WWE Raw Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from May 9

The May 9 episode of Raw once again demonstrated why the Roman Reigns-AJ Styles feud has worked as well as it has to this point, leading to both the WWE world heavyweight champion and his No. 1 contender earning "biggest winner" status for the night.

After the tag team elimination match pitting Reigns and The Usos against Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows came down to the two bitter rivals, the action intensified, the pace quickened and the mood changed. Styles was tenacious, taking the fight directly to Reigns, looking to avenge the powerbomb through the announce table he suffered a week earlier.

The action broke down, and Styles once again teased using a steel chair on Reigns, only to stare the champion down to end the segment.

The storytelling on the part of WWE Creative and the performances by the Superstars themselves have been so strong that the audience has been forced to choose its alliance. Monday night, Styles and Reigns managed to split the crowd, with chants for both Superstars filling the arena.

Rather than presenting either man as a traditional babyface or heel, WWE Creative has taken the more simple route, writing them to be competitors fighting over championship gold and allowing audiences to choose who they want to support.

It is fresh booking that has done wonders for the main event scene and generated interest in the Extreme Rules showdown between Reigns and Styles upcoming on May 22.

The top two stars of WWE's "New Era" were not the only big winners from Monday's broadcast. There was a 7-foot star who broke out of his shell and was featured prominently, and there was another NXT call-up who made her presence felt immediately.

Then there were the night's two biggest losers—celebrated characters whose feud has been plagued by inconsistent and lackluster writing from the beginning.

Biggest Losers: Dean Ambrose and Chris Jericho

For those of you keeping track, Chris Jericho and Dean Ambrose are now feuding over a broken plant and a $15,000 jacket ripped apart by The Lunatic Fringe on Monday's show.

It is somewhat unfathomable that WWE Creative could not have pieced together a better and more fitting storyline for the two of them given the immense talent each possesses. Their contest at Payback was strong and showcased the in-ring chemistry that exists between them. Why not build on that match rather than coming up with absurd ways to intensify the hatred between them?

Breaking a potted plant? Shredding a light-up jacket?

If Ambrose gets a Japanese shampoo commercial deal at the expense of Jericho or Y2J spills coffee on The Lunatic Fringe, this rivalry will have every ridiculous booking idea ever dreamed up by WWE Creative.

Except for Katie Vick. And "Quake Burgers."

Jericho and Ambrose deserve better. They should be in the middle of a serious program that plays to their strengths. Instead, they were greeted with apathy Monday night by an audience that understands an ineffective angle when it sees one.

Winner: Big Cass

It was not all that long ago when Big Cass would stare into the hard camera down in NXT, visibly shaken by the spotlight. He had the "deer in headlights" look, unsure of what to say, his timing on the microphone nowhere near that of tag team partner Enzo Amore.

The uncertainty and fear were nowhere to be seen Monday night. He hit the ring like a confident veteran, coming face-to-face with one of the greatest talkers in the history of the business in Jericho and never looking out of place. He was strong, spoke clearly and hit every one of his marks.

Throughout the show, he was treated as if he was on the level of Jericho, with the commentators making sure the audience understood how big of a match the main event was. It was as if Big Cass was championing the so-called "New Era," standing up in the face of a generation gone by and starting with Y2J.

Even when the main event descended into an angle rather than a match, Cass was featured prominently, standing right next to Jericho and Ambrose and never looking like he did not belong.

It was a banner night for Cass, one that proved he could hang verbally with the top stars in the industry and, more importantly, that he was not reliant upon Enzo to stay over with crowds.

Winner: Dana Brooke

During a backstage confrontation between Becky Lynch and Emma, Dana Brooke made her WWE debut, attacking The Lass Kicker and joining her friend from NXT in a beatdown of the Irish competitor.

Plagued by a severe injury during her time in NXT, it is a bit surprising to see her called up without further developing her in-ring game, but even in the performances she delivered in the developmental brand, it was evident she was a superb athlete who picked up the mat game quickly. Thrown right into the thick of things in the women's division—likely set to work with Lynch—she will thrive and grow before the eyes of the WWE Universe.

It was a strong debut for Dana, though her success or failure will be determined by what she does in front of a live audience, not in a pretaped segment airing between commercial breaks.