WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Highlights and Analysis from November 15

The march to Survivor Series on November 24 continued Friday on Fox, as Roman Reigns and King Corbin warred over the leadership of WWE SmackDown.

The Big Dog and the 2019 King of the Ring found themselves at odds, while Shorty G and Mustafa Ali fought for the right to retain their spots on Team SmackDown in a huge tag team match against Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode.

Would the underdog babyfaces stay put on the Survivor Series battle for brand supremacy, or would The Showoff and The Glorious One unseat them?

Find out the answer to that question and about everything else that went down on the broadcast with this recap of Friday's show.

King Corbin Kicked Off SmackDown

A week after defeating Roman Reigns in SmackDown's main event, King Corbin kicked off Friday's show and was greeted by Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode.

Corbin taunted the Philly fans and declared that SmackDown is no longer The Big Dog's yard but, rather, his kingdom. He took it one step further, calling himself the real leader of SmackDown.

Ziggler and Roode put over their match with Shorty G and Mustafa Ali for the last two spots on Team SmackDown at the Survivor Series. Corbin challenged Reigns to come to the ring and watch the match.

Reigns' music played, and a guy in a dog suit made his way to the ring amid dog yelps, a total mockery of the brand's lead babyface.

Grade

C+

Analysis

In terms of building heat for Corbin, this worked fine for what it was.

With that said, the rivalry between him and Reigns feels lukewarm at best, and the yapping dog nonsense has to stop. It's not funny, it's not particularly clever and it does not help anyone involved.

The segment itself was OK, and Ziggler and Roode were solid enough on the microphone as they stated their case to be on Team SmackDown. This all feels like a midcard program, though, rather than a main event feud, and that is an indictment on the creative team's lackluster booking.

Shorty G and Mustafa Ali vs. Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode

Mustafa Ali and Shorty G frustrated the former Raw tag team champions early in their high-stakes match, withstanding momentary onslaughts to retain control. A momentary distraction provided by King Corbin, though, allowed Robert Roode to send Ali crashing sternum-first into the announce table.

Reigns' music again played, and The Big Dog stalked to the squared circle as the show headed to break.

The heels cut the ring off from Ali but a blind charge from Roode sent him shoulder-first into the ring post. Just as the former cruiserweight competitor inched closer to his partner, Dolph Ziggler came from out of nowhere with a fame-asser to cut him off.

Ali soon hit a superkick, which allowed him to create separation and finally make the tag. Shorty G exploded into the match, dropping every one in front of him, including Roode with a flipping neckbreaker. A big moonsault to Roode continued his roll but netted only a two-count.

A blind tag to Ziggler allowed the heels to drop G with a spinebuster/Zig-Zag combo, but Ali made the save. 

At ringside, Corbin attempted to interfere, but Reigns dropped him with a Drive-By. He followed up with a spear to the King of the Ring. Back inside, G delivered a German suplex to Ziggler and Ali finished him with a 450 splash for the win.

Result

Ali and Shorty G defeated Ziggler and Roode.

Grade

B+

Analysis

The feud between Reigns and Corbin may not be lighting the world on fire, but this was a damn fun tag team match that meshed all of the involved Superstars perfectly.

Reigns and Corbin's interference in the goings-on was minimal, the two teams demonstrated solid in-ring chemistry and the right tandem went over.

There are some who may question Roode and Ziggler, former tag team champions, jobbing out to the makeshift team of Ali and G. In reality, beating those established stars helped to enhance the credibility of the babyfaces ahead of a major pay-per-view.

Braun Strowman vs. Drew Gulak

Credit: WWE.com

The rivalry between Braun Strowman and Drew Gulak continued Friday, with the latter creating a powerpoint presentation showing what would happen if he replaced The Monster Among Men. Joined by The B Team's Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas, Gulak beat down Strowman for a moment.

The monstrous babyface fought back, though, and cleared the ring of the heels before standing tall.

Grade

F

Analysis

This served no purpose whatsoever other than keeping Strowman on TV.

Neither Gulak nor The B Team got anything out of it, and there was no furthering of any ongoing feuds. Nor did fans believe for a second the heels would overcome Strowman, even with the three-on-one advantage.

This was a waste of television time that could have been used on literally anything more productive.

SmackDown Tag Team Championships Match: The New Day vs. the Revival

Credit: WWE.com

The New Day and The Revival again squared off with the SmackDown Tag Team Championships on the line, with the latter looking to avenge their loss in Manchester, England, a week earlier by regaining the gold.

Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder worked over Kingston during the commercial break, beating down the former WWE champion and cutting off the ring from his partner. A hot tag to Big E, though, allowed the champions to build momentum.

Big E dropped Dawson with a uranage for two. Wilder floored him with a DDT for a near-fall of his own. A double clothesline spot left Big E and Wilder in need of tags. They made them, reintroducing Kingston and Dawson to the match.

Kingston soared through the air, wiping out both opponents at ringside. Back inside, New Day set up Dawson for the Midnight Hour, but Wilder interrupted with a big forearm to a flying Kingston.

At ringside, the challengers sent Kingston into the ring post and dropped Big E with a double powerbomb on the commentary table. The Revival delivered Shatter Machine to the latter before a high crossbody block from Kingston broke up the pin.

Before a winner could be decided, Undisputed Era's Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly arrived on the scene, beating down all four Superstars. The SmackDown locker room emptied, and NXT's premier faction escaped through the crowd—but not before the damage had been done.

Result

No-contest.

Grade

B+

Analysis

The match was hitting its stride as the invaders made their presence felt. New Day and The Revival have strong in-ring chemistry, making a bad match between them almost impossible. This one was hampered by the commercial break and the finish, but it was still strong enough to entice fans to watch it again at some point in the near future.

If SmackDown's creative team plans on continuing that particular feud, that is.

The invasion was another reminder of the ongoing battle for brand supremacy and received a huge ovation from a Philly crowd excited to see Undisputed Era wreak havoc on the blue brand. The three-way tag title bout at Survivor Series featuring New Day, O'Reilly and Fish and The Viking Raiders may be the dark-horse show-stealer of the PPV.

Heavy Machinery in Action

Credit: WWE.com

Frustrated by Undisputed Era's invasion of their home brand, Heavy Machinery's Otis and Tucker took out their frustrations on the team of Kip Stevens and Kevin Timms. 

The heavyweights bumped the enhancement talent around the ring before Otis delivered the Caterpillar elbow drop.

The Compactor earned the babyfaces the win.

Result

Heavy Machinery defeated Timms and Stevens.

Grade

C

Analysis

This was what it was but still managed to incorporate the energy Heavy Machinery brings to every match.

A squash match is rarely interesting, but there was enough about the effort put in by Otis and Tucker, and the fans' reaction to the competitors, to warrant a solid C.

Even if Heavy Machinery should be competing for tag team gold.

Nikki Cross vs. Bayley

Credit: WWE.com

Nikki Cross fought for the right to join Team SmackDown at Survivor Series as she squared off with women's champion Bayley. Before the match could really get underway, though, NXT women's champion Shayna Baszler appeared.

Bayley tried to escape, but Tegan Knox, Dakota Kai, Rhea Ripley and Mia Yim appeared. The blue brand's women's locker room emerged, and an eight-woman Tag Team match pitting the invaders against Sasha Banks, Dana Brooke, Carmella and Cross was set up for after the break.

The NXT team dominated the match early, isolating and overwhelming Carmella. A hot tag to Banks turned the tide in SmackDown's favor, but Ripley's introduction to the match proved problematic for the opposition, as the Australian dropped The Boss with a big suplex.

The action broke down, though, as the referee sought to regain control heading into another commercial break. That continued post-break, with each of the competitors hitting her trademark move until Cross dropped Kai with a twisting neckbreaker for the pinfall victory.

After the match, the war between the competitors continued until Fire and Desire's Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose hit the ring to help to turn things in SmackDown's favor.

Result

Team SmackDown defeated Team NXT.

Grade

B

Analysis

So much of the match was wasted during the commercial break that it is almost disappointing that we did not get to see more of the talented women of NXT mix it up with the SmackDown crew.

With that said, this accomplished quite a few things.

First, it added fuel to the fire in terms of the rivalry between Bayley and Shayna Baszler ahead of Survivor Series. Their Triple Threat match with Becky Lynch is one of the most anticipated of the show, with good reason. Their interactions have been stellar, and this only complemented the build.

Second, it set up Cross to earn the last spot on Team SmackDown because she won the match for the blue brand, outlasting the competition and keeping the fight going when the rest of her team was neutralized earlier in the bout.

Third, and most interestingly, it continued to tell the story that Kai is NXT's weak link. She was left off of Ripley's War Games team before eating the pinfall that cost the brand the win. Expect that to play into Wednesday's broadcast, with Kai's worth being called into question.

Daniel Bryan Joins Miz TV

The Miz kicked off Friday's Miz TV segment by introducing Daniel Bryan before recapping the previous week's attack on the bearded babyface by the universal champion, "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt.

Miz asked his guest why he thinks Wyatt attacked him. When he was met by the silent treatment, the host suggested Bryan did not know who he is and as a result, The Fiend thinks he is washed up. "I think he wants to be the one to end Daniel Bryan," Miz pontificated.

Bryan retorted, "The reason I was quiet was because Miz TV sucks. Miz TV has always sucked." He then admitted he is not the same Bryan he was 10 years ago. He said one thing is similar: the passion. He said that Miz does not understand the mental instability combined with his passion—but Wyatt does.

Because Wyatt is unstable too.

Before Bryan could go on, Wyatt's Firefly Fun House interrupted. Wyatt said talking about someone else isn't nice and then suggested that Bryan knows why The Fiend attacked. And if he doesn't remember, Wyatt does.

Wyatt said, if Bryan wants a shot at his new favorite toy, all he has to say is one magic word. Bryan refused and said if Wyatt wants to fight, they should fight—but they should do it for the title. Wyatt enthusiastically led the crowd in the YES! chants before the show ended on an awkward note.

Grade

A

Analysis

There was clearly a timing miscue at the end, as Bryan and Miz were left to stand around and improvise, but that was hardly enough to hurt what was a strong bit of work by the performers involved.

Miz is always at his instigating best when he shares the screen with Bryan, and this was no different. It is nice to see WWE Creative consistently bringing up the dislike they have for each other rather than booking them as tag team partners or best friends just because they are both babyfaces.

Bryan claiming mental instability and then saying both he and Wyatt understand each other because they share that bond was a nice touch. With that said, introducing mental instability as a plot device may not be the most politically correct move the writing team has made of late.

It was Wyatt, though, who continues to impress. His performance was perfect as he floated between excessively positive Fun House host and imposing, threatening force. The implication that Wyatt and Bryan's history with each other, which saw Bryan betray The Wyatt Family in 2014, was a nice callback by WWE Creative and one that helps add gravity to the program.