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

Dean Ambrose is the hottest Superstar on the WWE roster heading into Payback this Sunday night, and on this week's SmackDown he proved why.

Tasked with battling the "Celtic Warrior" Sheamus in the night's opening contest, he withstood the former heavyweight champion, pinning him to maintain the momentum he has built for himself ahead of this weekend's WWE World Heavyweight Championship Fatal 4-Way match.

Late in the show, he instigated a brawl with Seth Rollins and J&J Security backstage, leading to Roman Reigns making the save. To close out the program, he handed Reigns the WWE title, telling his only friend, "I'll take it on Sunday."

From the moment he was added to the championship clash as few weeks ago on Raw, Ambrose has been the last man standing repeatedly, perhaps in an attempt to convince the audience that the Lunatic Fringe has a very real shot of leaving Baltimore with the top prize in the industry.

The biggest winner of the last month was also the biggest winner on Thursday's broadcast.

Who else joined him? Which Superstars were less lucky, earning "biggest loser" status for their showing?

Taking into account their booking, in-ring performances and the amount of momentum they did (or did not) leave the show with, these are the biggest winners and losers from the May 14 episode of SmackDown.

Winner: Tyson Kidd

The former Hart Dynasty and NXT member has enjoyed a career renaissance as of late and Thursday night, he earned both himself and partner Cesaro some considerable momentum heading into their Best 2-Out-Of-3-Falls match against New Day this Sunday at Payback when he defeated Kofi Kingston via submission with the Sharpshooter.

Once left for dead, considered too small to make any real impact in WWE despite an in-ring skill set matched by few, Kidd now enjoys a regular spot on Raw and SmackDown, a spot he earned with patience and the ability to change up his character while relegated to the developmental brand in 2014.

Winner: Adam Rose

For the last year, the Rose character has been a sensational flop, thanks in large part to its failure to translate from NXT to the main roster. The Adam Rose Experience never really clicked with WWE fans, who tend to relate better to more serious personas. 

On the heels of ESPN's E:60 film presentation Behind the Curtain, in which Rose was very much the star of the production, many wondered when WWE would take the necessary step and alter the character to build on the exposure the performer received from that mainstream documentary.

Thursday night was the start as Rose ditched the Rosebuds, declaring the party over before turning his attention to making out with Rosa Mendes.

A skilled technician, Rose has had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time with both his party-goer gimmick and his madman Leo Kruger character. Now, with interest in the man behind the gimmick at its height, he has the opportunity to enjoy the most success he ever has with WWE.

That is, if the writing staff does not fail him.

Loser: Sheamus

The former two-time WWE champion has lost a great deal of the momentum he had upon his return this past March, losing a pay-per-view bout to Dolph Ziggler and falling into the directionless mess that is the WWE midcard.

With a rematch against Ziggler slated for Payback, many expected the Celtic Warrior to get back on track toward, at the very least, a run at John Cena's United States Championship. Following a loss to Dean Ambrose Thursday night, though, it is becoming more and more apparent that WWE Creative may not really know what to do with the Irishman.

Long one of the best and most dependable workers on the roster, regardless of what role he fills, Sheamus deserves better than to be an afterthought lost in the shuffle.

While his match with Ziggler at Payback has all of the potential to steal the show out from underneath the night's more hyped matches, it will mean nothing if he continues to spend his peak years suffering from treadmill booking, never really moving forward or back.