WWE SmackDown Results: Mustafa Ali's Massive Upset and Top Takeaways

Just 24 hours after the McMahon family vowed to shake things up in WWE, the SmackDown brand presented a show that continued its ongoing storylines and featured the latest chapter in the elevation of newcomer Mustafa Ali.

The cruiserweight teamed with AJ Styles to battle WWE champion "The New" Daniel Bryan and Andrade "Cien" Almas in a tag team main event, but the 205 Live export's performance and the outcome of the match was hardly the only major talking point from the night's broadcast.

Find out what else had fans buzzing and what it means for the show going forward with this recap of the December 18 show.

Mustafa Ali Making Most of Unexpected Push

Mustafa Ali exploded onto the SmackDown scene a week ago, taking WWE champion Daniel Bryan to the limit in a singles match that immediately let fans know he was one to watch.

His sudden and unexpected push continued Tuesday as he teamed with AJ Styles to defeat Andrade "Cien" Almas and Bryan. 

Not only did he and Styles pick up the win, they also did so when Ali pinned Bryan clean off a 054 splash.

The win was a jaw-dropping one in that he not only defeated the WWE champion, but he also did it as one of the 205 Live misfits just two weeks into his SmackDown career.

Let's not forget that Ali—as excellent as he has been in 2018—was still one of the cruiserweights banished to the C- or D-show in WWE. He stole shows against Buddy Murphy and Cedric Alexander, but he was hardly the first Superstar one would look at when the topic of the next big push came up.

Ali, though, has made the most of his opportunity, turning in two straight performances that have elevated his star and built the fans' and management's trust in him.

The harder he works, the more he thrives under the bright lights and the greater the chances become he achieves greatness even beyond his own belief. 

SmackDown's Tag Team Division Heats Up with Re-Emergence of Teams

The tag team division on SmackDown has been an untapped source the blue brand since the Superstars Shake-up of 2017 brought Sheamus and Cesaro to the brand.

We have seen matches between The Bar, The Usos and The New Day, but The Good Brothers and Sanity spent months underutilized. Their presences on SmackDown Live were nonexistent.

That changed Tuesday night as Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows emerged from the background for a match with The Usos. Then, just as Jimmy and Jey were about to score the win, Sanity attacked, sending a message to those two teams and tag team champions Sheamus and Cesaro in the process.

The depth of talent and star power in the blue brand's tag team division is such that new matches and angles could carry it through an entire year if it chose. Thankfully, it appears management recognizes the talent at its disposal and is bringing it together for the fresh contests and stories that the Usos, New Day and Bar simply could not as repetitive competition.

Sanity should be fun to watch as the faction's role expands. Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain have been underrated gems on the SmackDown roster since their call-up and subsequent disappearance from meaningfulness.

Anderson and Gallows are as steady and consistent a team as there is but have not had the opportunities they deserve to make an impact. While the company still clearly prefers the aforementioned three teams that have battled nonstop for the last year, they could be the dark horses to break free from the monotony and win championship gold.

Asuka's 1st Night as Champion Overshadowed by Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair

Asuka captured the SmackDown Women's Championship to close out TLC Sunday, capitalizing on the interference from Ronda Rousey to defeat Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch.

However, what should have been The Empress of Tomorrow's shining moment in her first night at the forefront of the SmackDown women's division was overshadowed by The Irish Lass Kicker and The Queen.

Lynch continued to be her anti-everyone badass and Flair further embraced her evil-queen persona as they went back and forth, attributing their defeat Sunday night to Rousey's interference. The problem? They were right. They gave Asuka no credit for beating them, essentially chalking up the NXT export's win to a fluke.

Even a hard-fought victory over Naomi immediately after the opening segment could not help shake the feeling Asuka was an undeserving champion and WWE Creative's lack of presenting her as such only cemented that sentiment.

The question now is whether she can recover.

One would hope so because she spent 2018 wallowing in creative hell, unable to portray to fans the unstoppable force that had taken NXT by storm. Now she is champion, it would be nice to remind audiences that this is a special performer who will only build momentum for herself with every win.

Unfortunately, the incredible popularity of Lynch and Flair's consistent greatness (not to mention creative backing) may doom her title reign to disappointment.

The Miz Single-Handedly Carrying Underwhelming Storyline with Shane McMahon

If anyone questions the greatness of The Miz, they should look no further than his extraordinary performance in the ongoing storyline with Shane McMahon.

Like the kid who didn't get the Nintendo NES for Christmas but now wants to pal around with the cool kid who did, Miz has made it his mission to get closer and closer to the McMahon who replaced him and won the Best in the World trophy as part of the World Cup tournament at Crown Jewel.

Miz has been extraordinary, nagging at his boss while simultaneously dropping a few comedic one-liners that Vince McMahon himself sold perfectly Tuesday night. From there, the former WWE and intercontinental champion teamed up with Mandy Rose to defeat Carmella and R-Truth in a mixed tag team match.

He celebrated the win as if he had just won the Super Bowl, realizing he was one step closer to convincing the McMahons he was a worthwhile partner for Shane O'Mac.

The storyline to this point has been woefully underwhelming. It has not hit its marks and the result has been so-so segments. Miz, though, is as consistently entertaining as there is in WWE, and his performances to this point have helped elevated what otherwise would have been written off as an abject failure by now.