WWE Raw Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from April 17

The April 17 episode of WWE Raw has come and gone, and in its wake, it has left a number of definitive winners and losers.

The steady build to the Payback pay-per-view on April 30 continued Monday night as two high-profile matches were announced for the event, another was teased and those already scheduled were significantly hyped.

Amid all of that was Braun Strowman, who once again stole the spotlight and stood head and shoulders above the rest of the roster as the undisputed biggest winner from the broadcast. The mammoth competitor continued to capture the attention of the WWE Universe as he prepares for his upcoming showdown with Roman Reigns.

He was not the only character to engage the audience Monday night.

There was the hometown villainess Alexa Bliss, who cashed her ticket to Payback with a huge Fatal 4-Way match win in Columbus, Ohio, and intercontinental champion Dean Ambrose, who appeared to have found his motivation as he stood across the squared circle from The Miz during another edition of Miz TV.

But not every Superstar was lucky enough to benefit from strong booking or increased television exposure. Two performers, whose situations should have improved given recent moves, failed to shine for one reason or another.

Find out who those two unfortunate Superstars are and why the aforementioned talent had the successful nights they did, with this recap of Monday's flagship show.

Winner: Braun Strowman

The Monster Among Men once again stole the show Monday night as he obliterated enhancement stars like The Golden Truth and Kalisto, threatened general manager Kurt Angle and capped off the broadcast by imploding the ring courtesy of a superplex to The Big Show.

Strowman was defiant in the face of authority, brushing off Angle's warnings and threatening further destruction, which he delivered on.

And the crowd responded favorably.

No one is suggesting he is the second coming of Steve Austin, but the reaction from the fans to Strowman and the wild, chaotic and somewhat rebellious element he brought to the show is indicative of the WWE Universe's desire to see something edgier than the product they have endured for the last decade.

No, this is not another plea for the company to bring back the Attitude Era. What it is, though, is recognition that the company's booking of Strowman to this point has reintroduced that "anything can happen" feel to Raw and the result is a hotter, more compelling product.

The big man is certainly benefiting from the anti-Roman Reigns sentiment, but to chalk up the heat he is generating solely to the fact that audiences hate Reigns would be irresponsible. Strowman is hot because of the intensity of his performance, the strength of his booking and the sheer effort he is putting in on a nightly business.

A giant who should not be nearly the worker he is, he has demonstrated a willingness to learn and to take chances. The result is one of the most pleasant surprises of this current brand extension.

Loser: TJ Perkins

TJ Perkins' heel turn on the April 10 episode of Raw was the right move to make at the right time. Not only did it capitalize on Perkins' natural heel personality, it also gave Austin Aries a secondary nemesis in his quest to dethrone Neville as cruiserweight champion.

Monday night, Perkins squared off with Gentleman Jack Gallagher in a match that should have showcased his attitude change. Instead, Perkins sold entirely too much for Gallagher's goofy offense.

He was made to look like a fool and only picked up the win with his Detonation Kick after Neville interfered on his behalf and provided a distraction by wiping out Aries at ringside.

Perkins is a talented performer. His work in WWE, TNA and across the independents speaks for itself. The heel turn should benefit Perkins in the long run, but unfortunately Monday was a fairly significant misstep by WWE Creative, who did the former cruiserweight champion a greater disservice than benefit.

Winner: Alexa Bliss

Little Miss Bliss is the new No. 1 contender following an impressive victory over Nia Jax, Sasha Banks and Mickie James in a Fatal 4-Way match Monday night on Raw.

In her home state, Bliss played her role to perfection, picking and choosing her spots until she seized an opportunity late, dropkicked Jax out of the ring and scored the pinfall victory over an unconscious Banks.

Much like she did on SmackDown Live, where she was arguably the face of the women's division, Bliss never did anything beyond her capabilities. She knew what she was good at and executed it to perfection, and her overall performance benefited exponentially.

Now the lead heel on North America's most-watched wrestling show, Bliss has the opportunity to excel at heights SmackDown Live would never have allowed her to.

There is a level of exposure that comes with being a star on the red brand that is not afforded to the Superstars of SmackDown Live. Like Charlotte, she can be the heel the division is built around and be utilized to the fullest of her potential.

That speaks volumes about the growth Bliss, an afterthought during her NXT run, has made over the last eight months.

Loser: "The Drifter" Elias Samson

The Drifter continued his enigmatic wandering around the arena Monday night, strumming his guitar, seemingly without a care in the world.

So how could a Superstar whose actions were largely inconsequential to the overall broadcast be considered a loser?

The answer lies in a Chris Jericho promo conducted backstage.

During the promo, Jericho was preparing to add interviewer Mike "Tom Phillips" Rome to The List of Jericho when Samson entered the picture, lightly playing his instrument. Jericho took his attention of the interviewer and proceeded to poke fun at Samson, rattling off a few jokes and proceeding to put him on the list instead.

It is too early to figure out what kind of presence Samson will have on Raw. Will he be the punch line of many a joke or will he suddenly snap, brutally assaulting a Superstar and beginning a high-profile run on Monday nights?

Either way, it feels entirely too early to be subjecting him to jokes.

Winner: Dean Ambrose

There were points during his SmackDown Live run in which Dean Ambrose felt unmotivated. That is a hefty criticism to lob at any Superstar, not to mention a former WWE champion and current intercontinental titleholder.

Yet, his work diminished and his character became less interesting, and he often appeared to be going through the motions here in 2017.

Monday night, during a guest spot on Miz TV, one could almost see the light bulb go off in the mind of The Lunatic Fringe as he cut one of his most inspired promos.

Telling The Miz that he was not worried about branding or celebrity and that he only cared about being Dean Ambrose and loving pro wrestling, fans had a glimpse at the scrappy brawler they fell in love with way back in 2014.

Maybe it is the prestige of appearing on Raw or approval of upcoming creative, but Ambrose felt like the same frenetic, underdog babyface fans rooted for to win his first WWE Championship in 2016.

That bodes well considering the wealth of babyface talent at the top of the card.