WWE SmackDown: 5 things we learned from this week’s episode (18 December 2018)

A night after Vince McMahon & family made huge announcements on Raw, we saw changes taking place on SmackDown almost immediately.

Shane McMahon, as he has in the past, seemed to take back control of the blue brand too, and relieved Paige of her duties. Asuka, the new Women’s Champion, was up for a challenge, and Naomi got her chance at the championship in a good televised match.

The main event of the show had two veterans of the game team up with two newcomers, and give one of the best matches of the week, which is great news for the entire roster.

Overall, SmackDown had a fun episode which had new and old faces take the stage and perform equally well.

There were a few things we learned from the show at the end of the night. Take a look, and find out 5 things which can have an impact on the show going forward.

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#5 The SmackDown tag team division is finally opening up

After the tag team championship match at Tables, Ladders, and Chairs, we learned that Sanity might finally get their chance to rise to the top of the tag team division, with New Day and The Usos getting their chance.

Surprisingly, it was the Good Brothers who came out to confront The Usos, and we saw Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson rise to some notice after a long time. Sanity too made their mark during the confrontation, which is a breath of fresh air for the loaded division on the blue brand.

Survivor Series made it evident that SmackDown’s tag team division has more star power than Raw’s, and this should have been highlighted right after that.

It’s never too late, as we might finally see Sanity and the Good Brothers gain some relevance heading into 2019.

#4 The Miz is falling down the ranks

The Miz was once the biggest star on Raw, and attracted a lot of crowds, even though he was playing a heel character. His move to SmackDown resulted in him losing some relevance at first, but he quickly recouped, and even got into a good rivalry with Daniel Bryan.

After taking part in the WWE World Cup, The Miz has now become a goofy character who doesn’t even pass as a heel, because he is trying to get into Shane McMahon’s good books.

While The Miz was once the most cunning character on the WWE Network, he now looks like a newbie trying to get some notice from the boss while constantly talking about past tournaments which literally meant nothing for the WWE Universe.

All we can hope is that these segments come to an end very soon, and that The Miz regains the relevance he deserves.

#3 The McMahons have already turned on their word

Just a night before SmackDown, the McMahon family opened up Raw with a segment where they announced that they were there to give the fans what they want, and were taking back control of the two brands to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

Taking out Baron Corbin was part of their plan to make the fans believe they were putting him through hell for their sake, even though the McMahons have always been behind the bookings on both shows.

Paige was doing an extremely good job as the General Manager of SmackDown, and most fans loved her character, even though she was an on-screen puppet. Since SmackDown wasn’t broken, why was it fixed?

Shane sent Paige back home from her job, and said that she would take a new undefined position. Even if that position means she is making her comeback in the ring, it makes no sense to do so this early, as Paige should never have been fired if the McMahons were going to listen to the fans.

Instead, they made an undesired change the very night after they announced that they will be listening to the fans.

#2 SmackDown finally has some younger stars

Both SmackDown and Raw have been packed with some great wrestlers. However, most of these wrestlers are veterans, or have been a part of the shows for at least five years.

While many NXT stars have been called up to the main roster to keep things fresh, only the women of NXT gain some relevance immediately, while the men take years to gain importance on the main roster.

SmackDown is being ruled by feuds between veterans such as Daniel Bryan, Rusev, Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy, and Randy Orton.

Finally, with the addition of Almas earlier this year and now the gaining popularity of Mustafa Ali, it seems like the roster is heading towards an inflow of younger superstars who are actually doing a great job.

This mix will surely help the blue brand, while the red brand lags behind with the same faces taking the spotlight week after week.

#1 SmackDown has more diversified rivalries

The flagship brand has seen a great dip in ratings over the past month or so. Not only has it been because of Baron Corbin taking the reins, but also because of the same faces getting engaged in a cycle of rivalries.

Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler, Finn Balor, Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, and Seth Rollins have taken part in the most matches this year, and the rivalries have remained almost similar since Roman Reigns won the Universal Championship.

SmackDown on the other hand, has seen good rivalries develop and move on from superstar to superstar, which has kept the product fresher. We saw Nikki Cross battle Becky Lynch one week, while Mustafa Ali arrived to take on Daniel Bryan another.

Almas takes the stage at times, while Randy Orton gets to his dirty tactics when it's least expected. Jeff Hardy shows up night after night, while Samoa Joe looks to target one wrestler after another. These things have kept both the men’s and women’s division alive, and only the tag team division has suffered in the past few months.