WWE SmackDown Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from July 18

It is never a good thing when the two Superstars involved in the second highest-profile match on a pay-per-view card wind up as losers in a weekly recap of WWE television yet that is the case facing John Cena and Rusev following the July 18 episode of SmackDown Live.

The franchise star and The Bulgarian Brute had rough nights Tuesday. The weak creative effort put forth ahead of their Flag match Sunday night was readily apparent both in the angle itself and the leader of the Cenation's verbal performance.

Not all was doom and gloom in what was the blue brand's final attempt at drumming up excitement for Battleground.

Becky Lynch scored a clean, decisive victory over friend (and occasion rival) Charlotte Flair, earning her momentum heading into Sunday's Fatal 5-Way Elimination match to determine a No. 1 contender to Naomi's SmackDown Women's Championship.

Then there was Mike Kanellis, who made his in-ring debut against Sami Zayn and won the match exactly like you would assume someone with his character would.

While not everything was a solid hit or an obvious miss Tuesday night, these Superstars found themselves on one side of the argument or the other, for better or worse.

Winner: Mike Kanellis

The Power of Love was unleashed on the WWE Universe Tuesday night as Mike Kanellis made his in-ring debut, squaring off with Sami Zayn.

Some may look at the finish of the match, with Maria hopping in the ring to break up a Helluva Kick attempt and providing a distraction for her husband to capitalize on, as a weak way to present Kanellis in his first televised match in the WWE.

They, of course, would miss the fact that he was intentionally made to look weak.

The Kanellises are a sickeningly affectionate duo. They live and breathe vicariously through each other. Their job is to infuriate fans, and what better way to do that than to have Mr. rely heavily on Mrs. to help him win matches. Everything they do, they do together, and unfortunately for Zayn, that cost him a victory Tuesday night. 

That reasoning may not be enough for fans who believe wrestling should be presented a specific way, with badass heels, but the booking of Kanellis Tuesday night made perfect sense within the context of the story being told, and as such, the Boston native benefited exponentially.

Loser: Rusev

WWE Creative can book Rusev to run through the crowd and attack John Cena 3,000,000 times over the next four days and leave him lying following the Accolade, and that will not change the fact that few believe he has a chance in hell of beating Cena Sunday night at Battleground.

From the moment he interrupted the franchise star on the July 4 episode of SmackDown Live, it felt like The Bulgarian Brute was a placeholder for Cena, someone to keep the 16-time champion busy until his SummerSlam program is revealed.

Desperate attempts to get heat on Rusev, like Tuesday's sneak attack and beatdown, only serve to emphasize how little credibility he has as a legitimate threat to a star of Cena's stature.

Nothing Rusev accomplished Tuesday makes anyone feel any better about his future prospects. He feels like a little leaguer going to bat against Clayton Kershaw. He is way out of his league, and that is the fault of WWE Creative and its inability to build him up in the slightest.

He will put up a fight Sunday, as he always does, but the stereotypical foreign heel will ultimately be steamrolled by the American hero, leaving many to wonder what is next for the talented super athlete in the wake of the pay-per-view spectacular.

Winner: Becky Lynch

Will Becky Lynch's victory over Charlotte Tuesday night mean anything in the long run for the Irish Lass Kicker?

Probably not, but it was nice to see her score a clean victory over someone like Charlotte, who is clearly considered the crown jewel of the SmackDown Live women's division.

Lynch has long been the best babyface on the blue brand's talented women's roster but has oftentimes been overlooked for a shinier, more appealing new toy. First, she had her reign as women's champion cut short in favor of Alexa Bliss. Then, her position as the face of women's wrestling on Tuesday nights was usurped by the aforementioned Charlotte.

Seeing her earn clean victories over top competition renews the faith of fans that management still sees her as a priority, even if it does not always appear that way.

With that said, the likelihood that she wins at Battleground was essentially extinguished with her victory Tuesday night, but sometimes you take what you can get.

Loser: John Cena

Credit: WWE.com

When the man tasked with rallying the troops and drumming up excitement for Battleground does a better job of putting over other people's matches, including the Punjabi Prison match between Randy Orton and WWE champion Jinder Mahal than his own, it becomes crystal-clear just how uninspired he is about his ongoing program with Rusev.

Tuesday night, Cena rattled off the most cliched and lethargic promo he possibly could have delivered. Leaning heavily on tired cliches and vowing that he will come ready to fight for America, he sleepwalked his way through the final hype for Sunday's Flag match and did little to convince the WWE Universe to invest its time, energy or emotions into the ongoing program.

Perhaps that is his fault. Maybe the blame lies at the feet of a WWE Creative team that has done little to drum up anticipation for what should be a monumental return to pay-per-view for the greatest Superstar of this generation.

Whatever the case may be, Cena's contributions to Tuesday's promo and proceeding angle with Rusev were majorly disappointing given how much the match desperately needed the hype.