WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from September 14

Just six days before WWE presents its Night of Champions pay-per-view, the Superstars and Divas of sports entertainment's premiere promotion rolled into Memphis for Monday Night Raw.

In the most hyped match of the evening, Nikki Bella risked her historic Divas Championship reign by defending against Charlotte. Would the "Genetically Superior" competitor be able to end Team Bella's reign of terror over the Divas division, or would the champion Rack Attack her way to another successful title defense?

Elsewhere on the season premier of Raw, The New Day put their WWE Tag Team Championships on the line against former titleholders The Prime Time Players. Whoever emerged with the gold would be faced with the reality of a quick turnaround and a date with The Dudley Boyz Sunday night.

What would both Sting and John Cena have in store for WWE United States and World Heavyweight champion Seth Rolllins just days ahead of two massive main event matches?

With Braun Strowman dominating both Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose in recent weeks, who would the former Shield members turn to for support in their war with The Wyatt Family?

The WWE Universe would find out answers to those questions Monday evening.

The Authority Greets the WWE Universe

Triple H and Stephanie McMahon kicked off this week's episode of Raw by welcoming the WWE Universe to the night's show.

They ran down the night's festivities, including the announcement of Sting's first-ever Raw match against Big Show.

The Authority again reiterated that Seth Rollins will lead the next class of WWE Superstars into the future before introducing the night's opening contest: the WWE Tag Team Championship match pitting The New Day against The Prime Time Players.

Grade

C

Analysis

The Authority kicking off Raw with an announcement as monumental as Sting's first match on free television was a great way to start this "season premier" episode.

Unfortunately, that is where the content of this segment ended as the rest was nothing more than what fans have become accustomed to over the last two years. 

WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The Prime Time Players vs. The New Day

Lilian Garcia gave the formal introductions, making Monday night's tag title bout feel that much more special.

From there, two of the WWE's top tag teams waged war over the division's most prestigious prize. Xavier Woods played the trombone at ringside, infuriating the WWE Universe and annoying the opposition. They worked over Young, who has a tendency to find himself the man in peril.

Luckily, he made the hot tag to Titus O'Neil, who exploded into the match and bowled over both Kofi Kingston and Big E.

Woods' well-timed distraction provided Big E and Kingston with the opening they needed, and they finished the former Florida Gator off to successfully retain their titles.

After the match, The Dudley Boyz appeared and taunted the champions, whom they will challenge in six nights.

Result

The New Day defeated The Prime Time Players.

Grade

B-

Analysis

This was another strong match in a series of them between The New Day and The Prime Time Players, who have developed a nice dynamic over the course of the last three months.

Paige vs. Sasha Banks

The next chapter in the story of Paige vs. Sasha Banks was written Monday night as they squared off in singles competition.

Unfortunately for the Anti-Diva, the numbers game was not in her advantage, and she fell prey to Tamina Snuka and Naomi's interference.

Late in the match, Paige dove from the ring to the floor. Tamina, always attentive, pulled Banks out of the way, saving her from further punishment.

The Brit crashed hard on the mat, making her prone to the Banks Statement from the former NXT Women's champion, who scored the submission win.

Result

Sasha Banks defeated Paige.

Grade

C

Analysis

This was fine for what it was, but the match was short-changed on time and featured too much interference. 

Of interesting note was the fact Paige was accompanied by Becky Lynch but not Charlotte. Had the No. 1 contender to the Divas title been there, things may have turned out differently for Paige.

Could that logic be used to justify a heel turn for a frustrated Paige come Night of Champions?

Miz TV with The Wyatt Family

The Miz welcomed Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Braun Strowman to Miz TV Monday night, just days before the dangerous Wyatt Family battles Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and a mystery opponent in a Six-Man Tag Team war.

Wyatt warned The Miz about putting himself in harm's way by trying to get the big scoop about Strowman. Like Jimmy Uso and Randy Orton before them, he wants The Miz, Reigns and Ambrose to suffer.

This brought out Reigns and Ambrose, who arrived through the crowd. They were quick to dispatch The Miz before the former promised retribution for The Wyatt Family's attack on his family member Uso on SmackDown. There is a third man who will join him and Ambrose, he vowed, and promised to whoop up on his rivals Sunday night.

Grade

C-

Analysis

WWE hyperbole was in full effect as a huge, monumental guest was promised on Miz TV, but it turned out to be The Wyatt Family in a segment that made little sense from the beginning.

First of all, Wyatt is not the type to bring himself or his family on a talk show like Miz TV. Secondly, the idea of hated rivals like Reigns, Ambrose and The Wyatt Family standing face-to-face without some sort of brawl breaking out is far-fetched, especially given the intense battles we have seen between them to this point.

On the surface it was a fine sales pitch for Sunday's match, but for fans who have been paying attention, it failed to fit the story.

John Cena vs. Sheamus

In a match made by The Authority earlier in the night, John Cena battled "Mr. Money in the Bank" Sheamus one-on-one. Hardly the first time the Superstars have battled, they renewed their rivalry with a hard-fought bout that prepared Cena for his United States Championship match against Seth Rollins this Sunday.

And, perhaps more importantly, it kept the Celtic Warrior in the main event picture as he continues to tease a potential cash-in.

Sheamus was frustrated the later the match dragged on, unable to put Cena away, despite the Cloverleaf and Brogue Kick. The former U.S. champion mounted some offense, trapping his opponent in the STF, but Sheamus was able to escape.

It was only a matter of time, though, before Cena delivered the Attitude Adjustment and picked up the win, maintaining momentum ahead of his Night of Champions clash with The Architect.

Result

John Cena defeated Sheamus.

Grade

B+

Analysis

Cena and Sheamus are two of the WWE's most consistent in-ring workers, and Monday night, they delivered exactly the quality of match fans should have expected out of them. They worked hard, provided the near-falls that create drama and told a simple, yet incredibly effective, story.

Sheamus portrayed his frustration spectacularly, while Cena lived up to the motto on his t-shirt, never giving up and fighting long enough to prevail victoriously.

There will be arguments about Sheamus losing again, despite being Mr. Money in the Bank, and those arguments would be completely valid. But in this case, he lost to the company's biggest star and someone in a position to headline a pay-per-view this weekend.

Not Randy Orton, who beat him only to be written off television moments later.

Ryback and Kevin Owens Promo

Angered by interference that cost him the Lumberjack match against Seth Rollins on SmackDown, intercontinental champion Ryback called out Kevin Owens during an in-ring promo.

After implying that a real man does not sneak-attack another, Owens appeared and mocked Ryback and anyone else gullible and stupid enough to buy the nonsense found in the pages of The Secret, the inspirational novel Ryback recalled reading while chasing his dream of becoming a WWE Superstar.

The Big Guy expressed respect for Owens and his journey to the top of the wrestling world, and then admitted that he fumbled his first opportunity, only to pick himself up and continue climbing.

Owens vowed to put Ryback's title reign to rest at Night of Champions, thus proving that the strongest man on the roster is the weakest emotionally and spiritually.

Grade

B

Analysis

We all know Kevin Owens is one of the industry's best talkers, but Ryback was really good here. Sure, the Elvis line nearly killed the promo right out of the gate, but that felt more like something WWE Creative penned for him, whereas the rest of the segment felt more like Ryback being organic and real.

Owens bringing out The Secret was a great touch and further proof that at least one person on the writing team pays attention to developments from previous shows.

It was a good, solid introduction to the rivalry, which should lead to a surprisingly good, solid match come Sunday night.

Neville and the Lucha Dragons vs. the Cosmic Wasteland

Neville and Stardust's ongoing rivalry has recently incorporated both The Ascension and the Lucha Dragons in recent weeks, leading to what some thought would be a Six-Man Tag Team match Monday night.

Instead, the heroes sent the villains running, standing tall in the squared circle and prolonging the rivalry.

Later in the night, it was revealed that the two teams will finally do battle during the Night of Champions Kickoff Show.

Result

No-Contest

Grade

D

Analysis

The pre-show match probably could have been better set up via a backstage segment of some sort, but considering the fact that WWE Creative is finally paying attention to some of the midcard talent that would otherwise go ignored, I am inclined to let it slip.

Sunday's match should be a lot of fun considering how well all six stars know each other and the babyfaces' dynamic nature. The heels are fun, the heroes are energetic and Night of Champions should benefit with this as the warm-up for the rest of the night's festivities.

Divas Championship Match: Charlotte vs. Nikki Bella

Nikki Bella had successfully retained her Divas Championship for 294 days when she arrived in Memphis for Raw Monday night. Her shot at history and the longest title reign in the history of the championship hinged on her ability to knock off Charlotte, the second-generation competitor who had worn NXT gold and was the highly touted daughter of the legendary "Nature Boy" Ric Flair.

In a match that was the most hyped heading into this week's broadcast, Bella secured her record-breaking reign in controversial fashion, courtesy of some Twin Magic.

Charlotte withstood tremendous punishment at the hands of the champion and appeared on her way to shattering Nikki's dream scenario. Then she made the mistake of taking her eye off the ball, allowing Brie Bella to switch with her sister.

Charlotte would score the pinfall victory only to have Stephanie McMahon appear, reveal the charade and announce that the title will not change hands. As a result, Nikki holds onto her championship but will be forced to defend it Sunday night at Night of Champions in a match in which any cheating of any kind will result in Bella losing her gold.

Result

Charlotte pinned Brie Bella (no title switch).

Grade

A

Analysis

There is no doubt that the above grade will incite great debate, as will the finish, but this was professional wrestling 101.

First, it used television to build to a pay-per-view match, which is something WWE rarely does these days. With so much emphasis on television ratings, the company tends to book from show to show, leaving pay-per-views less important than they used to be.

Here, WWE Creative came up with a finish that builds to a pay-per-view bout fans will want to see.

Why? Because Nikki Bella is a despicable heel who cheats her way to victory and has now set a new record for a Divas title reign as a result. The Bella Twins, after uneven booking over the last year, are firmly entrenched as heels, and fans actually want to see a babyface unseat them.

Sure, does the finish serve as a transparent way to knock AJ Lee out of the history books, stick it to CM Punk and ensure that Bella achieved history to spite Internet fans? Of course it does.

But in the process, it provided a great wrestling angle that will result in a much-hotter crowd for Sunday's title bout between the Fearless (though appropriately cowardly) champion and her top contender.

Cesaro vs. Rusev

Cesaro and Rusev are two of the industry's most freakishly gifted athletes, and Monday night, they squared off in a match that should have been something truly special. After all, Cesaro became just the second man to cleanly pin the Bulgarian Brute over the summer, and Rusev should have been determined to avenge the loss.

Instead, this was a background for the ongoing issues between Rusev and Dolph Ziggler, who will meet at Night of Champions.

The Bulgarian Brute found himself distracted by The Showoff, who appeared at ringside and greeted Summer Rae with a gift, allowing Cesaro to score the win with the rollup.

After the match, Ziggler delivered a big superkick to send one last message to his rival.

Result

Cesaro defeated Rusev.

Grade

C-

Analysis

From a booking standpoint, this was as lazy as it gets. The distraction/rollup finish is a favorite of the WWE Creative rocket scientist, and it reared its ugly head here, rather than allowing Rusev to beat Cesaro, continuing the losing streak the Swiss Superman has been on as of late and giving the Bulgarian Brute a big win heading into Night of Champions.

The only reason this one avoided a "D" grade is because of the development between Ziggler and Summer Rae that continued into the backstage segment that followed the match.

By presenting Summer Rae with a gift that she appeared to be pleased with, he is driving a wedge between her and Rusev that could play heavily into Sunday's match. 

Cesaro was largely an afterthought here, which is incredibly disappointing, given his spot on the card and the momentum he had built for himself heading into SummerSlam.

Sting vs. Big Show/Tag Team Main Event

Credit: WWE.com

Sting and Big Show met inside the squared circle for what was slated to be this week's Raw main event. Instead, Seth Rollins' appearance and a perfectly timed John Cena run-in forced Triple H to announce a huge tag team bout at the last minute.

Cena found himself on the receiving end of a beating at the hands of both Rollins and Big Show, even taking a devastating Vader Bomb by The World's Largest Athlete.

A hot tag to The Stinger saw the legendary competitor explode into the match, deliver rights and lefts and a few Stinger Splashes to turn the tide in the babyfaces' favor.

An Attitude Adjustment from Cena took Big Show out of the equation, and Sting's Scorpion Death Lock forced a Rollins tapout to end the bout.

Rollins looked understandably concerned as he watched from ringside as Cena and Sting closed out the broadcast.

Result

Sting defeated Big Show by disqualification; Sting and Cena defeated Big Show and Rollins.

Grade

C

Analysis

The quality of the match was nothing to get excited about, but the way that WWE built up Sting's first appearance in a Raw match was proof that when they want to, the company can really create a special atmosphere.

The finish was excellent in that it proved to Rollins just how much of a threat The Vigilante is to him and his title reign. It also put further heat on Cena's quest for the United States title and protected Big Show, who is apparently back to being a "problem solver" of sorts for The Authority.

All in all, it was a great way to close out a fairly solid episode of Raw that accomplished its goal of selling Sunday's Night of Champions show.