With the Royal Rumble still six weeks away, this week’s Smackdown Live focused on building towards the final episode of 2016 which takes place next week as a special ‘Wild Card Finals’ show. Producing a stellar episode, the blue brand once again blew Raw out of the water in terms of quality.
This was arguably one of the best episodes since the brand split, with most segments being well-received by fans. AJ Styles decimated James Ellsworth to open the show, but Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin interrupted his celebration.
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The Miz defeated Apollo Crews to retain his Intercontinental Title, and dropped a bombshell on Renee Young about Dean Ambrose, post-match. Natalya finally confessed that she attacked Nikki Bella, berating the Fearless one in a vicious, splendid promo.
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Dean Ambrose was laid out by the Wyatts after defeating Luke Harper, and the Miz came out to add insult to injury. Becky Lynch beat Alexa Bliss in a non-title match, although she wasn’t in her normal attire.
Mojo Rawley beat Curt Hawkins in a largely forgettable contest.
Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin clashed in the main event, although a double countout and vicious assault from AJ Styles on both men led to a big announcement from Daniel Bryan to close the show.
These segments combined to create another wonderful episode of television from the blue brand, but which segments stole this week’s show?
Let’s find out, as I analyse and grade each segment from the 20th December edition of SD Live.
AJ Styles vs. James Ellsworth (WWE Championship):
Result: AJ Styles defeats James Ellsworth very quickly with a series of strikes to retain the title.
Grade: 8.5/10
This was everything it needed to be, as Ellsworth was swiftly decimated on his way out of the main event scene. Ellsworth shouldn’t have stood a chance against Styles, and he didn’t, losing in extremely quick fashion and then being decimated after the match.
Styles received huge cheers from the crowd for his assault and came away from this looking very strong after months of Ellsworth gaining the upper hand on him. Ellsworth should now move to a lower position on the card, as Styles moves on to bigger and better things after removing the Chinless Wonder from the world title scene.
Dolph Ziggler confronting Styles was necessary due to their encounter on next week’s show, and their showdown was great. Baron Corbin making his presence known was an excellent choice here from WWE management, as he should be clashing with SD Live’s top superstars sooner rather than later.
This was also a smart way to set up the main event for later on. Overall, a splendid opening segment that saw Styles look great by destroying Ellsworth, with Corbin and Ziggler’s confrontation planting the seeds for their clash later in the night.
Check out the match here:
Apollo Crews vs. The Miz (Intercontinental Championship):
Result: The Miz retains after a poke to the eye and a Skull-Crushing Finale on Crews.
Grade: 8/10
This was a solid title match that made Apollo Crews look like a star. This was arguably Crews’ most impressive performance so far on the blue brand, and if he continues to shine in matches like these, he may start to gain some serious momentum.
The near falls in this matchup were great, with the crowd on the edge of their seats for a number of Crews’ pins on the Miz. This was also another solid performance from Miz, who once again cheated his way to victory with a poke to the eye. This allowed Crews to be protected in loss while giving Miz another successful title defence.
The Miz’s bombshell on Renee Young was excellent as well, with Ambrose and Miz’s feud receiving a new personal layer as Young gets involved in the story. Miz came across as a complete jerk for pointing out Young’s relationship with Ambrose, and this new aspect of the Ambrose/Miz rivalry will be intriguing to see over the next few weeks.
Overall, a solid match from Crews and Miz which allowed the former to shine, while Miz remained his brilliant arrogant, jerk heel persona with a cheap win and a bombshell on Renee Young post-match.
Natalya, Nikki Bella and Carmella Argue:
Grade: 8.5/10
This was a splendid promo segment that saw Natalya finally admit to her attack on Nikki Bella at Survivor Series. While everyone knew it was her from the start, this was still an excellent way for her to confess, viciously berating Bella in a great promo.
Carmella was good here as well, playing the antagonist role extremely well as she questioned Natalya with controversial remarks. Natalya, however, was the star here. Berating Bella for all her accomplishments and calling her a bi*ch, Natalya mixed real life events with the storyline, expressing her jealousy of Bella receiving all the opportunities while Natalya, the ‘wrestling royalty’, sat on the sidelines.
Suddenly, a confusing storyline between the three women received a shot of momentum injected into it, as Natalya and Bella look set to be the main rivals of the story. While Bella isn’t the strongest sympathetic figure, a feud with a heel Natalya will be a great secondary women’s feud for SD Live.
Overall, a strong promo segment that saw Natalya and Carmella both impress on the mic, as a feud with Bella and Natalya seems likely with Carmella as the outsider antagonist.
Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper:
Result: Dean Ambrose rolls up Harper for the pinfall victory.
Grade: 7.5/10
While this was a decent match, we have seen Harper and Ambrose clash so many times that it lacks anticipation. Still, the two have good chemistry, and this was another showcase of that.
Ambrose picking up the fluke win was a good way of keeping him strong after a string of losses in recent weeks, but Harper losing could’ve been avoided with a screwy finish instead. The Wyatts dismantling Ambrose after the match was a nice touch, as they needed some momentum heading into next week’s title defence.
While their beatdown on Ambrose will have little significance, in the long run, it was a good way of keeping them strong heading into next week’s show. The Miz coming out to add insult to injury was great, as Ambrose and Miz look set to feud for the IC Title. That should be a great use of both men for the next month or two, as both were in need of a credible opponent after TLC.
The Miz also came across as the heel jerk again, hitting Ambrose with Skull-Crushing Finale while he was already beaten down. Overall, a decent match, with a beatdown of Ambrose after the bout that benefited the Wyatts while furthering the Miz/Ambrose rivalry.
La Luchadora vs. Alexa Bliss:
Result: La Luchadora wins with the Dis-Arm-Her when Bliss submits.
Grade: 8/10
This was a very well-done segment that used an alternate method of building the Becky Lynch/Alexa Bliss feud rather than the overused interference of matches. While it was obvious that Lynch was under the mask, it was still a great moment when she locked in the Dis-Arm-Her to make Bliss submit, with the crowd popping upon realising La Luchadora was Lynch in disguise.
While some may say it was poor to see Bliss lose so quickly (as it was a relatively short match), Bliss underestimated her opponent, thinking it was a local talent who had little chance of beating her. A women’s title rematch between the two is set for next week’s show, and this was a brilliant way of allowing Lynch to gain the upper hand over her rival in a unique fashion.
While the match itself was nothing special, this was a great way of giving Lynch a win over the champion, as they are set to clash on next week’s show in another title match. Overall, a fun segment that saw Lynch surprise Bliss with a win over her as La Luchadora.
Mojo Rawley vs. Curt Hawkins:
Result: Mojo Rawley pins Curt Hawkins for the victory.
Grade: 5/10
This was a weak filler match that served only to get celebrity guest, Ryan Phillippe of ‘Shooter’, on the show in some way. Both Rawley and Hawkins have no momentum, and now that Rawley is without his tag team partner in Ryder, who is injured, he will struggle to gain relevance.
Rawley picking up the win does little for him as well, and if this was a way of trying to entice fans to watch ‘Shooter’, it didn’t work. But, at least WWE tried to give these guys something to work with. Overall, a short, forgettable contest that saw Rawley pick up the victory alongside Ryan Phillippe.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin (No. 1 Contenders Match):
Result: Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin brawl outside for too long, leading to a double count out.
Grade: 8/10
This was a very good main event that saw a much-improved Corbin/Ziggler contest compared to their matches earlier this year. The high stakes helped the crowd invest in the action as well, and while there were some ‘CM Punk’ chants briefly, the Detroit crowd were hot for this match.
The near falls were great here as well, with AJ Styles who was on guest commentary even jumping out of his seat for some of the close pinfalls. One negative about this match, however, was David Otunga’s terrible commentary.
He doesn’t do his job right, consistently putting down heels (Miz, AJ) instead of getting them over like he is supposed to as a broadcaster. Nobody would complain if Tom Phillips replaced him next week, and to be perfectly honest, it is necessary.
The double countout finish was a nice way of introducing Corbin into the match next week, and while a Ziggler/Styles match would’ve arguably been better, it is great to see Corbin involved in such a high-profile position on the card.
Styles beating down both men after the match with a steel chair emphasised his vicious heel persona, which was needed since the Detroit crowd were so behind him. Overall, a strong main event that saw a triple threat match for the WWE Title set up for next week’s ‘Wild Card Finals’ show, which is shaping up very nicely.
Check out the main event here:
Overall Grade for SD Live December 20th: 8.5/10
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