WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from December 25
The final SmackDown Live of 2018 brought with it the continuation of the intensely personal rivalry between Jeff Hardy and Samoa Joe and a United States Championship defense by Shinsuke Nakamura.
Hardy and Joe met one-on-one while The Artist defended his title against No. 1 contender Rusev, who sought revenge after a sneak attack a few weeks ago left him lying.
Would Rusev celebrate the holiday season with a championship victory or would Nakamura continue to roll as U.S. champion? And would Hardy silence the diabolical Joe?
Find out with this recap of Tuesday's USA Network presentation.
The Usos, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson vs. Sanity and The Bar
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A week ago, Sanity's Eric Young, Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe returned and joined The Bar in an attack of The Usos, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. With Santa-clad Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods watching from the commentary position, the two teams waged war in an 8-Man Tag Team match.
The future of the tag team division was hinted at late as Anderson and Gallows caught Cesaro and delivered the Magic Killer to score the win.
Result
Anderson, Gallows and The Usos defeated Sanity and The Bar
Grade
B
Analysis
These multi-man tag team matches are almost always fun little sprints that highlight the teams involved.
This was no different.
Anderson and Gallows scoring the victory suggests they will be next in line to challenge The Bar for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. Given how poorly they have been utilized over the last year, it is refreshing to see The Good Brothers back in title contention.
Of course, their victory comes at Sanity's expense, one week after Young, Dain and Wolfe returned after a lengthy stint on the sidelines. At a time when the tag division was growing stagnant, built almost exclusively around three teams, one would think management would be eager to push a relatively unexplored team like them.
This outcome suggests otherwise.
Daniel Bryan Interrupts The Fabulous Truth
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R-Truth and Carmella, clad in Mr. and Mrs. Claus attire, greeted the WWE Universe with holiday cheer Tuesday night. There were dance breaks and the same Truth confusion fans have grown to love over the years before WWE champion Daniel Bryan interrupted the proceedings.
The buzzkill criticized consumerism and suggested that climate change will be the reason for melting at the North Pole.
Bryan referred to Truth's entire career as a joke and cut off another dance break with the LaBelle Lock, leaving the fun-loving Superstar down while Bryan posed with his title.
Grade
A
Analysis
Silly Christmas fun ruined by a new, improved, miserable heel Bryan was the perfect way for this promo segment to play out.
Considering this is a holiday-themed episode, there was real fear that Truth would somehow get the best of the Grinch of a champion but WWE Creative resisted the feel-good moment and, instead, continued to build the heel persona of Bryan.
Arguably one of the most entertaining and effective characters on WWE TV right now, Bryan carried the segment and did so in a way that strengthens her persona rather. The segments where that sort of thing is accomplished, rather than existing for the sake of existing, are the best.
Mustafa Ali vs. Andrade "Cien" Almas
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Mustafa Ali has managed to parlay one of the strongest years of any WWE Superstar into a permanent spot on the SmackDown roster, one of a few cruiserweights to do so since the return of the division in 2015.
A week ago, he scored his biggest win to date, pinning WWE champion Daniel Bryan in a tag team match that saw the bearded villain team with Andrade "Cien" Almas.
He has accomplished all of this, despite never winning the cruiserweight title during his time on 205 Live.
Tuesday night, he added another victory to his resume, defeating former NXT champion Almas in singles competition to continue his run.
Result
Ali defeated Almas
Grade
B+
Analysis
Ali continued to roll here, scoring a quality win over another of the best and most talented Superstars on the roster in Almas.
It should be interesting to see where management takes Ali. One would not assume his stint at or near the top of the card is one that will last given his size, or lack thereof, but he has all the tools to buck those preconceptions and thrive alongside the likes of Bryan and Styles.
His greatest attribute is his ability to get people to care.
He generates such sympathy through his in-match facial expressions and body language. He is a talented promo, as evidenced through the videos he posts on his personal social media. He can be the underdog the company has been looking for to replace Rey Mysterio since The Master of the 619's first departure four years ago.
As for Almas, his unexpected and inexplicable slide down the card and into irrelevance continued here.
The former NXT champion is as talented as anyone else on either brand. His matches with Johnny Gargano, Drew McIntyre and Aleister Black over the last year are proof of it. To be so horribly mismanaged and underutilized as he has been in recent months is an indictment of a SmackDown writing team that has done pretty much everything else right.
Almas and manager Zelina Vega have earned a more prominent role through their work. Hopefully, the New Year brings that for them.
Miz TV with Shane McMahon
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Since Crown Jewel, where The Miz suffered a knee injury that necessitated Shane McMahon taking his place in the World Cup tournament finals and defeating Dolph Ziggler to earn Best in the World recognition, The Hollywood A-Lister has done everything in his power to convince Shane-O-Mac to be his tag team partner.
A week ago, he tried to impress Vince McMahon enough to make the team a reality, teaming with Mandy Rose to defeat R-Truth and Carmella.
It was not enough.
Tuesday, Miz hosted a special edition of Miz TV with the object of his attention.
Shane continued to tout the new direction of WWE under the united McMahon family before reminding Miz that he did not do enough to win over the owner of the company.
The pair polled the crowd on whether they should team up or not. Ironically enough, Miz led the WWE Universe in a "YES!" chant to end the segment.
Grade
C
Analysis
Miz is so good that the idea of being saddled with Shane throughout the build to WrestleMania and what appears to be a match between them is...disheartening.
For whatever reason, McMahon is always booked stronger than everyone else and even in defeat, ultimately emerges the winner thanks to some breathtaking bump.
Miz is the type of performer with long-term effects. He can benefit the show every week, every match and every promo whereas McMahon is only good in small doses before he becomes overexposed. Booking him in a program with Miz, where he will shine at The Hollywood A-Lister's expense, is a poor decision and one that will only hurt the most consistent heel in WWE in the long run.
Jeff Hardy vs. Samoa Joe
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Samoa Joe continued his trend of playing mind games with WWE's most popular stars in 2018, targeting Jeff Hardy of late. He has drudged up The Charismatic Enigma's skeletons, reminded fans of his shortcomings and mocked his sobriety.
Tuesday, they met for the first time since Hardy defeated Joe to earn a spot on Team SmackDown at the Survivor Series.
Hardy again got the best of Joe, frustrating The Destroyer with a count-out victory when he made it back into the squared circle just before the referee reached the count of 10.
Enraged, Joe attacked Hardy and trapped him in the Coquina Clutch on top of the announce table until referees and producers broke it up.
Result
Hardy defeated Joe via count-out
Grade
B+
Analysis
Joe as the Superstar who will sink to any depth to play mind games with his opponent, only to fail when the fight hits the ring is an interesting take on a heel.
While it is nice for him to build heat in the manner he has over the last six months, it is all for naught if he does not eventually win. One would assume the Hardy feud—far from over after the events of Tuesday's show—will be the one in which he emerges victorious but there must be momentum that comes from it or it was all a waste.
This was a nice little taste of things to come. Hopefully, the Superstars build on it and Creative delivers a satisfactory conclusion.
United States Championship Match: Rusev vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
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Over the last year, Rusev has seen his Rusev Day gimmick explode in popularity. He has turned from heel to babyface, riding a wave of fandom the likes of which rivaled the most prominent stars in the company this past summer.
While he cooled significantly over the fall, he remained just popular enough to earn a United States Championship program with Shinsuke Nakamura.
At Crown Jewel, Nakamura successfully retained his title. Tuesday night, he defended against The Bulgarian Brute.
He would not be so lucky this time.
Rusev blasted The Artist with a Machka Kick and picked up the win and title. As the final episode of SmackDown in 2018 came to an end, the new champion celebrated with his wife Lana and Christmas night proved to be Rusev Day.
Result
Rusev defeated Nakamura to win the United States Championship
Grade
A
Analysis
Fans have waited for WWE Creative to pay off the unexpected overness of the Rusev Day gimmick with a push of sorts for its creator. Tuesday night, Rusev won another United States Championship to add to his resume.
While that win should be enough to satiate fans, it feels very much like a treadmill.
Rusev has never really been allowed to excel past the United States title. When fans bemoan his booking, WWE Creative gives him the title to silence the critics and give the impression that they are serious about pushing him.
Then, said push stalls out.
The only way this works in the long run is if WWE is serious about pushing Rusev. If not, this was a nice, grade-A moment in time and nothing more.
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