WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from October 8

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.

This was another light week for SmackDown. The show only included five matches, and none were especially great.

The Divas Revolution is continuing to slow down, the New Day keep getting better and Randy Orton looks bored being an accessory to the Roman Reigns-Bray Wyatt feud.

If WWE wants SmackDown to thrive when it moves to the USA Network, we need to see a serious increase in the effort being put into the show, because if the product stays the same, it will always be known as the secondary brand.

Let's take a look at what happened on this week's show.

Big E vs. Dolph Ziggler

The New Day kicked off SmackDown with a promo, but it turned into a match when Dolph Ziggler challenged Big E. The Show Off made sure to bring backup in the form of the Dudley Boyz.

Ziggler was aggressive early on, but Big E took over during the commercial break and kept control for a long time. Ziggler tried to make a comeback, but outside interference from Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston helped Big E steal the win.

Between the opening promo and the first match, it wasn't a bad way to start SmackDown. It's great to see the New Day getting so much exposure in key segments. Feuding with the Dudley Boyz has helped legitimize them as heels, and adding Ziggler to the mix will lead to some fun matchups.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights

• Xavier Woods is at his best when he embraces the heel side of his persona. Being funny is fine, but being vindictive makes him a better bad guy.
• It was nice to see Ziggler acknowledge the past he has with Big E. Past affiliations are ignored far too often these days.
• They may be legends, but Bubba and D-Von have the most generic entrance music.
• Woods and Kingston commentating with each other during the match was hilarious.

Team Bella vs. Team NBC

Team Bella took on Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Natalya in yet another pointless six-Diva tag team match. For some reason, everyone acted like it was a surprise that Natalya was Charlotte and Lynch's mystery partner.

Everyone is happy the Divas are being given a chance to shine, but all these team-based bouts mean nothing. Having singles matches in which everyone cycles opponents would create a lot of new pairings and give us a little more variety each week.

This contest was average at best. We have seen some of these women do amazing things, but having too many people involved prevents anyone from shining.

Unsurprisingly, Charlotte picked up the win for her team with the Figure Eight. It was a decent performance, but nobody looked especially amazing.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights

• Giving Natalya her own entrance during this match makes her feel like a big deal in the Divas division. She should be treated as the resident veteran.
• Lynch has been portrayed as a bit of an afterthought lately. She is a very gifted wrestler with more than a decade of experience. She deserves to be looked at as a contender for the title, even if the person holding it is her partner.

Rusev vs. Ryback

Kevin Owens was on commentary when Ryback and Rusev squared off in singles competition. For two huge powerhouses, Ryback and Rusev kept a pretty good pace until the last few minutes.

Rusev chose to focus on the arm to wear Ryback down for the Accolade, but the Big Guy put up a good fight. The big surprise was that Owens didn't get involved at all, even after the match was over.

Summer Rae tried to help her man by pushing Ryback's foot off the rope during a pin, but it wasn't enough to help Rusev get the win. Ryback came back at the end and won clean with Shell Shocked.

Nobody will call this an instant classic or even remember it next week, but it was a decent match that filled some time.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights

• Rich Brennan has officially become Michael Cole Jr. The way he announces and the way heels treat him is similar to Cole in so many ways. It was pretty funny when Owens called him Milhouse from The Simpsons.
• Owens and Rusev have had a few disagreements in the past, but Owens was still cheering him on during the match.
• You have to wonder whether Ryback meant to drop Rusev during the suplex or if he dropped him because he was too heavy to keep in the air.

Neville vs. King Barrett

King Barrett is finally back after taking a short hiatus, but it feels like he never left. Unfortunately, that is a bad thing in his case.

Barrett is deserving of a push, but it seems like WWE is hesitant to book him as a real threat to anyone. His heel tactics help him get wins here and there, but it never feels like he is on a hot streak.

Getting a win over Neville doesn't make him look any better, and the fact he isn't even attempting to go after Stardust, the man who screwed him over, seems like a wasted opportunity.

Neville and Barrett work well together, but this wasn't a match that will stand out for either of them.

Grade: C

Notes and Highlights

• Barrett should drop the King gimmick. It's not helping him in any way.
• Neville is too close to becoming just another high-flyer. He needs a big storyline and a standout performance to remind everyone why he remains the longest-reigning NXT champion.
• Stardust gave a weird promo after the match in which he used playing cards to pick his next feud but didn't reveal who he would be going after.

Randy Orton and Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman

Randy Orton and Roman Reigns joined forces once again to take on Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman. Luke Harper and Dean Ambrose were nowhere to be seen.

We have seen so many different combinations of these six men facing each other it's starting to feel like a weekly requirement for them to be in the ring together.

They always manage to have good matches, but it's becoming too repetitive. After Hell in a Cell, everyone should move on and find something new.

Orton and Reigns got the win after Wyatt got himself disqualified for using a steel chair. The babyfaces sent Wyatt and Strowman packing thereafter to end the show on a positive note.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights

• Orton feels shoehorned into this storyline. He needs a new feud.
• Positioning Strowman as an unstoppable monster helps mask some of his shortcomings, but it's still obvious he is new to wrestling. He might have been called up too early.

Final Thoughts and Predictions

This was a lukewarm week for SmackDown at best. Everything felt like a repeat of something we have seen in the past two weeks, and not one of the matches stood out as memorable.

The Divas Revolution has hit a wall. Adding Natalya to the storyline is helping shake things up a little, but nobody is separating themselves from the pack, and that includes the Divas champion.

The New Day continue to rise up the ranks each week by delivering entertaining performances on the mic and in the ring, but being confined to the tag team scene is going to limit their growth.

They need to start pursuing other things besides the Tag Team Championships. Having Woods and Big E challenge for the U.S. title was fine, but we all knew they weren't going to defeat John Cena the moment the bell rang.

The biggest surprise of the night was the complete lack of NXT TakeOver coverage. The fact this show was taped before Wednesday's event doesn't mean WWE couldn't have edited in some highlights.

Predictions

• John Cena will lose the U.S. title at Hell in a Cell so he can take some time off.
• Someone will be added to the Divas title match at Hell in a Cell.
• Stardust will attack someone to start a feud on Monday's Raw.
• Sheamus will lay low for a few weeks and then cash in his Money in the Bank contract before November.

What did you think of this week's SmackDown?

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