WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from January 15

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.

After several weeks of watching various WWE Superstars taking Rorschach tests on a psychiatrist's couch, SmackDown finally moved back to its original Thursday night timeslot.

WWE definitely wanted this to seem like an important night, which is probably why they held off on Daniel Bryan's return to the ring until now.

Once the show got going, the main focus became pushing the Royal Rumble. Renee Young interviewed several Superstars throughout the night, while others shared their thoughts on the pay-per-view in promos and video packages.

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

Daniel Bryan's Triumphant Return

For the first time in several months, Daniel Bryan came to a WWE ring wearing his wrestling gear. All is right with the world again.

Byron Saxton interviewed the former WWE champion about his feud with Kane, his injured neck and the upcoming Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

It took all of a few minutes before the Authority came out on the ramp, with Triple H making a rare SmackDown appearance to accompany Kane to the ring for his match.

Bryan made it clear that he was up for a fight when he immediately drop-kicked Kane after the bell. As the match progressed, it became pretty clear that Bryan has been preparing for this return.

It's hard to judge if a person is as good as they used to be off of one match, but Bryan is the kind of guy who is naturally gifted inside the ring. He shook off whatever rust he had right away.

Bryan hit most of his usual offense, but he showed some signs of being a little more cautious, which is to be expected after the kind of injury he suffered.

The Authority ended up getting involved in the match, which brought out Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns to even the playing field. As anyone who has ever seen SmackDown would expect, this was turned into a six-man tag match for later in the evening.

Grade: B+

Notes and Highlights:

• It looks like getting a haircut wasn't on Bryan's to-do list during his time off.
• You can tell Bryan wasn't able to work out as much at home. He's put on a couple of pounds. Not too much, but enough to have a different physique than nine months ago.
• It will be interesting to see how WWE acknowledges Bryan and Brie Bella's relationship with her being a heel these days.
• For those who are curious, the grade is not a joke referring to Bryan being called a B+ player.
• They should play Teddy Long's music every time a singles match is turned into a tag match.

Macho Man in the Hall of Fame

It was announced during Raw that "Macho Man" Randy Savage would finally take his rightful place among the greats in the WWE Hall of Fame, and the video was shown again on SmackDown.

This was one of those things that didn't seem possible a few years ago, and his omission has always been a subject of discussion among fans.

The video package definitely did a great job condensing a legendary career into a few short minutes, and the fact that they included both his proposal and wedding to Miss Elizabeth was the icing on the cake.

For those who did not get to watch those moments when they happened all those years ago, it was truly a special time in WWE. Savage and Elizabeth were the equivalent to royalty in wrestling, and their wedding might be the only time two people get hitched in the ring without some kind of storyline or attack.

Macho Man's tux personified his over-the-top personality, and Elizabeth was the definition of beauty and grace. It's understandable WWE hasn't had a legitimate wedding ever since because there's no way to top the emotion everyone felt while watching in the arena and at home.

If you have the WWE Network, go back and watch SummerSlam '91 to see just what made that moment so memorable. If you tend to cry at weddings, keep some tissues handy.

Grade: A++

The Usos and Naomi vs. Miz, Mizdow and Alicia Fox

We've seen these four men and two women wrestle several times in recent weeks, but this was still a fun match.

Alicia Fox is likely only aligned with the Miz and Damien Mizdow because of her feud with Naomi, but it seems to work for some reason.

Everyone got a little time in the ring, but the length of the match was kept relatively short. The Miz ended up getting the win for his team after pushing Mizdow into a superkick and then hitting the Skull Crushing Finale on Jimmy Uso.

The feud with Naomi and Fox will probably continue for a little while, but Miz, Mizdow and the Usos need to move on soon.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights:

• Naomi's new attire is a big improvement over the checkered flag-inspired outfit she was wearing.
• It's creepy to think that Byron Saxton has a signed photo of the Miz hanging in his bathroom.
• It's time to let Mizdow go off on his own. This gimmick was a lot of fun, but it has run its course.

Seth Rollins Finally Grows a Spine

Paul Heyman came to the ring to hype the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at the Royal Rumble, but because this is SmackDown, he was alone.

Lesnar's limited schedule means his appearances are too important to waste on a show that was taped earlier in the week. Luckily, Heyman is so good on the mic that Lesnar doesn't have to appear.

Seth Rollins came out to express his frustration at being looked at as a coward and not being considered on Lesnar's level. His anger seemed very genuine.

Rollins wanted to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase, but with Lesnar being at home on his farm, we all knew it wouldn't happen.

It was almost a babyface turn for Mr. MITB because the crowd was totally behind him, especially when he was ranting about wanting his title shot right then and there.

Heyman being the evil genius that he is was able to talk his way out of a tight spot, both figuratively and literally, by implying that he could find himself in Rollins' corner in the future.

This segment was just about perfect. It made Rollins look important and didn't last long enough to lose anyone's attention. All eyes were on the two men in the ring, and they delivered like only they can.

Grade: A

Nikki Bella vs. Natalya

Despite Natalya's husband costing her a win recently, Paige still accompanied her new best friend to the ring for a non-title match against Nikki Bella.

The match was the usual length for the Divas, but they still had enough time for Nikki to show off some of the improvements she has made in recent weeks.

Natalya got a surprisingly clean win over Nikki using the Sharpshooter, likely earning herself a future title shot in the process.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights:

• Is it me, or has Paige's attire gotten skimpier over time?
• Did they start making a pill that makes wrestlers better? It's like Nikki became a better wrestler overnight.
• Some might question the grade when the match was praised. The reason the grade isn't higher is because this match should have lasted a little longer.

Sin Cara vs. Bad News Barrett

After picking up a shocking victory over Bad News Barrett last week, Sin Cara received a shot at the Intercontinental Championship.

The match didn't last too long, but it concluded with a great spot that saw Sin Cara springboard himself right into a Bull Hammer.

Nobody expected Sin Cara to win the title, especially since he is one half of the NXT tag team champions, but it was good to see him get some time on the main roster.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights:

• Kalisto should have accompanied Sin Cara to the ring. It would have been a great way to cross-promote NXT.
• Barrett needs a major feud to cement his title reign. When Dolph Ziggler returns, they need to have a long program for the belt.

Ambrose, Bryan and Reigns vs. Big Show, Kane and Rollins

Not only did we get the highly anticipated return of Daniel Bryan, we got to see him in two different matches. That's what you call giving the people what they want.

Other than the time Big Show was in the ring, this match had a good pace and gave everyone a chance to shine.

Bryan, Reigns and Ambrose were really over with the crowd, so WWE was probably able to leave out the canned crowd reactions.

In a match like this, the heels usually control most of the action until the end, but the babyfaces held their own for a long time.

Like every six-man tag match that has ever happened, all hell broke loose toward the end. Bryan was able to pick up the win for his team with a running knee to his former Team Hell No partner.

Triple H came out and announced that Kane would face Bryan next week on SmackDown, with Bryan's spot in the Rumble on the line.

Grade: A-

Notes and Highlights:

• It would have been so cool if Ambrose came through the crowd with Reigns to hark back to their days in the Shield.
• Big Show has been using submission holds a lot more over the past few months. It's great to see a veteran continuing to add to his repertoire.
• Go ahead and forget what was said earlier about Bryan toning down his style. He is still doing all the crazy stuff he was doing before he got hurt.

Final Thoughts and Predictions

SmackDown has been very hit-or-miss for a long time, but the return to Thursday night must have lit a fire under everyone's behind because it was a pretty good show.

In fact, none of the matches we saw could be called bad, which is a huge accomplishment for any WWE event these days.

Daniel Bryan's return was exciting, and the fact that we got two matches featuring the bearded hero only made things better.

The main focus has been building the Royal Rumble for the past few weeks, and there was no shortage of promotion for the PPV between the interviews and promos delivered by everyone.

This year's Royal Rumble has the potential to be an outstanding show with everything we already know will happen. This week's predictions will deal with what else might be added to the card.

Predictions:

• Natalya will get a shot at Nikki Bella's Divas title, possibly with Paige making it a Triple Threat match.
• At least one NXT star will be included in the Rumble match.
• Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan will all be rehired in time to compete in the Rumble.
• Naomi will face Alicia Fox on the Rumble Kickoff.
• At least one of the losers in the WWE WHC match will enter the Rumble.

What did you think of this week's SmackDown?

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