The biggest winners and losers of last night's SmackDown (May 21)
The penultimate SmackDown of the month had some notable moments, though the "wild card" element ruined some of it. Becky Lynch and Charlotte's presence in the same ring feels unnecessary till at least 2020.
We saw a shock - if filler - return, good matches, some funny segments with the 24/7 title, and Ali on the rise. All in all, it wasn't a bad episode, unlike Raw, though SmackDown still feels like it's lost the pop it had in 2018.
Who got the most and least out of last night's episode?
Winner: Ali
When it is Andrade and Ali against each other, you know something good is going to come out of it. It did not work out for Andrade, who looks firmly entrenched in his role as the guy that makes other guys look good, but with a showdown with the Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor looming in Saudi Arabia, his push wasn't ever going to pick up big momentum anyway.
When you recall that Ali was originally supposed to take Kofi Kingston's spot in the February gauntlet match that got Kofimania started, it becomes glaring that he was destined for much bigger spotlights. The crowd got firmly behind him as the match went on, so the investment isn't out of place.
Ali will likely get a WWE Championship match further into the summer - say, June or July.
Winner: R-Truth
I was more skeptical yesterday, but now it looks like this 24/7 title is going to work. R-Truth's segments were the most entertaining of the night and he's great in roles like these. Most importantly, the 24/7 title breaks up the usual monotonous presentation of WWE's shows, which was badly needed.
R-Truth will work in this role, and it was nice to see him keep his title throughout the night instead of excessively random title changes.
Though obviously, he won't keep the title long. We'll see who gets it next.