WWE SmackDown Grades: Mustafa Ali Makes A Major Statement

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The Dec. 18 edition of WWE SmackDown continued the theme of change that took Raw by storm last night and that will continue to shake up the WWE in the months and years to come.

Last night’s WWE SmackDown was a successful follow-up to this past Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view while also creating more change in response to last night’s proclamation by the McMahons.

The new year is looking much brighter for the WWE, but for the blue brand, it should become even better than it has been.  With that being said, let’s take a look at a few grades from the Dec. 18 edition of WWE SmackDown.

5. Opening Segment

The main event at TLC this past Sunday night was a history-making match that continued the trend of women’s wrestling breaking barriers.  The match itself was an instant classic, but the outcome was great as well with the recently-underutilized Asuka finally breaking through and winning gold.

The Empress Of Tomorrow outlasted Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship in thrilling fashion, and don’t think that The Man didn’t have plenty to say about the way she lost.  Lynch kicked off last night’s show by calling out Ronda Rousey, who wound up costing both Lynch and Charlotte at TLC.

While Lynch was calling out Rousey, Charlotte came out as well and declared her intentions as well, which also included getting her hands on The Baddest Woman On The Planet.  While these two were arguing and casting blame, Asuka came out to remind everybody that she is the champion now.  More arguing ensued with Asuka being called a paper champion, but then The Chairman made his presence felt.

Vince McMahon addressed the situation and more or less called out Lynch and Charlotte for making excuses about the loss at TLC.  Mr. McMahon then decided Asuka should defend her title tonight, and Naomi wanted a piece of the action.  The former tag team partners would square off for the SmackDown Women’s Championship immediately after.  In terms of just the opening segment, this was a very solid one that featured a lot in a relatively short amount of time.

The reign of The Empress Of Tomorrow is off and running, much to the chagrin of The Man and The Queen.

Final Grade: B+