5 Biggest Winners & Losers From WWE Raw (8 Aug)

4. Winner: Seth Rollins

Few fans could’ve predicted how Seth Rollins would’ve flourished in the wake of The Shield’s 2014 split. Often considered the group’s most exciting wrestler, Rollins was thought to be a sub-par talker who lacked the natural charisma to get over as a big-time singles wrestler. His heel run has completely shattered that illusion, however, and last night, Seth Rollins asserted his status as one of WWE’s most comfortable and convincing talkers.

Last week’s face-off with Finn Balor left The Architect with a sour taste in his mouth. A Pele Kick thwarted Seth’s planned attacked, and after being sent scampering up the ramp, Rollins had a lot on his mind this week. He took to the ring to unleash a calculated diatribe against The Demon, whose apparent disrespect he takes great offence to, and when he was done talking, there was little doubt that Seth Rollins is comfortably Raw’s biggest star.

Rollins vs. Balor is a fantastic choice of match to crown the first Universal Champion, and WWE are playing the build-up smartly so far. The duo put hands on each other last week, but they’re not out-and-out brawling with each other yet, and they didn’t even come face-to-face this week. This slow build suggests a long-term rivalry between the two is on the horizon, and if the interactions are as entertaining as they’ve been in recent weeks, WWE fans have much to look forward to.