WWE SuperSmackDown Live Review - December 22, 2015

The New Day ring in some holiday cheer.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day def. The Lucha Dragons

We've seen these two teams face off countless times in the past few months, and while this match wasn't anything out of the ordinary from them, it was still an enjoyable affair. I figured New Day would win, but there was some doubt considering SmackDown is headed to USA Network soon and they might have wanted to do a title change to surprise viewers. New Day came out on top only after interference from Xavier Woods at ringside, so the Dragons were protected in defeat. New Day are the hottest thing going in WWE today, so there's no reason to take the titles off them in the foreseeable future.


The Wyatt Family def. The Dudley Boyz, Ryback and Kane

I rolled my eyes when The Dudley Boyz, Ryback and Kane were announced as The Wyatt Family's opponents because it was essentially the same match we saw on Raw except with Ryback replacing Tommy Dreamer. That said, it turned into quite the treat. It might have gone longer than it needed to, but the chaos that ensued down the stretch was fun. As I said on Monday, I'm glad The Wyatt Family are building momentum, but it's coming at the expense of The Dudley Boyz.

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Roman Reigns lays out Alberto Del Rio.

United States Champion Alberto Del Rio and Rusev def. The Usos

I liked how they followed up the League of Nations' attack on The Usos with a match on SmackDown as opposed to completely forgetting about it as they tend to do. It was a well-wrestled matchup and it was imperative that Del Rio looked strong going into his match with John Cena next Monday, so it made sense to have him win for his team. At the same time, however, it was strange for The Usos to lose coming off their win against WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day on Raw, and I don't know how much good this victory did for the League of Nations seeing as how they were wiped out by The Usos and Roman Reigns afterward.


Neville and Titus O'Neil def. The Ascension

I lost interest in this match as soon as Neville was seen wearing a hat with elf ears. Don't think that wasn't intentional. Someone backstage (cough Vince McMahon cough) obviously gets a kick out of his unique look, which is a real shame given how talented he is. Winning the Breakout Star of the Year Slammy Award didn't do anything to boost him to the next level (not that I expected it to) seeing as how he was involved in a throwaway tag team match on this show. I typically enjoy holiday silliness, but this was just pointless.


Divas Champion Charlotte def. Brie Bella (Non-title)

The match wasn't anything of note since we've seen it no less than a dozen times this year, but the focus was on Becky Lynch at ringside getting attacked by Team B.A.D. With Charlotte not doing anything to help her, they teased more tension between the two here than they did on Raw. It's only a matter of time before Charlotte officially goes heel, but I'm hoping Lynch gets enough character development to thrive as the Divas division's top babyface. On a side note, how adorable did Banks look dressed as a snowman?


Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose def. Dolph Ziggler and Kevin Owens in a Triple Threat Match

I was going to be irrationally angry if they didn't have a Miracle on 34th Street Fight on the annual holiday show, so I was happy they incorporated the Christmas silliness into this match with there being no disqualifications. When it came down to the three producing a strong Triple Threat, they delivered. Ambrose, Owens and Ziggler worked very well together and the pace was kept consistent throughout. Since Owens wasn't pinned, it keeps the feud between him and Ambrose alive.


Overall Show

Other than the two title matches, this show didn't have much to offer. Roman Reigns showing up halfway through was a pleasant surprise, but nothing else was exciting enough to make this show feel any different than an ordinary edition of SmackDown. The two hours were actually decent all things considered, but I'd recommend watching only the two title matches (specifically the main event) from this show. Happy holidays, folks!

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