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Last night's SmackDown was an enjoyable way to kick off the new year. Barring one segment, nothing was truly outstanding, but nothing was bad (barring the unnecessary New Day opening promo), either. All of the major storylines were moved forward and most people on the show looked good. Among other things, we learned that Rusev's rivalry with Nakamura would continue.
The show centred on a fatal five-way #1 contender's challenge to see who the NEW Daniel Bryan's opponent would be at the Royal Rumble. Who won? And who got the most out of the show in general?
Winner: Sonya Deville
This segment might have centred on Mandy Rose getting under Naomi's skin, but, as usual, Sonya Deville was the standout of the two. It doesn't help that Mandy Rose's character is the typical catty Diva that we've seen a million times before, and which Alexa Bliss does better than her.
Showcasing an explosive burst in the ring, Sonya Deville took advantage of Rose's constant distractions to ultimately hit a finisher unlike anything I've ever seen - or at least it appeared that way when it first happened on TV. That was a new move from the rapidly improving Deville.
One has to think that this angle connects in some way to the coming women's tag team championships. With Asuka now SmackDown Women's Champion, Naomi will need to find another ally to combat two-thirds of the former Absolution. Lana has teased a partnership on social media. We'll see. It doesn't sound like the most exciting duo, to be honest.
However it happens, it's clear that at least Rose, and possibly Deville, is in line for a push as 2019 unfolds. They might be the dark horses to capture the women's tag team titles whenever they're finally unveiled.
Winner: Becky Lynch
John Cena giving Becky Lynch this kind of endorsement is a clear indicator that everyone realizes how big of a star she is and might yet still become. Lynch declared that she wasn't only gunning to replace Charlotte's picture on the advertisements, but she was coming for the spot John Cena occupied as the face of the company.
It was the kind of audacity that we've come to expect from Becky Lynch since SummerSlam.
The two squared off against Andrade "Cien" Almas and Zelina Vega in a mixed tag team match. Almas got to look good in showing all that he can do against John Cena. However, the match was all about building to Lynch getting back in the ring and tapping Vega out.
Afterwards, Becky Lynch gave John Cena his old "you can't see me" taunt.
It was a nice segment with Cena doing his best to give a rub to a fast-rising star.
Winner: AJ Styles
In one way, it's dismaying that we're getting yet another rematch between Styles and Bryan after the company made big promises that automatic rematches were a thing of the past. There is a reason to be sceptical about that already.
On the other hand, in this case, no one is probably arguing too much. After the performance that Styles and Bryan had at TLC, fans aren't exactly going to give the company flak for letting us see it happen again.
Furthermore, there is a clear attempt to take a new direction with the story, with Styles unleashing "the animal within," as we saw in this great match. How this animal continues to develop and will stack up against the NEW Daniel Bryan at the Royal Rumble is the question we'll be asking for the next few weeks.
The other stars shined in the match too, Mustafa Ali in particular. He might be going places this year.
