Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE SmackDown on November 29.

This was the go-home episode before Survivor Series: WarGames on Saturday, so it was the last chance WWE had to sell the PLE.

Here's a look at what WWE advertised for Friday's show:

• Cody Rhodes vs. Carmelo Hayes
• Jey Uso vs. Jacob Fatu
• Piper Niven vs. Lash Legend vs. Michin
• Roman Reigns sits down with CM Punk

Let's take a look at what happened on this week's SmackDown.

Andrade vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

After a long recap of last week's show, the women's WarGames teams arrived for the first segment. Both teams gave the usual array of insults and promises of what they will do this weekend. As usual, all hell broke loose until officials broke up the fight.

The first match after the break saw Andrade take on Shinsuke Nakamura. This was the first match Nakamura had on TV since April, so it was also the first time we'd been able to see his new entrance and gear.

The match started with Nakamura taking El Idolo down and attempting to stomp on his head. Andrade tried to use his speed, but Nakamura's striking ability was on full display.

This was a really good match, but it would have been a great match if it hadn't been cut in half by a commercial break. Every single thing they did looked good and if we're lucky, we'll get to see them mix it up again at a PLE uninterrupted.

Nakamura exposed a turnbuckle and fooled Andrade into running into it before he finished him off with a Kinshasa for the win. LA Knight ran to the ring for a fight but was immediately misted.

Result: Nakamura defeated Andrade

Grade: A-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Naomi looked like she was from the coolest version of The Matrix. 
• Andrade and Nakamura are world-class performers who are both long overdue for a world title. 
• WWE made yet another remix of Nakamura's entrance music. 
• Andrade's top rope moonsault looked great. 

Carmelo Hayes vs. Cody Rhodes

Tommaso Ciampa was shown reading Johnny Gargano the riot act backstage about their recent differences. We also saw a video of Kevin Owens explaining why he had been right about Rhodes all along before The American Nightmare came out to take on Hayes.

Melo gave a brief promo on his way to the ring and said he agreed with KO, which visibly upset Rhodes.

Hayes had youth and speed on his side, but the champ's experience advantage is why he had the upper hand during the first few minutes. They did a good job conveying that Hayes was outmatched in that department.

This was a great mix of fundamentals mixed with riskier spots. Hayes used his agility to great effect, but the veteran kept finding ways to ground him.

Melo hit some of his best shots, but it wasn't enough to defeat the undisputed champion. After he made a comeback, Rhodes hit a Cody Cutter followed by Cross Rhodes for the pin and the win.

Result: Rhodes defeated Hayes

Grade: B+

Notable Moments and Observations

• KO had some good points in his video. It's always more fun when a heel can feel justified in their actions instead of just being vaguely evil. 
• Melo seemed less comfortable during his promo than usual. It may have been a last-minute addition without any time for him to prep what he was saying. 
• The way Hayes dodged Rhodes' uppercut was so simple that it's surprising more people haven't done it before. 
• Melo sold the Cody Cutter like a pro. 

Michin vs. Lash Legend vs. Piper Niven

The next match was another U.S. title tournament bout with Michin, Niven and Legend squaring off to see who moved to the semifinal round. Chelsea Green was at ringside but Jakara Jackson was missing from Legend's corner.

Niven took control early by using her power to toss the other competitors around, but Legend showed off some impressive power of her own when she picked up Niven for a body slam like it was no big deal.

Green interfered in an attempt to help Niven by hitting a superkick on Michin, but B-Fab ran down and beat up Green until they were out of the arena.

The three competitors battled through a break and into the next segment. While this match had moments that popped the crowd, it felt a bit disjointed. There were moments when someone was waiting for something to happen, and things like that take away from the chaotic nature a triple threat is supposed to have.

Legend and Niven both came close, but in the end, it was Michin who secured the victory and her place in the semifinals of the United States Championship tournament.

Result: Michin defeated Niven and Legend

Grade: B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• The cinematic video we got with Reigns and Punk was a little overly dramatic. 
• Legend has ridiculous strength. She was smiling when she picked up Niven. She didn't even look like she was struggling. 
• Michin's hurricanrana from the top rope looked great. Legend sold it well. 

Jey Uso vs. Jacob Fatu

This week's main event between Jey and Fatu determined the advantage in the men's WarGames match this weekend.

Nick Aldis told both groups that everyone was banned from ringside to make sure things were as fair as possible.

Fatu stared down an unintimidated Jey before they locked up. Fatu showed off his power by easily lifting Jey up and knocking him down with a big shoulder block.

From that point forward, The Samoan Werewolf had the upper hand for several minutes. Jey was able to mount a comeback, but it was all for naught.

After a hard-fought battle, Fatu sealed the victory and earned the advantage for The New Bloodline. This was a solid encounter with some good physicality and a predictable ending. A staple of WarGames is the heels having the advantage, so this outcome made sense.

Result: Fatu defeated Jey Uso

Grade: B

Notable Moments and Observations

• The segment with The New Bloodline and Aldis backstage was unintentionally hilarious. 
• Jey got the biggest pop of the night for his entrance. 
• Fatu's solo entrance is pretty great. 
• Fatu's handspring moonsault wasn't pretty, but it was very impressive. 
• Fatu's Samoan drop on the table looked nasty. 

The Final Word

This week's SmackDown was the go-home show before Survivor Series on Saturday, but it didn't feel like the episode was dominated by the buildup for the PLE.

We certainly saw plenty of time dedicated to the big angles set to take place this weekend, but we also saw progress in the women's U.S. title tournament, and some time was spent on the KO vs. Rhodes feud that will culminate in a match at Saturday Night's Main Event in just over two weeks.

Hayes and Rhodes put on a fun encounter, but Nakamura and Andrade stole the show by a mile and then some. It was great to see Nakamura back in action, and his chemistry with Andrade allowed them to put on a banger.

The main event between Jey and Fatu was decent, but it was only an appetizer before the main course during WarGames on Saturday.

What's going to be interesting to see is what happens with Reigns and Punk. They are no allies and are only aligned because of their love for Paul Heyman, so WWE is clearly setting up Heyman for his own Sophie's Choice.

Grade: B