The biggest winners and losers from the Raw after WrestleMania

Bobby Lashley return
One return of many

Known for its returns, debuts, and crowd full of hooligans, last night's WWE Raw after WrestleMania was much the same as in years' past, but who came out ahead or behind?


Winner: Ronda Rousey

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After stealing the show against all expectations and evidence to the contrary on Sunday, Ronda Rousey put Stephanie McMahon on the shelf to open last night's Raw.

Getting rid of Stephanie will always endear her to some fans, and she's been quickly accepted after her WrestleMania performance, despite troubled waters heading into it. Whether she can keep this up remains to be seen (as does her schedule) but she's off to a great start.

Winner: Ember Moon

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Ember Moon looked fantastic in her Raw debut, hitting the Eclipse on Alexa Bliss and getting the pin on the former champion. It might not be indicative of any long-term plans for her, but there's only one chance to make a first impression, and Ember passed with flying colors.

Loser: No Way Jose

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Sure, No Way Jose made his own main roster debut and won in front of a crowd that was happy to see him. The fact that he debuted against a local jobber doesn't imply big plans for him though. Unlike Ember Moon, who pinned a household name, No Way Jose beat a nobody, so his direction is much less clear.

Loser: Sasha Banks

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In a random match that did very little to advance her feud with Bayley, Mandy Rose defeated Sasha Banks in what was mostly filler. The highlight of the segment was Paige's goodbye.

Is this just wheel spinning until next week's Superstar Shakeup or is this a sign of things to come with Sasha and Bayley - always teased, but never fully delivered? The story has been fine so far, but it's time to accelerate it.

Winner: Bobby Lashley

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He didn't return in as spectacular a fashion as many were expecting him to, but he returned in triumphant fashion, and fans were pleased to see him. It was far from taking out Brock Lesnar, but it did its job.

Who he feuds with from here is an open question.

Winners: The Authors of Pain

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Finally making their long-awaited main roster debut, the Authors of Pain crushed Heath Slater and Rhyno and, surprisingly, dismissed manager Paul Ellering afterward.

It was a much-needed shot in the arm for Raw's tag team division which, you'll see later, is in dire straits.

Winner: Roman Reigns

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Roman Reigns vowed to keep fighting against Brock Lesnar and, crucially, began to hype up the Greatest Royal Rumble, making its canon status clearer. Saudi Arabian crowds will be more favorable to Roman Reigns than American crowds. It's better prospects for him than 24 hours ago.

Still, the image of Roman Reigns losing at WrestleMania in one of the worst main events in its history will be hard to erase, and Samoa Joe poked fun at him for it.

Loser: The Raw Tag Team Division

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Rendering WrestleMania's title win thoroughly pointless, Braun Strowman and his diminutive partner had to relinquish the tag team titles last night. There's stupid booking and then there's this.

Elsewhere, the division served in mostly filler matches, though it was interesting to see Woken Matt team with Bray Wyatt.

How will the Raw tag team division rebuild and what will Braun Strowman do from here?

Loser: Jeff Hardy

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Jeff Hardy made his triumphant return last night, but it wasn't as Brother Nero and it was totally separate from the Woken Matt gimmick in general. Instead, we saw normal Jeff Hardy in a random tag team match that served as a disappointing way to close such a big Raw.

What plans are there for Jeff? Perhaps none after the pop last night.


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