Friday's "SmackDown" gave us a traditional Survivor Series elimination tag team match in the main event, a day before Survivor Series (Saturday on ESPN Unlimited, 7 p.m. ET), which has two WarGames matches but no traditional Survivor Series tag team matches ... and I'm grateful for that (more below).
We also saw who was revealed to be LA Knight's surprise opponent, with Sheamus having to withdraw from "The Last Time Is Now" tournament due to a shoulder injury, and one more tournament matchup.
And to top it all off, Charlotte Flair and Asuka met to decide who gets the advantage for their WarGames match on Saturday.
Friday 'SmackDown' results
Jey Uso def. Rusev in "The Last Time Is Now" tournament
LA Knight def. The Miz in "The Last Time Is Now" tournament
Charlotte Flair def. Asuka
The MFTs def. Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura, Rey Fenix and The Motor City Machine Guns in a 5-on-5 traditional Survivor Series elimination match
Why Sikoa winning makes perfect sense
It made perfect sense for Solo Sikoa to not only win the traditional Survivor Series elimination match but be the sole survivor, pinning Sami Zayn. Sikoa's still in "The Last Time Is Now" tournament, so for him to pick up a big win going into his Monday match on "Raw" to continue his quest to be Cena's last opponent on Dec. 13 was logical. He also got a measure of revenge on Zayn, which can put their rivalry on the shelf for now. The Wyatt Sicks interjected after the match, putting fear into Sikoa, as the Wyatts/MFTs were always going to be on a collision course. Will the Wyatts cost Solo his match on "Raw" in the tournament?
Other takeaways/storylines
Charlotte Flair pinned Asuka, meaning Flair's team will get the numbers advantage in the WarGames match on Saturday. It will start one-on-one, but after five minutes, a member of Flair's team will be allowed to join, meaning they will have a two-on-one advantage. The numbers will always favor Flair's team as members of alternating teams join the match in five minute intervals until all five members of both teams are in the cage and "The Match Beyond" begins. I still feel like Becky Lynch and AJ Lee will be the focal point of this match, with Lynch pinning Lee, ultimately setting up their singles match (or a series, with one at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas?)
The Miz sneaking into "The Last Time Is Now" tournament, replacing Sheamus, might have upset some WWE fans hoping for a bigger surprise, but it made logical sense. The Miz beat John Cena at WrestleMania 27 in 2011 and they have a lot of history together. The Miz would want to end Cena's career with a loss, but it's a moot point ultimately because The Miz lost the match against LA Knight. Gunther is still my favorite to win the tournament. I still wonder if there's one more step beyond that before we get Cena's final opponent set.
Chelsea Green did so much with so little during her scheduled North American celebration segment. Just after Green started the countdown for the "pyrotechnics display," Jade Cargill stormed the ring and attacked Green . As Green was recovering, pyro exploded as Cargill posed near the entrance. Green's among the best in WWE at reactions. It was a funny moment, also a very logical one, that adds to Green's excellent presentation.
Getting the Survivor Series match on "SmackDown" was a good idea. Survivor Series, in my opinion, is the weakest concept of the top-tier premium live events and WarGames has been a welcome addition to the event. Survivor Series sometimes lacks stakes and uniqueness -- we see plenty of multi-person tag and elimination matches throughout the year, so even with the Survivor Series label it doesn't feel special.
In contrast, WarGames (just like the Elimination Chamber and the Royal Rumble), happens once a year, so it maintains an aura of rarity and excitement. WarGames doesn't share the same level of high stakes as the Rumble (winner gets a title shot at WrestleMania) and Elimination Chamber (often the same stipulation for the other title, or even a title being on the line), but the possibility is always there in future years. However, I'm invested enough this year to want to watch Saturday's WarGames matches.
