WWE SmackDown Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from February 20

With Fastlane nearly in full view, SmackDown Live Superstars took their shots to earn opportunities at the final show before WrestleMania 34.

On the February 20 edition of SmackDown, new title matches were announced while all the wrestlers competing for the WWE Championship in a Fatal 5-Way attempted to prove their mettle.

Ruby Riott had a huge night as she pinned a former women's champion and goaded the current SmackDown champion into putting her championship up at Fastlane. The New Day also propelled themselves into title contention with a big victory.

Failing to capitalize on last week, both Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin fell short. Thanks to the man he defeated last week, The Showoff fell to Kevin Owens, and, despite talking tough, The Lone Wolf could not pull off another impressive victory over AJ Styles in the main event.

The night was defined by many wins and losses, but just how crucial were these to the future of talent on the Road to WrestleMania?

Loser: Dolph Ziggler

Credit: WWE.com

Anyone expecting Ziggler's win in the main event last week was a sign of his changing status was disappointed when The Showoff could not even string together two victories in a row. This week, he lost to Owens thanks to a distraction from Sami Zayn.

The finish protects Ziggler enough, but he needs serious momentum right now. Fastlane is just around the corner on March 11, and it is hard to believe the self-professed greatest in-ring performer in WWE history has any chance in the main event.

Right now, his direction is confusing; his clash with KO and Zayn is making him out to be a babyface even though he was rebranded only a few months back as a full heel. It does not help that he seems to be avoiding the microphone for the most part.

If fans are going to connect with Ziggler again, either as a heel or a face, he needs to be gaining victories and explaining his own motivations. His situation is far too muddied going into an overcrowded match that could define his WrestleMania direction.

Everyone else in the Fatal 5-Way match had a much bigger role on SmackDown on Tuesday night, further showcasing just how secondary The Showoff is on this roster.

Winner: Ruby Riott

For weeks, the writing has been on the wall for Charlotte Flair to defend her SmackDown Women's Championship against the leader of the Riott Squad.

However, it took until this week for Riott to make it official by convincing Charlotte to put her title on the line at Fastlane.

While that title match was ultimately the goal, Riott also picked up an impressive victory in a six-woman tag team match, pinning Becky Lynch with some help from Liv Morgan. Her stable has not always been dominant on SmackDown, but she is clearly on an impressive streak.

If Asuka does end up challenging Raw's women's champion, Charlotte's direction going into WrestleMania is tough to predict. It is possible Riott could steal the title from The Queen just in time for the Showcase of the Immortals.

Even in NXT, fans were rarely shown a clear view of just what Riott can do at her best. Few wrestlers bring the best out of their opponents like Charlotte. She has had career-defining matches with Sasha Banks, Lynch, Bayley, Alexa Bliss and more.

While there are more exciting contests, especially with 'Mania on the horizon, Charlotte vs. Riott should be a great match and a true showcase for The Punk Rock Ragdoll for the first time since she debuted on the main roster.

Winners: The New Day

Credit: WWE.com

The Fastlane tag team championship match is set, and surprisingly it is The New Day and not The Bludgeon Brothers who will get the next shot at The Usos. Defeating Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable for the second week in a row, they earned one more opportunity to challenge the Samoan brothers.

This rivalry defined SmackDown for much of 2017, and it is certain to lead to another excellent match in 2018. Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods have been waiting a while for another shot at the championships, and they have to be highly motivated after spending last 'Mania on the sidelines.

Unfortunately, it says too much about SmackDown's tag team division that New Day vs. The Usos is already being revisited. It is possible this match will just be filler before Jimmy and Jey finally clash with Erick Rowan and Luke Harper, but could no one else face the champions?

What has become of Rusev and Aiden English? Why have The Fashion Police and Ascension been relegated to YouTube videos? This tag team division has more depth than the booking would indicate, but it means little if none of the talent is used.

To their credit, The New Day have done nothing but stay relevant and put on quality performances since their last match with their longstanding rivals, and they are deserving of this new title match.

Loser: Baron Corbin

Going into SmackDown, Corbin was the wrestler with the best claim to being truly worthy of a title match against Styles, as The Lone Wolf had defeated The Phenomenal One clean to win the United States Championship only a few months back.

That claim was severely damaged when he lost to Styles in a fairly one-sided main-event clash, though. While Corbin did kick out of one Phenomenal Forearm, he never even got close to hitting the WWE champion with his best shots.

Even as Corbin screamed at Styles that he could not defeat him, it was clear only one of the two men was set for big things in the coming months.

Corbin did get some of his heat back by destroying Zayn and KO after the match, but it was not enough to offset such a loss of momentum.

While Styles' odds continue to lessen, his opponents only seem to get less intimidating. This week showcased just how unrealistic it is to believe anyone besides The Phenomenal One could walk out of Fastlane as champion. Corbin is a solid performer, but he's not even close to top-star status yet.

As Shinsuke Nakamura waits in the wings, it would be the most unwelcome of massive upsets if anyone toppled SmackDown's world champion at the final hurdle.