The biggest winners and losers from last night's Raw (July 9)

The preview for Raw wasn't inspiring, but the show managed to exceed the writers who wrote it on WWE.com. That's not something to brag much about, but it does show the company can hire better people, because last night's show was better than it looked like it would be.

Raw tried a little harder than it has been trying as of late, as it was the go-home show to Extreme Rules. That didn't stop the show, however, from reverting to the standard WWE formula. The pull-apart brawl has been overdone to death, and many angles still felt meaningless. Still, despite the overall higher quality of content, it felt like almost nothing important happened last night. The company is clearly still in lazy mode and isn't likely to emerge from it until the build to SummerSlam begins, if indeed it does at all.

Thankfully, the build to Brooklyn's spectacular will begin next week. Let's hope for the best.

Regardless of the annoying reversion to form, we can take a look at the results from last night's Raw to get some clues about Extreme Rules, and the event that everyone's really paying attention to behind it, SummerSlam.

Who managed to gain some wind in their sails before Sunday's pitstop on the road to Brooklyn? Who's likelier to be featured on the SummerSlam card and who risks missing out on it entirely?

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Loser: Nia Jax

Though she didn't pin or submit Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax got the better of her and drove her off, snapping a kendo stick and staring her down.

The company isn't as notorious about it as it used to be about these things, but standing tall on the go-home show is often a reliable sign that a pay-per-view loss is incoming. Alexa Bliss was the heavy favorite long before this anyway.

The match was rather dull, emblematic of the entire feud. Hopefully, Sunday is the end of it.

Loser: Matt Hardy

Bo Dallas pinned Matt Hardy last night.

Hey, guess what! That means the "B team" is losing on the pay-per-view! It doesn't matter that the Deleters of Worlds got some offense in afterward. The pinfall means they're retaining their titles.

So why is Matt Hardy a loser then?

Because this feud has sucked any credibility from the Deleters of Worlds' title reign. It's been yet another stinker in a year full of them.

It's time for the Authors of Pain to deliver a mercy killing to this reign. Unfortunately, it won't happen until SummerSlam.

Winner: Drew McIntyre

In a great match, Drew McIntyre defeated Seth Rollins and ensured his presence on Sunday's show. Seth Rollins' loss here would usually suggest a better outcome for him on Sunday, but McIntyre's presence throws that equation to the wind.

It's clear the former NXT Champion is still biding his time, but the company is slowly giving him the spotlight. This match was the biggest he's gotten yet and he delivered in spades.

It might not be in time for SummerSlam, but he's finally going to become the big deal Vince McMahon thought he would be in 2009. Watching his rebirth and rise has been fun.

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