WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from February 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 make a few predictions for future events.

This week's show addressed several different feuds, but only a few saw any real storyline development. Most of what we saw just felt like filler.

On the plus side, we found out AJ Styles would be facing Chris Jericho in a rematch on next week's SmackDown, which means we have at least one incredible match to look forward to.

Hopefully WWE is holding off on the good stuff until after Fastlane when the real build for WrestleMania 32 begins, otherwise we're in for several weeks of mediocrity.

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

Roman Reigns vs. Rusev

Most episodes of WWE programming start with a promo segment, but this week's SmackDown kicked things off with a match between Rusev and Roman Reigns.

Alberto Del Rio and King Barrett were at ringside to support their teammate and provide plenty of distractions. They eventually cost Rusev the match by interfering, but they had the last laugh.

Dean Ambrose tried to make the save, but he accidentally hit Reigns with a clothesline off the apron. That didn't stop Reigns from grabbing a chair and sending The League of Nations up the ramp.

The seeds have been planted for Reigns and Ambrose to start having issues. It's predictable, but if one of them ends up turning heel, it will be worth it.

The match itself was nothing special, but the segment as a whole progressed the storyline nicely.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights

• Is Barrett still calling himself King, or is he back to being Bad News? The BNB gimmick was so much better than the minimal role he's had since joining The League of Nations.
• It was a little surprising the crowd never started any Lana chants.
• The storyline with Ambrose and Reigns should end with one of them turning heel. They need a shake-up.
• Is there any significance to the numbers 060214 on Ambrose's shirt?

Kalisto vs. Kevin Owens

Dolph Ziggler joined the commentary team to watch Kevin Owens take on United States champion Kalisto in a nontitle match.

Owens' bullying tactics against Kalisto's penchant for high-flying maneuvers make them great opponents, and the fact that Owens is more agile than most men his size only makes them more compatible.

It looked like Owens was going to powerbomb Kalisto through the announce table, but he ended up tossing the luchador into Ziggler instead.

The Show Off distracted Owens long enough for Kalisto to get the upset. It was a nice way to continue building animosity between Owens and Ziggler, who will likely have some kind of singles match at Fastlane.

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights

• Owens facing Kalisto gave anyone who was ever bullied by someone bigger than them flashbacks.
• Is it just me, or is Kalisto's mask slowly incorporating pieces from Rey Mysterio's masks?
• Ziggler pointing out how the announce table is taken apart every night was funny because it's true. Someone has tried to destroy the table every week since Mauro Ranallo joined the announce team.

Ryback vs. Erick Rowan

Whoever booked this show must have been in the mood to see powerhouses fighting each other. Reigns and Rusev faced each other in the opening bout, and Ryback and Erick Rowan squared off in the third match of the night.

Ryback picked up a surprising victory in this one, not because it's ridiculous for him to win but because he has no direction at the moment.

Braun Strowman came in and threw The Big Guy out of the ring, but Ryback was able to get right up and celebrate his win on the ramp.

There was nothing wrong with this match, but it felt a little pointless. Ryback gains nothing from the win, and he probably won't start a feud with The Wyatt Family anytime soon.

Grade: C-

Notes and Highlights

• It's official. Ryback has completed his transformation into Goldberg by wearing black trunks instead of his usual singlet.
• It's not that unusual for Bray Wyatt to miss one of his minions' matches, but it was weird not seeing Luke Harper accompany Rowan and Strowman.
• Someone in Hollywood should cast Strowman as a deranged killer. He has the perfect facial expressions to play someone with mental issues and the size to be an intimidating presence.
• Ryback took a page out of CM Punk's playbook when he hit a running knee to the face in the corner.

The Miz vs. AJ Styles

After they had an issue on the last episode of MizTV, AJ Styles and The Miz faced each other in singles competition.

As expected, Styles put his full arsenal of exciting offense on display. The Miz played a great antagonist, but this match was all about making Styles look good.

They were given two segments to work with, which allowed them to let things play out without feeling rushed. Chris Jericho's presence at ringside didn't affect the outcome, but he did end up challenging Styles to a rematch for next week, which The Phenomenal One accepted.

The Miz is an underrated performer. He knows how to do all the little things a heel should be doing to get heat from the crowd, and it makes his opponents look that much better.

Styles picked up the win after The Miz tapped out to the Calf Crusher submission, which was originally known as the Calf Killer.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights

• I would love to see Christian and Styles have some sort of interaction, but knowing WWE's habit of not acknowledging TNA's existence, it probably won't happen.
• Styles' springboard elbow always looks convincing.
• Calf Crusher isn't necessarily a better name for Styles' submission, but it doesn't make him sound like he murders baby cows, so that's good.

The New Day vs. Social Outcasts

The New Day came to the ring to brag about how they were still tag team champions, but they were interrupted by The Social Outcasts and it led to a six-man tag match.

Bo Dallas was still absent, so Heath Slater, Adam Rose and Curtis Axel got the spotlight to themselves. They did a good job making sure everyone knew they were still heels despite facing another heel team.

The match itself was average at best, but Kofi Kingston and Axel had a great exchange toward the end in which they countered each other no less than a dozen times.

Kingston picked up the win for his team with a little help from the ring ropes. It's nice to see The Social Outcasts being thrown into the Tag Team Championship hunt, but it would have helped them appear more threatening had they gotten the win.

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights

• Post put John Cena on a box of Fruity Pebbles after The Rock made a random joke about it, so hopefully there's a company willing to make Booty-O's with The New Day on the box. WWE could make those individual serving boxes and sell them at concession stands during shows. I should stop giving away genius marketing ideas for free.
• The New Day being more offended at the idea of The Social Outcasts touching their waists than the prospect of losing their titles was hilarious.
• Axel's beard is approaching Daniel Bryan-level awesomeness.

Charlotte vs. Alicia Fox

The two tallest Divas on the roster squared off when Charlotte took on Alicia Fox. Brie Bella and Ric Flair were at ringside to lend their support.

Charlotte defeated Fox with the Figure Eight in a decent but uneventful match. After the loss, Fox looked like she was going to regress into her insane persona, but Brie managed to calm her down.

Grade: C

Notes and Highlights

• Did Charlotte get more muscular since last week? Her arms looked huge in this match.
• Foxy and Charlotte have kicked each other in the face at the same time every single time they have wrestled each other.
• Fox may not be the best wrestler, but her northern lights suplex is second to none.

Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns vs. Alberto Del Rio and Rusev

After what happened in the first match of the night, Reigns and Ambrose were booked in a tag match against Del Rio and Rusev.

It was a decent main event, but it was just a rehash of what we saw earlier in the evening. Ambrose almost ended up hitting Reigns on accident again, but they avoided the collision.

The former Shield members got the win and celebrated like nothing was wrong, but we can expect to see more issues arise between them in the coming weeks. 

Grade: C+

Final Thoughts and Predictions

This week's SmackDown was a little bit of a letdown. Nothing terrible happened, but even the best matches were average at best.

The storyline with Reigns and Ambrose possibly becoming enemies took center stage this week, but the biggest development from the show was Jericho and Styles agreeing to a rematch next week.

As the pay-per-view approaches, we can expect to see more time devoted to building the card and selling the feuds that already have a spot on the show.

Predictions

• Reigns and Ambrose will end up brawling at least once before Fastlane.
• Ryback's new look will make the fans chant Goldberg's name at him again.
• Ziggler and Owens will have a match with some kind of hardcore stipulation at Fastlane.
• Kalisto will defend the U.S. title against multiple opponents at Fastlane.
• Sasha Banks will turn on Becky Lynch as soon as a title shot is on the line.

What did you think of this week's SmackDown?

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