WWE SmackDown Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from February 28

SmackDown's Road to WrestleMania got infinitely more interesting on the February 28 episode, thanks to a few explosive elements.

Randy Orton betrayed Bray Wyatt and burned his family's compound to the ground, but neither of those Superstars earned "winner" or "loser" status for their contributions to the show.

Instead, those honors (or dishonors) were reserved for the men and women who set foot inside the squared circle, waging war in hopes of gaining momentum ahead of the biggest event of the year, and former champions looking to add intrigue to a rivalry in its infancy.

There were the former WWE champions who engaged in a bitter promo, a former women's champion looking to re-establish credibility and two unproven commodities looking to earn their way to The Showcase of the Immortals.

Who ended up on which side of the argument and why?

Winners: John Cena and The Miz

At first, the idea of a match pitting John Cena and Nikki Bella against The Miz and Maryse sounded about as thrilling as an Iron Man match between Big Show and Kane.

After Tuesday's SmackDown Live, though, the groundwork has been laid for one of the more intensely personal matches on the entire card, thanks to heat-seeking-shot comments made by both men during the latest edition of Miz TV.

Miz accused Cena of hypocrisy and criticized him for turning tail and running to Hollywood. Cena openly stated Miz has stolen his entire shtick from bigger, better stars than himself.

Nikki Bella used a derogatory term usually reserved for Attitude Era spats between female talent.

It was a red-hot segment in which Cena and Miz recognized the need to enhance the story if fans were going to invest in it emotionally and not see it as a setup for the next major plot twist on Total Divas.

They succeeded, playing to the internet fans who have said the same things for years, and the result is a much more interesting program ahead of a proposed major WrestleMania match.

Loser: Luke Harper

A week ago, Luke Harper looked poised to compete in his first WrestleMania main event.

Seven days later, his championship aspirations went up in smoke upon losing to AJ Styles twice in the span of one match.

There will be some who claim he was protected, losing both falls in controversial fashion. In reality, though, he comes across as a stumbling, bumbling fool who allowed himself to be put in a situation where defeat was possible.

He had his shoulders pinned to the mat twice, and more than the circumstances surrounding those defeats, fans will remember that. It was embarrassing, disappointing and unfortunate for a star doing some of his best work in recent weeks.

Now, his WrestleMania prospects are less clear. While he could still earn a spot in the match, it will be difficult to convince fans he is deserving of the spot when he lost to Randy Orton at Elimination Chamber, tied AJ Styles in a battle royal and lost to Styles...twice...in one match.

Winner: Becky Lynch

After months of losing matches while looking like a fool, falling for the same tricks week after week, Becky Lynch finally scored a convincing victory over a future Hall of Famer in Mickie James Tuesday night.

Lynch was booked strongly, overcoming interference from Alexa Bliss and tapping out James with The Disarmer. She jumps to the top of the list of potential challengers for Bliss' SmackDown Women's Championship.

It is unknown if The Lass Kicker will return to the WrestleMania stage in as high-profile of a match as she competed in last year when she waged war with Sasha Banks and Charlotte in a Triple Threat match, but she set herself in a position to do just that if the plans dictate as much.

Steadily rebuilding her into the lead babyface in the division, through strong wins instead of defeats that make her look like a gullible loser, will be key in Lynch regaining her spot at the forefront of women's wrestling in Vince McMahon's promotion.

Loser: Apollo Crews

Apollo Crews is a hellish athlete. He can do things guys of his build could only dream of. He is a freak of nature and one of the most naturally gifted competitors on the roster.

He lacks personality, though, and has struggled to make an impact on the main roster. Some of that is through his own doing; some of it is the fault of WWE Creative, which has done him a great disservice by failing to properly develop his character.

Tuesday night, in the culmination of his highest profile feud to date, Crews lost to Dolph Ziggler in a chairs match.

Sure, he was protected enough, the victim of relentless underhanded tactics at the hands of The Showoff, but he still lost what could have been a big momentum booster.

And therein lies one of the biggest issues with the SmackDown Live brand. For as excellent as its television has been, it lacks credible and exciting young babyfaces.

It has John Cena and Randy Orton at the top of the card, but neither of those Superstars is long for the industry. Dean Ambrose is more of a caricature at this point in his career. Beyond that, there is a wealth of undeveloped talent, not the least of which is Crews.

A win here could have propelled him into bigger and better things. At the very least, it could have given fans a reason to be excited about him, even if momentarily.

Now, his future is less certain, and a spot back in the deep, dark abyss that is the SmackDown undercard appears more likely than anything.