WWE Raw Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights After Bash in Berlin
On the heels of a Bash In Berlin premium live event that saw Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest avenge torment at the hands of The Judgment Day, Gunther retain his World Heavyweight Championship against Randy Orton, and CM Punk defeat Drew McIntyre in a punishing strap match, WWE Raw rolled into Denver with packed show.
What went down and how did it affect the red-hot storylines across the flagship brand?
Find out with this recap, featuring grades and analysis for each of the night's matches and segments.
Match Card
1 of 11Announced in advance of the September 2 episode were:
- Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contenders Tournament: Ilja Dragunov vs. Dominik Mysterio vs. Dragon Lee
- Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contenders Tournament: Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser vs. TBC
- Six-person mixed tag team match: Otis, Akira Tozawa and Maxxine Dupri vs. The Creed Brothers and Ivy Nile
- Damage CTRL vs. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn
- Zelina Vega vs. Shayna Baszler
- An appearance from new WWE women's tag team champions, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill
Rhea Ripley Kicks Off Monday's Show
2 of 11
Rhea Ripley opened Monday's show, feeling better than she has in weeks after The Terror Twins dispatched of Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan at Bash in Berlin.
She felt so good that she turned her attention to the Women's World Championship and was about to challenge Morgan when Mysterio interrupted. A back-and-forth on the mic ensued before the reigning champion attacked from behind.
Ripley was caught in the ropes and threatened by a two-on-one beating until Damian Priest made the save and sent the heels to the back.
The ongoing rivalry involving The Terror Twins and The Judgment Day has been one of the hottest programs in WWE. Following up the PLE with a star the magnitude of Ripley, and letting the audience know that her victory in Germany was but a chapter in the bigger story, was the right decision.
How the teased ankle injury, caused by getting caught in the ropes, affects her pursuit of the women's title bears watching.
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Wade Barrett kicked off the show by introducing the new voice of Raw, the great Joe Tessitore. He has a booming voice, legitimacy on the headsets and will thrive once he settles in at the commentary position.
- "We're not done destroying The Judgment Day. We're just getting started," Ripley warned her rivals.
- Mysterio made excuses for Saturday's loss: "We were jetlagged. We didn't get any sleep. For various reasons."
- Ripley is a megastar, is booked like one and is treated as such by the fans. She can legitimately headline a major event and is believable in that role.
Otis, Akira Tozawa and Maxxine Dupri vs. American Made
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Chad Gable followed up a crushing defeat to Uncle Howdy last Monday by leading American Made's Julius and Brutus Creed and Ivy Nile to victory over his former Alpha Academy minions, Otis, Akira Tozawa, and Maxxine Dupri.
The match was better than it had any right to be, a fun mixed tag contest that highlighted the two men's teams before shining the spotlight on Dupri.
The underdog downed Nile and had her in position for a reverse caterpillar when Gable interfered. A kick from Dupri knocked him off the apron, but Nile recovered and submitted her with a Dragon Sleeper.
After the match, Gable ran his mouth about the Wyatt Sicks and issued a challenge for an eight-man tag team Street Fight next week. Uncle Howdy appeared and accepted.
Result
American Made defeated Alpha Academy
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Backstage, Priest checked on Ripley before telling her he would insist on a match with someone from Judgment Day.
- Gable fired up his team before their entrance, still angered by the loss to Uncle Howdy in the main event of last week's show.
- Dupri launched herself off the top rope and wiped out the heels before the break. She has great energy and remains one of the more likable characters on this show.
- The Otis hot tag might be the best in the business. The crowd comes alive for the big man's entry into any match.
- "375 days, my sanity crumbled," Howdy said, referencing the death of his brother, Bray Wyatt.
Zelina Vega vs. Shayna Baszler
4 of 11
Pure Fusion Collective took Zelina Vega out a month ago, putting her on the shelf. Last week, Vega returned, avenging the beating and costing Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark a much-needed win over Damage CTRL.
Monday, Vega and Baszler squared off in singles competition.
Late in a match hampered by a commercial break right in the middle of it, Vega mounted a comeback and appeared to have victory in hand. But she took her eye off Baszler, laying out Stark and Sonya Deville at ringside, only to return to the ring and eat a big knee strike from The Queen of Aces, who earned the victory.
After the match, the heels beat Vega down until Lyra Valkyria made the save. Still, the numbers advantage for Pure Fusion Collective proved too great and the heels stood tall to close things out.
This was a set-up for another tag match. And if the post-commercial vignette that saw Valkyria claim to have a plan ahead of Raw next week in Calgary was any indication, it appears we may be in store for the return of Natalya.
Result
Baszler defeated Vega
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- It was nice to see Valkyria back after a few weeks away. She lost momentum and hopefully this is a step in the right direction toward recovering it.
- "There's not a man in this building who can take us home and there's not a woman who can take us, period," Deville said. Great line.
CM Punk Promo
5 of 11
CM Punk made a mistake in assuming Drew McIntyre was in his rearview mirror following his victory over The Scottish Warrior at Bash in Berlin.
The Best in the World even went as far as to inform Gunther of his intent to challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Then, he suffered.
McIntyre dropped a celebratory Punk on the announce table, injuring his back. From there, he uncorked three Claymores and broke his rival's coveted bracelet before shoving the beads in Punk's mouth.
Medics took Punk out of the arena on a stretcher but before the gurney made it to the ambulance, McIntyre again attacked and bloodied his rival in the process.
This was an effective angle that set up a third and decisive match between Punk and McIntyre, presumably at Bad Blood on October 5 in Atlanta. Given that event's rich history, including the advent of the Hell in a Cell, it stands to reason that we could see an appropriately intense final encounter between the two.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
- "Now that personal is out of the way, it's time to get to business," Punk said, not knowing what awaited.
- Punk said it has been a long time since he woke up as champ. From the looks of things, it will be a bit longer.
- "The goal is gold."
- There was something delightful about Tessitore describing the arrival of the Scot: "It's Drew McIntyre in a hoodie."
Dragon Lee vs. Ilja Dragunov vs. Dominik Mysterio
6 of 11
Ilja Dragunov moved one step closer to an Intercontinental Championship opportunity against Bron Breakker Monday night, defeating Dominik Mysterio and Dragon Lee in the night's first of two three-way contests.
Midway through the bout, Carlito interfered on behalf of Dirty Dom, prompting Damian Priest to make the save by fending off both members of The Judgment Day.
With the scheduled Triple Threat match down to a one-on-one encounter, Dragunov outlasted Lee to secure the win and a spot in next week's Fatal 4-Way finale, joining Pete Dunne and Jey Uso.
Dragunov missed out on a shot at the IC title previously, courtesy of a referee's stoppage during a match with Breakker. His return and victory here takes him closer to revenge against the second-generation star and a chance to achieve his first main roster title.
Priest driving Mysterio away made sense given his thirst for revenge and, more importantly, it prevented the cowardly heel from suffering another major loss following Saturday.
Result
Dragunov defeated Lee and Mysterio
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Lee and Dragunov recovered nicely from a spot that did not go according to plan and still got to the destination: A sit-out powerbomb from Lee for a dramatic near-fall. A sign of two experienced professionals.
- Dragunov is in that conversation surrounding the best wrestler in the world. He is one of the most believable, too.
- The babyfaces engaged in a show of respect after the bell.
Damage CTRL vs. Unholy Union (Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill at Ringside)
7 of 11
With new women's tag team champions Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair watching from ringside, Damage CTRL's Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane battled Unholy Union's Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn, the former titleholders, to determine new No. 1 contenders.
Dawn and Fyre isolated Sane throughout the contest, but a late hot tag to Sky sparked a comeback for Damage CTRL. But an errant dive from The Pirate Princess caught Belair at ringside, leading a vengeful Cargill to lay out Sane.
Back in the ring, the former champions delivered the Gory Special to The Genius of the Sky to score the victory.
After the bell, Belair and Cargill stared down Damage CTRL, suggesting that the issues between the two teams are only getting started.
The tag team division is more interesting than it has ever been, but there is still a noticeable lack of depth, which has resulted in some repetitive matchups. With that said, it is a welcome creative development to see Fyre and Dawn not dispatched or forgotten about.
Result
Unholy Union defeated Damage CTRL
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Fyre and Dawn are much-needed. Given the creative, or lack thereof, since their arrival on the main roster, they needed to rediscover momentum and they did that here.
- With that said, the idea of a three-way dance between these teams after the heels just won the title gold in a similar match, is not super-appealing.
Sami Zayn is Coming for Gunther's World Heavyweight Championship
8 of 11
World heavyweight champion Gunther's in-ring promo, following his successful defense over Randy Orton at Bash in Berlin, was interrupted when Sami Zayn stepped through the curtain and confronted his former foe.
Zayn named a handful of Superstars who used the Intercontinental Championship as a stepping stone to the top prize in WWE, including "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart.
He intends to be the next to add his name to that list.
The Ring General denied his challenge, and Zayn insinuated that he is afraid of him because he knows The Underdog from the Underground is the one main roster star he cannot defeat.
This was a strong segment that introduced another new challenger in the form of Zayn, who joined Punk as the two Superstars to reveal their intentions to challenge for the gold.
The options are intriguing, both matchups would be great, and Gunther could easily use either to help enhance his star.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
- "I have beaten the greatest version of Randy Orton," Gunther said of his victory Saturday. Yes, he has.
- Gunther told Zayn that his heroes used the intercontinental title as a stepping stone but he had stepped down after losing the title.
- Gunther showed great bravado here but expressed obvious doubt as Zayn reminded him that he beat him for the IC title at WrestleMania 40 and is the only Superstar to do so on the main roster.
Braun Strowman vs. Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser
9 of 11
Braun Strowman advanced to next week's Fatal 4-Way match to determine the No. 1 contender to the Intercontinental Championship by defeating Ludwig Kaiser and Sheamus in a Triple Threat match.
The Monster Among Men overcame a rib injury to remain in the fight and outlast his opponents. Interference from Pete Dunne, who blasted The Celtic Warrior with a shillelagh to intensify that rivalry, set up Strowman to down Kaiser with a running powerslam for the win.
Strowman takes his size and power advantage to a Fatal 4-Way match next week against Pete Dunne, Ilja Dragunov and Jey Uso, with a chance to earn a shot at Bron Breakker.
It's not exactly what most would have expected after he was Tsunami'd through the roof of a car a week ago, but if there is anyone who can deliver a strong performance against smaller opponents, it's Strowman.
Result
Strowman defeated Sheamus and Kaiser
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Backstage, Breakker warned Jey Uso to drop out of the Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contender's tournament. "Keep chasing after Dominik Mysterio's sloppy seconds and dropout of the tournament," he said. Uso vowed to beat Breakker, take his title and kick his ass while doing it.
- Not enough is made of Sheamus' desperation to win the one title that has eluded him in his WWE career.
Jey Uso and Damian Priest vs. Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh
10 of 11
Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest again got the better of The Judgment Day Monday night, thanks to The Archer of Infamy and Jey Uso's tag team victory over Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh in the main event.
At one point, Liv Morgan crotched Uso onto the top rope, only for Mami to make her presence felt. Despite a left leg injury suffered earlier in the show, she chased Morgan out of the arena, leaving Bálor and McDonagh to go it alone.
It did not work out favorably for the heels.
Priest and laid out the latter while Uso took out Bálor, and the babyfaces rolled to wins to close out the show.
The amount of talent in the ring will always deliver between the ropes and, for the most part, this was a fun and energetic conclusion to the show that continued the babyfaces' revenge over the heels.
That Uso was able to slide in here and make sense within the context of the story, while also apparently feuding with Breakker over the IC title, is a testament to Triple H and the creative team's ability to insert wrestlers into more than one ongoing storyline.
Result
Uso and Priest defeated The Judgment Day
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Uso, Priest and Ripley is a trio that can make WWE a lot of money.
- Great tag team action here, but it would have been nice if a bigger deal had been made of the fact that Uso and Priest knocked off the world tag team champions.
Overall Grade
11 of 11This was another great show from the red brand, which consistently rivals SmackDown in terms of quality at this point.
We had the introduction of new rivalries, the continuation of the Judgment Day vs. Terror Twins storyline, the latest developments in the Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contender tournament and the introduction of Sami Zayn as Gunther's next challenger.
All on the heels of a PLE.
And next week's show is likely to be even more packed as the season-premiere episode goes up against Monday Night Football for the first time in the 2024 season.
Grade: B+
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