WWE SmackDown Live Review: Results, Highlights, and Grades for December 20
With just two more episodes of SmackDown Live left in 2016, WWE has gone full steam ahead to ensure they end the year on a high note.
Still reeling after his loss in the number one contenders match last week, Dean Ambrose is set to go one on one with Luke Harper tonight on SmackDown Live. It’s been hinted recently that Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt could make their presence felt in the match, so this could turn chaotic in a heartbeat.
Over the past couple of months, James Ellsworth has managed to defeat WWE World Champion AJ Styles on three separate occasions. Tonight he has the opportunity to make it four in a row, and with the title on the line, the stakes have never been higher.
Despite winning the tag team battle royal last week, the Hype Bros have seemingly lost their title shot due to a serious knee injury suffered by Zach Ryder. Which tag team will step-up to replace them here tonight?
Speaking of championships, it’s also been announced that The Miz will defend his Intercontinental title against Apollo Crews. These two are no strangers to one another, so expect their encounter to be a solid affair.
Nikki Bella will certainly be looking for answers tonight, as she still doesn’t know who attacked her at Survivor Series. The only suspects right now are Carmella and Natalya, but could it be possible that someone else is to blame?
So without further ado, here is the live results and analysis for the December 20th edition of SmackDown Live.
WWE.com
WWE Championship MatchAJ Styles (c) vs. James Ellsworth
Result: AJ Styles wins via pinfall.
Kicking things off for SmackDown Live was the WWE Championship match between AJ Styles and James Ellsworth. Surprisingly, AJ Styles was the one who had the support of the crowd throughout the match, while Ellsworth met a chorus of boos. Early on in the match, Ellsworth went for his patented superkick, but Styles countered and hit a flurry of strikes on the challenger. This was enough to score the three count, however the champion wasn’t through there. Throwing Ellsworth out of the ring, Styles assaulted his defeated foe before finishing him off with a suplex into the ring barricade.
An in-ring promo followed the match, and AJ Styles bragged about his victory and the fact that he still holds the WWE Championship. His celebration was short-lived, as Dolph Ziggler made his entrance (as Ellsworth was stretchered out of the arena). Reminding Styles that he was willing to risk his career for the Intercontinental Championship, he made the champion wonder what he would be willing to do to the world title. Baron Corbin then inserted himself into the mix, insulting Ziggler and then laying him out with the End of Days. The Lone Wolf then stared down Styles, which led us to our first commercial break.
Although the result was never in doubt, the fact that Ellsworth made it to this point is something to praise. Ellsworth’s journey from a one match jobber to fighting for the world title is a very special one, and it goes to show that anything can happen in WWE. Now that his involvement in the main event is over, AJ Styles can focus on legitimate contenders such as Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, and a returning John Cena.
WWE.com
WWE Intercontinental Championship MatchThe Miz (c) vs. Apollo Crews
Result: The Miz wins via pinfall.
Rating: 2.75 out of 5 stars
Backstage, an irate Dolph Ziggler demanded a match with Baron Corbin later in the night. Daniel Bryan agreed to allow the match, so long as Ziggler understood that if Corbin defeated Ziggler, he would replace him in the WWE Championship match next week. Ziggler agreed to the terms, and the match was made official.
Back to the ring, highlights were shown of Apollo Crew’s defeating Miz at Tribute to the Troops. A few moments later and the action was underway, with Crews showcasing his athletic prowess early on. The Miz managed to get back into the match later on, but he became distracted when his wife Maryse was ejected for attempted interference. Control then shifted back and forth in the closing moments, with frequent counters eventually casting doubt over who was going to win. However Miz would ultimately retain his title when he bumped into the referee, giving himself a chance to rake Crew’s eyes and hit his finisher for the win.
Following the match, Renee Young attempted to get Miz’s thoughts on Dean Ambrose. Miz took offense to the question and asked what her thoughts were, seeing as how she’s currently “sleeping with him”. An embarrassed Young slapped Miz and left the ring immediately thereafter, refusing to continue the interview any further.
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Nikki Bella Finds out the Truth
The commentators took over the show for a few moments, talking about Zach Ryder’s injury from last week. Since there are no clear contenders for the tag titles, a fatal four way tag team match will take place next week. Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton will defend their tag team championships against American Alpha, Heath Slater & Rhyno, and The Usos. Also, WWE aired a promo for John Cena’s return next week, and it was honestly the greatest promo they have ever produced for him.
A disgruntled Natalya was in the ring after another commercial break, and once again she asked for Nikki Bella to come out so she could defend herself. Nikki Bella obliged, but before either woman could speak Carmella made her way out as well. Calling Natalya out for being a liar yet again, she brought up a private conversation the two had which revealed Natalya was indeed the culprit. Realizing the cat was out of the bag at this point, Natalya chased Carmella up the ramp and laid her out. Turning around to address Nikki, she called her a b*tch (twice) before taking her down a peg and in the process, delivered the best promo of her career.
I don’t know who took over the writing for this weeks episode of SmackDown Live, but there were a number of solid insults throughout the night. Blending real life situations and relationships enhances the feuds ten-fold, causing us as fans to become more invested. This is a trend that must continue, especially on the Blue Brand.
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Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper
Result: Dean Ambrose wins via pinfall.
Rating: 2.75 out of 5 stars
Daniel Bryan made another appearance backstage, this time with the “injured” Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss. He announced that Bliss will face Becky Lynch next week, and that her championship will be on the line. Bryan also revealed to Bliss that the trainers know that she’s feigning the injury. Giving her an ultimatum, she can either compete tonight or be stripped of her championship.
Despite the fact that Dean Ambrose had the deck stacked against him here tonight, he put on an admirable effort and managed to score the victory. Laying out Wyatt and Orton at ringside bought the Lunatic Fringe the time he needed to roll-up Harper for the win. He never got a chance to celebrate his victory though, as the Wyatt Family assaulted Ambrose immediately after the match ended. Laying him out with the Sister Abigail/RKO combination, they stood atop their fallen enemy before disappearing from the ring. Adding insult to injury, Miz made his way down to the ring and picked up the scraps before celebrating with Maryse.
Looking strong in defeat, Luke Harper showed why he should be given a singles run on SmackDown Live in the near future. As for Ambrose’s newfound rivalry with The Miz, I’m not quite sure how I feel about it yet. These two have faced off a number of times in 2016, and while they have traded wins it’ll be tough for them to pull off something different than their usual routine.
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Alexa Bliss vs La Luchadora
Result: La Luchadora wins via submission.
Rating: 2.25 out of 5 stars
Choosing to compete rather than be stripped of her championship, Alexa Bliss faced off against La Luchadora, who made her SmackDown Live debut tonight. The new competitor surprisingly took it the champion early on, dodging her attacks and using her speed to keep Bliss at bay. Bliss eventually gained control and displayed her aggressive side, slowly breaking down her opponent. Her offense wouldn’t last long, because moments later she was forced tap out when Luchadora locked in the Dis-Arm-Her for the win. It was then revealed that Becky Lynch was the woman behind the mask, and now she has considerable momentum heading into the title match next week.
A nice swerve to surprise the fans, this match was a unique way to build up to the title match between the two women. Arguably the top women of SmackDown Live women’s division, these two will have a terrific rubber match.
Ryan Phillippe from the USA Network show “Shooter” was backstage after the match, looking around for his co-star Randy Orton. Although he was unable to find him, he did find Mojo Rawley and Curt Hawkins. Mojo and Ryan hit it off, while Hawkins talked a little trash and promised to defeated him later on in the show.
WWE.com
Curt Hawkins vs. Mojo Rawley
Result: Mojo Rawley wins via pinfall.
Rating: 2.50 out of 5 stars
I had never seen Mojo Rawley compete in a singles match before tonight, and I’m actually upset about that. He performed well above the expectations I had for him, managing to deliver some solid offense during the contest. Scoring the victory tonight allows Rawley to maintain some of the momentum he gained last week, with this perhaps being the start of a solo push for the young athlete. The only thing to be upset about coming out of this match is that Hawkins is now cemented in jobber territory. It’s a shame, because the former tag team champion has a great amount of charisma and talent.
Before the main event, James Ellsworth is bandaged up pretty heavily (dramatically so) and found himself participating in an impromptu interview. Unable to even speak, he was approached by a very concerned Carmella, who decided to help him walk away from the interview. If all it takes is a bit of pain to earn Carmella’s sympathy, I’d gladly volunteer to be John Cena’s opponent for when he returns next week.
WWE.com
Winner Faces AJ Styles for the WWE ChampionshipBaron Corbin vs Dolph Ziggler
Result: Match ends in a double count-out.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars
Knowing full well what the stakes were going into the main event, Dolph Ziggler started the match going on the offensive. Corbin’s sheer power but a stop to Ziggler’s momentum rather quickly, and he managed to slow down the pace and wear down the number one contender. Taking time to stare down AJ Styles on commentary, The Lone Wolf look as deadly as ever before. Even Styles seemed fearful of Corbin’s wrath, with it being obvious he didn’t want to face him next week. Thankfully for him, Ziggler managed to will his way back into the match. Near falls were aplenty, but neither man refused to stay down for the count.
The action then spilled out to the ringside area, and Corbin thought it wise to toss Ziggler into Styles. Shortly after the two men failed to beat the ten count, and Styles regained his composure and laid both men out with a steel chair. However since the match ended in a draw, Daniel Bryan came out to announce that next week the title match will now be a triple threat. An incensed Styles yelled at Bryan from ringside as the show ended. This encounter ended what was a solid episode of SmackDown Live, and now next week’s episode has morphed into a can’t miss event.
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