The biggest winners and losers from last night's Raw (June 18th)

Ronda Rousey Raw June 18th
Alexa's days as champion are numbered.

After months of wheel-spinning, it looks like the company might finally be leaving the worse than normal post-WrestleMania lull behind as the build to SummerSlam will now begin in earnest. In fact, the preview for the show last night actually understated its ultimate quality (this is a recurring problem from WWE's copywriters - I have no idea who they're hiring). Last night's was certainly the best Raw seen since the superstar shakeup in April.

That's not to say that the road to SummerSlam won't be bumpy, though. WWE is nothing if not consistently inconsistent. Numerous bad booking decisions were made at Money in the Bank, and the company will need to make up for them in the following two months.

It started that course correction last night, though there were certainly some hiccups, including with one of Raw's highest profile angles over the past few months.

WWE's track record is mixed, though, so who walked away from last night's Raw winners and whose road to SummerSlam became cloudier?

Only Sportskeeda gives you the latest Wrestling News, rumors and updates..


Winner: Ronda Rousey

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As if it weren't obvious already, killer Ronda Rousey is the best Ronda Rousey.

Why the company has had her in terrible promo segments is beyond me. When Rousey is talking, she's about as exciting as watching grass grow. When she's fighting, she's explosive.

This was an excellent segment. Though I hated the decision to have another Alexa Bliss title reign after Money in the Bank, it looks like she'll finally be used as a heel properly should - to get a babyface over. She was a perfect foil for Ronda Rousey, and the crowd was electric when the ex-UFC champ laid a beating on the so-called goddess.

This is the Ronda Rousey we've been waiting for all along. More of this, please!

Winner: Dolph Ziggler

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Dolph Ziggler is the new Intercontinental Champion. Where did that come from? In a fantastic match with Seth Rollins, the Showoff won Raw's most prestigious title after Rollins issued an ill-fated open challenge.

It looks like WWE may be moving away from the Ziggler/McIntyre duo in the tag team division and focusing on them as a tandem of singles competitors. This is a big loss for an already depleted tag team division, and I'm not sure it was a necessary one.

Nevertheless, the Ziggler/McIntyre story arc picked up the pace. The breakup is coming, but how and when remains to be seen. Will it be over the Intercontinental Championship?

As for Seth Rollins, his loss might be a blessing in disguise, as the Universal Championship might finally come out of the Arctic soon, and Rollins might be starting to be positioned as main event player.

Winner: Braun Strowman

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I like "Monster in the Bank," but knowing WWE, they'll kill the phrase until it's deader than dead.

That's not to say this wasn't a fun segment though. Strowman's unexpected Money in the Bank victory adds a jolt of electricity to a Universal Championship scene that badly, badly needed it. He called out Brock Lesnar and said he would take that title whenever the Beast showed his face.

Kevin Owens' presence wasn't really necessary except to make Braun Strowman look strong. Mission accomplished.

Loser: Jinder Mahal

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I'm not sure what's going on, but fresh off his loss to Roman Reigns, Jinder Mahal seems to have adopted some kind of spiritual guru gimmick. I have no idea why that was necessary, as he's found his place as a mid-card heel.

We'll have to see what happens in the following few weeks. There's not much more to say about it right now.

Losers: Sasha Banks and Bayley

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The "feud" must continue.

Why?

It's far too late. WWE has spun their wheels on this thing for so long that nobody cares anymore. Even if one of them turns heel now, the window has long since closed to have a hot feud. This one is colder than a dead body on the bottom of the Arctic Ocean.

Sure, it'll give them something to do, but it's almost certainly a filler match for Extreme Rules.

Losers: Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley

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As expected, Roman Reigns came out and was serenaded by boos. He demanded that he challenge Brock Lesnar, so obviously this terrible feud is going to at least be continued in some way.

Bobby Lashley, himself ice cold, came out and proved he's possibly the worst mic worker in the company. He hinted at a match with the Beast, and although that would have been an exciting prospect a few months ago, Lashley has been so thoroughly ruined that not many people care now.

In fact, it's hard to care about either of these guys with Braun Strowman lugging the briefcase around.

A multi-man #1 contender's match will be set for Extreme Rules, and these two will be in it, so at least the championship is slowly starting to come out of hibernation, but Raw's main event has been so damaged that it's hard to get excited. All eyes will be on Strowman.

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