WWE Raw Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from August 15

The final hype for SummerSlam should have dominated the August 15 episode of Raw, engaging fans and convincing them to tune into the WWE Network for this Sunday's extravaganza. Instead, the show featured some truly confusing booking decisions, far too much filler and a lack of urgency, all of which earned WWE Creative "biggest loser" status for the night.

One of the brand's marquee matches come this weekend's spectacular is the United States Championship match between Roman Reigns and Rusev. Rather than constructing the latest chapter of their story by having Rusev avenge the humiliation his wife Lana suffered a week ago, the writers inexplicably booked the very same match for Monday's main event.

Reigns won, giving fans the happy ending they sought and leaving everyone else to wonder why anyone would conceivably purchase the Network or order the pay-per-view when the company handed over one of the most important bouts of the night on free television six days earlier.

Worse was the revelation of Finn Balor's Demon King persona.

Sure, it had been known for an entire week that Seth Rollins would call Balor's alter ego out, but no one believed they would see the painted Irishman crawl through the curtain live on Raw. Instead, that side of the former NXT champion would be reserved for Sunday's event, where it would mean more and provide the company with an enthralling moment it could relive in video packages and use to promote replays.

Instead, he appeared in full makeup and had a brief physical encounter with Rollins ahead of their battle over the newly created Universal Championship.

From ridiculous tag team feuds centered around penis jokes, and meaningless fluff like Neville singles bouts and The Prime Time Players reunions that were not quite reunions, WWE Creative dropped the ball in a big way Monday night, and SummerSlam may suffer as a result.

Winner: Heath Slater

In one segment, Heath Slater became a sympathetic hero fans can relate to, connect with and care about in ways they have not in his six years with WWE.

After weeks of frustration, with his status as "wrestling's hottest free agent" preventing him from signing a paid contract with Raw or SmackDown, Slater revealed he is a father and in need of a job so he can provide for his children.

For the first time, Slater dropped the comedic act and was real, honest and engaging. The courage he showed by stepping into the ring with Brock Lesnar despite knowing full well he would be punished severely was admirable.

Sure, he ate an F-5 and was left lying in a heap, but in that one segment, fans had a reason to invest emotionally in Slater. Now, if WWE Creative is smart, it will build on that sympathy and convince fans to continue buying into the plight of The One-Man Rock Band.

If it can accomplish that, Slater may be the most unexpected breakout star of the brand extension since John Bradshaw Layfield way back in 2004.

Loser: Sami Zayn

It was abundantly clear just how lost in the shuffle Sami Zayn actually is on Raw on Monday night when he battled Sheamus in singles competition yet was the third wheel in a segment designed to intensify the feud between The Celtic Warrior and Cesaro.

The Underdog from the Underground is one of the best wrestlers on the planet and someone responsible for a handful of the best matches of 2016. Yet as the company prepares for the fall, Zayn's place on the roster has never been more uncertain.

Is he a midcard act destined to do battle with Cesaro, Kevin Owens, Sheamus and Chris Jericho in great matches that do nothing to help elevate him but result in show-stealing performances? Or is he the setup guy—the person who those Superstars compete against in an attempt to get their own stories over, largely at his expense?

The uncertainty surrounding Zayn is troublesome. The brand extension should have helped someone like him take advantage of more opportunities, but the lack of a SummerSlam match and no clear story on the horizon leave some to wonder whether or not he would have better benefited from a spot on the SmackDown roster instead.

Winner: Roman Reigns

Sure, the decision to deliver Reigns vs. Rusev on free television days before their pay-per-view showdown was stupidity at its purest, but the former WWE champion benefited most. As he endured a beatdown from The Bulgarian Brute, his arm a mangled mess as a result of a targeted attack, Reigns heard a sound that played like music to his ears: the support of the fans.

After months of enduring largely negative reactions, Reigns benefited from a crowd that was firmly behind him and cheered him to victory over the United States champion.

For Reigns, it was a refreshing change after a year of frustration and disappointment.

Rusev is the perfect opponent, a foreign villain whose braggadocios attitude and loudmouth ways incur the wrath of the WWE Universe. Reigns stepping up to the plate to shut him up guarantees him favor with fans and could help the juggernaut to a productive rest of 2016 from a fan support standpoint even if it does not necessarily breed main event success.