WWE Raw Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from October 27
On the heels of Hell in a Cell, WWE rolled into San Antonio, Texas, for Monday Night Raw and immediately got to work on putting together the card for November's Survivor Series pay-per-view.
With a huge traditional Survivor Series tag match announced pitting Team Cena vs. The Authority, Dolph Ziggler established himself as an enemy of the most powerful faction in WWE by standing side-by-side with the leader of the Cenation and accepting his offer to join his team.
Mark Henry betrayed his friend The Big Show, leaving The World's Largest Athlete lying following a series of World's Strongest Slams and a big splash. It was the culmination of a month's worth of frustration which now pits the behemoths against each other in the weeks to come.
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After two grueling, physically demanding Hell in a Cell matches the night before, Cena and Seth Rollins delivered a hellish main event that established Rollins, as JBL put it on commentary, as one of the standard-bearers in WWE right now, not to mention the future.
The road to Survivor Series is underway. Which Superstars and Divas emerged as winners from the October 27 episode of Raw, and who has considerable work to do in the weeks to come?
Winners: John Cena and Seth Rollins
Taking into consideration the punishment both men endured at Hell in a Cell, there was reason to believe that even two great pros like John Cena and Seth Rollins would not be able to turn in the quality performances fans have come to expect from them.
Showing great guts and tremendous toughness, the Superstars fought through the pain to deliver a match that was every bit as good as the best matches from Sunday. A pay-per-view-quality bout, Cena vs. Rollins captivated fans in San Antonio, not to mention those watching at home.
The near-falls were excellent, and the counters kept fans on the edge of their seats. Unfortunately, the disqualification robbed fans of a suitable conclusion to the outstanding match, but Cena and Rollins laid the groundwork for a series of matches that could carry the product into WrestleMania season if WWE opts to head in that direction.
Loser: Alicia Fox
Poor Foxy!
After standing by Paige's side when no one else would, she made a simple mistake at Hell in a Cell and found herself on the receiving end of a beatdown at the hands of the young Brit on Monday night.
Do the events of Raw suddenly make Fox a babyface? If so, she is an even bigger loser than she would have been by just enduring the assault. After years of irrelevance, she gained traction as a crazed heel. Returning to the babyface side with no character to speak of will only hamper her in the long run.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
A year of wallowing in the midcard appears to have paid off for Dolph Ziggler, who suddenly found himself involved in the main event story on Monday night, defeating Kane and becoming the first Superstar to align himself with Cena in the war with The Authority.
While the sudden rise to the top of the card may only last as long as the build to Survivor Series does, it is a bit of a reward for The Showoff, who endured a miserable losing streak to close out 2013 and had a very up-and-down 2014, winning and losing some but never really advancing either way.
Now he has the opportunity to shine under the brightest lights when he competes in the main event of one of the most popular and enduring pay-per-view events of the year.
Loser: Cesaro
Remember that time The Swiss Superman turned in a great match against Dolph Ziggler to kick off a pay-per-view and finally appeared to be on his way back to relevance in WWE? That was Sunday night at Hell in a Cell.
On Monday, he snapped back to reality, as he was beaten and brutalized by Dean Ambrose and treated like a common jobber.
It was the latest in WWE Creative's uneven and disjointed booking of someone who has all of the potential in the world to stand alongside Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns as the future of the industry. Why continuously put him down and affect the credibility he has with fans when he could be so integral to the long-term success of Vince McMahon's company?
It makes no sense.
Winner: Mark Henry
The World's Strongest Man was in desperate need of a heel turn. No matter how hard WWE Creative tries, happy-go-lucky Mark Henry has never connected with the audience the way that dominant strongman Henry does, and on Monday night nearly a year of poor utilization was corrected when Henry turned on Big Show and re-established himself one of the most dangerous men on the roster.
While no one really wants to see another Henry-Big Show feud, the idea of Henry tearing through competition and shoring up a depleted heel main event roster is appealing.
Winner: Ryback
The Big Guy made his return to WWE and instantly reminded fans of the force he can be, tearing through Bo Dallas much to the delight of the San Antonio audience, who greeted his re-emergence with a huge ovation.
Ryback never stopped believing in himself as a headliner, something that could be seen in the way he carried himself while a member of the enhancement team RybAxel with Curtis Axel. Now, he has a second opportunity to climb the ladder in WWE. It will be up to WWE Creative to not let him down.
Winner: Randy Orton
The Viper finally unleashed months of frustration over his role within The Authority and the back seat he took to golden boy Seth Rollins by dropping Mr. Money in the Bank with an RKO, which earned him a huge pop from the fans in attendance Monday night.
A babyface Orton should prove to be much more effective than the boring, undefined heel character the third-generation star has portrayed over the last year. It will freshen him up, something that is absolutely necessary at this point, and ignite a rivalry with Rollins that could result in some truly outstanding in-ring performances.
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