WWE SmackDown Results: Biggest Takeaways as Lynch and Flair Set Stage for Epic

The October 9 episode of SmackDown Live continued the blue brand's exceptional storytelling, strong in-ring content and compelling angles, beginning with a jaw-dropping spear from Charlotte Flair to Becky Lynch at the top of the show.

On the heels of Super Show-Down, and with Crown Jewel and Evolution both upcoming, the Superstars of Tuesday night continued to impress with a broadcast that properly built the programs that will culminate at those events.

Find out what the top takeaways from the USA Network presentation were with this recap.

The Miz Plays Instigator as Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles Begin WWE Title Feud

AJ Styles will defend the WWE Championship against Daniel Bryan at Crown Jewel on November 2, and it is only fitting that the man who brought them together for their first in-ring segment on the road to that encounter was The Miz, who missed out on the title opportunity by way of his loss to Bryan at Super Show-Down Saturday.

The Hollywood A-Lister was an A+ instigator, poking and prodding at the all-time great in-ring competitors in an attempt to create tension between them. It worked as the segment went from one big joke on Miz to a warning from the champion to his No. 1 contender that he was not getting out of the way of Bryan and his dream.

The segment did its job in creating a basis for the rivalry while continuing to incorporate Miz, who will likely play a major role in the November 2 championship bout.

The question now is whether Styles and Bryan will be allowed to have the match fans expect or if WWE Creative overbooks it as a way to save that particular bout for a grander stage down the road. Maybe, say, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on April 7 for Wrestlemania 35. 

Aiden English's Humiliation Should Make Him More Dangerous

Tuesday night, Aiden English was humiliated by Rusev and Lana as the video he had promised to show the world was revealed for what it really was: a fraudulent attempt to ruin Rusev Day.

In it, Lana thanks English for meaning as much to her and Rusev as he did. English responded by making an advance on the Ravishing Russian and getting shut down.

The segment ended with Rusev momentarily getting his hands on The Artiste before chasing him off.

One can only hope WWE Creative does not go the predictable route with this story by having Rusev bowl over English in a few minutes and kill whatever heat he has left. English has been a revelation on SmackDown, making the absolute most of every opportunity given to him.

A scenario in which he uses his public humiliation to unload furious vengeance on Rusev and Lana would not only intensify the rivalry, it would allow him to build real heat for himself ahead of the inevitable blow off.

Is WWE Purposefully Creating Sympathy for Samoa Joe?

Samoa Joe suffered a knee injury during his WWE Championship match against AJ Styles at Super Show-Down, and Tuesday, that injury played a major part in The Samoan Submission Machine's World Cup qualifying match against Jeff Hardy.

With Joe unable to stand on his injured limb late, the referee called for the bell and awarded the match to The Charismatic Enigma.

Joe fought through as much pain as he could and had the match stolen from him by an official's decision, not his own inability to continue.

We, as WWE fans, have seen this before. On a much bigger scale, granted, but we have seen it before.

Steve Austin fought through tremendous pain in his WrestleMania 13 classic against Bret Hart but passed out from the pain rather than giving up. The result? A massive fan following, a babyface turn and the start of one of the most historically significant runs in WWE history.

Will that happen here? Most definitely not. What could, though, is a babyface turn for the Samoan badass that sees him achieve his biggest stardom to date under the WWE umbrella. Especially if the company continues building sympathy for him, intentionally or not.

Explosive Charlotte Flair-Becky Lynch Match Continues Great Feud, Sets Up Epic Finale

Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch once again squared off Tuesday night, with the SmackDown Women's Championship up for grabs in another intense, physical match between the former friends.

The conclusion of the bout saw both women counted out before Flair speared her rival through the LED stage.

A red-hot angle usually reserved for the male Superstars, it added another element to what has quickly become, arguably, the best feud in all of WWE.

Paige's announcement later in the show that the two will meet in a Last Woman Standing match at Evolution only created more excitement for a program that has far exceeded even the loftiest of expectations.

The work of the women involved has a lot to do with it, but angles like Tuesday's only serve to lend credibility to it.