Sadly, what has been an incredible WrestleMania week is coming to a close. Before it does, though, we still had SmackDown Live on Tuesday night where some obvious questions needed to be answered. Why did Shinsuke Nakamura do what he did to AJ Styles following his WWE championship match loss on Sunday? Who's next for Charlotte Flair after she conquered Asuka's streak to retain her title? 

But we began SmackDown this week by answering the question of whether the recently-cleared Daniel Bryan would maintain his position as general manager of the blue brand. 

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Paige gets a new job

Shane McMahon opened up the post-WrestleMania edition of SmackDown on Tuesday. The commissioner first thanked all of the fans on behalf of the company for being a part of WrestleMania week and making it a huge success. He added that while he loves all of his Mania appearances, this one was extra special because we got to see the return of Bryan, which drew a large "YES!" chant from the audience in New Orleans. McMahon then went on to reveal that because of Bryan's return to full-time duty, he has graciously accepted his general manager's resignation.

That being the case, McMahon announced to us all the new general manager of SmackDown, Taking over for Bryan is none other than Paige, who just 24 hours earlier was forced to deliver an emotional retirement speech on Raw. After thanking McMahon for the new position, Paige said she wanted to make her first night on the job extra special for everyone. Her first order of business as the SmackDown GM was to give Bryan his first match back on television -- and that match will be against WWE champion AJ Styles. 

This was a tremendous decision by the company. Paige has the impeccable microphone skills to perform well in this authority role, and it goes without saying that it's nice to see someone as talented as she is sticking around following that emotional announcement she was forced to give on Monday; perfect choice to replace the returning Bryan on television. 

Carmella gets the cash-in right this time

SmackDown women's champion Charlotte Flair praised Asuka in the ring for their match that took place on Sunday. As she was beginning to ponder who would be next for her as a contender, she was interrupted by the debuting Billie Kay and Peyton Royce -- now known simply as "The Iconics." The debuting female duo from NXT verbally ran down Flair before assaulting her, which included a brutal beating on the outside. They would bring Flair back into the ring to leave her for dead. As they were being escorted to the back following their actions, Carmella's music hit the sound system to a huge pop as the crowd was anticipating her arrival. 

Carmella def. Charlotte Flair (c) via pinfall to win the title: The women's Money in the Bank holder sprinted down the ramp to the ring, repeatedly screaming to the referee that she was ready to cash in the briefcase. After the ref took his time asking Carmella if she was certain -- because, remember, Carmella has not been great at this whole cash-in attempt process -- the bell rang and the match was finally official. Carmella nailed the champ with a swift kick to the head, followed by the pin to become the SmackDown women's champion nearly one year after she initially captured the coveted briefcase. The brand-new champion taunted Flair as she celebrated outside the ring. 

Once it was clear Flair wasn't going to be able to fend off the attack of the debuting Kay and Royce, you immediately assumed Carmella was coming out as soon as possible. It was predictable, but at the same time, there was an element of surprise to what transpired because recent rumors indicated Carmella's inevitable cash-in attempt was going to fail. Will Carmella have a long reign as the champ? Probably not, but it was a memorable moment on the final post-WrestleMania show. 

Nakamura ruins the WWE dream match

AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan ends in a No Contest: As you'd expect, Styles vs. Bryan in a WWE ring for the first time was pure magic from start to finish. The thing was: The finish wasn't definitive. Nakamura came through the crowd, hit the ring and promptly nailed Bryan in the back of the head with a knee to take him out of the equation. From there, he turned his attention to the champion. The new heel version of Nakamura blasted Styles with a Kinshasa before giving him another low-blow similar to the one he stunned him with on Sunday. After adding insult to injury with another shot below the belt, Nakamura made his way to the back with an evil smirk on his face. 

While only one show in, the heel version of Nakamura appears it'll breathe new life into the Japanese star in WWE. From the promo he cut earlier in the evening (which you'll see more about below) to ruining a WWE dream match for fans, it won't be long before he's one of the most hated members of the roster; kneeing Bryan in the back of the head certainly helps the cause there. There will be more to come with these three, which is certainly not a bad thing by any means. I mean, given tonight's events, just imagine a triple threat offering featuring these three men somewhere soon down the road. There's something good brewing here -- if next week's Superstar Shake-Up doesn't ruin it in some way. 

What else happened on SmackDown?

  • Tag Team Championship No. 1 contender match -- The Usos def. The New Day via pinfall: After another outstanding match between these two teams, Jey Uso got the pin on Xavier Woods after a splash from the top rope for the win, earning the right to face The Bludgeon Brothers at the Greatest Royal Rumble for the titles they lost at WrestleMania. Following the bout, the new champs came out to the ramp and pointed their mallets towards their challengers in Saudi Arabia. 
  • Naomi def. Natalya via pinfall: In a match set up by Natalya interrupting Naomi talking about her historical women's battle royal win earlier in the day, Naomi got the 1-2-3 following a split-legged moonsault in a two-segment match. 
  • Shinsuke Nakamura backstage interview: Renee Young caught up with Nakamura at his locker room, and the heel turn that started at WrestleMania progressed. Upon being asked why he hit Styles with a low blow after their title match on Sunday, Nakamura sarcastically shot back with answers of not knowing what came over him and maybe getting too emotional. After Young pressed him harder on the matter, Nakamura replied with, "Sorry, I don't speak English," which drew a huge pop from the smart crowd in attendance excited for this side of Shinsuke. 
  • U.S. Championship No. 1 contender match (Triple Threat match) -- Randy Orton def. Bobby Roode and Rusev via pinfall: Orton disposed of Rusev into the post, and after a failed roll-up attempt by Roode, hit the RKO for the victory. The former champ will now take on Jinder Mahal at Backlash.