WWE Raw Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From Oct. 23
The Judgment Day again stand atop WWE Raw after Finn Bálor and Damian Priest defeated Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso to regain the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship, and they celebrated accordingly Monday night.
Priest was looking to make it 2-0 against Uso in as many weeks when they battled in the night's main event.
Was the most dominant faction in WWE able to sustain its momentum or did Uso halt it just in time for Crown Jewel on November 4?
Find out with this recap of a show that also featured the return to Monday nights of social media megastar, Logan Paul, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Match Card
1 of 12Announced in advance of the October 23 broadcast were:
- Jey Uso vs. Damian Priest
- NXT Women's Championship: Becky Lynch vs. Indi Hartwell
- Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn
- Alpha Academy vs. The New Day
- The return of Logan Paul
- A Judgment Day celebration
Judgment Day Promo
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The Judgment Day have become the lifeblood of Raw over the last year and, predictably, they kicked off this week's show with Finn Bálor and Damian Priest celebrating last week's Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship win.
It was short-lived as Cody Rhodes interrupted, and a match between he and Priest was made official for Crown Jewel. A beatdown ensued that ended with The American Nightmare suffering a leg injury at the hands of the faction and the returning JD McDonagh.
It was a hot angle to start the show that had fans in Dallas invested from the get-go.
Rhodes continues to be treated like the biggest thing in professional wrestling by fans, The Judgment Day look sadistic and manipulative, and Jey Uso was left to go it alone against The Archer of Infamy in the night's main event.
It was an effective promo segment that highlighted top players and set the stage for Monday's marquee contest.
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The reaction to Rhodes is still so special. The guy is perpetually over.
- "How does that feel, guys, to get interrupted?" Rhodes asked, making light of the booking trope.
- "At this point you're story's gotta be that you failed," Priest told The American Nightmare.
- Rhodes vs. Priest at Crown Jewel: A big time premium live event match for two guys who have been stellar in 2023.
Alpha Academy vs. The New Day
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Tag team wrestling took center stage in the night's first match as The New Day and Alpha Academy did battle, with each team looking to inch closer to a title opportunity.
Monday night, it was Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods who earned a hard-fought victory over Chad Gable and Otis.
The bout was really strong, with some great sequencing from Gable and Kingston. The pace was near-perfect, the crowd was into both teams and neither sacrificed its status as babyfaces to get ahead.
It was a good match, featuring wrestlers determined to win, with actual stakes. As pro wrestling should be.
Result
The New Day defeated Alpha Academy
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Give us Gable vs. Kingston for 15 minutes and expect excellence. Their sequences here were a ton of fun.
- The reverse worm from Woods is a whole new flex. It doesn't happen as smoothly as, say, Otis' forward moving worm, but it's seriously impressive nonetheless.
- The New Day going over was certainly a decision. It's odd that Gable was a hot babyface a few weeks back and is now back to losing in tag team action.
NXT Women's Championship: Becky Lynch vs. Indi Hartwell
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On the eve of a hotly anticipated title defense against Lyra Valkyria as part of NXT's Halloween Havoc, Becky Lynch defended her NXT Women's Championship against the woman who never actually lost the gold, Indi Hartwell.
The Man proved why she is the champion, though, withstanding a game challenger and tapping her out with the Disarmer before issuing a few words of wisdom to Valkyria at ringside.
This was a good, physical match that tested Hartwell's ability to hang with one of the top stars in the company, and she passed with flying colors. It also served as a great precursor to Tuesday's match between the Irish badasses.
When it comes to booking, Triple H has long been adept at crafting segments that accomplish more than one thing, or tell more than one story, at a time. This was no different.
Result
Lynch submitted Hartwell to retain the title
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Backstage, women's world champion Rhea Ripley confronted World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. Mami manipulated and toyed with The Visionary, playing to his ego by trying to convince him to align with The Judgment Day by telling him he could be the world champion and top Roman Reigns. Rollins turned her down.
- Little things like bringing in Lyra Valkyria to sit ringside for Lynch's title defense against Hartwell help elevate the significance of her title opportunity on Tuesday's NXT and attract viewers.
- Hartwell always impresses (pun intended) in moments like this. She has earned more of an expansive television role. Hopefully, it comes her way with the return of Johnny Gargano.
- Backstage, Xia Li attacked Candice LeRae with a smack to the face and issued a warning to her and Hartwell.
Contract Signing for Fatal 5-Way at Crown Jewel
5 of 12A week after all hell broke lose between five of the top stars in the Raw women's division, Raw general manager Adam Pearce hosted a contract signing featuring Nia Jax, Raquel Rodriguez, Zoey Stark, Shayna Baszler and women's world champion Rhea Ripley.
Predictably, a massive brawl erupted between the prospective challengers while the manipulative Ripley mockingly cheered them on from ringside.
Jax established dominance with a big Samoan Drop to Rodriguez, while Michael Cole and Wade Barrett put over the upcoming title bout at Crown Jewel to close out the segment.
This was exactly what you expected it to be, but the added element of Ripley proving herself to be a master puppeteer was a nice touch. The match at Crown Jewel, if given time, should be a lot of fun if nothing else.
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The WWE Universe really doesn't like Jax.
- Judging from the pop that she received, the fans do like Ripley. Their reaction to her is that of a star, not unlike the huge pops reserved for Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins.
Johnny Gargano vs. Giovanni Vinci
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Under strict orders by Gunther to take out Johnny Gargano and not fail Imperium, Giovanni Vinci squared off with the former NXT champion.
He did not succeed, though it was not without interference.
Late in the match, Tommaso Ciampa returned and wiped out Ludwig Kaiser. The distraction allowed Gargano to deliver One Final Beat and score the victory, avenging the loss to Kaiser from a week ago.
As is becoming a theme with Monday's show, this accomplished multiple things.
First, it highlighted DIY as Gargano and Ciampa reunite for a main roster run that fans have wanted for a long time. Second, it continued to build tension and dissension within Imperium as Kaiser jockeys to be Gunther's favorite, all while Vinci struggled to find the approval and acknowledgment of The Ring General.
Where that second story heads from here remains to be seen, but this was another instance of Triple H using one segment to intertwine several stories.
Result
Gargano defeated Vinci
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Gargano getting the "already in the ring" treatment while Imperium received the star entrance was certainly a decision, whether there was any intent behind it or not.
Logan Paul Returns to Raw
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There are some segments that can best be described as a spectacle, and the sound of Dominik Mysterio joining Logan Paul in the center of the ring Monday night was an unforgettable experience.
So loud was it that Mysterio was drowned out, his words barely audible as he and the social media megastar insulted his father, United States champion Rey Mysterio.
Ultimately, Paul made the mistake of bringing ring announcer Samantha Irvin into the fray, drawing the ire of her real-life fiancé, Ricochet, who fought off the heels to close out the segment.
Outside of the reaction to Mysterio was the reintroduction of Ricochet, who has unfinished business after being screwed out of a victory by Paul at SummerSlam. Expect to see him involved in this storyline moving forward, culminating in a tag team match.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The boos for Mysterio are extraordinary. They completely drowned out his promo.
- Paul drew comparisons to Dirty Dom, which didn't go down well with the crowd.
- Paul taunted Irvin at ringside, recalling his rivalry with Ricochet from the summer. It went over about as well as you would expect, with The One and Only then taking out Paul. He leveled Mysterio with a running knee and added a shooting star press, only for the YouTuber to pull the NXT North American champion out of the way.
Natalya and Nikki Cross vs. Piper Niven and Chelsea Green
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Natalya's battle with Chelsea Green and Piper Niven over the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship continued Monday, though an injury to Tegan Nox forced The Queen of Harts to look elsewhere for a partner.
Her solution, Nikki Cross, proved to be more problematic than anything.
The enigmatic Cross was lethargic, disinterested even, as Natalya took a beating and ultimately lost to her rivals.
It was the second week in a row that The Queen of Harts fell to the tag champs following her loss to Niven last week.
Ultimately, it would seem the answer is for Natalya and Nox to dethrone the heels or at least try at a pay-per-view or in a high-profile Raw match. Whatever the case, it is at least an effort by the creative team to do something with the titles, which have been the single most underserved element on WWE television since their inception.
Result
Green and Niven defeated Natalya and Cross
Grade
C
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Green is such a magnetic performer, and it's still amazing that it took WWE two tries to find something of note for her to do.
- Backstage, Rhea Ripley disrespectfully interrupted The Miz venting to Adam Pearce and drew the camera away from the former WWE champion, furthering the idea that he is being treated like an afterthought.
Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre
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As if the idea of Sami Zayn and Drew McIntyre was not appealing enough on paper, they delivered a match that lived up to its potential while incorporating a screwy finish that actually furthered a key storyline.
McIntyre and Zayn beat each other up in a physical battle that left the latter's chest swollen and welted.
Late, it appeared The Underdog From The Underground would score the win but a distraction from Rhea Ripley and allowed McIntyre to take the victory as commentator Michael Cole insinuated she was giving the Scot a taste of what could happen if he aligned himself with The Judgment Day.
The teases that McIntyre could turn to the dark side if it means defeating Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship and enjoying a run in front of actual fans have been great, even if it is fairly obvious that he won't, especially with Damian Priest lurking with the Money in the Bank briefcase.
McIntyre is not ignorant. He knows what Ripley's endgame is, understands he is being manipulated. And while he might take any opening to defeat Rollins at Crown Jewel, he won't allow himself to fall into The Judgment Day's trap.
Result
McIntyre defeated Zayn
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- More physical and calculating McIntyre is the best McIntyre.
- The Scot is so good that everything he does looks effortless. He is a freakish athlete, does things guys his size should not be able to, and he never looks gassed or beaten.
- Ripley appeared at ringside to distract Zayn, and McIntyre scored the win with the Claymore as they continued to spin the narrative that The Scottish Warrior may be swayed by The Judgment Day.
Akira Tozawa vs. 'Big' Bronson Reed
10 of 12
Overconfidence on the part of new Alpha Academy student Akira Tozawa ended in pain and suffering Monday as he was promptly put down by "Big" Bronson Reed.
On the heels of an impressive showing against intercontinental champion Gunther, Reed earned a dominant victory that told fans he is still the same dangerous force of nature he was before last week's loss.
That the New Zealander made the show, was highlighted as he was and the commentary team put him over as strongly as they did suggests he has a bright future under Triple H and the creative team.
Result
Reed defeated Tozawa
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Backstage, The New Day and Alpha Academy were all chummy like nothing happened earlier in the night. DIY interrupted and revealed they will face Imperium next week. Tozawa then grabbed hold of a Dallas Cowboys replica belt that proved exactly what the point of this segment was: An in-show ad.
- Rollins and McIntyre both vowed not to involve The Judgment Day in their title clash at Crown Jewel.
- Next week: Rollins vs. JD McDonagh, Candice LeRae vs. Xia Li, DIY vs. Imperium, and Ricochet vs. "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio.
Jey Uso vs. Damian Priest
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Damian Priest built momentum ahead of his Crown Jewel date with Cody Rhodes, defeating Jey Uso in a main event that was marred by interference from Finn Bálor.
A post-match beatdown by the heels gave way to a triumphant return by a hobbled Rhodes, who fended them off with a steel chair and stood tall to close out the show.
This was a solid match that saw Priest continue his recent string of victories with a big win over a legitimate main event star in Uso. There will be some who question beating Jey here, but if the reaction he received prior to the match is any indication, his connection with the fans will be just fine.
Rhodes vs. Priest is a big match and WWE was right to highlight it here. How it will tie into the World Heavyweight Championship match at Crown Jewel between Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre, and whether The Archer of Infamy uses his MITB contract to steal the title, remains to be seen.
Result
Priest defeated Uso
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- If you need any evidence of The Bloodline's positive effect on WWE television, it can be found in Jey Uso, who is a bona fide main event competitor because of it.
- Uso attempted a tope suicida at one point, but Priest caught him and drove him into the commentary table.
- Bálor has an "intense, personal hatred" of Uso, according to Michael Cole. But why? Just because Uso is a babyface and the Irishman is a heel?
- Rhodes' limp to the ring is going be a new GIF, and this writer is thrilled about it.
Overall Grade
12 of 12Raw continued its recent hot streak, with an overarching story in the form of a scheming Rhea Ripley approaching several top names and attempting to induct them into The Judgment Day.
Sprinkle in some solid in-ring work, logical storytelling and the damndest reaction to a heel this side of the 1980s, and you have a show that knows it has to build to Crown Jewel and did just that with most of Monday's creative.
Grade: B+
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