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WWE Raw Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from March 27

Erik BeastonMar 28, 2017

WWE Raw made its final push toward WrestleMania 33 with a "go home" broadcast that saw some Superstars rise to the occasion and others fail to leave a lasting impression in their final appearance before Sunday's Showcase of the Immortals.

Former women's champion Charlotte silenced her critics with a strong promo that emphasized Sasha Banks' dishonesty and disloyalty, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson obliterated the competition with the assistance of a ladder, and Seth Rollins delivered his finest mic work as a babyface.

Not every Superstar was presented in as glorious a light as those Superstars in Philadelphia, though.

Unfortunately for them, WWE Creative did them a great disservice Monday night through questionable booking.

The Undertaker may be the greatest icon in WWE history but his program with Roman Reigns has done more to shine a light on his deficiencies at this point in his career than anything. Then there is everyone's favorite loser Sami Zayn, whose status as the biggest nerd on the roster was firmly re-established.

Why did these Superstars earn the status they did coming out of the March 27 episode of WWE's flagship show?

Take a look for yourself with this recap of Monday's USA Network broadcast. 

Winner: Seth Rollins

1 of 5

It took what felt like an eternity for Seth Rollins to finally get to the heart of his issues with Triple H, but he saved the best for the last episode of Raw before an epic WrestleMania encounter with The King of Kings.

Rollins admitted that he would gladly go back to working armories for a hot dog and a handshake because he liked it; he liked who he was before he met Triple H. The Architect spoke his words clearly and with conviction, believing in that part of his character more than he has in quite some time.

While Triple H came across a bit flat, reciting the same lines and threats he had in the weeks leading into Monday's promo, Rollins carried the hold harmless contract signing and elevated anticipation and excitement surrounding the bout.

He was fiery and motivated on a night where some Superstars in high-profile positions appeared to be going through the motions.

The significance of his place on the WrestleMania card and ensuring fans cared about his program with Triple H were evident. On a night in which WWE Creative sleepwalked its way through a majority of the final hype for Sunday's WrestleMania 33 extravaganza, Rollins brought one of the finest verbal performances of his career, and both he and his opponent will be better off for it come The Showcase of the Immortals. 

Loser: The Undertaker

2 of 5

There is a scene midway through the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises in which a beaten, battered and frail Batman unimpressively uses smoke bombs to try to deceive Bane during their first fight. Unimpressed, the masked villain stands tall before pummeling the Caped Crusader.

Monday night, The Undertaker was Batman and Roman Reigns was Bane. The Deadman popped up in the squared circle after the same tired parlor tricks he has utilized for the majority of his 27 years with WWE. Across the ring, unfazed by his WrestleMania opponent's reliance on mind games was the younger, stronger, more dominant Reigns.

The image of Reigns and Undertaker staring each other down ahead of WrestleMania may have been one Vince McMahon and Co. thought would sell tickets and increase WWE Network subscriptions, but what it really did was call into question The Phenom's presence and whether or not he would realistically have a snowball's chance in hell against the 31-year-old Reigns.

Like Batman in Rises, Undertaker looked like an aging veteran relying on trickery, toys and games to intimidate his latest opponent. Reigns, the defiant and physically superior villain, had none of it. He was not intimidated or scared.

When Undertaker was mixing it up with Shawn Michaels and Triple H, his age was masked by the epic showdowns with Superstars from his own era. When he went to war with Brock Lesnar, the aura of the dream WrestleMania match covered up the fact that he was slower than ever. Those same parlor tricks defined the feud with Bray Wyatt, while excitement surrounding the return of Shane McMahon fueled the 2016 Hell in a Cell match.

Now that the 52-year-old stands across the ring from a Superstar who is younger, in the best shape of his career and delivering consistently great work on a nightly basis, Undertaker's deficiencies are beginning to rear their ugly heads.

Should that happen Sunday night on wrestling's grand stage, the calls for The Deadman to retire will become louder and louder.

Winners: Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson

3 of 5

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson have been so incredibly misused over the course of their first year with WWE that it is always refreshing to see them utilized to the best of their abilities, as was the case Monday night on Raw.

The Raw tag team champions not only got the best of Sheamus and Cesaro during a backstage scuffle by utilizing a nearby ladder, they withstood a sneak attack by The Celtic Warrior and Swiss Superman, as well as the presence of Enzo Amore and Big Cass, to stand tall.

The same ladder in their hands, they had laid waste to their two top contenders, leaving Sheamus bloodied from a gruesome laceration above the eye.

The former Bullet Club members are suddenly riding momentum into the most important show of the year. After the roller-coaster ride that was their first 12 months in under the WWE banner, it is somewhat ironic they enter an event dubbed "The Ultimate Thrill Ride" as the top dogs in the tag team division and the most effectively booked tandem of the last month.

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Loser: Sami Zayn

4 of 5

Sami Zayn is the biggest loser in WWE.

If you do not believe me, just pay attention to Monday Night Raw every week, where Stephanie McMahon or any heel commentator will tell you as much. If that does not work, pay closer attention to the way he is booked every week.

He is put in some high-profile positions, including Monday's interaction with McMahon and a No Disqualification match with Kevin Owens that masqueraded as the main event of the evening, but look at how his victory in that contest was handled.

He needed a run-in from Chris Jericho to provide the distraction that won him the match.

Add to that the fact that he was presented as a nerd, just happy to make the WrestleMania card rather than striving for something greater, and you have a character who has been written by tone-deaf writers who have no idea what made Zayn so special during his days in NXT.

At this rate, it does not appear as though they ever will.

Winner: Charlotte

5 of 5

When Charlotte talks, people listen.

The second-generation star may not be as dynamic a character as Bayley or as explosive an in-ring performer as Sasha Banks, but the four-time women's champion is a fantastic talker. That ability was on display Monday night as she kicked off Monday's broadcast with a promo aimed at selling Sunday's Fatal 4-Way Elimination match for the Raw Women's Championship.

What she delivered was not a typical Charlotte promo, though.

Instead, she planted the seeds for an angle far bigger than herself. A conniving villain, she recognized Banks' manipulation of Bayley and her ability to weasel her way back into the women's title picture by befriending the champion.

It was a logical promo from a heel who would be familiar with what Banks has been doing on this Road to WrestleMania. Charlotte spoke with conviction, as all great heels do, because she believed what she was saying. She commanded attention and never let stupid and nonsensical chants of "CM Punk" get to her.

More than any aspect of her performance over the last two years, it is her ability to own the moment when addressing the WWE Universe that has grown exponentially.

🚨 Mitchell Headed to 1st Conference Finals

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