Opinion: The biggest winners and losers of Stomping Grounds

Stomping Grounds was certainly an event with its hiccups, as the two main event matches were huge disappointments, but that's better than the entire card flopping, which it looked set to do. I suppose given that it was a show with such low expectations, Stomping Grounds could only overperform, and to its credit, it did - in the first half, at least. Once we got to the SmackDown Women's Championship match, things slowed down dramatically.

Two titles changed hands and it looked like a couple of pushes came to an end. Who got the most and least out of last night's show?

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Winner: Drew Gulak

It was surprising to see Tony Nese's reign cut short so soon. I imagined that Drew Gulak's big moment would come at SummerSlam, but either way, this was probably the right call. Drew Gulak is the most formidable character that 205 Live has following the departures of Mustafa Ali, Cedric Alexander, and Buddy Murphy. Carrying the show all the way through the darkness of the Enzo Amore era, this coronation was long overdue for the underappreciated Gulak.

Gulak getting the pin on Akira Tozawa suggests that the feud will continue, but that's how a smart multi-man match is booked.

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Loser: Lacey Evans

This should be the verdict - Lacey Evans is not ready for a main event spot. Her match with Becky Lynch was plodding and pedestrian, with a few embarrassing mistimed cues. The crowd finally had it and began chanting "you can't wrestle" at Lacey Evans.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Lacey Evans was called up from NXT at least a year too early. That was finally laid bare last night.

Thankfully, we got the right result with Becky Lynch again tapping her opponent out. Though there was another confrontation later that night, this will hopefully be the end of Evans' push for now.

Winners: Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn

It's hard to see what this does in the long run, but Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn desperately needed a win here, given how badly their momentum has sapped in the last month or so. It's truthfully part of WWE's annoying 50/50 pattern, and the New Day could have gotten hotter heading into SummerSlam, but the latter is at the point where they can recover from a loss like this.

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn will probably just sputter from here, but their credibility will remain somewhat intact.

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Winner: Ricochet

The biggest winner of the night was Ricochet, who has been surprisingly well-handled since his arrival on the main roster this winter. He now has gold around his waist and a ton of good options potentially awaiting him as United States Champion.

Whether he begins a rivalry with AJ Styles, as hinted last night, has a rematch or two with Samoa Joe, continues his feud with Cesaro, or holds some open challenges, there's no bad choice. Ricochet's title reign can easily be a bright spot in a bleak year.

Losers: Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre is fully cemented as a lackey to Shane McMahon, and despite the constant interference of the latter, he still lost. Meanwhile, Roman Reigns had to be the character he should never be - the underdog babyface that overcomes the odds, because of Shane McMahon's ridiculously overpowered attacks. It's a miracle that Roman Reigns hasn't returned to being booed out of the building like before.

Maybe WWE should get the hint and end this feud.

Nobody is gaining anything from the Shane o Mac show. The sooner this idiocy ends, the better for the entire roster.

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Loser: Baron Corbin

The results are in - Baron Corbin belongs nowhere near a main event. Period. End of story. This match was a disaster, with the crowd chanting "AEW," "CM Punk," and "boring." I previously said that Baron Corbin was underrated in the ring, but the company didn't let him have a straightforward match with Seth Rollins.

Instead, this match centered on shenanigans and interference involving Lacey Evans, who previously bombed herself.

This should definitely go down as one of the worst main events of 2019. Hopefully this is the end of Baron Corbin as #1 contender.