WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from May 19

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 week's SmackDown was the last show before Sunday's Extreme Rules pay-per-view, so WWE had to make sure all the major storylines were addressed and that any loose ends were taken care of.

Extreme Rules won't feature a card made up entirely of hardcore stipulations like it has in previous years, but we will see a variety of different match types.

Every title will be on the line, and Dean Ambrose and Chris Jericho will have the first Asylum match in WWE history.

But that's Sunday. For now, let's take a look at everything that happened on the latest edition of SmackDown?

Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro

Instead of opening with a promo or interview, SmackDown switched things up by kicking the show off with a match between two of WWE's most versatile competitors.

Cesaro and Kevin Owens had a singles bout before they challenge The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship alongside Sami Zayn in a Fatal 4-Way at Extreme Rules.

Zayn and The Miz joined the commentary team to watch their future opponents battle each other in what turned out to be a pretty good match.

All four men were talking trash to each other throughout the contest, which took a little bit away from the action in the ring, but Owens and Cesaro are too talented to let it affect them too much.

The two at ringside were taken out by Cesaro and Owens, which caused both men to get in the ring. Owens and Cesaro stopped them, but the distraction ended up costing The Swiss Superman the win.

WWE has done a good job integrating two feuds into one for this big IC title match. All four men are doing some of their best work to date, and they have made this storyline more interesting and unpredictable than the WWE World Heavyweight Championship bout at Extreme Rules.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights

• It was funny to see The Miz heckle Owens. It's usually KO who gets under people's skin.
• It sounded like Cesaro insulted Maryse in French at one point.
• The elevation Cesaro can get with a dropkick is insane.

Dana Brooke vs. Paige

WWE isn't wasting any time getting Dana Brooke into the swing of things on the main roster. She managed to put away Becky Lynch, and now she has a win over Paige.

A few things looked sloppy, but overall, this was a good match. Paige is good enough to help mask her opponent's shortcomings, and Brooke has progressed nicely over the last year.

Brooke hit a sit-out fireman's carry slam for the win. There were no distractions or dirty tactics. The rookie got a clean win over a former champion, and it made her look like a real threat to everyone in the women's division.

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights

• Emma's injury couldn't have come at a worse time. WWE was finally starting to use her the right way.
• There's something missing from Brooke's entrance. She needs something to set herself apart from the rest of the division.
• I still think Carmella should have been called up first, but it's nice to see Brooke being used well. She doesn't have to be a great technician as long as she maintains her strength advantage over everyone else.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus

If this match were taking place exactly one year ago, Sheamus would win almost every time. It's amazing how a few months can change the way a Superstar is booked.

It feels like his feud with Baron Corbin is almost helping Dolph Ziggler more than it is The Lone Wolf. He is starting to look like more than just the exciting underdog, and it's about time.

Despite having a few world title reigns under his belt, Ziggler has never reached the heights he should have in WWE. Injuries and a few other factors have led to several stalled pushes, but he always manages to bounce back.

Ziggler and Sheamus have faced each other countless times over the years, so they know how to work a good match. They bring the best out of each other because they are polar opposites. Their differences force them to step up parts of their game they might not always have to use.

They were given two segments to work with, and they paced themselves well, so there wasn't a weak section. After an impressive sequence, Ziggler got a clean win with a superkick. It's nice to see a guy in a feud have a match in which his rival doesn't get involved for once.

However, Corbin did end up coming out after the bell to give a quick promo on the stage about what he is going do to Ziggler on Sunday.

Grade: B+

Notes and Highlights

• There was one moment when the camera caught Sheamus clearly telling Ziggler what the next move would be.
• I expect Sheamus to start a new push soon. WWE will want to capitalize off his role in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.
• Announcers need to talk about past feuds more often. Ziggler and Sheamus have so much history, but it was completely ignored by the commentary team.

The Asylum

Chris Jericho came out and talked about having been in every type of match WWE has ever created and how that will give him the upper hand against Dean Ambrose at Extreme Rules.

The cage and weapons we will see in the Asylum Sunday night hung above Y2J as he spoke. He asked for the cage to be lowered down to the ring so he could list all the things he could do to Ambrose with the weapons provided.

Ambrose snuck into the ring dressed as a ringside worker so he could attack Jericho from behind. Y2J barely made it out after The Lunatic Fringe used a kendo stick to inflict a little pre-match punishment on his opponent.

This was a short but effective segment. It was better seeing them get physical than WWE playing a video package for their feud.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights

• Why would WWE keep putting a barbed-wire bat in Ambrose's matches? We know he is never going to cut anyone open with it.
• WWE never should have focused the camera on Ambrose sneaking into the ring. It would have been better if we saw him come out of nowhere.
• Ambrose's beard looked way too fake, but it almost made the whole thing funnier.

The Vaudevillains and Dudleys vs. New Day and Big Cass

We've seen Colin Cassady team up with The New Day to take on The Dudley Boyz and Vaudevillains before, but it's still fun to watch these eight men fight.

A match with this many people can sometimes feel rushed, but everyone got enough time in the ring without the pace being out of control.

After a good back-and-forth contest, Big Cass pinned Bubba Ray to get the win for his team and keep his momentum going while Enzo Amore heals from a concussion. 

Grade: B-

Notes and Highlights

• A lot of time was wasted showing the entrances for everyone in the first segment.
• Bubba's yelling at his own teammates for not tagging him or D-Von toward the end was one of the best parts of the match.
• Keeping Big Cass relevant while his partner is out of action is smart. WWE would usually keep him off TV until both partners were ready to return, completely ruining any momentum they had built up.

Roman Reigns vs. Luke Gallows

The main event saw Roman Reigns take on Luke Gallows of The Club. Karl Anderson, AJ Styles and The Usos were all at ringside to make sure everything was fair.

The two biggest members of the groups had a physical match, with each man showing off his power.

Surprisingly, this ended up being one of the more competitive bouts of the night. Gallows and Reigns have both improved so much in their own ways, and they worked well together to put on a good performance.

There was a little outside interference when Styles took the low road and grabbed Reigns' foot while he was setting up for the Superman punch.

After everyone brawled outside the ring for a moment, Styles ordered Anderson to get in the ring and hit the Boot of Doom with Gallows. The Usos prevented The Club from using a few steel chairs on Reigns, but Styles had his sights set on putting Reigns through the announce table.

He didn't get the chance, and the show ended with all six men fighting at ringside. This was a great way to conclude the final episode before Extreme Rules.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights

• The Club is way too generic a name for Styles, Anderson and Gallows to call their stable.
• The Bloodline isn't a terrible name for a stable, but it's not great, either.
• Reigns definitely caught Gallows a little harder than planned with the drive-by dropkick.

Final Thoughts and Predictions

WWE did a good job addressing every feud in the go-home episode of SmackDown before Sunday's PPV. Any storyline that didn't have its own match was given a video package.

None of the matches were a let down, which is always good for any episode of WWE TV. It's hard to say which one was best because each had something different to like.

Since Extreme Rules takes place on Sunday, this week's predictions will be about the outcome of each match on the card.

Predictions

• Charlotte will retain the Women's Championship but will probably be disqualified.
• Rusev will defeat Kalisto to become the new United States champion.
• Baron Corbin will defeat Dolph Ziggler.
• The Vaudevillains will win the Tag Team Championships from The New Day.
• Cesaro will win the Intercontinental Championship.
• Dean Ambrose will win the Asylum match against Chris Jericho.
• Roman Reigns will retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against AJ Styles. 

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

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