WWE Raw Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from June 19

For the first time in weeks, it felt like WWE Raw presented fans with a show in which things actually happened.

Novel concept, sure, but the state of the flagship show's creative has been so lackluster for so long that Monday's broadcast felt like a refreshing change from the monotonous tone the show had taken since WrestleMania.

Roman Reigns continued to introduce his new attitude to the WWE Universe at large. Braun Strowman returned from injury and announced a huge match for the Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view.

Big Cass was revealed as the man behind the attacks on his longtime tag team partner Enzo Amore. Finn Balor returned, Seth Rollins got the last laugh on Bray Wyatt and the women's division descended into chaos.

With so much crammed into the three-hour run time of WWE's longest running program, it is important to decipher what worked, what did not and which Superstars emerged the night's biggest winners and losers.

Winner: Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe may very well be the hottest star on Raw, and the strength of his booking Monday night, and in the weeks leading into Great Balls of Fire on July 9, may be why.

The Destroyer fearlessly confronted Roman Reigns, brawled with him, then proceeded to defeat him via the dangerous Coquina Clutch in a singles match later in the night.

A video package that set the stage for the upcoming showdown with Brock Lesnar over the Universal Championship only served as an exclamation point on another banner night for a Superstar gaining momentum at just the right time.

The key to Joe's continued success will be recognizing what is working and building on it.

Fans appreciate that Joe is a no-nonsense badass, a pummeling force of nature who will not hesitate to choke out any Superstar that gets between him and the title. As long as WWE Creative does not forget that all-important element of his character when booking the next three weeks of television, Joe's ascension to the top of the card, and his match with Lesnar at the next pay-per-view extravaganza should continue to captivate audiences for the foreseeable future. 

The absolute worst thing that could happen is a one-sided obliteration by Lesnar that would effectively unravel all of the work that has gone into building Joe into a credible threat to The Beast Incarnate.

Loser: Bray Wyatt

Remember when Bray Wyatt exploded on to the scene and captivated the WWE Universe with his cryptic promos and haunting imagery? Remember how unique and refreshing the lantern entrance was and how engaging the third-generation star was with a mic in his hand?

Not so much anymore.

The Reaper of Souls has become a caricature of himself. He is tired, stale and boring. Wyatt refers to himself as a god, issues warnings to his opponents but never follows up on them. When he tries, he loses, proving himself a false profit.

The current rivalry with Seth Rollins is nothing new, exciting, revolutionary or different from everything else fans have borne witness to since his arrival in 2013. He speaks in riddles, accuses his opponent of being something different beyond what we see on the surface and ultimately gets his ass handed to him while laughing it off as if his opponent has awakened something in him.

In reality, he is going through the motions he set for his character, neither advancing it in any meaningful way or evolving it out of the doldrums it is in.

As long as he settles into that mediocrity, and WWE Creative lazily books him in the same manner it has for nearly half a decade, continue to expect disappointing results.

Winner: Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns is at his best when he is a cocky, arrogant tweener who cares little about the fans' opinion of him and only about his next conquest.

Monday night, he returned to Raw, ran down the list of Superstars he has vanquished and announced himself the No. 1 contender to the Universal Championship at SummerSlam.

Why?

Because it's his yard.

He wore a smug look on his face and did not pander to the audience whatsoever. There were no jokes, there was no attempt to turn the crowd in his favor. Rather than the company-endorsed superhero, he was supremely confident in his abilities and insistent on the idea that he was the man.

For years, WWE has attempted to push Reigns as an underdog who fights from underneath despite the fact that he looks like a legitimate badass capable of raining hell on anyone who opposes him. This new persona fits him to a T. He is great, he knows it and he shows it every night in the ring.

He is not your typical overbearing villain in that he does not rub his superiority in your face. Instead, he is confident in it and backs it up between the ropes.

It is a refreshing take on the babyface, avoids cliches and makes for a more acceptable version of Reigns than the John Cena-lite character WWE attempted to shoehorn him into.

Losers: Raw Women's Division

The Raw women's division is a mangled, directionless mess, and Monday's show proved as much.

Sasha Banks and Nia Jax's one-on-one contest was interrupted by Emma, who took exception to Alexa Bliss walking out on her last week and confronted her at the announce position. From there, they completely dismissed their issues and attacked Banks.

If that was not enough, Mickie James and Dana Brooke continued their crusade to get their backsides handed to them as they hit the ring to fend off Jax, only to be tossed around like ragdolls.

Then Bayley suddenly and inexplicably hit the ring, making the save for the babyfaces. She was unnecessarily shoved into the proceedings, ruining what could have been a fun comeback a few weeks from now.

One of the biggest indictments on the Raw writing team has been its use of the women's division since the Superstar Shake-up last April. It has either featured only one credible rivalry (Bayley vs. Bliss) or it has been home to too many meaningless, multi-woman tag team bouts featuring stars who are going nowhere wrestling others with no clear character or motivation.

On the heels of a SmackDown Live pay-per-view in which five women with identifiable character traits competed in a Money in the Bank ladder match and two more warred over the women's title, one would have thought Raw would be eager to let its women's division loose, proving their roster was every bit as talented as the blue brand's. 

Instead, it continued the unfortunate pattern of messiness and disjointedness, and the result was another major misstep.

Winner: Elias Samson

"The Drifter" Elias Samson has had more success in the last month on Raw than he did during the entirety of his NXT run.

His in-ring style has always been more comparable to what the Superstars on the main roster were doing rather than the freer, more dynamic style incorporated by the NXT stars. His character, darker and more complex, also fit the tone of Raw rather than the attitudinal, in-your-face demeanor of the developmental brand.

Recent matches with Dean Ambrose suggest management believes in the character and the performer behind it enough to have him work with former WWE champions. That belief was on full display Monday when The Drifter's first major rivalry was revealed.

His attempts at serenading the audience were interrupted by Finn Balor, who came face-to-face with the sinister songster. From there, Samson responded by attacking Balor, laying him out in the backstage area.

While some will consider a rivalry with The Drifter a step down for Balor, it is an enormous opportunity for Samson to prove that he can thrive in big-match situations against a guy who was the very first universal champion.

It is a huge seal of approval from management and WWE Creative.