WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from May 21

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, as well as offer a few predictions for future events.

This week's show had the unenviable task of following another great NXT TakeOver special, but it managed to do a decent job.

A few of the matches were very enjoyable, and some of the non-wrestling segments did a great job moving various storylines along.

Nothing particularly special took place during the show, but it was an enjoyable episode that gave us some entertaining moments.

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

Opening Segment

After a very long intro video, featuring highlights from Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins' encounter on Raw, Roman Reigns opened the show with his advertised promo.

He talked about how he lost at Payback but had a great time beating up on Seth Rollins. He said he was going to come up with a new strategy, and it included entering the Money in the Bank Ladder match.

Dean Ambrose came to the ring to brag a little about how he had a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at Elimination Chamber. Reigns asked if Ambrose ever had an exit strategy in his plan, but before he could answer, Kane walked onto the stage.

He said Reigns was not in the MITB match and had to prove to Kane that he deserved a spot. Kane also booked Ambrose to face Bray Wyatt.

It was a typical opening segment for SmackDown. Kane wasn't at his best in this one. His presence brought any momentum Ambrose and Reigns had to a complete stop. This was advertised as some kind of big promo for Reigns, but it was no different than the start of every episode.

Grade: C-

Notes and Highlights:

• They kept calling this Reigns' "return" to SmackDown like he hasn't been on the show in months. It was weird.
• You would think Justin Bieber did something to piss Vince McMahon off with how much they have been using his name as an insult lately.
• Reigns and Ambrose maintaining a storyline friendship helps their characters. They might not be the Shield anymore, but having each other as allies makes their storylines more interesting.
• WWE didn't upload this segment, so instead, you can see Lana and Dolph Ziggler's backstage interaction.

The Ascension vs. Los Matadores vs. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro vs. The Lucha Dragons

Titus O'Neil of the Prime Time Players and Xavier Woods of The New Day sat in with the commentary team for this Fatal 4-Way tag team match. Darren Young, Kofi Kingston and Big E just stood behind them because there weren't enough headsets and chairs to go around.

Matches with eight people can often be chaotic, but this one was paced well and allowed every team to have some time to shine without feeling rushed.

The one thing that was obvious from the crowd's reaction was that Cesaro was the most over Superstar in this contest. Every time he got involved, the fans perked up.

Kalisto won the match for his team with a creative Hurricanrana pinning combination. It was a decent match that seemed to get the crowd fired up for the rest of the show.

Grade: B 

Notes and Highlights:

• The Lucha Dragons need to be used more often. They are always fun to watch, and their lucha chant is infectious.
• O'Neil is always great on commentary. He is more entertaining than any other single performer in the tag team division when he wants to be.
• Byron Saxton should have talked about the feud between the Ascension and Los Matadores from NXT. He's the resident NXT announcer on SmackDown, so he should always be used to help drive interest in the developmental brand.
• It's great to see the tag team division being portrayed as more competitive over the past few months. There's a lot of talent that just needs to be used appropriately.

Dolph Ziggler vs. King Barrett

Dolph Ziggler was being interviewed by Renee Young when Lana walked up and wished him luck. He told her he knew she was playing a game with Rusev when she kissed him on Raw, but he didn't care because she was a good kisser.

After the break, he met King Barrett for a match. These two always work well together, so it was enjoyable enough to keep the show's momentum going.

The best part was that Ziggler got the clean win with absolutely no outside interference.

Lana came out on the stage and clapped for him as he celebrated in the ring. She kept her distance, which seems to indicate that this storyline will develop over time.

It will be interesting to see how long this angle plays out, but it's smart WWE isn't treating them like a couple immediately. Ziggler has been thrown into relationships with a lot of Divas over the years, so taking a new approach to such a storyline is refreshing.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights:

• Ziggler seemed like he was in an especially good mood on his way to the ring.
• Ziggler is easily the most consistent wrestler on the WWE roster. He almost never makes mistakes, and he knows how to get the crowd fired up.
• Barrett's back kick to the face never looks more brutal than when he is facing Ziggler.

Paige Speaks Her Mind

Paige came to the ring and talked about how she earned a Divas title shot before she was injured, which makes her the rightful No. 1 contender.

We then saw clips of Naomi attacking her when she made her heel turn. She said she almost respected Naomi for taking what she wanted because she had done the same thing herself in the past.

Naomi and Tamina came out to give their two cents. Naomi talked about how Paige hasn't earned her spot at the top of the pecking order.

This was much better than a lot of the Diva promos and attacks we see on a regular basis. Both Paige and Naomi were very convincing in their performances.

Nikki Bella came out and made the save after Naomi and Tamina got the better of Paige in a fight, but she also took Paige out with the Rack Attack to get some revenge for what happened on Raw.

Everything played out very well in this segment. Everyone performed their roles perfectly, and the Divas division finally feels competitive again.

Grade: B+

Notes and Highlights:

• Calling Tamina Naomi's boyfriend seemed slightly offensive for some reason, but it wasn't as offensive as Paige telling her she was competing in the wrong division.
• Naomi's entrance music is the worst behind Brie Bella's.
• It's good to finally see some consistency in storylines involving the Divas.

R-Truth vs. Stardust

For some reason, R-Truth and Stardust had another match. It seems like they are in a feud, but there has been no real storyline behind it.

The worst part is that Stardust keeps taking losses. It's not that R-Truth isn't talented and doesn't deserve a push—it's just Stardust seems like he should be booked much better than this.

Truth using the glove Stardust had removed as a distraction was a creative way to finish the match, but it was uneventful overall.

Grade: C-

Notes and Highlights:

• Stardust really suffered by his feud with Goldust ending so abruptly. When Goldust returns, he needs to put Stardust over so he can regain some momentum.
• It felt like the old Cody Rhodes was coming out a little bit at one point, but that might have just been Stardust acting angry.
• Winning the Elimination Chamber and the Intercontinental Championship would be a good way to give Stardust some credibility again.
• It was cool how they showed Samoa Joe's debut in NXT, even though SmackDown was filmed first. Treating his appearance as a big deal is a good sign that he will be treated like a major attraction. The way they have hyped big signings in NXT has been helpful.

Macho Mandow and AxelMania vs. Heath Slater and Adam Rose

Macho Mandow and AxelMania faced Adam Rose and Heath Slater in a match that was clearly designed just to give them a victory.

Losing their first bout with this gimmick was not a good sign, but if WWE uses them right, they could become a very popular act. If done correctly, comedy characters can work.

This gimmick is also all about nostalgia. It's not a parody as much as it is an homage to these legends. The funny thing is that they are probably having more fun than anyone else.

Every wrestler likely grew up dressing like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, and now these two get to actually play those roles in front of thousands of people. It has to be a dream come true on some level.

We won't pretend like this match was anything special, but not every bout has to be a technical clinic or a brutal brawl. It's sometimes nice to have something that is just fun for fun's sake.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights:

• It's almost creepy how much Curtis Axel looks like Hulk Hogan with that mustache. They have very similar jawlines.
• A lot of people are going to trash Sandow and Axel for this gimmick, but people need to understand that comedy characters are necessary in pro wrestling. A lot of people have played ridiculous roles before becoming big stars. Triple H used to play a really dumb character before he aligned with Shawn Michaels.
• Is anyone else surprised that Rose hasn't been given a better role since he was so well received during ESPN E:60: Behind the Curtain?

Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt

Bray Wyatt and Dean Ambrose are such great opponents for one another. They both have completely different gimmicks that rely on their insanity.

If they both ascend to the main event scene, they could create a long-term rivalry for the ages. They're kind of like the Undertaker and Mankind in that they will always mesh well together.

Wyatt controlled the majority of the match, but Ambrose still got the chance to hit some signature moves that always pop the crowd.

These two do a great job of pacing their matches, so that the excitement is always at its peak right at the end. J&J Security tried to interfere, but Ambrose was able to fight them off and kick out of Sister Abigail.

Seth Rollins also made an appearance, but Roman Reigns cut him off before he could make it to the ring. Reigns gave Ambrose an assist with a Superman punch to Wyatt behind the ref's back before Ambrose hit Dirty Deeds to pick up the win.

It was a fun main event, even if the logic of the ending wasn't all that great.

Grade: B+

Notes and Highlights:

• Bray Wyatt's entrance is one of the best WWE has ever had. If you have ever seen it live in the arena, you know it always gets the crowd on their feet.
• Wyatt looks like he lost a little weight. He has always been quick for his size, but he seems more spry lately.
• Having Ambrose get a clean win would have been so much more beneficial than all the mayhem at the end. It makes his victory look less deserved if he has help.

Final Thoughts and Predictions

All things considered, this was a decent edition of SmackDown. Paige and Naomi were especially strong in their performances.

Ziggler and Ambrose each came away with good wins, but things were not so good for Stardust. He took yet another loss in what has become a pattern of embarrassing defeats.

Several storylines were addressed, but the feud that took up the most time was Ambrose against Rollins. Reigns was involved quite a bit, but he is just there to support Ambrose while he is chasing the title.

Following NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable was not easy, but that was a special and this was a regular weekly show, so they should be judged on a different scale.

Predictions:

• A brawl will erupt between all six competitors in the IC title Elimination Chamber match during Raw.
• Hulk Hogan will appear in a segment with Mandow and AxelMania.
• Paige and Nikki will team up to take on Naomia and Tamina, but they will turn on each other before it's over.
• Kevin Owens will appear on Raw to hype his upcoming match with John Cena.
• Rusev and Ziggler will get into another fight over Lana on Monday.

What did you think of this week's SmackDown.

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