The biggest winners and losers of last night's Raw (July 1)

Finally, finally, WWE delivered an episode of Monday Night Raw that was worthy to its claim of being the premier pro wrestling organization on the planet. Aside from the "wild card" rearing its head, this was a dramatic step in the right direction, and it looks like Paul Heyman's influence might already be at work. There were still some other kinks, but hat's off.

Hopefully, this will be the norm going forward, and the "wild card" will be gone when Extreme Rules is over.

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

Winners: Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley

This match ended in a no-contest, so the feud is probably going to continue, but this, like Raw, was a dramatic step in the right direction for both of these guys. They had been engaging in arm wrestling contests just a week ago, on top of tug of wars and other such nonsense. They've felt directionless for months. Now they have new life. Now they look like forces to be reckoned with once again.

This brought back shades of the 2017 version of Braun Strowman which so endeared him to so many fans. Bobby Lashley looked more formidable than he has since he came back to WWE a year ago.

More of this, please.

Loser: Samoa Joe

Although this match was really good and sold the burgeoning rivalry between Joe and Kingston, WWE's usual booking tropes roared back to life here. Samoa Joe won with the Coquina Clutch on Kofi Kingston. Though he had no real chance anyway, it only reminds us that he's certainly not going to capture the WWE Championship at Extreme Rules.

It's a shame that Joe still has the glass ceiling hanging over his head, but he's always fun to watch.