WWE Raw Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from September 18

Just six days before No Mercy hits the WWE Network airwaves, the Intercontinental Championship took center stage on WWE Raw.

The events that unfolded involving the title netted a definitive winner and loser, though they may not be quite as obvious as one would think.

Jason Jordan was prominently featured throughout the show and scored a big win in the main event to cash his ticket to Los Angeles and a shot at the title. Yet, as the show came to a close, he was quite clearly one of the biggest losers of the night.

Why?

What did titleholder The Miz do to earn a different label?

The IC title may have been at the forefront of the broadcast, but it was universal champion Brock Lesnar who sent the loudest, clearest message to No. 1 contender Braun Strowman en route to his title defense against The Monster Among Men at No Mercy.

He joined Miz as one of the biggest winners of the night, while Emma, an afterthought ahead of a championship opportunity at the same pay-per-view, suffered a similar fate as Jordan.

Winner: Brock Lesnar

When Brock Lesnar speaks, what he says carries a certain weight to it.

Monday night, he sat quietly, staring into the camera as Braun Strowman demonstrated a certain arrogance, not lacking for confidence ahead of Sunday's Universal Championship match. He listened to his advocate speak in his defense, furious over the lack of respect showed to The Beast Incarnate.

Then, he interrupted.

Staring into the camera and speaking with an uneasy calm, he thanked his No Mercy opponent for backing him into the corner, claiming it is when he is at his best. "I'll see you Sunday," he said. He went to stand up but took his seat and looked into the camera one last time. "Suplex City, bitch," he warned, showing no fear in the face of who Paul Heyman admitted was his greatest challenger.

On the surface, Lesnar's contributions to the segment appear minimal, but in reality, they were huge. Lesnar breaking the silent-destroyer stoicism and addressing Strowman added a gravity to a match that has leapfrogged John Cena vs. Roman Reigns and become the clear marquee match for Sunday's No Mercy pay-per-view.

WWE Creative has smartly created a scenario where Lesnar talking is so rare that when he finally does it, it automatically elevates the significance of any match, rivalry or story in which he is participating. Less is more, a philosophy on full display when it comes to The Beast Incarnate addressing a foe.

A cornered prey is most dangerous, and Lesnar exuded that in Monday's promo, earning himself "winner" status for his few seconds of dialogue.

Loser: Emma

Nia Jax squared off with Alexa Bliss Monday night, ahead of an announced Fatal 4-Way match for the Raw Women's Championship at No Mercy. Sasha Banks made her presence felt, preventing Little Miss Bliss from escaping her comeuppance at the hands of her former friend-turned-top contender Jax.

Bayley returned and subsequently found herself added to the match at the last moment.

Conspicuous by her absence? The one competitor who has routinely been disrespected and disregarded in the build to Sunday's pay-per-view in Los Angeles, Emma.

The Aussie was nowhere to be found in the final hype for the pay-per-view. She did not appear, not even to take a bump for the reunited Bayley and Banks. Instead, she was ignored, kept off television as if WWE Creative was confirming the suspicions of every single person who thought she was the afterthought of the match.

Emma's absence suggested that yes, she will be eating the pinfall Sunday night, the sacrificial lamb utilized only to put over the same four women who have been at the heart of the women's division since WrestleMania. 

It is immensely disappointing given the quality of her work between the ropes and what should be an opportunity to prove her worth to the division.

Winner: The MIz

The Miz is, arguably, the best and most engaging talker in the WWE.

He can be the smarmy heel or the voice of a frustrated and disenfranchised fan base. Regardless of which tone he takes, Miz is always the most passionate speaker in the squared circle, and Monday was no different.

The intercontinental champion verbally pummeled both Kurt Angle and Jason Jordan, building heat for their program. More importantly, it is the strength of his promo work and the scathing criticisms of both the respected Olympian and his on-screen illegitimate son that will help Jordan get over more than shoving him down the throats of the fans ever will.

Miz has been working overtime since the Jordan feud began, attempting to put the former American Alpha teammate over to the masses and drum up interest in an otherwise uninteresting young star.

There will come a time when Miz is no longer around and at that point, his harshest critics will understand just how essential The Miz was to restoring to the product a sense of old-school heeldom that died a sad and tragic death with the advent of the Attitude Era in 1997.

Loser: Jason Jordan

Jason Jordan bookended the September 18 episode of Raw and earned himself a shot at The Miz's Intercontinental Championship. He should be considered a winner, right?

Wrong.

The fans' general apathy, not to mention the boos that greeted him as he made his entrance for the night's main event, suggest the audience is growing tired of having the collegiate wrestler shoved down their throats.

Roman Reigns and John Cena are examples of babyfaces the WWE has shoved down the throats of fans to the point that they generated negative reactions. In both of their cases, though, they had the "it" factor that screamed "superstar."

Jordan does not have that.

Between the ropes, he can hang with anyone but he lacks natural charisma and has been woefully underdeveloped by WWE Creative. As a result, fans are rejecting him. Worse, they do not care.

The proof is in the silence that greeted his victory.

Until WWE Creative corrects the issues facing Jordan rather than trying to cover them over with a harder push, they will continue to haunt him and prevent him from achieving the success he is capable of.