WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from May 28

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.

WWE Elimination Chamber 2015 is just days away, and if this week's SmackDown was a sign of anything, it's that WWE Creative is starting to show fatigue.

The past two months have been some of the busiest in recent history, and things won't be slowing down anytime soon. Just two weeks after Elimination Chamber is the annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view.

For a show meant to send us into a PPV, SmackDown felt a bit forced. A lot of storylines were addressed, but very little actually happened. However, a few entertaining moments still managed to squeak through.

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

Opening Segment

Dean Ambrose opened the show with a very long explanation of what he went through Monday in order to sign the contract to receive his WWE World Heavyweight Championship match.

Ambrose is great on the mic, but his recap dragged on forever. He easily could have conveyed the same message in half the time.

It felt like this was a test to see if he could carry a promo all on his own. He did a good job, but he focused too much on what happened during Raw and not enough on what he is going to do to Rollins at Elimination Chamber.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights:

• This might be a sign that Ambrose only works well when he is in segments with other people.
• This felt like the first time in years that the opening promo on SmackDown did not lead to a match.
• WWE didn't put this segment on YouTube, so instead you can watch WWE Superstars offering advice to Tough Enough hopefuls.

The Lucha Dragons vs. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro

Tyson Kidd and Cesaro faced Kalisto and Sin Cara in a Lumberjack match that featured the other four teams that will be in the Elimination Chamber match serving as the lumberjacks.

Kidd and Sin Cara had a fantastic exchange of quick maneuvers to start things off. The lumberjacks didn't have much of a role to play, which was kind of surprising.

Xavier Woods played a small part in the outcome by grabbing Kidd's leg to distract him, but for the most part, this was a very uneventful Lumberjack match.

The good news is that Kidd, Cesaro and the Lucha Dragons put on a pretty good show inside the ring.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights:

• Kalisto is so much fun to watch. His creativity sets him apart from the other high-flyers in the company.
• Cesaro and Kidd should stay together for a long time. Their styles mesh together really well.
• Was anyone else surprised that this whole thing didn't erupt into a huge fight? In fact, it was kind of disappointing that it didn't turn into a brawl.

R-Truth vs. King Barrett

R-Truth is talented in a lot of ways, but the number of clean wins he has picked up in recent weeks boggles the mind. He is probably only being built up so he looks like a good contender for the Intercontinental Championship, but it's still weird to see him win so often.

The match he had with King Barrett was decent, but too short to be anything more than a throwaway. Truth only had a few seconds to celebrate his win before Sheamus came out of nowhere to deliver a Brogue Kick.

Just to show that he wasn't being biased, Sheamus also kicked Barrett's head clean off his shoulders.

Grade: C

Notes and Highlights:

• Truth has gotten better at hitting the Lie Detector from any angle. It has actually become a decent finisher for him.
• How long is Barrett going to milk the King of the Ring title? He makes it work, but it's hard to take him seriously when he wears the cape and crown.

Ryback vs. Rusev

Rusev and Lana had a brief exchange backstage where they basically called each other jealous. Rusev tried to bring his anger into the ring against Ryback, but the Big Guy didn't make it easy for him.

The match was mostly strikes and power moves. Other than a few impressive shows of strength, it was slow-paced and kind of boring. The fact that it lasted two segments made it feel like one of the slowest bouts we have seen in quite some time.

Rusev ended up getting himself disqualified. This protected both men because neither of them had to suffer a loss, but now that we know Rusev is injured, it will be interesting to see what happens with the Elimination Chamber match.

Grade: C-

Notes and Highlights:

• Rusev and Lana are doing a great job of slowly losing their accents.
• Ryback and Rusev have had better matches in the past. It was kind of surprising to see them taking it so slow.
• You could see Rusev limping a lot after the break. You've got to give the man credit for finishing the match with an injury.

Naomi vs. Paige

Naomi started the match by taunting Paige like a kid in the schoolyard. She was poking and prodding the former Divas champion until Paige chased her to the ropes.

They had a good back-and-forth contest, but the crowd's lack of enthusiasm didn't help it appear as such. The way the fans act during a match can make a big difference.

The women in NXT are undeniably talented, but they also have the benefit of performing in front of a much more intimate and more vocal audience.

Paige and Naomi could have used a little more time, but they worked well together with what they had. Paige picked up the win and then celebrated as the Bellas clapped from the stage.

Grade: C

Notes and Highlights:

• Naomi's fake laugh is really bad. It's like watching a villain from the Adam West Batman.
• Nikki Bella, Naomi and Paige will have to try very hard to even come close to the match Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks had at TakeOver: Unstoppable. The advantage they have is being able to pull off multi-person spots.

Kevin Owens Makes His SmackDown Debut

Kevin Owens gave an interview in the ring with Michael Cole to hype his upcoming match with John Cena at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.

Owens reminded us all how he has been wrestling for 15 years and has dominated people all over the world before coming to WWE.

It was a solid promo that definitely gave the WWE Universe a taste of what a great heel this guy is. You really get the feeling that he believes every word he says because he mixes just enough truth into his statements.

Having Cole there to move things along helped, but Owens carried his first solo promo on the main roster very well.

Grade: B

Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins and Kane

It's hard to get excited about seeing the same match over and over, but somehow these four men manage to make things interesting every time they fight. Even Kane finds ways to contribute.

Seeing the main event scene being dominated by three men who debuted less than three years ago has been great. The three former Shield members are proof that hard work and dedication do indeed pay off in the end.

They always do their best, but it seems like they always try a little harder to steal the show when they are in the ring with each other.

Ambrose took the majority of the punishment inflicted by The Authority throughout the match. Roman Reigns eventually cleaned house with the hot tag, but J&J Security caused a disqualification before he could pin Rollins.

Kane brought out The New Day to attack Ambrose for some reason, but Reigns was right there to take out everyone with a huge dive over the top rope to the floor.

After all the mayhem was over, Rollins was standing tall to end the show. It wasn't a particularly creative ending, but closing the show with Rollins looking strong heading into his title defense was a good call.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights:

• Has Justin Bieber expressed an opinion about his name being used as an insult in WWE yet?
• What was the point of The New Day getting involved? It made no sense.
• Rollins can do so many things well, so why can't he hit the Pedigree without looking sloppy?

Final Thoughts and Predictions

"Average" is probably the best word to describe this week's show. There was a good match or two, a little storyline development and several predictable moments.

The best thing from Thursday's SmackDown was Kevin Owens' promo. He has only been appearing on the main roster for two weeks, and he is already one of the most intriguing characters.

If you think about everything that has happened in the past two months, it's shocking WWE has been able to successfully introduce three new people to the main roster. Neville debuted after WrestleMania, Sami Zayn challenged Cena for the U.S. title a few weeks ago and Kevin Owens is now facing Cena at a PPV.

Speaking of the PPV, Sunday's event has a few bouts with real potential to be instant classics. All of this week's predictions will revolve around the outcomes of those matches.

Predictions

• Naomi will win the Divas title with some help from Tamina.
• Neville will defeat Bo Dallas.
• John Cena will defeat Kevin Owens.
• Seth Rollins will retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
• The New Day will retain the Tag Team Championships.
• Sheamus will win the Intercontinental Championship.

What did you think of SmackDown, and what are your Elimination Chamber predictions?

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