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In contrast to Raw, SmackDown was at a torrid pace through its entire show, once again putting the red brand to shame. The blue brand is WWE's most consistent program at the moment. It's almost safe for us to rely on it to deliver a good showing. We'll just have to hope that pattern holds heading into the Royal Rumble.
There was almost nothing bad about last night's show. Almost. Let's take a look at who got the most and least out of it with the Royal Rumble quickly approaching.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
"Weak! Change it!"
"Submissive! Change it!"
"Impotent! Change it!"
Is anyone performing their role on the main roster better than the NEW Daniel Bryan is at the moment? The WWE Champion opened the show with a unique promo. Instead of standing in the ring, Daniel Bryan was backstage, harassing fans, and then walked into the arena, pulling a Ciampa, taking a sign from a fan in praise of his rival, and ripping it up.
Bryan would then go on to defeat R-Truth in a quick match, only to then be ambushed by AJ Styles, who's far more incensed than he was during November and December.
Rematch though it may be, WWE is doing a good job in making the Royal Rumble encounter between Styles and Bryan interesting. It doesn't feel like it's going through the motions. AJ Styles is partially responsible, but Daniel Bryan is the linchpin on which this rests.
In two months, Daniel Bryan has made the WWE Championship more meaningful than it's been in the last two years. Let's not even compare SmackDown's top title picture with Raw's. This was superior to the Brock Lesnar/Braun Strowman segment from Monday in every conceivable way.
Raw, it's time to step up your game.
Winner: Andrade "Cien" Almas
It was a great tag team match between Ali, Mysterio, Joe, and Almas, but it actually ended in the biggest win of the latter's career, at least when it comes to his disappointing time on the main roster.
Andrade "Cien" Almas hit the Hammerlock DDT on Rey Mysterio and got the pin, finally getting a win over a notable name on television.
Where this will go is anyone's guess. Mysterio and Almas will both be in the Royal Rumble, so perhaps they'll have an encounter there. If it winds up being a fully fledged feud, then the only right outcome should be Almas walking out of the rivalry as the victor.
It should be a priority in 2019 to develop Almas into a main event act. He proved himself just that in NXT. Mysterio can certainly help in that elevation.
WWE should certainly want to keep Almas, who is reportedly unhappy with his position in the company, away from AEW.
Winners: Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura
Rusev has gained incredible popularity as a jovial, cheerful guy you'd like to hang out with, but he proved he can be the opposite last night. Although the bump Lana took the previous week was nothing special, Rusev sold it like it was the most serious thing in the world.
Nakamura, for his part, taunted Rusev backstage and then ambushed him, laying him out. He feels more relevant after losing the United States Championship than throughout his entire five-month run with the gold.
This is nothing but good for both men and the US title, which languished throughout 2018, especially during Nakamura's reign. This is a good way to warm it up for better things in 2019.
It will likely find its way into a multi-man rivalry heading into WrestleMania as usual. Who will get involved? Will Mysterio and Almas somehow find their way into the title hunt?
Winner: Mandy Rose
The Usos vs. Bar match was easily the match of the night last night, but the biggest winner of the contest was Mandy Rose, who continued her trolling of the five-time tag team champions and Jimmy Uso's wife, Naomi.
It's unclear where this story is going. Naomi was outnumbered two to one in her backstage brawl. Will she find an ally? Lana has teased such an alliance, now that Asuka has moved on to bigger and better things, so we'll have to see. Look for more information whenever the women's tag team titles are introduced, probably after the Royal Rumble.
Either way, expect Mandy Rose's push to continue. She wasn't entirely convincing, and once again Sonya Deville outshined her during the backstage fight, but she was nevertheless the biggest winner out of all this chaos. The company is clearly trying to make something more of her.
Loser: The SmackDown tag team division
After the fantastic Bar vs. Usos match, the Miz walked up to the champions and challenged them to a match at the Royal Rumble. They accepted by giving Miz a Brogue Kick to the face.
The Bar are great champions and they proved it again last night, but they're probably going to lose their titles on January 27th - not at the hands of a top team like the Usos or even one of those neglected teams that shoved WWE's "opportunity" word down our throat over the past few weeks, but to the Miz and Shane McMahon, whose constant on-screen presence is as noxious as it ever was.
This is easily the worst story on SmackDown at the moment. And that doesn't mean it's just the worst of a good lot, either. It's legitimately bad. Unfortunately, now the tag team titles are likely to find their way into it.
Winner: Becky Lynch
The triple threat match had the distinct advantage of being anyone's game going in. It was conceivable for all three of them to win. Nevertheless, the crowd was firmly behind Becky, and Becky won.
So it's on, after all. The staredown between Becky Lynch and Asuka was all that was needed to sell a first time ever televised match.
It certainly raises some issues. How can this end in a way where both women look good? Many people are terrified that this means Becky Lynch won't take part in the Royal Rumble match, which would be an incredible mistake. Shades of 2014 certainly spring to mind.
Somehow, though, I have enough faith in SmackDown's team to give them the benefit of the doubt. They probably have plans in mind to keep the title on Asuka in a convincing way while moving Becky Lynch into the WrestleMania picture with Ronda Rousey.
Why have Becky Lynch call out Raw's champion and get put over by John Cena if there weren't huge things in store for her?
