WWE SmackDown Results: Daniel Bryan's 2nd Chance and Top Takeaways

With limited spots remaining to qualify for WWE Money in the Bank, the May 22 edition of SmackDown Live was focused on last chances.

Some rose to the challenge while others were left in the dust as it became clearer who is going to make an impact on the next big WWE pay-per-view on June 17.

Daniel Bryan took an opportunity provided by Big Cass' injury to defeat Jeff Hardy in another top quality performance to earn a shot at MITB next week in a match with Samoa Joe. The New Day showed fresh solidarity against The Miz, but this story continues to provide opportunities for dissension.

Lana defeated Billie Kay, but the match came off as a flashy attempt to hide both women's limited in-ring acumen. Meanwhile, the stacked tag team division finally got a jump start by giving the ball to Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, who have often been overlooked in recent months.

Shinsuke Nakamura set the stage for his final match against AJ Styles in announcing their match would be Last Man Standing.

These moments all helped make clear the focus of this SmackDown roster and its potential impact on Money in the Bank.

Daniel Bryan Earns 2nd Shot While Continuing to Look Like a Star

In a main event that lived up to massive expectations, Daniel Bryan managed to take down Jeff Hardy and earn one more chance at Money in the Bank next week in a battle against Samoa Joe.

Every time Bryan is on television these days, he performs like the star, putting on great bouts with everyone. While Hardy has slowed down in recent years, it wasn't surprising that The Beard brought the best out of The Charismatic Enigma.

Beyond a few sloppy transitions, this was as good as the Hardy brother has looked since returning from injury, and it was still a fairly dominant showing from Bryan. In particular, this match further put over The Yes! Man's submission prowess, winning with the same heel hook he hurt Big Cass with last week.

While he may not be in title contention yet, Bryan has basically guaranteed he will be a main event star for as long as he stays healthy, looking dominant against top stars and making everyone around him look better. He may be working safer now, but he's definitely working as hard as ever each week.

The stage is now set for a highly acclaimed match that has never been seen in WWE. Bryan and Joe are not strangers to one another, but it has been 11 years since the last time they clashed. They will show just how much they have evolved in that time next week.

The New Day's Current Story Could Lead to a Breakup

Credit: WWE.com

Miz TV featured New Day this week, with The A-Lister trying to drive a wedge between Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods.

However, The Miz was unsuccessful in even figuring out who among the three would compete at Money in the Bank, but he did end up taking a win over Big E thanks to Sheamus and Cesaro.

While New Day's top feud is still with The Bar, this MITB opportunity has taken over their story with a heavy focus on the trio's potential conflict. Kofi, Big E and Woods are all talented stars, who could make their own mark by breaking out of the group.

With the tag team division impressively stacked, SmackDown could afford a tag team breakup right now, especially with the midcard scene understaffed. The four-year anniversary of the debut of this team is approaching, and tag teams rarely stay together that long.

If the power of positivity does not prove enough to keep these three together, it will take time. It is possible this is just the first hint of a story that could take off late in 2018.

Who knows which star would emerge from this trio if they went their separate ways?

Lana and Billie Kay Prove Women's Division Depth Is Artificial

When it was first announced that WWE would have separate women's divisions on Raw and SmackDown, the idea was met with skepticism mainly due to the lack of depth.

Over time, the company has added women to both brands, with the goal of making both divisions stand out.

There are now 10 active women on the SmackDown roster, which is a solid number except for the fact that not all of them are ready for their spot. This was particularly clear on Tuesday when Lana faced Billie Kay for a spot at Money in the Bank.

While Lana is popular, she has always been suited for a manager role with almost no in-ring training. Her IIconic opponent is more experienced, but she also has taken more of a managerial position for the more naturally gifted Peyton Royce. Together, their match would have been absolute mess.

WWE knew this, which was why it was barely a contest as distractions from Aiden English at ringside allowed Lana to hit just two moves to win. Even those two moves were far from crisp. She is unlikely to make much of a mark in the ladder match.

These two are not the only ones who should not be wrestling often on the main roster, with Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan all rushed to the main roster to fill spots.

Until more top wrestlers work through the ranks in NXT to make the main roster, the women's division will continue to feel understaffed amid its artificial depth.

Last Man Standing Should and Will Be the Last Match for Styles and Nakamura

Credit: WWE.com

Last week, Shinsuke Nakamura managed to finally take a win over AJ Styles, allowing him to announce the stipulation for their match at Money in the Bank.

This week, after brutalizing Styles, The Artist made clear he wanted to face The Phenomenal One in a Last Man Standing match to decide who is truly best.

This is a clear sign the feud is reaching its last stage, which is what the two need. Their matches steadily improve with each performance, and Last Man Standing is a definitive stipulation, one that cannot be easily followed.

If The Rockstar cannot have the classic that defines his career with Styles in Last Man Standing, the two will never have it. The best part of this announcement is that there must finally be a definitive winner for the first time since WrestleMania 34.

This should be the main event of MITB, with both men moving on from there. That would likely make Nakamura's chances of winning low, but a great performance should at least solidify his status as a top talent going forward.

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson Could Finally Stand Out Again on SmackDown

After several weeks of stalling, the SmackDown tag team champions finally got new challengers when The Good Brothers defeated The Usos to earn a shot at Harper and Rowan at Money in the Bank.

The result was not totally unexpected, but it was a welcome change for Gallows and Anderson.

With Jimmy and Jey Uso already losing their rematch to The Bludgeon Brothers, it was inevitable someone would have to step up to the champions besides the twins. New Day and The Bar are busy right now, which left the opening for a talented but underused duo.

Since coming to WWE, Gallows and Anderson have been treated as a far bigger deal than their success would indicate. Over two years, these Good Brothers have won the Raw Tag Team Championships just once, holding them for 64 days.

More often than not, they have simply been treated as a joke, putting over the face teams not in title contention. While Gallows and Anderson's babyface turn seemed to give them new life, it led nowhere on Raw as they simply played backup to Finn Balor.

Now they are set up as the second real challenge for The Bludgeon Brothers, which should lead to multiple fun matches.

It is possible Harper and Rowan will just run through these two as they did The Usos and New Day, but someone has to step up to give them a challenge. Why not some Good Brothers?