WWE SmackDown Review - December 17, 2015

Kevin Owens dismantles Dolph Ziggler.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Sheamus Interrupted WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns

I was really hoping we had seen the last of this feud on Monday's Raw, but apparently not. For shame. Don't get me wrong, this was a passable segment, but they had zero chemistry before the big title change on Raw. Maybe that will change now that the roles have reversed. This was one of Reigns' better promos and Sheamus held his own on the mic as well. They'll likely hold off on the rematch until Royal Rumble, but I'd much rather see it blown off on an upcoming episode of Raw.


United States Champion Alberto Del Rio def. Ryback (Non-title)

Honestly, I expected this to be a much more boring bout than it was. Del Rio is a great wrestler while Ryback is competent, but I figured they wouldn't have good chemistry together. Surprisingly, they put together a decent match and although I typically hate interference, I was fine with League of Nations aiding Del Rio in victory. Ryback would be a logical next feud for Del Rio, but I was shocked he tapped out here. I can't remember the last time that was the case with The Big Guy.

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League of Nations leave Ryback laying.

Titus O'Neil def. Tyler Breeze

Is the mishandling of Breeze on the main roster even worth complaining about anymore? I was convinced he was damaged goods when he lost to Neville on Raw and the latest loss to O'Neil only confirmed those beliefs. Yes, I'm happy he has some sort of direction in the form of a feud with Goldust, but Goldust? Really? I enjoy Goldust's work, but he hasn't meant anything since returning and this feels like a comedy program because WWE has no idea what to do with Breeze at the moment or how to utilize him properly.


The Lucha Dragons def. WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day (Non-title)

This was a different type of match than we've seen from Lucha Dragons and New Day in the past as it wasn't as fast-paced as usual, but I liked New Day dominating a majority of the match only for Lucha Dragons take advantage of an opportunity and score the upset victory. It sets up a fun WWE Tag Team Championship match for next Tuesday's episode and because it's live, there's reason to believe they might capture the gold.


Becky Lynch def. Brie Bella

Lynch and Bella were once again shorted the time they deserved and it wasn't long into the match that Charlotte came down to ringside, who served as a distraction. I realize that was the intent, but it didn't do the match any favors. The confusion with the Divas division continues, but at least it looks like Lynch will get sick of Charlotte cheating sooner rather than later leading to Charlotte turning on her, cementing her as a heel at last.


Dolph Ziggler def. Kevin Owens by Disqualification

The fact that these two have had nothing short of a half of a dozen matches this year and Owens has won every encounter didn't help Ziggler's chances, but it was still a solid matchup with enjoyable in-ring action and good psychology throughout. Owens' new aggressive side is excellent and only enhances the value of the Intercontinental Championship because he's fuming he lost it. Ziggler attacking Dean Ambrose at the end and begging the question as to whether it was intentional was a great hook for next week as well.


​Overall Show

Coming off such a hot week in WWE, it was going to be difficult for SmackDown to top anything we saw earlier, but I'd say it kept the momentum going nicely. It wasn't a home run show by any means, but the main event was worth watching, the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion appeared and the feud over the tag team titles was furthered, making for an above-average edition of SmackDown.

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