WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from October 24

Every week on Bleacher Report, I take an in-depth look at WWE SmackDown to recap the action, offer analysis and grade the matches, segments and anything else that takes place on the show. I also provide some predictions on the direction of storylines.

This is the final show before the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, which means everything we saw was somehow tied to one of the matches taking place on Sunday.

Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose definitely took center stage during the show, taking up the first and last segments of the night, but it was Cesaro and Dolph Ziggler who had the best match.

It was a decent week for the blue brand. There were some low points, but the episode as a whole was able to do its job of selling the PPV.

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

Los Matadores vs. the Mizs

The first match of the night was a quick tag team bout featuring Damien Mizdow and Miz taking on Los Matadores.

The pace was quick, but it was pretty bland in terms of action. Sheamus was on commentary to hype the upcoming United States Championship match at HIAC, and he was able to provide a little bit of entertainment.

Mizdow put one of the Matadores in the Figure Four while Miz made the legal Matadore tap out to the same hold in the ring.

Grade: C

Some notes from the match:

• Miz did some of Sheamus' moves during the match to mock the Celtic Warrior. He's not as good at imitating other people as Mizdow.
• Four people on commentary is too much, even if one is just a guest. They should go back to a two-man booth.

AJ vs. Alicia Fox

Alicia Fox controlled AJ for most of this quick bout, but AJ was able to shove Fox into Paige when she climbed up onto the apron and then roll her up for the win.

It was too quick to be anything worth noting. Paige's screaming at ringside was a little distracting, but that was kind of the point, so it's hard to use that against her.

This feud has been going on for way too long, so hopefully Sunday is their final match for the time being and they both move on to something new.

Grade: D+

Big Show's Rally Cry

A large portion of Big Show's interview with Michael Cole from WWE.com saw him talk about Rusev attacking the fake soldier who stormed the ring on Monday.

Despite hamming it up a bit, Show's performance was pretty believable. He has learned a lot about being a performer over the years, which allows him to appear more sincere.

This was far more effective than a segment inside the ring because if was just Big Show and Cole without the crowd or Rusev to distract from his message.

These interviews with Cole on WWE.com have become an interesting staple. Sometimes they don't mean a lot, but occasionally they help drive a storyline forward really well, and this is one of those times.

A lot of people might not be too excited about Rusev vs. Big Show at HIAC, but they might just surprise a lot of people with a great performance.

Grade: B+

Dolph Ziggler vs. Cesaro

Cesaro and Dolph Ziggler complement each other so well that it's hard to imagine them having a bad match. They're both so athletic and have such amazing skill inside the ring.

They traded control several times throughout the match, leading to some incredible exchanges, innovative counters and both men using a few moves we almost never see from them.

The crowd showed their appreciation with "This is awesome" chants leading up to the final moments where Ziggler would get the win and retain his Intercontinental Championship.

People can complain about Ziggler losing non-title matches all they want. The fact of the matter is that he has had numerous successful title defenses in recent months, which makes his reign quite successful.

Grade: A

Some notes from the match:

• Seeing Ziggler retain the title and then finding out later that they will be in a 2-Out-of-3 Falls match on Sunday might mean Ziggler's time as champion is up.
• These two are made for longer matches, and the stipulation for HIAC will lead to them possibly stealing the show.

Summer Rae, Nikki Bella and Cameron vs. Naomi, Brie Bella and Natalya

This is one of those things that makes you question the logic of how the show was booked. Ziggler and Cesaro come out and rock the house only for a six-Diva tag match to kill the crowd's enthusiasm.

The heels got a pretty quick win when Nikki Bella took out her sister Brie with a Bella Buster. Naomi and Natalya were never even tagged in, which is the worst thing about this because they were the two most talented wrestlers in the match.

Grade: F

Some notes from the match:

• One little thing Nikki is doing really well is alienating the other heel Divas by doing things like tagging herself in so she gets the win for her team. It makes her even more despicable than her teammates.
• It's so easy to dislike Cameron, especially if you have seen her on Total Divas. She basically plays a heel on that show most of the time, too.
• It makes very little sense that Summer Rae gets so much time in the ring while Fandango sits on the sidelines.

The Usos and Mark Henry vs. Bo Dallas and Gold and Stardust

The fact that Bo Dallas got the win over Mark Henry was the most ridiculous thing about this match. It just isn't convincing that a guy Dallas' size could grab Henry by the head and hit his finisher.

The Usos and Gold and Stardust will probably have a standout performance at HIAC, but this was too quick for them to deliver the kind of match we expect from them.

Grade: C-

Some notes from the match:

• There was a backstage segment earlier in the show that saw Goldust call Bo Dallas weird for doing his whole Bolieve thing. It was actually kind of funny to see such goofy personalities interacting. WWE is finally starting to get some variety back in their characters.
• It's great that Henry is willing to help out the younger generation, but he needs to be booked believably. Losing to Dallas so many times is ridiculous when Dallas is only being portrayed as lucky.

Ambrose Opens, Rollins Closes

Dean Ambrose opened the show with a promo directed at Seth Rollins. Rollins brought things full circle by closing the show with a bunch of weapons displayed on tables in the ring.

Both men did a good job promoting their match at HIAC, but Ambrose got the last laugh when he attacked Rollins and used his own weapons against him. Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury tried and failed to keep Ambrose from the ring, but they were able to save Rollins from going through a table.

Ambrose ended up putting Mercury through one table and Noble through another. Rollins just stood there and watched as Ambrose stood tall in a ring full of weapons, bodies and bits of wood.

This was a very effective way to end the final show heading into Hell in a Cell. It really feels like it could be a real breakout moment for both men on Sunday.

Grade: A

Some notes from the segment:

• My usual theory is that whoever gets the best of their rival heading into a PPV will usually lose in the end, but this is one of those cases where it may not apply.
• Rollins is good on the mic, but he can still get better. His laugh sounds too fake sometimes.
• WWE has a real chance to make Ambrose into a huge star judging by how the crowd has responded to him in recent weeks. It would be a real shame if they screwed it up.

Final Thoughts and Predictions

Despite a few bumps along the way, this was a solid SmackDown to send us into Hell in a Cell. There was the usual number of video packages for this kind of show, but there was also some decent action.

Dolph Ziggler and Cesaro definitely stole the show with their IC title match, and finding out they will have another on Sunday only makes the PPV more appealing.

Hell in a Cell has a lot of bouts with the potential to make it one of the best shows of the year, especially the two matches inside the cell. Rollins and Ambrose are at a crossroads where they can either legitimize themselves as top stars or doom themselves to mid-card mediocrity.

Every title except the WWE World Heavyweight Championship will be on the line on Sunday, so we could see some new people holding gold come Raw the following Monday.

This week's predictions will revolve around the matches taking place at Sunday's PPV.

Predictions:

• Rusev will defeat Big Show, possibly with Mark Henry's help.
• Brie Bella will defeat Nikki Bella.
• AJ will retain the Divas title against Paige.
• Miz will defeat Sheamus for the US title.
• Cesaro will defeat Ziggler for the IC title.
• Gold and Stardust will defeat The Usos to retain the Tag titles.
• Randy Orton will defeat John Cena.
• Dean Ambrose will defeat Seth Rollins.

What did you think of SmackDown and what are your HIAC predictions?

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