WWE SmackDown Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from November 12

The November 12 episode of SmackDown featured the rise of a masked luchador from obscurity into a legitimate underdog in the most important tournament of the year.

After spending the majority of 2015 saddled in a going-nowhere tag team with Sin Cara and working The Ascension every single week on Main Event or Superstars (or at least it felt that way), Kalisto broke out on Thursday night's show, scoring the biggest win of his career in a monumental upset of Ryback.

When the brackets for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament were revealed on Raw, Kalisto's presence stuck out like a sore thumb. He was a glorified jobber—a tag team specialist who had done nothing to earn his spot in the field of 16.

Like Titus O'Neil, he did not belong in a tournament meant to crown the industry's most important champion.

He proved all doubters wrong, though, when he pinned Ryback following his Salida del Sol finisher from the top rope.

That The Big Guy showed him a great deal of respect only enhanced the moment and helped really put Kalisto over as a previously unforeseen threat in the tourney.

The lightning-quick competitor, and biggest winner from Thursday's broadcast, now moves on to battle Alberto Del Rio in the quarterfinal round.

Who joined Kalisto on the winner's side of things, and which competitors were not quite as lucky, earning "loser" status for their efforts on SmackDown?

Take a look.

Winners: Neville and King Barrett

Neither man stands a chance at winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but Neville and King Barrett wrestled a really strong, quality match that lasted over 15 minutes and saw The Man That Gravity Forgot advance in the tournament with the Red Arrow.

Barrett has been so woefully used over the last year that it was nice to see him have the opportunity to showcase his skills in a lengthy match, against an opponent he has a lot of history with, in front of his fellow countrymen.

That he was the Superstar chosen to be interviewed on ESPN would seem to suggest that the company has some plan in mind for the 2015 King of the Ring. When one looks at this loss, coupled with how well The Miz benefited from his appearance on the sports network, that probably is not the case.

Still, his performance in the best match of the night, as well as Neville's steady excellence, helped earn the Brits winner status Thursday.

Loser: Alberto Del Rio

After a hot return at Hell in a Cell and a clean victory over John Cena for the United States Championship, Alberto Del Rio has fallen right back into the same position he was in prior to his WWE departure.

No revelation of Zeb Colter as his manager or latest run with a championship can change the fact that he is a wholly uninteresting character whom fans have already grown tired of.

What should have been a trip around the world to reinvent himself did nothing to freshen up the stale persona. Now, he finds himself advancing in a tournament he has no real shot at winning while simultaneously engaging Jack Swagger in a feud that picks up where the two left off well over 700 days ago. 

A really ugly showing against Stardust, complete with in-ring psychology and storytelling that went nowhere and one of the worst finishers in wrestling today, did not help his argument against loser status this week.

Winner: Ryback

Some fans may look at Ryback's loss and elimination from the WWE title tournament as a sign of distrust on the part of management, which has been guilty of starting and stopping The Big Guy's push countless times in the past.

And they may have a point.

But really, Ryback's defeat at the hands of Kalisto Thursday night came in a match where the former Nexus member was forced to wrestle a match style he never really worked before. And in the process, fans gained respect for him because he did so admirably and the match came out as well as it did.

He brought his power and size advantage to the table, grounding his opponent and controlling the majority of the match. But he never hesitated to bump around for Kalisto, something that helped put him over in the long run.

Ryback was unselfish, and his sign of respect after the match did a great deal to put the spotlight on his opponent. It was a veteran move by a guy secure enough in his spot and his ability to stay over with the crowd—something not every star on the roster would be comfortable enough to do.