WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from April 16

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.

WWE is still over in England for the European tour, which means the crowd was rowdier than usual. British fans always seem more vocal because they only get a couple of chances to see the men and women of WWE every year.

Like Raw, it felt like WWE tried to put more matches on the card to make sure as many people got exposure as possible, but it led to several bouts feeling rushed.

However, we did get some storyline progression ahead of Extreme Rules and a great contest between Sheamus and Neville, so it wasn't a total loss.

Let's take a look at everything that happened on the most recent edition of SmackDown.

Opening Segment

John Cena opened the show to the crowd singing "John Cena sucks" to the melody of his entrance music. It sounded like WWE tried to tone down the audio a bit, but you could still tell the majority of the crowd were mocking him.

Cena proceeded to tell us how a Russian Chain match works. It's basically a Strap match but with linked metal rings instead of a length of rawhide.

He said he was willing to offer another Superstar a shot at the United States Championship, but he didn't get a challenger. Instead, Tyson Kidd and Cesaro came out and dropped some facts on the U.S. champ.

Daniel Bryan joined the party, and just like every single week, the men involved in the opening segment were put into a tag match. It's copy-and-paste storytelling at its most mediocre. At least this segment wasn't dragged out for too long.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights:

• The "Fact" routine would have worked in the past but now it feels like a poor attempt to give Kidd and Cesaro a gimmick to make them more than just a pair of wrestlers.
• The crowd's response to Bryan's question about being the most handsome man in WWE was pretty funny.
• Whoever designed Kidd and Cesaro's shirts really phoned it in.
• Since WWE didn't upload this segment to YouTube, you get to watch Fandango drop Rosa like a bad habit.

Bray Wyatt vs. R-Truth

Bray Wyatt came out and destroyed R-Truth in the opening match in under two minutes. The easy win might help him look strong to some, but there wasn't much to care about.

Nobody expected Truth to put up a good fight, let alone defeat the charismatic cult leader. It was a squash in every sense of the word.

Truth is a pro, so he is willing to do what's asked of him, but this is not how he should be booked. He shouldn't be in the hunt for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but he shouldn't be jobbing.

Grade: D

Notes and Highlights:

• Truth's reaction to Wyatt's spider walk was great.
• It was a little surprising Wyatt didn't deliver some kind of promo before or after the match.
• Is it a good or bad thing that Michael Cole called this a rare appearance for Wyatt? Bringing attention to how little he wrestles is risky.

The Miz vs. Bad News Barrett

The Miz came to the ring and talked about how he saved Damien Mizdow from falling into obscurity and even took credit for Summer Rae's inclusion in The Marine 4.

Bad News Barrett got a great reaction during his entrance, and he played the babyface to give the UK fans something to cheer for just like he did on Raw.

In what was the shortest match we have seen in quite some time, Barrett hit the Miz with the Bull Hammer to pick up the win in a matter of seconds.

Short matches are not usually something to be excited about, but the way they played to the crowd helped make it work in this instance. BNB getting the decisive win was the right move to make the crowd happy.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights:

• It might be time to see how BNB does as a babyface. He wouldn't have to be all smiles and tell the crowd how much he loves them—all he would have to do is shift his focus to fighting heels and the crowd would get behind him.
• It felt like a missed opportunity to not have Mizdow come out and mock the Miz for losing so fast.
• At least they had a backstage segment that saw them agree to put the Miz gimmick on the line in a future match.
• Mizdow doing his stunt-double shtick for a few seconds was the best part of this whole segment.
• For those wondering, Summer Rae really did play in the Lingerie Football League prior to becoming a wrestler. She was Chicago's team captain.

Sheamus vs. Neville

Neville faced Sheamus in what ended up being his most physical match on the main roster to date. The announcers said that Neville requested this bout after being attacked by Sheamus on Raw.

It's great how WWE didn't take the traditional approach by having Neville exclusively face jobbers for the first several weeks of his run. Putting him in the ring with big stars is the best way to get the crowd used to him, even if he does lose sometimes.

Neville got the win, albeit by disqualification. Seeing as Superstars throw each other into the announce table all the time, it seems a little weird it caused a DQ finish.

The Celtic Warrior proceeded to dismantle Neville after the match was over, which brought out Dolph Ziggler to make the save. They traded insults until Sheamus told him they would have a Kiss My Arse match at Extreme Rules.

It's not the most ideal stipulation, but they should be able to put on one of the best performances at the pay-per-view.

Grade: B+

Notes and Highlights:

• Is anyone else really curious as to why Neville has been given zero time on the mic?
• This match marks the second time this week Cole has incorrectly called a standing shooting star press a standing moonsault.
• The phoenix splash Neville hit from the middle rope was just as impressive as the Red Arrow.
• Where did Sheamus get that mic from when he was on the ramp? It's like it appeared in his hand out of nowhere.

The New Day vs. Los Matadores

The New Day gave a promo on their way to the ring addressing the "New Day sucks" chants. Kofi Kingston said they clap so they don't snap. It must be a calming thing like saying "serenity now" or "hoochie mama."

Big E and Kingston made short work of Diego and Fernando. Nothing exciting happened at all; it was just another quick filler match.

The one positive thing is that WWE is having the New Day make a slow heel turn instead of just having them randomly turn into cheaters. The storyline is a little thin, but at least there's a story.

Grade: D+

Notes and Highlights:

• Who else flashed back to those Clapper commercials when Kingston was talking?
• Kingston wearing pigtails was just plain weird.

Natalya vs. Alicia Fox vs. Cameron

It seems like a strange decision to book a Triple Threat match with three heels. Natalya is definitely a heel, given she helps Kidd and Cesaro cheat sometimes, and both Cameron and Alicia Fox have been mildly evil for quite some time.

While there were definitely a few sloppy moments, this match wasn't as bad as you would expect. All three Divas were very physical throughout, but their enthusiasm is probably why they slipped up a few times.

Cameron picked up the win after waiting for Fox to hit her finisher and then throwing her out of the ring so she could pin Natalya herself.

Grade: C

Notes and Highlights:

• WWE tried to hide it with editing, but Cameron fell way too early when Natalya hit her with a discus clothesline. There was no contact at all.
• It kind of seemed like Natalya was trying to play the babyface, which is weird considering she has been playing a heel with Kidd and Cesaro lately.
• If the goal of a heel is to make you dislike them, then Cameron is one of the best heels WWE has today. The way she plays her character makes it so easy to hate her.

Fandango vs. Adam Rose

Fandango broke up with Rosa backstage earlier in the show. Adam Rose walked by and seemed to indicate he was interested in aligning with her.

Rosa came out during the match and unintentionally distracted Fandango, but it didn't stop her former flame from getting the win.

This was another match that could have benefitted from a few extra minutes, but it was great to see Fandango embraced as a babyface so soon after his turn.

It will be interesting to see if his popularity follows him back to the United States or if fans in the UK just like to dance to his music more than Americans.

Grade: C-

Notes and Highlights:

• The way Rose looked at Rosa was really off-putting. Maybe his eyeliner makes him look like more of a creep.
• If Rosa married Adam Rose, would her name be Rosa Rose? It sounds like the name of a girlfriend in a comic book. They always have alliterative names—Lois Lane, Lana Lang, Vicki Vale, Betty Brant and Sally Selwyn. Don't blame yourself if you've never heard of the last one.

John Cena and Daniel Bryan vs. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro

Cena did most of the heavy lifting in the main event, leaving Bryan to come in at the last minute and get the win for the team with the Yes Lock.

If WWE is trying to limit Bryan's time in the ring until he is healthier, this was the perfect way to do it. Kidd and Cesaro both had some great exchanges with Cena, proving they deserve to be put in more matches against top names.

It's always fun to see Superstars who don't interact very often have a match. Kidd and Cesaro have so much talent that they could put on a good show with just about anybody.

The premise behind it was weak, but the main event gave us a decent conclusion to what was mostly a lackluster show.

Grade: B+

Notes and Highlights:

• Bryan was definitely moving a little more gingerly than we are used to seeing. He still did some risky moves, but it didn't feel like he had his usual high level of intensity.
• Kidd hit Natalya really hard when he knocked her off the apron by mistake. Cesaro barely had enough time to catch her.

Final Thoughts and Predictions

When WWE goes to Europe for tours, they usually make an effort to put on a memorable show. That did not happen for this week's SmackDown.

The program had some highlights sure, but it felt like any other episode. Two good matches and a bunch of filler is no different from any other week.

The bout between Sheamus and Neville definitely stole the show, but the main event had some fun moments too. The Divas had a decent match, but it wasn't anything to write home about.

Perhaps the fans who got to experience the show live had a different impression, but it just didn't seem all that special watching it at home.

Predictions:

• Rusev will attack John Cena with another chain on Raw, possibly using it to tie him to something so he can beat Cena senseless.
• Fandango will have a few weeks of popularity and will then be right back to being used sparingly.
• Neville's first real promo will take place during Monday's episode of Raw.
• We will find out whom Wyatt is targeting on Raw.
• If Paige is taken out of the Divas title match at Extreme Rules, it will be turned into a Triple Threat or Fatal 4-Way.

What did you think of this week's SmackDown?

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