WWE Raw Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights After SNME Tampa
On the heels of a Saturday Night's Main Event that saw the return of "Big" Bronson Reed and his alignment with Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, and Paul Heyman, WWE Raw hit the Netflix airwaves with a jam-packed show focused on the build to Money in the Bank on June 7.
With two qualifying matches for the premium live event's namesake match, and a big three-way bout for the World Tag Team Championship, what went down Monday night in Tampa at the Yeungling Center?
Find out with this recap, including grades and analysis for every match and segment.
Match Card
1 of 10Announced in advance of Monday's Memorial Day episode were:
* Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Penta vs. Dragon Lee vs. Chad Gable
* Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Sami Zayn vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Bálor
* Triple Threat Match for the World Tag Team Championship: The War Raiders vs. New Day (c) vs. The Creed Brothers
* Akira Tozawa vs. Rusev
Seth Rollins Kicked Off Raw
2 of 10
Seth "Freakin" Rollins, Bron Breakker, "Big" Bronson Reed, and "The Wise Man" Paul Heyman made their way to the ring to kick off the show, their growing faction as of yet unnamed.
Heyman put over Breakker and Reed as only he can before handing over the microphone to The Visionary. Rollins cut a solid heel promo in which he lashed out at the fans before vowing to win the Money in the Bank briefcase, something he says is more powerful than the world title.
Because he is a revolutionary. Cue the theme song.
This worked in that Heyman put over why the group is even more unstoppable with Reed joining Breakker as backup for Rollins, who laid the foundation for his night as he will compete in a Money in the Bank Qualifying match later in the night and take one step closer toward a berth in the men's match on June 7.
Solid, unspectacular, but most definitely effective.
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
* "A badass in a true bloodline of badasses," Heyman described Breakker.
* Heyman cited the amount of damage Reed did to Rollins in a short period compared to what Roman Reigns did, as the reason for The Visionary wanting him to join the group.
* Rollins played the crowd like a fiddle, letting the heat and chants of "OTC" build in support of Reigns before launching into his promo, which included the "you people" shtick and him insisting that he is the only person capable of yielding power.
* "I have found something more powerful than championships. I have found something that allows me to decide the fates of those championships," Rollins said before looking toward the sky at the Money in the Bank briefcase.
Money in the Bank Qualifier: Penta vs. Dragon Lee vs. Chad Gable
3 of 10
Penta is heading to Money in the Bank for a chance to compete for the coveted briefcase following a win over Dragon Lee and Chad Gable in a Triple Threat Qualifying Match.
Gable survived a devastating piledriver and shined, as usual, the best wrestler in a ring full of immensely talented competitors. Lee showed out with a dive that caused Pat McAfee to drop an expletive and Penta earned the win after Vikingo interfered, repaying Gable for a cheap shot at ringside moments earlier.
A good, fast-paced match that continued one story, introduced Vikingo to Gable's vendetta against lucha libre, and put Penta on a path to a ladder match on June 7 that he could very well be the star of.
Result
Penta defeated Lee and Gable
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
* Clever booking here from Triple H as he programs Gable against two luchadors to keep that story going, all while determine which competitor will enter Money in the Bank.
* A poorly devised spot saw Penta drive Gable's head, neck, and face into the mat. The former Olympian is an absolute machine because a lesser athlete would be piecing his neck back together.
* Gable took a cheap shot at Vikingo at ringside. The world-renowned competitor made his presence felt moments later, directly influencing the outcome and ensuring the heel did not qualify for Money in the Bank.
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Liv Morgan Is Back and Akira Tozawa vs. Rusev
4 of 10
Backstage, Liv Morgan returned, walking in on Roxanne Perez offering Dominik Mysterio chicken nuggets and a shoulder rub. She vowed to address that, but not before convincing Adam Pearce to give her a Money in the Bank qualifying opportunity.
Back in the arena, Rusev returned to the ring, this time for a contest with an outmatch, undersized Akira Tozawa. Despite a quick start from the former cruiserweight and 24/7 champion, Tozawa fell to a Machka Kick and the Accolade as The Redeemer rolled to a win.
After the match, Rusev continued his brutal assault, refusing to break the hold until Sheamus made the save. And intense staredown ensued, leading to the heel backing down and exiting the squared circle.
The Celtic Warrior vs. The Redeemer? Give us all of this.
Result
Rusev dismantled Tozawa
Grades
A for Morgan's return and Mysterio's precarious position; C+ for Rusev's win
Top Moments and Takeaways
* Finn Bálor was incredibly pleased with himself that he stirred things up within the Judgment Day, potentially putting an end to Morgan and Mysterio's control within the group.
* Sheamus may be the most selfless genuine star on the roster, always willing to work with anyone, in any program, even if it means he will likely lose. Not many former world champions embrace that role.
Triple Threat Match for the World Tag Team Championship
5 of 10
New Day's Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods defended the Raw brand's tag team titles against The Creed Brothers (Julius and Brutus) and The War Raiders (Erik and Ivar) in the second three-way match of the evening.
The two heel teams formed an alliance, opting to work over the War Raiders and take the former champions out of the equation, leading to a sustained heat spot as they beat down and brutalized Erik.
A hot tag to Ivar sparked a babyface comeback that saw the big man toss his opponents around the squared circle. As the action broke down, the champions did as they have done throughout this heel run, winning the match by seizing an opening.
The match was perfectly fine and featured some hard work from the six men involved, but the crowd's lack of investment is indicative of the creative team's need to focus on stories and character development that extends beyond two or three teams fighting for gold.
Result
The New Day defeated The Creed Brothers and The War Raiders to retain
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
* The crowd did not care about this one, something that is massively disappointing given the talent involved.
* Ivar does not get enough credit for being one of the best and most impressive super heavyweights in the company.
* Can we please give the Creeds something to do because these undefined underlings for Gable who lose every big match they are in is not doing it.
Gunther Interrupted Jey Uso
6 of 10
Before world heavyweight champion Jey Uso could address his Money in the Bank match with Cody Rhodes against undisputed WWE champion John Cena and Logan Paul, Gunther interrupted and addressed their upcoming title match on June 9 in Phoenix.
The Ring General calmly and smugly vowed to take back his title while Uso reiterated that he fights for the people who fought for him.
It was more of the same that we have seen out of these two, which should be expected given the 10-week prep that went into their WrestleMania match.
It is highly unlikely that Uso loses as the big money match appears to be a showdown with Rollins, presumably as soon as SummerSlam, but do not count out a screwy finish that protects Gunther, who is one of the most believable and legitimate competitors on the roster.
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
* "You are holding onto this title way longer than I expected," Gunther said, delivering the most back-handed complement of the night, like a proper smug heel.
* "Just look at how I was able to be a champion for almost a year: because the only person I care about is myself!" The Ring General exclaimed.
* "I'm going to make things right. I'm going to choke you out. I'm going to take my World Heavyweight Championship back where it belongs: around my waist."
* "I'm done with everyone saying my days as champ are numbered," Uso said.
Kairi Sane vs. Liv Morgan
7 of 10
The product of a backstage confrontation, the returning Liv Morgan squared off with former tag team and NXT women's champion, Kairi Sane.
A competitive match saw Morgan dominate through the commercial break and appear to have victory in-hand at one point. Late in the match, though, Sane set up for the In-Sane Elbow, only for Roxanne Perez to come from out of nowhere and shove the babyface from the top rope.
An immediate argument with Raquel Rodriguez at ringside distracted Morgan, allowing Sane to stack her up and steal the win.
The look on Morgan's face, and her displeasure for Perez's interaction with Mysterio earlier in the night, suggests there is a blow-up coming sooner rather than later. In terms of giving Perez something significant to do on the main roster while providing fans a fresh feud, it works.
Finally, Sane earned a win she needed after last week's loss, though the creative team will have to work hard to remind the fans of why Sane is a special talent because right now, they are struggling to connect and invest.
Result
Sane pinned Morgan
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
* Michael Cole noted on commentary that this is the first-ever meeting between Morgan and Sane, making it two weeks in a row that the Pirate Princess has battled an opponent for the first time (Rhea Ripley).
* Sane absolutely laid into Morgan with her diving forearm to the chest.
* Morgan's work with facial expressions after the bell was superb.
Lyra Valkyria Promo
8 of 10
Women's intercontinental champion Lyra Valkyria took to the squared circle to address her upcoming rematch against Becky Lynch at Money in the Bank. She denounced the idea that The Man can just request and receive a title match without actually earning one, but that is right out of Lynch's playbook.
The former women's champion interrupted and a verbal back-and-forth ensued, during which a challenge was laid down: if Lynch loses to Valkyria, she will never challenge for the IC title again. If the champion loses, though, she must graciously raise Lynch's hand in victory.
The promo, much like Uso and Gunther's earlier in the show, achieved nothing new of note but did hype up a future match. The difference is this at least introduced a new stipulation to the equation, which should help make the rematch of one of the best matches from Backlash that much more interesting.
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
* "You won a match? I won the night," Lynch said.
* "You're hot husband? You mean the only thing talented about you?" Valkyria answered.
* Special stipulation matches where one superstar vows never to challenge for a title again almost always spoils the winner. Unless you are Cody Rhodes in AEW.
* Backstage, Karrion Kross stopped Sami Zayn on his way to the ring, looking to further the mind games he has played with him for months, telling him that he will never be champion. Zayn walked away, but not without vowing to deal with Kross later.
Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Sami Zayn vs. Finn Bálor vs. Seth Rollins
9 of 10
The fourth member of the Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match was determined in a strong main event Monday night that saw Seth Rollins outlast Sami Zayn and Finn Bálor to cash his ticket to the June 7 premium live event.
Late in the match, Zayn appeared to have the victory in-hand when Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker made their presence felt. They leveled Zayn on the outside, leaving Rollins to benefit from a misguided attempt at interference from Dominik Mysterio by delivering a stomp on the steel chair.
The victorious Rollins demanded his henchmen beatdown Zayn and Jey Uso, who had come to his friend's aid, only for CM Punk's music to play. With the heels sent to cut Punk off, the Straight Edge Superstar attacked Rollins from behind, leveling him with Go To Sleep and standing tall to close out the show.
A crowd-pleasing main event, coupled with Punk getting a measure of revenge and thus furthering the vendetta with the his rival's faction, made this an incredibly effective close to the show.
Result
Rollins defeated Bálor and Zayn
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
* Three of the most significant stars of the last 20 years matched up here and it was just another Raw main event.
* Also, three of the great workhorses in WWE over the last 10.
* The Bálor Coup de Grace attempt, into a stomp from Rollins, followed by the Helluva Kick from Zayn was a great sequence.
Overall Grade
10 of 10
There were some hits and misses on this week's show, which was nowhere near as strong as last.
The tag team division got screen time but the creative deficiencies that exist within it at this point are apparent from the lack of crowd investment. The two promos in the second-half of the show did not really further anything of note, despite setting up what should be some fun championship matches.
Counteracting those disappointments was some quality triple threat action in the Money in the Bank qualifiers and the latest in the rapidly deteriorating relationship within The Judgment Day.
Split the difference and say that the good outweighed the bad.
Grade: B-
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