WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from October 15

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.

We're getting closer to Hell in a Cell, but the big feuds took a backseat to some of the smaller storylines this week. Most of the big angles were represented in video packages instead of promos and matches.

The New Day continued their rise to the top by taking out three formidable competitors to close the show. They have won over a lot of people, but they continue to use dirty tactics to get the heat they need.

Everything else was either a minor development or filler, but it wasn't a bad show in terms of entertainment. Let's take a look at what happened on this week's SmackDown.

Roman Reigns vs. Bo Dallas

Instead of the usual promo to open the show, this week's SmackDown kicked things off with a singles match between Roman Reigns and Bo Dallas.

You would expect this to be a quick squash based on those involved, but Dallas was able to get in enough offense to put Reigns down a few times.

Nobody thought Dallas had any chance of winning, so this victory is meaningless for Reigns in the grand scheme of things, especially since WWE won't acknowledge that Bray Wyatt and Dallas are brothers.

This was one of those matches that was probably fun for the live crowd but didn't come off as anything special on television.

Grade: C-

Notes ad Highlights

• Dallas is too big to be a skinny guy and too skinny to be a big guy. He needs to get back to the shape he was in when he was NXT champion.
• WWE needs to find a way to align Wyatt and Dallas. It's the only thing that can save Dallas' career at this point.
• Reigns ended up giving a promo after the match, and Wyatt responded from the big screen. They made a lot of references to the devil and hell.

Neville and Cesaro vs. King Barrett and Sheamus

Cesaro, King Barrett, Sheamus and Neville kind of have a feud without a storyline. It seems like we see different combinations of these guys fighting each other all the time, but there's never a reason behind it.

Stardust and the Ascension were at ringside for this match. Stardust is the only one involved in a legitimate storyline with one of the four men in the ring, but he somehow ended up sitting in the crowd instead of wrestling.

This match is a perfect example of WWE not having anything better for a bunch of talented Superstars because all its focus is on three or four big conflicts.

All that said, this was still a fun bout. Cesaro and Neville make a good team, and the combination of Sheamus and Barrett always seems to work.

Cesaro produced a great flurry of offense toward the end that made things more entertaining, but Barrett was able to help Sheamus get the pin with a Bull Hammer.

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights

• Barrett and Sheamus need to form a permanent tag team. They could rule the division for a long time.
• It's great to see Cesaro still wearing the sleeve to represent Tyson Kidd. You don't see that kind of camaraderie very often.
• Stardust made it seem like he was moving on last week, but it looks like he is still going after Neville. This feud was cool in the beginning, but it has worn out its welcome.

Zack Ryder vs. Kevin Owens

For the first time in what feels like a year, Zack Ryder made an appearance on SmackDown. He jobbed to Kevin Owens.

Ryder and Mojo Rawley have a decent tag team in NXT, but it looks like the former United States champion is still being treated like an enhancement talent on the main roster.

Ryback was sitting at ringside for this one, and Owens made sure to mock him by yelling "finish it" right before hitting the Pop-up Powerbomb on Ryder.

This was another match that was too quick to make an impression, but it accomplished its goal of reminding us that Ryback and Owens are feuding over the Intercontinental Championship.

Grade: C-

Notes and Highlights

• Remember when Ryder was more over than anyone else on the roster? It's hard to believe someone could climb the ladder so high before falling all the way back down like Ryder has.
• Ryback's huge muscles almost make it look uncomfortable for him to just sit in a chair sometimes.
• Here's a fun fact: Ryder has been employed by WWE for 10 years and made his debut on the main roster eight years ago. He's a veteran who can't catch a break.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev

Summer Rae served as the special guest referee for this grudge match, which means Rusev was at a disadvantage from the moment the bell rang.

Summer counted too slow for Rusev and too fast for Ziggler, helping the Show Off get the win in the end. Summer seemed to think that because Rusev and Lana cheated on them, they would somehow end up together.

Ziggler gave her the cold shoulder and left. It's hard to say whether this is the end of the Ziggler-Rusev feud, but one thing we do know is that Lana's eventual return will make things a lot more interesting.

Grade: C

Notes and Highlights

• Is Summer a heel or a babyface right now?
• It was cool to hear Booker T give Sensational Sherri credit for helping him be a success early in his career.
• Dean Ambrose and the Dudley Boyz gave an interview backstage after the match. Ambrose would have fit right in at ECW back in the day.

The Prime Time Players vs. Braun Strowman and Luke Harper

Braun Strowman has been in a rivalry with Reigns and Ambrose since he debuted, so it was nice to see him finally face someone new in the form of the Prime Time Players.

Titus O'Neil is a competent performer and a great ambassador for WWE, and so is Darren Young, but it looks like their push has stalled. Since they lost the tag team titles to the New Day at SummerSlam, they haven't been the same.

Luke Harper can help mask Strowman's shortcomings, but the thing about Strowman is that his size is what makes him valuable.

This was a quick match, but it helped Harper and Strowman look like a formidable duo.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights

• Are we supposed to believe that Young passed out the second Strowman picked him up? That's ridiculous.
• It's weird that Wyatt didn't accompany Harper and Strowman to the ring.

Alicia Fox vs. Charlotte

It's great to see a singles match instead of another team-based bout from the WWE Divas. Charlotte and Alicia Fox have a lot of similarities, and that made for a good combination.

Charlotte picked up a clean win with the Figure 8. Nikki and Brie Bella waited until after Fox had tapped out before attacking Becky Lynch and Charlotte.

Paige actually made the save and helped clear the ring of Team Bella in an attempt to prove she is sorry for what she has done to her former partners.

This storyline is being drawn out so Paige and Charlotte can have a big feud down the line, so we will have to wait for Charlotte and Nikki to wrap up their storyline.

Grade: C-

Notes and Highlights

• It's not often that Charlotte or Fox faces someone who is as tall as they are.
• Team BAD needs more to do. It seems like it's always Team Bella vs. Team PCB.

The New Day vs. Dean Ambrose and Dudley Boyz

The main event saw all three members of the New Day battle Dean Ambrose and the Dudley Boyz in six-man tag action.

Ambrose is in a sort of purgatory. He's no longer needed in Reigns' feud with Wyatt, but he has yet to find his own storyline. As such, WWE is just shoehorning him into other matches to keep him busy.

Ambrose had a nice moment when he got to take out all three members of the New Day, but it was Bubba Ray and D-Von who got the biggest pop when they hit Kofi Kingston with 3D.

Xavier Woods caused a DQ by hitting Bubba with his trombone and ended the show by beating down D-Von and Ambrose too.

This was a good segment because it made the New Day look like strong heels: They cheated, got themselves disqualified and took out everyone using a foreign object. These are all things that help generate heat and keep them from becoming the cool bad guys.

Grade: B+

Notes and Highlights

• The person with the Woods sign that had all the D-pads on it was awesome.
• It seems like either Kingston or Big E comes up with a new way to clap every week.
• Kingston's beatboxing skills leave a lot to be desired.
• Ambrose's new shirt is cool. It's a nice, simple design with a few words. Anything more extravagant wouldn't fit his personality.
• Every time the New Day does that thing where everyone trades tags while stomping their opponent in the corner, they do it for a little bit longer.

Final Thoughts and Predictions

This was one of those episodes of SmackDown that was worth watching, but it wouldn't be a big deal for anyone who missed it.

None of the matches were bad by any means, but the only bout that left a lasting impression was the main event between Ambrose and the Dudley Boyz and the New Day.

We got a little progress in the storyline involving Natalya and Team PCB but not enough to make the angle any more interesting.

Hell in a Cell is right around the corner, so a lot of focus was put on the bigger feuds with video packages throughout the show, which is one reason why a lot of the matches felt too short.

Predictions

• Lana will return within the next two weeks.
• John Cena will lose the U.S. title before or at Hell in a Cell.
• Brock Lesnar will give the F5 to at least two people on Raw.
• Summer Rae will continue to pursue Ziggler for a little while.
• It will be revealed that Paige attacked Natalya.

What did you think of this week's SmackDown?

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