WWE Raw Results: Kevin Owens vs. the World and Top Takeaways

The pre-taped May 14 episode of Raw featured several takeaways that could affect the brand for months to come, including the re-emergence of Kevin Owens as the main eventer he has always been.

The Prizefighter competed not once, but twice in London, England, while reminding fans dismayed by his use over the last year that he can thrive when entire shows are built around him.

Owens was not the only Superstar to dig his way out of a proverbial grave Monday night.

Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel, long left for dead by WWE Creative, found new life as the self-admitted basement dwellers seeking a tag team title opportunity.

Going in the opposite direction is the recently returned Bobby Lashley, whose creative prospects are as exciting as another Justice League movie.

Then there is the whole Nia Jax-Ronda Rousey Raw Women's Championship challenge, which more closely resembled a deal at a local swap meet than the setup to a high-profile pay-per-view title match.

Dive deeper into these takeaways and examine these Superstars' immediate futures on Raw. (Also, try to resist the urge to tear your hair out as you try to rationalize WWE Creative's booking of Lashley thus far in his second run with the company.)

With the Arrival of His Sisters, Bobby Lashley's Return Push Is D.O.A.

A long time ago, in a galaxy not all that far away, Bobby Lashley was poised to become the Next Big Thing after Brock Lesnar never did.

At least to that point.

He was pushed hard as the face of ECW, won the brand's title and even headlined WrestleMania 23 as the hand-chosen Superstar of the almighty Donnie Trump. But even the current President of these United States could not get Lashley over. Yet after Monday's broadcast of Raw, it appears Vince McMahon has figured out exactly what he needs to get people to connect with Lashley beyond his chiseled frame and super cool (not at all cool) headband: three really mean sisters.

We were introduced to the storyline a week ago in an interview with Renee Young that was so cheesy Velveeta should have sued for gimmick infringement.

Lashley discussed how terrible his sisters were to him as if it was meant to generate something in the way of sympathy for the former mixed martial artist.

Yes, the same company that could not buy sympathy for Roman Reigns after Braun Strowman nearly killed him suddenly thought the best way to get Lashley cheered was to tell a story about his three sisters who, three decades ago, were just not nice to him.

The followup Monday night, with Sami Zayn promising to produce those sisters on next week's show as part of the ongoing rivalry between him and Lashley, did nothing to curb low expectations.

As if being the weak link during tag team matches with partner Braun Strowman was not enough to kill his momentum, a midcard program with abysmal writing that highlights Lashley's weak promos sure will.

Remember that solid run atop TNA, where you won the world title and beat pretty much everyone on the roster, Bobby? 

It will feel like an eternity ago after your sisters pop up on next week's show.

The Friendliest Championship Challenge Ever

Footage from Monday afternoon's red carpet ahead of the NBCUniversal's upfronts event aired during this week's Raw. While it is not uncommon for WWE to tout their media relations, this footage had a huge impact on the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view.

Current Raw women's champion Nia Jax approached Ronda Rousey with the enthusiasm and politeness of a schoolgirl offering to share her ball with a classmate and nonchalantly challenged the UFC icon to a match at the June 17 pay-per-view.

From out of nowhere, with no storyline or apparent reason for the match happening.

The mind-numbing senselessness of it all.

Rousey was most recently engaged in a rivalry with Mickie James and appeared poised to face the former six-time women's champion at Money in the Bank. She had established an on-screen partnership with Natalya and looked to be taking the scenic route to the gold. Then, with all the impatience of a kid walking through the sliding doors of Toys 'R' Us, WWE Creative changed its mind.

James had no reaction to Rousey's title shot. Natalya was utilized in a Six-Woman Tag Team match that did nothing to further the rivalry between Riott Squad and Sasha Banks. The video with the challenge aired and a big deal was made of the huge pay-per-view-worthy title bout.

It made no sense and was so ridiculously nice that it's questionable whether WWE will be able to find a reason for anyone to care about the match.

Sometimes sudden and unexpected matches make for great television.

Sometimes the lack of continuity has fans begging for Harper and Rowan to bludgeon them with those giant plastic hammers they carry to the ring.

Raw Is the Kevin Owens Show Once Again

There is a distinct difference in the way Kevin Owens is presented on Raw and SmackDown Live.

This past year, Owens was consistently at the top of the card on Tuesday nights, working AJ Styles in a feud that seemed destined to go on forever (and ever and ever, etc.). Then he engaged the prodigal son, Shane McMahon, in a feud that felt more like an excuse to put over the boss' son than Owens or his partner in crime, Sami Zayn.

And therein lied the issue.

No matter how many times he headlined shows, Owens always felt like the villain of the month rather than a heel that had the legitimate support of management. He was the setup guy to get knocked down by the popular babyfaces rather than the heel entire shows could be built around.

That is not the case on Raw, where Owens instantly feels like a bigger deal. Even those initial weeks where he was bumped around by Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley felt more significant than anything he did on SmackDown.

Monday night, fans of The Prizefighter got a not-so-subtle reminder of the type of performer he is when motivated and given a boost by the writing team.

After a brilliant match in which he lost to intercontinental champion Seth Rollins, Owens petitioned general manager Kurt Angle for another opportunity, citing the crap he has put up with at the hands of WWE authority figures over the last year. When Angle denied him, he did the one thing every smarmy bad guy does in real life: He went over one boss' head to another and got what he wanted.

Owens thrived again, this time as the best wrestler in a main event Triple Threat Money in the Bank Qualifying match that also involved Lashley and Elias. He seized the spotlight, treating even a pre-taped episode of Raw like an opportunity to stick it to anyone who thought he lost a step or was not the worker he once was.

With an expanded role and a writing team that values him more than the one on Tuesdays, Owens should find a renewed push on the flagship.

Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel Strike Gold with The B Team

Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas discovered one very valuable bit of info Monday night: If you admit you suck and make homemade T-shirts using plain black Sharpies, you can get over in today's WWE.

Like Breezango, which injected comedy into their tandem to great success over on SmackDown, Dallas and Axel embraced their ridiculousness and it worked, generating cheers and chants of "B Team" from the English fans Monday night.

Their opponents?

The aforementioned Breezango, who are so colossally screwed on a Raw brand that has no understanding of what made their team so special to begin with that there is no way it will possibly thrive.

Dallas and Axel, on the other hand, are a product of the Raw writers. They have a much better opportunity to ride a wave of momentum in the coming weeks and months as they chase a tag team title shot that would have been a laughable prospect just two months ago.

The presentation of the team will be key to its success.

Axel and Dallas have officially taken to calling themselves the B Team, meaning they know they are not a priority. Yet, they have new theme music. That has to be the extent of the repackaging from a marketing perspective. They cannot be an afterthought if they are rolling out new tees on WWE Shop or buying matching gear.

They have to be the nerds who think they can do it even if everyone and their mothers know they have no chance in hell of actually winning the tag titles. Stick with the handmade shirts that look like the product of a trip to K-Mart and Staples. Embrace the fact that they are the Curt Hawkins of the tag team division while reveling in their sudden reversal of fortunes.

But never allow them to become dominant or too good.

The minute that happens, the luster is gone along with everything that made them so special for one night in the U.K.