This week's SmackDown was a Survivor Series builder as teams changed, promos set up matches on the pay-per-view and Superstars the WWE Universe didn't know terribly well got a bit more time on television and a background story. Sami Zayn is off of team blue, as is Aliyah. Who is replacing them is unclear. The big angle was the main event match with a crazy stipulation set up by Paul Heyman that could have changed the face of SmackDown for the foreseeable future.

This week's show offered a little bit of everything and gave time to new faces. Not everything was perfect, but the show was strong and an overall winner. Which were the big winners of the night? Let's take a look:

Winner: The Live Crowd

From the first match to the last, the live audience was on fire Friday night. They were loud, stayed active and engaged and were certainly into what WWE was throwing at them over the course of the two hours. A good show is often made great by the crowd and that was the case on Friday as the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia came to play. It's not often the crowd is so good they get recognition, but when they are, it's fair to point it out.

Winner: Aliyah

Technically, Aliyah was both a winner and loser on Friday. She won her debut SmackDown match as part of a six-woman tag team contest, but she was removed from the Survivor Series team for no explicable reason other than Deville figured the team wasn't strong enough.

The match she was in was tremendous as the six women involved -- Sasha Banks, Aliyah, Naomi, Shayna Bazsler, Shotzi and Natalya -- all showed up in a major way. It was a fun match and WWE gave the ladies plenty of time to tell a story. The fairytale pin by Aliyah on a roll-up counter on Natalya was a nice touch and the crowd was hot for the pin. Banks and Naomi were visibly happy for Aliyah as well as she'd fought for a long seven years to get to this point in her career. If WWE wants to build up an underdog fan favorite in Aliyah, this was a good start. Having her removed from the Survivor Series team all earns her some sympathy with the fans.

Loser: Shanky and Jinder Mahal

Credit where credit is due, Shanky has far more personality than most fans ever might have imagined. Having said that, the rap promo delivered by Mahal and Shanky was incredibly corny and unnecessary. The idea was to troll Hit Row but it came off as forced and off base with the characters Mahal and Shanky are supposed to portray. This was a bad creative decision and it's likely going to hurt this duo long term.

I suppose it doesn't matter all that much since these two probably going to be fed to the Hit Row push and not come out the winners in their rivalry. Still, this was ugly, even if it was meant to be in a weird and system-shocking kind of way.

Related: Charlotte Flair Reacts To Becky Lynch Labeling Herself A WWE Locker Room Hero

Winner: Charlotte Flair Promo

There are a ton of fans watching what happens in the Charlotte and Becky Lynch storyline thanks to an interview by Lynch that suggests these two have real heat. Charlotte's promo didn't really address it as she stayed in character, but it was still a deviation from the norm and a really strong few minutes by the SmackDown champion. Her "uh oh" catchphrase is one that could catch on with the crowd should she want it to. It has some real "What" by Stone Cold possibilities. The crowd really played along which is key to this getting over.

The added bonus was that SmackDown used Toni Storm and teased a future match between these two. Storm had a few minutes to come out and challenge the champ and her delivery was on point. Charlotte walking away is a nice tease and this could be a fun future matchup and a big opportunity for Storm if WWE follows through.

Loser: Sami Zayn

Zayn did his job well on Friday, but he's a loser here because he's no longer on team SmackDown. Forced to fight to keep his spot against Jeff Hardy, Zayn was unable to secure the win and someone else will now replace him on the five-man squad. Who that someone is has yet to be determined, but it will hopefully be a big name or a surprise member.

Winner: Roman Reigns Is The New King?

It wasn't made official and we'll assume that he's not actually the King now, but Reigns and the Usos took out King Woods to close the show and Reigns wore the crown suggesting he's now not just the Head of the Table and the Tribal Chief, but he's also taking Woods' spot on the throne. The fact he even did this is great for the legitimacy of being the King in WWE as it makes the title feel important, simply because Reigns would choose to wear it.

The sneaky booking here was also a plus as the stipulation was that if Roman couldn't force Woods to bend a knee, he would bend or leave SmackDown. After Woods was attacked and laid out, Roman bent down so the Usos could put the crown on his head. Technically, he did what he said he would but looked like the true winner of the night in doing so.

SmackDown Match Results

* Aliyah, Naomi and Sasha Banks defeat Natalya, Shotzi and Shayna Baszler after Aliyah reverses a Boston crab and rolls up Natalya for the win. This was Aliyah's first win on the main roster, but Sonya Deville removed her from the Survivor Series women's team anyways.

* Los Lotharios defeated Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs in a tag team match.

* Jeff Hardy defeated Sami Zayn to keep his spot on the SmackDown Survivor Series team. Zayn is now off the squad.

* King Woods defeated Reigns via disqualification after the Usos attacked. Reigns bent a knee in the ring as per the stipulation added earlier in the night by Paul Heyman and Reigns was crowned the new King by his cousins.