WWE Smackdown Results: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

WWE SmackDown was a good show tonight. It was nothing special or "must see," but the Blue Brand was entertaining yet again. If I had to grade the episode, I would go in the B+ range.

The Good

The opening segment was excellent. WWE built up Booker T's return to PPV and made sure to remind people that was is a great wrestler. It will be second one on one match on WWE TV this year, and I am really looking forward to it.

What really struck out to me was how well Booker hyped up the match. He kept saying "this Sunday" and how he was going to get some revenge "at TLC." It is such a simple, yet effective sales pitch. He reminded people when the match was taking place and also promised fans you'd see the heel get his!

I also enjoyed Cody Rhodes vs. Daniel Bryan. This is exactly how I want Bryan to be used for the next month or so. Be on TV, yet away from the main event. He will get his WrestleMania moment. No need to be involved in the World title yet!

This was also one of the best performances from Booker T on commentary. He talked about how prestigious the Intercontinental title was, while also paying attention to Rhodes inside the ring. Great twenty minutes to begin SmackDown!

Next up was the divas! What more can I say about Alicia Fox? She is a wonderful talent, and she showed off her promo skills tonight. She defeated Natalya in short order and looked amazing.

We were then treated to a short backstage segment with Jack Swagger, Vickie, and Mark Henry. Basically, Henry wanted Swagger to soften up Big Show later on in the night. Again, it was a a very little touch, but it went a long way. A heel doing a heelish thing? Imagine that!

I have been critical of Primo and Epico in the past, but tonight I finally became interested in their act. Why? Rosa was their valet. This was great to see, and I now have a reason to care about the new tag team. They picked up a win over the Uso brothers, and it was a fun segment. Two thumbs up!

The Big Show defeating Jack Swagger was also a fun match. The outcome was never in doubt, but that didn't stop the crowd from being fully invested into the battle.

Mark Henry watched the match from ringside, before demolishing Jack Swagger and a helpless camera man. Wow, a heel doing a heelish act again? Yep, this is certainly SmackDown. This ending did two things.

First, it put over Mark Henry even more. Second, it was a tease to Jack Swagger turning face in the near future. The backstage segment hinted at a move as well, but this one was a little more strong.

Good segment to build toward the Chairs match on Sunday night for the World title. Big Show looked powerful tonight, but Mark Henry is NEVER, ever losing the World title!

Finally, I liked the main event of the evening. Randy Orton and Zack Ryder teamed up, and it was a strange pairing, but it worked. They had a funny segment earlier in the night, so you knew these two had each other's back.

Wade Barrett and Dolph Ziggler also made for a great tag team, but this was not their night to win. This night belonged to Mr. RKO and Ryder, as they picked up the win. Nice close to the show. WWE TLC should be an awesome show.

For those wondering, I already have my tickets to WWE Elimination Chamber in February. As noted on SmackDown, tickets are now on sale, and Wisconsin is going to be rocking! Any ideas for a sign/poster are more than welcome.

The Bad

I still need a reason to care about Ted DiBiase. It was the same with Epico and Primo. Now that Rosa is with them, I care. Teddy has yet to make me invest into his character. His "Posse" is nice, but it isn't doing it for me.

He picked up a win over Heath Slater, and I just did not care one bit. He is a great talent that I have yet to connect with. Give me a reason to care WWE!

The Ugly

Sheamus is a huge star on the rise in this business. He is an amazing talent, and the sky is the limit for him. Jinder Mahal is nowhere near that status. He is not even in the middle of the card.

With that being said, why did their match go so long? Sheamus should have won in two minutes or less. Jinder got way too much offense in here! I did not enjoy this going almost five minutes, and it really had no business being anything more than a squash.

As you can see, I really liked this episode of SmackDown. It featured some nice programming before TLC, and the matches were entertaining! Your thoughts on the show? Feel free to leave them below...

REMINDER: I am now on Twitter @JustinWatry! I give every new follower a special shout out, so do not be shy...thanks.