
WWE SmackDown Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from June 13
The final SmackDown Live on the road to Money in the Bank was a show that hit on every possible level and emphasized the men and women who figure to steal headlines during Sunday's WWE Network presentation.
There was a focus on women's wrestling and the first-ever female Money in the Bank ladder match this Sunday night, while Lana's sneak attack on Naomi helped to hype their Women's Championship bout.
Not only that, a Six-Man Tag Team main event shined a spotlight on the competitors who will wage war in the annual men's ladder match.
Some of those Superstars thrived under the spotlight, the creative accompanying them boosting them before the enormous pay-per-view offering that should help set the stage for the biggest rivalries and matches of the summer.
One performer, in particular, was not as lucky.
Who emerged from the show as the night's biggest winners, and which unfortunate soul earned "loser" status ahead of a match that could prove the most significant of his career?
Find out with this recap of the June 13 episode of SmackDown Live.
Winner: Lana
1 of 4As it turns out, the love fans have shown Lana since her arrival in WWE in 2014 was not an anomaly.
Even after a wildly botched babyface run a year later, fans are still incredibly supportive of the inexperienced in-ring competitor, who left SmackDown women's champion Naomi lying in the center of the ring Tuesday night.
The fans in New Orleans erupted as she planted Naomi with a sit out spinebuster, then stood tall over her Money in the Bank opponent.
The raucous ovation that accompanied her actions Tuesday night comes on the heels of fans chanting "we want Lana" at SmackDown Live commissioner Shane McMahon during an in-ring segment involving the five women involved in the Money in the Bank ladder match.
It is indicative of fans' appreciation for her character development, something not every other female Superstar has been privy to. There are other, more obvious reasons fans are vocal in their support for Lana, but to chalk her popularity up to that would be irresponsible.
Simply put, she has been treated like a star since her arrival on the main roster, and the result is an audience eager to see her finally compete inside the squared circle in a prominent match.
While the booking of Tuesday's show would suggest she is not winning the women's title come Money in the Bank, WWE Creative may not have a choice but to put the championship on the red-hot Superstar as she continues to elicit thunderous responses from the WWE Universe.
Loser: Baron Corbin
2 of 4The Lone Wolf may have left Shinsuke Nakamura lying to close out last week's show, but it was the former Arizona Cardinal who had his shoulders pinned to the mat Tuesday night in the Six-Man Tag Team match that capped off the June 13 episode of SmackDown Live.
After being so emphasized a week earlier, it was as if Corbin was an afterthought in the events that unfolded Tuesday night. He was not protected, nor was he treated like a star. He ate a forearm from AJ Styles and found himself pinned by a Sami Zayn barely able to crawl across the ring for a tag to his partners, let alone execute an effective finisher.
From there, Corbin found himself tipped off a ladder by Nakamura, bringing his uneventful night crashing down.
It was interesting to see so little made of Corbin Tuesday night. One of the favorites to win Money in the Bank Sunday, he was de-emphasized while the spotlight was, instead, shined on Zayn and Nakamura.
Of course, this could be a misdirect by WWE Creative as it tries to convince fans that Corbin is not the favorite to leave Money in the Bank with a guaranteed contract for a WWE Championship match.
Even if it was a misdirect, it was an irresponsible way to handle a Superstar who has the potential to be a lead star on the blue brand. Especially this close to one of the most eagerly anticipated pay-per-views of the entire year.
Winner: Tag Team Division
3 of 4The SmackDown tag team division has been much maligned over the last year. For all the blue brand has done correctly, the management of its tag team division has been lackluster, to say the least. Too many jobbers, not enough legitimate acts and the incomprehensible mismanagement of American Alpha left the division in shambles.
The arrival of The New Day, the rise of Breezango and the solid steadiness of The Colons have helped with the rejuvenation of the division.
Tuesday night not only featured a fun, energetic Eight-Man Tag Team match pitting New Day and Breezango against The Colons and SmackDown tag team champions The Usos, it also brought about the return of another tandem.
Zack Ryder popped up on WWE television for the first time since a serious knee injury. His first interaction was with tag team partner Mojo Rawley. With unfinished business to attend to in the tag division, The Hype Bros will now turn their attention to the titles they have yet to win.
The emergence of characters has helped the division exponentially. Breezango, in particular, has been a revelation. Now it is up to SmackDown's writing team to continue building the teams it has at its disposal into credible tandems and, for the love of all that is good, show some attention to Jason Jordan and Chad Gable.
Winner: Sami Zayn
4 of 4Sami Zayn is the consummate underdog, the lovable babyface who takes an ass-kicking better than anyone.
Tuesday night, he was in the midst of one of those beatings when he fended off Baron Corbin, Kevin Owens and Dolph Ziggler and inched his way to his corner, where AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura were waiting for a hot tag.
Both of those Superstars would be pulled off the apron, the victims of a cheap attack by Owens and Ziggler.
Things seemed bleak for The Underdog from the Underground until Styles blasted Corbin with a forearm, allowing Zayn to summon all of his energy and deliver the Helluva Kick to The Lone Wolf and score the upset victory.
The one Superstar who was most in need of a boost ahead of Sunday's show got it.
Zayn has long been beaten down by other, more prominent stars and even mocked by the writing staff in segments that poked fun at his frenetic personality. To see him overcome the odds and actually win a match was, for once, a nice change of pace.
Even if the likelihood of victory in Money in the Bank is low.






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