WWE Raw Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from December 11

With no pay-per-view in sight until the January 28 WWE Royal Rumble in Philadelphia, the Superstars of Raw continued the steady build of stories and feuds for another week Monday night, some enjoying greater success than others.

The main event saw Braun Strowman and Kane do battle to determine the No. 1 contender to Brock Lesnar's Universal Championship, and said match was beneficial for only one of them.

Cesaro challenged Roman Reigns for the Intercontinental Championship and likely left fans scratching their heads, wondering why it is that a Superstar as talented as him has been stuck in a tag team for all of 2017.

Speaking of talented Superstars, Finn Balor wrestled Curtis Axel.

Yes, Curtis Axel.

It continued the disappointing creative returns for a Superstar whose potential should land him at the top of the card.

Delve deeper into why those aforementioned Superstars received the recognition they did, for better or worse, with this recap of the December 11 episode of Raw.

Winner: Cesaro

It has been a while since fans have seen Cesaro in a high-profile singles match, so watching him battle Roman Reigns for the Intercontinental Championship Monday night was a welcome change of pace. It was also a reminder of the things The Swiss Superman can do outside of the tag team division, where he has taken up shop for the last year.

Cesaro was superb as he attempted to wrest the title away from Raw's resident Big Dog, turning in a performance that will have fans questioning why he is not competing for and winning singles titles while he is in the prime of his career.

He was ultimately unable to dethrone Reigns, who is on quite the roll himself, but was responsible for the best match of the night during a WWE Week on USA Network aimed at attracting new viewers.

It remains to be seen if that was the case, but anyone tuning in for the first time caught a glimpse of a special athlete whose abilities between the ropes make him second-to-none in overall performance.

Loser: Kane

Remember how surprisingly awesome the matches between Braun Strowman and Big Show were earlier this year? Do you remember how hard The World's Largest Athlete worked to put The Monster Among Men over and really make him look like an unstoppable force?

Kane worked hard Monday night to do the same, but his level of performance, meshed with a lack of big bumps, led to a more lethargic and uninteresting match with Strowman in the main event.

Yes, there was brawling. Yes, the closing moments of the show—in which Strowman sat up, seemingly terrifying The Big Red Monster before putting him through a table—was a great visual, but it felt like an exclamation point on a one-dimensional match that never really captured fans until the plunder was introduced late.

Kane, at this point in his career, just simply cannot keep up with the physicality of Strowman. Yes, he is still in magnificent shape for an athlete of 50, but at the same time, his in-ring performance has diminished significantly and an elongated series with Strowman will only manage to expose his weaknesses.

Kane is best used in short spurts, which becomes more apparent the longer he hangs around and the longer he is asked to perform in main event singles matches.

Winner: Braun Strowman

Though Kane's weaknesses were exposed Monday night, Braun Strowman was once again booked like the animalistic big man he is.

During the main event against The Big Red Monster, Strowman not only terrified Kane by sitting up in the same fashion his opponent and brother, The Undertaker, had for two-plus decades, but also delivered a massive powerslam through a table that once again established him as the most unstoppable force on Monday nights.

From the way he is booked to the reaction he receives as he enters the arena, Strowman is a star. He has been treated as such, and fans have responded in kind. That pop as he screams in his entrance music is reflective of a genuine excitement to see him perform that others on the roster can only dream of generating.

Strowman has had a monumental 2017, and if his continued excellence is any indication, next year should be even bigger and better.

Loser: Finn Balor

Finn Balor is feuding with The Miztourage.

Not The Miz.

His lackeys.

The former universal champion whose popularity is undeniable was once again relegated to a useless, meaningless match that has absolutely no long-term value to the Raw brand at all. He continues to be an afterthought on a show in which he should be one of the featured Superstars.

Perhaps a move to SmackDown—where someone with his talent would be better utilized alongside Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles—would be in his best interest.