The biggest winners and losers on last night's SmackDown (May 1)
It feels like something in creative changed in the Superstar Shakeup as well, because SmackDown fired on all cylinders last night. All major storylines advanced and there was little filler in the equation. Even some overlooked superstars got to shine. It was the total opposite of Raw just the night before.
Who moved the needle forward and did anyone stumble backward?
Winners: Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, and The Miz
The show kicked off with a Miz TV segment where the A-lister attempted to troll both competitors for Sunday's US title match. One has to think he was looking to stir chaos in the division so that he could better position himself in it.
For their part, Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy were supposedly "cool with each other." Supposedly. After Shelton Benjamin interrupted as the fourth wheel, an eye-rolling tag team match was created, but it served the purpose of increasing tensions between Orton and Hardy when the former hit him with an RKO after the match.
Whether it heralds a full-blown heel turn is questionable, even doubtful, but at least it advanced the program. There's been too many "friendly" rivalries this year.