The biggest winners and losers of last night's RAW (December 16)

With TLC now behind it, the Red brand settled into its slow Royal Rumble build. It will have over a month, so we shouldn't be surprised if the company takes things slowly, especially in December. Nevertheless, some important developments took place last night that will matter over the coming weeks, and possibly months, as WrestleMania is now blurry, but within view.

Who got the most out of last night's show and who the least? Let's take a look at the results.

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Winner: Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins cemented his place as RAW's disgruntled, self-proclaimed locker room leader who will do what's necessary for the good of the red brand. It's nothing revolutionary, but compared to the babyface act that was flopping through the summer and fall, it's a much-needed renewal. AOP are now more relevant than they ever were on the main roster as well, even when they were champions. Acting as Seth Rollins' muscle is the perfect role for them.

The long-term implications of this angle remain to be seen. Is there enough time for Seth Rollins to turn babyface before WrestleMania? Even if there is, will fans have the appetite to see him challenge Brock Lesnar yet again? Somehow, I doubt it. I think fans are done with any more Shield member vs. Brock Lesnar angles and matches.

We'll just have to see how the journey unfolds.

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Losers: Aleister Black and Buddy Murphy

Before going further, we should take a look at who wasn't on the show. Aleister Black and Buddy Murphy just had the best match the Red Brand had to offer at TLC and yet they were nowhere to be found last night. Why?

Did the Lana/Lashley stuff need another segment? Did Rowan need another random squash match for no reason?

Just bizarre booking all around and a perfect encapsulation of having too bloated of a roster.

Losers: The Viking Raiders

Another champion, another non-title match loss. We've seen it so many times before that we barely bat an eye at it. The Viking Raiders might have the titles, but their reign feels like it's non-existent, with random jobber matches and then losses like this.

Can anyone blame crowds for not caring about these guys at all?

WWE should look into merging the two main roster tag team titles, as the women's are. It would instantly solve many of the problems in the division.

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Winner: Andrade

The wisdom of turning a gauntlet match into a no-contest aside, this was needed after last night. Andrade laying out Carillo is one thing, but the more important thing is that Zelina Vega is still by his side, at least for now.

They might still break up later, which would be bad for both of them, but that time isn't right now. We'll see what happens next week.

Winners: The OC

After Randy Orton defeated AJ Styles with a snap RKO, he was beaten down by Gallows and Anderson. The Viking Raiders came out to assist, but they then received a beating of their own. We see the beginnings of a rivalry here, maybe.

Either way, the OC badly needs some way to make them credible again, after months of doing nothing but losing in big situations. This wasn't much, but at least it was the start of maybe getting out of that trend.

If AJ Styles is going to stay with Gallows and Anderson, a move which has seriously harmed his credibility this year, things are going to have to start changing. Perhaps this could be the start of that change.

We'll have to see what happens in the coming weeks. This could be as random as everything else, or it could be the start of a high-profile storyline in the midcard.