No title changes on live SmackDown

WWE decided the best way to promote this week's live SmackDown in Des Moines, Iowa on the USA Network was to book two big title matches: a tag team title match and a triple threat Intercontinental championship bout.

The New Day vs. The Lucha Dragons opened the show and, as they've done more often than not, New Day used their strength in numbers to retain the straps. They haven't been tearing the house down by any stretch of the imagination, but this was one of their better title defenses.

In the main event, Dean Ambrose defeated both Kevin Owens and Dolph Ziggler in a triple threat match that was much better than it had any business being. That could be because the rest of the show, a wrestling heavy evening, was mostly standard fare.

Still, it was good fun when one could reasonably expect it to underwhelm.

New Day should be looking at new contenders sometime soon -- Raw is in Brooklyn next week, I wonder if the realest guys will be in the room -- while Owens has vowed to maintain his pursuit of Ambrose.