WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from December 20

On the Dec. 20 episode of WWE SmackDown Live, the James Ellsworth experiment came crashing down, and The Lone Wolf made his presence felt.

Ellsworth finally received his WWE Championship match against AJ Styles but quickly regretted it. From there, Baron Corbin made his intentions to challenge for the title clear, despite Dolph Ziggler already having a shot following a win on last week's show.

That set up a scenario in which two of the premier stars on Tuesday night squared off with championship gold in their sights.

Becky Lynch outsmarted Alexa Bliss, The Miz defended the Intercontinental Championship and Dean Ambrose battled Luke Harper to round out the card.

Who emerged victorious, how did it affect their ongoing story and what grade did each segment earn?

Take a look with this review of Tuesday's broadcast.

WWE Championship Match: James Ellsworth vs. AJ Styles

WWE champion AJ Styles returned to the squared circle Tuesday night, defending his title against James Ellsworth.

His performance would be short-lived.

Just one minute after the bell, Styles blasted the challenger with a spinning back fist and pinned him for the successful title defense.

After the match, Styles apologized for forcing fans to see that match, only to have Dolph Ziggler interrupt him. The Showoff recalled everything he was willing to give up to win the Intercontinental Championship and then asked what The Phenomenal One thought he would do to win the sport's top prize.

Baron Corbin interrupted, upset that he was never given the opportunity to compete for the title. He flattened Ziggler with End of Days and stared down Styles to end the segment.

Result

AJ Styles defeated James Ellsworth.

Grade

B+

Analysis

With that, the great James Ellsworth experiment came to a screeching halt.

WWE Creative devoted entire SmackDown Live episodes to the unlikely jobber's story, and then in one fell swoop, it killed him off in fantastic fashion.

Corbin's inclusion in the WWE Championship picture was a spectacular decision by management. The Lone Wolf looks like a star, carries himself like one and is missing only one high-profile feud to get him to the point of consistency at the main event level.

He is exactly the type of star the brand extension was meant to help.

Intercontinental Championship Match: Apollo Crews vs. The Miz

After enduring an embarrassing loss at Tribute to the Troops, The Miz looked to successfully retain his Intercontinental Championship as he battled No. 1 contender Apollo Crews.

Despite not receiving a televised entrance, Crews proved more problematic for the champion than anyone could have imagined.

Mounting a comeback, he delivered a big Angle Slam that nearly put The Miz down for the three-count. When Maryse was booted from ringside for interfering, it appeared as though the champion may be dethroned. A well-timed poke in the eyes, though, allowed The Miz to deliver a Skull-Crushing Finale for the pinfall victory.

Result

The Miz defeated Apollo Crews.

Grade

B+

Analysis

This was the first time since arriving on SmackDown that Apollo Crews looked like a star. He was booked strongly here, nearly beating The Miz on numerous occasions and failing only after a poke to the eyes and interference from Maryse.

Continued effort from WWE Creative in portraying Crews that way is exactly what will help him gain traction.

The Miz was brilliant here, adding to his spectacular year with another superb performance. His upcoming series with Dean Ambrose could be great fun.

Nikki Bella and Carmella Confront Natalya

Natalya begged Nikki Bella to meet her in the ring so that they could hash out their problems and make sense of Carmella's accusations.

The former Divas champion obliged, but Carmella interrupted her. Carmella, who relayed a series of insults that Natalya previously spouted, again claimed The Queen of Harts was responsible for the attack that left Bella unable to compete at Survivor Series.

Natalya called Carmella a "Staten Island snitch" and then went after her, tossing her into a pile of Christmas gifts. She then turned her attention to Bella, claiming The Fearless One only got the opportunities she did because she is beautiful.

She put an exclamation point on the segment by claiming John Cena will never marry her new rival.

Grade

D

Analysis

This was a horrendously bad segment that felt more like three grown women bickering over schoolyard drama than a wrestling angle.

No, worse.

This felt like a segment straight off Total Divas—a segment that existed solely to advance whatever made-up storyline that show will sell as real. 

Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper

Fresh off eliminating Luke Harper last week in a Fatal 4-Way match, Dean Ambrose looked to beat him one more time Tuesday night.

Ambrose withstood the assault of Harper, who tossed him around the squared circle with reckless abandon. He survived several near-falls to mount a comeback that saw him wipe out Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton at ringside.

A series of reversals late in the match, however, culminated with The Lunatic Fringe pinning Harper's shoulders to the mat in a cradle for the win.

After the match, The Wyatt Family beat Ambrose down before The Miz reappeared, dropping the popular babyface with a Skull-Crushing Finale to further their program.

Result

Dean Ambrose defeated Luke Harper.

Grade

C

Analysis

Why Ambrose had to go over Luke Harper after wiping out The Wyatt Family at ringside is a question no one within WWE could answer sensibly.

Harper looked like a guy in the midst of a renewed push, benefiting from The Wyatt Family's increased presence on Tuesday nights, just a week ago. Now, he was back to making the babyface look good despite having no real beef with him.

The Miz laying Ambrose out was a nice touch, but again, why did it have to come at the expense of the tag team champions?

La Luchadora vs. Alexa Bliss

Alexa Bliss entered the arena Tuesday night poised to tear through a generic masked competitor referred to simply as "La Luchadora."

There was something about the way the unknown competitor moved around the ring—her body language and physical build triggering thoughts to familiar faces.

When she consistently frustrated Bliss and trapped her in the Dis-Arm-Her for the submission win, it became apparent who was under the hood.

Becky Lynch revealed herself to be the mysterious competitor, getting one up on her rival and setting the stage for a huge showdown on next week's show.

Result

La Luchadora defeated Alexa Bliss.

Grade

B-

Analysis

This is the epitome of old-school wrestling booking, and it still works today.

Did everyone who has ever watched a WWE event know it was Lynch under the hood? Absolutely, but that did not stop them from popping when she scored the win.

Angles like this prove there is still room for tried-and-true booking decisions in the modern world of sports entertainment.

Bliss looked stunned that she lost and even more so when Lynch revealed herself. The outcome puts heat on next week's match and creates doubt within the champion's mind that she can actually retain.

Mojo Rawley vs. Curt Hawkins

Mojo Rawley befriended actor Ryan Phillippe in an attempt at crossover promotion for USA Network's hit drama Shooter.

He also found himself at odds with Curt Hawkins, who he competed against Tuesday night.

Just one week after Zack Ryder suffered a horrendous knee injury, he watched his current partner, Rawley, dispatch former partner Hawkins with a huge forearm shot.

Result

Mojo Rawley defeated Curt Hawkins.

Grade

C-

Analysis

Why did this match exist?

If not for Phillippe and USA wanting to promote its new show, Rawley and Hawkins would not have sniffed a spot on this broadcast. It is actually worse that WWE Creative added this to the card because it shined a bright light on how neither of them belong on the show in singles competition at this point.

Next.

No. 1 Contender's Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin

The main event of this week's show pitted Baron Corbin against Dolph Ziggler in singles competition, forcing each man to wage war for the right to battle AJ Styles for the WWE Championship on next week's broadcast.

Corbin used his size and agility to wear Ziggler down throughout the match, cutting him off at every comeback attempt. A nasty forearm to The Showoff's back led to Ziggler's head bouncing off the ring post.

Ziggler mounted a comeback and delivered both a Fameasser and a Zig Zag, but he could not keep Corbin down.

The action poured to the outside, where Corbin sent Ziggler into Styles, who was sitting in on commentary. Both Superstars were eventually counted out, and a no-contest was declared. Styles celebrated by blasting both of his top contenders with a steel chair.

Result

Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin fought to a double count-out.

Grade

B+

Analysis

Earlier this year, it was apparent that Baron Corbin was not talented enough to hang with Dolph Ziggler in a match of any significance.

That has changed dramatically, as Corbin looked every bit as solid as Ziggler Tuesday night, leading to a strong main event match that created intrigue for the Triple Threat match announced by Daniel Bryan after the bell.

Both men looked good, neither sacrificed his heat to make the other look better and the result was a quality segment that accomplished exactly what it set out to do.