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#UNDERSIEGE: THE BRILLIANCE OF INVASION & WHAT IT MEANS FOR WWE'S SURVIVOR SERIES

#UnderSiege: The Brilliance of Invasion and What It Means for Survivor Series

Last night’s SmackDown Live invasion on Raw was more than the start of a tremendous pay-per-view build-up. It was also an invigorating burst of energy that, in a mere 15-ish minutes, elevated both brands to must-watch. On a personal note? I haven’t been this excited about a storyline and what’s ahead since the spark of the women’s revolution fully ignited in 2015.

Wrestling, at its core, is storytelling. Connecting with an audience to evoke an emotional reaction is a must. Fans need to feel invested in what’s happening and, ideally, left wanting more.

#UnderSiege accomplished that and much, much more. Talk about a gamut of emotions—from sharing in Kurt’s pleasantly befuddled shock as Shane McMahon and part of the SmackDown Live roster came marching through the crowd, to despair as Kurt turned and fled the ring (I wailed a drawn-out “NOOOOOOOOOOOO” as he ducked under the ring ropes), to confusion and excitement and anger and disbelief and shock as Team Blue laid waste to most of the Raw roster (and that poor, innocent producer).

There were so many incredible moments—Shane unleashing his roster with a rousing cry of “Blue team: go get ‘em!”; Dana Brooke flinging a chair into the rampaging group; the epic stare-down between the women, the air electric with tension; and Seth Rollins leaping down like Batman, emerging from the shadows with Dean to (try to) save the day.

Yet the reason that segment was so powerful, so compelling, is that it left so. many. unanswered questions. And that’s what separates the brilliant stories from the rest. What’s Shane thinking? Are New Day, Nakamura and BECKY LYNCH heels?!?! What’s going to happen next? How will Raw retaliate? (Many of Raw’s major players weren’t involved last night—what’s going to happen when The Monster Among Men is unleashed? Kane? Sheamus and Cesaro? Alexa Bliss? Nia Jax? Bray? Roman?) And what’s going to happen at Survivor Series?

My husband, Rob Schamberger (yeah, the WWE artist), said early in the evening that Survivor Series needed stakes. Brand supremacy isn’t enough (because really, what does that get you, besides bragging rights? Yawn.) There needs to be a fight for something tangible, like Royal Rumble entry picks.

We still need to see that pay-off, but with last night’s #UnderSiege segment, we’re well on our way to an incredible new development: partisan wrestling. As Rob pointed out last night, typically the invading group becomes the heel brand, while the group being invaded is the face brand. Let’s say you’re a fan of SmackDown Live. In that case, Becky and New Day and Nakamura weren’t heels last night—instead, they were taking it to those high and mighty Raw people who thought they could steal AJ Styles after SD helped Raw for TLC. And when someone like Finn shows up on SmackDown Live, he’s not a heel if he attacks, say, Nakamura. Instead, he’s getting retribution on behalf of his brand. As that dynamic continues to play out in the run-up to Survivor Series, the WWE universe will be forced to pick sides. And for someone like me, who genuinely enjoys both Raw and SmackDown Live, I can’t imagine choosing. But won’t that make an even better Survivor Series and aftermath?

I grew up a wrestling fan and watched with my dad. (I’ve got a great story about “watching” pay-per-views and my introduction to the Undertaker, but I’ll save that for another blog). I took a hiatus and returned to the WWE with the 2007 Royal Rumble, thanks to Rob. #UnderSiege is my first real-time experience with an invasion angle, and I. Am. HOOKED.

One more thing? Relax and enjoy the ride, friends. I’ve seen a lot of online chatter bemoaning a lack of continuity, the execution, how Raw was portrayed, etc. etc. etc. We’re just getting started. It’s time to suspend disbelief, remember why you loved wrestling in the first place and have some fun. We’ll probably have to pick sides before this is all over (red vs. blue? I can’t!), but remember this: we might be divided by brand, but we’re united by wrestling. And together, we’re on the road to Survivor Series. It’s going to be a heck of a ride.

Katy Schamberger is a Kansas City-based freelance writer and passionate wrestling fan. Connect with her on Twitter @katywrites to share your thoughts on #UnderSiege (and if you use a GIF, you get bonus points).