WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from Aug. 22

A bustling edition of WWE SmackDown saw the blue brand's stage grow more crowded and more compelling.

Bobby Roode from NXT joined Team Blue. Shelton Benjamin arrived, met Chad Gable and formed a tag team. And Kevin Owens' issues with Commissioner Shane McMahon escalated to the point that KO may enter next week's show overcome with bloodlust.

The first episode after SummerSlam tried to accomplish a lot story-wise and cram a ton into its two hours. For the most part, it worked.

Shinsuke Nakamura, Owens, Carmella and the Lana-Tamina duo's narratives all advanced to some degree.

Which matches and segments most clicked? The following is a dive into the post-SummerSlam SmackDown, recapping and grading the latest show.

Kevin Owens Demands One More Shot at AJ Styles

AJ Styles kicked off the night by issuing an open challenge for his U.S. title.

Owens emerged. He claimed that McMahon screwed him over. Shane-O-Mac stepped out to explain himself, stating he called the match fairly.

KO and McMahon bickered about the SummerSlam bout.

Styles demanded to defend the title, and the commissioner agreed to the match. Owens, though, demanded to choose his own referee.

And per McMahon, this would be Owens' last shot at the championship while Styles held it.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "I told the world that I am the workhorse of the WWE."—Styles.
• "You should be focused on your right hand hitting the mat three times."—Owens.

Grade

A-

Analysis

Flustered Owens is the best.

The efficient segment followed up the SummerSlam controversy well. Owens, Styles and McMahon all had a ton of tension here. We're getting closer and closer to the McMahon vs. Owens feud that will be the highlight of SmackDown in the coming weeks.

And WWE continues to find ways to keep the Styles-Owens matchups interesting. KO picking the ref is a unique, fun stipulation. The last-chance element of the bout adds high stakes.

Aiden English vs. Bobby Roode

Aiden English began to serenade the crowd.

Roode interrupted with his entrance. Once the bell rang, The Glorious One began to overwhelm his foe.

Outside the ring, English battled back, turning the bout into a slugfest.

Roode survived English's best shots. He hit the Glorious DDT to end the contest.

Renee Young interviewed Roode in the ring after the match, and Roode promised to elevate the blue brand.

Result

Roode wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "Respect the artiste."—English.
• "Aiden English's spotlight just got taken."—Tom Phillips.
• Roode kicks out of the Director's Cut.
• "In a New York minute, SmackDown went from being great to absolutely glorious."—Roode.

Grade

B-

Analysis

Roode's debut was a short, solid introduction to his character and in-ring work.

It's surprising that English got in that much offense. But that made this a bit more fun than the average squash match.

The Glorious One will be a fun addition to the SmackDown brand even if he's a bit old-school in the ring for some folks' tastes. His arrival, though, makes the space on the show's stage even more precious. We may not see much of guys like Mike Kanellis as a result.

Shelton Benjamin Meets Chad Gable

Backstage, general manager Daniel Bryan talked to Gable, who wanted people to start talking about him and stop talking about his old tag team partner Jason Jordan. Bryan revealed that in the deal to send Jordan to Raw, he got Benjamin in return.

After Benjamin and Gable exchanged pleasantries, Bryan announced they would be in action as a team next Tuesday.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "Let's take this new tag team for a test drive next week."—Bryan.

Grade

B+

Analysis

A very brief promo managed to accomplish a lot.

It showcased Gable's motivations, namely to start creating buzz for himself. It welcomed back Benjamin, added a new tag team to the mix and gave fans a reason to tune in next week.

Benjamin on the blue brand is going to be mighty fun, as his presence creates a ton of great matchups.

The Usos vs. The Hype Bros

Mojo Rawley charged into battle against The Usos, but the tag team champs quickly pounced on him. The Usos worked over Rawley's legs in a dominant performance.

Zack Ryder led a comeback that had The Usos retreating.

The Usos swarmed their foes, however, and took down Ryder for the victory. They followed their win by calling out the rest of the tag team division.

Result

The Usos win via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Rawley bowls over Jey Uso outside the ring.
• Jimmy Uso superkicks Rawley's head against the security barricade.
• "It's not paranoia. It's The Usos."—The Usos.

Grade

C+

Analysis

The Usos have looked dangerous and nasty throughout their heel run. This was merely a taste of what they have been up to.

A fresh pair of opponents was a welcome sight, even if it was a mostly one-sided match. WWE needs to include its lower-tier teams more often.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. The Singh Brothers

Bryan told Jinder Mahal that Nakamura was going to get a bit of payback by going up against his cronies the Singh Brothers.

In the ring, Nakamura blasted both Sunil and Samir Singh, knocking them around with hard strikes. A distraction from Mahal opened the door for the heels to battle back.

A triangle choke, though, was enough to put away the brothers.

Mahal tried to ambush Nakamura afterward, but he countered with a Kinshasa.

Result

Nakamura wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "A hero doesn't take short cuts."—Bryan.
• Nakamura hits his running knee in the corner to the Singh Brothers stacked up on each other.

Grade

B-

Analysis

Nakamura vs. the Singh Brothers was no classic, but it's always fun seeing those minions get beat down. It would be nice to get any sort of background on the Singh Brothers. Their characters are flat as a table.

The Mahal vs. Nakamura rivalry took a step forward by adding some aggression here.

WWE had to hurry their story along before SummerSlam. This time around, the company can take its time and make this a deeper, more personal narrative.

Natalya and Carmella vs. Becky Lynch and Naomi

Natalya strutted to the ring with the SmackDown Women's Championship on her shoulder. She promised to bring honor to the title.

Carmella warned her that her time on top was limited.

Once the match began, Natalya and Becky Lynch traded the advantage before the champ took control and slowed the bout down. Carmella remained on the outside, refusing to tag in.

Natalya handled Naomi when she entered the bout, too.

She tagged in Carmella, who didn't want to be a part of the action. Lynch and Naomi were able to take advantage of the confusion that created and get the win.

Result

Lynch and Naomi win via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "Take a good long look at what a real champion looks like."—Natalya.
• "It's no longer glow time, it's my time."—Natalya.

Grade

C+

Analysis

The action was run-of-the-mill. The highlights came from Carmella teasing a Money in the Bank cash-in and trying to let Natalya take all the punishment.

This was a smart, inventive way to go about cashing in.

The Natalya vs. Naomi feud, though, needs some spark. Natalya being happy to remove the glow-in-the-dark elements from the title isn't enough of a narrative to build around.

Dolph Ziggler/Lana and Tamina Segments

Dolph Ziggler returned in a backstage interview. He mocked other stars for using gimmicks and singing to get over. He talked about what he needed to do to claim the spotlight for himself.

In another segment, Lana told Tamina to focus her rage as she prepared to take down her foes in the future.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "A backstage segment. You really rolled out the red carpet."—Ziggler.
• "I'm going to have a woman who glows in the dark."—Ziggler.
• Lana promises a "ravishing reign of terror."

Grade

B-

Analysis

With minimal time, both Ziggler and the Lana-Tamina pairing did well to grab our attention.

It's not clear what The Showoff is going to be or what he's up to, but it's always great to see him motivated. Feeling overlooked has long been his go-to trait, so this won't exactly be groundbreaking. He cut quite a promo here, but it may not lead much of anywhere.

As for Lana and Tamina, the pace of their story has been sluggish.

Things will pick up soon it seems, though. Lana is poised to be to Tamina what she was for Rusev. That's miles better than her brief run as an in-ring performer.

AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens (United States Championship)

Credit: WWE.com

Owens tried to recruit Sami Zayn as the referee for the match, but his archrival refused. KO didn't take up Breezango on its offer to ref.

He ended up going with Baron Corbin, who demanded the first title shot should The Prizefighter win.

The match began with Styles flooring his foe. Owens was able to ground The Phenomenal One after the fight moved to the outside.

After a flurry from Styles nearly got him the win, he and Corbin bickered about the ref's counting.

KO pushed Styles into Corbin, enraging The Lone Wolf. In the chaos that followed, McMahon stepped down to admonish Corbin. Corbin threw his official's shirt at McMahon, who slipped it on.

Styles knocked out Owens with a Phenomenal Forearm for a three-count.

Result

Styles wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "Baron Corbin controls the fate of the United States Championship."—Phillips.
• Owens hits Styles into the security barricade with a fallaway slam.
• McMahon yanks Corbin out of the ring to prevent a three-count.

Grade

A-

Analysis

A wild match saw a number of moving parts create plenty of drama.

The high stakes combined with the addition of Corbin and McMahon made this a stirring main event. Styles and Owens have had better-worked matches, but there was so much to take in and talk about here.

Owens is going to be incensed after this, and it's going to be tremendous to watch.