Written by Matthew Widis
In ring
We get a visit from Truthy Claus and his helper Carm-Elf-a! After a seven second “carol break” and a about a half dozen malapropisms, Daniel Bryan comes out. He is there to expose Truthy Claus and the blatant materialism of Christmas. R-Truth says that he’ll be #30 at the Royal Rumble and, if Daniel is still champion come Wrestlemania, he’ll be coming for the belt. This must have struck a nerve in D-Bry because he hits a chop block during the dance break and follows up with a heel hook and face stomps.
Andrade “Cien” Almas (w/ Zelina Vega) vs Mustafa Ali
Smackdown continues its dedication to prioritize in-ring action week-in and week-out. Semi-jokingly, I recently referred to Almas as earning the “Brad Armstrong Memorial ‘Good Hand’ Award.” I stick by this. Through his consistent work and undeniable talents, he has managed to escape being seen as a “jobber to the stars” and I definitely have him pegged as having big things going on in 2019, even if they’re just 4 and 5 star matches. Mustafa Ali is earning his main roster shot thus far and, with Almas, Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles, and Nakamura to work with, his upcoming year looks good as well. Ali gets the pinfall win with the imploding 450.
Gallows & Anderson and The Usos vs Sanity and The Bar
The injection of The Good Brothers and Sanity into the tag title picture is very much needed, if not for match quality (Bar, New Day, and Usos have all done a fantastic job) then to prevent burn out. Killian Dain & Alexander Wolfe were the representatives for Sanity, showing off their size and mobility to (re)introduce the group’s concept. Commentary from The New Day helped to do this and also to hype Gallows & Anderson. For one, I’ve always thought it was neat how Luke Gallows started his career as a “typical hoss” size & power wrestler but became a strong style striker in Japan. After a superkick party, Karl Anderson (in new ring gear!) picks up the win for his team after he and Gallows hit the Magic Killer.
Backstage
Mustafa Ali is being congratulated by other 205 Live and Smackdown competitors when he is blindsided by Daniel Bryan. The WWE World Champion is peeled away from Ali as he screams that he doesn’t belong on the main roster.
Miz TV
Miz talks to special guest Shane McMahon about the new mission statement which roughly amounts to “make RAW more like Smackdown and let Smackdown continue being awesome.” They get around to Miz’s obsession with teaming up with Shane McMahon. Apparently, it all stems from daddy issues since, despite being a grand slam champion (and arguably the greatest IC champ of all time,) his father has never appreciated him as much as he admired Shane. By teaming with Shane, he could impress his dad. Shane, understandably, empathizes with this need to make a father proud and agrees as long as Miz doesn’t screw him over. Get your stopwatches out. The fans have gotten on board over the past few weeks and shout “Yes! Yes! Yes!” Just like Daniel Bryan proved his S-tier ability by making entire arenas boo him, The Miz has managed to get the WWE Universe to feel sorry for him. Yeah. It’s like that.
Jeff Hardy vs Samoa Joe
The use of Jeff Hardy’s past troubles with drug and alcohol abuse is questionable at best. But, if it’s going to be done, having Samoa Joe involved isn’t a bad idea. He is a great talker and manages to bring up the subject manner in a way that illustrates his point but maqkes it very clear that he is still the heel in this case. Let’s not forget that Joe was on the TNA roster during Jeff’s darkest days (Victory Road 2011.) This is likely not the first time these two have had to hash out the subject matter together backstage. Thus far, it’s been Samoa Joe needling AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy, getting personal and getting his comeuppance in the end. The undercurrent of this story is Jeff bringing up Samoa Joe’s lack of success and title reigns on the main roster. Jeff going ballistic and earning a disqualification in this match was an interesting touch. Joe having his “wake up” moment and rallying to choke out Jeff at ringside added a whole new level.
Backstage
The Usos are about to hit the locker room but Jimmy has plans to go off with wifey-boo Naomi. Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville find him first and point out some mistletoe. Enter Naomi and a Jimmy-prevented beatdown of Mandy and Sonya.
Rusev vs Shinsuke Nakamura(c) for the WWE US Championship
The overarching theme of the reboot/return of The McMahon Era has been “We’re listening to the fans.” However big of a grain of salt that you might require to take that with, they are committed to putting on that face. There are plenty of fans who have lamented the lack of success and reception of Nakamura on the main roster. There are, however, absolute boatloads of fans that have been pulling for Rusev over the past two years or so. The high impact, striker vs brute matchup went back and forth until Rusev kicks Shinsuke’s soul out of his body and gets the 1-2-3 to become a 3x US Champion. (Coincidentally, John Cena returns next week!)
Backstage
Vince McMahon has a little talk with AJ Styles. He asks AJ just who he really is. If he’s so phenomenal, if this is the house that AJ Styles built, then why wasn’t he competing? Why wasn’t Daniel Bryan? Why was Daniel Bryan walking around the back, wreaking havoc on the roster in AJ’s house? Vince wants to see the ruthless, animal side that AJ is afraid to let out. A slap from Vince gets a right hand from AJ that drops him. As the producers and referees pull AJ away and check on Vince, he seems… proud of what he may have unlocked in AJ.
Final thoughts: Thankfully, and perhaps in response to the backlash after last year’s live broadcasts, this episode was taped, allowing superstars a chance to spend the day with family. Fans tuning in on Christmas or catching up in the post-holiday fog got themselves an extra present. Smackdown has always trended more towards killer vs filler and show vs tell. This Christmas fell on Rusev Day and the night was anything but silent in Fresno.
