WWE Raw Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from April 24
The April 24 episode of Raw should have been dedicated to hyping Sunday's Payback pay-per-view. Instead, it was a broadcast that did little to create excitement, anticipation or buzz for an event already perceived to be a C-level presentation.
That may have been the case, but the show was not necessarily detrimental to individual stars.
No, there were three competitors in particular who emerged from the pack to earn "winner" status, one of whom was a massive Monster Among Men who has made WWE's flagship his own playground of pain, punishment and destruction in recent weeks.
There were noticeable losers, too.
One was a high-profile babyface who has yet to discover his identity in his new role, while the other was a complete and utter lack of suitable pre-PPV build.
Who joined Braun Strowman on the positive side of things, and why did Seth Rollins and WWE Creative find themselves in the proverbial dog house?
Take a look for yourself with this recap of Monday's USA Network broadcast.
Winner: Alexa Bliss
1 of 5
It can be argued that Alexa Bliss needs to work on her in-ring game, but from a character presentation and mic skills standpoint, the NXT export is head and shoulders above every other woman on the Raw roster.
Monday night, she proved as much.
Bliss cut a scathing promo on Bayley that was based in truth and fact rather than the same, lying rhetoric most heels use to run down their opponents. That may be why she was able to turn fans against the current Raw women's champion.
The former SmackDown women's champion speaks with a conviction that makes it easy for fans to buy into what she is saying. They believe it because she clearly believes it. She rarely comes across as scripted, another strong attribute of hers.
Whereas her in-ring timing may not be perfect, there are few other female performers under the WWE umbrella who can convey the entire tone of a program in a single promo like she can. She is dynamic, believable and speaks like a human being would speak, rather than the scripted, robotic tone many WWE Superstars take today.
Her contributions to Monday's show were integral in adding heat to Payback's Raw Women's Championship match against Bayley and may very well earn her a sustained run at the top of the division at a time when it appeared Nia Jax was being groomed for that spot.
Loser: WWE Creative and Pay-Per-View Hype
2 of 5
At the heart of Monday's broadcast was a show-long storyline involving Chris Jericho, The Miz and intercontinental champion The Miz.
There is nothing wrong with the promotion opting to focus on those three talented individuals. The problem lies in the fact that two out of three of them do not have matches at Sunday's Payback pay-per-view. That means an entire opening promo segment and main event match were wasted on Superstars who will not have an impact on the proceedings at this latest Raw-exclusive event.
The decision to present such inconsequential segments was indicative of a larger issue with Monday's broadcast: Very little of it adequately hyped Sunday's show.
There was no Roman Reigns. Bray Wyatt appeared at the very last minute, not to sell his match with Randy Orton—but to lay out the aforementioned Miz, Jericho and Ambrose, three men he has nothing to do with at Payback.
Seth Rollins and Samoa Joe's interactions were minimal, with no story advancement, and both Apollo Crews and Dana Brooke were inexplicably highlighted despite no presence at or near the Payback card.
On a night where it was imperative that WWE management recognized the lack of excitement surrounding this Sunday's event and rectify the issue, it failed miserably with questionable booking decisions and a lack of urgency that doomed the broadcast to mediocrity.
Winner: Braun Strowman
3 of 5
Braun Strowman continued to inflict pain and suffering on the Raw roster Monday night.
Though he lost a Dumpster Match to Kalisto, he made the masked luchador pay, pummeling him and sending him crashing off the Raw stage while trapped in the same dumpster.
His path of rage has become a staple of Monday nights, this being the third week in a row that he assaulted a former champion and left them in need of medical attention.
On a night where WWE Creative failed miserably to generate excitement for Sunday's show, their treatment of Strowman was both in line with the character and exactly what he needed to surge into Payback, ready to put an end to Roman Reigns once and for all.
Strowman has emerged as a legitimate star on Monday nights, a monster heel the show has been built around in the post-WrestleMania 33 landscape. He has consistently found himself on the winner's side and with good reason.
If he can continue to deliver performances at the quality of the ones he has delivered, there is no reason he cannot become a fixture at the top of the card rather than this month's sacrificial lamb to Roman Reigns.
Loser: Seth Rollins
4 of 5
Seth Rollins is a man still trying to figure himself out from a character standpoint.
No longer able to lean on the "chosen champion" shtick he enjoyed during his time as Triple H and Stephanie McMahon's handpicked golden boy, he has not built a persona for himself that allows him to connect with audiences beyond being a really good professional wrestler.
His feud with Samoa Joe has been an extension of the feud with Triple H, and while it is almost certain the two will deliver a superb match at Payback, there really is no reason for fans to throw their support behind him.
He is bland and characterless. His entire reason for existing was the systematic destruction of the man who betrayed him last August. His victory over Triple H at WrestleMania accomplished that, and now he has no noticeable goals and accomplishments to strive for.
While some of the blame should be placed directly at the feet of WWE Creative, his inability or unwillingness to get any elements of his character over during the course of his in-ring work has been a fatal flaw.
The continued run of Roman Reigns at the top of the card, the appearance of "Lunatic Fringe" Dean Ambrose, the evolution of Chris Jericho and the return of Finn Balor have Rollins in the unenviable position of fifth-most interesting babyface on the roster.
That is a place he never could have imagined himself being in when he returned from injury and became a full-fledged babyface last summer.
Winner: The Miz
5 of 5
While he may not have a match scheduled for Sunday's Payback pay-per-view, The Miz once again proved Monday night he is a heel entire that shows can be built around.
With Braun Strowman preoccupied with a Dumpster Match against Kalisto and no other main event level heel to showcase, Miz seized the opportunity and delivered quality performances throughout the show. When called upon, the Hollywood A-lister and former WWE champion consistently delivers.
A wholly unlikable bad guy who is not concerned with looking cool or selling merchandise, he is a breath of fresh air. He infuriates fans, antagonizes audiences and earns their disdain. He is the rare heel who still invites heel heat and elevates every babyface he works with as a result.
Monday night, he kicked off the show, closed it out and helped Bray Wyatt earn a huge pop when he flattened the Cleveland native with Sister Abigail.
Despite the presence of Strowman, Chris Jericho, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Finn Balor, it was Miz whom the entire show revolved around.
That is a testament to the faith management has in him and an indicator that he may find himself back in main event contention by the time this August's SummerSlam rolls around.
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