WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from December 10

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.

The annual Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view is shaping up to be an exciting event. Every title is on the line, and four matches will feature the equipment that give this event its name.

WWE only had three weeks to prepare for TLC, but the feuds that have been put together will lead to some outstanding matches on Sunday.

SmackDown still needed to be an intriguing show in its own right, and for the most part, it was. Most of the matches were enjoyable, and the contract signing between Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens was more entertaining than most of those kinds of segments.

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

Roman Reigns vs. Alberto Del Rio

Instead of opening SmackDown with the usual promo segment, the show began with a match between U.S. champion Alberto Del Rio and No. 1 contender to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Roman Reigns.

The Usos, Dean Ambrose, Sheamus, King Barrett and Rusev were all at ringside to support the competitors. ADR had the advantage for most of the time, but Reigns got in some good shots in the beginning and toward the end.

While both of these men are capable of producing great performances, this bout didn't come off as anything special. It was more about the group conflict than what was going on in the ring.

The pace certainly picked up toward the end, but the match as a whole won't be remembered after a day or two. The one thing this bout accomplished was proving Reigns could go up against someone as technically proficient as Del Rio and stand his ground.

Del Rio's cohorts pulled him out of the ring at one point, and it incited a brawl between all eight men to end the match.

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights

• Reigns looked more intense than usual, which is saying something because he always has a lot of intensity.
• For some reason, Lawler's joke about falling off a 100-foot ladder from the bottom step made me laugh. Every so often, his old school jokes are funny.
• Reigns was barely able to lift Del Rio over the ropes when he was locked in an illegal armbar, but in fairness, he was in a weird position to lift a whole person's worth of dead weight.

Tyler Breeze vs. Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler and Tyler Breeze met in another singles match, which is a bit surprising since it seemed like these two would end up with a place on the TLC card instead of SmackDown.

Ziggler used some technical mat wrestling to get the early advantage, but Breeze quickly turned things around and took control.

It was a little disappointing to see the match end so quickly. Ziggler picked up a clean win with a superkick out of nowhere. It's possible we will get another match between them added to the TLC card, and frankly, it needs to happen. This bout was too short to be the conclusion of their feud.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights

• Summer Rae is starting to feel unnecessary. Having a beautiful woman on his arm helps Breeze's gimmick, but he doesn't need it to sell his character.
• If Ziggler ever turns heel again, these two would make a great tag team. They could be called "BreeZiggler" or something ridiculous like that.
• Breeze's gimmick is new school, but his wrestling style is a bit more old school. He likes to focus on one body part and inflict as much punishment as possible.
• It's great to see Ziggler using the superkick as a finisher instead of the Zig Zag. That was a terrible finisher.

The New Day vs. Lucha Dragons

The New Day kicked things off with a promo that saw them attempt to get an endorsement deal for shoes, mock Adele and claim they would retain their Tag Team Championships at TLC.

Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods faced Kalisto and Sin Cara in an entertaining match. The opening exchange between Kingston and Kalisto was especially entertaining because it showed off their quickness and agility.

Thanks to The New Day and the recent return of The Usos, the tag team division has become one of the bright spots on WWE programming. The only thing that could be done better is integrating more of the division's teams, such as The Ascension.

The Lucha Dragons picked up the win and gained some momentum heading into the big ladder match between themselves, The New Day and The Usos for the tag team titles at TLC.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights

• Can you actually buy Kingston's shoes, or are they a custom creation just for him?
• It's nice to see Woods finally representing the team in a tag match instead of sitting on the sidelines while Kingston and Big E do all the work.
• It was kind of funny to see Big E attempt to play the trombone without any success.
• It's unlikely WWE will ever do it, but Kalisto could be a great singles star given the right opportunity.

Contract Signing

Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens met to sign the contract for their Intercontinental Championship match at TLC. At first, Owens had an attorney representing him in the ring, but he eventually showed up and attacked Ambrose from behind.

They fought at ringside, throwing each other into the barricade and steel steps. Owens retreated once he lost the advantage, so Ambrose signed the contract after taking out the lawyer with Dirty Deeds.

The good thing about this segment was it wasn't dragged out. Contract signings can often go too long, but they didn't waste any time.

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights

• Who was playing the attorney? He doesn't look familiar, so he might be a local indy wrestler or someone from NXT who has yet to debut.
• When was the last time the IC title had a contract signing prior to a match?
• Owens is one of the best at talking trash while beating up his opponents. A lot of Superstars could learn a thing or two from watching him.

The Ascension vs. Ryback

Ryback returned to his gimmick of wrestling handicap matches by taking on both members of The Ascension. Getting the win made Ryback look good, but it buried Konnor and Viktor.

Rusev and Lana were on commentary to remind us the Bulgarian Brute is set to face Ryback at TLC, but they didn't say anything worth mentioning or get involved during the bout.

The two powerhouses had a standoff after the match, but nobody threw a punch and things ended quickly.

Grade: C-

Notes and Highlights

• Rusev's accent is slowly slipping away just like Lana's.
• Ryback should have tried to hit Shell Shocked on both opponents. It would have been impressive if he could have pulled it off.
• Are Stardust and The Ascension still a group? It seems like they have been on and off in recent weeks.

Becky Lynch vs. Paige

Former PCB teammates Becky Lynch and Paige met for a singles match. Charlotte was shown watching the action from backstage, but she ended up coming out to see things up close.

Her presence distracted Paige long enough for Lynch to take advantage and lock in the DisArmHer for the submission win. While Charlotte never physically got involved, she still affected the outcome.

It was a short match, but both women did what they could to make it as entertaining as possible.

Grade: C

Notes and Highlights

• It looked like some guy at ringside was trying to hold onto Lynch's hand as she was giving people high fives.
• How did Lynch end up being the least successful of the women who were called up from NXT? She has every tool it takes to be a great Diva.
• With Charlotte, Paige, Sasha Banks and Lynch, there are more women using submission finishers in WWE than ever before.
• Becky looked like she was bleeding from her mouth a little bit from a stiff kick.

The Roman Empire vs. League of Nations

After the first match of the night broke down into a brawl, all eight men involved in its disintegration were put into a huge tag team match for the main event.

They were given two segments to work with, so everyone got a chance to show off their skills for a short time.

Just about every eight-man tag match ends in a huge brawl, and this was no exception. Reigns and Rusev ended up being the last two men in the ring, and Reigns finished off the Bulgarian with a Spear to get the win.

This was a fun main event featuring eight talented Superstars, but it wasn't any different than any other eight-man match we have seen.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights

• Reigns was accompanied through the crowd by security instead of walking down by himself like he usually does.
• The League of Nations' music is so generic. They should just use Sheamus' entrance song.
• If he was willing, William Regal should be brought in to manage the League of Nations. His experience and reputation as a great heel could help the group in many ways.
• Even though this show was filmed on Tuesday, it's surprising nobody mentioned Sheamus is part of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, Out of the Shadows, as Rocksteady, especially since the trailer was just released featuring WWE fan and SummerSlam participant Stephen Amell as Casey Jones.

Final Thoughts and Predictions

Thursday's SmackDown was the final show before the TLC PPV, and management did a decent job addressing all the feuds that will make up Sunday's card.

Some of the bouts are turning out to be harder to predict than they are at most events, and that will make things more exciting.

It's tough to make a show intriguing with just three weeks to prepare, but TLC feels like it has the potential be a great show with the lineup that's in place.

As usual, all of this week's predictions will deal with the outcomes of Sunday's matches. Also, take a moment and check out the trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, featuring Sheamus and Stardust's rival, Amell.

Predictions

• Kevin Owens will retain the IC title.
• Alberto Del Rio will retain the U.S. title.
• The Usos will win the Tag Team Championships.
• The Wyatt Family will beat the ECW Originals.
• Charlotte will retain the Divas title.
• Ryback will defeat Rusev.
• Sheamus will retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship thanks to some help from his brothers in the League of Nations.

What did you think of this week's SmackDown, and what are your predictions for TLC?

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