The biggest winners and losers from last night's Raw (February 12th)

Last night's edition of WWE Monday Night Raw felt very much like it was on autopilot. Though there were a series of good matches, most of them felt like they didn't matter. For example, we found out that The Miz will enter the Elimination Chamber first, but that doesn't much affect his WrestleMania plans, does it?

With the big show in New Orleans eight weeks away, who came close to a spot on its glittering stage?

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Losers: Gallows and Anderson

With Seth Rollins and (insert partner here) finally out of the tag team title picture, building new challengers to The Bar is now possible.

That picture might have started to become clearer last night, as The Revival took on Gallows and Anderson (again). Both teams have had something of a second wind in the past month, but The Revival seems to have ultimately won the series and thus getting closer to a potential title challenge.

Where Gallows and Anderson go from here is unclear. Also, whoever had the idea of putting those captions and pictures on screen during their promo should be fired promptly.

Winner: Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins voiced the thoughts that many of his fans have had for months now. He's been in the tag team division for too long, and with Dean Ambrose out, has no real partner. Instead, he should be in the Universal title hunt and said so last night.

With the support of the fans, Rollins was placed in the main event that night to determine the final entrant into the Elimination Chamber. He won along with Finn Balor (more on that later).

Seth won't win in the Chamber, but this kind of treatment indicates that the company has some plans for him at WrestleMania. What they are, remains to be seen but his chances of getting a spot on the big stage are higher now than they were yesterday.

Winners: Bayley, Sasha Banks, and Nia Jax

Bayley and Sasha Banks put some much-needed wind in their sails last night. A new rivalry began to bud last week, and this week we saw an intense match that had Bayley getting the win over her "friend," who was definitely playing the heel. The show being in Bayley's hometown helped the atmosphere.

This sets up a number of intriguing possibilities between the two heading not only into WrestleMania but beyond it. Things simmered after the end of the match, but Nia Jax interrupted and established her own credibility ahead of her match with Asuka.

The final result was that the Sasha/Bayley dynamic can continue to build while Nia looks as strong as possible. It was a win for everyone involved.

Losers: Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, and Absolution

In stark contrast to the segment before it, this match and everyone in it felt irrelevant. With Paige seemingly forced to retire, Absolution has lost its reason to exist, except for random tag team matches, that is.

It was yet another chapter that forces you to ask the question: "Why is Alexa Bliss still the champion?"

As of now, she has her spot at WrestleMania, true, but never has it felt more like an afterthought. Mickie James and Absolution will be lucky if there's a women's battle royal there.

Winner: Braun Strowman

In the best segment of 2018 so far, Braun Strowman proved once again why he should be the #1 guy in the company and why he should be the one taking the title off Brock Lesnar in New Orleans.

Sadly, it won't happen.

Still, the moving on from Kane (for now) has done wonders for him already, and it's a no-brainer that he'll be in a big spot at the Show of Shows.

Winner: Finn Balor

When Seth Rollins was put in this match, it looked like Finn Balor would be shunted from the Elimination Chamber yet again. After it ended in a double pin, it looked like we would see a match between the two next week, which Seth would win.

In an unusual twist, though, both men were put in the Elimination Chamber, which means it will start as a triple threat, with seven competitors in total. That will be a first.

I'm all for new ideas, so let's see how it goes.

It also means that Finn Balor has a bit of a lifeline heading into New Orleans. He won't win on February 25th, but it might mean the company will have further plans for him than the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, as there are numerous opportunities to develop rivalries inside the steel structure.

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