WWE SmackDown Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from November 14

The WWE Universe was left with the vivid imagery of Ryback and Triple H standing face to face, staring each other down as SmackDown went off the air Friday night, hinting that the Big Guy may not have only made himself an enemy of the Authority but, more specifically, may be on a collision course with Triple H.

Another Authority enemy, Team Cena member Dolph Ziggler, found himself thrust into a scenario in which, just days after suffering a brutal assault at the hands of the reborn Luke Harper, he was forced to defend his WWE Intercontinental Championship against Tyson Kidd and Cesaro in a Triple Threat Elimination match.

To leave Liverpool with the title he has worked so hard to help bring credibility back to, he would have to survive, just as he will if he wants to make it to November 23's huge pay-per-view spectacular.

Was he successful? Who joined him and Ryback in this week's edition of SmackDown's biggest winners and losers?

Let's take a look.

Winners: Dolph Ziggler, Tyson Kidd and Cesaro 

Fans who tuned in to Friday's episode of SmackDown were treated to a match that, come December 31, may very well be recognized as the free television match of the year for WWE—and rightfully so.

Intercontinental champion Dolph Ziggler, rival Cesaro and Tyson Kidd (a legitimate contender for MVP of WWE in 2014) delivered an outstanding wrestling match that had fans in Liverpool chanting "this is awesome" and applauding the athleticism of all involved.

In one single match, Ziggler further cemented himself as one of the most consistently great in-ring performers in the industry, Kidd was established as a legitimate main roster star, and Cesaro again proved why he is one of wrestling's most misused performers.

All three Superstars left SmackDown better than they came in. For a single match to have that effect on three very different stars, who are in three very different spots on the card, is a tremendous accomplishment and a testament to its quality.

Winner: Ryback

The redemption of Ryback continued on SmackDown, as he was the unquestioned star of the show and the competitor who emerged with the most momentum on his side.

After enduring a hard chair shot from Kane, he fought back and laid into the Corporate Demon with a series of chair shots. He then tossed the weapon away and came face to face with Triple H for an intense showdown to close out the broadcast.

Outside of a brief lapse of sanity at the start of Raw, during which Ryback appeared to turn heel and side with the Authority, the Big Guy has been booked perfectly since returning from injury. He has torn through the competition, leaving everyone from Bo Dallas to John Cena lying in a heap and reminding fans of the juggernaut who made such an incredible impact back in 2012.

If WWE Creative can maintain the momentum that Ryback has built thus far, it could make up for the disastrous 2013, which saw the potential breakout star become an afterthought.

Losers: Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt

For two months, Dean Ambrose felt very much like the antihero fans had begged WWE for. He was presented as an equal to John Cena and was even a main eventer at a pay-per-view. However, since losing to Seth Rollins at Hell in a Cell and beginning a rivalry with Bray Wyatt, Ambrose has been dropped back down into the midcard, and his latest feud feels very much like it belongs there.

With no clear reason for why Wyatt attacked Ambrose or why the two are feuding outside the fact he did, WWE Creative opted to have Wyatt bring up the Lunatic Fringe's perceived daddy issues. From there, the feud has become more personal, but there is still a glaring problem: We still don't know why Wyatt has targeted Ambrose. 

Rather than actually sit down and formulate a feud between the two, it feels very much like WWE Creative knew it wanted to bring the two Superstars together in a program. Rather than having a backstory or, at the very least, a reason to do it, it just went ahead, booked the ignition of the rivalry and figured it would fill in the chapters as it goes.

That style of booking both hurts the fluidity of the story and severely hampers the evolution of the characters because they are the ones who have to act out and try to make sense of a story the writers themselves are not even quite sure of.