WWE SmackDown Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from January 24

The last stop on the road to Royal Rumble, this week's SmackDown took a much more methodical approach to hyping Sunday's pay-per-view event than Raw, continuing to promote its ongoing stories, regardless of whether they'll play significant roles in this weekend's proceedings.

John Cena and AJ Styles came together for an outstanding promo segment that built the intensity of their upcoming WWE Championship match, but neither of those Superstars made the cut for this week's biggest winners and losers.

Why not?

Fans expect great things from them. They have been at the forefront of the wrestling world for 15 years. Praising Cena for a great promo or Styles for an outstanding match has become the norm.

What is not is the brand's booking of its women's division, which is criminally underrated by those wowed by the flashiness of Raw's Sasha Banks-Charlotte Flair feud. What are not are Luke Harper's rise to relevance and Dolph Ziggler's heel turn.

Those Superstars have taken the balls given to them by the brand extension and run with them, even if booking has not always helped them out, as was the case with one of them this week.

Who earned what distinction for the Jan. 24 broadcast?

Take a look.

Winner: The Women's Division

For all the hype and promotion Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair received during their rivalry over the Raw Women's Championship, SmackDown has continuously promoted the superior women's division by crafting stories for all of its female talent.

Tuesday night was no exception.

Not only has WWE Creative presented a smartly booked headline program involving Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss and the returning Mickie James, but it has also seemingly moved Bliss on to a SmackDown Women's Championship program with Naomi.

There is the ongoing feud between Nikki Bella and Natalya that, while something straight out of Total Divas, still gives both talented women something to do while others populate the title picture.

Even Carmella, who lost momentum after her rivalry with Bella wrapped up at Tables, Ladders & Chairs, has found new life in a delightfully awkward on-screen pairing with James Ellsworth.

SmackDown's ability to utilize its female Superstars to their strengths while simultaneously devoting significant amounts of its two-hour run time to them has done as much to bring legitimacy to the Women's Revolution as Raw, which relies too heavily on "chasing history" rather than thoroughly booking its division.

Loser: Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler's heel turn earlier this month should have ignited a fire in him and helped elevate him up the card, where he could enjoy that extended run as a main event competitor instead of the rushed, transitional contender role he filled last summer.

Instead, he is embroiled in a rivalry with Kalisto and Apollo Crews, two Superstars who have seen their stars decline since the brand extension.

Crews, particularly, has been persona non grata, absent from television and anything even remotely significant.

Some will suggest that pairing Ziggler with them will somehow heighten fan awareness of the competitors, catapulting them back into featured spots on the show. Instead, what it will do is kill Ziggler's credibility and unfortunately alter where fans perceive him in the grand scheme of things.

Winner: Luke Harper

Luke Harper has long been one of the most underrated, underappreciated stars on the WWE roster. Lately, he has taken on a more prominent role—the loyal soldier who has watched as leader Bray Wyatt has taken a greater liking to his shiny new follower, Randy Orton, at his expense.

The dissension among Harper and The Viper led to a singles match Tuesday night that Orton won.

While he may not have come out victorious, Harper delivered a performance that earned him the respect of the WWE Universe. He proved Orton's equal—a star who could have conceivably beaten the former world champion.

The post-match events, which saw Wyatt flatten his most loyal follower with Sister Abigail, set the big man on a path toward individual success that may even include a babyface turn.

Wherever he goes and whatever the future holds for him, Harper is enjoying an expanded role in the WWE Universe. Few deserve it more.

Losers: The Vaudevillains

If John Cena is at the top of the proverbial totem pole in WWE, The Vaudevillains are at the bottom.

Aiden English and Simon Gotch were once again humiliated and embarrassed, the first two Superstars eliminated from a Battle Royal of jobbers and insignificant midcarders aimed at filling one more spot in the Royal Rumble match.

Worst of all, they were ousted at the beginning of the match.

They dished out zero offense. Instead, they were tossed out like trash, which is fitting, given that they have been booked like garbage from the moment they were called up from NXT.

The duo has a unique gimmick, but unfortunately, it was called up to the main roster before WWE could properly introduce it to the audience. The act is niche, but a little explanation on the part of WWE Creative could have spared The Vaudevillains the miserable run they have endured to this point.