WWE Survivor Series 2015: Biggest Winners and Losers from Marquee Event

For The Undertaker, the 2015 Survivor Series pay-per-view was a celebration of his many achievements, a quarter of a century of dedication and loyalty to World Wrestling Entertainment during which he became the company's greatest phenom.

For Roman Reigns, it was yet another night of tremendous joy erased by sudden and unexpected heartbreak—this time courtesy of the Money in the Bank briefcase.

The event was a tale of two stories involving two men on different paths in their respective careers.

One is already an established star, having dominated the industry for 25 years. The other is on his path to greatness, a Superstar poised to become the biggest star in the industry. Despite having two very different nights, both men emerged from the annual November event as winners.

Undertaker was the centerpiece of the marketing for the show and had his legendary career celebrated in grand fashion. His entrance was epic, and his performance was everything fans could have hoped for.

Reigns delivered another strong night of in-ring work, including a phenomenal match with Alberto Del Rio to kick off the night's festivities. His booking throughout the night, all the way to the moment Sheamus cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and stole the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from him, was aimed at making him a sympathetic babyface, and it worked.

Those two Superstars were the backbone of Survivor Series, but they were hardly the only winners of the night. And what about the losers?

Luckily, we have got you covered.

Winner: Dean Ambrose

In yet another high-profile position on the card, Dean Ambrose delivered, working a quality match with Kevin Owens in the semifinal round of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament early in the show, then an intense and hard-hitting match with best friend Roman Reigns in the final.

Along the way, he proved incredibly popular with fans, receiving some of the biggest pops of the evening and proved himself a legitimate main event talent.

It will be interesting to see whether WWE Creative can build on his momentum or will be comfortable allowing him to slink back into the midcard, perhaps to challenge Kevin Owens for the intercontinental title.

Given the lack of legitimate main event babyfaces, it would behoove the writing staff to do whatever is necessary to push Ambrose over the hump and finally establish him as a legitimate attraction at the top of the card.

Credit: WWE.com

Loser: Sheamus

There was a time when heels in wrestling were steadily built, given quality wins over time and presented as a vile and despicable being as Creative attempted to solidify their position as a villain.

On Sunday night, Sheamus danced with New Day, said the phrase "getting jiggy with it" and bumped around the ring for Kalisto, Jey Uso and Ryback en route to jobbing in the main card's only traditional Survivor Series tag team match.

How anyone in their right mind thought that was a suitable way to portray The Celtic Warrior on the same night he was to cash in Money in the Bank on the WWE world heavyweight champion is a mystery.

There will be some who justify the booking decision by using the tired excuse of "that's just the way it is today," but in reality, it was another example of WWE Creative relying on the surprise element when it comes to booking the MITB winner, then wondering out loud why the push for that heel star never quite worked the way it had hoped.

Even as he stood in the center of the ring, celebrating his title win with Triple H, it felt very much like Sheamus was a transitional champion tasked with holding the championship until Roman Reigns is ready to take it back from him, possibly as soon as TLC.

Losers: Paige and Charlotte

Never have two performers been done such a great disservice as obviously as Paige and Charlotte were during their WWE Divas Championship match.

What should have been a heated and intense match based on the angle that ended the previous Monday's Raw was instead an exercise in the worst booking imaginable.

With anger coursing through her veins, Charlotte attacked Paige...with a waistlock. Then she proceeded to wrestle a traditional match as fans sat on their hands, uninspired by what they were witnessing.

Some 14 minutes later, they greeted the finish with a chorus of boos, clearly more invested and interested in Paige than the one-dimensional and uninteresting champion.

If WWE expects fans to take the Divas Revolution seriously, and wants to book controversial angles for them like it does for the male Superstars, the company has to allow the Divas to work matches like their male counterparts.

Sunday's match was more like Dolph Ziggler vs. Tyler Breeze when it desperately needed to be the intense and hard-hitting bout that Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose wound up being.

Credit: WWE.com

Losers: Dolph Ziggler

Remember when The Showoff was the sole survivor in last year's Survivor Series main event and earned a sizable push that had some feeling as though he was finally breaking through the proverbial glass ceiling?

WWE Creative does not either.

That moment feels like a lifetime ago, as Ziggler lost cleanly to Tyler Breeze in the most pedestrian match at the Survivor Series pay-per-view.

Where that leaves the former world, United States and intercontinental champion going forward is up for debate, but he clearly is not in the position he probably deserves to be in.

Winners: The New Day

Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods may have wound up on the losing end of the night's only traditional Survivor Series tag team elimination match, but they were once again among the biggest winners thanks to the hilarity that ensued when they stepped through the curtain.

From Woods' ridiculous hairdo straight out of the Doo-Wop scene to Big E inspiring King Barrett and Sheamus to get in on the dancing with him, the group continues to bring absurdity and fun to WWE shows at a time when there is not much to be had.

They were incredibly over with the fans in Atlanta, Georgia, to the point the energy of the show disappeared the moment they walked out on their match. The two matches that followed their performance could not recapture the excitement the act brought to the broadcast, thus proving how integral a part of WWE's product The New Day has become.