WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from June 19

The June 19 episode of Raw featured a few major developments as Great Balls of Fire draws near on July 9.

Braun Strowman returned to the show, obliterating Roman Reigns and announcing an ambulance match for the pay-per-view.

Samoa Joe continued his winning ways, Seth Rollins wiped out Bray Wyatt and Finn Balor popped back up after weeks away from the flagship.

It was the revelation that Big Cass was behind the attacks on Enzo Amore, though, that capped off the show and had the wrestling world abuzz by night's end.

The 7-foot competitor blamed his now-former partner of holding him back, breaking Amore's heart before blasting him with a big kick.

That segment capped off an eventful Raw that adequately set the stage for the upcoming WWE Network spectacular and left fans genuinely excited about several of the storyline developments.

Roman Reigns' SummerSlam Announcement

Amid the boos and jeers raining down on him from a hostile WWE Universe, Roman Reigns anointed himself the No. 1 contender for SummerSlam.

This drew opposition from Samoa Joe, who confronted The Big Dog.

The Samoan Submission Machine reminded Reigns that his name was not on the list of Superstars he had defeated because the three-time WWE champion has never beaten him.

Reigns insulted the man who will challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. To him, he said, the Destroyer will always be just "Joe."

Joe answered with a headbutt and an assault on the arena floor that had Reigns clutching his lower back in pain.

Reigns eventually fought out of the Coquina Clutch and blasted Joe with the Superman Punch, sending him retreating up the ramp.

Grade

A

Analysis

Reigns as the take-no-prisoners, unapologetically confident (bordering on arrogant) tweener is the most interesting incarnation of his character. He does not care about anyone else but himself, his accomplishments and reminding even his most ardent detractors that WWE is his yard now.

It works and fits him so much better than the muscle-bound underdog the company tried to shoehorn him into.

Joe taking exception, the equally as arrogant badass, fit his persona to a T and made sense within the context of the story being told.

Reigns sees himself as the top dog, cites his victories but cannot claim superiority over Joe because he has never actually defeated him. It works and should make for a quality brawl if, and when, it finally plays out.

Hopefully, that time is not tonight, on a throwaway episode of Raw.

The Hardy Boyz vs. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows

The Hardy Boyz and Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows were looking to re-enter the tag team title hunt Monday when the two teams squared off.

Gallows and Anderson, showing why they are former champions, isolated Jeff Hardy and beat him down in their corner. The attack lasted through a commercial break as current titleholders Sheamus and Cesaro watched on approvingly from the backstage area.

The hot tag to Matt allowed the babyfaces to get back into the match. A Boot of Doom nearly cut that comeback off but a late tag by Jeff and the Swanton Bomb earned the former Raw tag champions the victory.

Result

The Hardy Boyz defeated Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows.

Grade

B

Analysis

This was a solid wrestling match that did what it set out to do: give the Hardys the victory and keep them rolling toward one final showdown with Sheamus and Cesaro over the tag team titles.

It was done in a way that does not take much away from Anderson and Gallows, a team that has been widely misused and underrated since its arrival in April 2016.

Finn Balor Interrupts Elias Samson; Balor vs. Bo Dallas

"The Drifter" Elias Samson once again attempted to serenade the WWE Universe with an original song, but this time he was interrupted by the returning Finn Balor. The NXT exports stared each other down before Samson took his leave, his guitar over his shoulder.

Bo Dallas was the opposition for the leader of Balor Club and wasted little time attacking him, catching him as he removed his jacket.

Dallas clubbed Balor and took the fight to the arena floor, but it was only a matter of time before the former universal and NXT champion seized control.

He leveled his opponent with a stiff kick and sent him back-first into the guard rail.

The running dropkick into the corner and the Coup de Grace earned Balor an impressive victory.

Result

Finn Balor defeated Bo Dallas.

Grade

B

Analysis

For what amounted to a glorified squash, this was a nice little intense, hard-hitting match that spotlighted Balor.

The interruption of Elias Samson sets up a rivalry for Balor that should keep him busy while WWE Creative comes up with something more significant for him to do.

Later in the show, Samson attacked Balor backstage, confirming the idea of a program between The Drifter and The Demon.

Seth Rollins Addresses Bray Wyatt

Seth Rollins hit the ring and discussed his status as the cover athlete for WWE 2K18.

Bray Wyatt interrupted, accusing Rollins of talking out of both sides of his mouth. He told Rollins he could wear the clothes of a good, honest man, but deep down inside, he is not that man.

Rollins responded, calling Wyatt a god only in his own mind. In the Architect's mind, The Reaper of Souls is nothing but a coward.

Wyatt took exception with Rollins taking his name in vain and made his way to the ringside area.

Rollins responded with a dive from the top rope, wiping Wyatt out at ringside.

Grade

D

Analysis

Wyatt is a god. Yadda, yadda, yadda.

Rollins is a sheep in wolf's clothing. Yadda, yadda, yadda.

We have seen this same tired, monotonous storyline play out repeatedly over the last four years. Wyatt has become a caricature of himself, to the point that his fellow Superstars are openly calling him on his repetition on-screen.

Rollins referring to him as a coward was hardly enough to warrant Wyatt abandoning his mind games to try to get physical, but there he was, leaving the sanctity of parts unknown to confront his budding rival.

Why?

Because...reasons.

Reasons WWE Creative may actually reveal at some point. Or not.

Does anyone even care at this point?

Akira Tozawa vs. TJP

Akira Tozawa was the subject of Neville's warning a week ago. Monday night, he squared off with the first cruiserweight champion TJP, with new manager Titus O'Neil at ringside.

TJP controlled the match, countering a standing senton attempt with knees to the back of the head.

Neville's music interrupted the proceedings, and the current champion stood at the top of the ramp, hoping to get a clear view of two prospective challengers as the show went to commercial break.

TJP controlled the match coming out of the break and was well on his way to victory when Tozawa blocked a Detonation Kick and, moments later, finished his opponent off with a diving Swanton Bomb.

After the match, O'Neil revealed that he and Apollo Crews will battle Sheamus and Cesaro later in the show. He also talked up the potential pairing between his brand and Tozawa.

Neville interrupted and reminded Tozawa of the warning he issued last week, to which O'Neil responded by ensuring Neville will feel the power of Tozawa.

Result

Akira Tozawa defeated TJP.

Grade

C+

Analysis

A match between Tozawa and TJP should be much better than that, right?

While the match disappointed, the post-match back-and-forth between O'Neil and Neville did enough to hype what should be an extraordinary cruiserweight title bout between the champion and Tozawa, whenever that finally happens.

O'Neil as the spokesperson for Tozawa was another clever booking decision that could have positive results for the underdeveloped cruiserweight babyface.

Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe

Credit: WWE.com

To hype this match, made following their brawl earlier in the night, Michael Cole narrated footage from Samoa Joe's first in-ring appearance on the Raw brand, where he defeated Reigns via enzuigiri kick.

The action was hot early, the brawl resuming right where it left off earlier in the night. Joe earned the early upper hand, catching Reigns with a kick that left the former WWE champion reeling.

Reigns answered with a Samoan Drop, but Joe regained control, sending his opponent spine-first into the ring post and flattening him on the arena floor with a running senton as the show headed to commercial.

Reigns fought out of a chin lock and unloaded with a series of corner clotheslines before the Drive-By left Joe lying on the arena floor. The No. 1 contender answered with an inverted atomic drop and senton for two.

A Superman Punch failed to keep Joe down, much to Reigns' chagrin. The Big Dog responded by kicking out of the uranage.

Reigns survived the Coquina Clutch, backing Joe into the ropes and answering with a Spear. Joe was able to break the count, his foot draped over the bottom rope. The crowd heat reached its peak, chants of "this is awesome" raining from the stands.

The sound of an ambulance in reverse interrupted the proceedings, and Braun Strowman emerged and headed toward the arena. Joe capitalized on the distraction, locking Reigns in the Coquina Clutch and choking him out for the win.

After the match, Strowman hit the ring and laid waste to Reigns before announcing he will see him in an ambulance match at Great Balls of Fire.

Result

Samoa Joe defeated Roman Reigns.

Grade

A

Analysis

Reigns and Joe have wicked in-ring chemistry. This greatly improved upon their first match and continued the narrative that Reigns cannot defeat The Samoan Submission Machine.

Some will understandably question whether Joe should be going over under questionable circumstances, but at his core, the Joe character has proven an ultimate opportunist. An intensely focused competitor, he routinely seizes openings and scores wins.

The return of Strowman was well done, and the ambulance match between him and Reigns is the perfect way to settle their differences given how many times one has sent the other to the hospital.

Overall, the best segment of television Raw has produced this week.

Miz TV with Maryse

Credit: WWE.com

The issues between The Miz and Maryse came to a head Monday as the current intercontinental champion attempted to get back in the good graces of his lovely wife on his must-see talk show, Miz TV.

Miz revealed Miz and Maryse Bears, his wife's favorite champagne and proceeded to apologize to his significant other. He gifted her the grandfather clock from last week, telling her he had spent a week fixing and enhancing it.

He argued that Dean Ambrose was trying to take everything away from them because he is jealous of the happy family they are.

"It is timeless...just like us," he said before asking for her forgiveness.

Ambrose interrupted the proceedings, much to the chagrin of the heel couple.

The Lunatic Fringe went right for his lead tormentors, causing Maryse to bump into Miz and spill her drink all over her. Miz bumped into the clock, knocking it over and further infuriating Maryse. Ambrose put an exclamation point on the misfortune, sending Miz to the arena floor.

Back inside the squared circle, the bears attacked Ambrose, leaving him lying. They revealed themselves to be Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel, apparently accepting the champion's proposal to join his entourage.

Miz delivered the Skull-Crushing Finale to close out the segment.

Grade

C-

Analysis

So...Miz abandons Maryse, who has been more than effective in aiding him to victory, in favor of two guys who could not buy a win at this point?

Makes perfect sense.

Miz may not have voluntarily let Maryse walk away, but the manner in which he quickly got over her absence in favor of laying out Ambrose alongside his buddies is interesting, if not concerning.

As for the segment as a whole, it was a mess. This entire chapter of the rivalry has struck the wrong chord, sacrificing seriousness for goofy chicanery that has done little to make the fans want to see another match between the two.

Even if last week's bear nonsense did draw over 1,000,000 YouTube views.

Titus O'Neil and Apollo Crews vs. Sheamus and Cesaro

The Titus Brand looked to net its biggest win to date as Titus O'Neil and Apollo Crews battled Sheamus and Cesaro in a non-title bout.

Crews and O'Neil put up a solid fight, surging late as O'Neil battled back into the match. A late tag to Crews appeared to be all the underdogs needed to score the upset, but a cheap uppercut by The Swiss Superman led to a double-team maneuver that allowed the Raw tag team champions to escape with a victory.

Result

Sheamus and Cesaro defeated Titus O'Neil and Apollo Crews.

Grade

C-

Analysis

This did little to help O'Neil and Crews, nor did it really strengthen Cesaro and Sheamus. It was just kind of there, a way to make sure all four Superstars got on television without really accomplishing anything of real importance.

If anything, Cesaro and Sheamus having to resort to cheating against an inexperienced team like O'Neil and Crews damages their credibility.

A rare misstep on a show that has been more good than bad.

Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax

Credit: WWE.com

Before the scheduled match between Sasha Banks and Nia Jax could get started, Alexa Bliss appeared, deciding to join Michael Cole, Booker T and Corey Graves at the announce position.

Back from the break, Banks took Jax down as Emma appeared at the announce table, confronting Bliss after the Raw women's champion walked out on her last week.

The two joined Jax and Banks in the ring, where all hell broke loose. Bliss and Emma put aside their differences, targeting The Boss while Jax watched from a distance.

Mickie James and Dana Brooke ran in for the save, but Jax tossed them aside.

Bayley's music played, and the former champion hit the ring, unloading on the heels. Her onslaught came to an end when Jax cornered her. It ultimately took four babyfaces to clear the ring of Jax.

Result

Nia Jax defeated Sasha Banks by disqualification.

Grade

F

Analysis

This was a mess.

An ugly, disjointed, directionless mess in which it felt like the women were ad-libbing to lackluster results.

The return of Bayley felt premature and did nothing to evolve her character or forward her story. It was tacked onto a segment that did not really need it.

The Raw women's division is a cluster of undefined characters, too many moving pieces and no singular story. It pales in comparison to the SmackDown brand's roster of performers, who wowed audiences with a fun Money in the Bank ladder match Sunday night.

Kurt Angle Cracks the Case

Credit: WWE.com

Raw general manager Kurt Angle hit the ring to cap off the June 19 episode of Raw, determined to get to the bottom of the sneak attacks that have left Enzo Amore and Big Cass lying in the backstage area.

Refusing to allow Raw to devolve, he called the popular duo to the squared circle.

The longtime partners ran through their trademark catchphrases to a raucous ovation. Angle got right down to business, calling The Revival to the ring. Big Show followed, looking anything but amused by the proceedings.

Show answered Angle's questions about his guilt by calling Amore and Cass soft and promising he would walk right up to them and drop them with a punch if he wanted to. He finished by telling Angle that, if he thinks so little of the giant to accuse him, he does not need to be on his show anymore.

Angle concluded The Revival had solid alibis for last week.

Corey Graves rose from the announce position and revealed that Cass lied about being checked out by medics and that he wrestled despite never being cleared to compete.

He then produced security footage of Cass setting up the scene of his attack from last week. He feigned the assault, as it turned out, which Graves was quick to point out.

"You're damn right I did!" Cass exclaimed when Graves formally accused him of attacking Amore.

He unloaded on Amore, voicing his frustrations about his partner's asinine ramblings and admitted to feeling bad for him. "It felt damn good when I attacked you from behind," he said.

"I wanted to watch you suffer for all the years of crap I had to put up with in NXT, in Tampa, here on Monday Night Raw!"

Cass accused Amore of holding him back and writing checks his ass couldn't cash. He split from Amore and left him lying with a big boot to wrap up the segment.

Grade

C

Analysis

That was long.

What it needed to be was the revelation via security camera and a big boot from Cass with the explanation coming next week.

Instead, WWE Creative blew the whole intrigue in one segment, revealing Cass' motivations in an overly talky segment that did not generate the crowd reaction it probably hoped for.

Maybe that's because fans legitimately liked the duo and were not ready for its demise.

Either way, Angle looks like a shmuck for getting scooped by Graves, who clearly had access to security footage that the freaking general manager of wrestling's top show did not.

Expect the impending rivalry to fail miserably if the execution of this segment is any indication.