WWE Raw Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from January 12, 2015

The Beast was unleashed as WWE world heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar returned to Raw, just 13 days away from a huge title defense against John Cena and Seth Rollins at the Royal Rumble.

Live from the site of his monumental, streak-ending victory over The Undertaker at last year's WrestleMania, Lesnar signed the contract for the huge upcoming main event but ultimately found himself lying in the center of the ring—the victim of an Attitude Adjustment through a table and a Curb Stomp from Mr. Money in the Bank.

Speaking of Rollins, a victory over Cena earlier in the night ensured the continued unemployment of Ryback, Dolph Ziggler and Erick Rowan, ensuring that The Authority remains the most powerful force in all of sports entertainment.

But, after the events of SmackDown, would Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose have anything to say about that? More importantly, what repercussions would they face for opposing WWE's resident power couple?

Fans found out Monday night.

Without further ado, here is a look back at the winners and losers of the January 12 episode of WWE's flagship program.

Winner: Seth Rollins

There is not much that WWE is doing right as it prepares for the first pay-per-view of the year, but one thing it is doing masterfully is building Rollins. He is not only growing into the top heel in the company but also a legitimate championship contender.

His win over Cena to kick off Raw, regardless of how it happened, was a nice addition to his resume. The show-closing segment, in which he delivered a huge Curb Stomp to Brock Lesnar and then stood tall to end the night, really established him as an equal to his Rumble opposition.

While he may not have the star power of Cena or Lesnar, his recent booking has him on par with them and has convinced fans that it would not be a stretch to imagine a WWE in which the champion was the former Architect of The Shield.

That is a testament to the much-maligned WWE Creative, who clearly has been instructed to do everything possible to craft a lead villain out of Rollins.

Winner: Kane

The Big Red Corporate Demon from Hell, or whatever he is going by this week, has Daniel Bryan to thank for his placement in this week's article. After all, the return of the leader of the Yes Movement has once again made the long-tenured Superstar relevant heading into SmackDown's return to Thursday nights.

A year after Tombstone-piledriving Bryan onto an announcers' table, Kane will get another opportunity to please The Authority when he battles the former WWE world heavyweight champion in his return to the ring.

No one should expect Kane to win. But for the first time in a while, it feels like the Director of Operations is involved in something meaningful.

Loser: Dean Ambrose

Monday night, WWE Creative continued what seems like a crusade to book the over Dean Ambrose worse than any other babyface in the history of the company.

If getting distracted by a hologram at Hell in a Cell and being too stupid to unplug a TV at Tables, Ladder & Chairs were not bad enough—and losing an Ambulance match clean to Bray Wyatt on last week's show did not kill his momentum completely—he was part of some ridiculous therapy session segments Monday night.

Making matters worse was the fact that he battled Rusev and had the match stopped because he may, or may not, have hurt his knee. Add to it a big super kick from the United States champion that left the Lunatic Fringe in a heap, and one has to wonder how fans bring themselves to cheer for the guy every week.

In October of last year, Ambrose looked like the first real antihero since Steve Austin. Fans loved him, and he was arguably hotter than any other Superstar on the roster.

Since then, poor booking decisions have hurt both his credibility and the effectiveness of his character.

Ambrose should bring an edge to WWE programming, but he has become a caricature rather than a character. That can be attributed to an out-of-touch boss and his crack writing staff, both of whom have no idea how to utilize someone like Ambrose.

And it shows a little more with every passing week.

Loser: Roman Reigns

At times, one watches the WWE product and questions if those in charge are actively trying to damage a character or persona with their booking choices. Case in point: Monday's handling of Roman Reigns.

If "suffering succotash" on SmackDown was not bad enough, Reigns told a fairy tale on Raw.

That's right—the juggernaut of The Shield and the Superstar pegged as the future face of WWE spoke of magic beans, golden eggs and beanstalks.

A guy who was once heralded for his quiet charisma and explosiveness between the ropes has been reduced to reciting scripted promos that would not get over in front of an audience of three-year-olds at the local library, let alone an arena full of wrestling fans in New Orleans.

No star has been more negatively affected by WWE Creative and Vince McMahon's recent contributions to the show than Reigns. Suddenly, fans are seriously second-guessing his position as the next huge star in WWE.

By the time he rolls into Philadelphia for the Royal Rumble, a match in which he is the undisputed favorite to win, things could get ugly.