WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from Sept. 6

Ahead of the Backlash pay-per-view on Sunday, WWE SmackDown featured rivals doling out confidence-shaking pain.

Carmella provided a possible preview of how she could win the SmackDown Women's Championship when she choked out Nikki Bella. AJ Styles left Dean Ambrose clutching his family jewels. The Usos made sure Chad Gable of American Alpha will have to limp to the finish line at the PPV.

These were among the lasting images the go-home edition of SmackDown created.

Tuesday's SmackDown was no great collection of stellar ring work. But stories advanced and bad blood increased across the board. 

The tag team tournament semifinals created better moments than matches. Defeat drove The Usos to turn heel. Heath Slater had reason to celebrate with his many kids as he rode Rhyno to another victory.

Backlash is still just a five-match card, as Baron Corbin, Apollo Crews and others are still without dance partners. But SmackDown did well to increase the hype around the PPV bouts set for Sunday.

Women's Championship Forum

SmackDown general manager Daniel Bryan welcomed Becky Lynch, Nikki Bella and the other women set to face off in the Six-Pack Challenge at Backlash.

Lynch talked about how much winning the title would mean to her. Natalya, Alexa Bliss and Carmella soon joined her in the ring, bickering among each other. Naomi and Nikki followed suit before a quick brawl broke out. 

The babyfaces stood tall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "Everything I fought for has led me to this."—Lynch on the SmackDown women's title. 
• Bliss calls Bryan a "Bella trophy husband."
• Carmella refers to Bliss as "Polly Pocket."

Grade

B-

Analysis

It's nice to see the women kick off the show and get such a prominent spot on a go-home show. It's unfortunate, though, that WWE went for something so cookie-cutter.

Lynch was the only wrestler with substantial mic time, and she did well to sell the audience on her desire to become champ. She's a no-brainer choice to be the first woman to hold the new title.

Better storytelling leading up to this would have made the moment more explosive. As it stands, the division is crowded with underdeveloped characters.

The Miz vs. Apollo Crews

Backstage, The Miz griped about the show not focusing enough on him.

He then met Apollo Crews in a rematch of their Intercontinental Championship match at SummerSlam, while Dolph Ziggler sat in on commentary. Crews had The Miz reeling with his acrobatic offense.

The IC champ battled back and controlled the match once the pace slowed. The Miz riled up Ziggler and then dropped Crews into him to score a cheap win.

Result

The Miz wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Crews hits a moonsault off the ring apron.
• "I haven't seen The Miz this intense in the ring, on the mic, you name it, in 11 years of running his mouth."—Ziggler.

Grade

C-

Analysis

With just two weeks worth of build, WWE has had trouble cramming much animosity into this feud. And the company has been unable to transfer the heat from the much-praised Talking Smack segment from a few weeks back to this story.

The match was fine, and Ziggler did a solid job telling his story while on commentary. The IC title bout just doesn't feel important. 

Rather than use their long history as enemies to add depth to the current feud, WWE has chosen to act as if the past never happened. There has been no mention of The Miz dethroning Ziggler last year or vice versa. 

Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton's War of Words

In a rocking chair in a dark room, Bray Wyatt talked of a predator in the forest who fed on men. He claimed he was the next step in humanity's evolution.

The New Face of Fear threatened to leave Randy Orton in ruin.

In a later backstage interview, Orton told a story of a snake attacking a man. He promised to get the better of Wyatt at Backlash.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "I am the evolution of men. I am a god, Randy."—Wyatt.
• "Predator will become prey, and all that will be left of you are chunks of meat stuck to the teeth of The Eater of Worlds."—Wyatt.

Grade

B+

Analysis

Orton's story was a bit rushed, but it created a fitting image for this feud. WWE is playing this up as predator against predator, and that dynamic should continue beyond Backlash.

Wyatt offered plenty here for the WWE production team to weave into the promo video for his Backlash match. He has sometimes tried to shove too many ideas into a single speech, but he was focused and effective here.

The haunting heel painted an unsettling picture of what's to come. Wyatt has to eventually make good on his savage promises, though.

If he doesn't leave Orton hurting by the end of Backlash, he will give the audience another reason to tune out his threats.

Natalya, Carmella and Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch, Naomi and Nikki Bella

The babyfaces took control early on, thanks to Naomi flustering Alexa Bliss and Becky Lynch outwrestling Carmella.

Natalya attacked Lynch outside to shift the momentum in her team's favor. The Irish Lass Kicker then found herself in survival mode.

Nikki Bella eventually tagged in and went on a roll. Chaos broke out soon after as the referee struggled to maintain order. Carmella took advantage, choking out Nikki with Code of Silence.

Result

Carmella, Natalya and Bliss win via submission.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Nikki hits a springboard enzuigiri on Bliss.
• "Carmella riding a wave of momentum heading into Backlash."—Mauro Ranallo.

Grade

B

Analysis

Bliss has been too obvious when calling spots. She needs to obscure her in-ring instructions better. But that's the kind of rough edge that is going to show up after calling up her and Carmella before they were fully ready.

The announcers did a good job of hyping the Six-Pack Challenge, talking up its importance.

Lynch was her usual excellent babyface self. Natalya is showing great viciousness lately. The biggest talking point of the bout, though, is that Carmella forced Nikki to tap.

WWE could do a far better job of developing that feud, but this was a smart way to cap off this match and lead into the next stage of Carmella's issues with Nikki.

The Usos vs. American Alpha (Tag Team Tournament Finals)

The Usos shook American Alpha's hands before the bell, but quickly attacked their foes from behind. Chad Gable and Jason Jordan quickly put away the brothers, though.

The loss enraged The Usos. Jimmy and Jey pounced on Gable and Jordan, attacking the former's leg until he couldn't stand.

Result

Gable and Jordan win via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "We're going to let them know that The Usos still run this tag team division."—Jimmy.
• "American Alpha rolled over The Usos like the Crimson Tide rolled over the Trojans."—Mauro Ranallo.
• "That has no place in sport."—John "Bradshaw" Layfield on The Usos' attack.

Grade

A-

Analysis

The 30-second match itself was no classic, but the storytelling here was excellent.

American Alpha earned a mighty boost by knocking off The Usos so easily. The quick win upended the audience's expectation, too.

And rather than just hand The Usos an ordinary loss, WWE scripted a scenario that served as a catalyst for a much-needed character change. Instantly, the brothers looked reinvigorated in their new roles.

Nastier, more focused, The Usos are set to be key players in the tag team division.

Fandango Runs into Kane

Fandango informed the fans that Tyler Breeze was not at SmackDown as he was searching for fine fabrics in Dubai. He then danced with a tattooed female fan before sending her out of the ring.

Kane entered, chokeslammed Fandango and left.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "Luckily for you peasants, I have found someone to tango with Fandango."—Fandango.
• "Are there any cornhusking hillbillies with the passion of dance?"—Fandango.
• Kane mocked Fandango's signature dance.

Grade

C+

Analysis

You have to give Fandango credit for owning his character and attacking a silly segment with such gusto. This brief confrontation was further proof he and Breeze need to be higher priorities on SmackDown moving forward.

This latest Kane angle is reminiscent of 911 chokeslamming everyone in ECW in the mid-90s. It's unclear where WWE is taking this story, but it could be fun to see him attack someone ridiculous each week.

The Hype Bros vs. Heath Slater and Rhyno (Tag Tournament Semifinals)

Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley dominated Heath Slater in the early going. The One Man Rock Band struggled to reach his partner.

When Rhyno did get in, he barreled over The Hype Bros. A Gore kept Ryder on the mat for a three-count.

Result

Slater and Rhyno win via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Rawley clotheslines Rhyno outside the ring.
• "Just like that, they're in the finals. Who would have thought it?"—David Otunga.

Grade

B+

Analysis

The additional high stakes of Slater having to win the tag team tournament to land a roster spot gave this a huge boost. Ryder scored a near-fall that had one's heart pause.

The match could have gone on longer to milk the drama more, but WWE made the right decision with he result.

Slater's story wisely continued. He has become one of the most compelling figures on SmackDown. His and Rhyno have just begun to harness the potential of their pairing.

AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose Face Off

Credit: WWE.com

On the Talking Smack set, AJ Styles berated a producer who showed the footage of him hitting his crotch on the ring ropes last week. Styles bullied him, threatening to get him fired. 

The Phenomenal One later destroyed a backstage employee's phone, shouting in his face.

When he and Dean Ambrose met in the ring, the world champ handed Styles one of his old bowling trophies. Ambrose needled Styles, telling him he couldn't take his title. 

The No. 1 challenger promised to beat Ambrose at Backlash. Styles then kicked the champion with a low blow that left him speechless.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "I was just trying to give you a high-pitched voice to go with your soccer-mom haircut."—Ambrose.
• "Let's be honest, you're not John Cena."—Styles.
• When you're in the ring with me, it's a battlefield. I drag guys to places they've never been."—Ambrose.

Grade

A

Analysis

This is the Styles we needed to see after his SummerSlam win over John Cena. He was cold and arrogant, supremely focused on winning the title and willing to do anything to do so.

Ambrose was money here as his foil. He didn't slip too much into goofy Ambrose. Humor sat underneath a more predatory persona. 

And WWE painted a simple, powerful final image before Backlash—Styles towering over a wincing Ambrose. Mission accomplished with building up this bout.