WWE SmackDown Live: 5 things we learned from this week's episode (January 1, 2019)

It's a new year, yes it is!

SmackDown Live started off with a bang as the first day of the new year came along with a really good episode for the blue brand of WWE.

One of the highlights of the night was the return of John Cena who took to the ring only to be interrupted by The Man of WWE, Becky Lynch. The duo competed in a Mixed Tag Team Match against Almas and Zelina Vega.

Naomi battled it out with Sonya DeVille after Mandy Rose pulled out of their scheduled match, which was won by DeVille after some distractions from Rose.

The main event of the night saw four veterans of SmackDown Live and a newcomer face each other for the number one contender's spot for the WWE Championship against Daniel Bryan at the Royal Rumble.

AJ Styles came out on top in the match which included Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Samoa Joe, and Mustafa Ali.

Overall, we learned at least 5 things from this week's episode which was filled with some highs and lows. What were they? Take a look and share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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#5 Shinsuke Nakamura may be the exception

We learned on Raw this week that there will be no automatic rematches for champions who lose their championships after Triple H confronted Seth Rollins.

This is something that will help change WWE for the better as new wrestlers will get a chance to come out and shine, which we saw on Raw, where Apollo Crews won a battle royal and got a shot at the Intercontinental Championship against Dean Ambrose.

However, Shinsuke Nakamura came out to attack Rusev a week after the latter beat the former for the United States Championship. Nakamura did so while Rusev was celebrating his victory with his wife Lana, in front of the WWE Universe.

With this, it can be assumed that Nakamura will compete against Rusev once again in an attempt to win back the championship he lost last week. If that is the case, it means that he will get his automatic rematch without the label being attached to it.

#4 The McMahons will make their presence felt for some time

Since Baron Corbin lost his job as the Acting General Manager of Raw on Tables, Ladders, and Chairs, The McMahons have made their presence felt.

The night after TLC, Vince, Shane, Stephanie, and Triple H announced that they will be taking back control of both their main brands SmackDown Live and Raw and ensure that the fans get what they want.

Since then, it seems like they have been trying extra hard to stay prominent and in the eyes of the fans and seem to be making needless segments to do so.

SmackDown Live this week again saw a segment between The Miz and Shane McMahon and then we saw Triple H trying to figure out the number one contender for Asuka's SmackDown Women's Championship.

We also saw Vince McMahon once again after his segment with AJ Styles last week. All these segments are being thrown in to make the fans believe that the control of both the brands are back in the control of the McMahon family and they are working towards giving fans what they want.

#3 Becky Lynch will remain SmackDown's brightest star

Who would have even imagined just six months back that Becky Lynch will become the highlight of the blue brand and one of the best promo cutters in the business?

Here we are walking into 2019 with Lynch stepping up to one of WWE's biggest stars in history, John Cena and cutting promos with him like she is the bigger star on the network.

There is no doubt that Lynch is one of the most talented women in the WWE today, but looking at how far she is going even without a title to her name makes her work even more impressive now.

With that said, it will be okay to see the SmackDown Women's Championship being held by someone else while Lynch continues to work her way up as a premier superstar rather than just a champion without a strong character.

#2 AJ Styles could be Lars Sullivan's first victim

AJ Styles' buttons were pushed by Vince McMahon last week to close out SmackDown Live, and the result wasn't pretty at all as Styles snapped out on Vince McMahon himself.

This week, Shane McMahon confronted the former WWE Champion and Styles refused to apologise for his actions.

Styles went on to win the Fatal-5 way match later in the night to become the number one contender for the WWE Championship currently held by Daniel Bryan.

Since Styles has made it into the bad books of the McMahons, and Vince wants the inner darker Styles to shoot out, it is possible that it will be provoked out by Vince by the use of Lars Sullivan.

Sullivan will make his main roster debut soon, and we could see him go after Styles on orders of the McMahons which could result in a good storyline going forward.

#1 Mustafa Ali will be the breakout star of the year

Are you ready for Mustafa Ali?

No one would have believed that a 205 Live superstar would be in contention for the WWE Championship at the beginning of the new year.

Mustafa Ali pinned the current WWE Champion Daniel Bryan just a few days back, and that has opened up new doors for the superstar who is very new to the main roster.

While superstars such as Rusev, Jeff Hardy, and Shinsuke Nakamura are contending in the mid-card and are in contention for the United States Championship on and off, it is incredible to see someone like Mustafa Ali being given the push and being thrown into the spotlight with stars like AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, and Samoa Joe.

If this is the path Ali will be on for the next couple of months, then expect him to be the breakout star of the year who could steal the blue brand from the clutches of the veterans and turn it into something more energetic.