WWE Raw Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from January 8

The January 8 episode of Raw has come and gone, and in its wake, it left fresh faces on the receiving end of exciting pushes, a former WWE champion jockeying for position in the new year, a Monster Among Men destroying the competition and a trio of female Superstars struggling to discover their characters.

Titus Worldwide and the trio of Finn Balor, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows each made impressions with huge upset victories. Those wins, coupled with increased exposure, suggest 2018 may be their best main roster year to date.

The Miz returned and immediately re-entered the Intercontinental Championship scene with a beatdown of Roman Reigns.

Not garnering the same "winner" recognition was Braun Strowman and Absolution, both of whom suffered from questionable booking decisions.

Delve deeper into each Superstar and faction, find out why they earned the status they did and relive the hottest moments of Monday's show with this recap of the USA Network presentation.

Winner: Titus Worldwide

Titus Worldwide has long been a vehicle for Titus O'Neil to showcase his entertainment value while guiding an immensely athletic Apollo Crews to numerous losses.

The duo had the tools necessary to be a significant contributor to Monday nights but often lacked opportunity. The arrival of Dana Brooke, who still may prove to be the breakout star of the faction, has sparked interest in the group, and Monday night, it paid off.

O'Neil and Crews defeated Sheamus and Cesaro, essentially entering themselves in the tag team title hunt.

The win was the first hint that the team may be in line for a push, which has been a long time coming, particularly for Crews, who has been misused since his arrival from NXT.

Loser: Absolution

Yes, it makes sense that the lesser-experienced members of Absolution would lose a tag team match to Bayley and Sasha Banks without Paige calling the shots from the apron. After all, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville are nowhere near the wrestlers their opponents were, so from that standpoint, their defeat made total sense.

What does not is the monotonous pattern the once-hot trio has fallen into.

The lack of character development is disturbing, for sure, and the repetitive tag team matches against the same opponents have essentially curbed the trio's momentum.

What exactly is the message Paige and company are trying to send to the Raw women's division? What makes them tick? Why should fans care about them beyond the initial "ooo, new and flashy" stage?

Those questions must be answered, or wins and losses soon will not matter. The only thing that will? The extent to which fans lose interest in the increasingly one-dimensional act.

Winner: The Miz

The Most Must-See Superstar in WWE returned Monday night with another edition of Miz TV, where he wasted no time re-establishing himself as an elite player on the flagship.

He laid out his plans for 2018 during an entertaining segment in which cohorts Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel also starred, and then he proceeded to send a message loudly and clearly to intercontinental champion Roman Reigns, laying The Big Dog out to close the show.

Despite the presence of Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman and Kane earlier in the broadcast, it was the Hollywood A-Lister who was featured prominently as the show went off the air, further proof of the trust management has in The Miz.

Booking him in the marquee match of the Raw 25 show against Reigns only further suggests the red brand has big plans for the former WWE champion in 2018, and Monday night was only the beginning.

Loser: Braun Strowman

Braun Strowman may have pulled off another Herculean feat of strength and obliterated universal champion Brock Lesnar in the process Monday night, sending The Beast Incarnate to the hospital, but it all rang hollow given The Monster Among Men's booking in the fall of 2017.

We have seen this song and dance out of Strowman before.

It was not all that long ago that Strowman manhandled Lesnar on numerous occasions leading into their showdown at No Mercy over the latter's title. Unfortunately, come match time, all of it was for naught, as Strowman proved to be yet another victim of Lesnar, beaten in mere minutes.

WWE Creative can continue to book Strowman masterfully every Monday night, but if it continues to put him in a position to lose high-profile matches, it essentially confirms to fans that he simply is not good enough. Thus, every path of destruction right out of a 1980s Camp Crystal Lake obliteration only serves to generate false hope before the inevitable letdown.

And renders segments like this Monday night, no matter how thoroughly entertaining it may have been, completely meaningless.

Winner: The Balor Club

If you have ever wondered what a little creative effort can do to rejuvenate a Superstar and breathe some life into their character, look no further than Finn Balor on Monday night.

The former universal champion had languished in mediocrity, left to toil in irrelevance and work the likes of Curt Hawkins and The Miztourage while stars of his stature and resume competed in main events. That all changed a week ago when he was paired with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.

It improved tenfold Monday when the newly minted Balor Club not only interrupted the night's opening promo involving Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan but then proceeded to beat that trio, clean, in the night's main event.

Perhaps the most significant takeaway from Monday's show was not the win or the expanded role but, rather, the excitement that was painted on Balor's face throughout the night. There was a smile a mile wide, and more importantly, Balor's natural charisma shined.

An effective creative team gets the absolute most out of its performers, and for Balor, giving him something meaningful to do and surrounding him with his friends was the recipe for such success.

Hopefully, it continues.