WWE Raw Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From Jan. 15
Seth Rollins continued his tendency to accept any challenge to his World Heavyweight Championship on Monday's WWE Raw, defending against Jinder Mahal in the night's marquee matchup.
Did The Visionary successfully retain or did The Modern Day Maharaja score the shocker of the century and put an end to Rollins' reign?
Find out with this recap of the January 15 episode, which also featured The Judgment Day in two tag team clashes, as well as the return of Intercontinental Champion Gunther.
Match Card
1 of 11Announced in advance of Monday's show:
- World Heavyweight Championship Match: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Jinder Mahal
- The Miz and R-Truth vs. Damian Priest and Finn Bálor
- Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa vs. JD McDonagh and Dominik Mysterio
- Gunther's Raw return
Cody Rhodes Kicks Off Raw
2 of 11
WWE continued to present stories for fans to track in this year's Royal Rumble, with Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre presenting the latest.
Both men left the company and developed themselves as wrestlers and attractions before coming back to win the men's Rumble match.
McIntyre won the WWE Championship twice, two more times than Rhodes, and he isn't content to watch The American Dream finish his story at the expense of his own.
Rhodes called out the Scot for his bitterness and asked him who won their last match, years ago on the indies, leaving McIntyre speechless.
This was a great segment that established background between them, kept alive the narrative that Rhodes was responsible for bringing Jey Uso to Raw—with McIntyre suggesting he was simply keeping his enemies closer—and gave fans another thread to invest in come the Royal Rumble on January 27.
From a creative standpoint, there may not be a single Rumble match with more moving pieces and credible winners since 1992.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
- We have a brand-new Raw set and it looks super-cool.
- McIntyre told the story of Rhodes and him going to the independents, working hard and becoming so undeniable that WWE asked them back.
- "You are going to finish your story. Just not before I finish mine," McIntyre said.
- "I am thankful for my second chances and you are just complaining about yours," Rhodes responded.
- "You keep talking about this last match we had. Who won?" Rhodes said in a legitimate mic-drop moment that left McIntyre dismayed.
DIY vs. The Judgment Day
3 of 11
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa moved closer to a shot at the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship with their victory over The Judgment Day's Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh.
A good, well-paced match saw the heels establish dominance before the babyfaces fought their way back into the bout on the strength of Ciampa's hot tag. After sending Mysterio to the floor, DIY flattened McDonagh and scored the hard-fought victory.
The idea of Ciampa and Gargano challenging Damian Priest and Finn Bálor for the tag titles is mighty appealing, especially if they benefited from considerable television or premium live event time.
If that's the direction, give us all of it.
Result
DIY defeated Mysterio and McDonagh
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Backstage, Priest allowed R-Truth to sell his knockoff version of The Judgment Day merchandise, but only if he kept it on the down-low. Also, he was told not to "tag in" later in the night. Truth agreed.
- The DIY theme does not match the grizzled badass Ciampa.
- The action picked up late, thanks to the hot tag to The Blackheart.
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Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell vs. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven
4 of 11
The women's tag team division continues to suffer from abbreviated TV time, as evidenced by Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell's win over Chelsea Green and Piper Niven in a sprint of a match.
The action was solid, if not a bit rushed, but the Lionsault finisher from LeRae to Green was a nice change of pace and gave the babyfaces an unexpected upset victory.
The win will likely intensify the issues between Green and Pearce...and referee Eddie Orengo.
Result
LeRae and Hartwell defeated Green and Niven
Grade
C
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The idea that Green took exception to referee Eddie Orengo counting her shoulders down a week ago, only for Adam Pearce to book him as the official for her match Monday night, is the sort of fun and antagonistic relationship the Raw general manager has with his tormentor.
- The finish was an interesting and fresh one, unlike any we have elsewhere in the division.
Gunther's Return Sets Up Ludwig Kaiser vs. Xavier Woods
5 of 11
Intercontinental champion Gunther made his return to Raw after several weeks and immediately expressed his desire to win the men's Rumble match.
From there, he applauded Ludwig Kaiser for bringing the intensity and aggression in his absence, including a vicious assault on Kofi Kingston a week ago.
This brought out Xavier Woods, who immediately challenged Kaiser to a match.
The result was a physical contest with some great strikes and even better babyface fire from Woods, which led to a disqualification after the New Day man blasted Kaiser with the announcer's chair.
The beatdown that ensued by the babyface ensured the feud between the two will continue.
A backstage assault by Kaiser on Woods, interrupted by Jey Uso, planted the seeds for Uso to be the one to challenge and potentially defeat Gunther at WrestleMania 40. The prospect of that match should have fans very excited.
Result
Kaiser defeated Woods via disqualification
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Tensions continued to rise within The Judgment Day backstage, with Rhea Ripley appearing none too pleased with Mysterio for his tag team loss and McDonagh taking exception to Priest appearing to take R-Truth's side. Senor Money in the Bank eased things over, but the faction appears to be cracking.
- Driven by the need to win the Rumble he narrowly lost a year ago, Gunther is bad news for everyone but gives fans yet another viable option to win the men's match.
- Some of the action was snug and crisp in the Woods-Kaiser match, putting over the intense dislike between the two.
Akira Tozawa vs. Ivar
6 of 11
Akira Tozawa and Ivar wrote the latest chapter in their rivalry with a rematch of their Christmas week match.
Despite being overwhelmed by Ivar's size and strength advantage, Tozawa benefited from a momentary distraction from Maxxine Dupri and scored the win off a sunset flip powerbomb from the middle rope.
After the match, Valhalla attacked Dupri. The heels stood tall to close things out.
Result
Tozawa defeated Ivar
Grade
C+, mostly for the post-match that will propel things forward
Top Moments and Takeaways
- To see how comfortable Dupri is on camera now as opposed to where she was early in her run with Maximum Male Models is impressive. What she lacks in in-ring experience she makes up for as a great ancillary performer.
- Backstage, Ivy Nile vowed that Valhalla would pay for her actions. Meanwhile, Chad Gable promised to teach Ivar what it means to be an alpha.
Rhea Ripley Promo
7 of 11
And just like that, we know the direction creative will take regarding Rhea Ripley and the Women's World Championship. And it's not entirely unexpected.
Becky Lynch interrupted Mami's in-ring promo and made a shocking admission: She thinks Ripley is better than her.
However, she has to prove that isn't the case by taking her title. To do that, she has to win the women's Rumble match.
Ripley made an admission of her own: No one wants that to happen more than her.
The intensity here was off the charts, the chemistry between Ripley and Lynch jumped off the screen. This felt like the start of a main event-worthy feud and a program that will ultimately lead to one of the most anticipated matches on the WrestleMania card.
Is Lynch going to win the women's Rumble match? Maybe. Bayley has more momentum behind her based on the impending feud with her Damage CTRL cohorts on SmackDown, but there are ways to get to that match without a Rumble win.
Either way, Lynch vs. Ripley is a big-money match and one that can stand alongside Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk and Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns as a credible main event.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Ripley lost her train of thought for a moment, straight up blanking, but she recovered well enough to finish her line.
- Lynch drew parallels between her and the Australian, including their history of chasing their dreams from a foreign land to standing atop the women's wrestling mountain in WWE.
- "No one wants you to win the Royal Rumble more than me. See you at WrestleMania," Ripley told Lynch.
Awesome Truth vs. Damian Priest and Finn Bálor
8 of 11
The hijinx involving R-Truth and The Judgment Day continued, with the confusion surrounding the beloved babyface's status in the faction costing him and The Miz a match against undisputed WWE tag team champions Damian Priest and Finn Bálor.
Though he had no issues laying out JD McDonagh, Truth appeared hesitant when faced with taking out Bálor or Priest, and the momentary pauses allowed the heels to put down Miz for the win.
The bigger story is how Priest appears to favor Truth. He likes the guy and that budding friendship is ultimately going to be the schism that breaks The Judgment Day as we know it.
Could the long game be Priest and Truth vs. Bálor and Dom or McDonagh at WrestleMania?
Don't rule it out.
Result
Bálor and Priest defeated The Miz and R-Truth
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Commentator Michael Cole knocked the New York Jets, claiming Truth fumbled his cash earnings for his bootleg merch like the team. Come on, Michael, the Dallas Cowboys reference was right there and much more timely.
- Priest told Truth not to tag into the match. He did, because of course he did.
- Priest's softness toward Truth is going to lead to the unraveling of The Judgment Day. Raise your hand if you had Truth being the emphasis for the breakup.
Tegan Nox and Natalya vs. Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark
9 of 11
The women's tag team division took center stage for the second time on this show, with Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark further solidifying themselves as legitimate contenders to Katana Chance and Kayden Carter by way of their victory over Tegan Nox and Natalya.
This fun, little sprint of a match could have benefited from a few more minutes, but it featured more compact action than the bout earlier in the broadcast.
The outcome was never really in doubt, though it was a nice change of pace to see Natalya tap out to Baszler rather than Nox.
The idea that Carter and Chance would have any shot at retaining against the physically superior badass team of Stark and Baszler is laughable, meaning Triple H and his creative team are going to have to flex those booking muscles to convince fans otherwise.
Result
Baszler and Stark defeated Nox and Natalya
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Cameras caught a shot of a dismayed Nox after the match and while that could be attributed to the loss, do not be surprised if she undergoes a heel turn for a feud with Natalya. There was not much to it, but the fact that the camera focused on her momentarily may have been a tip.
- Speaking of Nox, it is disappointing that more has not been done with her. The Welsh wrestler is a talented worker whose future was brighter than most not that long ago. She's an energetic babyface with a great story. WWE needs to put her in a position to garner fanfare, which is really the only thing holding her back.
World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins vs. Jinder Mahal
10 of 11
For a moment, it appeared Jinder Mahal might actually beat Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship, and the fact that the fans in a snowy Little Rock bit on the near-falls is a testament to Triple H's booking of the match.
This was all angle. The Game threw the book at this bout, creatively stacking screwy spots on top of one another to give the impression that the unthinkable may happen.
There was the arrival of Damian Priest, followed by the presence of Drew McIntyre, and their brawl to set up next week's main event. There was the incessant cheating of Indus Sher, including a spot right out of Mahal's first title victory over Randy Orton that had fans nervously counting along until Rollins raised his shoulder off the mat at two.
Ultimately, The Visionary overcame it all and delivered the Stomp for the win, popping the crowd and bringing a satisfactory conclusion to a match that was far more dramatic than it had any right to be based on the dichotomy of stars involved.
Rollins sold the same knee injury that has been problematic for the last year to close the show, continuing the narrative that his desire to be a fighting champion may be his own undoing.
Result
Rollins defeated Mahal to retain
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Indus Sher's Sanga and Veer Mahaan joined Mahal at ringside. The arrival of Senor Money in the Bank Damian Priest heading into the break created even greater outside factors for Rollins to keep an eye on.
- "The Jinder Hinderers were out on social media all week," Wade Barrett said, most definitely not referencing tweets from a Jacksonville-based pro wrestling promoter.
- Rollins sold the knee injury that has plagued him at times throughout his title reign.
- Next week on Raw: Cody Rhodes and CM Punk face-to-face, Ivy Nile vs. Valhalla, Chad Gable vs. Ivar, and Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest
Overall Grade
11 of 11This was another strong episode of Raw that focused the majority of its hottest angles and segments on building toward the Royal Rumble.
The men's match will feature six or eight guys with legitimate arguments to win it and, more importantly, actual stories that will intertwine with each other to create what could result in creative excellence on January 27.
Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, CM Punk, Jey Uso and Gunther all have gripes and stories they hope to finish, making any of them a viable option to win the match. And all but Uso has had considerable mic time to set up side feuds within the larger match itself.
Outside of that, the latest in the Truth-Judgment Day saga continued to plant the seeds that the comedic competitor could break up the faction. There was an emphasis on the women's tag team division, the formal introduction of the Becky Lynch-Rhea Ripley rivalry, and the continuation of the harmless fun that is Alpha Academy vs. Ivar and Valhalla.
What was once a three-hour slog now has clear direction, with Triple H and his creative team giving most of the roster something to do. It is refreshing and makes the still-overlong broadcast much easier to watch.
This was a good one, with Rollins vs. Mahal really showing off this creative regime's growth from a booking perspective.
Overall Grade: B+
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