WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from February 21

The Road to WrestleMania is in full effect on SmackDown Live, and things got interesting quickly Tuesday night, as a current champion was forced to relinquish their championship, and a new champion was crowned.

Naomi suffered a knee injury during her SmackDown Women's Championship victory over Alexa Bliss at Elimination Chamber. Unfortunately, it proved more serious than originally thought, and her run with the title came to a premature end.

The decision left the division without a champion ahead of the biggest event of the year.

Luckily, SmackDown general manager Daniel Bryan fixed that problem in short order, booking Bliss against another former champion, Becky Lynch, to fill the vacancy.

Speaking of vacancies, a new No. 1 contender was to be crowned as 10 of the top SmackDown stars waged war in a Battle Royal.

Controversy reigned supreme, leaving two Superstars with valid cases for the spot in the WrestleMania main event.

Who were they, and what else went down on a show that also featured a Falls Count Anywhere match between Nikki Bella and Natalya?

Find out now in this recap of Tuesday's presentation.

Daniel Bryan Promo

SmackDown Live general manager Daniel Bryan kicked off Tuesday's show to a thunderous ovation.

He introduced women's champion Naomi, who limped to the squared circle as commentators John "Bradshaw" Layfield and David Otunga discussed the leg injury she suffered at Elimination Chamber. Chants of "You deserve it!" rained down on her as Bryan looked remorseful about what was fixing to go down.

Bryan recalled the injury that forced him to relinquish the WWE Championship and announced that Naomi would be unable to compete in the required 30 days. He asked Naomi, who was visibly crushed, to hand over the title.

Naomi tearfully said she felt like she was letting her fans down and equated the injury news to a free fall. She admitted that handing over the title meant her dreams of WrestleMania were likely gone, too. The now-former champion vowed that everyone would feel the glow when she returned.

Alexa Bliss made her way to the ring, bypassing Naomi as she made her way up the ramp. Bliss brushed off Naomi's emotional story and said she wants the rematch she has been seeking for two weeks. She fought off the "what" chants from the crowd as she tried to convince Bryan to hand the title over to her.

Bryan announced a match for the title to kick off the show. Her opponent? Becky Lynch, who arrived to a huge pop.

Grade

B

Analysis

It was disappointing to watch Naomi hand over her title, especially given how passionate she was about winning it and how proud she was to be champion.

Bliss brushing her promo off and stating her case for the title was perfect and earned her near-nuclear heat. She stumbled a bit, overwhelmed by the "what" chants from fans who have not figured out it is not 2002 anymore, but she recovered perfectly.

The revelation of Lynch as the opposition for the night's title bout made sense, given the fact that The Lass Kicker was the only other woman on the roster to previously hold the title.

A strong segment that benefited exponentially from the connection between Bryan's story and Naomi's. 

SmackDown Women's Championship Match: Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss

A brief exchange kicked off the match, but Alexa Bliss delivered an STO that earned her momentary control. As the match went to break, though, Bliss rolled to the arena floor to gather her bearings.

The Lass Kicker delivered a Flying Firearm, followed by a spinning back kick that netted her a two-count. A missile dropkick followed, again nearly earning her a second reign with the gold.

Moments later, a struggling Bliss grabbed hold of the ring apron, distracting the referee and allowing her to deliver an illegal throat thrust and score a roll-up while holding onto the tights for the win.

After the match, Mickie James hit the ring and exchanged a series of words with Becky Lynch, but the Irishwoman cleared her from the ring.

Result

Alexa Bliss defeated Becky Lynch to win the SmackDown Women's Championship.

Grade

C+

Analysis

This felt like a match that was rushed. There was little in the way of substance, the awkward commercial right in the heart of the contest hurting the flow.

The outcome was the right one.

Bliss is an extraordinary heel who has hit her stride as part of the SmackDown Live roster. She has made the most of a push she never received in NXT and is as good a choice to hold the title as anyone right now.

Lynch is still embroiled in a rivalry with James, a program that does not need a title. She will remain over because of her skills alone.

American Alpha vs. Breezango

SmackDown tag team champions Chad Gable and Jason Jordan battled Breezango in a match set up earlier in the night during a backstage promo in which the heels issued fashion violations.

Tyler Breeze and Fandango attacked before the match, knocking Gable to the arena floor and double-teaming Jordan.

The babyfaces fought back into the match and scored the win off an electric chair bulldog, much like the one utilized by The Steiner Brothers.

After the match, The Usos challenged American Alpha to a fight. Claiming they had nothing left to lose, Jimmy and Jey vowed the champions cannot get ready for them.

Result

American Alpha defeated Breezango.

Grade

C

Analysis

The match was nothing—an extended squash at the most.

The meat of the segment was in The Usos' post-match promo. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, the twins were allowed to showcase some energy and character on the mic. They did not settle for the generic promos they cut as babyfaces. Instead, they were unhinged and ready to take back the tag titles.

It was a strong—if a bit incoherent—promo that did more to put over the changes in Jimmy and Jey than anything they had done up to that point. 

Falls Count Anywhere Match: Nikki Bella vs. Natalya

Months of bickering, complaining, name-calling and insult-hurling came to an end Tuesday night when Nikki Bella battled Natalya in a Falls Count Anywhere match.

The Queen of Harts tried to evade attack, but Bella delivered a big knee to the face that netted a two-count. Bella attempted to grab a table from under the ring, but Natalya caught her with a baseball slide that cut her off.

Bella unloaded on Natalya with a kendo stick, and soon, the fight spilled into the fans, where the former sent the latter crashing into an equipment table. Natalya tried to superplex Bella off a barricade, but Bella fought her off and delivered a Disaster Kick for two.

Back in the ringside area, Natalya sent her opponent back-first into the guardrail.

In a clunky spot, Bella fought out of a teased powerbomb through the announcers' table. The longest-reigning Divas champion answered with the Alabama Slamma onto the table for a count of two.

Back from the break, Natalya delivered a wicked suplex on the entrance ramp for another two-count.

The action spilled backstage, where Natalya sent Bella into Maryse. Moments later, Natalya was sent face-first into a mirror, shattering the glass. Bella sent Natalya back into the arena and caught her with a spear for a near-fall.

Moments later, she applied the Fearless Lock, but Maryse appeared and blasted Bella with a metal pipe. The Miz pulled his wife away from the action as Natalya crawled over to the prone Bella and scored the victory.

Result

Natalya defeated Nikki Bella.

Grade

B+

Analysis

This was never going to be a technical masterpiece or even a terribly great wrestling match. It was meant to be a wild and chaotic bout that settled an intense rivalry between two top female competitors. That is exactly what it was, sacrificing psychology for spectacle, and in that vein, it was nearly perfect.

Maryse appearing and attacking Bella sets up the proposed mixed tag team match also involving John Cena and The Miz at WrestleMania.

Whether one finds the inclusion of the French-Canadian forced is irrelevant; this accomplished everything it set out to do, and the result was a brilliant example of what performers who may not be the prototypical workers are capable of when they are allowed to be creative.

That was the case for Bella, who was fantastic, and Natalya, whose timing and experience benefited every spot.

No. 1 Contender's Battle Royal

Credit: WWE.com

The main event of WrestleMania 33 would be determined Tuesday night as Apollo Crews, Kalisto, Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose, Luke Harper, Mojo Rawley, AJ Styles, John Cena and The Miz did battle in a 10-man Battle Royal.

Ambrose hit the ring and went right after Corbin, kicking off the match. The fans erupted as the top stars of SmackDown waged war in the mangled mess of flesh and bone that is a Battle Royal.

Rawley was the first Superstar eliminated, tossed by Baron Corbin. Next, Kalisto exploded, delivering Salida del Sol to Ziggler. He nearly eliminated The Showoff, but Ziggler delivered a superkick that sent Kalisto packing. Crews stole the spotlight next, only to have Ziggler momentarily cut off his momentum.

Crews responded with a roundhouse kick that sent Ziggler crashing to the floor. Unsatisfied with his elimination, Ziggler blasted Kalisto with a chair. Crews, distracted, was tossed by Corbin. Crews proceeded to grab the chair and chase Ziggler to the back.

Cena and Styles took center stage, rekindling their rivalry. They exchanged blows before Cena tried for the Attitude Adjustment, but Styles escaped. Harper, Ambrose and Corbin all exchanged an onslaught of offense before The Miz, the lone standing Superstar, mocked Daniel Bryan and delivered his running corner dropkicks.

As he was unloading on the opposition with a series of kicks, The Miz was stunned by Cena, who dumped him to narrow the field.

Corbin was dumped, and Cena followed shortly thereafter, tossed out of the match by a vengeful Miz looking to repay his own elimination at the hands of the 16-time world champion.

Suddenly, the match was down to Harper and Styles.

That is, except for the fact that Ambrose had not been eliminated. The three Superstars fought on the ring apron, just inches from seeing their dreams of headlining WrestleMania crushed. 

Harper blasted Ambrose, eliminating him.

Styles and Harper created drama and intrigue, teasing eliminations and keeping the audience guessing as to which competitor would cash his ticket to WrestleMania. In a wild spot, Harper pulled Styles off the ropes, but both men crashed to the arena floor at the same time.

SmackDown general manager Daniel Bryan hit the ring and announced a draw. He revealed that the winner would be determined next week. Harper blasted Styles with a discus clothesline and stood tall to close out the show.

A video of Bray Wyatt tauntingly laughing at Harper sent the show to black.

Result

No-contest.

Grade

A

Analysis

The ample amount of storytelling in this one match was simply phenomenal. In fact, it put this year's Royal Rumble to shame, somehow intertwining as many stories as it did without ever growing stale. Even the filler guys—those who fans didn't expect to win—were given enough to do that they never felt like they were just taking up space.

From Ziggler continuing his chair-swinging vendetta against Crews and Kalisto to the dramatic conclusion featuring Styles and Harper, the match did a fantastic job of bringing together every moving piece to deliver an excellent final half-hour of television.

Harper may not be the most dynamic personality in the match, but fans were cheering for him to win, even if it came at the expense of the beloved Styles. Their match next week should be a superb bout, especially if they are given enough time to showcase their abilities and, more importantly, if their chemistry proves strong.