After Tuesday night, it's clear that the Road to WrestleMania 35 is paved in blue following a thrilling episode of SmackDown Live that made the biggest show of 2019 feel that much more important. 

Just 12 days out from the "showcase of the immortals" on Sunday, April 7, this was two hours of sports entertainment that was truly worthy of WrestleMania season. Not only did Charlotte Flair pop the crowd with her physical risks before a surprising title change, WWE proved it had a few more layers remaining to the Kofi Kingston storyline that has captivated the SmackDown side of this year's WrestleMania build. In between, this quick-hitting and lean show had the feel at times of a pay-per-view due to how intense and meaningful it was. 

Let's take a closer look at the highs and lows from Tuesday night. 

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Kofi Kingston finally secures title shot 

SmackDown opened with The New Day admitting they have discussed walking away from WWE due to Kingston's treatment and demanded Vince McMahon come out to provide answers. Although the WWE chairman did, he was instantly interrupted by Daniel Bryan who called New Day a "stale nostalgic act" and Kingston a "B+ player." Xavier Woods countered that Bryan was a hypocrite until McMahon began to echo Bryan's claim that Kingston isn't championship material. "The only question in my mind is whether or not you two are a B+ tag team," McMahon asked Woods and Big E. He then announced Kingston would be added to the WrestleMania match against Bryan if Woods and Big E could win a tag team gauntlet match on Tuesday.  

The New Day def. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson, Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev, The Bar and Daniel Bryan & Rowan: With Kingston watching backstage along with most of the SmackDown locker room, Woods and Big E went on an incredible run through the division. It started with a quick pin on Anderson via Up Up, Down Down. Next, a long match against Nakamura & Rusev ended with the same finishing move and pin from Woods. The match against The Bar turned out to be a long grind with a series of dramatic near falls and late saves. Finally, Big E pushed Cesaro off the second rope to allow Woods a roll up on Sheamus for the pin -- but a post-match attack from The Bar saw Big E slammed through a table.  

The Usos came out and spoke on the microphone about how many wars they have fought against The New Day and how no one is more deserving of fighting for a title than Kingston. Jimmy and Jey then popped the crowd by deciding to forfeit the match to honor their longtime rivals. Bryan & Rowan tore up the locker room and kicked a hole through a television in anger before coming out to do the same to The New Day. After a few close calls on pin attempts, Big E clotheslined Rowan over the announce table before flipping it on top of him to produce the climactic victory via countout. Kingston ran in to begin a celebration that eventually included most of the locker room. Interviewed before he stepped into his car, McMahon admitted he was impressed and added, "Yes, [Kingston] is going to WrestleMania. But the question is can a B+ player beat Daniel Bryan for the WWE championship?" 

Outside of WWE's gratuitous use of the gauntlet match as an avoidable crutch throughout the majority of this feud, it's really hard to dislike any of what took place. Talk about a feel-good and organic babyface ending that was properly set up by an Usos forfeit which deserved its own slow clap. This is how you pop a live crowd and tell a story of overcoming that illustrates in such a meaningful way exactly what Kingston's journey to this point means in both a storyline and very real-life way. In the end, no matter how good a match is or how well the babyface's t-shirt sells, nothing is more important than the story and how it makes you feel as a fan. This is something WWE got right and did so in a manner which supersedes any holes in the plot to get there. Grade: A 

Charlotte Flair captures SmackDown women's title

A pre-match interview backstage saw Becky Lynch congratulated for the announcement that she would join Flair and Ronda Rousey in a historic women's main event at WrestleMania. Lynch bragged that she brings the people to the match and Rousey brings the Raw women's championship but openly questioned what the "third wheel" Flair brings to the table. Flair's music interrupted Lynch's next thought and Flair walked down the ramp with a microphone exclaiming, "I'm about to show you how deserving I am."  
 
SmackDown Women's Championship -- Charlotte Flair def. Asuka (c) via submission to win the title: After the announcing team acted overly surprised that Flair was able to secure a title shot this close to WrestleMania, it didn't take long for the match to strum up PPV-level intensity. Asuka countered a Flair moonsault by instantly applying her Asuka Lock before Flair countered it back into a pinfall attempt for two. The spot of the match, however, was an insane Spanish Fly that Flair connected with from the top rope. Later, after only getting two on a sit-out power bomb that she countered out of a triangle choke to hit, Flair applied her Figure-8 Leg Lock with Asuka's foot bent at an awkward angle to produce the tap out.  

If there's two sides to every good argument, it can't be avoided how bad this looks for the amazingly talented Asuka that WWE would withhold a WrestleMania title match from her with a last-minute title change that isn't necessary to the main event storyline. Sadly, that argument would be true. But at the same time, knowing how loaded the WrestleMania card already is, would seeing Asuka defend against an undeserving challenger be any better? In this case, it wouldn't. And WWE deserves credit -- along with Flair's continued willingness to risk it all physically -- for easing any potential anger by how hot-fire this match was presented.  

It's hard to knock WWE for making an executive decision this late in the process when all the result does is bolster the stakes in such a historical and important women's triple threat match just 12 days from now. Will the winner of the match unify the women's titles?  At this point, nothing has been revealed. But once again, it's hard to knock WWE for adding even more importance to a match that has not only been named the main event because it's the right thing to do from a progressive standpoint, it's equally the decision that's best for business. Flair also happens to be doing the best work of her career at this very moment. Let the Queen begin a new reign, for as long as it shall be. Grade: B+ 

What else happened on SmackDown? 

  • AJ Styles def. Kurt Angle via disqualification: Angle's final match against his longtime TNA Impact Wrestling rival ahead of next week's retirement was never meant to be despite a hot start in which Angle reversed a calf crusher into an ankle lock. Randy Orton ran in to deliver an RKO out of nowhere to Styles, his WrestleMania opponent, to bring an end to the match. An upset Angle hit Orton with an Angle Slam before helping Styles to his feet.  
  • Shane McMahon accepts The Miz's WrestleMania stipulation: An in-ring promo from The Miz saw him announce his idea for a falls count anywhere match. McMahon came out complete with an army of security guards and underused SmackDown talent to protect him. After telling The Miz he's "as dumb as his dad looks," McMahon gloated about choking George Mizanin at Fastlane. After accepting Miz's stipulation, he added one more insult by saying, "My only regret is that I didn't do more harm to your father and truly punish him for spawning his greatest Miztake in life, and that's when he impregnated your mother." The Miz's attempt to attack McMahon saw him beat down each security guard and most of the roster -- including SAnitY and Shelton Benjamin  -- as McMahon escaped.