WWE Raw Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from March 14

With just 20 days until April 3's WrestleMania 32, WWE rolled into Pittsburgh for the March 14 episode of Raw and watched as its lead hero, Roman Reigns, was nearly booed out of the building during what should have been a triumphant return and monumental ass-kicking of world champion Triple H.

This makes both the company and Reigns the broadcast's biggest losers.

Despite a well-booked brawl that saw Reigns more intense than ever as he unloaded on his rival, the fans in the Steel City rejected him and the idea of his challenging for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at The Showcase of the Immortals.

Very little of the blame belongs to Reigns. He has done everything asked of him to this point. Instead, it is the writing team and its insistence on booking him as a replica of John Cena rather than the silent-assassin type that should shoulder the responsibility for the disastrous push.

The complete lack of character development and intrigue surrounding his run to the top has damned to what should be the most magical period of Reigns' career to failure. Even if he stands tall in Arlington, Texas, the title held high overhead, he will be defined by the incredible hatred shown to him and, more accurately, WWE's failure to make an acceptable star out of him for two straight years.

WWE Creative failed one of its major tests on Monday night in presenting a lethargic episode of Raw that failed to generate the excitement one would expect just over two weeks away from the most important show of the year.

Reigns and Creative were joined on the "loser" side of things on Monday night by WWE's prodigal son, whose stumbles on the microphone demonstrated just how out of his element he really is.

Winners included the company's resident Lunatic Fringe and its No. 1 Showoff.

Credit: WWE.com

Winner: Dean Ambrose

There are very few Superstars legitimately over in today's WWE. At the top of the list is Dean Ambrose, whose never-say-die attitude has struck a chord with fans. He is a dynamic performer whose quest for the WWE Championship over the last month has elevated his star.

Even in defeat, he arrived in Pittsburgh to a huge ovation and cut another fantastic promo to build up his upcoming match with Brock Lesnar. 

None of that should have been a surprise.

What was, though, was a backstage encounter with Mick Foley in which The Hardcore Legend "passed him the torch" in the form of a barbed-wire baseball bat. The weapon, used countless times throughout Foley's Hall of Fame career, should come in handy when Ambrose battles The Beast Incarnate on April 3.

The meeting of the minds was particularly effective because Ambrose is essentially the modern equivalent of Foley.

He does not look like a star and never should have risen to the level of popularity that he has. But he works hard, sacrifices his body for the entertainment of the fans and has a resilience that the audience appreciates.

He will not quit, he will never give up and he does not need a bright orange shirt to tell you so. He gets knocked down but always picks himself up. He has formed a connection with the audience that cannot be manufactured, as WWE Creative is finding out the hard way with Reigns.

Ambrose is poised to become the biggest babyface in wrestling in 2016 if the company follows up on the immense interest and popularity he is enjoying right now.

Credit: WWE.com

Loser: Shane McMahon

Shane McMahon fumbled his lines something fierce on Monday night and, worse yet, looked completely uncomfortable on the mic. He appears out of his element, almost intimidated by being in such a high-profile role this soon after his comeback.

Naturally, anyone opposing Undertaker at an event that he is so synonymous with is bound to experience some sort of nervousness, but for McMahon to look so jittery this close to the big show is disconcerting.

His promo was ineffective, his punches looked like they would not hurt a fly and the fans barely reacted to him as he entered the arena—not good signs at this pivotal point.

For someone who enjoyed such a high-profile role in the Attitude Era, it is strange to see him struggling so much to find his groove on this Road to WrestleMania.

He has two weeks left to figure things out.

Credit: WWE.com

Winner: Dolph Ziggler

Everyone and their mothers knew Dolph Ziggler was going to eat a Pedigree and lose to Triple H on Monday night, but he did a phenomenal job of making fans second-guess themselves for a moment. Late in the match, he countered out of a Pedigree and blasted The Game with a superkick for a stellar near-fall.

It was a last-ditch effort to put the WWE world heavyweight champion down, and the fans in Pittsburgh bit on it, proving that they actually were living, breathing humans and not zombies in the stands.

His performance between the ropes echoed his excellence on the microphone earlier in the night. He was passionate and intense as he told The Authority that he would not quit or back down when things got difficult.

It echoed his real-life struggle to stay over, to stay relevant, as well as his refusal to tuck tail and run because things did not go his way. It was a promo based in reality and, for that reason, was incredibly effective.