5 things WWE SmackDown got right before Christmas: Paul Heyman speaks; Sami Zayn wins big

WWE SmackDown aired a pre-taped festive episode this week. Fans watched as some of the biggest superstars took to the ring for entertaining matches.

Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar were both missing from the show this week. However, Paul Heyman played his part once again to build on their rivalry before the Day 1 pay-per-view.

Charlotte Flair defended her SmackDown Women's Championship against Toni Storm. Going into the match, the former NXT UK Women's Champion had the advantage after she pinned Flair in a tag team match last week.

Drew McIntyre teamed up with New Day to take on Madcap Moss and SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos. A Gauntlet Match was also set to decide who will face Shinsuke Nakamura for the Intercontinental Championship next.

The episode wasn't filled with too many big spots or surprises. But It delivered nonetheless. Take a look at the five things WWE got right on SmackDown before Christmas.

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#5. Paul Heyman pondered whether his career was over on WWE SmackDown

WWE fans witnessed one of the biggest betrayals of the year on last week's SmackDown. Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman came out to discuss loyalties. Once the latter revealed that he was protecting The Tribal Chief from Brock Lesnar, all hell broke loose.

This week on SmackDown, a video package recapping last week kicked off the show. From there, the camera cut to a segment where Heyman sat across Kayla Braxton for an interview.

Heyman looked tired but was ready to provide some details to the WWE Universe. He was asked whether he regretted telling Reigns the truth on SmackDown last week. The wise man denied, claiming that he wanted to tell the difficult truths whenever required.

He said he wasn't going to NXT 2.0 and pick new superstars to manage. Heyman said that he put in the best work of his career to become the special counsel for The Head of the Table. He ended the segment by saying that his career was most likely coming to an end after the betrayal.

SmackDown did well to continue the story without taking to the ring this week. Paul Heyman was phenomenal as always and spoke his heart out. With Day 1 coming up, one can't help but wonder what Heyman's role will be during the Universal Championship match. Will he return to help Reigns and win back his trust?

#4. Toni Storm was heartbroken on WWE SmackDown

Toni Storm challenged Charlotte Flair for the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship on this week's show. The Queen went on the offense early and showcased her strength against Storm.

She kept insulting her, which led to a comeback from Storm. The former NXT UK Women's Champion went on a roll and nearly picked up the win with some good moves.

Flair tried to cheat her way to a win, but the referee caught her using the ropes for a pin attempt. In the end, The Queen reversed a small package to pick up the three-count.

It wasn't the best championship match on SmackDown. However, the setback could allow Storm to build a better story and get back in contention for the title soon. She still needs more building to win the title on the main roster.

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#3. 'Drew Day' defeated The Usos and Madcap Moss on WWE SmackDown

A Miracle on 34th Street Fight took place on WWE SmackDown. Drew McIntyre teamed up with King Woods and Kofi Kingston to take on The Usos and Madcap Moss, accompanied by Happy Corbin.

Corbin kept interfering in the contest and threw some punches at McIntyre. The heels controlled the contest for some time before the babyfaces made a remarkable comeback. Kingston delivered some high-flying moves to take down The Usos.

McIntyre unloaded on Moss and nearly hit Claymore before Corbin interfered. All three babyfaces took Corbin down and splashed the heels with eggnog. The match ended with a big Claymore to Moss.

The contest was fun even though it wasn't too great. All six superstars did well to deliver an entertaining contest. New Day will likely take home the SmackDown tag team titles at Day 1, while WWE will give McIntyre a win over Moss.

#2. Ricochet showcased his skills once again on WWE SmackDown

Angel and Mansoor kicked off the Gauntlet Match on WWE SmackDown this week. Twelve men competed for a shot at the Intercontinental Championship.

Angel overcame Mansoor and Erik early before being taken out by Shanky. Ivar took Shanky out early, too, showing that he isn’t ready for great things in the company,

Sheamus went on a roll and eliminated Ivar, Drew Gulak, and Cesaro. While he was impressive during the contest, Ricochet left the biggest mark. He and Sheamus had arguably the best spots during the match. Afterward, Ricochet also took out Humberto and Jinder Mahal.

He was excellent throughout the match and showed why he deserves a good reign with another title. Sheamus is a former world champion, and a good performance was expected of him. However, Ricochet delivered his best even though he has moved to the lower card of SmackDown.

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#1. Sami Zayn won the Gauntlet Match on WWE SmackDown

Instead of sending Sami Zayn early, WWE SmackDown saved The Conspiracy Theorist for last. It was an interesting decision, considering how Zayn has continued to stay alive in crucial matches and come back in the final moments.

Zayn and Ricochet had a good exchange that saw both men deliver great moves. The latter was all over Zayn for some time, but the former Intercontinental Champion fought out.

He finished his opponent with the Helluva Kick to earn an Intercontinental Title Match against Shinsuke Nakamura. It was the right call to give Zayn a title match after the great work with Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar.

He is a true team player and has delivered great performances even during mixed bookings. The creative team could give him a win at WWE Day 1 to earn a huge pop from the crowd.