WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights for September 24

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 make a few predictions for future events.

For some reason, this week's episode didn't feel like the first SmackDown following a pay-per-view, but that is by no means a bad thing. Sometimes, WWE spends too much time recapping what happened at a big event, but the recap videos were kept to a minimum.

Most of the bouts we got were either rematches or filler, but it still ended up being a show worth taking the time to watch.

Kane's new persona is making him interesting again, and he continued to play with Rollins like a cat plays with an injured mouse. He is just waiting until the right time to pounce and sink his teeth in.

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

Dr. Jacobs and Mr. Kane

Kane opened the show inside the ring with a huge smile on his face. He talked about taking time off and how he knew this was the right time to return.

He announced that Kevin Owens and Rusev would team up to take on Dolph Ziggler and Ryback later in the night. He also booked Luke Harper against Roman Reigns, with Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman being barred from ringside to ensure no interference would occur.

Seth Rollins came out looking as mad as he has ever been. Kane invited him in the ring for a healthy and productive dialogue, but Rollins didn't want to go anywhere near the man who attacked him on Raw.

Kane played dumb and pretended like he had no idea what Rollins was talking about, and then he booked Rollins to face Dean Ambrose in their 597th match this year.

This was a pretty basic opening segment, but Kane's new attitude made it entertaining. A lot of people soured on the Big Red Monster over the past year, but his new-found charisma might win them back.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights

• Kane seems revitalized. Maybe it was taking time off or tweaking his character. Whatever it is, it's working.
• Rollins comparing Kane to Bruce Banner didn't make a lot of sense. Kane is more like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde than Banner and the Hulk.
• Rollins should bring in Dr. Shelby to give Kane some therapy. That guy was hilarious when he was doing anger management with Kane and Daniel Bryan.

Roman Reigns vs. Luke Harper

Harper and Reigns didn't waste any time with collar and elbow lock ups or any of the usual things we see in the beginning of a match. They went right into brawling mode.

They kept the pace quick and only slowed down to sell big moves. These two have fought each other so many times they have to know each other like the back of their own hands.

Even if you don't like Reigns because he was pushed too quickly, you have to admit he is exciting to watch when he gets on a roll.

Harper is one of the most versatile Superstars in the entire company. For someone who is around 300 pounds, it seems like he can do almost anything.

They didn't have a lot of time to work with, but they definitely made the most of the minutes they had. Reigns picked up the win after a Spear to get the crowd in the right mood for the rest of the show.

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights

• Watching Harper wrestle never gets old. Seeing him transition from a senton over the top rope to a superkick into a powerbomb was impressive.
• Does anyone else wonder what Harper would look like with short hair and no beard? He would probably be unrecognizable to even the biggest fan.
• Reigns and Ambrose should chase the Tag Team Championships after they are done with the Wyatt Family. It would be fun to see them mix it up with the New Day.

The New Day vs. Lucha Dragons and Neville

The New Day members were shown dunking a toy basketball on the head of some poor guy backstage before coming to the ring for another #SaveTheTables rally.

Neville and the Lucha Dragons battled the tag champs in a six-man tag match, which is strange given their partnership seemed like a temporary alliance to battle the Cosmic Wasteland.

This was a fun match from start to finish. The New Day is a well-oiled machine, and Neville has developed a great rapport with Sin Cara and Kalisto in recent weeks.

It looked like the New Day was about to lose, but Xavier Woods hit a Shining Wizard out of nowhere to pin Sin Cara and pick up the win for his team.

It's a little surprising we didn't see the rivals for either team make an appearance, but sometimes it's nice to take a break from a feud and have a match with nothing more than pride on the line.

Grade: B+

Notes and Highlights

• Big E's upper arms have the same circumference as Kofi Kingston's legs.
• It looks like Xavier Woods decided not to keep the Rufio haircut.
• Is it Cosmic Wasteland or Astral Alliance? Both names have been used to describe Stardust and the Ascension lately.
• The spot where Sin Cara flipped over the top rope while Neville and Kalisto did moonsaults from the top rope to the floor was beautiful.
• Woods is always funny with his trombone, but he shouldn't use it every time or it will start getting old.

Bo Dallas vs. Cesaro

Bo Dallas was fed to Cesaro to give the Swiss Superman an easy win, but Dallas still put up a fight. The Tony Robbins wannabe actually looked better in this match than he has in a long time.

Cesaro is like Dolph Ziggler in that he is able to make his opponents look good because he is willing to sell for them. Unlike a lot of people, Cesaro gets that it's important for a match to look competitive no matter which Superstar he is facing.

While this was a decent match, it didn't allow either man to show off everything he is capable of. Cesaro caught Dallas off guard and picked up the win with a unique roll-up pin.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights

• Bo Dallas needs a tag team partner. He is never going to be anything more than a glorified jobber if he stays by himself.
• Cesaro pulled out a few pinning combinations we haven't seen in years. He is the definition of old school in so many ways.
• It was pretty creative of Dallas to pull the banner to trip Cesaro on the apron.
• Going into the crowd to celebrate a win is the kind of thing Cesaro needs to keep doing to ensure he stays popular. His charisma isn't his best quality, so he needs to find other ways to connect with the audience.

Diva Drama

Charlotte and Becky Lynch came out to talk about the Divas revolution, but Paige only let them talk for about a minute before coming to the ring.

At first it sounded like Paige was going to apologize, but it soon became clear that she had no such intentions. She took credit for the whole Divas revolution and insulted her former teammates just like she did on Raw.

Natalya came to the ring in an attempt to talk some sense into her fellow Total Divas castmate, but Paige just called her a crazy cat lady and slapped the taste out of her mouth.

Out of the four women, Paige was the best on the mic. Charlotte is still a little stiff during promos, Lynch didn't get to say more than two sentences and Natalya came off as weak compared to how dominant she used to be.

All this segment did was cement Paige's heel turn from Monday. Natalya may join forces with Charlotte and Lynch judging from how the segment ended, but we will have to wait and see.

Grade: C

Notes and Highlights

• Why would Jerry Lawler question why Paige wasn't with Charlotte and Lynch after she turned heel on Monday? Did he forget to watch the show?
• Natalya should be the most intimidating and aggressive Diva in the entire company, but she comes off as being too timid sometimes.
• Paige should challenge Charlotte for a shot at the title because otherwise there is no point to any of this.

Kevin Owens and Rusev vs. Dolph Ziggler and Ryback

WWE likes to take two feuds and combine them into a tag team match a lot. It helps keep things moving without having to book the same singles bouts every week.

This is not the first time we have seen these four men in the ring together, and the reason is because they work well together.

Rusev and Ziggler's feud might be losing steam now Lana is on the shelf, but they are both talented enough to put on an enjoyable performance without much effort.

Ziggler showed some impressive strength by body-slamming Rusev and Owens within seconds of each other. He is obviously in good shape, but he rarely shows off his power.

Owens grabbed his title and left toward the end, which allowed Ziggler and Ryback to pick up the win. It was a good match, but nobody will remember it in two weeks.

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights

• The fact Owens doesn't get along with other heels makes him a better bad guy. He might actually be the best heel in the company right now because he is so convincing in the role.
• Dolph Ziggler's hair can't decide which color it wants to be.
• Rusev might be the only Superstar who never wears his own merchandise to the ring. Most of you probably don't even know WWE sells a shirt for him.
• If Lana only has a wrist injury, why can't she accompany Ziggler to the ring?
• It's hard to notice over a long period of time, but Owens is slowly getting in better shape. He is already a great athlete, but shedding a few pounds will make it easier for him to do some of his more exciting moves.

Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose

It would normally be aggravating to see two men face each other as many times as Rollins and Ambrose have, but they are so good together nobody ever seems to complain.

Every time they wrestle, they do something different. Sometimes they brawl, sometimes they work a more technical style and sometimes they just go nuts.

This was one of the times when they did a little bit of everything. Ambrose controlled the first half of the bout, but after the break, Rollins took over.

Kane's pyro went off and the arena was bathed in red light, which caused Rollins to be distracted long enough to give Ambrose the chance he needed to pin the champ.

Rollins grabbed a mic and cut a promo on Kane after the match. It was one of his more convincing performances because he was so angry.

Grade: A-

Notes and Highlights

• WWE should start a clothing line called Dean's Jeans. Some fans don't like to buy wrestling shirts with big logos, so a simple pair of jeans with a small logo on the back patch might sell well.
• Ambrose hit several chest chops, and for the first time in years, nobody in the crowd yelled "Wooo!"
• Ambrose pulling a fisherman's suplex out of his bag of tricks was a nice surprise. Whenever anyone performs that move, it brings back memories of Mr. Perfect.
• It's surprising to see Rollins still using the buckle bomb after Sting was injured.
• Based on WWE logic, Ambrose should now be in line for a title shot in the near future.

Final Thoughts and Predictions

SmackDown went through a bit of a rough path during the first half of the year, but the past few months have seen the blue brand become much more consistent.

The only thing missing each week is John Cena. Every other champion appears regularly on both shows, but for some reason, the U.S. champion rarely makes an appearance on Thursdays.

The best match this week was easily Rollins versus Ambrose, but that won't surprise anyone. They are both immensely talented, and they always manage to put on a great show together.

If any match had to be called the worst, it would be Cesaro against Dallas, but that is only because they didn't have a lot of time to work with.

Most of the feuds that will end up becoming matches on the Hell in a Cell card are being carried over from Night of Champions, but as long as everyone keeps performing at the same level, it will be a good show.

Predictions

• No titles will change hands at the Madison Square Garden special next Saturday.
• Kane will battle Rollins inside Hell in a Cell, but it might not be for the title.
• Natalya will join forces with Lynch and Charlotte to form Team NBC. Then someone will notice it's the name of a TV network and change it to something even more generic.
• Paige will bring Emma and Dana Brooke up from NXT to form a fourth team of Divas.
• When Paige gets a shot at Charlotte's title, they will have some kind of stipulation like a cage or ladder match.

What did you think of this week's SmackDown?

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