WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from February 14

SmackDown Live has a new WWE champion, and his name is Bray Wyatt.

Tuesday night, The Reaper of Souls was scheduled to make his first title defense against the man he beat to win the gold, John Cena, but a defiant AJ Styles threw a wrench into those plans, necessitating a Triple Threat match for the brand's top prize.

That bout headlined a show that set out to wrap up ongoing stories and create new ones as the company embarks on the Road to WrestleMania 33.

SmackDown tag team champions American Alpha battled The Ascension, and Becky Lynch renewed her rivalry with Mickie James as the Tuesday night staple wrapped up the remnants of Sunday's spectacular with a bow.

There was little in the way of love on this Valentine's Day, but there was plenty of disdain as the rivalries intensified and came to a head.

Find out who emerged victorious, how each match graded out and what analysis is offered for every major occurrence from the Feb. 14 episode of SmackDown Live.

John Cena and AJ Styles Interrupted Bray Wyatt's Address

Chants of "You deserve it!" filled the arena as Bray Wyatt took to the squared circle to address the WWE Universe for the first time since capturing the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber.

The Reaper of Souls vowed that anyone in his way would go down in flames, but those who wanted to follow him could.

John Cena interrupted the proceedings and claimed that no one deserves anything but that everyone earns what they get. He suggested he and Wyatt have their scheduled match there and then, but he was interrupted by AJ Styles, who arrived to a sizable pop.

The Phenomenal One, still believing he was better than both men, demanded a title opportunity.

SmackDown general manager Daniel Bryan appeared and made the Triple Threat match for later in the show.

Grade

C+

Analysis

Usually, giving out a championship match just because someone demanded one is a poor choice on the part of WWE Creative, but here, it worked. Styles was never granted a straight rematch following his loss to Cena at Royal Rumble, and while this still was not a singles bout, it was much more preferable than an Elimination Chamber bout.

All three Superstars are conceivable champions, and the match provided the first SmackDown on the Road to WrestleMania 33 a marquee main event, even if the segment lacked substance of any kind.

American Alpha vs. The Ascension

On the heels of Sunday's Elimination Chamber, where American Alpha overcame a brutal assault at the hands of The Usos to successfully retain its tag team titles over The Ascension in a Tag Team Turmoil bout, Jason Jordan and Chad Gable clashed with Konnor and Viktor in a non-title match Tuesday night.

The champions surged early, clearing the ring of their rivals as the match went to commercial break. Following the timeout, though, the heels had isolated Gable from his partner and were using their strength advantage to ground the smallest man in the bout.

Jordan exploded into the match off the hot tag and wasted little time tossing his opponents around the squared circle with a series of overhead suplexes.

After disposing of Konnor, the champions delivered Grand Amplitude on Viktor for the pinfall victory.

Following the bell, The Usos cut a promo insinuating American Alpha is afraid of them, given their history of injuring the tag champions.

Result

American Alpha defeated The Ascension.

Grade

B-

Analysis

It is so infrequent that Konnor and Viktor are allowed to wrestle extended matches that fans forget how good they can be when given the opportunity.

Though the match failed to break the formulaic nature of American Alpha's recent work, where Gable is beaten down for the majority before making the hot tag to Jordan, followed by Grand Amplitude to finish, it allowed The Ascension to shine in a way that suggests the brand may have plans for it post-WrestleMania.

In the meantime, it appears as though the rivalry between American Alpha and The Usos is poised to culminate in some sort of tag title bout in the near future.

Baron Corbin Attacked Dean Ambrose

A backstage vignette featuring James Ellsworth and Dean Ambrose gave way to what was supposed to be a match between the intercontinental champion and Carmella's new boo.

Instead, Ambrose found himself on the receiving end of a sneak attack by Baron Corbin, who beat him around the staging area before tossing him into several anvil cases. Pyro exploded, suggesting electrical injuries suffered by The Lunatic Fringe as the segment came to a screeching halt.

Grade

B

Analysis

The pyro shtick is always embarrassingly hokey, but the beatdown here was a nice touch.

Corbin, still pissed off over his elimination at the hands of Ambrose and his missed opportunity for WWE Championship glory, attacked the man who caused his frustration and set up an intercontinental title program in the process.

It is simple yet effective booking that WWE would benefit from rather than relying on overly complex stories born in the minds of soap opera writers.

Becky Lynch vs. Mickie James

Becky Lynch and Mickie James brought their unsettled differences to SmackDown Live Tuesday night in what was a rematch from the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.

A double clothesline had both women reeling after a disjointed, somewhat sloppy start to the match, but they recovered nicely in the second half of the bout.

The action was nonstop, with each woman temporarily seizing control. Lynch utilized her arsenal of suplexes and appeared to have James reeling when the wily veteran feigned a shoulder injury. Referees checked on her, which allowed Lynch to let down her guard.

James caught her with a kick to the head and scored the pinfall off the deception for the win.

Result

Mickie James defeated Becky Lynch.

Grade

B

Analysis

This was a worthy follow-up to Sunday's match.

James, frustrated with her inability to beat Lynch straight-up, had to use veteran trickery to lure her opponent in. It was a sign of her willingness to do whatever is necessary to win but, at the same time, set Lynch up to make the argument she was cheated.

Whichever side of the argument one falls on, there is no denying that a third match between the two to determine the rightful victor is in order.

Alexa Bliss Interrupted Naomi's Championship Address

Just days after the biggest win of her career, Naomi joined Renee Young for an in-ring interview, where she revealed she suffered an injury during Sunday's SmackDown Women's Championship match.

Alexa Bliss, like a shark smelling blood in the water, interrupted and claimed Naomi had realized the pressure of being champion and was already making excuses for herself. She went on to suggest Naomi should bring her family to WrestleMania because Little Miss Bliss wants it to watch Naomi lose the title to the real champion.

The former champion gave Naomi one week to either hand over the gold or be beaten for it and then left the ring while still talking trash to the babyface.

Grade

B

Analysis

Bliss may be the best heel in wrestling. The deliveries of her promos, the facial expressions and body language behind them and the believability with which she approaches all of it set her apart from some of the other more scripted bad guys and gals on the roster.

She outclassed Naomi here and made the viewer want to see the new champion shut her up.

While repeats of this segment will only serve to expose Naomi's weaknesses as a verbal performer, they will further demonstrate how far ahead of every other female performer not named Charlotte Flair that Bliss really is.

WWE Championship Match: John Cena vs. AJ Styles vs. Bray Wyatt

As Bray Wyatt made his entrance for the main event, the arena darkened. When the lights came back on, Luke Harper appeared and attacked his former leader to a big reaction.

Wyatt recovered and defended his title in a pay-per-view-quality main event.

Late in the bout, he sent AJ Styles crashing to the outside and appeared to be on his way to retaining his title. He would walk into an Attitude Adjustment, though, as John Cena looked to win title No. 17. Wyatt shot his shoulder off the mat, avoiding a short title reign.

A Styles Clash by The Phenomenal One put Cena down for two. A frustrated Styles went for the Phenomenal Forearm, but Cena shoved him from the ropes. Wyatt, seizing the opening just as he did Sunday night, grabbed hold of Cena, delivered Sister Abigail and successfully retained his title.

After the match, Randy Orton appeared and pledged his unwavering alliance to Wyatt, to which the champion laughed into the microphone. The show went off the air with SmackDown Live seemingly having no No. 1 contender after Orton relinquished his title opportunity.

Result

Bray Wyatt defeated John Cena and AJ Styles to retain the WWE Championship.

Grade

A

Analysis

Two newsworthy things came out of this strong main event: Cena ate another clean pin, and the Orton saga took another twist ahead of WrestleMania.

Cena put Wyatt over strong for the second straight night, leaving some to wonder where that was three years ago, when The Reaper of Souls could have benefited from it. Nevertheless, it does a great deal to solidify Wyatt's status as champion for him to beat the franchise star.

As for Orton's actions, it is all part of a story arc that will likely still culminate with him squaring off with Wyatt at the biggest event of the year.

The more intriguing element of the entire ordeal is Harper, who may find himself involved in that bout, perhaps making it a Triple Threat match.