WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from February 9, 2015

Just under two weeks away from Fastlane on pay-per-view, WWE rolled onto the campus of Ohio State University for the February 9 episode of Monday Night Raw.

Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan were understandably at the center of the show, their huge match at the upcoming spectacular deciding which Superstar will battle for the heavyweight championship at WrestleMania. Their opponent at the Showcase of the Immortals?

Brock Lesnar who, along with Paul Heyman, returned to Raw for the first time since Royal Rumble.

What would the advocate for the Beast Incarnate have to say as he addressed the WWE Universe?

Speaking of addresses, the United States champion, Rusev, vowed to pay homage to John Cena's career. Was he serious, or was it a show, a ploy to further cement his claims that the 15-time WWE champion is a beaten, broken old man?

Paige battled Brie Bella just 13 days away from a Divas title match against Nikki, Dolph Ziggler attempted to avenge his loss to Bray Wyatt in a rematch, Tyson Kidd and Cesaro looked to add their names to the hunt for the tag titles and Stardust continued a descent into madness that had brother Goldust concerned.

With so much happening, WWE managed to mesh it together to make for a very entertaining episode of its flagship program.

What segments were hits, and which were misses?

Find out now with a look back at the grades, highlights, and results from this week's episode of Raw.

Opening Promo

Credit: WWE.com

Roman Reigns kicked off the show, discussing everything he has done to earn his shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania. He vowed to take out anyone standing in his way, including Daniel Bryan.

The former titleholder made his way to the ring and mockingly thanked Reigns for helping him beat Seth Rollins last week.

Bryan ran down the differences between the two, ending by calling himself the better wrestler, which surprisingly drew a serious number of boos from the fans.

The Authority arrived on the scene, interrupting the promo between the two babyfaces.

Triple H demanded an answer from Sting regarding their face-to-face at Fastlane before Stephanie McMahon addressed the men inside the squared circle.

The segment ultimately led to the announcement of a tag match pitting Reigns and Bryan against Big Show and Kane, to begin immediately.

Highlight

"If you get in my way, I've got a spear with your name on it."—Roman Reigns.

"When it comes to looks, I'd say we're about even."—Daniel Bryan.

"When it comes to wrestling, I am the better wrestler than you."—Bryan.

Grade

B

Analysis

A simple, harmless opening segment, the promo that kicked off Monday's Raw put the focus on Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns' upcoming match while, at the same time, it reminded fans that they are part of an unending war with The Authority.

The fan response was of the utmost interest here, as the crowd seemed fairly split for the babyfaces. Bryan was cheered heavily at first, but the Reigns supporters were out in force, even booing Bryan's claims that he was a better wrestler than the juggernaut.

Eventually, the crowd turned completely in their favor by the time Triple H, Stephanie and company made their appearance.

Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show and Kane

The Authority sat at ringside, enjoying an up-close and personal view as Reigns and Bryan battled Big Show and Kane.

Bryan earned the early advantage for the babyfaces, taking Kane out with a suicide dive before tagging in Reigns. The Royal Rumble winner found himself on the receiving end of a beating by his behemoth opponents moments later, isolated from his partner and trapped in the clutches of the Big Red Monster.

Reigns battled out of a headlock, delivering a big side suplex to Kane and making the hot tag to Bryan.

The bearded leader of the Yes! Movement caught Big Show with two running dropkicks into the corner and then a series of kicks about the giant's chest.

Bryan tried a top-rope dive but was caught by his opponents and tossed into the ropes as we headed to break.

Big Show wore down Bryan following the break, cutting off every attempt at a comeback.

Bryan did mount an offensive, nearly forcing a tapout from Kane, but Big Show pulled him out of the ring and tossed him over the timekeeper's position and drawing the disqualification.

From there, the World's Largest Athlete assaulted Reigns with a chair, but the former member of The Shield blasted him with a Superman Punch and then used the chair on the big man, knocking him out of the squared circle.

Kane tried a chokeslam, but Reigns escaped. From there, the Corporate Demon sent Bryan crashing into Reigns before bailing.

Reigns shoved Bryan in response to the accident, and the two argued in the center of the squared circle.

Triple H then booked a handicap match pitting the heroes against Kane, Big Show, Jamie Noble, Joey Mercury and Seth Rollins.

Highlight

The dissension between Reigns and Bryan after the bell.

Grade

B-

Analysis

The action was solid while it lasted, but the match, no better or worse than the standard tag team fare, was merely a setup for another tag bout later in the evening.

It set the stage for more dissension and tension between Reigns and Bryan, which could very easily come into play when they partner to battle The Authority in a huge handicap match in the night's main event.

Ryback vs. Seth Rollins

Old rivals Ryback and Rollins met in singles action this week.

Rollins got an early jump on things, taking the fight to Ryback at the bell. He sent The Big Guy crashing to the arena floor, where Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury sent him crashing into the guard rail. 

After several minutes of wrestling from underneath, Ryback fought back, planting Rollins with a spinebuster and prepared for Shell Shocked when Noble and Mercury hopped in the ring and drew a second, consecutive disqualification.

The commentators complained about the constant interference of The Authority, while Rollins planted Ryback with the Curb Stomp and stood tall to end the segment.

Result

Ryback defeated Seth Rollins by disqualification.

Highlight

Rollins' dominant performance for the majority of the bout.

Grade

C

Analysis

This would have been more effective later in the night, when fans had not just been exposed to the same finish moments earlier. Yes, it was designed to draw heat for The Authority, but it would have accomplished the goal midway through the show just as easily.

Instead, we have a scenario in which fans were greeted with repetitive booking in the first two segments of the show, something that could easily send them in search of something else to watch on Monday night if they were displeased with what they witnessed in consecutive matches.

Paige vs. Brie Bella

The continuation of Paige's war with the Bella Twins rolled through Ohio State University as the second-generation British Diva battled Brie in singles competition.

Paige caught Brie with a Thesz Press and hammered away early.

Eventually, Brie seized control, catching Paige with a running knee to the face and trapping the No. 1 contender to her sister's Divas Championship in a head scissors. She landed a dropkick from the middle rope to maintain her advantage.

Paige delivered a series of clotheslines and a dropkick of her own,  and she overcame Nikki's interference to deliver Ram-Paige for the win.

After the match, Nikki tried an attack, but Paige escaped unscathed.

Result

Paige pinned Brie Bella.

Grade

C

Analysis

Anything that helps Paige build momentum and develop into the top star in the Divas division is a major plus.

With that said, one has to wonder why she was booked to endure so much and then win off a few moves and botched interference from Nikki. If anything, that story suggests that Brie is the superior wrestler and that Paige won strictly by fluke.

A strong win would have been preferable, but at this point, at least she is on television and involved in a program over the Divas title after being neglected and left on the outside looking in to close out 2014.

Rusev Pays Tribute to John Cena's Career

WWE United States champion Rusev and Lana made their way to the ring following the break, supposedly to pay tribute to John Cena's career, just over a week away from their huge one-on-one encounter.

Lana discussed the champion's match with Cena and recognized the greatness of the 15-time WWE champion, "just like awards shows like the Oscars and Grammys."

A video package began by honoring Cena before transitioning into some of his biggest and most notable defeats.

Lana claimed that Cena's body is wracked with pain, that inside, he is hurt and vulnerable.

Rusev said that Cena was no longer what he once was, that the young man once full of ruthless aggression is now without fighting spirit.

This, of course, brought Cena out. He had a nasty black eye and ran down the injuries he has suffered throughout his career.

"Every time I get knocked down, I get back up!" Cena exclaimed before vowing to teach Rusev some respect come Fastlane.

Rusev responded, promising to crush him at Fastlane.

"Rusev's got the jokes. Just a shame that Lana's got the balls," Cena stated, laying down the punk card that would eventually incite a brawl between the two.

The Bulgarian Brute raked the eye of his rival and then sent him into the stage. He relented at Lana's order to end the segment.

Highlight

"Come Fastlane, this old man is coming to kick your ass."—John Cena.

Grade

A

Analysis

When Cena wants to actively put someone over in a promo, few do it as well as the 15-time heavyweight champion. Despite a slight detour in which he dropped a poop joke, Cena was on point with his promo Monday night, delivering just enough seriousness and edge to enhance the feud's importance.

Rusev getting the upper hand here, especially by targeting the injured eye of Cena, was key in making him look every bit Cena's equal. Sure, he took advantage of an established injury, but it demonstrated the Rusev's intelligence and awareness beyond his years that he has repeatedly shown over the last year.

When one takes into account Rusev's cerebral approach, mixed with his super athleticism, you have a very real threat to Cena come Fastlane.

It's solid booking from WWE Creative that will only benefit the match, and Rusev, in the long run.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Bray Wyatt

Dolph Ziggler looked to avenge his loss from last week's Raw by battling Bray Wyatt in a return match Monday evening.

Wyatt took control early, using his strength advantage and ground-and-pound style to wear the former WWE Intercontinental champion down. Th Showoff wrestled control away from the Reaper of Souls, delivering a neckbreaker as we headed to commercial.

During the break, Wyatt drove Ziggler face-first into the ring apron and continued wearing him down with a chinlock.

Wyatt bled from the nose as he trapped the Showoff in a side headlock. The fans tried to will Ziggler back into the match, but the former Wyatt Family leader threw himself at him, cutting off an offensive rally.

Ziggler delivered a jawbreaker that ignited his comeback. A big elbow and DDT put Wyatt down for a near-fall.

Sister Abigail nearly put Ziggler away, but he countered, delivered a Fameasser and a superkick for another close call. "This is awesome" chants ensued.

Wyatt knocked Ziggler out at ringside, did his trademark spider walk and then finished Ziggler off with Sister Abigail.

Result

Bray Wyatt pinned Dolph Ziggler.

Highlight

The spot in which Ziggler delivered the superkick for the near-fall was spectacular and really got the fans to invest in the contest more than they already had been.

Grade

Ziggler and Wyatt have some wicked chemistry, as evidenced by their highly competitive bout Monday night. While it started slow, and may have featured Wyatt relying too heavily on a headlock throughout the early portion of the bout, it picked up considerably by the end.

Ziggler suffering a second straight loss, in such definitive fashion, will undoubtedly have fans questioning whether he is back in the dog house that he has become so accustomed to over the last two years.

Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman Promo

WWE World Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and Heyman made their way to the ring to address the title picture ahead of Fastlane and WrestleMania.

Heyman briefly touched on the Brian Williams lying controversy and then referred to Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan as the biggest liars on the planet, due to their belief that they have a chance of heading to WrestleMania and defeating Lesnar for the title.

He implied that neither Reigns nor Bryan have any chance of beating Lesnar at WrestleMania before ending the promo with one of his phenomenal rants that put Lesnar over as the unconquerable beast.

The segment ended without incident.

Highlight

"Ladies and gentlemen, let me make this simple for you: look at Daniel Bryan, then look at Brock Lesnar. Do you really think Daniel Bryan stands a chance?"

Grade

A+

Analysis

Paul Heyman is absolutely phenomenal every time he grabs a microphone, and Monday night proved why.

In a simple, yet effective, promo, Heyman claimed that neither Roman Reigns nor Daniel Bryan stands a chance against Brock Lesnar. More importantly, he did so in a manner in which one could believe every word he said.

Lesnar was imposing as the badass who stood by, let his mouthpiece do the talking and held the title, reminding everyone who the baddest man on the planet is without ever uttering a word.

It was a wildly effective promo that did not need a boatload of interruptions to work beautifully.

The New Day vs. Goldust and Stardust

The tension between Goldust and Stardust carried over to Raw as the former tag team champions fell in defeat to The New Day's Kofi Kingston and Big E.

Fans on the campus of Ohio State University chanted "Cody" in the direction of Stardust, causing him to leave his brother to fend for himself.

The New Day picked up the pinfall victory in short order.

Result

Kofi Kingston and Big E defeated Goldust and Stardust.

Grade

D

Analysis

The issues between Goldust and Stardust should lead to the much-anticipated match between the Rhodes brothers, but the road to that eventual battle certainly was not fun Monday night.

That the team battled the tiresome New Day did not help matters.

After the break, Goldust approached his brother, again making the mistake of calling Stardust "Cody," to which the younger Rhodes shoved his sibling and again warned him never to call him that again. It was a much better way to further the story than having them suffer another loss in short order, to a team no one really cares about.

Triple H Promo

Triple H was in the ring following the break.

He discussed his last two decades with WWE, all of the hard work he put into his career and how nearly all of that was taken away by Sting.

The COO claimed he would have exposed Sting if he had opted to come to WWE earlier in his career and then criticized him for "attacking like a coward" at Survivor Series. He vowed to explain to Sting that he was right to stay away for as long as he did.

If Sting agrees, he will allow him to leave with his dignity at Fastlane.

The Game demanded an answer from Sting. The lights dimmed, the crow sounded throughout the arena and a video package aired. The arena went dark. When the lights came on, a fake Sting startled Triple H. Moments later, another video aired in which Triple H's challenge for a faceoff was accepted.

Highlight

Triple H showed solid intensity as he addressed Sting, WCW and his role in putting that company out of business 14 years ago.

Grade

C

Analysis

Without Sting actually making an appearance, Triple H was forced to carry the entire segment. His intensity was off the charts, something that helped enforce just how frustrated and angry the entire ordeal with The Stinger has been.

The video package was strong, but the involvement of "Sting" (who most certainly was not really Sting) was hokey. As a mind game, though, it worked well enough.

The Usos (with Naomi) vs. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro (with Natalya)

The budding rivalry between The Usos, Tyson Kidd and Cesaro continued Monday night as Jimmy and Jey battled the self-proclaimed Brass Ring Club in non-title tag action.

Kidd and Cesaro demonstrated sound tag work, isolating Jimmy early and working him over. That ended when Jey was tagged into the match, and Kidd found himself on the receiving end of double-teaming by the WWE Tag Team champions.

Jimmy appeared to be gaining momentum, but Kidd sent him crashing to the arena floor. Naomi and Natalya exchanged words as we headed to break.

The heels worked over Jimmy as we returned to the action, all the while commentators JBL, Michael Cole and Booker T discussed Kidd and Cesaro challenging for a tag title match if they were able to score a victory over the champions.

A hot tag to Jey led to the breakdown of the action, with the champions flying around the squared circle. Cesaro used Jimmy Uso as a distraction, allowing him to shove Jey off the top rope and score a big upset victory.

Result

Tyson Kidd and Cesaro defeated The Usos.

Highlight

Cesaro and Kidd's victory keeps them in the hunt for the WWE Tag Team Championships.

Grade

C+

Analysis

The action was solid enough, but the match Monday night was another example of WWE overexposing a rivalry ahead of the actual pay-per-view bout.

How many times have The Usos battled Kidd and Cesaro in recent weeks? Like Jimmy and Jey's feud with The Miz and Damien Mizdow, fans have seen the teams fight so many times that by the time the titles are on the line, the repetitive nature of the booking leads to a certain apathy for the contest.

Kidd and Cesaro are so incredibly talented, as are the champions, that the eventual title match is likely to be phenomenal.

Whether fans can bring themselves to care about it after witnessing it so many times in the weeks leading to Fastlane will be the real question.

If, in fact, that is where WWE Creative opts to blowoff the program.

Sin Cara vs. Damien Mizdow

Last week, Damien Mizdow's interference led to Sin Cara scoring a huge victory over The Miz. This week, the masked luchador attempted to make it 2-0 against the former tag champions as he battled Mizdow.

Before the match began, The Miz attempted to steal the spotlight from Mizdow, ordering him to take his sunglasses off and start the match.

Chants of "let's go Mizdow" echoed throughout the arena as the former stunt-double-turned-personal-assistant flattened Sin Cara with a suplex. As he was in control, The Miz ordered him to get him a water. Worse yet, he insisted that Mizdow open the bottle as well.

The distraction allowed Sin Cara to dive over the top rope and wipe out the former Mr. Money in the Bank.

Mizdow caught Sin Cara with a neckbreaker and then teased a Figure Four, but The Miz interrupted. This allowed the babyface to score a small package victory over Mizdow.

Result

Sin Cara pinned Damien Mizdow.

Highlight

With the crowd chanting "you're from Cleveland" at the supposed Hollywood A-lister The Miz, the former WWE ad-libbed, responding with his own chant of "better than Columbus" that drew tremendous heat.

Grade

A

Analysis

While the match meant nothing, the antics of The Miz were phenomenal. The way in which he interrupted the match, cutting off Mizdow's offense to remind him that he was simply a personal assistant, nothing more, not only enhanced his heel persona but also made the former stunt double that much more sympathetic and likable.

By the time Mizdow stands up for himself and attacks The Miz, fans will erupt, proving that WWE Creative can still craft a compelling story when it wants to. Whether the Creative team can maintain the momentum Mizdow will have coming out of that moment will be key to determining whether it was all worth it or not.

Dean Ambrose vs. Curtis Axel

Curtis Axel continued to spread the news about his #AxelMania movement but was cut off by Dean Ambrose, who made his way to the ring to a huge pop.

The former United States champion pummeled Axel but walked into a boot to the midsection that threatened to turn the tide in the favor of his third-generation opponent.

Axel enjoyed a brief stint of offense before Ambrose's big rebounding clothesline preceded Dirty Deeds, allowing the Lunatic Fringe to pick up the win in what was essentially a glorified enhancement match.

After the match, Ambrose grabbed the microphone. He addressed Bad News Barrett, vowing to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship whenever Barrett gives him his title opportunity.

Barrett appeared with his new BNZ segment, again refusing Ambrose a title match.

Result

Dean Ambrose pinned Curtis Axel.

Highlight

Ambrose winning a squash match reminiscent of those fans of the late '80s WWE product grew up watching.

Grade

C+

Analysis

Bad News Barrett as the cowardly IC champion who does not want to defend his title against Ambrose has been very effective. While the Bad News character himself has been adjusted to better garner a heel reaction, thus losing some of the momentum he had built early last year, it may suit Barrett and his feuds favorably in the coming weeks and months.

Ambrose deserves better than a midcard program over a title that has been traded and devalued as badly as it has over the last year. With that said, there really is nothing better for him to do given the WWE landscape at this point and the shaping of the WrestleMania card.

At least he remains a valuable part of WWE programming.

Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan vs. Rollins, Kane, Big Show and J&J Security

Credit: WWE.com

The heels attacked Bryan and Reigns prior to the bell, leaving the bearded star to endure a beating at the hands of five heels. Rollins mocked Lesnar, flooring Bryan with German suplexes before tagging Big Show into the match.

Bryan was able to fight back into the match, isolating Jamie Noble from his tag team partners. That ended with a tag to Mercury, who took Bryan down and then mocked the YES! chants.

A tag to Kane ensured that Bryan's punishment would continue as the Big Red Monster delivered a chokeslam. Before a three-count, Reigns appeared, breaking the count. Unfortunately, he fell prey to the KO Punch from Big Show.

The numbers game proved too much as Rollins delivered the turnbuckle powerbomb, picking up a two-count. 

The heels cleared the announce table, but Erick Rowan, Dolph Ziggler and Ryback made the save, fighting the heels off. Ziggler dove off the stage, taking out Big Show, Kane and Rollins.

This left Bryan with Noble and Mercury, both of whom fell to the mat and then suffered a dropkick by the former WWE champion. A series of kicks continued to build momentum for Bryan, who prepared to explode across the ring with a running knee to the face of his opponents, only to be tagged out by Reigns, who delivered a big spear for the pinfall win.

Reigns and Bryan exchanged words after the match, with Bryan taking exception to Reigns picking up the win.

The Royal Rumble winner delivered the spear to close out the show.

Result

Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan defeated The Authority.

Highlight

Reigns and Bryan's continued issues ahead of their Fastlane match.

Grade

B+

Analysis

Again, the entire purpose of this match was to further the tension building between Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan.

Whereas the opening contest was fairly nondescript, the main event featured a run-in by Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan that would seem to set up a big Six-Man Tag Team match for Fastlane, making it much more essential to the bigger picture.

Reigns planting Bryan with a spear drew another mixed reaction, proving that WWE has done just enough in recent weeks to help rehab Reigns following the Royal Rumble. As a result, the organization has left it up to audiences to decide who they cheer for on the road to WrestleMania, something that always makes the journey that much more fun.