WWE SmackDown Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from August 8

On the road to SummerSlam, several prominent SmackDown Live Superstars made a strong impression, for better or worse.

Lane and Carmella stood out, with the two maligned female performers on the right path toward stardom. Their contributions to Tuesday's show made it stronger and helped elevate their stars.

WWE champion Jinder Mahal and Charlotte were not quite as lucky. While neither of their performances were bad or disappointing in the least, they were let down considerably by a booking team that has done them no favors over the last few months.

Why did these four Superstars land where they did or achieve the label they did coming out of the August 8 USA Network broadcast?

Take a look for yourself with this recap of Tuesday's show.

Winner: Lana

Lana continues to be one of the more engaging characters on WWE television thanks to a steady development and extraordinary work on her behalf.

The video packages that preceded her SmackDown debut suggested we would bear witness to an overly sexualized character whose strongest asset was her ability to dance on a chair. Instead, the WWE Universe has seen a young woman trying so hard to be accepted by her peers but proving how unprepared she actually is.

She was smoked in three championship opportunities against Naomi, the first woman eliminated from the Fatal 5-Way match at Battleground and generally outclassed at every turn. And after so many defeats and disappointments, she has begun to show frustration.

Such was the case Tuesday night when she straight slapped Charlotte in the face after the former women's champion mocked her during their match. Of course, she ate a big boot and tapped to the Figure Eight in short order, but that was to be expected.

The story arc was not.

Lana has become obsessed with proving her doubters wrong and has shown tenacity in doing so. Even after she was squashed by Charlotte Tuesday night, The Queen made sure to give her a little clap after the match, as if to say she appreciated the effort.

Tamina putting over Lana's ambition during a backstage segment only hammers home the idea that Lana wants desperately to be taken seriously as a wrestler by the other women in the division. Like Ariel in The Little Mermaid, she wants to be part of their world.

That is a compelling and engrossing story WWE Creative on the SmackDown Live side of things should focus on. Lana, to her credit, has played the part to perfection, probably because it reflects her own aspirations.

Loser: JInder Mahal

The WWE champion lost clean in the main event of Tuesday's show, further confirming his need for The Singh Brothers' interference to secure him victory.

Jinder Mahal ate an RKO and had his shoulders pinned to the mat, damaging his already shaky credibility with fans.

The fact of the matter is that Mahal has repeatedly been booked as a weak champion. He always needs help, and when he does not have it, he struggles. Even against Mojo Rawley, Mahal struggled before raking the eyes and delivering the Khallas.

The Modern Day Maharaja still has fans questioning his status as WWE champion, because it is difficult to watch him and get the feeling management is completely behind him. A distinct unwillingness to present him as a legitimate and deserving champion has doomed him to mediocrity.

At least JBL sneakily found a way to win on his own when he did not have The Bashams or Orlando Jordan to rely on. Mahal needs The Singh Brothers or he goes down in defeat like he did Tuesday. There is nothing compelling or interesting about that.

Mahal just looks like a fraud. 

Winner: Carmella

Carmella got her homeboy back Tuesday night as James Ellsworth popped up just in time to shove SmackDown women's champion Naomi off the top rope, allowing The Princess of Staten Island to deliver a big superkick and score the pinfall victory.

The NXT export has made the most of her opportunities, developing a heel persona and on-screen partnership with Ellsworth that have elevated her to the top of the women's division. She could have stayed babyface and stuck to the shtick she perfected in NXT, but she did not, and it has benefited her considerably.

That she continues to hang around the title picture despite not having an actual match at SummerSlam is a clever way to tease a potential Money in the Bank cash-in at the extravaganza.

The worth of any performer is how they make the most of their material. After wrapping up a rivalry with Nikki Bella last December, Carmella could have seen the pairing with Ellsworth as a step-down, but instead, she embraced it and has ridden that partnership to the top of the division.

Loser: Charlotte

Nothing Charlotte did Tuesday deserved "loser" status, nor has anything she has been responsible for since her arrival on SmackDown Live.

Instead, Charlotte is a loser for the sole reason that SummerSlam is upon us and she has no role on the show. This after appearing in a high-profile women's title bout against Sasha Banks at last year's show.

The second-generation competitor was to be the face of the women's division following the Superstar Shake-up last April, but instead, she has become another face in the crowd. She is treated like a big deal until it is time to dish out championship opportunities.

Yes, her name and resume helps elevate the division's importance, but the more she competes in high-profile matches and loses to the likes of Natalya and Carmella, the more it hurts her credibility among fans.

Charlotte is a legitimate star and while the argument can be made that she is using her star to help create more, there comes a time when she must actually win a few major matches to maintain that aura.

Otherwise, she is no better than everyone else.

Unfortunately, Tuesday's win over Lana is a wash of sorts, since The Ravishing Russian has no in-ring credibility to speak of.