WWE SmackDown Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from July 7

Few Superstars can tiptoe the thin line between comedy and seriousness the way Kevin Owens can and did Thursday night en route to earning "biggest winner" status for the July 7 episode of SmackDown.

WWE's resident Prizefighter was convincing whether encountering an infuriated Chris Jericho backstage—mocking him for his choice in scarves and giving him a Jolly Rancher as payment for dry cleaning—or attacking Sami Zayn with a Pop-up Powerbomb after a main event against Jericho.

Even sitting in on commentary, Owens expressed a confident sarcasm but in between the jokes, there was a seething hatred for Zayn that manifested itself from time to time.

Owens is as intriguing a performer as there is in WWE, thanks primarily to the fact that he can alter his attitude and personality to fit any situation. He can be a babyface or a heel. He can be the most lovable guy on the show or the most dangerous.

It will be a joyous occasion when the company finally splits the roster on July 19 and gives Owens the opportunity to run wild higher up on the card, where he belongs.

For now, he can continue seizing every opportunity he receives and delivering some of the most compelling performances on the entire show. The July 24 showdown with Zayn at Battleground 2016 may not be the most hyped or marketed match on the card, but if previous encounters are any indication, Owens could be looking at another potential Match of the Year candidate to add to his resume.

Winner: Zack Ryder

Zack Ryder pinned Sheamus cleanly in the center of the ring Thursday night following his top-rope El-Bro.

Think back a year to where Ryder was in the middle of 2015 and let that sentence sink in for a moment.

Ryder's push may have been inconsistent through the first six months of this year but has been afforded more television wins and high-profile matches than he has over the last four years. He also voiced his desire to challenge Rusev for the United States Championship, suggesting that he is in line for a title push in the coming weeks.

If ever there was a personification of the old adage, "Hard work pays off," it is Ryder. No matter how many times he has been dealt a raw deal by management, he has continued to plug away and may finally be on his way to a substantial push as the brand extension nears.

Loser: Kalisto

If anyone has seen his momentum dissipate over the course of 2016, it is Kalisto.

Though he is a talented in-ring worker and one of the flashiest Superstars on the WWE roster, he was so poorly booked during his time as United States champion that it led some to wonder why management even bothered putting the title on him in the first place.

Other than victories over floundering veterans Alberto Del Rio and Ryback, he was never allowed to score those definitive wins that would have elevated him in the eyes of the audience. Instead, he felt like a tag team specialist inexplicably given a run with a prestigious midcard title.

On Thursday night, his downward spiral continued with a fairly clean loss to intercontinental champion The Miz.

While there are many Superstars firing on all cylinders, riding a wave of momentum ahead of the upcoming WWE draft, Kalisto is ice cold and in desperate need of a renewed push in order to be more than a tag team worker.

Winner: Natalya

While her motivations for turning on Becky Lynch may be as generic as they come, adding the element of danger to Natalya via the sneak attack on her former friend was the right move Thursday night.

The Queen of Harts has long been the "nice one" in the women's division. She smiles, does all of the media relations work and takes selfies with fans at live events. She has filled that role for so long that it began to define her.

The recent heel turn was necessary, if only to freshen up a character that reached critical levels of staleness three years ago. Now she is freer to demonstrate the nastiness and meanness that fans do not typically associate with her.

If WWE Creative could come up with a more original and effective reasoning for said heel turn and betrayal of Lynch, the character would have the opportunity to emerge as one of the most interesting in the entire division.