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Last night, SmackDown hit fans with its final episode for 2019. The show tried to end the year on a high, keeping an eye on the fast-approaching Royal Rumble. To push their way into the pay-per-view, the Blue brand teased some good rivalries which could make the event more interesting for the fans.
The Triple Threat Match to determine the #1 contender for the Universal Championship was the highlight of the night, while the show worked hard to build up the next challenger for the SmackDown Women’s Championship too.
Apart from that, fans enjoyed the return of A Moment of Bliss from none other than Alexa Bliss, and there was a big six-man tag team match which lit up the night with some fun.
In this article, we will look at the 4 things SmackDown got right on its final episode for 2019.
#4 Carmella’s push
Since her pairing with R-Truth ended, we have seen much less of Carmella in the ring and backstage. That came to an end last week when she took on Sonya Deville and managed to make the former MMA fighter tap out to bag a victory.
This week, Carmella got a match against the second member of Fire & Desire, Mandy Rose. Rose, who’s getting into an interesting storyline with Otis backstage, seemed to be more focused on what was building up during the promos than the match itself.
This allowed Carmella to capitalize once again, and she dropped her opponent for the night with a Superkick to pick up another big win to get going on SmackDown once again.
The former Blue brand Women’s Champion partnered R-Truth for almost a year, and even though the two worked well together, Carmella got very little time in the ring.
Now that the show will need to build some faces to take on Bayley in the future for the SmackDown Women’s Championship, it’ll be interesting to see how the company goes ahead with her push in 2020.
#3 Strowman & Cesaro’s build-up
Last week, Braun Strowman helped The New Day fend off an aftermatch attack from Shinsuke Nakamura, Cesaro, and Sami Zayn.
This week, the six men battled in a huge tag team match which also allowed Zayn to return to the ring.
While the action was great from both sides, it was Cesaro who once again stood out as the superior in-ring performer. That’s a big statement considering we had Big E, Nakamura, and Kofi battling in the same match too.
The end of the match saw Strowman explode into the ring and take out the heels while Big E took out Cesaro at ringside. This allowed Kingston to blast Nakamura with the pancakes platter, while The Monster Among Men power slammed the Intercontinental Champion to pick up the victory.
This was the perfect match which allowed the company to further Strowman’s quest to become the Intercontinental Champion. It also allowed Cesaro to effortlessly display why fans have been looking forward to his rise and demanding a huge push for the Swiss Superman.
With Royal Rumble not too far away, Strowman could be on his way to a big Championship match at the event to pick up his first singles title. Cesaro, on the other hand, needs to be pushed even more so that he can become a top star in 2020.
#2 King Corbin’s heelish tactics
Triple H, Randy Orton, The Miz, and Tomasso Ciampa have all been excellent heels over the past few years for the company. However, their impact has been pushed further thanks to their success in the ring and the number of Championships they’ve won in their career.
Baron Corbin emerged on to the scene as the Lone Wolf who lets his fists do most of the talking. Even though he was a successful character, he wasn’t seen as someone who could carry the weight of an entire division.
However, over the past year or so, Corbin has transformed into one of the best men on the mic and in the ring and has become an outstanding heel. That he’s done all this without many titles to his name (which has made the job tougher), makes it even more remarkable.
This week once again, he was engaged in a storyline with three of the most successful men in the business. He managed to make an impact on all three men equally well and held the opening segment of SmackDown, the match between Daniel Bryan and The Miz, and the eventual Triple Threat Match together.
By employing his gimmick as The King to great effect, Corbin was able to breathe life into an episode of SmackDown which did not showcase too many Superstars.
It sure looks like he can go a long way and could potentially carry the entire division on his shoulders if given the opportunity.
#1 Allowed Daniel Bryan another shot
Daniel Bryan and The Miz first battled one-on-one as King Corbin was unable to compete due to an attack by Roman Reigns. However, Corbin’s security interrupted the match and beat down both men to lead the match into a double disqualification.
The Triple Threat Match between Bryan, Miz, and Corbin took place in the main event, and all three men got their spots to shine. Dolph Ziggler’s interference in the match led to The Big Dog coming out once again and denying King Corbin the victory. The two men fought into the crowd and out of the arena.
This allowed Bryan and Miz to once again display their superior in-ring skills, and The Planet’s Champion was able to make The A-lister tap out to the LeBell Lock.
While it was interesting that the creative picked Bryan to compete with The Fiend once again so quickly, the aftermatch segment of the Firefly Fun House confirmed that it will be an epic clash.
Since Bryan is currently the most over babyface on SmackDown, it makes sense that the company is throwing him in against The Fiend once again while Reigns battles in other feuds.
The night-ending message from Wyatt to “Let Me In” is enough to hint towards the direction the company is planning to take this rivalry.
