WWE SmackDown Results: Becky Lynch's Moment and Biggest Takeaways from Jan. 1

The January 1 episode of SmackDown Live brought with it not only a massive No. 1 Contender's match pitting AJ Styles, Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton, Samoa Joe and Mustafa Ali against each other, it also delivered a star-making performance for Becky Lynch.

The Man came face-to-face with John Cena and elevated her star, while the real Styles cashed his ticket to Royal Rumble.

Those two moments were at the heart of this week's biggest takeaways, but they were not the only ones.

Find out what else sparked the interest of the WWE Universe following Tuesday's USA Network broadcast.

Becky Lynch Begins New Year with Defining Moment

If you did not know that Becky Lynch is the hottest thing in pro wrestling right now, you would have after Tuesday's show.

The Man answered John Cena's open challenge, threatened to become the second woman to drop Cena this year and stood side-by-side with the biggest star in the industry for a mixed tag team match against Zelina Vega and Andrade "Cien" Almas.

Best of all?

Just when it looked like we were going to be gifted with another Cena victory, Lynch dumped her tag team partner to the floor and tapped Vega out with the Disarm-her.

That she was given the Cena promo spot and the tag team match, in addition to the way the fans ate it up, was proof positive that Lynch is not only the hottest star in the industry but that management knows it. Cena knows it.

As the company embarks on a new year, looking to replace the star power lost after Roman Reigns' leukemia diagnosis and the poor booking of Braun Strowman, Lynch is the answer to an organic, fresh mega babyface to carry the company.

In Rusev Feud, Shinsuke Nakamura's Heel Character Finds New Life

Shinsuke Nakamura spent 2018 roaming aimlessly around the SmackDown brand, winning some matches and losing high profile ones to AJ Styles. After his heel turn in April, it felt like the writing team never really explored developing him into a heel outside of a few shots below the belt.

Tuesday night, fans got a taste of what Nakamura can be.

He interrupted Rusev's United States Championship celebration promo, attacking him and inadvertently injuring Lana in the process. The best part of the entire angle? Nakamura's complete disinterest in assisting Lana or even making sure she was OK. Instead, he walked over her and continued his attack on Rusev.

It seems subtle, almost insignificant, but those types of actions are what makes the best heels. Utter disregard for a woman he was directly responsible for injuring, all so he could continue his own personal vendetta, is the Nakamura we needed to see fresh off his heel turn at WrestleMania last year.

Hopefully, he can build some momentum for himself, fulfill his potential as a villain and achieve the type of success on the main roster that has eluded him to this point.

Mandy Rose's Tormenting of Naomi Gives Women's Division Much-Needed Depth

One of the biggest issues on the Raw brand is the wealth of female talent that exists but the presence of only one real storyline, that being the women's title program.

Though SmackDown has less name talent populating its roster, it has begun to deliver midcard programs featuring its women, as we witnessed Tuesday night in the form of Naomi vs. Mandy Rose.

The Total Divas alumni began their rivalry on Twitter, and Rose escalated it shortly thereafter, introducing Jimmy Uso into the equation.

Tuesday night, she took it a step further, sporting an Usos t-shirt and claiming to have sent Naomi's man a photo of her wearing just a towel. The distraction allowed Sonya Deville to score a big win over the former SmackDown women's champion.

The feud may reek of soap opera storytelling, but it gives everyone involved something to do rather than wrestling tag team matches, trading wins back and forth and never really advancing at all.

As is the case on Mondays, with teams like Sasha Banks and Bayley and The Riott Squad.

Most importantly, it gives Rose a vehicle to get her character over and become the star that management clearly hopes she can be.

The Real AJ Styles Earns Title Shot...and Attention of Randy Orton

Anyone paying attention for the last six months knows one does not simply beat Randy Orton without incurring the wrath of The Viper.

Tuesday night on SmackDown, the third-generation star was en route to a victory and a Royal Rumble date with Daniel Bryan when AJ Styles delivered a big 450 Splash and robbed him of his championship aspirations at the last second.

That action will not go unpunished. In fact, do not be surprised if Styles finds himself on the receiving end of an RKO at the January pay-per-view as Orton costs him a shot at regaining the WWE Championship and ignites a program between the two heading into WrestleMania.

Given the multitudes of repetitive matches, a Styles-Orton program is fresh and gives SmackDown a rivalry between two elite Superstars without having to devote the WWE Championship to it. Depth is important, and the blue brand has so much of it that such a scenario can exist.