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WWE Raw Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights Before MITB
Just five days before Money in the Bank, WWE rolled into the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma for Raw on Netflix, headlined by the final two qualifying matches for the premium live event's namesake matches.
Who were the final two Superstars to cash their tickets to Saturday's event and what else went down as the flagship brand wrapped up its final build for MITB?
Find out with this recap of Monday's broadcast.
Match Card
1 of 9
Announced in advance of Monday's show:
* Men's Money in the Bank qualifying match: CM Punk vs. AJ Styles vs. El Grande Americano
* Women's Money in the Bank qualifying match: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan vs. Ivy Nile
* Jey Uso and Sami Zayn vs. Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker
CM Punk Promo
2 of 9
CM Punk hit the ring to kick off the show and wasted little time discussing his plans for Money in the Bank, including winning Monday night's qualifier, claiming the briefcase and then challenging Jey Uso or John Cena.
Sami Zayn interrupted and warned Punk not to worry about Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed and Paul Heyman. He needs to focus on winning MITB because a victory for The Visionary will be devastating for Raw.
The segment ended with Zayn planting the seeds for an eventual showdown between them as champion and challenger, drawing a favorable reaction from the fans in Tulsa.
This was a solid promo segment to start the show and potentially hinted at what will happen later in the night, with Rollins and Co. almost certainly making their presence felt in Punk's match.
Whether it affects the outcome remains to be seen.
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
* "It's the Summer of Punk time," The Best in the World said, hinting that we could be on course for another unforgettable run for him.
* "When I win Money in the Bank, if I so choose, John Cena...I've always had your number and I'm gonna come pick the bones."
* "You must win," Zayn told Punk, telling him not to think about Bron Breakker or Bronson Reed, because he and Jey Uso will take care of them.
* "Should you win...you and I will be face to face in this ring again and we will have a very different conversation," Zayn said, reiterating his desire to be world champion.
Women's Money in the Bank Qualifier: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Ivy Nile vs. Liv Morgan
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Backstage, Liv Morgan warned Roxanne Perez to stay out of her business Monday night and told women's world champion Iyo Sky it's only a matter of time before she wins Money in the Bank and takes back the Women's World Championship.
In the arena, she battled Ivy Nile of American Made and former NXT women's champion Stephanie Vaquer for the final spot in the women's MITB ladder match.
An action-packed three-way contest saw Nile show out, initiating several three-woman spots, and Morgan prove resourceful and resilient. It was Vaquer, though, who outlasted her opponents.
Late, Nile sent Morgan into the steel steps, returned to the ring and immediately found herself on the receiving end of the SVB.
The finish produced the right winner but also took Morgan out of the equation and ensured the tag team champion did not eat a loss in consecutive weeks.
By way of her win, Vaquer almost immediately becomes a favorite to win Saturday's match, but one has to wonder if the creative team is willing to put her over someone like Rhea Ripley or Naomi, in what amounts to her second match as an official member of the main roster.
Result
Vaquer defeated Morgan and Nile
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
* Morgan breaking up the Devil's Kiss by Vaquer drew the most heat of anything on the show to this point.
* Audible "We want Truth" chants broke out during the commercial break portion of the show.
* Backstage, Paul Heyman unsuccessfully attempted to talk AJ Styles out of vying for the Money in the Bank.
The War Raiders vs. The Judgment Day
4 of 9
The battle for contention in the tag team division wrote its latest chapter Monday when The War Raiders battled Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh of The Judgment Day.
The early involvement of world tag team champions The New Day, at ringside with Michael Cole and Pat McAfee on commentary, led to their ejection and ensured the match would be fought fairly.
Or would it?
Late, Roxanne Perez distracted Ivar, allowing McDonagh to hang him up behind the referee's back. Bálor added Coup de Grace from there, and the heels earned a much-needed victory.
This was about further strengthening Perez's connection with The Judgment Day amid resistance from Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez more than anything. Sure, it highlighted the tag team division, but not in any measurable way.
Result
The Judgment Day defeated The War Raiders
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
* "In there, he got abs but he ain't got face," Xavier Woods noted hilariously in reference to Bálor.
* "Check JD's midsection because he was hurt the last time and Ivar is probably worse than the table," Kofi Kingston said on commentary.
* A pre-taped video featured words of warning from Becky Lynch to Lyra Valkyria ahead of their match at Money in the Bank.
Lyra Valkyria Promo
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Been there, saw this.
Lyra Valkyria called out Becky Lynch for an in-ring promo that ended in a pull-apart brawl...again.
Nothing new was said, and there no real substance to the segment other than reminding the fans there is a Women's Intercontinental Championship match at the weekend's PLE.
As this segment was a replica of others over the last few weeks, it was probably unnecessary.
At least the contest should be a good one if their show-stealing duel from Backlash is any indication.
Grade
C
Top Moments and Takeaways
* Backstage, Rhea Ripley welcomed Stephanie Vaquer to the main roster, drawing a huge reaction for the confrontation.
* Valkyria vowed that Lynch would never get a chance to poison the Women's Intercontinental Championship.
* "I didn't want to hurt you. I wanted to make you better," The Man told her opponent.
* Valkyria has found her confidence on the mic and that is going to do wonders for her star moving forward, win or lose at Money in the Bank.
Jey Uso and Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed
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World heavyweight champion Jey Uso and Sami Zayn sought to earn an advantage in their war with the top heel faction on Raw when they battled Seth Rollins' monster-sized backup: Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker.
The heels dominated the action until a hot tag from Zayn to Uso sparked a comeback. The action broke down and all four men found themselves down on the outside of the squared circle, allowing Rollins to come from nowhere and deliver a Stomp to Uso, drawing a disqualification.
Rollins and Co. threatened a three-on-two beatdown until CM Punk made the save with a steel chair.
"We know where he is going to be later tonight. We've got him right where we want him," Rollins was overheard telling Breakker, suggesting the trio will make their presence felt later.
This was fine but much like the night's other tag team offering, there wasn't much advancement here. It was a tag team bout interrupted by a heel, who was then fended off by a babyface.
It is has been a pattern of sorts since WrestleMania 41, but at least this presented the potential cliffhanger of Rollins setting up interference in Punk's main event.
Result
Uso and Zayn defeated Reed and Breakker via disqualification
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
* The mash-up of Breakker and Reed's theme songs works better than it has any right to.
* Backstage, Liv Morgan expressed her distrust of Finn Bálor, shutting down his plan for Roxanne Perez to accompany Raquel Rodriguez to ringside for her match.
Kairi Sane vs. Raquel Rodriguez
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One week after scoring what can best be described as an upset over Liv Morgan, Kairi Sane battled her tag team partner, Raquel Rodriguez, in one-on-one action.
A perfectly acceptable David vs. Goliath match saw Sane repeatedly counter Rodriguez's power advantage, leading to Morgan's interference late in the bout.
That brought out Iyo Sky, who fended off Morgan, allowing Sane to earn another quality victory, this time with an In-Sane Elbow.
And with that, it looks like a tag team title match could be on the horizon, with the remnants of Damage CTRL poised to challenge Morgan and Rodriguez for the gold, maybe as soon as Saturday.
Result
Sane defeated Rodriguez
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
* The fans bought into Sane late in the match, proof that she was able to win them over despite a bumpy start full of "We want Truth" chants.
Men's Money in the Bank Qualifier: CM Punk vs. AJ Styles vs. El Grande Americano
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Backstage, Gunther delivered some final words for Jey Uso ahead of their world title match next Monday on Raw. It was a good promo and saved fans from another needless promo segment.
In the main event, CM Punk, AJ Styles and El Grande Americano battled in the final men's Money in the Bank qualifier.
An action-packed match that was every bit as good as one would expect from a TV main event featuring the talent involved, its finish muddied when Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed interfered and cost Punk a pinfall on Americano.
Jey Uso and Sami Zayn made the save.
As the action broke down at ringside, including a springboard cross body block from The Phenomenal One to the mass of bodies on the floor, Americano loaded his mask, blasted Styles with a headbutt and scored the upset win.
After the match, the heels laid out the babyfaces, including multiple Tsunamis from Reed to Uso, before standing tall to close out the show.
Americano getting a big push is somewhat surprising but he adds a bit of mystery to the lineup of the men's match, which could see any one of the six finalists leave with the briefcase.
The finish intensifies the issues with Punk and Rollins and Co., while the attack on Uso added more injury to a guy with a loaded dance card over the next week.
Result
Americano defeated Styles and Punk
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
* Backstage, Karrion Kross confronted Sami Zayn and told him that he's a bad guy, like the rest of them, who will have to do what is necessary to be champion.
* Styles headlined Raw on his 48th birthday.
* The initial pop for Americano was scarily loud.
* Punk and Styles had the referee check Americano for metal plates, ensuring the masked heel could not cheat to win.
* Punk rolled out of an ankle lock by Grande, sending him right into the Styles Clash from AJ for a near-fall.
Overall Grade
9 of 9
The go-home edition of Raw saw some repetitive segments that felt too much like others we have witnessed on more than one occasions in recent weeks, but it also featured intriguing storylines developments within The Judgment Day, the arrival of Stephanie Vaquer and ended with El Grande Americano scoring his biggest win yet.
Raw is not firing on all cylinders and fans are clearly upset about the decision not to renew R-Truth's contract with WWE, but this was a fine enough show to solidify the hype for Saturday's Money in the Bank PLE.
Grade: B
