WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from June 4

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.

We are just about at the halfway point between Elimination Chamber and Money in the Bank. With the heavy pay-per-view schedule over the past couple of months, it feels like all Raw and SmackDown are good for is setting up matches for the bigger events.

The one thing we got this week that was a bit of a change was an NXT Championship defense from Kevin Owens. He issued an open challenge as a way to mock John Cena's recent weekly title defenses.

Other than that, the only thing worth mentioning is that a new No. 1 contender for the Tag Team Championships was chosen in one of the more entertaining matches of the night.

We may as well jump right into it and take a look at everything that happened on this week's SmackDown.

Opening Segment

Seth Rollins came out to open the show all by himself. He didn't have his title or his security team and he looked pissed. He grabbed a chair from ringside and sat in the ring while he talked about his situation.

After a long explanation about how he got to where he is, he began to lay the groundwork for an eventual breakup with The Authority.

Dean Ambrose eventually came on the big screen and taunted the champ with his own belt while standing under a ladder. He discussed their upcoming Ladder match and promised that he would leave Money in the Bank as the rightful champion.

It was a pretty good segment between two guys with a lot of history. Both of them are very good in their current roles, and their showdown at MITB should be one for the ages.

Grade: B+

Notes and Highlights

• This feels like the first time we have seen Rollins by himself in a very long time. It's kind of weird to see him without an entourage.
• It seems like Rollins has been champion for a lot longer than he really has. Seeing him without the belt just feels wrong.

The Ascension vs. Lucha Dragons vs. Prime Time Players

The first match of the evening was a Triple Threat tag team contest to determine the new No. 1 contenders for the Tag Team Championships.

Everyone looked good, but it was Titus O'Neil who was the real star. He got the hot tag at the end of the match and absolutely destroyed everyone before finishing off Konnor to pick up the win.

The action was fast-paced, but it never felt like the match was rushed. It's great that the tag team division is finally becoming competitive again. Every team has their own identity and brings something completely different to the table.

The division still needs some better storylines, but for now, everyone should be happy that there is enough competition to give the champions a different challenger every month for a long time.

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights

• It's great to actually see PTP wrestling again. They sat on the sidelines way too long.
• Announcers always make up fake facts about wrestlers to add to their characters. Tom Phillips is really bad at it.
• PTP needs a tag team finisher. It's great that they each have their own moves, but every team should have a combo to finish off their opponents.

Ryback vs. Stardust

Ryback came out with his newly won Intercontinental Championship to take on Stardust in a very one-sided match that saw the Big Guy get the win in less than two minutes.

Having Stardust job to Ryback is insulting. He is one of the most talented people in the company, but he has been booked horribly ever since Goldust was injured.

Not to take anything away from Ryback, but he should not have been able to win so easily. Hopefully Stardust is eventually given a feud that will get him back on track.

Grade: D+

Notes and Highlights

• Can you believe it's been a year since Cody Rhodes became Stardust? Times flies when you're acting like a goofball.
• It was a little surprising that the announcers didn't mention Stardust's feud with Stephen Amell.
• Short matches like this don't help anyone. Give the new IC champion a challenge. He already has a belt, so he doesn't need easy wins to look dominant.

NXT Championship Open Challenge

Kevin Owens came out and gave a quick promo where he said he no longer needed an introduction because everyone knows who he is after defeating John Cena at Elimination Chamber.

The man who ended up answering his open challenge was Zack Ryder, which immediately signaled that this was going to be a squash.

Just like Ryback before him, Owens got the win in less than two minutes. Ryder got in two or three shots, but other than that, this was all about making Owens look like a monster.

He continued the attack after the match was over and delivered a second powerbomb to send a message to John Cena.

Grade: C-

Notes and Highlights

• It's cool how the graphic wall shows the NXT logo during Owens' entrance.
• Ryder has been losing a lot, but at least he's back on TV.
• The reason the grade is so low is because the match was pointless and totally predictable. Nothing at all was accomplished other than reminding people that Owens is a heel.

Neville vs. Kofi Kingston

If the last two matches were kept short so this one had enough time to tell a story, then it was worth it. Neville and Kofi Kingston is the kind of matchup we have been waiting for since Neville first arrived on the scene.

Big E and Xavier Woods tried their best to help Kingston, but Neville was too resourceful to let the numbers game be too much for him.

While it wasn't a huge spotfest or a technical clinic, this was still a very fun match. It kept New Day looking like heels and it made Neville look like a very skilled competitor.

Neville needs to face more guys like Kingston. The competition in the high-flying department is not what it used to be, but there's still enough out there to allow for some exciting bouts.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights

• Does Neville have any merchandise? You would think management would have made him start wearing his own shirt to the ring by now.
• Tom Phillips incorrectly identified a standing shooting star press as a moonsault. It looks like he is following in Michael Cole's footsteps when it comes to making the same mistakes.
• The fact that Neville landed on his feet after hitting a moonsault from the top rope all the way down to the floor was extremely impressive. Was he an acrobat in a former life?

Miz TV

The Miz did his best daytime talk-show impression by putting Lana and Rusev in the same ring despite knowing it would create drama. It was like Jenny Jones never left television.

Rusev tried to plead with Lana to take him back, but the Ravishing Russian wasn't having any of it. She rebuffed his apology and he immediately blew up and started insulting her.

Dolph Ziggler came out to play the knight in shining armor. Since Rusev is injured, there was no need for a fight. All Ziggler had to do was walk Lana to the back.

Storyline development is always a good thing, but this segment felt unnecessary. We didn't find out any new information and nobody gained anything.

Grade: C-

Notes and Highlights

• Did anyone else expect Lana to get a better reaction when she came out? People have been chanting her name for weeks, but when they finally get her, they keep quiet.
• Rusev quoting a Cinderella song was priceless. Maybe he doesn't hate American culture as much as he claims.
• Unless the plan is for her to eventually end up back with Rusev, Lana needs her own song that isn't associated with him. Then again, valets who don't wrestle rarely have their own song.

Roman Reigns vs. Sheamus

Sheamus and Roman Reigns have been in the same ring before, but this felt like a fresh matchup because they don't face each other very often.

Reigns has improved a lot over the past six months, but Sheamus is the kind of talent who makes everyone step up their game.

Sheamus controlled the action throughout most of the match, with Reigns occasionally getting in a bit of offense. Every move looked like it was punishing Reigns' ribs, even the ones he was hitting on Sheamus.

Kane and J&J Security came down and caused a disqualification by attacking Reigns. He fought back valiantly, but he was taken out when Sheamus joined in.

Then, out of nowhere, Kane dropped Sheamus with a chokeslam and announced that he will be participating in the MITB match. Before the show ended, he delivered one last chokeslam to Reigns for good measure.

It would have been nice to see a clean finish after a very physical match, but that is apparently asking too much these days.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights

• Reigns did a good job selling his injuries from Raw. Superstars recover too fast from brutal beatings these days, so seeing someone actually play up an attack is refreshing.
• Those welts on Sheamus' back look very painful.
• Why were J&J Security even out there? All they did was clap for Kane after he took out Sheamus and Reigns by himself. Is there a quota on how many appearances they have to make each week?

Final Thoughts and Predictions

Mediocre is probably the best word to describe this week's SmackDown. There were a couple of good matches, a couple bad ones and a few segments that did nothing more than fill time.

This kind of thing is to be expected after such a busy period in WWE. We have had four PPVs, a King of the Ring special and an NXT TakeOver event all within the span of two months, and there is still another PPV coming up in less than two weeks.

After Money in the Bank, there needs to be a stretch of at least four or five weeks with nothing more than the standard weekly shows. Otherwise fans and wrestlers will get overloaded and begin to show fatigue.

Money in the Bank is an event that is usually pretty spectacular, but it's hard to get excited about it after everything else we have seen lately. Hopefully everyone is able to put on a great show to prove they still have some life left in the tank.

Predictions

• Seth Rollins will attack Dean Ambrose and take back his title on Monday.
• One more person will be added to the MITB match to make it a total of eight participants.
• John Cena will get the better of Owens on Raw so it doesn't look like a one-sided feud.
• Paige will earn another shot at Nikki Bella's Divas Championship.
• Ryback will have his first title defense at MITB.

What did you think of this week's SmackDown?

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