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From the first-ever Sami Awards to Kevin Owens being established as a top babyface, this week's edition of WWE SmackDown featured many contrasting moments.
The Blue brand's go-home show before WWE TLC got fans excited for the pay-per-view, mostly because of the Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens arc on SmackDown. There were enough plot points in this episode that kept the viewers engaged for two hours. Even if that doesn't necessarily classify SmackDown as a perfect show, the Blue brand has been mostly consistent in terms of quality, which is a level of stability that Monday Night RAW hasn't achieved in recent memory.
Which show was better this week, RAW or SmackDown? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Here are the five biggest news stories from this week's episode of WWE SmackDown (December 18, 2020).
#5: Bayley overcame her losing streak on this episode of WWE SmackDown
The final match of this week's WWE SmackDown saw Bayley taking on Bianca Belair in singles competition.
The self-proclaimed role model in WWE has been one of the biggest players in the Blue brand's women's division, despite not having won any matches since SummerSlam 2020.
That changed on last night's WWE SmackDown, where Bayley was able to defeat Bianca Belair with the help of an eye rake and the Rose Plant maneuver.
Some fans weren't too happy that Belair's momentum was slightly affected by this loss, but it made sense for Bayley to win here if their feud is to be extended, at least until next year's Royal Rumble event.
Bayley is back on track with a win. It won't be too long until Bianca Belair potentially gets back at her rival with a defiant victory, which is how Bayley and Belair's feud should probably end. This would allow Belair to proceed one step closer to the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship picture.
#4: The Street Profits retained their WWE SmackDown tag team titles, as Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode were threatened with being suspended; Billie Kay still hasn't found her perfect tag team partner
The tag team scenario in both the WWE SmackDown men's and women's divisions featured some interesting, albeit somewhat frustrating plot developments.
Billie Kay seems to have entered a storyline where she may team up with new partners every week in search of the perfect tag team partner. While Natalya wasn't the perfect partner for Billie Kay last week, Kay tagged with Tamina on this week's WWE SmackDown.
The Riott Squad were able to win, once again. Tamina wasn't the problem here, as it was Kay who got beat by the opposition team. Billie Kay is one entertaining performer, but this storyline has no reason to exist, simply because The IIconics - Billie Kay and Peyton Royce - were already perfect for each other. The payoff to this angle could be potentially interesting if an unexpected personality ends up being the perfect partner for Billie Kay.
Meanwhile, The Street Profits successfully retained their tag team titles against Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode. After the match was over, Ziggler and Roode cornered the referee and complained that Montez Ford had grabbed Roode's tights to pick up a victory. The interesting part came when referee Charles Robinson lashed out at the heels and threatened them with a potential suspension for questioning his judgment.
Other than that, another potential rematch between the aforementioned tag teams doesn't sound like the most exciting proposition on WWE SmackDown.
#3: Sami Zayn spoofed the Slammy Awards by hosting the first annual Sami Awards on WWE SmackDown
While this year's Slammy Awards will be hosted by R-Truth next Wednesday, last night's WWE SmackDown featured a spoof segment called the Sami Awards, hosted by Sami Zayn.
The segment was essentially a way for the WWE Intercontinental Champion to give himself a pat on the back. The first category was the comeback of the year, which was awarded to Zayn. Who could have seen that coming?
The match of the year was awarded to Sami Zayn's victory against Jeff Hardy and AJ Styles at Clash of Champions. Earlier in the show, a mischievous Big E had changed the announcement cards backstage. So when the time came for Zayn to announce himself as WWE Superstar of the year, Big E was named the winner instead.
Big E ended up throwing Zayn down the ramp to end this segment.
Big E's exuberant attitude matches perfectly with Sami Zayn's pesky shenanigans, and their Intercontinental Championship feud is also a step in the right direction for The New Day member on WWE SmackDown.
#2: The champagne tasting segment on WWE SmackDown ended with Carmella dominating Sasha Banks, once again
Carmella's 'Untouchable' gimmick stole the show on last week's WWE SmackDown. Not a lot of WWE fans were behind her new diva gimmick before that point.
Sasha Banks and Carmella's SmackDown Women's Championship feud heated up on the last stop before WWE TLC. Carmella arrived to pick out a little bit of the championship bubbly, with her sommelier already in the ring. She also cut a promo in the ring and called Sasha Banks a physically sound champion, but a mentally weaker personality than her on WWE SmackDown.
Carmella brought up the question of who Sasha Banks will be if she is no longer The Legit Boss after TLC. Soon, Banks crashed this ceremony and attacked her rival from behind.
The sommelier had to feel Sasha's wrath as well, but this opened a way for Carmella to nail the SmackDown Women's Champion with a wine bottle on her back.
Carmella has been one step ahead of The Legit Boss heading into WWE TLC. But despite the good buildup for Carmella, Banks will most likely retain her title this Sunday.
#1: Kevin Owens was potentially established as a symbolic martyr after not backing down from Roman Reigns and Jey Uso's constant attacks, in heroic fashion, on WWE SmackDown
In WWE, there is a constant trope where babyfaces make stupid decisions because of eye-rolling, heroic reasons. Kevin Owens has done pretty much the same, but it has been portrayed in a manner that makes his arc worthy of being categorized as excellent television.
Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens' feud has proved that even the most basic WWE storylines can come across as must-see TV if executed in the right manner.
The Prizefighter got beat up numerous times throughout this week's WWE SmackDown. But Owens didn't back down, despite the fact that he needs to be physically capable to fight Reigns at WWE TLC.
Towards the end of the episode, The Tribal Chief and Jey Uso collectively buried Owens in a pile of tables, ladders, and chairs. But as it would turn out, Owens still managed to get up to send one last message to Roman Reigns - Either Owens will win the Universal title this Sunday, or he will die trying to do the same.
Paul Heyman had said earlier in the night that The Prizefighter was a martyr, who was willing to do anything to prove his point. Kevin Owens' final message to Roman Reigns seemingly proved how dangerous Owens can be, but that illogical determination can also bring him down against The Tribal Chief at TLC 2020.
Do catch Ryan K. Boman and Denise Salcedo as they share their thoughts on all that went down during last night's WWE SmackDown in the video linked above.
