Who came away with the most momentum from last night's RAW? (December 4)

Last night's edition of Monday Night RAW felt very much like a show where the priority was to kill time ahead of a long build to the Royal Rumble. Through this, a slow-burn style of storytelling dominated. Who benefitted the most from last night's episode and who walked away looking the worse for wear?

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Gained momentum: Jason Jordan

Heel tendencies showed.

For Jason Jordan, only one thing matters now - he needs to turn heel. The sooner, the better. We saw hints that his turn was coming last night, whether by attacking Roman Reigns from behind or acting like a spoiled brat with his "father," Kurt Angle.

Yet, we also saw some hints he might not be turning, most notably his run-ins with Samoa Joe. The teasing is fine, but a heel turn is the only way to save Jason Jordan's singles run. For his sake, he should hope it happens before the Royal Rumble if he wants to have any prominence at WrestleMania.

Lost momentum: The RAW women's division

A boss defeated.

For the third week in a row, the women's division's regulars were decimated by Absolution. Paige defeated Sasha Banks in a surprisingly competitive match, while Bayley and Mickie James saw the worst of a fight with Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. When things got heated, the champion, Alexa Bliss, was in retreat once more (may Vince never let her join a commentary booth alongside Michael Cole again).

Later on, Absolution came out to destroy Alicia Fox, who has thus far escaped their wrath.

Things don't look so good for the familiar faces on the red brand.

Gained momentum: Absolution

Absolution and its leader looked great.

With the RAW women's division in decline, Absolution, led by Paige, continues to see its stock rise. Though some sloppiness certainly showed, Paige didn't look out of place in her match with Sasha, the first time she's wrestled in over a year.

Meanwhile, with his typical gift for lacking subtlety, Michael Cole repeated over and over again to RAW Women's Champion Alexa Bliss that "Paige could be getting a shot at your title!"

Regardless of the annoying commentary, Paige certainly came one step closer to that last night.

Lost momentum: Nia Jax

After a two-week absence, Nia Jax returned to RAW last night. She didn't return as a big threat to Absolution, however. Instead, she returned for a short segment to essentially hit on Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore.

It's a well-known tendency in WWE to eventually cast monster characters into comedy roles, which sees their stock decline tremendously. Was this the beginning of that arc for Nia Jax?

Gained momentum: Drew Gulak

One step closer to the title?

This week saw the second fatal 4-way match to help determine the next #1 contender for the Cruiserweight Championship. In another thrilling bout, Drew Gulak emerged victorious over Cedric Alexander, Mustafa Ali, and Tony Abs.

This sets up a decisive match between Gulak and Rich Swann next week. Though it seems likely that Swann will win so that Enzo can have a match with a babyface, Gulak increased his profile last night.

Lost momentum: Elias

After demanding another Intercontinental Championship opportunity, Kurt Angle said Elias would have competition that night after his concert. Displaying his ability to draw great heel heat once again, Elias ridiculed Los Angeles, but was cut short by a menacing howl:

"BRAUUUUUNNNNNNNN!"

Safe to say, Elias didn't have a great night after that. It's unclear where he goes from here.

Gained momentum: Braun Strowman

Time to end this feud.

Coming out to a huge pop, Braun Strowman was in monster form last night, coming close to decimating Elias, who was saved at the last moment by Kane, who wasn't there but sent a warning via video.

The two will meet next week. One hopes that will be the end of it, as Braun was far better without Kane's presence hampering him.

Lost momentum: Finn Balor

Random match. Third hour. A competitive contest with lowly Miztourage member Bo Dallas. The seemingly conscious decision to cool Finn Balor off continues to manifest itself, despite his huge pops from last night's hot crowd.

Is Finn Balor moving toward participating in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in New Orleans?

Gained momentum: Asuka

The hyenas vs. the lioness over a fallen gazelle.

Her about with Alicia Fox was somewhat sloppy, and Alicia got more offence in than expected, not that it bothered Asuka too much. The important thing came afterwards, where Absolution once again made their way down to the ring. Once again, there was a standoff, and once again, Absolution didn't try to fight Asuka, letting her retreat while they attacked Alicia Fox instead.

Though I rolled my eyes at the repetitiveness of the segment, it made clear that Asuka is the one woman in the RAW division that Absolution doesn't want to tangle with. If they're the hyenas of the division, Asuka is the lioness.

Hopefully, they just don't do it three weeks in a row, because it felt played out already, even though credit must be given for holding off on a direct confrontation again.

Lost momentum: Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose

A bitter and unexpected loss.

In another thrilling match between the two Shield members and The Bar, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose surprisingly failed to regain their tag team titles.

There are two possible paths from here. Either Rollins and Ambrose now have an extended obstacle to overcome or, less likely, this could plant the seeds for the Shield's dissolution, which would be a mistake.

The first is likelier. Perhaps they just wanted to give Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose an obstacle to overcome. There is still a lot of time to be killed before the Royal Rumble, after all.

Gained momentum: The Bar

A welcome reinforcement.

Cesaro and Sheamus gained what the Shield lost, thanks in large part to interference from Samoa Joe. Expect a 6-man tag team match next week.

Though I again roll my eyes at this feud's continuation (it's been going on since the build to SummerSlam), all the matches have been great, so I can't complain too much.

Cesaro and Sheamus look to hold on to their titles for a while longer yet, though I'd be shocked if they do so through the Royal Rumble.

Gained momentum: Matt Hardy

It's official. Matt Hardy is Broken.

Or rather, Woken.

Regardless, it's the moment that so many fans have been waiting forever since his return at WrestleMania, and it's going to give him a much-needed second wind. Though any fan of his should be worried at the prospect of a feud with Bray Wyatt (few programs are more guaranteed to kill momentum), things look good for Matt Hardy as of yesterday.