Owens and Randy Orton match will be No DQ and Sami Zayn is barred from ringside.
• The New Day def. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin by pinfall
• The Bludgeon Brothers def. The Hype Bros by pinfall. After the match, Mojo Rawley attacks Zack Ryder, saying "The Hype Bros are dead."
• AJ Styles def. The Singh Brothers by pinfall.
• The Riot Squad (or Riott Squad, unsure) is the name for Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan 
• The Riott Squad def. Charlotte Flair, Naomi and Natalya by pinfall. Natalya walked out very early in the match.
• The Fashion Files this week is a parody of Saw, where Konnor and Viktor sacrifice themselves to save Fandango and Tyler Breeze.
• Kevin Owens def. Randy Orton by pinfall after some help from Sami Zayn, despite the fact that he wasn't supposed to come out, but that's a No DQ match for you

Tonight's episode of WWE Monday Night Raw for November 27, 2017 is coming to you live from the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN. Follow along here for ongoing coverage of the results of the show to find out what happens as things occur and chat with fellow WWE fans in the comments below!

• It takes 15 minutes for Roman Reigns to say he'll do an Open Challenge with the Intercontinental Championship and that Elias will get the first shot.
• Seth Rollins def. Cesaro by pinfall 
• Samoa Joe def. Titus O'Neil by submission
• Paige, Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose are now known as Absolution. They attacked Mickie James and Bayley before their scheduled six-woman tag team match and they attack Sasha Banks in the ring just the same.
• Bray Wyatt def. Matt Hardy by pinfall. After the match, Hardy starts to act like he's going to become the "broken" character
• Rich Swann def. Noam Dar, Ariya Divari and Akira Tozawa in a Fatal 4-Way
• Roman Reigns def. Elias. After the match, Reigns is attacked by Samoa Joe.
• Asuka def. Dana Brooke by submission in under 10 seconds. Absolution come out, but Asuka leaves before any of them start to fight.
• Kane def. Jason Jordan by count out. Kane continues to beat Jordan down after the match. Finn Balor comes out.
• Finn Balor def. Kane by disqualification after Kane hits him with a chair, which he continues to do after the match. Braun Strowman comes out to brawl and put Kane in his place.

This week's episode of WWE Main Event was taped on November 27, 2017 before Monday Night Raw and is coming to you from the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN. The following are the results of what transpired during the show:

• Apollo Crews defeated Curt Hawkins
• Kalisto and Gran Metalik defeated Gentleman Jack Gallagher and The Brian Kendrick

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, Callum Wiggins and Jordan Chaffiotte will be giving their thoughts on all of the craziness that occurred at WWE's fall classic, as well as what they foresee in the future for WWE!

After a small holiday, the Smark Out Moment crew is back with another triad of terrific questions!

DeFELICE: My favorite match was Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles. It wasn’t the amazing, drawn-out battle that be opening six man tag match was, but it told an amazing story. They had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hand to me that’s proof that simplistic storytelling still matters in the industry. I really hope I get to see a longer rematch one day, but even if I never do, I was more than pleased with the dream match I thought I would never see.

WIGGINS: Despite the fact that it went rather long and probably included too many near-falls (even by WWE's standards), I was enraptured by The Shield vs The New Day. I was interested in how they would layout the match, considering how most people were convinced the Shield would win in the end (which proved to be accurate).

But the journey to get there was a testament to how much the New Day has evolved and grown since their lukewarm debut in 2014. Throughout they stood toe-to-toe with the Shield, feeling like their equals and even catching a few people off-guard with their false finishes. The six-man tag was a show-stealer right out of the gate and set the tone for what was (mostly) an excellent night of wrestling.

CHAFFIOTTE: Velveteen Dream vs. Aleister Black. Fight me. No really, this match was far and away the best match of the weekend and is a solid match of the year candidate.

But if you insist I keep it to Sunday, I was very impressed by Charlotte and Alexa Bliss. So impressed in fact, I finally bought myself a Charlotte Flair shirt because she really is the queen of women’s wrestling. I am disinterested in arguments that Alexa can’t hold her own because they are proven false over and over again. Not everyone is going to be a Sasha Banks or a Candice LeRae and if we as fans refuse to make room for the Alexa Bliss’ of the division, we are the problem here. It takes all types, and Alexa more than pulls her weight in storytelling and character work even if she needs to be guided through the technicalities. Charlotte was a great foil for her in this match and though some argue she sold too much for Alexa, let's keep two things in mind. One, I don't care how big and strong you are, if you can't breathe you can't fight, making chokeholds like the Guillotine ideal for little competitors like Alexa. Second, part of what made Ric Flair so great was how well he sold, that he could make you believe in anything he was doing. Charlotte can continue that part of his legacy.


WIGGINS: SmackDown has always been a spiritual home for me. It was the show that got me into professional wrestling all the way back in 2002, with the fabled SmackDown Six, the Undertaker and Brock Lesnar's ascent to main event superstar. So, I will always be biased to the underdog blue brand over Raw, which has always felt like more of a chore to follow than a pleasure, especially since switching to three-hour shows.

I don't think either brand stood out above the other overall. SmackDown had the stronger collection of champions, winning three out of the four of these matches, and arguably produced the best performances, with AJ Styles, The Usos, Charlotte and The New Day performing above and beyond all expectations. But, in the elimination matches, Raw were fundamentally dominant, with SmackDown stars Bobby Roode, Shinsuke Nakamura and Becky Lynch, in particular, feeling worthless after their matches. So, a mix of good and bad, with Raw inevitably standing tall on the night.

CHAFFIOTTE: It seemed that SmackDown presented a stronger, more unified front walking in, and so I was hoping to see them deliver on that story. There were certain wrestlers, Becky Lynch and the New Day to name a few, who really were all in on the concept. They sold me on it and I wanted them to finish the war they started Ironically, I hold a rather unpopular opinion that I honestly can't stand Shane McMahon, it feels like- at least in Kayfabe- he wants to play wrestler on TV and get in his sister's way even though she's put in the time on the business end. #TeamSteph. Walking out, we're right where we started. SmackDown goes back to being the B show, Raw continues to be a bit top-heavy and slow-moving. I'd like to see SmackDown win the Rumble, but I'm dreading a Kurt Angle vs. Triple H main event at WrestleMania

DeFELICE: I kind of feel like the concept of brand warfare gave away a lot of the endings, because the number of the match account had to remain even. I’m top of that, the phony brand warfare I feel never does anything for the brand, but it did succeed in revitalizing Survivor Series. I wasn’t rooting for a particular team, but I am glad that Baron Corbin picked up the win.


CHAFFIOTTE: The Royal Rumble is my favorite night of the year and honestly we've only got one show in between so I'm not too concerned about it under-delivering. Right now one of the most important things to me is Charlotte's title reign. I didn't mind the back and forth with Sasha too much because it was grounded in the story, though I would've made a few different decisions. Now, however, Charlotte needs to hold that belt for a long while. She is, by my estimation, the greatest women's champion in the greatest women's wrestling era (yes I know I know, Asuka, but time will tell) and they need to follow through here. She should hold it well through WrestleMania and take on all challengers who come her way. Defending against Sara Logan, Naomi, and Tamina? Yes, please. Her and Becky should absolutely get the WrestleMania spot.

Over on Raw, I have a theory. Braun Strowman is 11 from Stranger Things. He was probably raised in a lab, and began not understanding his own strength, but now he's learning the meaning of morality and friendship and teamwork. I mean, when he choked out Triple H, he might as well been screaming "FRIENDS DON'T LIE."

Regardless, Braun Strowman is a delight, he's possibly the most interesting person on the roster right now. Where does the monster go

DeFELICE: That main event was a cluster, but now I’m interested to see where they go with Hunter and Braun. It might be fun, but I hope they don’t take it all the way to WrestleMania. I’m also interested to see what John Cena does next. His appearance was very much a throwaway and I’m not all that pleased with his latest career turn.

Typically, the month of December is the month where I really tune out of what is happening because they always seem to bring their D game for the final month of the year. I doubt this year will be any different, but as is the case with every year, I hope I’m wrong.

WIGGINS: I mean, I'd like to be invested in WWE all of the time, not just contained in brief bursts of excitement. But December is historically a period of really lazy booking and delays before the Royal Rumble. End of year awards, Christmas shows, Tribute to the Troops - these are overwhelmingly atrocious shows that fans are better off skipping and waiting until January.

Honestly, none of the outcomes of Survivor Series excited me for upcoming matches. Braun Strowman vs Triple H doesn't really do it for me, as I'm not exactly pumped for months of Stephanie McMahon berating a giant and slapping him across the beard, leading to an overly long match at either Royal Rumble or WrestleMania. Frankly, it's insulting that the only two stories coming out of the Survivor Series main event revolved around Triple H - can't he just continue his great work in NXT behind the scenes and let new blood thrive on the main roster?

So I'm not anticipating any foundation-shaking stories to develop before 2018 arrives, but will eternally live in the hope that they exceed my expectations.

Welcome to another edition of Cheap Pop and Cheap Heat from Smark Out Moment! Each week, we break down the world of professional wrestling and examine two of the polar opposite ends of the spectrum: one thing that was by far the worst thing (Cheap Heat) and the best thing (Cheap Pop) to happen over the past 7 days in sports entertainment. So, what went down this week that we loved and hated about the business?

It would be fair to say that Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens were a hindrance more than the direct cause behind SmackDown Live's loss at Survivor Series, but the continuation of their story is undeniably good.

Firstly, the promos between Owens/Zayn and the authority figures are always well done. Ok, Shane O'Mac can be a little on the over-egged side at times, but Zayn and Owens bring a natural realism quality that helps balance it out.

Secondly, the involvement of the entire locker room being annoyed with them lends strength to the importance of winning Survivor Series. Raw's focus on the in-fighting overshadowed the fact that they won, and that, sadly made the victory seem almost pointless.

Lastly, this is not entirely predictable to see where it is going. Is this somehow leading to a Daniel Bryan heel turn? He seemed far less concerned on punishing the turncoats than Shane. Or is it leading to a power struggle between Shane and Bryan? Stephanie certainly hinted about the idea on Survivor Series.

Oh, and let us not forget that Rusev and Aiden English have made their allegiance to Owens and Zayn clear, too. I love these two as a team, and cannot wait to see how they might fit into this.

Wrestlers vs. Wrestling Authority may be as old as the hills, but SmackDown Live should be congratulated for doing it in a way that is keeping it fresh, and still keeping us guessing.



WWE is often guilty of finding something that works, and then repeating it again and again to the point where it is no longer special.

This past week was a prime example of this trend, but rarely do they repeat the same trick across both SmackDown Live and Raw within the exact same week.

It started on Monday with the return of Paige and her new posse of ex-NXT women who began wreaking havoc on the established Raw superstars. This makes sense as a standalone story. Paige is angry about getting no credit in the revolution, and is determined to put everyone on notice that she is back. Meanwhile, her groupies get to bask in the spotlight.

However, then SmackDown Live happened, and we saw almost the exact same thing happen with Liv Morgan, Ruby Riot, and Sarah Logan, but with the only difference being that they have no established WWE leader.

One school of thought is that there will lead to an NXT vs. WWE women story, but given that these NXT women are now actually WWE stars, this concept is a bit redundant.

Is there a connection to these stories? Or are they just being lazy? I would like to believe that there is a far bigger story at work here, but given that Survivor Series is the only time of the year that Raw and SmackDown Live superstars go head to head in direct competition, I do not see this being the case at all.

Shame.


So there you have it, my two choices for the week. What do YOU think are the Cheap Pop and Cheap Heat this week in professional wrestling? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Welcome to another edition of WOMEN'S WRESTLING WEEKLY—a rundown of the events which have transpired in the world of women's professional wrestling over the past several days not just with the Superstars on WWE programming, but with GFW's Knockouts, Lucha Underground's luchadoras, and even a glimpse at the women on the independent circuit.

Ember Moon vs. Kairi Sane vs. Nikki Cross vs. Peyton Royce

Everyone had a moment to shine in this fast-paced, highly physical match that wisely kept most of the action one on one. Peyton Royce continues to prove why she deserves big spotlights, and Nikki Cross remains fun as ever. However, Kairi Sane and Ember Moon proved sensational with their high-flying stunts and undeniable charisma.

Moon finally won her first NXT Women's Championship after planting Cross and Peyton Royce with an Eclipse AT THE SAME TIME. I kid you not, that ending actually changed my life. It's great to see Ember Moon at the top of the ladder in NXT. She's put in a ton of work, and her story has been building for a long time. Kairi Sane's time will come. For now, Ember Moon is in control. It's her division at long last.

Winner: Ember Moon
Rating: 4/5

WWE Survivor Series

Charlotte Flair vs. Alexa Bliss

There are few talents in WWE whose confidence can carry them to the heights that it has carried women's division juggernauts Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss. Size was a story in this match, as Charlotte ultimately overpowered the wily Bliss in an incredible show of storytelling and athleticism. 

Not much to discuss story-wise in this one other than the fact that let's face it: the right woman won.

Winner: Charlotte Flair

Rating: 3/5

Alicia Fox, Asuka, Sasha Banks, Bayley & Nia Jax vs. Becky Lynch, Natalya, Tamina, Carmella & Naomi

Eighteen minutes is a lot of time. It's roughly half of what the men were given, but that's to be expected. What is "equality," anyways? My snark aside, this was a very good match plagued by wildly confusing booking. Becky Lynch survived for less time than it took for Triple H to get to the ring. Bayley was out first, and Sasha soon followed. And yeah, I get that WWE was trying to build up the likes of Natalya and Tamina, but those eliminations took their toll on the crowd's energy.

Nia vs. Tamina was awesome, and I want it again. But let's be real, the real star of this was Asuka, who finally got to be the dominating, terrifying ball of fury we got to know in NXT by pinning Natalya and Tamina to be Raw's sole survivor. No more illusions of being an underdog: this is a competitor's worst nightmare. It's Asuka's world, and we're all living in it.

Winner: Team Raw (Sole Survivor: Asuka)

Rating: 3.5/5

Asuka vs. Dana Brooke

Dana Brooke was not ready for Asuka.

Winner: Asuka
Rating: 2/5

Bayley vs. Mickie James vs. Alicia Fox vs. Sasha Banks

PAIGE IS BACK! AND SHE BROUGHT MANDY ROSE AND SONYA DEVILLE WITH HER!

Okay, freakout out of the way. How did we get here? Well, a match for the No. 1 contendership was made, and Paige invaded, milking in the roar of the crowd before announcing that she didn't come alone. The three laid out everyone in the ring, and later beat down Alexa Bliss backstage.

Raw's women's division just got wildly crowded and loaded at the same time. Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose have been quietly refining their game in NXT at live shows, and both show a lot of promise and uniqueness. Paige's presence will be a big boost for them. Paige herself looks fantastic, and it's such a relief to have her back in WWE after everything following her neck injury. Welcome back!



Natalya vs. Charlotte Flair (SmackDown Women's Championship match)

Similar to last week, Natalya attacked with ruthless aggression (I had to) but Charlotte survived long enough with her usual mix of underdog resilience and just absolute dominance.

Earlier in the night, we were introduced to SmackDown's newest hires: RUBY RIOT, SARAH LOGAN AND LIVE MORGAN! It's an NXT invasion! They attacked Naomi during a backstage interview before running out and attacking Natalya , giving her the victory by disqualification and then Charlotte.

These three are stars. They don't need an established star like Paige to introduce themselves; they're defined as individuals already. Ruby Riot and Sarah Logan have years of experience between them and Liv Morgan is learning quickly. Here's hoping SmackDown's crowded roster doesn't try to turn this into team warfare...again.

Winner: Natalya
Rating: 3/5



Ruby Riot vs. Sonya Deville

In what turned out to be their last NXT matches, Ruby Riot and Sonya Deville put on a fun, albeit short, show, with the more-experienced Riot coming out victorious.

Winner: Ruby Riot
Rating: 2/5



Thanksgiving...

Look, all you need to know is that Allie and Laurel Van Ness were involved in a tag match where the loser had to wear a turkey suit. Happy holidays, I guess.



This section includes recaps of matches from around the world in various lesser-known independent promotions throughout the week.

PROGRESS

Match: Jinny vs. Dahlia Black
Winner: Jinny

STARDOM

Match: Queen's Quest vs. Oedo Tai
Winner: Queen's qUEST

WrestleCade

Match: Ivelisse vs. Taya Valkyrie
Winner: Ivelisse


A story in the works for the better part of a year finally reached its climax as Ember Moon hoisted her first ever NXT Women's Championship. This match was ON from start to finish. Every competitor looked like a star, and Kairi Sane remains unpinned. What a time to be alive!


Paige overcame a lot to get back to WWE. But that's not the reason why I'm so glad to have her back. She's an enthralling character whose charisma and hard-hitting style will only benefit from having great competition. Hopefully, this won't be another Divas Revolution, and Paige will get the chance to shine like she was always meant to.

So there you have it, the breakdown for the week in women's wrestling. What were some of your favorite and least favorite moments from these women? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Also, come back next week for a full breakdown of the Mae Young Classic's first round of episodes and matches.

Welcome to another edition of Battle of the Brands from Smark Out Moment, where we compare this week's episodes of Raw and SmackDown and determine which one of the two was the better show.

BATTLE OF THE BRANDS:

RAW vs. SMACKDOWN

FACTOR 1: CROWD

Houston, Texas was hot for wrestling this weekend. NXT: Takeover, Survivor Series, Raw, SmackDown, and NXT taping. Classic WWE weekend for a city that certainly deserves every bit of it. Clearly, the crowd blew the roof off for NXT: Takeover as usual, and they were by far the best crowd. But, that doesn't fit here.

For our choices, Paige got a good pop on Raw and that may be mostly for.. Ya know.. The stuff online. Regardless, she got some love. But so did AJ Styles and rightfully so as he Lesnar put on what some could argue is the match of the weekend.

If I had to choose, which I do as that is the entire premise of this, I'm taking Raw. They had a solid crowd throughout that popped at some good stuff.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 2: COMMENTARY

I really am having a hard time distinguishing between the two teams anymore with how Michael Cole & Tom Phillips are so interchangeable and Corey Graves is on both squads.

Michael Cole did have a slip up on SmackDown where he called Harper & Rowan "Harpran" and it cracked me up. So, I'll give SmackDown the petty W for that since neither squad was really that different.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 3: MATCHES

This is Raw easily. SmackDown had a cool lumberjack match with KO & Sami and The New Day but outside of that they had nothing I enjoyed.

Raw had Finn vs. Samoa Joe, Braun vs. Jason Jordan, and a great Intercontinental Championship match with The Miz & Roman where the wrong man won. Regardless, Raw takes this category with ease.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 4: PROMOS

The promos this week were all similar with each brand being happy and proud of their respective sides. I loved seeing Stephanie and Hunter back(I know that sounds crazy to some but I actually love them as heels) and to see Hunter cower to Braun when he came out was a genius little addition. Oh yeah, and Paige is back to her ways on the mic and I'm a huge fan of that.

On SmackDown seeing KO & Sami suck up to people backstage was fun. Seeing all of them and Daniel Bryan "feud" is kinda fun. Outside of that, AJ Styles had a nice spot about his match with Lesnar that was ruined by Jinder.

All in all, Raw had the better promos too.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 5: STORYLINES

We are in the post Survivor Series storyline build ups where it is no longer inter-brand stories. We'll see more and more where these stories are going like Sami & KO for example. The only one I'm ready to see end is AJ Styles & Jinder Mahal because all hints we've seen so far seem to point to AJ & Shinsuke at WrestleMania. I'm not up on all the NXT women that debuted since it wasn't Nikki Cross, Ember Moon, or Sane.

On the Raw side I think we're gonna see Braun and Hunter at WrestleMania and the build for that was seeded at Survivor Series. I'm very eager to see what happens with Brock Lesnar and the Universal Championship going into the future with guys like Finn & Joe who could put on some brilliant matches with Lesnar.

I like Raws storylines more than SmackDowns right now as The Shield and The Miz have such a fun rivalry, Braun & Hunter will be awesome, the return of Paige(WOW), Brock Lesnar and the Universal Championship and his next fight, and when The Revival returns they will have a loaded tag scene. Raw wins.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 6: SCHEDULING / PACING

You know how I feel here.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 7: VISUAL PRESENTATION

Paige is back!! What a sight that was to see a lady with so much controversy come back. I love it.

WINNER: Raw

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Paige is back! With the women having such strong workers and talkers in the group right now, Paige only going to make it better.

POINT ADJUSTMENTS: Raw (+1 / -0) / SmackDown (+0 / -0)


Raw wins 6-2 with a strong showing with promos and matches. Giving us matches like Finn & Joe and Roman & Miz is nice for episodic TV and not PPV. SmackDown held back. Not showing us AJ in a match nor their other champ Baron Corbin. They missed a chance to follow up with that match AJ had with Lesnar, but regardless Raw was so much better I'm not sure how much of a difference that would have made. Fun episode of Raw gets the win.

Welcome to another edition of Power Rankings from Smark Out Moment! Each week, we will break down the current roster and examine who has gone up the WWE hierarchy and who has unfortunately taken a step down the ladder. Factoring in things such as wins and losses, suspensions, injuries, making a name for one's self, being humiliated, and more, who is at the top of the food chain and who needs to make up some ground next week?

Jason Jordan was still out to prove himself to Triple H and his father, but suffered a beating from Braun Strowman.


She led her team to victory at Survivor Series and was also named to a Fatal 4-way to determine a new number one contender, but it was interrupted by Paige.


The partners picked up another solid victory over their rivals The Usos on their way to an inevitable title match.


The snarky loud-mouth is still champion after Survivor Series.


He lost at Survivor Series and was the last one on his team to be laid out. He isn't getting much traction against Owens and Zayn either.


The big men seem revitalized as a tag duo once more and seem better than ever.


He was unsuccessful against Corbin and also dropped the title to Roman Reigns. After he is done filming, expect big things again from Miz.


The New Day was powerbombed at Survivor Series in a classic and lost a lumberjack match. They did get in the last laugh afterwards though.


The Bruiserweight was back on NXT and brought out the best in his opponent.


The Drifter is gaining momentum with back to back victories over Matt Hatdy.


She lost to Flair, but came out looking stronger. However, a returning Paige could ruin her reign.


After backing up all his trash talk, Baron Corbin beat The Miz. He seems to be headed to a feud with Bobby Roode next.


His team was victorious over SmackDown and he even scored a win over former teammate Finn Balor.


Tuesday nights got a whole lot more exciting after the NXT females made the jump and made a statement.


Triple H turned on him, but still gave him a win and his job security. Angle seems to have The Game in his sights.


The duo got their point across at Survivor Series and continues to stick it to Shane McMahon.


The brothers beat The Bar at the pay-per-view, but seem to have new contenders in Benjamin and Chad.


The WWE Champion went through a living hell against Lesnar, but defended his title successfully on SmackDown.


She is making a statement on Raw by being the sole survivor for her team and destroying Dana Brooke.


Lesnar proved why he is The Beast when he picked apart AJ Styles in a match that he will not forget anytime soon.


She returned to Raw with a bang, seemingly involving herself in the title hunt and with company at her side.


The Queen beat The Goddess, but now has three new peasants to deal with in the NXT call-ups who attacked her.


In a controversial ending to Survivor Series, Triple H showed his power when he and Braun were the sole survivors. He now has two new enemies who are stalking him in Angle and Braun.


The Monster was one of Raw's last men standing and is tearing through the roster to get his hands on Triple H again.


They beat The New Day at Survivor Series, Ambrose beat Sheamus one-on-one, and Reigns won the Intercontinental Championship against The Miz.

Smark Out Moment host Tony Mango puts his wrestling trivia knowledge to the test by taking on another WWE quiz from Sporcle, based off the recent NXT TakeOver: WarGames event. Can he name all of the wrestlers who have competed in NWA, WCW and WWE WarGames matches?

Below, you will find the video of the quiz along with a link to the game so you can play it yourself (before watching the video, cheaters!) and see how well you do in comparison.

The November 21, 2017 episode of WWE SmackDown scored a 0.82 rating (roughly 2.6 million viewers) for adults aged 18-49 according to Nielsen Media Research. This is tied with last week's 0.82 rating and ranked #1 for cable programs on Tuesday evening.

This week's episode of WWE NXT was taped before TakeOver: WarGames at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The following are spoilers of the results of the original tapings. WWE will likely add supplemental content to this, recapping the events of TakeOver to fill in the rest of the time.

• Ruby Riot defeated Sonya Deville
• Pete Dunne retained the United Kingdom Championship over Johnny Gargano