WWE Raw Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from January 30

A shocking debut capped off the first Raw on the Road to WrestleMania 33 on Monday night and altered the path of one of the brand's premier Superstars.

Samoa Joe made his long-awaited main-roster debut, attacking Seth Rollins at the behest of Triple H. It was a memorable moment that intensified the program involving The Architect and The King of Kings while simultaneously introducing the WWE Universe to one of the biggest badasses in professional wresting.

Speaking of dominant forces and bad men, Roman Reigns made it clear to Kevin Owens, Braun Strowman and anyone else interested in crossing him that his days of tolerating chicanery and other forms of nonsense are over, as seen in his beatdown of those two aforementioned villains.

Cruiserweight Tony Nese is finally stringing together some wins, and former tag champions The New Day cannot buy meaningful television time at this point.

Then there is poor Rusev, a talented performer whose significance to Raw appears to be waning.

These are the men who earned "winner" and "loser" statuses Monday night.

Why?

Take a look for yourself.

Winner: Samoa Joe

Just 24 hours after most fans expected Samoa Joe to make his main-roster debut during the Royal Rumble match, The Samoan Submission Machine shocked the wrestling world by attacking Seth Rollins and pummeling him while Triple H looked on—the "destroyer" the COO of WWE had promised just moments earlier.

Joe was vicious, brutal and violent, crashing Rollins into the guardrail repeatedly before rolling him into the squared circle and choking him out with the Coquina Clutch.

It was a memorable debut for Joe and one that sets him up for a major storyline heading into WrestleMania season. While Rollins vs. Triple H is still likely for The Showcase of the Immortals, Joe could find himself booked in a high-profile bout at Fastlane, where his performance may dictate the significance of his 'Mania program.

Joe, arguably the MVP of NXT in 2016, now has the opportunity to make that WWE run that has eluded him throughout his career. He got off to the hottest start imaginable Monday night. 

Loser: Rusev

A few months ago, Rusev was embroiled in one of Raw's top storylines with Roman Reigns, battling the brand's top star over the United States Championship. He regularly competed in weekly televised main events, which appeared to have rejuvenated him after earlier months of questionable booking.

In the wake of that program, though, he fell back into the midcard and a feud with Enzo Amore and Big Cass.

Monday night, their program came to a head in a Tornado Tag Team match, as The Bulgarian Brute teamed with Jinder Mahal in an attempt to silence WWE's most dynamic talker and his 7-foot friend.

One would imagine that, with a partner like Mahal, Rusev would be safe from eating a pin, thus maintaining some of his credibility.

Alas, that was not the case.

Amore pinned Rusev just one night after the energetic little man's appearance as a comedy act during the Royal Rumble match. It was a questionable decision, given the need for credible heels in the midcard.

Winner: Tony Nese

Tony Nese has long been one of the more talented indy workers in the world of professional wrestling, but he struggled mightily in the early months of the cruiserweight division to mean as much to that roster as he did to the promotions he previously worked for.

He was enhancement talent—a generic competitor with a fantastic physique who often teamed with Drew Gulak in losses to The Bollywood Boyz or Rich Swann and Cedric Alexander. He was an afterthought.

That is, until last week on 205 Live, when he beat down TJ Perkins after a roll-up defeat in their match. Monday night, he notched a win against another dynamic high-flyer in Mustafa Ali and then joined Austin Aries for a promo at the top of the entrance ramp. Nese balked at owing fans anything and walked away.

The win, momentum and brief promo signify the start of a push for the New York star. Given the fact that current cruiserweight champion Neville is a heel, it does not appear as though the two will mix it up anytime soon.

Still, a push of any sort, even if it ends with him feuding with Jack Gallagher or the aforementioned Alexander, would be preferable to the treatment he has received to this point.

Loser: The New Day

Remember The New Day?

You know, that trifecta consisting of Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods, who overcame an incredibly flawed gimmick to make it their own, sell boatloads of merchandise and hold the Raw Tag Team Championships for a record length?

Good thing you do because WWE Creative apparently does not.

The trio was left off Raw just one night after being unceremoniously eliminated from the Royal Rumble match—this after weeks of meaningless segments with Titus O'Neil, who did not even make the 30-man field for the Rumble match.

It is clear that, without the tag titles to use as a crutch, Creative has no idea how to utilize The New Day. The trio was booked so strongly for so long that the writers have run out of ways to tell stories with it, even if Big E, Kingston and Woods have proved creative enough to do that on their own.

It should be interesting to see what the company has in store for them come WrestleMania because, right now, it looks like they could be on the outside looking in on other teams filling the spot they once dominated.

Winner: Roman Reigns

Arrive.

Kick ass.

Leave.

It is a simple philosophy, but it's one that suits Roman Reigns well.

The Big Dog did not take to the ring to moan or complain about Braun Strowman screwing him out of the Universal Championship on Sunday night, nor did he mention his loss in the Royal Rumble match itself.

No, Reigns interrupted the title bout between Strowman and Kevin Owens, beat both men down and then walked away, turning slightly and appearing pleased with the destruction he had caused. Could it be a new change in attitude for the former world champion, or is Reigns striking out against those who have done him wrong for the better part of the last six months?

With a WrestleMania match against The Undertaker hinted at Sunday night, how Reigns is portrayed in the weeks to come will dictate whether he is ready and, perhaps, darker and more dangerous than ever before ahead of what would be the biggest match of his career.

Regardless, he got off to a hot start Monday night.