Biggest WWE Smackdown Winners and Losers From Aug. 30 Episode, Including Carmelo Hayes And Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens’ ongoing feud with Cody Rhodes continues to allow him to show more layers to his character than he has in months. While he was always a highlight of Smackdown each week, being able to explore not recapturing a world title on Friday was refreshing. And KO revealing major frustration with his first world title run was a nice extra layer to this storyline. Owens and Rhodes are pals, but things are getting spicy and Bash in Berlin is unlikely to be their last championship match.

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Andrade and Carmelo Hayes have delivered the match of the night on three previous episodes of Smackdown. They did so again on Aug. 30 with another fantastic match that shows the growing chemistry between the two. While the Mexican star looked good again, he still took the loss on Friday and hit another bump in the momentum road. This feud has let him shine as a wrestler, but he still has lacked a big moment since his return to WWE in January.

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After officially making the jump to the main roster earlier this year, Carmelo Hayes seemed stuck in the creative mud. However, his ongoing feud with Andrade has been huge and has helped him better develop his character to a large audience. Similar to Bronson Reed on Raw, Carmelo Hayes has built some serious momentum on Smackdown. And getting the W over Andrade this week was the latest example of that.

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Although Apollo Crews and Baron Corbin suffered an L on this week’s edition of WWE Smackdown, their unexpected pairing seems to have some solid momentum. They are entertaining in segments away from the ring. But inside it, they are far better together than most expected. In defeat, they gave a good accounting of themselves and deserve more opportunities on TV in the weeks ahead. Nevertheless, wins and losses still matter and it is why they were both winners and losers this week.

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Legado del Fantasma members Humberto Carrillo and Angel Garza have struggled in recent weeks. And seemed like they might be getting set up to be bounced from the faction. However, in a fun match against Apollo Crews and Baron Corbin, they were able to score an important win. It set them on the right path and put their standing in the group on better footing. Because if the pair can’t make it in Legado del Fantasma they are NXT-bound or worse.

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Although she did not win the WWE Women’s Championship on Friday, Michin was given a main-event opportunity and shined. Her match with Nia Jax was a highlight of the show as the two ladies beat each other up in a highly entertaining no-disqualification match. The only drawback is she lost, and definitively. While she fought her way up into a bright spotlight this week, it is unclear what is next for Michin. And that is why she is a winner and a loser this week.

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Nia Jax’s second run in WWE has far exceeded her first stint. She is in the best shape of her career. Is far more entertaining and the quality of her matches is much higher. She gave up her body often to make Michin look strong on this week’s Smackdown. So not only did she walk away with the W, but she put forth a performance that made her and her opponent look good. And that is what champions and top stars are there to do.