WWE Raw Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from January 19, 2015

The return of Sting, the final hype for the Royal Rumble and interactions between John Cena, Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar ahead of their championship clash headlined the go-home edition of WWE Raw, the penultimate stop on the road to this Sunday's gigantic pay-per-view extravaganza.

Lesnar was looking to avenge the Curb Stomp he received from Seth Rollins to close out last week's broadcast. Unfortunately, involvement from Big Show and Kane allowed The Architect to escape the clutches of Lesnar and live to see his championship opportunity Sunday.

Cena, on the other hand, fought for the jobs of Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan and Ryback. To earn them their employment back, he would have to overcome Rollins, Kane and Big Show in a Three-on-One Handicap match. He would thanks to the shocking return of Sting, an appearance that has The Authority fuming after what it believed would be a night of celebration.

Elsewhere on the show, Daniel Bryan competed on Raw for the first time in nearly a year, battling former rival Bray Wyatt in singles action. Intercontinental champion Bad News Barrett lost (AGAIN), The Ascension was wiped out by a few legends, and Roman Reigns sent a message to Big Show ahead of what will be one of the more interesting interactions in this week's huge Rumble match.

Who will enter Philadelphia for one of the biggest shows of the year, momentum on his or her side from both an in-ring and booking perspective? Which Superstars limp into the Royal Rumble, their ability to get over and stay over hurt by detrimental writing at the hands of WWE Creative?

Take a look for yourself.

Winner: Sting

The Icon returned to WWE programming Monday night during a special "reunion" episode and helped provide the distraction that led to John Cena winning the main event and, in the process, the jobs of Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan and Ryback.

Most importantly, the fans treated the return of the Stinger like the special moment it was. Much of that has to do with the fact that WWE Creative has not overexposed the legendary competitor. He has appeared only twice and, in both instances, was key to the downfall of The Authority.

Despite not making regular appearances, no one forgot who he was or what his message was. He was greeted with an enormous reaction, and rightfully so.

With the stage set for a match between he and Triple H, presumably at WrestleMania XXXI, it remains to be seen how often the face-painted star will appear on television. Expect more of the same respect from the audience if WWE Creative can tell a story without oversaturating WWE television with appearances by the former WCW franchise player.

Losers: The Ascension

Mark down "January 19" in your record books as the day The Ascension lost any and all credibility with WWE fans.

After cutting second-rate promos that were really nothing more than rip-offs of the legendary Road Warriors' greatest hits, Konnor and Viktor arrived on the scene and immediately dismantled teams in squash matches. That they looked every bit the part of Legion of Doom wannabes only intensified the scrutiny they faced from main roster fans unfamiliar with their work in NXT.

Monday night, they were taken out by over-the-hill legends whose days as regular in-ring talent are far, far past. It exposed Konnor and Viktor as frauds and set up a match with the New Age Outlaws at this Sunday's Royal Rumble that will do nothing but further hurt them early in the main roster stint.

Loser: Bad News Barrett

The current intercontinental champion cannot seem to catch a break. Last April, he was gaining traction and was, undeniably, one of the most over heels on the entire roster.

He was then injured and missed the rest of the year.

He returned and almost immediately captured the top secondary title in the company.

He then lost to Sin Cara.

Monday night, he continued his losing ways, dropping a non-title match to Dean Ambrose.

Sure, Ambrose is perceived to be a much bigger star than Barrett, both by fans and WWE Creative alike. But it is beyond explanation why the company continues to insist in sacrificing the character when it has a roster full of talent that could eat a loss and be no worse for wear.

Was Fandango busy this week? Could he not have faced Ambrose and taken the pinfall loss rather than a guy who is supposed to be one of the top competitors in the company?

After Dolph Ziggler worked so hard to restore credibility and legitimacy back to the IC title, WWE Creative has systematically returned it to irrelevancy thanks to its treatment of the current champion.

Winner: Seth Rollins

Do you want to know how effective Seth Rollins has been as a heel over the last two months? Look no further than the reaction Brock Lesnar got when he hit the ring late in Monday's broadcast. Despite being one of the most hated men on the roster, The Beast Incarnate received a phenomenal ovation as he rushed the ring and took Rollins down.

Why? Because Rollins has developed into the type of heel that fans legitimately want to see get his comeuppance. Not concerned with being the cool villain or the hip bad guy, Rollins is an old-school wrestling fan concerned only with being the absolute best he can be.

He can endure losses like the one to Cena on Monday because he is so despised that fans will line up to see him get beat up again the following week. It is rare for a heel to be so over, to experience that type of disdain.

Rollins has been on fire leading into Royal Rumble, and it would be no shock or surprise if he were to leave Philadelphia as the new WWE world heavyweight champion.