WWE SmackDown Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from March 5

The mayhem, chaos and unpredictability surrounding the Intercontinental Championship picture continued Thursday night as World Wrestling Entertainment presented its latest episode of SmackDown.

The usual suspects were present. Bad News Barrett teamed with Luke Harper to battle Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler in the main event, with R-Truth providing his thoughts on commentary.

But it was a sneak attack on Daniel Bryan and a declaration of intent by the mysterious, enigmatic Stardust that left fans wondering what will happen next on the journey to WrestleMania 31 and the Ladder match for the IC title.

WWE United States champion Rusev reignited his rivalry with Jack Swagger, knocking off the Real American with the Accolade and proving himself as dominant as ever.

His celebration was interrupted by, of all people, Curtis Axel, who channeled his inner Hulkster to deliver a promo challenging Rusev to a U.S. title match on Raw.

AJ Lee defeated Brie Bella in the second lengthy Divas match of the week, Tyson Kidd and Cesaro benefited from interference from Natalya to defeat Los Matadores, and Roman Reigns addressed Paul Heyman's impassioned promo from Raw.

Matches were won and lost by some of the most notable Superstars on the roster, but who really emerged from this week's broadcast as the winners and losers, mere weeks from the biggest show of the year, WrestleMania?

Find out now with this look back at the March 5 episode of SmackDown.

Winner: Stardust

The face-painted freak and son of Dusty Rhodes made the biggest impact on this week's broadcast when he attacked Daniel Bryan, seized the intercontinental title and stood on a nearby ladder, insinuating that he will be one of the many Superstars to compete for the once prestigious championship come March 29.

Stardust's involvement in the show-closing segment, laying out one of the most popular stars in the sport, is interesting if only because he is coming off a mightily disappointing match against brother Goldust at Fastlane and has done nothing to indicate that he has any interest in the championship.

At least not until Thursday night.

Now, the artist formerly known as Cody Rhodes will be included in a match designed to bring immensely talented individuals together and, at the same time, reattain the credibility and legitimacy that the intercontinental title once possessed.

Not a bad shift of direction for a character that looked doomed to participate in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal just hours earlier.

Losers: Kane and Big Show

There is no denying Big Show's and Kane's contributions to World Wrestling Entertainment over the last two decades. They have been solid, consistent stars for the company, stepping up and filling whatever roles necessary, whenever necessary.

Unfortunately, they are at the point in their careers where they no longer perform up to the level of the younger, more exciting and interesting stars on the roster. Add to that the fact that they are beyond stale from a character and storytelling perspective, and you have two guys who need to disappear from WWE programming for a while.

If not for good.

Superstars such as Ryback, Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan and Seth Rollins have had the quality of their matches dragged down by the mere presence of the two big men. When that is the case, and veteran talent begins adversely affecting the quality of programming because they no longer fit the direction a company is headed, it is time to call it quits.

That does not imply that they should not be celebrated and respected for everything they have given to the industry. It simply means that they have outlived their expiration dates, and it is becoming more and more painfully obvious with every passing show.

Winner: AJ Lee

After a return to Raw that garnered a thunderous ovation, WWE's resident Black Widow returned to the squared circle on SmackDown, battling longtime rival Brie Bella in singles competition.

With Divas champion Nikki Bella and "frenemy" Paige watching from ringside, the New Jersey native turned in a solid performance, one that made every fan in attendance and at home forget the fact that she had missed three months of competition.

Best of all, she picked up a clean submission victory over Brie, much to the delight of the Washington, D.C. crowd.

The reluctant partnership between AJ and Paige ahead of what is expected to be a tag team match against the Bella Twins at WrestleMania has made for a solid storyline, especially with commentators bringing up the rocky relationship between the babyfaces.

How that match plays out come March 29 remains to be seen, but for right now, WWE Creative is crafting a story that is, at the very least, intriguing.

Something that cannot be said for everything else heading into the Showcase of the Immortals.

Losers: The New Day

After weeks of buildup to the revelation of The New Day, Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and Big E could not possibly be more irrelevant than they are right now. The idea that WWE spent as much time and money filming the vignettes for the trio and then debuted them amid all sorts of hype is ludicrous given the way they have been left to waste away in WWE's undefined midcard.

Thursday night, they picked up a win over The Miz and Damien Mizdow, but the spotlight was focused solely on the heels in the match rather than the heroes. WWE Creative could have booked Hornswoggle and El Torito to win the match rather than Kingston and Big E and fans still would not have noticed.

They were beneficiaries of facing off against an act involved in a heated program heading into WrestleMania, whereas they could not be colder heading into the most prestigious event of 2015.

Winner: R-Truth

A month ago, R-Truth could not buy time on either of WWE's two main shows. He was a regular on B- and C-level programs such as Main Event and Superstars but rarely sniffed a spot on Raw or SmackDown. Then the idea for the intercontinental title Ladder match was formulated, and suddenly, he returned to television.

His victory over Bad News Barrett put him into title contention and since then, the ring veteran has developed into one of the more entertaining characters in all of WWE, stealing the championship on numerous occasions before casually handing it over and claiming another title reign, despite never officially winning it in the first place.

While everything he has done to this point smacks of comedic elements, there is something about the latest incarnation of the Truth character that suggests he may have a plan entering WrestleMania and the highest-profile match he has wrestled since his huge singles push way back in 2011.

If there is not a bigger reason for Truth's involvement in the match, WWE Creative will have missed a huge opportunity, as the former U.S. champion continues to make the most of the opportunity given to him here in 2015.