5 Biggest Winners & Losers From WWE Raw (Oct 24)

1. Winner: Seth Rollins

Kevin Owens destroyed Seth Rollins after the bell last night, but that was preceded by The Architect pinning both KO and Chris Jericho. Rollins secured a clear victory over the WWE Universal Champion ahead of Hell In A Cell, and if he can repeat the act on Sunday, he’ll take the gold.

Though he likely left on a stretcher, Rollins had a strong night leading-up to the beatdown. His hijacking of the List of Jericho served to drive another wedge between Jericho and Owens, and he showed great heart to overcome the best friends in the main event. Rollins fought much of the match on the receiving end of a 2-on-1 beatdown, but he was crafty enough to secure the victory with a double powerbomb, and that’s what matters here.

For the most part, WWE’s PG Era HIAC matches have been no more than colourless exhibition matches in which the cell is just part of the scenery. The company’s PG restrictions mean they can’t use it to their full potential anymore, and there’s little to suggest KO and Rollins are going to have an Undertaker/Mankind-esque war on Sunday.

There’ll likely be some Triple H-related shenanigans, but aside from a few basic cell spots, Rollins and Owens will likely have a relatively straightforward match. KO’s post-match attack was more decisive, but Rollins defeated him (and Jericho) clean in the ring, and that’s the most important factor. It doesn’t necessarily matter what Owens can do after the match is over: all that matters is who walks out with the Universal Championship, and Rollins established himself as the better wrestler last night.