Who picked up heat on last night's SmackDown? (January 16th)

Last night's showing from the blue brand was typical in its presentation over the past month. Nothing was earth-shaking, but nothing was atrocious. We did see the conclusion of the WWE US title tournament and the crowning of a new champion, though.

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Gained momentum: Jinder Mahal

Spoiler: Jinder didn't win the US title. However, he put up such a strong showing in both of his matches that he's clearly established himself as the first challenger to the new champion, assuming that Dolph Ziggler stays away for a while longer.

Lost momentum: the entire SmackDown women's division

A boring 50/50 match that established no stand-outs. With the women's Royal Rumble less than two weeks away, none of the blue brand's competitors appear as anything more than extras for the match. This is in stark contrast to RAW, where a burgeoning rivalry between Asuka and Nia Jax might be the main focus within the match itself.

The blue brand could have focused on Becky's comeback or on the Riott Squad's cohesiveness as a unit heading into the match for some angles of its own, but that's apparently too much work.

Another lazy, uninspiring segment, you'd be forgiven for changing the channel for much of it. I did. I decided that watching Shark Tank reruns on CNBC was more interesting.

Gained momentum: Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable

In a short, effective segment, Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable ambushed the Usos and established themselves as more of a threat to their championships.

Historically, these backstage ambushes never go well for the aggressors, but for now, they look like a more legit tag team.

Lost momentum: Mojo Rawley

Mojo Rawley picked up heat last week to serve his role of losing to Bobby Roode here. Now he goes back to the depths. We don't know when we'll see him again. Though now free of Zack Ryder, he still hasn't established himself as a force to be reckoned with.

Will he be pushed? Won't he? These questions are unclear.

Lost momentum: Rusev and Aiden English

As I feared, WWE looks like it's deliberately killing the momentum of one of SmackDown's hottest acts. If it's not premeditated murder, they're doing a good job of manslaughter.

Why are Rusev and Aiden English wasting their time trying to trade wins with Breezango or getting put into matches with the lowly Ascension? The only saving grace would be if they crush both of these teams in little time to keep them warm for a championship opportunity in the future.

Gained momentum: Bobby Roode

Bobby Roode won his first main roster title last night by defeating Jinder Mahal to claim the vacant United States Championship. He does it at the right time, too. Bobby Roode now has a good shot of being in a WrestleMania singles match.

There's still a lot of questions going forward and Bobby Roode still isn't served well as a babyface, but last night was his.