WWE Money in the Bank 2016: Biggest Winners and Losers from PPV Event

It was a raucous night in Las Vegas Sunday as WWE rolled into the T-Mobile Arena for Money in the Bank 2016, a pay-per-view that delivered three extraordinary main event matches, a shocking conclusion and several notable winners and losers.

A new WWE world heavyweight champion was crowned—twice. It was a phenomenal night for AJ Styles. The longest-tenured female performer on the roster betrayed her friend in aggressive and spectacular fashion.

For those Superstars, the event was a success—a night none of them are likely to forget. Not everyone was quite as lucky.

Two WWE veterans were summarily defeated in unimpressive fashion, their credibility hurt and their effectiveness as characters damaged.

Regardless of which side a given Superstar fell on, the show was a buzzworthy one that has the wrestling world looking forward to what comes next.

Which Superstars had a monumental night, and which ones would love to forget the historic pay-per-view extravaganza?

Take a look for yourself.

Winner: Dean Ambrose

We have a new WWE world heavyweight champion, and his name is Dean Ambrose.

After two straight years of watching The Lunatic Fringe come up just short of achieving greatness via high-profile victories, longtime fans of the unpredictable Ambrose celebrated not once but twice Sunday night. First, they watched him overcome Alberto Del Rio, Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Cesaro to win the Money in the Bank ladder match.

Then even more excitingly, they exploded with overwhelming joy as he hit the ring and blasted Seth Rollins with the briefcase before cashing it in and capturing the title.

The celebration was on, and the fans inside the T-Mobile Arena were on their feet, cheering uncontrollably as the lovable loser finally realized his lifelong dream. Ambrose tried to restrain himself, but it was clear he was as emotional as fans had ever seen him.

After years of hard work, dedication, broken glass and pints of blood spilled in independent wrestling rings across the country, he found himself standing atop the WWE mountain as the top star in the industry.

How WWE Creative follows up his career-defining night will determine how many times Ambrose finds himself on a "biggest winners" list going forward.

Winner: Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins wrestled his first pay-per-view match in seven months Sunday, challenging and defeating Roman Reigns to capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for the second time in his career.

It was a short-lived title reign, though, as Dean Ambrose rushed the ring, cashed in Money in the Bank and won the gold, but that does not take away from the fact The Architect wrestled a brilliant match.

Early on, it looked like Rollins was moving slower than normal. As the contest unfolded, though, and the audience got a taste of just how long it was going to run, it was easy to see both he and Reigns were building the match to crescendo late.

Rollins took all of Reigns' signature maneuvers and managed to kick out. He executed the same sunset flip powerbomb out of the corner that resulted in his injury and flattened Reigns with a Pedigree in midair, countering a spear in the match's best spot.

Then, he did something few have been afforded the opportunity to do: He pinned Reigns clean in the center of the ring to capture the title.

It was a defining night for Rollins in that his win was not marred by controversy. There was no Authority, Kane or J&J Security to help him beat his former friend. He did it on his own, which is something that will not be lost on fans.

Loser: Titus O'Neil

Remember how WWE Creative did nothing to build Titus O'Neil into a credible challenger to Rusev's United States Championship?

He did not win a No. 1 Contender's match. He did not even net a single televised victory that would suggest he belonged in the spot. He was brutally attacked from behind and made to look weak in just about every way imaginable.

Sunday, the writing staff put the exclamation point on the story, booking the former Florida Gator to suffer a submission defeat to The Bulgarian Brute, tapping out while in the grasps of the Accolade—in front of his sons, who were then made fun of by the champion.

Nothing about the story, match or title opportunity did anything to make O'Neil look competent, leaving many to wonder what the point was in the first place.

Only WWE Creative and management can answer that question, but one thing is for sure: O'Neil's flirtation with the midcard title is over.

Winner: Natalya

It has been years since "character development" and "Natalya" have been mentioned in the same sentence, but that streak came to an end Sunday night as frustration boiled over, resulting in The Queen of Harts shockingly attacking Becky Lynch following a defeat at the hands of Charlotte and Dana Brooke.

Natalya has long been one of the best wrestlers in the women's division, a master technician whose pedigree spoke for itself. For the better part of a decade, though, she has been underdeveloped from a character standpoint, the definition of a generic babyface or heel.

With a lack of quality heels beyond Charlotte and Brooke, the decision was made to turn Natalya. The reason behind her attack and what she does in its wake are what will decide how worthwhile the booking decision was. More important is how Natalya transforms herself to fill the role of villain.

The days of smiling upon her entrance must end. There should be no more "Hey, you guys!" as she climbs the ropes to pander to the audience. She must be cold, calculating and dangerous. She must use that Sharpshooter of hers to hurt her opponents, not just to win matches.

Otherwise, it was a wasted turn. 

Still, just the fact WWE Creative did something fresh with her makes Natalya one of the biggest winners of the night.

Loser: Sheamus

The Celtic Warrior is a former WWE world heavyweight champion, but his use over the last six months has made him one of the biggest losers of all of 2016, not just Money in the Bank.

Sunday, Sheamus lost to Apollo Crews in a nondescript match that did neither man any favors. The audience was dead, unimpressed with the story or the in-ring action unfolding before it. While that does not bode well for Crews, it was an indictment against Sheamus, who looked a long way from the top heel on the roster that he was last December.

Despite being the star of a major motion picture, a bona fide star at a time when the company is valuing them, Sheamus finds himself in the worst funk of his career. Worse yet is the fact the New Era does not necessarily lend itself to guys such as Sheamus, who have been around for years and whose characters are stale.

There are fresh faces and exciting performers taking over WWE programming. The Celtic Warrior's failure to reinvent himself beyond his look may doom him to further mediocrity.

Winner: AJ Styles

AJ Styles defeated John Cena Sunday night.

That is how the match result will read for eternity, even if the victory came with the assistance of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, who delivered the Magic Killer to the franchise star. Did the contest end in controversy, seemingly robbing Styles of a signature clean win over the most recognizable star in the industry?

Of course, but Styles is a heel. Heels cheat to win. It is a formula that has existed since the dawn of time, leading to tremendous success for promoters across the globe. It is what it is, and no amount of complaining, whining, impassioned arguments or debates will change it.

Regardless of the finish, Styles turned in a virtuoso performance in which he carried Cena at spots. No, the franchise star is not the incapable worker who needs his opponent to help him along to a great match, but there was considerable ring rust present in his in-ring game. Without a performer as capable as Styles, the contest never would have excelled the way it did.

The Phenomenal One, in the biggest match he has wrestled in quite some time, came through with a beautiful performance that will only strengthen his star in Vince McMahon's WWE.