5 Biggest Winners & Losers From WWE SmackDown Live (9 Aug)

4. Loser: Heath Slater

WWE are finally doing something with Heath Slater. Though he’s probably not main event material (or upper-midcard material, for that matter), Slater is a charismatic performer and a seriously underrated enhancement talent. Whether leading 3MB, The Social Outcasts, or in his current “free agent” storyline, Slater never gives anything less than his full effort, and he had another highly-entertaining week on SmackDown.

Last week saw Daniel Bryan set Slater up in a match with Rhyno with a SmackDown contract on the line. After attempting to schmooze Rhyno into throwing the match (which failed, obviously), Slater wrestled the Man Beast in full-on desperation, but couldn’t avoid the Gore. Rhyno walked away the winner, and with Slater taking a temper tantrum in the ring, his prospects of full-time employment seemed dead in the water.

A few minutes later, however, a thoroughly hacked-off Slater barged in on Bryan and Shane McMahon backstage. The duo had prepared a contract for him to sign regardless of the loss, but Slater was too carried away in his rant to notice. He stormed out of the room before they could get him to sign on the dotted line, and the One Man Band unknowingly walked out on that which he’d been chasing all along.

Heath Slater had the golden ticket in his grasp, and he didn’t even realise. He’ll be kicking himself when he discovers what happened last night.