The biggest winners and losers of SmackDown 1000

Loser: Shinsuke Nakamura

It's understandable that WWE would want to have a big main event for the 1000th episode of SmackDown, but this was a questionable long term decision. Sure, it was a first time ever match, but you've now wasted that moniker, and Nakamura's loss wasn't what he needed. The United States Championship felt like it didn't matter at all, which followed already shaky booking. It hasn't been booked well under Nakamura, that's for sure.

It was obvious that Mysterio wasn't going to lose his first match back, so that begs the question of why choose Nakamura instead of someone lower on the ladder like Aiden English? It wouldn't have been as exciting of a main event, but it would have preserved long term rivalries going forward and kept the United States Championship protected.

I suppose it wouldn't be WWE without rushing into things without regard for the long term.