On Sunday, November 22, 2020, WWE’s Raw and SmackDown brands’ finest will go head to head in the yearly Survivor Series pay per view event. Both the Red and Blue women’s’ teams are a showcase of the range of personalities and talents on WWE’s current women’s division. Both teams are a range of scrappy newcomers getting a push, looking to break through, and veterans at the height of their powers. How does each team stack up? Who are the weakest links, the clear assets, and which team will prevail?
The WWE Draft saw Bianca Belair move to SmackDown, where the -EST of the WWE clearly has the babyface spotlight. In fact, Belair’s athletic focus and chipper, sassy personality have been a breath of fresh air amidst the high drama of Bayley schism with Sasha Banks. She was the first declared member of the Blue Team, following a victory against Natalya and Billie Kay in a Triple Threat Match. Also on the lineup are the punk spirit and youthful energy of the Riot Squad, Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan. Belair expressed her pleasure to be teamed with them while guest announcing Natalya and Tamina’s qualifying match with Michael Cole and Corey Graves on the November 20 episode of SmackDown…until she was interrupted by a woman whose infamy and achievements hardly need any introduction: Bayley.
Not for nothing is Bayley, one of the breakout personalities of the WWE Women’s Evolution, and longest-reigning Smackdown Women’s Champion in the history of the belt or the brand, called the Role Model. Despite several crushing losses, the controversial powerhouse who has held titles across all three brands was named to Team Blue by Adam Pearce. Crashing Belair’s commentary, she sat ringside when Natalya qualified for the team after defeating Tamina and seemed to declare herself de facto captain when she entered the ring and raised her teammate’s hands triumphantly.
Naming Bayley to the team earlier in the lead-up to Survivor’s Series would have capitalized on the whiff of volatility the Role Model carries whenever she turns up, especially in light of her feral attack on former “best friend” Sasha Banks. Belair’s warning to Bayley not to wreck the healthy teamwork she had with Riott and Morgan may just be a nod to Bayley’s dark horse position right now: is she a heel in earnest, or will this be her redemption as a team player? However, it may foreshadow a loss for Team Smackdown that can be somehow laid on Bayley’s shoulders, perhaps setting up a feud between Heel Bayley and Face Bianca…
The Weakest Link: Team SmackDown has no weak link! Bianca is versatile, Morgan and Riott are capable of flares of punk aggression worthy of their tag team name’s ode to anarchy, Bayley is the most dominant and consistent female athlete on the current landscape, and Natalya is veteran. The Blue Brand enters Survivor Series with an aptitude for dominance.
The Top Dog: The clear leader of the pack here is Bayley, but the question is whether she’ll be an agent of victory, or sabotage…
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. Make sure to check out WWE on the WWE Network
Looking to talk wrestling, pro football, or any number of sports? Head on over to the LWOS Boards to engage in conversation with fellow fans!
