WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from October 4

The final SmackDown Live before Sunday's No Mercy pay-per-view featured an intense showdown between AJ Styles, John Cena and Dean Ambrose that predictably came to blows and left fans guessing as to which man would emerge from the brand-exclusive pay-per-view with the WWE Championship around his waist.

That was not the only extraordinary bit of last-minute hype for the show to come out of Tuesday's USA Network broadcast.

Dolph Ziggler joined The Miz for an edition of Miz TV that not only was humiliating for The Showoff but also may have lit a fire inside of him the current intercontinental champion A-lister cannot put out come Sunday night.

Alexa Bliss scored a tag team win over Becky Lynch but still has many questioning whether she can do it when the lights are brightest.

With so many moving pieces ahead of a hotly anticipated show, how did the stars of the blue brand fare this week?

Find out now with this exclusive look at the October 4 episode of SmackDown.

Kane vs. Bray Wyatt

Just weeks removed from a match at Backlash, Kane and Bray Wyatt squared off to start this week's broadcast.

Wyatt withstood a sidewalk slam and big DDT, landing a uranage suplex to wrest control from the Big Red Monster.

Randy Orton appeared upside down on the Titan Tron, taunting Wyatt. This caused The Reaper of Souls to be counted out, resulting in another loss to Kane.

Result

Kane defeated Bray Wyatt via count-out.

Grade

C

Analysis

In short bursts like this, Wyatt vs. Kane is a fun match. This, though, was more about the feud between the former and Orton, who claimed he could play mind games as well as anyone.

It added heat to their match Sunday and at the same time, set up an angle for later in the show. While flawed (there still is no real rhyme or reason for the match), this was a fine way to build to their upcoming contest.

Nikki Bella vs. Alexa Bliss Becomes a Tag Team Showdown

What started as a match pitting Nikki Bella against Alexa Bliss descended into chaos as Carmella, sitting in on commentary, interfered and drew a disqualification. Becky Lynch made the save, setting up a tag team match.

After the break, Bella played the babyface in peril until a hot tag unleashed Straight Fire on the heels. Lynch tossed her opponents around with her trademark suplexes and appeared to be on her way to victory.

That is, until Bliss distracted the referee and Carmella delivered a superkick, allowing Bella to deliver Twisted Bliss for the upset victory.

Result

Nikki Bella defeated Alexa Bliss via disqualification; Bliss and Carmella defeated Bella and Becky Lynch.

Grade

C+

Analysis

This accomplished two things. First, it shined a spotlight on both of the women's feuds on the SmackDown brand at the same time. Second, it allowed Bliss the opportunity to go over Lynch, who should be the heavy favorite to leave Sunday's No Mercy with her title.

Carmella has developed into a strong heel, and the SmackDown ladies are doing an extraordinary job of late, but the big-money match is pretty clearly Lynch vs. Bella at this point.

The Hype Bros vs. The Vaudevillains

The afterthoughts of the tag division did battle Tuesday night as The Hype Bros squared off with The Vaudevillains, with each team seeking anything even remotely close to momentum.

That momentum would never come for Aiden English and Simon Gotch, who were bumped around the squared circle before the former fell prey to the Hype Ryder.

Result

The Hype Bros defeated The Vaudevillains.

Grade

D

Analysis

With a major pay-per-view offering this Sunday, one must wonder what the point of this match was, other than to possibly setup Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley as the next contenders to the tag titles.

Considering American Alpha and the loser of Sunday's match between Heath Slater and Rhyno and The Usos are further up the proverbial totem pole than The Hype Bros, the reasoning behind this match is even more of a mystery.

Miz TV Featuring the Dolphumentary

The Miz introduced Dolph Ziggler for a special edition of Miz TV in which he vowed to pay homage to The Showstopper.

Instead, it turned into a mockery of the former world champion, a reliving of some of his most embarrassing moments, including his stint with The Spirit Squad. Former Squad members Kenny and Mikey even made an appearance, further adding to the humiliation Ziggler suffered.

In what could very well be his final SmackDown Live appearance, Ziggler set aside all the sadness he may have felt about a potential retirement and fired up. Angry, frustrated and no longer willing to take it, he withstood a two-on-one beatdown from his former teammates and stood tall.

The Miz taunted him with the Intercontinental Championship on the ramp, with Ziggler watching intently from inside the squared circle.

Grade

A

Analysis

The most compelling story in WWE right now is Dolph Ziggler's shot at redemption, or last chance at glory, against The Miz this Sunday. It has clicked on every level, from the emotional aspect to the in-ring work and the result is a midcard match that has as much heat and anticipation behind it as any match in recent memory.

Ziggler as the pissed off veteran is much more interesting than the mopey babyface we got last week and it should be fun to see if The Showoff carries that over to Sunday's match, and whether or not Miz can exploit that emotion for a victory.

Jason Jordan vs. Jey Uso

The rivalry between American Alpha and The Usos continued Tuesday night as Jason Jordan battled Jey Uso in singles competition.

The match was short-lived as Jordan countered a chinlock into a rollup for the win.

After the match, the heels attacked Jordan and Chad Gable, leaving Heath Slater and Rhyno to hit the ring and make the save.

Result

Jason Jordan defeated Jey Uso.

Grade

C-

Analysis

One of the most intriguing stories heading into No Mercy was the most lazily built Tuesday night.

There was nothing about this match that did anything to further the feud between American Alpha and The Usos. In fact, it hurt the heels ahead of their championship match Sunday night and made an afterthought of the champions, who were left to do the generic babyface run-in at the end of the ordeal.

A rare miss on the tag team side of things Tuesday night.

Jack Swagger vs. Baron Corbin

The rivalry between Jack Swagger and Baron Corbin took to the squared circle for the first time Tuesday.

The Lone Wolf grounded-and-pounded The Real American, appearing to be in the driver's seat heading into and coming out of the commercial break.

Swagger mounted a comeback and grabbed hold of Corbin's ankle for the Swagger Lock. As the former NXT star attempted to grasp the ropes, his hand tapped the mat, forcing the referee to call for the bell and award Swagger the win.

Result

Jack Swagger defeated Baron Corbin.

Grade

C-

Analysis

The finish sucked.

That may not be the most elegant way to put things, but Corbin slapping the mat as he grabbed for the ropes is hardly a believable tapout. If anything, the referee should be fired for thinking as much.

Swagger wins here but looks like a complete fluke as Corbin dominated the action.

An outcome detrimental to all involved, except Corbin.

John Cena, Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles Showdown

Credit: WWE.com

The final build to the Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship at No Mercy saw AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose and John Cena join each other in the squared circle for a face-to-face-to-face showdown.

Styles mentioned the numerous times she has seized opportunities since arriving in WWE and then vowed to beat both Ambrose and Cena Sunday night.

Ambrose, as cocky as he has ever been, reminded both Styles and Cena, who joined the two in the ring a short time later, that he has wrestled more wars than anyone over the last two years and Sunday night, he will regain the title.

Cena, repeatedly cut off and insulted said, "talk is cheap" and proceeded to tackle Ambrose, leading to a hot sting of events that ended with Ambrose dropping Styles with Dirty Deeds on the entrance ramp and standing tall with the championship to close out the show.

Grade

A+

Analysis

This is as compelling as Dean Ambrose has been in two years, a cocky and arrogant tweener who speaks his mind, even if it is not the popular opinion. His verbal lambasting of Cena, calling him "fake and plastic" echos the complaints of so many disillusioned fans, while his claims that he is the hardest working man in the sport are not without merit.

The physical exchange never really allowed any one man to look better than the others, keeping fans guessing as to who leaves No Mercy with the gold.

An outstanding bit of television to really sell Sunday's show.