Complete Report Card and Predictions Following WWE SmackDown for January 10

Every week here on Bleacher Report, I will take an in-depth look at SmackDown, recapping all of the action, offering analysis and grading the matches, segments and anything else that takes place on the show. I also provide some predictions on the direction of storylines.

This week featured six matches. Most of them were pretty good, but one thing that stood out was the lack of any kind of Divas match.

The only Divas we saw were The Funkadactyls and Summer Rae, and they just had a post-match scuffle.

SmackDown as a whole was a strong showing. Most of the matches had significant time, and we got a lot of storyline development in different areas.

A rare appearance by the New Age Outlaws made the night special, and the lack of Alberto Del Rio, John Cena and the Rhodes brothers was barely noticeable.

The opening contest featured the Usos taking on Luke Harper and Erick Rowan.  Let's get right into the action.

The Usos vs. Erick Rowan and Luke Harper

This was a very entertaining match. For once I don't even care that it ended with a count-out because both teams just kept brawling.

This wasn't a match. This was a fight. The Usos were using their quickness to hit kicks from just about every direction, and The Wyatt Family used their power to keep coming back.

Having the first two segments devoted to a match with two very different tag teams who have solid chemistry was a great move by WWE.

We often see a show start on a low note, or at least slowly, because the whole first segment is an interview or promo that is just a rehash of something we heard last week.

This match was exciting, it showed both teams' strengths and it got the show off to a great start. Daniel Bryan and Bray Wyatt coming out to attack The Usos helped cement Bryan's turn.

Grade: A

Some notes from the match:

• The way Harper just sort of slaps Rowan around makes me laugh for some reason.
• The Usos have come a long way since their debut. How they haven't held the titles yet is a huge mystery.
• Why was Daniel Bryan given a jumpsuit? That's Rowan's thing. I expected Bryan to look like Kidman when he first joined The Flock in WCW.

Miz TV

Big Show came out to address the Brock Lesnar situation and the segment lead to a challenge from Show to Lesnar. Paul Heyman joined in on the fun and said that Lesnar would fight him at the Royal Rumble.

After the first question, Miz was totally irrelevant. This segment would have worked the exact same way had Show just been giving a promo or being interviewed by Renee Young.

It's almost like WWE has no idea what to do with Miz and someone suggested that he get thrown into this segment to justify paying him.

Big Show talked about not liking Lesnar during his first run and not liking him now. This segment was extremely predictable, but it gave us another Royal Rumble match.

Grade: D

Some notes from the segment:

• Paul Heyman is the only reason this segment didn't totally bomb. Heyman commands your attention, and he is very good at using the right words at the right time.
• Calling Lesnar "The Ultimate Fighter" is smart. It reminds younger fans who don't know about MMA that Lesnar had a pretty good run in UFC. He may have been handed his title shot after a 1-1 record to boost ratings, but he kept it through some good fights.
• Honestly, what was Miz doing there? It was so pointless.

Real Americans and Rybaxel vs. Los Matadores, Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara

This match was much better than you would think it would be given how many people were involved. Anything over a six-man match seems excessive outside of Survivor Series, but this match was executed very well by all eight men involved.

A few spots stuck out as sloppy, even with WWE having the ability to edit. But the overall match saw every Superstar get a little time in the ring, and we got to see the babyfaces pick up a win.

Grade: B

Some notes from the match:

• Colter's sign said "It's -4 here and 76 and sunny in CANCUN." All that accomplishes is making me wish I was in Cancun instead of this ridiculous Chicago weather.
• Seriously! It was -50 a few days ago, and now it's 35 and raining. Everything is freezing into black ice and the driving conditions are just plain awful. How much does it cost to book a flight to Cancun?
• Everyone always talks about the nWo, but how awesome would it be if Rey Mysterio brought back the LWO? He could recruit Sin Cara and Los Matadores and make it a babyface stable that feuds with The Wyatt Family.
• Being in a stable with Rey would help Los Matadores and Sin Cara get more over and it would help Rey become relevant again.

Big E Langston vs. Randy Orton

This was a really good match that showed how Big E Langston is someone who is capable of going toe-to-toe with a main eventer like Randy Orton and match up in almost every way.

Was it a five-star classic? No, but I am going to talk about it for a long time. Orton and Langston both contributed to a good back-and-forth contest, but the story of who these two men are is more interesting.

First, you have Randy Orton. Say what you will about being given special third-generation treatment. Orton would have earned everything he has without a family legacy, and I firmly believe that.

He may have a smaller moveset than a guy like Daniel Bryan. He might not be as strong as John Cena or as fast as Dolph Ziggler. But, like JBL says, if you wanted to build a pro wrestler he would come out as Randy Orton.

Everything Randy Orton does is flawless, from his facial expressions to his wrestling moves to the little moments between moves. All of it is calculated and pulled off with precision.

And it's really the little things that make him entertaining to watch. The way he went outside and pretended like he was stretching, the way he finally got the upper hand and then the series of expressions he showed is what I am talking about.

It may seem like a description of a few moments from any of a thousand matches, but Orton does everything so well that it stands out.

Orton took Langston down and then stood up and rested on the ropes for a moment. You could see three distinct expressions come across his face in the span of a few seconds.

He first had a look of satisfaction and relief, followed by a look of contempt for the booing audience and finally a look of rage as he focused back in on his opponent. Only a real performer could do that much in such a short time and make it convincing.

And then you have Big E Langston. It's hard to remember seeing a new Superstar with this kind of power, agility and potential for quite some time.

Langston is only 27 years old and he is already having great matches with main event Superstars as the IC champion. This kid could be the next big project in WWE.

Grade: A

The Wyatt Family Segment and Usos Interview

I didn't know what to make of this until I watched it a second time. I wasn't sure if I liked it or not after one viewing. The second viewing allowed me to form an opinion.

I liked it, but I don't think it did what WWE wanted it to do. I liked it for the weirdness factor, not because it sold Daniel Bryan as a heel. Wyatt focused on The Usos to hype the match on Raw.

Bray Wyatt is always really good when he gives these promos, but Bryan's little outburst at the end is what people will be split on. Some might think it's too weird, but a lot of people will like it because it's weird.

The Usos gave an interview later that talked about how they will stand up to Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan on Raw. It was a solid promo done entirely by Jimmy.

I like that this feud is being given some decent attention, and the Usos being in any segment outside of a match is a step up.

Grade: B

Xavier Woods vs. Fandango

This was a quick match that saw Xavier Woods pick up the win. Fandango tried to attack after the bell, but R-Truth came in and he helped Woods take out the ballroom dancer.

It was too short to really have any chance of being anything special, but nothing looked sloppy so at least there's that. You gotta have a "glass half full" attitude to make it through to the good stuff.

Grade: C

Some notes from the match:

• So Woods just gets to keep Brodus Clay's old music? They can't give him his own dance song?
• And why would they keep the wall graphic that says "Tons of Funk"? They couldn't change the graphic to say "Xavier Woods"? Even just removing the words would have made more sense.
• Something really funny just happened to occur because of camera placement. The Funkadactyls took down Summer Rae after the match and then they got out of the ring and pulled her out to the floor. The way the camera was placed made it so all we saw was Summer Rae being dragged out of the ring really hard on the left side of the screen but not her actual landing. All we heard was the crowd go "Oh!" at what was obviously a hard impact on the floor. I can't be the only one who thought it was cartoonish and hilarious.

The Shield Promo

Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins each got a chance to speak. They all focused on Old School Raw and what will happen next Monday.

This was pretty typical stuff from The Shield. It was good, but nothing special. Ambrose freaking out about Jack Roberts using his snake to scare him was the best part.

Grade: B-

The Shield vs. New Age Outlaws and CM Punk

The six men involved in this match made it a pretty entertaining show. Roman Reigns picked up the win for The Shield with a Spear on Billy Gunn.

Everyone got a little time in the ring, and it was very obvious that the New Age Outlaws are still really over with the crowd.

This was a good match to cap off the show. We got to see the continuation of the Punk/Shield feud and we got a rare appearance from Road Dogg and Billy Gunn.

Grade: A-

Some notes from the match:

• Billy Gunn and Road Dogg should come back for a short run with the titles. They could do a lot to help the current crop of teams.
• The Shield getting a win without cheating is a nice change. Roman Reigns took out Billy with the Spear and it was over.
• CM Punk gets to stay looking strong since he didn't take the pin. It will be interesting to see if we get some kind of match at the Royal Rumble between Punk and someone from the group.

Final Thoughts and Predictions

This week's show had a lot to like. A continuing trend of tag matches outshining singles matches continued on the show, and we got to see more of Daniel Bryan and The Wyatt Family.

Nothing really surprising took place, and the absence of certain Superstars was felt, but this was an above average episode of SmackDown to say the least.

This week's predictions will take an early look at the Royal Rumble.

Predictions:

• Brock Lesnar and Big Show will probably break the ring again.
• Randy Orton will retain the title against John Cena.
• Batista will win the Rumble match.
• Road Dogg and Billy Gunn will be in the Rumble match.
• CM Punk will be one of the last survivors in the Rumble match.
• More than one legend will appear during the Rumble Match
• Lastly, Kofi Kingston will find a new creative way to save himself from elimination at least once.

What did you think of SmackDown, and who do you think will win the Royal Rumble? 

Thanks for reading, and follow me on Twitter @BR_Doctor.