WWE SmackDown Live: 5 things we learned from this week's episode (January 15, 2019)

SmackDown seems to have found the right recipe to deliver good shows, as they have been hitting it out of the park week after week and keeping fans interested.

While Raw is struggling to increase its ratings, SmackDown is working towards a better route naturally and giving many new and old superstars room to perform and get recognized.

Once again we had the pleasure of watching both Asuka and Becky Lynch compete in separate matches on the same night, while AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan’s rivalry was taken a step further.

One of the weak points of the show was the Mandy Rose storyline, which seems to be going down the same line as Rusev, Aiden English, and Lana’s, but overall the show was solid.

Rey Mysterio and Andrade delivered an A-grade match which was definitely the strongest point of the show, while The Miz tried to carry his new angle with Shane McMahon forward.

Overall a great episode on the road to Royal Rumble, there were a few interesting things we learned from this episode.

Check out the 5 things we learned from this week’s episode of SmackDown Live, and share your favourite moments in the comments below.

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#5 The IIconics are coming back to life

The IIconics had become a permanent feature of SmackDown Live in mid-2018, but slowly lost importance after the Evolution pay-per-view and were out of action largely through the end of the year.

On Monday night, the Women’s Tag Team titles were unveiled, which created a lot of excitement, and a Tag Team Elimination Chamber match for the inaugural WWE Women's Tag Team Championship was announced for the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.

This means there will be no tournament and only one single match which will determine the new champions.

The IIconics' immediate return means that they will be one of the main tag teams from SmackDown who will compete for the titles, as they are one of the only pure female tag teams in WWE today.

Not only will their inclusion help WWE make the competition more exciting, but it will also offer a new edge to the race to the championship which will spice things up.

#4 There will be a stipulation added to the AJ Styles vs Daniel Bryan match

AJ Styles was fired up by Vince McMahon, and now we have started seeing a bit of a different side to him. Even though he did use some dirty tactics, even as a face, WWE is trying to use the same tactics but make it seem as though it has been caused by his confrontation with Vince.

Regardless of whatever the reasons are, Styles and Daniel Bryan have been seen brawling on and off, and their current brawl on SmackDown last night seems to signal towards change in the stipulation for their match at the Royal Rumble.

While a Falls Count Anywhere match seems the most likely stipulation for their match, it could even turn into an Iron Man Match, which would be extremely fun to watch.

While Daniel Bryan is playing a pure heel character, Styles’ character is a bit mixed now and not of a pure face’s, which could mean that their clash at the Royal Rumble will be extremely physical and give us one of the best matches of the year already.

#3 Andrade can become the Seth Rollins of SmackDown Live

Andrade has won over a lot of fans over a very short period of time. Even though he gets far fewer matches than other superstars on SmackDown, he outshines his competition whenever he gets a chance to perform at a televised event.

Andrade is not only powerful, but he is also a high-flyer who has almost all the weapons in his arsenal. To top that off, he has pulled off a few A-grade matches which have surely highlighted his talent and work in WWE.

His match last night with Rey Mysterio was nothing less than a masterpiece which saw both men perform to their fullest potential and put on a match worthy of headlining a pay-per-view. While Mysterio is extremely experienced, he hasn’t let age slow him down while Andrade keeps getting better week after week.

As Seth Rollins is one of the most versatile, skilled, and hard working wrestlers on Raw at the moment, Andrade has the potential to become the same for the SmackDown brand, even with the presence of men like The Miz, Daniel Bryan, and AJ Styles.

#2 Becky Lynch should win the Women’s Championship again

Becky Lynch has completely transformed in the past six months and has become one of the top stars of the company.

The amount of respect and recognition she has earned in such a short time is extremely impressive, and we have not seen any woman completely change this much and get the backing of the crowd.

While the SmackDown Women’s Champion made herself what she is today, winning the championship for the second time made the championship what it is today.

While she does not need a championship anymore to stay in the spotlight and be the face of the women’s roster, she could surely increase the value of the title even more if she holds it for some time longer.

With the popularity she has gotten through social media and internet, even non-wrestling fans have found it hard not to notice Lynch and with the women’s title around her waist again, we could see more people get interested in the product WWE is selling.

#1 Mustafa Ali can become what Jinder Mahal couldn’t

Jinder Mahal has been with the company on and off for the past nine years. However, his most successful run has come after his recent return to the company.

At Backlash 2017 he won the WWE Championship to the surprise of the entire WWE Universe as he beat Randy Orton for the title and held the championship for almost six months.

This was largely done to attract more eyes of the company from international viewers, with the Indian subcontinent being the target market at the time.

However, Mahal’s heel character and constant need of distractions and interferences to retain the championship irked almost all the fans and resulted in him becoming an unpopular character.

Later, WWE even put the United States Championship around his waist, which, again, didn’t go very far.

If the company is still trying to attract viewers from the subcontinent, then Mustafa Ali seems like the best man to do the job. Playing a babyface character on the blue brand, Ali has already become the Heart of SmackDown Live in about two months.

As he is getting more cheer from the crowd in the United States and in the subcontinent, it seems like Ali’s push is to make him what Jinder Mahal couldn’t be.

As he is seen as an underdog, winning every match results in praise for the superstar and he could well win the WWE Championship one day to become a diverse champion for the company.