WWE Raw Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from May 11

For Dean Ambrose, the final episode of Raw on the road to this weekend's Payback pay-per-view was not only a homecoming but also a watershed moment in his most recent main event push.

Returning to Cincinnati, Ohio, for the night's broadcast, The Lunatic Fringe dispatched Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble in a Handicap match early in the show. He dealt a beating to the J&J Security members that seemingly ensured neither would be able to involve themselves in the night's main event between Randy Orton and Seth Rollins.

When that turned out not to be the case, Ambrose hit the ring at the conclusion of the marquee match and aided Orton in disposing of the lackeys before turning his attention to Rollins. When The Architect was left in a heap, he watched as Roman Reigns blasted The Viper with a spear, then seized the opportunity and leveled his former Shield mate with Dirty Deeds to close out the show.

For a company that seemingly takes pride in embarrassing or beating the hometown hero whenever he returns to his birthplace, WWE gave Ambrose the opportunity to stand tall and close out the show. The fans erupted into a huge ovation for the most unstable Superstar on the roster.

Who joined the former United States champion in the land of winners, and which unlucky Superstars and Divas crashed and burned on the opposite end of the spectrum?

Winner: John Cena

There is no Superstar more underappreciated and disrespected at this point than John Cena. He has consistently had the best matches on free television since winning the United States Championship but has been continuously greeted with criticism of his in-ring ability.

Monday night, he had a pay-per-view-quality match with Neville, proving his ability to work outstanding bouts against Superstars of various styles and talent. He has constantly upped his game to match that of his opponent and has been rewarded by the live audience with chants of "This is awesome!" Whether it has been against Dean Ambrose, Bad News Barrett, Stardust or Neville, he has elevated the stock of his opponent.

There is no denying that Cena is WWE's franchise player, but his stint in the midcard has been very good for both the U.S. title and the quality of matches fans can expect when they tune in to Raw each week.

Loser: Damien Sandow

A few weeks ago, Damien Sandow cut a great promo detailing the hurdles he has overcome thus far in his career, including the stretch of time where he dressed up as other Superstars and celebrities just to keep his face on television and entertain the fans.

It sounded like the former Money in the Bank winner was going to have the opportunity to branch out, then enjoy a serious push. Instead, he is right back where he started thanks to the lame Macho Mandow gimmick he debuted on last week's Main Event.

Monday night, he battled Curtis Axel in singles competition, then partnered with him to clear the ring of The Ascension.

What appeared to be a star-making performance in the role of The Miz's stunt double now feels like a lifetime ago, as Sandow finds himself scraping the bottom of the barrel: preparing for a WWE pay-per-view Kickoff show against a team that has been, arguably, the biggest of the NXT failures to this point.

Winner: Kane

The Big Red Corporate Demon From Hell showed great passion as he confronted Seth Rollins and Triple H in the squared circle at the top of the show. Despite considerable drop-off in the quality of his in-ring performances over the last year, WWE Creative's booking of the Kane character has been very good in recent weeks. Fans who did not care about him before suddenly have a reason to anticipate what he will do next, thanks to his ongoing rivalry with WWE world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins.

While he was left lying by Roman Reigns midway through the show, that was to be expected. After all, the juggernaut is the future star of the company. But to rebound and play such a key role in the conclusion of the show, standing by and watching as Rollins was decimated by his four Payback opponents, was solid storytelling.

The addition of Sunday night's stipulation that if Rollins does not retain the title against Reigns, Randy Orton and Dean Ambrose he will lose his job only creates further intrigue surrounding the character.

At a time when he cannot be relied on to deliver at the level he once did between the ropes, Kane's new role has made for some interesting television.