WWE SmackDown Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from May 26

As 2016 marches on, it has become more difficult to find a single Superstar who has made more of his latest opportunity than The Miz, something he did once again Thursday night en route to becoming the biggest winner of the May 26 episode of SmackDown.

The Hollywood A-Lister and intercontinental champion headlined this week's broadcast, defending his title against the man who defeated him on Raw to earn a spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match on June 19, Cesaro. Clearly an inferior technician in comparison to The Swiss Superman, Miz would have to use his cunning and ring awareness to emerge victorious.

And he did.

Miz capitalized on an exposed turnbuckle, shoving Cesaro shoulder-first into it and delivering the Skull-Crushing Finale for the pinfall victory.

It was another resourceful victory for Miz, who is regaining the momentum he had prior to his ill-fated WWE Championship run in 2011. His in-ring work has been extraordinary this year, something for which he has not received enough credit.

While it can be argued that he has worked with Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Cesaro (thus, his matches would naturally be great), at some point, Miz deserves the recognition for just how good he has been.

Thursday night was yet another example of Miz's growth as a worker and a shining example of how a detestable villain can help get someone like Cesaro even more over with the WWE Universe.

Winner: Rusev

The Bulgarian Brute followed up his United States Championship victory over Kalisto at Extreme Rules with another crushing beatdown of the masked luchador en route to his first successful title defense of the current reign.

Prior to the match, Rusev delivered another promo dripping with charisma, which raises the question as to why he is not allowed the opportunity to speak more often.

Between bells, he turned in a strong performance in which he was the best wrestler in the squared circle. Best of all, he was booked like the unstoppable force he should be, destroying Kalisto and folding him in half while stuck in the clutches of an Accolade.

Rusev has finally rediscovered the edge that made him such a compelling character in the first place, and his recent displays of charisma have only helped him develop into a more complete package than ever before. That bodes well for him and whichever brand he winds up on come the WWE draft.

Loser: AJ Styles

The last thing AJ Styles needs at this point is a frustrated loser gimmick, but that appears to be the direction WWE Creative is headed with him after a backstage promo on Thursday's show.

Addressing the breakup with The Club from Monday night and recent losses to Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens, Styles admitted that he did not know what was next for him before sulking away.

Styles is one of the best wrestlers on the planet, a fact he supported with two straight pay-per-view classics against Reigns. Having him devolve into an emotional wreck after losing his friends and a couple of matches will do little to keep him over with audiences.

At a time when WWE is prepping for a brand extension draft, it needs as many strong babyface main event stars as possible. This is not the way to go about ensuring Styles remains one of them.

Winner: Alberto Del Rio

The second-generation Mexican star descended into mediocrity as part of The League of Nations and then suffered further after countless losses to Kalisto, as WWE Creative tried to elevate the star of the masked competitor. Thursday night, Del Rio regained some momentum, defeating Zack Ryder and earning a spot in the upcoming Money in the Bank ladder match.

His assertion that he has the best chance to leave with the briefcase because of his experience in the match was a nice touch, as was his interaction with Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Dean Ambrose, which instantly inserted him into the program.

Del Rio is still one of the better workers in WWE, a guy who has thrived both in the midcard and main event. Though his character may be a bit stale compared to the others on the roster, he can be valuable to whichever roster he winds up on post-draft and, before then, to the Superstars he works with.