WWE Backlash 2017: Jinder Mahal and Biggest Winners, Losers from Event

The 2017 edition of WWE Backlash brought with it a number of memorable matches, moments and Superstars but only a handful of legitimate winners and losers.

The SmackDown Live brand-exclusive show, arguably the best pay-per-view produced by Vince McMahon and Co. this year, saw Jinder Mahal dethrone Randy Orton to capture the WWE Championship and earn himself "winner" status.

While he was the only Superstar to leave suburban Chicago's Allstate Arena with gold around his waist having entered without, other talented individuals joined him in earning accolades for productive nights that bolstered their stars, elevated their status in the company or set them on the right track toward success.

Then there are the Superstars not quite so lucky.

Two, in particular, are acclaimed wrestlers whose nights on the WWE Network should have been more fruitful than they wound up being.

Who are they, and which competitors joined Mahal on the bright side of things?

Find out with this recap of Sunday's monumental SmackDown Live presentation.

Winner: Jinder Mahal

Credit: WWE.com

The Maharaja completed the most inconceivable journey to the top of the wrestling world Sunday night, defeating Randy Orton to capture the WWE Championship in front of a red-hot Chicago audience that watched in stunned disbelief as he celebrated his victory.

For Mahal, the moment represented the culmination of hard work and dedication. Released from his WWE contract in the summer of 2014, Mahal devoted himself to getting back to the promotion and being the best professional wrestler he could be.

It showed, both in his ring work and his conditioning. He was bigger, faster, smarter and better than ever before, and fans caught on.

Whether he was bumping around the squared circle for Mojo Rawley and Rob Gronkowski for mainstream media cameras at WrestleMania or turning in impressive performances against Finn Balor on Raw and at untelevised live events, he showed steady improvement over the sometimes shy and timid performer he was during his first run.

Passion for his sport, renewed dedication to growth and evolution and an opportunity to scale the ladder on SmackDown Live contributed to the reward he achieved Sunday night inside the historic Allstate Arena.

There are many questions to be answered in regard to the length of his reign, how serious WWE Creative is about his push and whether Mahal can sink or swim given the immense pressure he will feel beginning Monday morning.

The answers will be revealed relatively quickly.

For now, the enhancement talent-turned-WWE champion should bask in the spotlight his opportunity has afforded him and work as hard as ever to ensure no one has any excuse to take the gold away from him before he is ready to give it up.

Loser: Shinsuke Nakamura

Credit: WWE.com

Shinsuke Nakamura was at the forefront of the promotion for Sunday's Backlash pay-per-view. His face was plastered on posters, internet banners and social media tiles. He was heavily featured in the commercials and video packages hyping the show.

Needless to say, his main-roster pay-per-view debut was a key element of Sunday's show.

While his match with Dolph Ziggler was extremely competitive and way above average, there was something about it that left a sour taste in the mouths of the WWE Universe.

Perhaps it was the slow start, even though that helped it build to its crescendo. Maybe it was what felt like backward booking, as the match highlighted Ziggler rather than The King of Strong Style. Perhaps it was the fact the match never got out of second gear or develop into the extraordinary show-stealing product fans expected.

Whatever the case, the match failed to live up to lofty expectations, and as a result, Nakamura's in-ring introduction to the WWE masses unfamiliar with his work elsewhere was rendered something of a disappointment.

Nakamura did not earn "loser" status through a lack of effort or even poor booking. His match with Ziggler was not even bad. There was just something about the overall presentation of his debut that lacked the spark one would have wanted to ignite the monumental run fans so desperately hope The King of Strong Style experiences.

Winners: Breezango

Credit: WWE.com

Comedy spots are incredibly difficult to pull off in today's wrestling world. The diehard contingent of fans is so focused on spots, sequences, technical ability and so-called "work rate" that it often forgets to slow down, relax and remember what made them fans of the business in the first place: larger-than-life characters, a sense of humor and a suspension of disbelief.

Sunday night, Tyler Breeze put together some of the smartest, most well-planned comedy spots in recent wrestling history. They were not just spots for the sake of spots, with the majority factoring into the story of the match and, in one case, accompanied by some awe-inspiring psychology.

Whether he was rolling from side to side, forcing one of his opponents to expend energy moving from corner to corner for an attempt at his trademark top-rope splash or playing to the uber-seriousness of the champions with his lighthearted attempts at jokes, Breeze was phenomenal.

In between the gags, Fandango carried the surprisingly good match from a wrestling perspective. He was crisp and almost the entire way through was clearly the best wrestler in the ring. The ballroom dancer, whose career had been plagued with uneven pushes, shone under the bright lights of pay-per-view.

Though Breezango was not successful in its attempt to wrest championship gold from The Usos Sunday night, the duo more than likely earned a continued push in the wake of Backlash. 

Loser: Becky Lynch

Credit: WWE.com

In the grand scheme of things, Becky Lynch's use Sunday night probably does not deserve "loser" status. Late in the match, she received the hot tag and unloaded on any and all opponents in her way. She took Tamina down, tossed Natalya like sack of potatoes with an impressive Bexploder suplex and appeared on her way to victory.

In the end, the numbers game provided just enough of a distraction for Natalya to apply the Sharpshooter and force a tapout from the exhausted former SmackDown women's champion. All things considered, it was relatively strong booking for The Lass Kicker.

Lynch is arguably the most skilled in-ring performer on either women's roster. She not only possesses technical skill, but she has also developed a crowd-pleasing babyface comeback for herself that works. Despite her ability and a marketable persona thanks to her steampunk-themed attire, she has taken a backseat to Naomi and Charlotte Flair.

This, despite being the SmackDown brand's first female pick in 2016.

Lynch's star has fallen significantly since she dropped the title to Alexa Bliss last December, and she was relegated to eating the fall Sunday because she was the most expendable on her team. That is a damn shame for someone as talented as she is.

Winner: Sami Zayn

Credit: WWE.com

Sami Zayn won a match.

On pay-per-view.

Clean.

Let that sink in for a moment.

The Underdog from the Underground is the consummate fall guy, a Superstar who loses more than he wins and rarely nets a victory on pay-per-view. Sunday night, he pinned Baron Corbin clean following a Helluva Kick in a strong match.

It was an exclamation point on a night that felt like a coming-out party of sorts for Zayn, who also appeared in the social media lounge during the Kickoff Show, then joined Renee Young and Peter Rosenberg on Talking Smack to discuss his victory before the topic of conversation switched to the WWE Championship.

Could the events of Sunday's show be setting Zayn up for a run at the WWE title, now held by the man who prevented him from challenging Randy Orton at Backlash?

The signs certainly seem to point toward that outcome, and if that is the case, the former NXT standout will have the opportunity to become the headliner his skills suggest he can thrive as.