Biggest winners and losers of last night's RAW (May 18)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and they do not necessarily represent the views of Sportskeeda.

Last night's RAW, for the most part, was a humdrum affair. The post-WrestleMania slump appears to be fully upon us as WWE rolled out its new Wild Card 2.0 rule. Backlash isn't shaping up to be the most exciting of PPV events, unfortunately.

But there were some good things happening last night, too, mostly centered on Seth Rollins' stable. Elsewhere, Asuka got her first challenger and the women's tag team titles proved an afterthought again.

Who got the most and least out of last night's RAW?

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Winners: Seth Rollins and Aleister Black

It might be safe to say that the Monday Night Messiah persona is Seth Rollins' best gimmick of his career. After an altogether detached explanation of why Seth Rollins did what he did to Rey Mysterio, Rollins went on to say that the former champion would understand his blessings one day.

Afterward, Humberto Carillo interrupted him, but was met and defeated by Murphy. Out came Aleister Black in response and it seems we might as well see Aleister Black vs. Seth Rollins at Backlash - a huge match to spice up what's looking like a bland pay per view on the whole right now. However, I wouldn't be surprised if WWE saved such an encounter for SummerSlam, whenever that will be.

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Losers: Charlotte Flair and Ruby Riott

I agree with what some others are saying - Charlotte is being overused. She always was, but her reign as NXT Women's Champion is making it particularly obvious. Do we really want to see her appear on RAW, NXT, and SmackDown every week? Her being on WWE TV all time also dilutes her reign as the NXT Women's Champion.

Charlotte's match against Ruby Riott on this week's RAW wasn't too great either. Riott herself is on a losing streak which doesn't seem like ending anytime soon.

Winner: Nia Jax

And just like that, Asuka has her first challenger for the RAW Women's Championship. Good news for Nia Jax, not so good for Asuka. Granted, if there's anyone who can carry Nia Jax to a good match, it's Asuka, but is it a match you're really excited to watch? My guess is no.

It's unlikely that Nia Jax will dethrone Asuka at Backlash, but the feud could be a chore to get through. It's an opportunity for Jax though - it's her first title match since 2018, so let's see if she can show a better side to herself.

She did a decent enough job by attacking Kairi Sane on RAW this week, which is a good start.

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Winner: Bobby Lashley

This match wasn't anything to write home about, but Bobby Lashley teaming up with MVP is an intriguing prospect that can reignite his run on RAW. R-Truth got squashed and Bobby Lashley returned to applause from MVP, while Lana got mad.

Lashley's alliance with has done no good, so switching her with MVP would be the ideal for his character at this time.

Losers: Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross

The watch for the Women's Tag Team Championships on RAW this week for rather timid. The IIconics got disqualified, leaving the resolution of this feud for another day, but is it really the best possible feud for these titles? The women's tag titles again feel like an afterthought, although WWE might be trying to jumpstart them with this being only the first stepping stone.

Suddenly, Asuka and Kairi Sane's dropping the titles back to Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross looks like a positive. Fortunes turn fast in WWE.

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Winner: Natalya

The match between Shayna Baszler and Natalya was technical in nature but expectedly, The Queen of Spades won. The more interesting thing is what happened with Natalya in the aftermath of the match. She went berserk in what looked like a heel turn. With so many heels on RAW, that might not be the best idea, but perhaps she's going to be inserted as Asuka's next challenger while Baszler gets put on the backburner until SummerSlam.

That would still be a step up for Natalya compared to what she's been doing on RAW of late.

Winner: Apollo Crews

Two returning Superstars in Apollo Crews and Kevin Owens took on Andrade and Angel Garza on RAW this week. Apollo had a big showing in this match, scoring the win for his team and then challenging Andrade for the United States Championship. That match will happen next week on RAW.

While I doubt Apollo Crews will actually take the title, the rumors have been that he will make a heel turn soon and join forces with MVP. This might be a foreshadowing of sorts. If that's true, there may even be a possibility that Crews takes the United States title.

The title exactly been on a hot streak around Andrade's waist. He even got suspended for violation of WWE's Wellness Policy and kept the title. The United States Championship did become a bit of an afterthought on RAW in the last two months and hopefully that will change.

We'll just have to see what happens. WWE has lost interest in Apollo Crews many times over the years. The proof will be in the pudding. But so far, it's a good sign for him.