WWE SmackDown Results: Rusev Day Upset and Top Takeaways

Following WWE Backlash, SmackDown Live this week turned its attention to WWE Money in the Bank as wrestlers looked to qualify for one of the two dual-brand ladder matches. It was a straightforward direction to take the show, and it revealed who is on the rise on SmackDown.

Both The Miz and Rusev emerged victorious to confirm their status as rising stars on the brand in matches that could have easily gone the opposite way. The IIconics hoped to prove their mettle, but Peyton Royce fell to Charlotte Flair, establishing the team's role in the women's division.

Meanwhile, the stacked tag team division showed its limitations, as the SmackDown tag team champions again took a backseat to others in the division as the argument between The New Day and Sheamus and Cesaro raged on. Becky Lynch also continued her downward spiral with a loss to Mandy Rose.

These moments left much to be discussed on SmackDown's immediate future, with talent rising and falling in short succession. The following takeaways may not be lasting conclusions for the future of WWE, but they certainly stood out.    

Rusev Takes Rusev Day to the Next Level with Upset Win Over Daniel Bryan

In SmackDown's main event, a still-injured Daniel Bryan fought Rusev for an opportunity in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match, and The Bulgarian Brute pulled off a shocking upset as he caught Bryan with a Machka Kick for the win.

While the victory comes with the caveat that Bryan was still considered hurt from the attack he suffered at the hands of Big Cass at Backlash, it was still an impressive clean victory for Rusev, who was barely assisted by Aiden English at ringside.

While Rusev Day has gotten massively over, The Super Athlete has not had much success lately, and it seemed that WWE was ignoring the response entirely. This may be a sign that the company is finally pushing Rusev back up the card without teaming with English.

It looks like The Beard will be busy going forward with Cass, who indirectly cost him a future world title shot, which leaves an opening for multiple stars to step up. Rusev is talented, popular and engaging, a trio of traits you need to be a top star in WWE.

The Bulgarian Brute's win may have come as a surprise, but it was a long time coming and hopefully a sign that the company is finally ready to get back behind this star at the top of his game.

The Miz Has Already Established Himself as a SmackDown MVP

In the first men's Money in the Bank ladder match qualifier for SmackDown, Miz clashed with Jeff Hardy and managed to escape with a win thanks to a backslide following a Swanton Bomb. The victory instantly established The A-Lister atop SmackDown as one of the premier stars.

The match was not as good as it could have been, with The Charismatic Enigma looking out of sorts, but Miz put in another strong individual performance and kept the contest exciting. It is rare someone has to carry a Hardy through a match, but The Awesome One did it easily.

Miz not only earned one of the limited spots in the Money in the Bank ladder match, but he also claimed a win over the United States champion. This one match immediately established that Miz stands near the top of the card in the Land of Opportunity.

Hopefully this is the start of a push straight to the top for Miz, who would be a great opponent for AJ Styles in the near future. It's been many years since the loud-mouth heel has gotten a shot at the world championship, and he's far more ready for a run than he was in 2010.

The big five on SmackDown right now are Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe, Bryan and Miz, and that's an impressive group that all deserve a massive spotlight. 

The IIconics Are the Replacements for The Riott Squad

Credit: WWE.com

In a competitive match against Charlotte, Royce fell just short—she was trapped in the Figure-Eight until she was forced to tap out. The IIconic member may have lost, but she certainly proved her merit going toe-to-toe with Charlotte for almost 13 minutes.

SmackDown has rarely had great heels in the women's division, particularly since Alexa Bliss moved to Raw. Since that time, instead of relying on one heel, the brand has relied on stables. The IIconics have now officially taken on the role that The Welcoming Committee and The Riott Squad once held.

The defining trait of each of these stables was that they were always competitive but rarely took major victories over the stacked face lineup on SmackDown. It is tough to ever get momentum on the same roster as The Queen, particularly when she's your main rival.

Carmella right now is a step ahead of Charlotte after her win at WWE Backlash, so The IIconics seem to be on the roster to look good while putting over The Genetically Superior Athlete. It's honestly a better position than Royce and Billie Kay were in back in NXT.

This type of booking feels a bit backward in establishing stars, as The IIconics should come off as a far more lethal threat. The same was true of The Riott Squad, though, and it will continue to be true as long as Charlotte remains protected at the top of the card.

The New Day and the Bar Are a Bigger Focus Than the Tag Team Champions

For the second week in a row, The Bludgeon Brothers took a backseat while the feud between The New Day and The Bar was further developed. After Sheamus' loss to Xavier Woods last week, Cesaro looked to get revenge and succeeded by catching Woods with a European uppercut.

Meanwhile, Harper and Rowan only appeared in a backstage video package where they asked for anyone to step up to them. It is disconcerting that so much work has been put into making these monsters look dominant only for the duo to sit back and do nothing for weeks on end.

This type of booking is generally a sign that the champions will not keep their titles for long. Obviously, WWE wants to make sure fans get the top stars each week, and Kofi Kingston, Big E, Woods, Sheamus and Cesaro are featured attractions.

The problem is that SmackDown's tag team division is packed with too much talent. The Usos are MIA lately, as are Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. No one has been set up for a title opportunity, and unfortunately no one seems interested in that opportunity.

It was announced that next week The New Day would battle Sheamus and Cesaro for a spot in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match, proving their silly war over pancakes is beyond tag title glory.

Becky Lynch Is in the Worst Position of Her Career

Credit: WWE.com

Rose debuted on SmackDown this week and was forced to go it alone, wrestling Lynch without Sonya Deville at ringside. This set up a situation that should have guaranteed a win for the former SmackDown women's champion, but it was Rose who stole the victory with a handful of tights.

The Four Horsewomen of WWE are credited largely as the driving force behind the women's evolution, but it has often felt like WWE forgets Lynch is a part of that quartet. Once considered SmackDown's leading woman, she has been largely overshadowed since losing her title to Bliss back in 2016.

Despite being one of the most popular women in the company, she has played a secondary role for a year-and-a-half now, and this latest loss might have been the worst yet. Rose has been often been treated as a joke of a threat in WWE, and she managed to defeat Lynch without any help.

This followed The Irish Lasskicker's loss two weeks ago to The IIconics, and the booking continues to push her down the ladder with Charlotte and Asuka atop the division. It will be especially telling if the Straight Fire Superstar fails to qualify for Money in the Bank in the coming weeks.

Lynch has repeatedly run into WWE's fundamental booking problem: not capitalizing on popularity. As the underdog babyface, Becky Balboa will continue to lose because it does not affect her popularity rather than capitalizing on how over she is by making her a major player on the brand.