WWE Raw Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from June 5

On the heels of Extreme Rules, the Raw brand presented an episode of its weekly show that set in motion the events that will lead to its Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view event on July 9.

Samoa Joe, the No. 1 contender coming out of Sunday's extreme offering, established himself as a clear winner by choking out the silver-tongued snake Paul Heyman and following up with a submission victory over Seth Rollins in the main event.

Nia Jax enjoyed a similarly successful night, losing a Raw Women's Championship match to Alexa Bliss via disqualification but recovering nicely moments later by laying out Mickie James and Dana Brooke, then standing tall to close out the segment.

Not quite as lucky as those two dominant forces were Elias Samson and Bray Wyatt, who fell victim to nonsensical booking.

Dive further into why those Superstars earned the status they did with this recap of the June 5 USA Network presentation. 

Winner: Nia Jax

At WrestleMania 33, Nia Jax ran over Sasha Banks, Charlotte and Bayley until those three rivals banded together to eliminate her—the numbers advantage the only way they were going to overcome her dominance.

In the wake of that massive event, Jax fell into the background before an alliance was teased between her and Alexa Bliss. Despite a solid foundation and a receptive audience, the storyline disappeared from television as WWE Creative opted for a more one-dimensional program between Bliss and Bayley.

With the hugger out of the picture, Jax returned to the title picture Monday night, putting her friendship with Bliss aside and bowling her over in pursuit of the title.

Though she lost her match with the Raw women's champion after Bliss convinced Mickie James and Dana Brooke to attack her after physically provoking them, Jax got the last laugh, leaving anyone in her path lying in a heap.

Monday was but Jax's first taste of what is sure to be an extended run at the most coveted prize in women's wrestling. She figures to be a featured player for the foreseeable future. Most importantly, she is likely to rediscover the dominance that was such an integral part of her persona prior to, and at, The Showcase of the Immortals but has been missing since.

That will do her wonders as Raw continues to rebuild its fledgling women's roster.

Loser: Bray Wyatt

The distraction Bray Wyatt's mind games provided in the main event ultimately cost Seth Rollins his match with Samoa Joe, seemingly setting The Reaper of Souls up for a showdown with The Kingslayer, presumably in time for Great Balls of Fire.

That is all well and good, except for the fact that Wyatt was beaten clean in the center of the ring earlier in the night by Roman Reigns.

Is there possibly a worse way to introduce a new rivalry for a perceived Superstar than by having him pinned clean earlier in the same show? 

Wyatt is a former WWE champion, but you would never know it based on the way WWE Creative utilizes him. He talks a big game but loses in the biggest of matches. He is a false prophet whose words fall on the deaf ears of an audience who knows he has not once actually shown he can back up his convoluted message between the ropes.

He has a major credibility issue, and booking like Monday's is an enormous reason why. 

Winner: Samoa Joe

There is no fear in the heart of Samoa Joe.

That is what fans learned Monday night as he addressed Brock Lesnar, the WWE Universe and anyone else within earshot of the surprisingly calm Destroyer.

The advocate for The Beast Incarnate, Paul Heyman, interrupted Joe's address and warned the new No. 1 contender that his client has no fear of Joe, either.

Calmly, unfazed, Joe backed Heyman into the corner and warned him that something bad was going to happen to him. He proceeded to choke the silver-tongued snake out in the center of the ring.

If that red-hot segment was not enough, Joe defeated Seth Rollins using the same methods in the night's main event, leaving the two-time WWE champion lying in a heap to close out the broadcast.

On his first night as the top contender to Raw's most coveted prize, Joe made it known to even the most intimidating Superstar on the roster that no one is safe from his wrath, and come July 9, he will do everything in his power to leave with the Universal Championship.

He was booked about as well as one could have hoped for given the current state of WWE Creative on Monday nights.

Would it have been nice to see him put down Rollins without the distraction of Bray Wyatt's mind games? Yes, but Joe still looked like a monster villain as the show went off the air.

On a night in which it was absolutely imperative that Joe was booked in a manner that had fans believing he could conceivably beat Lesnar at Great Balls of Fire, this was a step in the right direction. 

Loser: Elias Samson

Elias Samson appeared on Raw, serenading the audience with his latest tune when Dean Ambrose interrupted and tossed him to the floor.

Thrown into the crowd like a sack of garbage, his credibility was unraveled in a single segment.

It was just two weeks ago that Samson was presented as a legitimate threat to Ambrose. The Drifter worked a lengthy match against The Lunatic Fringe and had him close to defeat on more than one occasion. Here, so soon after, he was disposed of like an afterthought.

That is not conducive to creating stars, an art WWE's crack writing staff appears to know nothing about these days.

Samson has legitimate heat. He generates enormous jeers when he sits in the ring, strumming his guitar and running down whatever city the show is in. Potentially diminishing that heat for the sake of putting Ambrose over, when he is already one of the most popular babyfaces on the roster, is detrimental to both Samson and any chance WWE Creative has of building a quality midcard to support its wealth of main event Superstars at the top of the card.