WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from December 26

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.

The final SmackDown of 2014 featured a title match, an appearance by Hulk Hogan and some decent wrestling. There was definitely a few highlights, but it was a pretty average show in the end.

Most of the big feuds were addressed in one way or another, with video packages standing in for any talents who didn't actually appear.

WWE still had plenty of decorations around the ring, but there was a lot less focus on the holiday than it had on Raw. What was really surprising was how little WWE addressed this being the final SD of the year.

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

Hogan Takes Charge

Hulk Hogan opened the show with a promo about how he was in charge. Seth Rollins came out and did his usual amount of trash-talking and whining about The Authority.

Rollins did a great job playing the heel, and Hogan gave him a lot of time to talk so he could get his point across. It must have been on Rollins' bucket list to stand in the ring with Hogan, and he got to live that dream.

By the end of the segment, Dolph Ziggler, Big Show and Roman Reigns had all joined in on the fun, and it took Hogan all of 10 seconds to turn this into a tag match.

It was a very predictable opening, but having Hogan involved always adds a bit of nostalgia to the show. He may never wrestle another match, but he will always be good for a quick promo.

Grade: B

Ryback vs. Kane

Kane and Ryback were having the kind of match you would expect them to have when Rusev came out and tried to send Ryback a message.

Ryback still picked up the victory with Shell Shocked, but Rusev and Kane had the last laugh after two chokeslams and an Accolade left The Big Guy laying lifeless in the ring.

This segment managed to make both Ryback and Rusev look good at the same time. Rusev got to stand tall when the dust settled, but Ryback looked strong because it took both Rusev and Kane to take him down.

Nothing about what we saw was original, but it's not always about originality in WWE. Taking a tried-and-true formula and tweaking it for new talent will almost always work if the performers do their job.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights:

• Michael Cole made a joke about the Russian economy falling flat. It seemed like a line someone must have fed him over the headset.
• Kane really needs something new to do. Even putting him with a random Superstar for a tag team would be better than what he's been given for the past few months.
• Hogan confronted Rusev backstage and forced him to put his title on the line. Seeing Hogan interact with a foreign heel brings back a lot of memories.

Naomi vs. Alicia Fox

Two of the best athletes in the Divas division went head-to-head when Alicia Fox took on Naomi. This wasn't an instant classic, but it was definitely better than the average Divas match.

These two women just teamed up on Monday, so it was a little strange to see them having a match, especially since there are plenty of heels for either woman to face.

Naomi picked up the win with a split-leg moonsault after knocking Fox off the top rope with an enzuigiri.

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights:

• The Miz was watching from backstage to remind us all that he is still feuding with Jimmy Uso.
• Naomi's music still brings up memories of Brodus Clay. She should get something new.
• Fox needs to go back to acting nuts. She was really entertaining for a few months.

R-Truth vs. Adam Rose

Adam Rose came out for this match sans The Bunny after what happened last week. Rose had a moment where he scared one of the other Rosebuds, but then everything seemed fine.

It looks like ditching The Bunny was the best move since Rose picked up a clean win with the Party Foul. It was a pretty standard match all around, but seeing Rose be more aggressive really made his character easier to watch.

If Rose transitions from this gimmick into something more serious, there may just be hope that he will find some real success.

Grade: C

Notes and Highlights:

• R-Truth had a fully televised entrance. Just thought that was worth mentioning.
• Was there even a reason for Rose to stare down that Rosebud? It seemed really random.
• It's really surprising that The Bunny didn't appear to cost Rose the match.

Rusev vs. Dean Ambrose (US Title Match)

Rusev and Lana came out and said it didn't matter who was going to challenge for the United States Championship, but then Dean Ambrose's music hit.

The great thing about Ambrose is that he can wrestle against just about any style, so he always makes whoever he is in the ring with look really good.

It seemed like Ambrose had Rusev's number, but Bray Wyatt came out of nowhere and caused a DQ finish by attacking Ambrose.

They brawled around the ring until Wyatt was forced to retreat when Ambrose grabbed a handful of chairs and started filling the ring.

It was really the only way to let Rusev keep his title without Ambrose having to suffer a loss, so it worked out in the end. Wyatt and Ambrose always go all out when they fight each other, so there was some entertainment to be had in the end.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights:

• It's really easy to forget that Ambrose was a U.S. champion for almost a year.
• There's only so many stipulations left for Ambrose and Wyatt to use. Maybe their next encounter should be a Shampoo on a Pole match.
• Rusev and Ambrose could have a good feud. They worked well together in the ring, and it would be a nice change of pace for Rusev to face someone who isn't all about patriotism.

The Miz vs. Jimmy Uso

Jimmy Uso finally got a chance to get his hands on The Miz, and he didn't let the opportunity go to waste.

The Miz tried to reason with Uso and get him to call for a truce, but all he got was two kicks in the face and a Superfly Splash.

It was a quick, fun little match that probably didn't end the feud, but it did a good job keeping it going. Since no other competitors have emerged, The Usos will almost certainly get another shot at the tag titles.

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights:

• Jimmy Uso hit one of the best Superfly Splashes ever. His elevation was insane.
• Damien Mizdow is great at what he does, but the gimmick is beginning to show some wear. He needs to start showing signs of anger when The Miz cuts him off or find some other way to evolve the character.
• Naomi should have been at ringside.

Big Show and Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler and Roman Reigns

The main event tag match ended up capping off the final SmackDown of 2014 nicely and gave us a glimpse of which Superstars will be major players in 2015.

Seth Rollins and Big Show looked good, but Dolph Ziggler and Roman Reigns got the win and stood tall at the end of the night.

Reigns and Rollins are definitely in for a big year in 2015, but Ziggler might be the one who surprises everyone and becomes the huge star we all know he is capable of being.

The last few months have been great for Ziggler with his three Intercontinental Championship wins, Survivor Series moment and show-stealing performance at TLC.

The final few minutes of this match brought the excitement level up and gave everyone a chance to look good before Reigns got the pin. Not a bad way to end a show.

Grade: B+

Notes and Highlights:

• How many times can Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble interfere behind the ref's back in one match? Once or twice is understandable, but any more than that makes the ref look stupid.
• The "Big Slow" chants were obviously a reference to The Rock's famous promo about Big Show, but the announcers never mentioned it once.
• It's hard to tell if Ziggler has one of the best or one of the worst superkicks. What do you think?

Final Thoughts and Predictions

The final SmackDown of 2014 did a great job of continuing all the major feuds that will go through the Royal Rumble and delivering some solid action.

The main event definitely stole the show, but none of the other matches were disappointing. It's rare to have a whole show without a huge miss, but WWE was on target with the booking and storyline development.

The U.S. title match obviously wasn't going to end with Rusev losing the belt, but we got to see him mix it up with someone new and show off some of his versatility.

Monday's Raw will be the last big show of 2014. Hopefully WWE has something special planned to end the year right.

Predictions:

• The Ascension will squash Los Matadores in their first match next week.
• Ryback will attack Rusev on Raw and put him through an announce table.
• The Miz will make Naomi an offer she can't refuse, causing more fiction with Jimmy Uso.
• The offer will be for another Divas title match.
• The Bunny will attack Adam Rose on Raw.

What did you think of this week's SmackDown?

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