WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from April 9

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.

We are a few weeks removed from one of the better WrestleManias of the past 10 years, but WWE seems to already be phoning in some of its weekly shows.

One of the most enjoyable things about Thursday's episode of SmackDown was the blue-brand debut of Neville. This guy is so exciting to watch that you can't help but keep your eyes fixed on the screen whenever he appears.

While most of the show was uneventful, we did get some storyline progression in the New Day's heel turn and the start of what could be a new feud in the Divas division.

The coming weeks are going to be vital in making Extreme Rules a show worthy of following a great WrestleMania, but for now, let's take a look at everything that happened on SmackDown.

Opening Segment

The show opened with Daniel Bryan in the ring for a promo, but he was eventually joined by Bad News Barrett, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, Big Show and Roman Reigns.

Everyone got to speak a few words before all hell broke loose. The babyfaces sent the heels out of the ring to end the segment, which is almost always how these things go.

This has become a trend on SD. Somebody starts with a promo before somebody different comes out and says something else and they all start fighting. Eventually, we find out the men involved were put into a tag team match for the main event.

It's becoming way too repetitive, even if some of the people involved can sell the setup. Somebody in creative needs to realize this is not how SmackDown should start every single week. It's lazy booking at its worst.

Grade: C-

Notes and Highlights:

• An alliance between BNB and Sheamus could be great. They should be singles stars, but if they were packaged as a tag team, they could really spice up the division.
• The joke about Sheamus looking like Carrot Top and Jack Sparrow's love child was one of the better quips Ziggler has produced in a long time.
• Can someone explain how Big Show is better than Andre the Giant just because he won a Battle Royal named after the legend?

The New Day vs. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro

Big E and Kofi Kingston represented the New Day against the tag team champions, Tyson Kidd and Cesaro. Before the match got started, Big E delivered a promo that made it clear they were unhappy with the crowd chanting "New Day sucks!"

The match that followed was better than previous encounters from these teams. Big E and Kofi didn't use many heel tactics, but their increased intensity showed that they have started on the path toward a heel turn.

The champs picked up the win with a vicious uppercut from Cesaro followed by a neckbreaker from Kidd. Both teams looked really good, and New Day's storyline saw some good progression.

It's unclear whether they will challenge for the belts at Extreme Rules, but it does look like we are finally going to see Kingston wrestle as a heel for the first time in his eight-year WWE career, and that could end up being the best possible thing for him.

Grade: B+

Notes and Highlights:

• It was smart for WWE to start a slow heel turn for the New Day. They have tried and failed to make unpopular good guys get over in the past, so using the crowd's reaction as part of the story is the best option.
• Cesaro's power is ridiculous. Being able to lift a guy such as Big E off the ground for a throw is not something most wrestlers could do without struggling.
• You could really tell the crowd reactions were heavily edited during this bout.
• Kidd is no longer putting pictures of cats on his tights.

Neville vs. Curtis Axel

Curtis Axel started off the segment with his usual AxelMania nonsense before he called out Neville for a rematch.

Axel managed to get in some offense, but Neville ended up taking home the win after another impressive Red Arrow.

He is still new to the main roster, but those who have been following Neville in NXT know that he is more than just another spot monkey—this guy can do almost anything.

This wasn't a very long match, but it was a lot of fun to watch.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights:

• It's a little weird that WWE hasn't given Neville any time to deliver a promo. It will be interesting to see if that becomes part of a storyline.
• Despite a series of losses, it looks like Axel is genuinely having fun with this gimmick.
• Neville has one of the coolest entrance videos in all of WWE.

Natalya vs. Alicia Fox

Cameron, Natalya and Alicia Fox were being interviewed by Renee Young when Foxy and Nattie got into a shoving match. Surprisingly, it was Cameron who played the peacemaker.

Of course, this led to a match between Fox and Natalya, with Cameron serving as the special guest referee. The two competitors were very aggressive in the first minute of this bout.

Fox had control for a good portion of the match, but Natalya picked up the win with a Sharpshooter. After Cameron raised her hand, the former Funkadactyl attacked both women and left them laying in the middle of the ring following two DDTs.

While this won't be on anyone's top-10 list, it wasn't a horrible match. With more time and a real ref, it might have been better.

Grade: C

Notes and Highlights:

• Cameron yelling "I'm in charge" when things broke down was pretty funny.
• Cameron actually made a halfway decent ref. She followed all the rules and didn't take sides.

Erick Rowan vs. Bray Wyatt

Bray Wyatt came to the ring and talked about how he saved Erick Rowan from the evil world that shunned him. Wyatt is a master on the mic, and this was another example of his superiority in that department.

He said he was going to destroy Rowan, and then he addressed an unnamed person and said: "If I can do this to someone I love, imagine what I could do to you."

Rowan got in a lot more offense than he did during the last match these two had, but it wasn't enough to defeat his former mentor.

It seems like Wyatt is building toward a new feud with someone yet to be revealed. We know from experience that he can carry a storyline on his own, so it will be interesting to see how long WWE waits before telling us who Wyatt is targeting.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights:

• Bray Wyatt has his own little graphic for his name during his entrance. It's a cool detail to make his character stand out.
• The video package for Rowan was great. It's too bad he probably won't get a real push.
• Wyatt should have feuded with Rowan or Luke Harper after the stable disbanded. It would have made for a great story.

Miz TV

The Miz started off this segment by promoting his upcoming movie, The Marine 4. He showed a trailer and touted it as some kind of great cinematic achievement.

His lovely co-star, Summer Rae, came out to remind him that she was also part of the film, but he played it off as him giving a Diva a chance instead of this being her first big shot at stardom.

Damien Mizdow eventually made his way to the ring and made the Miz think he was going to apologize, only to end up laying out his former employer before planting a big kiss on Summer.

While it wasn't a segment that will be talked about for years to come, this ended up being one of the highlights of the show. Mizdow got a great reaction as he pummeled the man who made his life a living hell for several months, but he will probably be bragging about that kiss more than beating up the Miz.

Grade: B+

Notes and Highlights:

• The mic was so close that you could actually hear the impact of Mizdow's first punch.
• Say what you will about her wrestling ability, but Summer Rae is a great character. Her facial expressions tell a story, and she always looks like she is focused on making every segment she's in as good as it can be.
• How long do we have to wait for Mizdow to get his own merchandise again?
• The way Mizdow flashed a quick smile to the camera after kissing Summer was priceless.

Sheamus, Barrett and Big Show vs. Bryan, Ziggler and Reigns

These superstars have competed against each other countless times in a number of different combinations, so everyone knew exactly what to expect before the match even got started.

Six-man tag bouts usually follow a very specific formula. The babyfaces start off strong, the heels get the upper hand and control the majority of the match and then, right at the end, someone from the face team gets a hot tag and cleans house before picking up the win.

We see this almost every single week. The only thing that made this particular match feel less stale was Sheamus. He was gone for so long that he brings fresh energy to almost anything he does.

It was an average main event at best. Considering who was involved, it should have been better.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights:

• Who has the worse hairstyle, Ziggler or Sheamus?
• Big Show seemed really out of place in this match.
• While it could have been edited, it seemed like the crowd was actually behind Reigns after he picked up the win.

Final Thoughts and Predictions

When you break it down to nuts and bolts, this episode of SmackDown was about as average as they come, which isn't a great sign.

It really felt like the person in charge of the show was on cruise control. Everything was predictable, and no one match stood out as being significantly better than the rest.

Unfortunately, this sometimes happens after WrestleMania. WWE management is so worried about building to the biggest PPV of the year that they lose all their momentum once its over.

With Extreme Rules on the horizon, there is still a lot of work to be done when it comes to filling up the card with matches that will make fans want to keep their WWE Network subscriptions. All we can hope for at this point are some exciting stipulations to make things more exciting.

Predictions:

• Big Show and Reigns will compete in a Falls Count Anywhere match at Extreme Rules.
• Sheamus and Barrett will continue to team up for at least a few weeks.
• Naomi will win the Battle Royal to earn a Divas title shot on Monday.
• We will find out who Wyatt is targeting next week.
• Kane will officially leave the Authority before Extreme Rules.

What did you think of this week's SmackDown?

On a personal note, I would like to ask all of you to keep the people of Fairdale, Illinois and anyone else affected by the tornadoes in Illinois in your thoughts. I was lucky enough to only experience power outages, but many others lost their homes and businesses to the devastating weather that ripped through the state on Thursday.

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