WWE Smackdown Live results and observations (09/20/16): Dean Ambrose takes down John Cena

Since the second brand extension began back in July, Smackdown Live has been the more consistent show on a weekly basis despite it being second on the priority list to Raw.

Smackdown Live put together another solid entry this past Tuesday night, but still managed to do a couple of things that left me scratching my head.

Before I delve into my observations, here are the full match results from Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala.:

- The Usos def. American Alpha

- Baron Corbin def. Apollo Crews

- WWE Intercontinental championship – The Miz def. Dolph Ziggler

- Randy Orton def. Erick Rowan

- Naomi & Nikki Bella def. Natalya & Carmella via disqualification

- Dean Ambrose def. John Cena

Ambrose pins Cena … clean

Get a good look at that subhead. You don't see it often, but Cena was pinned in a clean fashion Tuesday night by Ambrose.

Ambrose didn't hit his finish and win in an emphatic manner like AJ Styles did at SummerSlam, but he got a clean victory nonetheless, which only adds to the ongoing story that Cena can't quite cut it anymore in the ring.

I know some people are glad that Cena is taking clean losses more than once a year, but I also know there are some that assume that because of his recent dip in production, it will result in him proving the naysayers wrong and claim his 16th world championship at No Mercy.

I understand those people's fears, but I would not get too worked up, as I do not see that happening.

Speaking of happenings, there will be a major one next week on Smackdown Live, as Ambrose will receive what he was promised: A one-on-one match with Styles for the WWE World championship.

While on one hand, it makes little sense to give away a title match on television not long before the pay-per-view, Ambrose deserved the title shot anyway, as he was entitled to a rematch after losing the title at Backlash.

It only makes sense that he gets his match before the triple threat takes place. The only problem is WWE kind of went about this in reverse order. It probably should have given Ambrose his one-on-one rematch first and then found a way to organically build to a triple threat.

Instead, WWE felt the need to announce the main event of No Mercy far in advance in hopes of building more anticipation for it.

Where does Ziggler go from here?

Once again, Ziggler came up short in a championship match. At SummerSlam, he lost to Ambrose in uneventful fashion in a match for the WWE World championship.

At Backlash, Maryse sprayed something in his eyes, which allowed here husband The Miz to retain his WWE Intercontinental championship.

On Tuesday night, The Miz took matters into his own hands and sprayed Ziggler in the eyes himself in order to keep the title around his waist.

Since The Miz cheated again, Ziggler may somehow find himself in another championship match at some point, but how many times can we see these two go at it?

Sure, the match at Backlash and the match Tuesday night were both show-stealers, but WWE runs the risk of hurting the attraction by putting them out there against each other for the third time in less than a month.

With that being the case, it brings me to my question: Where does Ziggler go from here?

Will he receive yet another opportunity at The Miz and the Intercontinental championship? If so, will the fans care if he wins the title again?

If Ziggler doesn't face The Miz, then what happens? Does he snap and turn heel? Does change his look in some way? Does anything change with his character at all?

As always, Ziggler has been great in the ring, but his character seems lost in storyline and in real life.

Where does Crews go from here?

I know I'm repeating the same question and simply changing the name, but it is worth repeating when it comes to Crews.

At least Ziggler has some rhyme or reason for losing all of his big matches. There seems to be some storyline element to it.

With Crews, there's nothing.

Right now, he's simply there to get Corbin ready for his epic confrontation with Jack Swagger. Don't worry. I could not have been more sarcastic with that last statement.

The rap on Crews today has been the rap on him since his time NXT. The man has all of the physical tools anyone could ever want from a professional wrestler. He looks like he is chiseled from granite. He's freakishly athletic and has a million-dollar smile.

However, he was always lacking in the character department. That same smile that could be worth a million dollars is also part of the reason why he was lacking in that area. The problem was that he was always smiling.

I was surprised when WWE called him up to the main roster earlier this year, as I thought he had a lot more to do in NXT. He never had a real program for the NXT championship and he still had some developing to do.

It is clear now that WWE didn't really have a plan for him when it called him up. It just needed an extra body to provide some depth for the brand split and he was the beneficiary.

Him losing again to Corbin Tuesday night and simply being pushed aside looks like WWE has already given up on the guy despite his talent. And yes, he does need some work on his character, but that's also WWE's responsibility to help him along in that area.

Instead, he's just out there losing until the company figures out what to do with him. That's not good and WWE runs the risk of squandering one of the best talents it has in the process.

Heath Slater, Rhyno vs. The Usos at No Mercy

The Usos became the No. 1 contenders for the WWE Smackdown Tag Team championships Tuesday after they defeated a still-hampered American Alpha.

The Usos will challenge Heath Slater and Rhyno for the titles at No Mercy and while I have been a fan of the champs and their run thus far, I believe it will come to an end at the pay-per-view.

I believe the story WWE really wants to get to is The Usos holding the titles with American Alpha chasing them in a personal rivalry that could be great television for Smackdown Live.

However, that would require Slater and Rhyno to take a backseat to the more serious rivalry.

Women's championship contract signing was great

I'm never one to find enjoyment out of a contract signing on WWE television, as the troupe is overdone and predictable.

However, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the segment Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss had in the show's opening segment.

Bliss admonished Lynch for always finishing in second place and not having what it takes to be a true champion because, in her eyes, she wasn't born to be one.

Lynch fired back with one of her best promos saying that she may not have been born to be a champion, but she fought her way into being one.

Eventually, things broke down into physicality and Bliss escaped Lynch's wrath as the fans chanted the champ's name.

I thought this segment was great because it allowed both women to shine. Bliss came across as a very dislikeable heel and Lynch's response came made her look like the fiery babyface that she excels at.