WWE SmackDown Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from June 6

The June 6 episode of SmackDown Live continued the build to the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view on June 18, and in the process, it shined a light on several Superstars who will play integral roles in that night's festivities.

For some, booking has them riding a wave of momentum into St. Louis, while the use of others proved detrimental to their cause.

Lana made a much-anticipated return to television, interjecting herself into the women's championship picture. Laughed at by her fellow Superstars, she still managed to earn "winner" status for her character work and an announcement later in the show that has her poised to enjoy the most significant night of her career.

The New Day and Breezango brought the funny in the latest edition of The Fashion Files, but there was nothing humorous about the manner in which WWE Creative botched the booking of WWE champion Jinder Mahal and United States champion Kevin Owens.

What led to their "loser" status Tuesday night?

Take a look for yourself in this recap from the June 6 episode of the USA Network presentation.

Winner: Lana

Lana returned to television Tuesday night, interrupting the opening segment involving the five women who will compete in the Money in the Bank ladder match and SmackDown women's champion Naomi.

She expressed her desire to compete for the coveted briefcase. When her fellow women laughed in her face, she suggested she could beat Naomi in a Women's Championship match. That drew a similar reaction from the titleholder.

No one was laughing later when Lana swept the legs out from under Naomi, providing a distraction that would ultimately cost her, Charlotte and Becky Lynch their Six-Woman Tag Team match.

Capping off the night was the revelation that Lana will battle Naomi at Money in the Bank, the result of the champion's frustrated plea to Shane McMahon for a match with the Ravishing Russian.

The reaction for Lana was perhaps the most interesting development, as fans greeted the clear heel female performer with chants of "we want Lana."

Fans have long voiced their support for the performer, dating all the way back to 2015. The response to her at that point prompted WWE to initiate an ill-fated babyface turn. Now, though, her run as a heel second for Rusev has run its course. Letting her branch off and be a star on her own, either as a heel or a babyface, is the best option for her.

If WWE management does insist on her remaining a heel, though, it best alter the tone of the story.

Having her peers laugh in her face creates sympathy for Lana that will inadvertently turn her babyface, whether that was the original intent or not. 

Loser: Kevin Owens

At some point, WWE Creative will be forced to come to the realization that it cannot continue to sacrifice Kevin Owens' heat by using him to put over every babyface not named Sami Zayn.

For months on Raw, Owens would routinely lose televised matches to Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and anyone else management saw fit to job him out to. All the while, he was the Universal champion. His reign at the top of the brand suffered significantly, his credibility in question after so many unnecessary defeats.

On Tuesday night, United States champion Kevin Owens battled Shinsuke Nakamura in the main event of SmackDown Live. Like so many times in the past, he was beaten clean in the center of the ring by The King of Strong Style, the victim of his vaunted Kinshasa finisher.

Owens is a strong performer whose promo ability should be enough to keep him over, but at some point, his in-ring credibility is shot, sacrificed for the sake of putting over the hot new babyface.

At a time when SmackDown Live's lead heel is the inexperienced Jinder Mahal, it needs all of the depth it can get on the heel side of things. Diminishing Owens' legitimacy on a consistent basis is detrimental to the brand as a whole, not just to the performer himself.

Winners: The New Day and Breezango

There are few weekly segments of WWE television that inspire cheers and genuine humor like The Fashion Files, featuring Tyler Breeze and Fandango.

Tuesday night, The New Day joined Breezango for a new, film noir incarnation of the vignettes, and the result was the most entertaining few minutes of WWE television all week. 

Everything from the notes and photos on the bulletin board behind the performers to the voiceover narration of Breeze and Fandango, the segment was utter perfection from a handful of Superstars with a complete handle on their characters.

The New Day's reactions to the antics of The Fashion Police, as if they had finally realized that they are not the most ludicrous act in WWE anymore, was fantastic and added to the overall quality of the ordeal.

Breezango may not have had an actual match on this week's show, but their continued involvement on Tuesday nights through vignettes and backstage promos will only help them remain over and, at the same time, build on their popularity.

Loser: Jinder Mahal

The Modern Day Maharaja defeated Mojo Rawley in an extended squash match that was a bit more competitive than it should have been.

From the onset, WWE champion Jinder Mahal bumped around the ring for Rawley in a match that reignited the brief rivalry they engaged in earlier this year. Rawley's frenetic pace and unbridled energy proved problematic for the titleholder, who bailed to the outside to collect himself at one point.

Not only was the champion outclassed and overmatched early, he resorted to cheating in order to defeat Mojo and emerge victoriously.

Late in the bout, Rawley picked Mahal up in a fireman's carry. The champion, sensing an unfavorable upset loss, raked the eyes of his opponent and sent him shoulder-first into the ring post.

The Khallas ended the match, and the WWE champion was able to retain credibility.

The problem with Tuesday's booking is that the Superstar positioned as the top dog of SmackDown Live struggled to beat a guy who is regularly at the bottom of the proverbial totem pole. Mahal sold too much and should never have had to stoop to the levels of cheating to beat a guy like Rawley.

Fans do not buy Rawley as a legitimate or credible threat to anyone. He should not be treated like one by management, especially at the expense of the WWE champion.

Mahal is still in need of protection from WWE Creative. He needs to benefit from strong booking, the exact opposite of what he was greeted with Tuesday night. Otherwise, his reign will go down in WWE history as one of the most notorious rather than one of the most surprisingly effective.