WWE SmackDown Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from March 17

WWE rolled into Cincinnati for a special St. Patrick's Day edition of SmackDown on Thursday night, and hometown boy Dean Ambrose left no question as to who the biggest winner of the broadcast was.

The Lunatic Fringe took fans on a guided tour of the Queen City, visiting old stomping grounds while simultaneously telling the viewing audience how each one of them prepared him for the upcoming Street Fight against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 32 on April 3.

It was a refreshing touch, one that treated Ambrose like a human being rather than a caricature, which is what happens all too often with his lunatic persona. Thursday night, he was portrayed as a double-tough guy from a notoriously dangerous city hellbent on inflicting pain and punishment on his rival or going down swinging.

That is exactly the type of character fans can connect to and invest in. It also proves that WWE Creative knows how to book that type of character, leaving some to wonder why it has failed on such a grand stage with Ambrose's former Shield mate, Roman Reigns.

Reigns was the night's biggest loser on the heels of a generic promo for a match fans could not care less about, in front of a crowd that would rather see anyone else but him, regardless of how many cheers WWE piped in during post-production.

Reports from the tapings, like this one from our friends at ProWrestling.net, would seem to suggest the amount of boos he generated deemed the canned ovations were necessary. 

Whereas Ambrose is riding a wave of momentum into The Showcase of the Immortals, the future face of WWE is ice cold, hardly where he wants to be just weeks before his coronation as wrestling's biggest star.

The March 17 broadcast was very much a tale of two stars, both destined for greatness but both on completely different paths toward it.

Speaking of greatness and WrestleMania, three women en route to establishing themselves as the measuring sticks in the sport earned "winner" status for their roles on the show, as did the current intercontinental champion and his opponent in Thursday's main event.

Not so lucky were the tag teams not involved in the championship match on April 3, their roles on SmackDown relegated to setting up a match no one cares about.

Winners: Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks

On Thursday night, the three women who will compete in a Triple Threat match for the Divas Championship at WrestleMania came face-to-face (to face?) for a promo segment that was more than effective.

Charlotte was so convincing as the condescending and insincere champion, talking down to her opponents. The apology she issued to her father Ric for ever referring to Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch as "horsewomen," was extremely well done. She has thrived as a heel in ways she never did as a babyface and is one of the brightest stars heading into the April 3 extravaganza. 

Sasha Banks was phenomenal as she reminded fans that she has yet to be beaten since her debut nearly a year ago, while simultaneously downplaying Becky Lynch's claim to gold.

And speaking of The Lass Kicker, she once again came across as the most likable of the three, a straight babyface who fans want to see succeed.

So strong was the segment that it would not have been out of place on Raw. The individual performances were fantastic and lent heat to the impending match, which could very well steal the show come WrestleMania, especially if WWE Creative can continue giving the women quality material like this.

Losers: The Dudley Boyz and The Usos

Does anyone outside of either The Dudley Boyz's or The Usos' most passionate fans care about their match at WrestleMania? WWE Creative has done such a lackadaisical job of putting heat on the match or giving anyone a reason to care that it is a surprise that it has even made the card.

Thursday's match between Bubba Ray Dudley and Goldust was little more than an excuse to get the teams some spotlight while simultaneously pushing the idea of a Goldust and R-Truth team that is already more over than either of the other two.

An undefined story, an intriguing heel turn wasted on the undercard and two teams which are beyond stale have made for a lackluster and underwhelming program that will do neither side any favors.

That is, except net them the all-important WrestleMania payday.

Winners: Kevin Owens and AJ Styles

Fans got their first taste of what a Kevin Owens-AJ Styles match in WWE could look like in the form of an ultra-competitive bout on Thursday night.

The match built slowly until exploding with a series of late near-falls that left fans in Cincinnati guessing as to which man would leave with his arm raised in victory. The answer, as it turned out, was Owens, after interference from Chris Jericho allowed him to level Styles with a big boot before putting him away with the Pop-Up Powerbomb.

Both men have sparkling reputations as in-ring workers and proved it on Thursday in what should be the first of many extraordinary matches between KO and The Phenomenal One.