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

The December 18 episode of Raw was a good one for NXT alumni.

Hideo Itami made his long-awaited debut, coming to the aid of Finn Balor in his battle with The Miztourage's Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel. It was a fitting introduction to a Superstar who figures to be a major part of the cruiserweight division going forward.

Then there was The Revival, whose return to the tag team division provided it with a spark after months of repetitive matches featuring The Shield and The Bar.

The arrival of those Superstars was not enough to make up for the biggest loser of the show, an entire division at the mercy of WWE's own back-patting and ego-stroking.

Why were the women of the flagship show done the greatest disservice en route to recognition as the biggest losers of the night? 

Find out with this recap of Monday's broadcast.

Winner: Hideo Itami

Hideo Itami made his main roster debut Monday night, coming to the aid of Finn Balor and teaming with his fellow NXT alumnus to defeat Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel in tag team action.

Yes, it was a little strange to see Itami debut under that circumstance given the fact he has been promoted as the newest member of the 205 Live crew, but he was presented in a manner that made him feel like a big deal and was allowed to score the win via Go To Sleep on Axel.

It remains to be seen how realistic Itami's prospects are on the main roster.

Despite being one of the more celebrated international stars to ever join WWE, he struggled in NXT. Injuries, the absence of character development and the lack of a single defining victory kept him from achieving the greatness with the brand most predicted.

Failing to find success in NXT does not set Itami up for great things with the flagship show.

Whether he can overcome those early disappointments and at least make a legitimate run at Enzo Amore's Cruiserweight Championship is the real question.

For now, though, his debut was handled perfectly and created a buzz about him before he even sets foot on an episode of 205 Live.

Losers: Raw Women's Division

Yes, the announcement of the first-ever women's Royal Rumble is awesome, and it will be fun to see what the female talent involved have in store for the WWE Universe. The intrigue around which woman will etch her name in the history books as the first to win the match is enough to sell it to the masses and create genuine excitement about the annual January pay-per-view.

Beyond the surface, though, there is a much more pressing issue facing the women's division on Raw, and it reared its ugly head Monday night.

WWE does this thing every so often where it pats itself on the back for promoting the Women's Revolution. It loves to tout the fact that it provided women with the opportunity to make history, as if it deserves credit for finally treating female athletes with the respect they deserve after years of sexualizing them and objectifying them.

It will point out that it provided the platform for women to compete in their first Hell in a Cell match, their first Money in the Bank match and let them be prominently featured at WrestleMania 32. The problem is that, oftentimes, those accomplishments come at the expense of true storytelling that would elevate the significance of women's wrestling on the show without having to grasp at these forced opportunities.

Monday night, the women of Raw were engaged in an intense brawl, the locker room emptying to combat the united and unstoppable force that is Absolution. How did that conflict end? Everything stopped, just flat came to a halt, as Stephanie McMahon made her way to the ring.

Then, the same women who had been beating the hell out of each other just two minutes earlier suddenly stood side-by-side, smiling and so grateful for the opportunity, the hatred they had shown for each other extinguished by the promise of bright lights and a big stage.

It is completely unbelievable, unrealistic and felt too much like a case of WWE again patting itself on the back for a job well done rather than developing stories that naturally lead to enormous gimmick matches.

It comes as a detriment to the division, no matter how much WWE tries to spin it otherwise.

Winners: The Revival

The tag team division received a major jolt Monday night as Scott Dawson returned to action, joining partner Dash Wilder in reuniting The Revival.

The former NXT tag team champions, considered by many to be the best tandem in the sport, defeated former SmackDown tag team champions Heath Slater and Rhyno Monday night. All the while, WWE Creative hinted at a program with Titus Worldwide.

While that program may not be the most thrilling in the world or even one that properly demonstrates the talents of the heel team, it proves management has plans for The Revival beyond simply welcoming them back and allowing them to get lost in the shuffle.

With competition the likes of The Shield and The Bar, it is only a matter of time before The Revival is back to punching fools and collecting titles. Monday was a nice, effective return.