While Raw remained stagnant in its first episode of 2017, Smackdown Live continued to prosper. Producing another stellar episode, the blue brand once again outshined the ‘flagship’ show, Raw.
Although there were some weak segments, such as Natalya and Nikki Bella’s promos and Becky Lynch’s brief bout with La Luchadora, the majority of the two hours were used effectively.
The Miz opened the show, mocking Dean Ambrose and Renee Young alongside Maryse heading into his Intercontinental Title defence later on.
Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler clashed in a splendid encounter, with Ziggler finally turning heel after another loss by hitting Kalisto with a superkick post-match.
AJ Styles and John Cena engaged in a war of words, with both men cutting excellent promos in their contract-signing for their upcoming WWE Championship match at the Royal Rumble.
American Alpha picked up a quick win over Breezango but soon realised they had the Wyatts to worry about for next week’s show. Nikki Bella and Natalya got into a heated exchange over their issues, with a match between the two set for next week.
Dean Ambrose and the Miz faced off in a stellar IC Title match to close the show, with Ambrose capturing the gold to a huge ovation.
Overall, the blue brand once again proved this week why they are the A show. So, which segments stole the show? Let’s find out, as I analyse and grade each segment from the January 3rd edition of Smackdown Live.
The Miz Opens the Show:
Grade: 8/10
This was a strong segment to open the show, with the Miz/Ambrose feud taking centre stage before their match later on. Miz’s heel work here, as always, was brilliant. He is a master on the mic, with his promo stirring fans to get behind Ambrose and Renee Young.
Miz demanding an apology was great, and rightfully led to an angry Ambrose coming out. Ambrose as the revenge-seeking face is perfect, as it meshes incredibly well with Miz’s cowardly antics. Maryse slapping Ambrose continued the involvement of Maryse and Young in the story, and it added some more fire to the match between Miz and Ambrose later.
Ambrose’s comment on Maryse hitting harder than Miz was great as well, with this feud developing nicely. Overall, a solid way to start proceedings, with Miz and Ambrose adding some more personal animosity before their title match later on.
Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler:
Result: Baron Corbin hits Ziggler with End of Days for the pinfall victory.
Grade: 8.5/10
This was Corbin and Ziggler’s best match to date, with a stellar encounter keeping fans on the edge of their seats. Close near-falls, a hot crowd and a much-improved Corbin made this a great match, even with a lack of high stakes.
Corbin picking up the clean win here was wise, as he continues to move up the card with improved performances and big wins. Where he goes from here is unclear, but hopefully WWE finds a solid rivalry for the ‘Lone Wolf’.
Ziggler finally turning heel after the match was awesome, and was the perfect way to capitalise on another failure from ‘the Showoff’. His character can now reset, as he looks set to take on Kalisto and/or Apollo Crews. Hopefully, this can be a career revival of sorts for Ziggler, who was always much better as a heel.
Overall, a splendid match with a great finish, as Corbin picked up a big win while Ziggler finally embraced the dark side. Check out the match and Ziggler’s heel turn here:
Becky Lynch vs. La Luchadora:
Result: Becky Lynch beats La Luchadora via submission.
Grade: 6/10
This was a weak match that didn’t capitalise on the potential of last week’s angle, as Becky Lynch took on the imposter here.
The in-ring action here was sloppy, and the crowd was very quiet throughout. Bliss replacing the imposter only to lose by submission was dumb, as the Champion looked very weak losing so quickly to Lynch.
Still, it was nice to see where WWE plans on taking this angle, as Bliss and the imposter look set to team up on Lynch. Waiting to reveal who is under the mask is smart, as it builds anticipation for when it finally happens.
Still, it is unclear where this is all heading, with this segment failing to excite.
AJ Styles/John Cena Contract Signing:
Grade: 9.5/10
This was an incredible segment, with the war of words between Styles and Cena here increasing the hype for their title match at the Rumble.
AJ’s heel promo here was fantastic, as he ran down Cena for getting a title shot in the first place, and for his part-timer status. Comparing Cena to the Rock was great, and Styles managed to draw boos from the crowd, which he often is unable to do.
Cena also cut a wonderful promo here, adding some more edge to his character with some harsh words for AJ. Cena talking about his passion for the business was also great, with the fans in attendance getting behind him with cheers and chants.
Baron Corbin making his presence known here was excellent, as he shouldn’t be complacent with where he is on the card. He should be looking to take down the top dogs, who are Cena and Styles in this case. Having Corbin enter the Rumble was wise, as he can now focus on winning the Rumble if a feud doesn’t come to fruition.
Corbin and Cena getting into a heated exchange was stellar, as it led to a match for next week’s show, and Styles getting a cheap shot on Cena added to their animosity. Overall, an outstanding segment which saw Styles and Cena cut excellent promos, as their feud is heating up heading into the Rumble.
Carmella vs. Aliyah:
Result: Carmella beats Aliyah via submission.
Grade: 7/10
The match here was nothing special and was ultimately forgettable considering both women aren’t known for their extraordinary in-ring talent.
The focus here was on Carmella and James Ellsworth’s budding romance, which is a confusing but intriguing pairing. It will be interesting to see where this story leads, and it is a clever way to use Carmella, who has been left with nothing to work with while the Natalya/Bella and Lynch/Bliss feuds progress.
It is yet to be seen where the Carmella/Ellsworth pairing goes, but it could be a solid story for the next few weeks while SD Live’s other women are occupied. Overall, a weak match, but another chapter in the fascinatingly odd story between Carmella and James Ellsworth.
American Alpha vs. Breezango:
Result: Chad Gable pins Tyler Breeze after Grand Amplitude.
Grade: 7.5/10
This was a solid segment, however, the match was far too short. Instead of allowing Breezango put up a fight in a strong match, they were squashed. While the champions came out strong after their title win last week, Breezango were made to look like enhancement talent.
Still, despite the weak result, this segment was well-done. The Wyatts staking their claim for a rematch was a natural progression from their loss last week, and glimpses of Harper continuing to be undermined by Orton are splendid. The title match next week should be awesome, and we could possibly see an implosion between the new Wyatts.
Overall, a short, but effective segment that set up next week’s title match and showcased American Alpha with a quick win.
Nikki Bella Confronts Natalya:
Grade: 6/10
This segment was decent, but it was lacklustre after the strong start to this feud a couple of weeks ago. The reasons for Bella and Natalya’s insults are confusing, with the bad blood between the two coming across more as bickering, rather than something fans should care about.
Natalya targeting Bella’s partner in John Cena and Bella targeting Natalya’s family were weak, and another promo segment between these two was not needed, as they both lack the charisma to succeed in a long segment like this one. Nikki Bella striking Natalya was a decent way of amping up the intensity, but it did little to excite.
The match should be fine next week, but this rivalry has ultimately descended. Hopefully, it can get back on track in the coming weeks.
Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz (Intercontinental Championship):
Result: Dean Ambrose pins The Miz to capture the Intercontinental Championship.
Grade: 8.5/10
This was a stellar main event, with Ambrose and Miz laying it all on the line for the Intercontinental Title.
Ambrose survived everything Miz threw at him, with close near-falls after a Skull-Crushing Finale and a title to the back of the head, keeping fans on the edge of their seats. The chemistry is splendid, and hopefully, they clash on PPV soon. Given a few more minutes and a fully-built story, Miz and Ambrose could steal the show at the Rumble.
Maryse getting ejected instead of getting Miz DQ’d will likely be Miz’s reason for complaints in the coming weeks, which should be a fun aspect to his heel character.
Ambrose winning the title was an awesome moment, with the crowd greeting the title change with a huge ovation. It was a shocking moment as well, which is something missing from WWE TV on Monday nights.
Overall, another great match, with Dean Ambrose surprisingly winning the IC Title to close the show. Expect the Miz and Dean Ambrose to continue their rivalry heading into the Royal Rumble.
Check out a fantastic rant Miz had on Talking Smack after his loss:
Overall Grade for Smackdown Live January 3rd: 8/10
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