WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from April 28

Every week on Bleacher Report, I take an in-depth look at WWE SmackDown to recap the results, 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 the final show before Sunday's Payback pay-per-view, so a lot of storylines had to be addressed. SmackDown accomplished this, but it never quite felt like there was the right amount of urgency.

None of the matches stood out as spectacular, and only a few segments managed to provide any entertainment. It's not as though it was a bad show, but it just didn't feel like the go-home episode before a major event.

WWE has been billing Payback as the start of a new era, but saying that doesn't make it true. We have to see real changes made to the product before such a statement is validated.

Let's take a look at everything from Thursday's episode of SmackDown.

Opening Segment

Roman Reigns kicked off the show with a promo. He got a mixed reaction as he walked down the ramp, which means WWE likely had to edit in some cheers to offset the boos.

He talked about AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson being in cahoots despite Styles' assertions he is not aligned with them anymore.

He called out Styles, but The Miz and Maryse came out instead. The Miz took credit for being the first to say Styles, Gallows and Anderson were allies by using a few Shawshank Redemption references.

All The Miz wanted was a little credit, but Reigns responded by punching him square in the face. While hitting a heel such as The Miz would normally get a babyface some cheers, it made Reigns look like a jerk.

This segment was unnecessary and didn't hype Reigns' upcoming match against Styles any more than a video package at the top of the show would have. That being said, Reigns didn't talk about being "the guy" this time, so that's a plus.

Grade: C-

Notes and Highlights

• Announcers keep calling Payback the first PPV of a new era. Saying that makes it feel like WWE is trying to force people's opinions to change rather than letting it happen naturally.
• Maryse's outfit makes her look like one of Beyonce's backup dancers from Super Bowl 50. That's not necessarily a bad thing.
• Embracing his Hollywood persona with movie references is making The Miz more likable, but every time he kisses his wife, people boo the hell out of them.

The League of Nations vs. Kalisto, Sami Zayn and Cesaro

Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus and Rusev got into an argument about which of them would be the first man in the ring before the match even started. Everyone wanted to take a shot at Kalisto, but The Celtic Warrior won out in the end.

Putting Kalisto, Sami Zayn and Cesaro on the same team made this bout the definition of underdogs vs. bullies. This led to the crowd being firmly in the corner of the babyfaces.

After some more arguing, Del Rio and Rusev left Sheamus to face everyone by himself. It looks like this is officially the end of The League of Nations. It's too early to tell whether anyone from the group will end up making a face turn so we can get a feud between former members of the stable.

After Cesaro hit Sheamus with a couple-dozen uppercuts, the Irishman left the ring, leading to a count-out victory for Kalisto, Zayn and Cesaro.

Breaking up the LON didn't feel like a big deal because the stable never made a big impact, but this match had some fun moments, so it wasn't a total loss.

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights

• Rusev has really thinned out recently. He is in the best shape of his career.
• Cesaro's James Bond entrance might be my favorite right now. The suit, sunglasses and the rifling of a gun barrel following him on the LED board fit his gimmick so well.
• That being said, Zayn has the best entrance music when it comes to matching the song to the character.
• Cesaro should call his series of strikes "death by 1,000 uppercuts." If WWE starts using that, I want credit.
• Sheamus, Rusev and Del Rio kept arguing backstage after the break, and it led to a three-way fight and Sheamus declaring they were finished with each other.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens Video Package

Every so often, WWE produces a video package so good it deserves to be recognized with its own slide. The one made for Zayn and Kevin Owens' feud is one of them.

The video did everything it needed to in order to make this storyline feel more important than any of the title feuds going on right now.

Zayn and Owens have a long history, dating back to the indys through NXT and now the main roster. That WWE addressed all of that made this into one of the best video packages in a long time.

Zayn is the epitome of a beloved underdog, and Owens is the best bully the company has seen in years. Give it a year or two, and this match could headline WrestleMania. For now, it's going to help make Payback a much better PPV.

Grade: Is there anything higher than an A+?

Baron Corbin vs. Damien Sandow

WWE is doing a great job building new talents such as Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn and AJ Styles, but the company cannot forget how many hard workers it has who have been around for years.

Damien Sandow has been all but ignored for the past year, and there doesn't seem to be any logic to why he is being booked so poorly.

He is great in the ring, even better on the mic and never causes problems backstage. If WWE gave him a few minutes of promo time every week, he could get back to being one of the most popular wrestlers on the roster.

Unfortunately, he ended up losing this match to Corbin like he was impersonating Barry Horowitz. It's hard to say this made Corbin look strong heading into his match with Dolph Ziggler because beating Sandow isn't an accomplishment anymore.

Grade: C-

Notes and Highlights

• Corbin's music has motorcycle sounds, but he doesn't drive a motorcycle to the ring. It's probably for the best. He would wind up being a carbon copy of Chuck Palumbo if he did.
• Maybe Sandow and Zack Ryder could form a tag team. They both went from being white-hot to never being used. What would their team name be?
• AJ Styles made a great Jim Croce reference during a backstage interview after this match was over when he talked about stepping on Reigns' (Superman's) cape when he wants to.

The Ambrose Asylum

Dean Ambrose came out to host another edition of his new show, The Ambrose Asylum. Before he brought out Natalya, Charlotte and Ric Flair, he talked about his match with Chris Jericho at Payback.

Ambrose replayed the footage of Charlotte tapping out to the Sharpshooter, and Natalya said Sunday's match would be different because Bret Hart will be in her corner.

The Lunatic Fringe has what can only be described as ambivalent charisma. He tries hard to make us think he doesn't try at all, and it works well for him.

Nattie and Charlotte exchanged some insults about each other and their family members before the segment ended. Ambrose wasn't kidding on Raw when he said he didn't want his talk show to always end with a fight.

This was a decent segment to push the Women's Championship match at Payback, but it wasn't as good as it could have been. It just felt like it was missing something.

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights

• If WWE makes an effort to keep it interesting, Ambrose's talk show could be a great weekly segment.
• Ambrose's little dance to Charlotte's entrance music was pretty funny.
• Charlotte has become a great heel over the past few months. Every time she makes an appearance, she settles into the role a little more.

Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. Social Outcasts

Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady had a little warm-up match against Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas before they fight The Vaudevillains at Payback.

As expected, Enzo and Cass made short work of The Social Outcasts, even with Heath Slater trying to get involved outside the ring.

The match was short, but a surprising amount of entertainment was packed into a few minutes. Simon Gotch and Aiden English came out on the ramp to survey their competition but made no effort to attack anyone.

The tag team division is heating up in WWE, and the teams involved in this segment will be integral to its success.

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights

• It was great to see The New Day not only sit at the commentary table but actually replace the commentators for this match. Seeing Byron Saxton sitting on the floor with a frown on his face was a lot funnier than it should have been.
• Can The New Day start recording an alternate commentary track for every match? They were entertaining.
• I want to make it clear the grade for this match was heavily influenced by The New Day's commentary.

Stardust vs. Apollo Crews

Following a confrontation Monday during Raw, Apollo Crews and Stardust met for a quick match. As expected, Crews picked up the win.

There's no denying how talented Crews is, but he may have been called up too early. That's not because he isn't ready, but WWE clearly had nothing planned for him.

His debut was overshadowed by those of so many others, who have since been put into storylines. All Crews has done is get a string of meaningless wins. That may have worked 20 years ago, but people need storylines to get over nowadays.

Crews could be a major player if positioned right, but it feels like he is going to languish in the midcard for a long time.

Grade: C

Notes and Highlights

• Unless he is going to feud with his brother again, Cody Rhodes should drop the Stardust gimmick. It's not doing him any favors anymore.
• Crews looks like he is toning down his style a little bit. It's smart for him to save his big spots for more important matches.
• Remember when Stardust and The Ascension were allies? Talk about a missed opportunity on WWE's part. They could have been a great trio.

The Miz vs. Roman Reigns

There was once a time when seeing the Intercontinental champion battle the WWE world heavyweight champion was a big deal. That is no longer the case.

The Miz got in a decent amount of offense, but nobody ever expected him to beat Reigns. Having Styles at ringside only took attention away from the match in the ring.

However, this was actually a decent bout. The Miz looked like the wily veteran he is, and Reigns sold his offense better than you would expect.

Reigns got the win with a Spear before Styles got in the ring for a showdown. Anderson and Gallows came out and attacked Reigns while Styles watched from the ring.

The Usos came out to help their cousin, which led to everyone attacking everyone else. Styles looked like he wanted Anderson and Gallows to stop, but he did nothing to make it happen.

The show ended with Styles and Reigns staring at each other as the champ held the title above his head.

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights

• The Usos got a good pop when they came out. It's good to see the WWE Universe hasn't turned on them just because they are associated with Reigns.
• It's actually kind of hard to predict how all this will turn out. Styles may join forces with Gallows and Anderson eventually, but he is a great babyface, so WWE may go in a different direction.

Final Thoughts and Predictions

This week's SmackDown didn't give us any five-star matches, but it had its share of entertaining moments spread throughout.

The biggest problem was how this didn't feel like the final show before a pay-per-view. It felt like any other week for the blue brand, and that is not good.

The last show before a PPV is supposed to wrap up all the loose ends heading into big matches, but that didn't happen. All we got was a series of minor developments.

Since Payback is almost upon us, all of this week's predictions will be about the outcomes of every bout on the card.

Predictions

• Ryback will defeat Kalisto for the United States Championship.
• Sami Zayn will defeat Kevin Owens.
• Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady will beat The Vaudevillains to become the No. 1 contenders to the Tag Team Championships.
• Cesaro will defeat The Miz by DQ or count-out, allowing The Miz to retain the IC title.
• Baron Corbin will defeat Dolph Ziggler.
• Charlotte will retain the Women's Championship.
• Dean Ambrose will defeat Chris Jericho.
• Roman Reigns will retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

What did you think of this week's SmackDown, and what are your predictions for WWE Payback 2016?

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