WWE SmackDown: Results, Highlights and Grades for December 20th, 2019

Sonya Deville vs. Carmella

Interestingly enough, Deville doesn’t have Mandy Rose by her side this time. Presumably, she’s still getting meat sweat sauce off her dress.

Deville almost immediately snapmares Carmella into a sliding knee for a two count, then jams her knee into Carmella’s back against the ropes. Carmella slaps Deville, which fires up the heel for a series of strikes. Carmella then bursts out the corner with a clothesline.

She then evades two kicks before kicking Deville herself in the gut, then face before locking in The Code of Silence, tapping Deville out.

Winner: Carmella

Grade: C

Kind of disappointing, because I was really getting into this. These two have got some really good (possibly great) chemistry, but just as this was getting good, it was over.

We get another cryptic Sheamus return hype promo, where he talks about change and how this “temple of titans … has become soft.” He vows to change things back “for the soul of SmackDown.”

The New Day vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro

Naka and Kofi start,but Shinsuke takes out Big E with a cheap shot first. Him and Kofi exchange strikes before Kofi hits a middle rope dropkick. Cesaro gets the blind tag and hits Kofi with an uppercut, followed by a knee to the back by Nakamura.

Cesaro picks Kofi back up and then right back down with a gutwrench suplex.

Rest hold spot already, but Kofi fights out of the sleeper quickly, only for Nakamura to quickly tag back in and work on Kofi’s arm. He then locks Kofi into a headlock, then a sleeper rest hold of his own. Naka sets up his precursor to the Kinshasa, but Kofi jumps over Nakamura’s back before tagging Big E, who makes a huge comeback spot.

He teases a Big Ending before getting kneed by Nakamura, but E recovers with a Uranage. He pins, but Cesaro breaks it up. Kofi runs in, sends Cesaro out, then dives on him.

Sami Zayn provides a minor distraction on the apron allowing Nakamura to kick E out the ring. Naka then distracts the ref, allowing Cesaro to hit E with a lariat outside the ring behind the ref’s back.

Nakamura continues the assault on the outside, with a knee on the apron, then a whip into the steel steps, sending us into a commercial.

Back from break, E sends Cesaro to the outside. Teases a hot tag before Cesaro intervenes. E kicks him away, and Naka makes the tag before punching Kofi off the apron. Naka hits a middle rope kne before setting up the Kinshasa, but Big responds with a clothesline first.

Hot tag tease again, but this time, both Naka and Kofi tag their partners. Kofi springboards into the ring at Cesaro for his comeback spot, including a hurricanrana and a stomp to the chest for a near fall. Then a clothesline, followed by a Boom Drop.

Kofi sets up Trouble in Paradise, but Cesaro instead lifts Kofi up for an uppercut. He makes the pin, Big E breaks it up and clotheslines Cesaro out. Kofi hits an assisted dive spot with E onto Naka and Cesaro. Then crossbodys Cesaro in the ring for a two count.

He goes to tag E, but Naka pulls him off the apron. Cesaro school boys Kofi into a big swing, then a double stomp for a near fall. He then sets up a Neutralizer, but Kofi turns it into a small package for the win.

The heels attack The New Day after the bell. Zayn tries to talk Cesaro and Naka off of them, before joining in on the beatdown himself. Braun Strowman runs out to even the odds. After taking both men out, he picks Nakamura up for a Powerslam, but Zayn retrieves his client and saves him just in time. The heels retreat.

Winners: The New Day

Grade: B-

This match kind of felt oddly rushed in some areas and it made for a rough start early on, but when this match finally got going, it really got going.

In the locker room, The Miz thanks Daniel Bryan for saving him at TLC. Bryan says he didn’t do it for Miz, he did it for himself. He says he still doesn’t like Miz. Miz and Bryan argue over who hates each other more, but Miz says they have to work together tonight. Then, after tonight, he wants Bryan to leave Bray Wyatt for him.