WWE SmackDown Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from May 5

Do you remember that time Zack Ryder won the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 32 and appeared to be en route to a significant singles push after years of opening match mediocrity?

WWE apparently does not, at least based on his booking in the immediate aftermath of The Showcase of the Immortals, as witnessed Thursday night on SmackDown.

No longer a valued member of the midcard, he was back to his role as glorified enhancement star, jobbing out to Rusev in short order as The Bulgarian Brute continued his march to a United States Championship showdown with Kalisto.

Couple that with his quick loss alongside Mojo Rawley to The Revival on NXT, and Ryder is not only the biggest loser from the May 5 episode of SmackDown but may very well be the biggest loser of the entire week.

Luckily, there were several Superstars who fared better than Long Island Iced Z.

Winner: Sami Zayn

The Underdog from the Underground had a productive and effective night in two different ways on Thursday.

First, he excelled as a guest on The Highlight Reel, appearing as comfortable on the microphone as he has to date. He was more self-assured than he has been on the main roster, and considering the fact that he was at the center of the talk segment, it worked.

From there, he backed up his words with another strong in-ring performance in a disqualification win over intercontinental champion The Miz.

Zayn's first few weeks on Raw and SmackDown were a bit bumpy, but he has rebounded nicely and enjoyed his best week yet.

Winners: The Vaudevillains

Aiden English and Simon Gotch continued their dominance over the WWE tag team division Thursday night, defeating The Social Outcasts.

The win, as well as the Enzo Amore injury, has helped lend them considerable heat. After entering arenas to silence in their first few weeks on SmackDown, the team has the opportunity to become the heels that the entire tag team division is built around.

More importantly, they have a ready-made program waiting for them when Amore returns to action. Their feud with the Certified G and his tag team partner Big Cass could result in some truly heated grudge matches to accompany tag champions The New Day in the rejuvenation of the tag roster.

Losers: Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows

Not only have the former Bullet Club members descended into the roles of glorified lackeys and idiot best friends of AJ Styles, but they also suffered their first loss in a throwaway tag match during Thursday's SmackDown.

It was a questionable decision on the part of WWE Creative, whose inability to follow up the team's tremendous debut has potentially damaged its perception among fans.

Of course, it is an issue that can be resolved quickly, especially if (or when) the grand plan is revealed. For now, though, the booking staff will have to tread lightly so as not to do any more damage to Anderson and Gallows or risk rendering them useless by the time the revelation of their plans come to fruition.