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The impetus for "change" that we saw on Raw came to SmackDown last night. Some things were definitely a step in the right direction. Others will take some time. What's peculiar is that SmackDown wasn't the brand that needed a ton of help - a few positive adjustments work just fine.
We saw some of that last night, but not everything connected. Who got the most and least out of last night's show?
Loser: SmackDown
It goes without saying - the decision to remove Paige from the General Manager role was a misguided and unnecessary one. Paige excelled in her role as general manager and was one of the positive things about the company. Paige was there when she was needed and out of the way when she wasn't. She didn't hog the spotlight from the actual talent in the company.
And why was Paige removed? So we could witness yet more McMahon family antics?
Shane alone was a detriment on that front.
This was definitively not the change that SmackDown needed, or the company in general. It's understandable what they're trying to do, but McMahon family segments aren't going to fix the quality in the programming, especially on the blue brand where they were mercifully few this year.
Paige was just the right kind of person to keep up the quality on the blue brand. The decision to remove her is puzzling and hasn't gone over well with fans.
Supposedly she's still going to be around, but whatever role she plays next probably won't be as beneficial for the show as the general manager role she was in throughout the year since WrestleMania.
Make no mistake, SmackDown is going to feel the negative reverberations of this in the times ahead.
Winner: Asuka
Asuka came out to great fanfare. She also seemingly got Vince McMahon's approval, since the commentary team tried hard to put her over and McMahon himself did his best to do so as well. Though it wasn't executed perfectly, the segment was fairly clear in its direction - Charlotte and Becky should go after Ronda Rousey, Vince said, more or less leaving Asuka to dominate the blue brand in the months ahead.
To boost Asuka further, she had a successful title defense last night against old pal Naomi. Though the match wasn't very good, it was nevertheless good for Asuka that she has now successfully defended her championship, avoiding Sasha Banks Syndrome in the process.
WWE looks like it's trying to capitalize on Asuka's popularity and erase some doubts about her winning thanks to Rousey's interference, even if this wasn't executed in the best way.
After the year Asuka has had from April to November, the company at least appears like it's trying to make amends.
Loser: The Miz
The Miz still finds himself embroiled in this silly Shane McMahon angle. It's questionable why his pairing with Asuka was broken up, because he would have served as a good mouthpiece for her in any difficult promo situation. It would be much better than this angle, at any rate.
Miz teamed up with Mandy Rose later in the night. The two defeated R-Truth and Carmella with Miz getting the pinfall over the former. The match was fine enough, even if it felt meaningless in the end.
Next week, Shane McMahon will be on Miz TV. That isn't something that's particularly worth looking forward to. Miz is just in a weird spot on Tuesday nights right now, to say the least. A match with Shane McMahon at WrestleMania is on the horizon, but that probably isn't the best use of Miz's talents, even if the contest would be a singles one.
Winner: The tag team division
Credit to WWE for trying to get new people more exposure. Case in point - the tag team division was one that basically consisted of The Bar, The Usos, and The New Day, as we were so eloquently told by Gallows and Anderson.
This led to a fine match between The Usos and Gallows and Anderson. In a smart move, it ended in a disqualification when SAnitY came out and attacked both teams, all the while The Bar looked on and joined in on the fun later.
While The Usos should logically be the #1 contenders after TLC, the company is making them work for it, and getting new people into the spotlight in the process. This was something that was lacking before. WWE was content to ride on formulas and tropes. The company even making a bit of effort to break that trend should be commended.
Winner: Rusev
Speaking of breaking trends, it looks like WWE is trying its best to showcase the strengths of an underrated performer in Rusev. The guy has a great personality and that's what the spotlight was on last night, even in Shinsuke Nakamura's promo trying to belittle the Bulgarian Brute afterward.
The two will finally clash for the United States Championship next week. Hopefully Rusev wins. Nakamura has done nothing with the title since winning it all the way back in July. Rusev not only deserves to be rewarded for his organic popularity, but a victory for him would also open up the mid card in a way that hasn't been seen in a while, especially with some of the performers that got a highlight in the main event on the night.
Let's hope this commitment to change makes itself felt in that regard. If there's anyone that can benefit from WWE moving away from trope, it's Rusev.
Winner: Mustafa Ali
This was a great way to close the show. After announcing that Mustafa Ali was officially a part of the SmackDown roster, him and AJ Styles teamed up against Daniel Bryan and another performer that has been underappreciated, Andrade "Cien" Almas.
It wasn't surprising that those four guys put on a great match. There's no way they wouldn't.
What was surprising was the way it ended. Mustafa Ali hit his spectacular 054 on Bryan and got the pin.
It was a great move. It puts Ali on the map immediately and protects Almas as well. Daniel Bryan can more than afford to take the loss.
One of WWE's biggest impediments over the year has been only booking a few guys to get decisive wins and rubs, while no one else gets anything meaningful. Look at how Almas was used on SmackDown this year - he always had good matches, but never won a big one over a top name.
If this is changing, that is a huge good sign for the company.
Ali certainly deserves it. He has been one of 2018's top performers and it's nice to see him get some shine.
