8 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Dec 27)
1. Bryan Wins! Bryan Wins!
Thank God for that.
Slotting Corbin in there against Bray Wyatt at Royal Rumble would've been awkward, and there was no demand for another Miz vs. Wyatt match in Texas. Daniel Bryan was the best (and arguably only) choice of all three, and he's a fine makeweight during WrestleMania season for Wyatt's 'Fiend'.
Or, perhaps WWE are playing with the people here. Bryan reclaiming the hearts of the hardcore fan base and winning a three-way in time for 'Mania season to begin? Hmm. This feels like a quasi-retelling of a story that's been told before. If that's the case and he himself is heading for glory in April, bring it on.
For now, fans can be content that WWE didn't pull some sort of unnecessary swerve just to get social media yapping before the end of 2019. Giving Daniel that clean win over The Miz was a fitting conclusion to SmackDown's year, and it ushers in 2020 with fresh optimism.
What did you think of this week's SmackDown? For more, check out 10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Dec 27) and 10 Best Wrestling Moments Of The Last Decade!