WWE SmackDown Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from April 9

With only two hours of airtime to fill, SmackDown continues to be the superior of WWE's two prime-time programs, as witnessed again on SyFy on Thursday night.

Intercontinental champion Daniel Bryan found himself the target of both Sheamus and Bad News Barrett. From there, Dolph Ziggler, Big Show and Roman Reigns all made their presences felt, leading to a six-man tag team match.

Despite a loss on Monday night, Damien Mizdow continued to make life a nightmare for the Miz, who was also overshadowed and talked down to by his guest on Miz TV, Summer Rae.

Then there was the New Day, who were greeted with a chorus of boos as they entered the arena for their match with WWE tag team champions Tyson Kidd and Cesaro.

Some of the men and women who took to the squared circle Thursday night enjoyed glorious evenings, picking up huge victories on the road to Extreme Rules. Others saw their momentum dashed by losses or segments that threatened their stability and position on the card.

Now, without further ado, these are the winners and losers from the April 9 episode of SmackDown.

Winner: Roman Reigns

Though Reigns may be on a collision course with Big Show that threatens to derail his push, he had a strong Thursday night. The Dallas crowd erupted when he came to the aid of Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan, then cheered him wildly as he tore through Big Show, Bad News Barrett and Sheamus in the night's main event, in which he led his team to victory.

It was a dominant performance, one that saw him unleash the Superman Punch and spear on his opponents, changing the pace of the bout and injecting it with necessary energy.

The intensity that he showed while rolling over the opposition is exactly the type of thing that will help him succeed and win over the crowd. WWE Creative has done him no favors as of late, but as long as he can continue to bring this sort of energy to matches, he will ultimately be able to overcome any deficit in terms of fan acceptance.

Winners: The New Day

Even in defeat, the New Day earns winner status for this week's episode of SmackDown due to the fact that they are getting over as heels far better than they ever did as babyfaces. The overly peppy, inspirational babyfaces failed miserably upon their debut, so WWE Creative has overhauled the gimmick, laying the groundwork for a full-blown heel turn that should see them become one of the top teams in the company.

Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods have been badly in need of a character change that erases all memories of them as generic good guys and allows them to voice their frustrations with their spot on the card and the crowd's reaction to them on a live mic every week.

As they begin their complete turn, that opportunity should present itself, and all three will be better off for it. And so will the fans, who are looking for any reason to care about the performers again.

Loser: Erick Rowan

WWE presented a video package that put over the Erick Rowan character during Thursday's broadcast, then proceeded to job him to Bray Wyatt in a match that was much better than it had any right to be. Still, despite a strong performance by the lamb mask-wearing behemoth, he lost.

His use over the last six months has been truly baffling. First, he looked to be in line for a push, one of the few men with the guts to stand up to the Authority. Then Rowan lost to Big Show in a terrible match at TLC in December 2014 and began a downward spiral that saw him disappear from meaningful storylines and appear almost exclusively on Main Event and Superstars.

The lack of direction certainly hampers Rowan's ability to be anything more than a midcard act for as long as WWE Creative ignores him. The best he can hope for is occasional appearances in high-profile television matches he is certain to lose to much more important performers.

Like he did against Wyatt on Thursday night.

Winner: The Miz

While the self-proclaimed A-list celebrity and former WWE champion may have his share of critics, his performance Thursday night was outstanding.

A consummate heel, he ruled the microphone from the minute he entered the squared circle—through his brief back-and-forth with Summer Rae and during his confrontation with Damien Mizdow.

When he was cleared out of the ring, his facial expressions and body language continued to put over the angle.

For as much hate as the Miz has inspired throughout his career, the storyline involving Mizdow could have never gotten over to the level that it has without a strong, unlikable villain such as Miz. He is easy to dislike, and his condescending nature really helped establish the dynamic between himself and Mizdow.

In what was the hottest angle of the night, Miz reminded everyone that, while he may remain firmly entrenched in the midcard, he is among the most talented heels in the entire company.

Winners: The Divas

Over the last two years, it has been difficult for any Divas outside of AJ Lee or the Bella Twins to get substantial airtime. Over the last few weeks, Paige and Naomi have helped to carry the mantle for the women's wrestlers. And Thursday night on SmackDown, focus was put on some of the other Divas on the roster ahead of Monday night's No. 1 Contender's Battle Royal.

Natalya and Alicia Fox battled in a competitive contest that was won by the former, while Cameron had the last laugh by planting both of her fellow Divas with vicious DDTs.

Later in the night, Summer Rae earned some screen time thanks to her upcoming appearance in The Marine 4 and was integral to Damien Mizdow getting one over on his former employer.

While none of the ladies are likely to suddenly earn significant screen time going forward, it was refreshing to see WWE Creative focus on fresh faces.