WWE Raw Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from January 23

Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho may have dominated screen time Monday night, but the winners and losers from the Jan. 23 episode of Raw are mostly an eclectic mix of fringe players and characters who helped earn the show a firm "thumbs up" for the first time in weeks.

There was the newcomer to the cruiserweight division who shed stereotypes and obscurity to have a strong, potentially breakout night.

Then there was the returning giant—a man often criticized but ready to prove his doubters wrong—who made his return and confronted the biggest, nastiest guy on the roster.

Three women made their presences felt in this week's recap, as did an iconic star of the 1990s.

Which side of the argument did they fall on, and why?

Find out now with this look back at Monday's blockbuster broadcast.

Winners: Bayley and Charlotte Flair

At the Royal Rumble pay-per-view on Sunday, Bayley will challenge Charlotte Flair for the Raw Women's Championship in a match that, given the characters involved, has the opportunity to be among the hottest on the entire card.

Monday night, just six days before their showdown, they joined Corey Graves for individual interviews.

For the first time since jumping to the main roster, Bayley appeared confident as she spoke, conveying her emotion and fandom for professional wrestling in a way that did not feel forced or rehearsed. She came across as genuine and, as a result, likable.

Her quest to win championship gold is the stuff Royal Rumble and, more importantly, WrestleMania stories are made of.

Flair countered her opponent's promo by saying she grew up privileged but will not apologize for it. She admitted liking Bayley once upon a time, but coming to Raw and pretending she is on Flair's level and worthy of a championship opportunity changed that.

The two promos laid out the differences between the babyface and heel, telling their stories without any intricate plots or complicated angles. They were simple and effective and will help garner the match more heat.

Loser: Goldberg

Goldberg made his iconic entrance Monday night, blood trickling down his forehead after he bashed it into the locker room door, and the fans rose to their feet. He played off the energy that awaited him as he entered the arena and...proceeded to flub his lines.

Not once, but twice, completely giving away the scripted nature of what he was about to say.

He recovered nicely enough, cutting a strong promo that hyped the Royal Rumble match, but he could not erase his earlier botch.

It has been fun watching Goldberg rediscover his passion for performing again. He has been energetic and legitimately humbled by the reactions that audiences have given him some 20 years after his rise to fame and fortune.

But in today's WWE, everything is so timed out and scripted (for better or worse) that it would behoove Goldberg to appreciate the fans but also remain focused so that embarrassing situations such as Monday's flub do not happen again.

Winner: Mustafa Ali

"From the moment you hear my name, Mustafa Ali, you've already made up your mind about me."

With that one sentence, it was made clear that Ali, born of Middle Eastern descent, will not be the stereotypical foreign heel WWE has promoted at so many points in its existence.

Monday night, a video package spotlighting the dynamic, innovative young star aired. From there, he wowed fans with a reverse 450 splash that earned him, Jack Gallagher and TJ Perkins a victory over Drew Gulak, Tony Nese and Ariya Daivari.

Ali is fresh and exciting. He is a Superstar who does things others have not tried. More importantly, he is proof positive that, in 2017, WWE is ready to shed the stereotypes that haunt its history.

Loser: Nia Jax

One of the strongest attributes of Nia Jax's character is her silent charisma.

She has a way of stalking toward the ring and portraying to the fans the pain and punishment that awaits her opponent with the raise of an eyebrow or the cracking of some knuckles.

Monday night, she obliterated her unfortunate opposition and then did something she has yet to do in a big spot on the main roster: She grabbed the microphone.

And in seconds, the silent aura that once accompanied the NXT breakout star vanished.

Jax was fine on the microphone. Nothing she said was bad. It was a poor decision on the part of the booking team to go that route without giving her something engrossing to say.

As it stands now, WWE wasted her first extended promo on a throwaway match and segment that did nothing to heighten awareness or anticipation for Sunday's match against Sasha Banks.

Winner: Big Show

Big Show returned to Raw Monday night, looking slimmer and fitter than he has since his rookie year in WCW. Devoting himself to getting into shape ahead of a WrestleMania 33 match with Shaquille O'Neal, his hard work has paid off.

The World's Largest Athlete interrupted Braun Strowman's post-match snarl and came face-to-face with his fellow big man, planting the seeds for interaction in Sunday's Royal Rumble match and potentially a showdown between them in February at Fastlane.

Big Show still has much to offer the wrestling industry. He is a name star who can be an attraction for WWE at this point in his career. He is an accomplished competitor who, when used sparingly, can mean more than he ever would by being on television every week.

His appearance drew a nice pop, and if nothing else, fans and officials alike know he will put Strowman over as strongly as he can.