5 Biggest Winners & Losers From WWE SmackDown Live (20 Sept)

5. Losers: American Alpha

As SmackDown continues to produce quality television on a weekly basis, it's becoming increasingly hard to single-out any of its roster members as “losers.” Even when competitors drop a pinfall, it’s usually done in a way that makes perfect sense within the context of their story, and that’s exactly what happened to American Alpha last night.

The newly-turned Usos put Chad Gable on the injury reserve to force him and Jason Jordan to pull-out of the Tag Team Title tournament a few weeks ago. This was their shot at revenge, but with the winning team earning a title shot at No Mercy, and the Usos walked-out as winners. Some focused limb-work saw further damage dealt to Gable’s injured knee, and Jordan - who refused to tag out to protect his wounded buddy - took the pinfall after stereo superkicks and a top rope splash.

It was a decent little tag team match, and the result works fine for Alpha’s underdog story, but in kayfabe terms, Gable and Jordan have never been so low on the division’s totem pole. The Usos will now challenge Heath Slater & Rhyno at the PPV, and with Gable seemingly facing another spell on the sidelines, Alpha will likely have to resume their climb from the bottom of the ladder.