5 biggest winners and losers from last night's Raw - June 11th
Last night's WWE Raw was better than last few week's, but it still felt like a very poor effort for the go-home show on what's supposed to be a major pay-per-view.
The promos were dull (seriously, who booked that segment with all the contestants talking on top of the ladders?!), but there were some cool moments and matches, one of which featured a certain Monster Among Men doing the things that make him so beloved among fans.
Go-home shows are usually decisive in showing us who will win on the pay-per-view, given WWE's 50/50 booking formula.
How did the contestants do? Who walked away with more goodwill from the crowd and better chances on Sunday? Who simply impressed the crowd last night?
#1 Winner: Natalya
Natalya submitted Alexa Bliss in the Sharpshooter to end this match. I know - usually the one that gets the win in a match or segment before the pay-per-view loses on Sunday.
That's 50/50 booking and the so-called "reverse momentum theory," which WWE just loves doing. This isn't always so however, and Natalya may indeed prove to be a special case because of the Ronda Rousey factor.
An Alexa Bliss win in Sunday's ladder match only takes the Raw Women's Championship back into territory that was already tired. I doubt anyone wants to see the renewal of the Alexa Bliss vs Nia Jax feud.
A Natalya victory however, opens up new possibilities with Ronda Rousey, who's going to be pushed to the moon despite her shortcomings and limitations. With SummerSlam looming, it's almost a no-brainer to do it.
By booking things this way, WWE might be trying to convince us that Natalya won't win, when in fact she will.
Or I could always just be wrong. We'll find out on Sunday.