WWE Elimination Chamber 2017 Results: Biggest Winners and Losers from PPV

For years, Bray Wyatt and Naomi had been victimized by disjointed booking, their lacks of character growth and story arcs sacrificed for the opportunity to shine spotlights on Superstars previously established and celebrated by WWE Creative.

Sunday night, the frustration and heartbreak they endured over the past five years were temporarily extinguished as they won championship gold that set them up for WrestleMania paydays and legitimized them in the eyes of fans.

They were the night's biggest winners, which is well-deserved, given the years of start-and-stop booking that left them more damaged and seemingly irreparable than valid and credible stars in the WWE Universe.

Not everyone was so lucky, though.

Which Superstars were losers on the final SmackDown Live-exclusive event before WrestleMania 33?

And why?

The answers lie within. 

Winner: Naomi

Sunday night, Naomi erased all of the frustration and heartbreak that plagued her career by defeating Alexa Bliss to capture the SmackDown Women's Championship.

Gone were the days of second-place finishes in NXT, dancing dinosaurs and canceled WrestleMania matches.

With one split-legged moonsault to Bliss, she achieved the championship glory she worked so hard to attain, and she will now prepare to enter WrestleMania 33 in her hometown of Orlando, Florida, with gold around her waist.

Making the moment even more special was the reaction she generated from fans, who showed their appreciation for her hard work through chants of "You deserve it," causing the performer to break down in the center of the ring.

On a night when a fellow Superstar who experienced frustration throughout his career also netted championship gold, it was Naomi whose emotional roller coaster of a career paid off in the night's most unforgettable moment, rendering her the biggest winner of the night.

Loser: The Miz

Credit: WWE.com

At one point, it appeared as though The Miz was headed toward one of the more impressive showings of the night.

He hesitated to enter the ring when his time came during the Elimination Chamber match, but his reluctance was key to the eliminations of both Baron Corbin and Dean Ambrose. From there, he unloaded on John Cena, Bray Wyatt and AJ Styles with kicks and dropkicks stolen from SmackDown general manager Daniel Bryan.

Then it all ended, not with a bang, but with a whimper.

The Miz was eliminated following an Attitude Adjustment from Cena.

Not three or four. Not a super Attitude Adjustment from the top rope. Just the regular version that Styles kicked out of three times at Royal Rumble two weeks earlier.

It was a disappointing conclusion to The Miz's night and a reminder that, no matter how extraordinary his performances have been over the last year, he is still considered a midcard talent by those in management and shall be treated as such in big-match situations.

Winner: Bray Wyatt

For years, Bray Wyatt has been one of the most engaging and compelling personas on WWE television.

His ability to capture the audience with a promo, facial expression or seemingly innocent rendition of "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" helped him get over with audiences, but WWE Creative's inconsistency and willingness to sacrifice him just to put over John Cena and Roman Reigns, among others, threatened that connection. 

After repeated start-and-stop booking that saw him heated up, only to be beaten by top babyfaces, Wyatt got the last laugh Sunday night by pinning Cena cleanly in the center of the ring and then doing the same to AJ Styles, becoming WWE champion.

It was a moment in time—a display of physical dominance the likes of which fans have waited to see from The Reaper of Souls.

Wyatt stood tall in the center of the ring, having cashed his ticket to WrestleMania 33 and a showdown with Randy Orton. Whether his title reign comes to an end that night remains to be seen, and that will determine how seriously management takes the third-generation star as a main event player, but for the time being, he should enjoy the rewards of his hard work.

Loser: Logical Storytelling

So Dolph Ziggler is the bad guy because he took the necessary steps toward evening unfair odds placed against him by management that probably overstepped its boundaries?

Makes total sense.

In reality, nothing about Sunday's 2-on-1 Handicap match pitting Ziggler against Apollo Crews and Kalisto made sense.

The heel was at the numbers disadvantage, he was cheered by fans because of the one-dimensional nature of the babyfaces and he got his revenge in a similar manner to an Attitude Era anti-hero like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. It was confusing storytelling that did nothing to help the good guys or put the heat squarely on the villain.

So unless there are big plans for Ziggler going forward, it was a wasted segment that was to the detriment of logical storytelling.

Winner: Luke Harper

Luke Harper delivered a star-making performance Sunday night that put him on par with 12-time world champion Randy Orton and had fans in Phoenix believing he may actually upset The Viper in one of the night's marquee matches.

He did not, but there is no denying that he came out of the match a much bigger, more believable star than he entered.

Harper threw his body around with reckless abandon, selling Orton's offense and delivering a jaw-dropping suicide dive that sent the third-generation star toppling over the announcers' table.

The spots and sequences he worked out with Orton captivated the fans and had them on the edges of their seats throughout.

Even though he ate an RKO that ended his night on the losing side of things, Harper is poised to have a breakout year in 2017.

That is, if Creative can follow up on his spectacular performances of the last month.

Loser: The Ascension

The Ascension was essentially gifted the SmackDown tag team titles Sunday night after The Usos left American Alpha laid out, prone to whatever attack the villains could muster.

Instead of turning the situation into their first tag team title reign, Konnor and Viktor threw the opportunity away, beaten in a few short minutes to hammer home the point that they are glorified enhancement talents.

What should have been an easy win, the equivalent to cashing in a Money in the Bank briefcase, turned into a disaster and proved their futility.

They were the night's biggest losers, and unfortunately for the former NXT tag champions, it was not close.