WWE SmackDown Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from December 31

For Tyler Breeze, 2015 was a year of ups and downs.

On NXT, he was always treated like a top talent, regardless of how many wins or losses he incurred. Fans believed in him because of the level of wrestler he was, and the fact that booking always supported him as an elite Superstar helped with that.

But that did not change the fact that he sat back and watched as wrestler after wrestler was called up to the main roster while he was stuck in the same position, with no real upward or downward mobility.

That changed with his promotion to the main roster this past fall, but a pairing with Summer Rae that never really made sense nearly doomed him from the start.

Thursday night, as fans across the world were celebrating New Year's Eve, Breeze got a fresh start with the absolution of his on-screen relationship.

Free from forced pairing, Breeze can let the character he developed in NXT shine through, especially if given the opportunity to do so by WWE Creative. With the early disappointments of his main roster run behind him, he can refocus and become the star Triple H believes he can be, dating back to his days working with Jushin Liger, Finn Balor, Hideo Itami and Neville in NXT.

Breeze was the biggest winner of a pedestrian episode of SmackDown, hurt by a weak roster and a lack of energy.

Still, there were other winners and two big losers on the night.

Winner: Kalisto

The masked luchador is clearly in line for a major push on the heels of his death-defying Salida del Sol at TLC and his Slammy victory just two weeks later. He has charisma, can talk and is a dynamic wrestler that captivates fans with his dazzling offense.

Thursday night, he was very much treated like the star of the 6-Man Tag Team match that saw him team with The Dudley Boyz to battle The New Day.

It is no secret that WWE is looking for a Latino star it can promote heavily in Mexico and South America. It may believe it found such a wrestler in Alberto Del Rio but as a lightning-quick babyface with the mask that could be hugely marketable, it may very well be Kalisto that fills that role.

And rightfully so.

Losers: The Usos

Jimmy and Jey Uso are supposed to be a tag team that fans buy as a legitimate main event act, two Superstars that can be paired with Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose and be credible enough to beat The League of Nations and other heel acts further up the card. 

Yet, on SmackDown, they were convincingly defeated by Braun Strowman and Luke Harper.

Tossed around like rag dolls, the former two-time tag champions were jobbed out in just six minutes. Why that decision was made when The Dudley Boyz were right there to fill that spot is a mystery to this writer and one that could come back to haunt WWE Creative if Jimmy and Jey fail to retain their momentum and heat going forward.

Winner: The New Day

Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods capped off a banner year by kicking off this week's episode of SmackDown, proof of the tremendous strides they have made over the last 12 months. It was not all that long ago that The New Day was a major bust of an act, failing miserably as babyfaces. A heel turn, some creativity from the guys involved and acceptance by fans of their sheer ridiculousness helped them grow into an act that Vince McMahon could trust to open shows and generate interest in the rest of the night's event.

Sure, they lost the opening contest, but the promo that preceded the match was fantastic stuff from three guys hitting their stride as the new year arrives.

There are a lot of things, and Superstars, to look forward to in 2016, but how New Day improves upon their breakout year figures to be among the most interesting.