WWE SmackDown: 5 things we learned from this week’s episode (December 4, 2018)

This week's episode of SmackDown was a treat to watch as there were some great matches and promos that highlighted Tuesday Night.

For the past few weeks, SmackDown has been the go-to show after the flagship show has disappointed fans week after week, and the star power of the blue brand is helping WWE stay in the game and build on the characters.

We witnessed a good contract signing segment to kick off the show as Asuka, Charlotte and Becky shared the same ring. The tag team match that followed showed a lot of potential between the four women.

As the night progressed, we witnessed some really good single’s matches but none was better than the main event between The Miz and AJ Styles which was nothing short of an A-grade match. Bryan continued his heel tactics after the match, leaving Styles screaming in pain to close out the night.

After watching the matches and how things unfolded carefully, we picked out 5 interesting things that we learned from the show last night. Let’s take a look at each one and analyze the same.

---

#5 Sonya Deville is in line for a push

Quite a few feuds have been teased for Sonya Deville, with the most recent one being between her and her teammate Mandy Rose. Yet, the feuds haven’t been fruitful for her and her recent one never played out as the creatives seem to have backed out of the opportunity.

Sonya Deville has improved a lot as compared to her initial days with Absolution. With very few top-level female wrestlers on SmackDown, there is a huge gap between Becky Lynch, Asuka, Charlotte, and Naomi and The IIconics, Carmella, Lana, and the others.

Deville can bridge that gap now as it seems like she is in line for a push. The first indication was her direct inclusion in Team SmackDown for Survivor Series over a lot of other options. Last night gave the second indication as she was given the honor of pinning Charlotte on SmackDown last night.

There is no doubt that the superstar deserves a push after improving a lot and giving some really good performances this year, and it seems like the push is coming soon for her.

#4 Cesaro is by far the best and strongest pound for pound wrestler

Did you watch the Cesaro vs. Xavier Woods vs. Jey Uso match? Then I’m sure your favorite moment was the same as ours!

Cesaro is known for his extreme strength and his move the Cesaro Swing. However, his modified version of the move last night was jaw-dropping.

Not only did The Swiss Superman hit the giant swing on Jey, but he also had Woods up on his shoulders while doing so in an attempt to apply the airplane swing on him. Now we have seen him apply the swing to The Great Khali and even Big Show, but this was a little something extra.

Xavier Woods weighs 205lbs while Jey Uso weighs 228lbs and Cesaro managed to pull off this incredible move to both the men while weighing only 232lbs himself! This is proof enough that Cesaro is definitely the strongest pound for pound wrestler on the main roster today.

#3 Samoa Joe cuts the best promos

Samoa Joe used to be one of the must-see wrestlers on NXT and on other promotions before that. His move to the main roster has been dented with injuries which have led him to collect more losses than wins.

He has lost almost 70% of his matches in WWE which is far worse than his overall record and is no way an indication of his wrestling qualities.

Out of the ring, Joe has developed into one of the best promo-cutters on the main roster which is quite surprising. Usually larger men or those who are hailed as monsters are not very good with the mic. Examples include Braun Strowman, Harper and Rowan, Big Show, and Brock Lesnar to name a few.

However, Joe is definitely an improve promo cutter who has shone in his feud against AJ Styles even though he was outperformed in the ring and displayed the same against Jeff Hardy last night.

#2 Randy Orton vs Jeff Hardy is SmackDown’s go-to match

September 16, 2018, saw a match between two WWE veterans that can be termed one of the best matches of the year. Orton and Hardy looked to end their rivalry at Hell in a Cell and the match was better than expected.

However, almost three months later, the two have been booked in matches almost every alternate week which makes little to no sense at all. The two superstars are probably the biggest names on SmackDown Live and deserve to have top-level feuds nonstop.

WWE is keeping them busy by making them fight each other even when other feuds are open to them. Randy Orton should be engaging with Rey Mysterio at this point while Hardy should be challenging the man who interrupted his celebration last week.

The battle between Orton and Hardy seems like WWE’s go-to match in the mid-card which is getting old and boring even though they are currently the most experienced competitors on the roster. It’s high time WWE gives their rivalry a break.

#1 It’s impossible to distinguish between a heel and a face

Remember a time when there was a clear divide between the heels and the faces in WWE? Well, it seems like the creatives have decided to throw that out of the window now.

RAW has seen Braun Strowman turn face, then heel, then face again within a month. Dana Brooke too is a face one week and a heel the next without any reason or story.

SmackDown displayed something similar this week as the faces and heels divide wasn’t working too well. Mandy Rose teased turning on her partner but was with her again in a heel role against Charlotte and Asuka.

Charlotte seemed like a face against The IIconics a couple of episodes ago but emerged as a heel in last night’s match. It seems like she is a face for the heels and a heel for the faces.

The biggest surprise was The Miz operating as a heel and even helping his old nemesis Daniel Bryan against AJ Styles. Wasn’t The Miz teasing a slow face turn just a couple of weeks back?

All the mix-ups are proving that the creatives are confused themselves in which direction to take certain superstars, and only time will help us figure out who is with who and which character they are playing.