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WWE Super-Showdown is now in the books, and while the show was filler, for the most part, a glorified house show, a number of important things happened. Daniel Bryan defeated the Miz to become the #1 contender to the WWE Championship, but the disappointing match almost guarantees that Miz will interfere and the rivalry will continue. He isn't going to let this loss slide easily. It's obvious that this feud is going to be in place for the long haul.
Elsewhere on the card, all but one championship was retained, but most of the rivalries are likely to continue. We now know that Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch will have another match on Tuesday, which will almost certainly set up a match for Evolution. Triple H and The Undertaker certainly have unfinished business, and it's obvious that the Deadman will eventually get his revenge.
Who, then, came out the furthest ahead at the end of the day (or beginning of it, for most viewers)? Who was left the furthest behind in Melbourne?
Loser: Asuka
As expected, Asuka didn't take the pin in this match, and will probably get the win back soon, but going 50/50 with the IIconics is a dramatic drop off compared to her highly anticipated main roster debut just a year ago. Though Super Show-Down was a mostly filler affair, it nonetheless puts another loss on her pay per view record.
As 2018 has gone on, Asuka has become the female version of Samoa Joe or Braun Strowman - always winning on television and beating up the geeks in the division, but never winning the big matches on pay per view. It's worse because this was a loss that didn't need to happen, given what occurred elsewhere on the card. It was a misallocation of resources.
Loser: Samoa Joe
Not only did Samoa Joe lose his final shot at the WWE Championship, he tapped out to the calf crusher, a move he countered with relative ease at SummerSlam.
This was another great match between the two, but it was certainly an anticlimactic way to end one of the best feuds of 2018. Samoa Joe has choked again when it matters and it now seems unlikely that he'll ever capture a major title.
It's a shame because he's shown over and over again that he turns everything he touches into gold.
Winner: Buddy Murphy
This was long overdue.
Against the expectations set by the rumours that no title would change, Buddy Murphy defeated Cedric Alexander and became Cruiserweight Champion. It's a well-deserved victory after all the stellar work he has put it on 205 Live this year.
Cedric Alexander will get his rematch and there's the danger that the title change was done simply to make the hometown crowd happy. We just saw that with Moustache Mountain at the UK tournament, after all.
Hopefully, that won't be the case with Murphy. Alexander's reign had run its course. Murphy is the better man to hold the championship at this time. The fact that Murphy gave Alexander his first defeat in nearly a year gives us more room for hope.
