WWE Raw Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights After Elimination Chamber
On the heels of an industry-shaking Elimination Chamber premium live event, WWE Raw on Netflix had plenty of questions to answer and a championship-studded lineup.
Rhea Ripley defended her Women's World Championship against Iyo Sky, while The War Raiders put their World Tag Team Championship on the line against The Creed Brothers. Lyra Valkryia also defended her Women's Intercontinental Championship against Ivy Nile.
Who emerged victorious from those contests and what went down when CM Punk and Seth Rollins were under the same roof at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, just 48 hours after the latter cost his rival a shot at headlining WrestleMania 41?
Find out in this recap of the March 3 broadcast.
Match Card
1 of 9
Announced in advance of Monday's show:
CM Punk is Fired Up
2 of 9
Still enraged following his loss in the men's Elimination Chamber match, a fired-up CM Punk wasted little time taking aim at everyone from The Rock, John Cena and the man who cost him his shot at headlining WrestleMania 41: Seth Rollins.
Dropping profanities while expressing his anger and outrage toward all three, he seethed with rage and was as believable as any Superstar has been in a long time.
His threats brought out Rollins and instigated a brawl that spilled out of the ring and into the crowd as they beat on each other and members of the security team.
They were eventually separated during the commercial break, but not before kicking off Raw with a wild, chaotic brawl that set the stage for another battle, presumably at WrestleMania.
This was a red-hot start to the show that picked up where the PLE left off and featured the two biggest stars on this show right out of the gate.
A perfect opening segment.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
* "I'm liable to get us kicked off Netflix right now," Punk said.
* "I've never been so delusional to wear a fake title and proclaim myself the People's Championship because I don't deserve it. I earn it!" Punk warned The Rock.
* "You've been selling all these kids and all these people bulls--t!" Punk told Cena. "You gave up on yourself, you gave up on all these people, and you gave up on all these kids."
* "Becky Lynch, you better come get your man because if I do before you do, I'm gonna put him in a wheelchair," The Best in the World added about Rollins.
* Raw general manager Adam Pearce announced Rollins and Punk will face each other inside a steel cage next week.
Otis vs. Gunther
3 of 9
Bickering within The Judgment Day backstage led to Finn Bálor telling Dominik Mysterio, Carlito, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez that he would deal with Bron Breakker on Monday nnight.
Back in the arena, world heavyweight champion Gunther squared off with Otis in a follow-up to The Ring General's attack on the big man a week ago.
The match was a brilliant display of a believable badass champion pushed to the brink by a big man whose abilities are beyond the comedy persona he has become synonymous with.
Otis went blow-for-blow with one of the best strikers in the business and, for a moment, had fans believing he may pull off the unthinkable.
Ultimately, Gunther outlasted Otis and scored the win with an impressive powerbomb. After the match, he continued his attack until Jey Uso hit the ring and made the save, seemingly chasing his WrestleMania opponent off.
A-Town Down Under's Austin Theory and Grayson Waller attacked Uso and despite clearing them out of the squared circle, the babyface fell prey to a chokeout from The Ring General, who stood tall to close out the segment.
A great match between two talented heavyweights and a little WrestleMania hype, this was a great follow-up to last week's segment involving these competitors and sets the stage for Uso to fend off Theory and Waller in the coming weeks.
Result
Gunther defeated Otis
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
* Backstage, Morgan told Rodriguez to keep an eye on the Women's Intercontinental Championship, hinting at the next program for whoever emerges from Monday's title match.
* "Our world champion's getting rag-dolled by Otis," analyst Pat McAfee said after an impressive powerslam on the arena floor.
* Otis and Gunther beat the unholy life out of each other in an exchange of chops.
* Both competitors worked together for a powerbomb that secured Gunther a definitive victory.
Women's Intercontinental Championship: Lyra Valkyria vs. Ivy Nile
4 of 9
Backstage, Karrion Kross manipulated AJ Styles into calling out Logan Paul next week at Madison Square Garden.
In the arena, women's intercontinental champion Lyra Valkyria squared off with Ivy Nile with gold on the line.
Nile controlled through the commercial break, working on the left knee of her opponent and slowing the pace of the match (and her rival's attack) in the process.
Valkyria fought back and attempted the Nightwing at one point, but the champion tweaked her knee and opened herself up for a sit-out powerbomb from the challenger.
Nile continued to torture Valkyria via her injured limb, but an ill-fated running boot in the corner missed and allowed the champion to deliver Nightwing for the gutsy victory.
This was a strong match that highlighted Nile and proved Valkyria's grit and resilience. Both women came out of this stronger than they went in, and more importantly, the title continued to build credibility and momentum on the back of a quality in-ring battle.
Result
Valkyria defeated Nile to retain
Grade
C
Top Moments and Takeaways
* This was the best Nile has looked on TV in a while. She was confident, carried her portion of the match to near-perfection and shined brightest in her biggest opportunity to date.
* Using the IC belt as the work-rate title and allowing Valkyria to get over as a wrestler's champion is far from the worst idea in the world.
Adam Pearce's Big NYC Announcement and Ludwig Kaiser Promo
5 of 9
Backstage, Adam Pearce caught up with Rollins and their tense confrontation ended with the Raw GM informing The Visionary that he will square off with Punk next Monday.
In the ring, Ludwig Kaiser cut a promo on Penta, which brought the luchador to the squared circle.
A physical back-and-forth concluded with the babyface wiping out the German at ringside with a dive and standing tall to close things out.
This was a rare miss on this show, a segment that accomplished little, but it did remind the audience Penta and Kaiser have unfinished business.
Grade
C
Top Moments and Takeaways
* This was a nothing-burger of a statement, unfortunately, and did little to give fans a reason to stay excited for Penta's battles with Kaiser more than they already had been.
* Backstage, Bianca Belair continued to plead her innocence in the attack that took Jade Cargill out and put her on the shelf, though her demeanor continues to suggest all is not what it seems.
World Tag Team Championship: The War Raiders vs. The Creed Brothers
6 of 9
In a pre-taped video, Chad Gable finally made it to Mexico and received a mystery box from the man whose name was given to him by Dominik Mysterio.
Back in the arena, Gable's American Made teammates, Julius and Brutus Creed, challenged The War Raiders for the World Tag Team Championship.
A physical battle for the top prize in the tag division ensued, with the challengers using their uber-athleticism to gain control of the match and cut the champions off from each other.
Erik and Ivar fought their way back into the contest and after a wicked running cross body that sandwiched Julius between the latter and the LED apron, rolled to victory with War Machine to Brutus.
This was another highlight reel for the Creeds, who showed out and proved they may be the premier tag team in WWE today.
With that said, though, it was the bigger, stronger and nastier War Raiders who emerged victorious. Whether they can fend off American Made much longer is another question.
Result
The War Raiders defeated The Creed Brothers
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
* With the athleticism of wrestlers the size of Ivar and the Creeds on display throughout, this match is always impressive. The 450 Splash from Brutus and Shooting Star Press from Julius were extraordinary.
* These two teams have done tremendous work in helping to put the Raw tag team division back on the map.
The Judgment Day Targets Bron Breakker
7 of 9
An interview between Jackie Redmond and intercontinental champion Bron Breakker was interrupted by the arrival of The Judgment Day's Finn Bálor, who wasted little time talking trash and claiming he was untouchable in the ring.
Breakker exited the stands and entered the ring, where he targeted the Irishman, only to be confronted by Carlito and Dominik Mysterio.
After wiping them out, he found himself on the defensive against Bálor.
The champion recovered and chased The Prince off, then leveled Carlito to put an exclamation point on the segment.
It appears Breakker's path to WrestleMania runs through The Judgment Day and while that may not be appealing to everyone, it's the perfect use of everyone involved, especially without anything more significant to do come April 19-20.
Bálor is a great opponent for Breakker. And if Mysterio is inserted into the match, it only serves to further the Judgment Day tension.
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
* There is no Superstar more intense every time they hit the ring than Breakker. He is freakishly explosive.
Women's World Championship: Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky
8 of 9
With a date against Bianca Belair for the Women's World Championship awaiting the winner, women's world champion Rhea Ripley defended against Iyo Sky in the main event of Monday's show.
After The Eradicator utilized her power and size to her advantage, Sky slowed things down and targeted the left arm of her opponent. Ripley shook it off and delivered a missile dropkick that stunned the challenger but failed to put her away.
The Genius of the Sky continued to focus her attention on the left arm, looking to take away some of her opponent's power advantage.
Each woman threw everything they had at the other, but it was Sky who delivered her Over the Moonsault, only to have Ripley's height advantage come into play as she managed to drape her foot on the bottom rope to preserve her title reign.
The champion caught women's Elimination Chamber winner Bianca Belair applauding Sky, and she confronted her. The distraction allowed Sky to recover enough to counter a Riptide from the top rope with a hurricanrana and deliver an Over the Moonsault for the win and title.
This was a strong match that was connected by the necessary interference of Belair. Assuming the plan is for all three women to clash on the WrestleMania stage, Sky winning here was the only way to get to that point.
The Genius of the Sky could not afford a loss; Belair was already solidified for the big show; and Ripley is bulletproof from a creative standpoint.
Ripley can invoke her rematch and slide into the WrestleMania match against Sky and Belair in what would be a legitimate main event any other year.
Result
Sky defeated Ripley to win the title
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
* Commentator Michael Cole had a great stat: Sky achieved two victories over Rhea Ripley in their two previous singles matches (in the Mae Young Classic 2018 and a Triple Threat also involving Charlotte Flair at In Your House 2020).
* The ovation for Ripley is that of a main event Superstar. She is on par with the top stars in the company and one of the great success stories in recent memory.
* Ripley obliterated Sky with a big boot that turned her opponent inside out. A great-looking spot.
* Sky borrowed from her Damage CTRL teammates, using the In-Sane Elbow from Kairi Sane and the Asuka Lock on Ripley.
Overall Grade
9 of 9
We are firmly on the road to WrestleMania and that is on full display. Raw on Netlfix has already been a vastly improved show, and Monday's may have been the best yet.
From the red-hot opening segment involving Punk and Rollins to the quality in-ring action from the three championship matches, not to mention the absurdly good Gunther vs. Otis showdown, this was a show that had something for everyone while focusing on the names and rivalries that will ultimately make up this year's Showcase of the Immortals.
Add to it a legitimately surprising victory for Sky in the main event, and you have a show that capitalized on the buzz from Elimination Chamber and should have fans excited about next week's show at Madison Square Garden.
Grade: A
.jpg?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Grading every NFL team's draft")
.JPEG?w=600 "Best Late-Round Draft Steals ‼️")
.jpg?w=600 "Undrafted Free Agent Tracker ✍️")
.jpg?w=600 "NFL Draft's Biggest Gambles 🎲")