WWE Raw Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From Aug. 18
The Vision has stood tall over WWE Raw since establishing itself as an unstoppable force on Monday nights after WrestleMania 41.
Would Seth Rollins and Co. be able to continue that trend this week at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, where Bron Breakker squared off with former world champion Jey Uso in the main event?
Find out with this recap of the August 18 broadcast, which also featured women's world champion Naomi addressing the fans after being deemed "medically uncleared to compete" on last week's show and the latest defense from women's intercontinental champion Becky Lynch.
Match Card
1 of 9
Announced in advance of Monday's show:
- Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker
- Iyo Sky vs. Raquel Rodriguez
- Women's Intercontinental Championship: Natalya vs. Becky Lynch
- Penta vs. Xavier Woods
- The latest from The Vision
- An update from Naomi
The Vision Kicks Off The Show
2 of 9
Following another beatdown of the top babyfaces in WWE, The Vision opened Monday night's show.
After some hype from Paul Heyman, who made his name with ECW in Philadelphia, he turned the mic over to world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins. But The Architect was interrupted by Jey Uso's music and an enormous ovation for the former titleholder.
Uso cut a promo calling Bron Breakker a "little dog" he will keep on the porch. Rollins fired up The Badass, infuriating the second-generation star.
Heyman invoked the names of The Sandman, Sabu, Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer and The Dudley Boyz, and Uso accepted his challenge for an Extreme Rules match later in the night.
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Heyman took a victory lap, basking in his successes and Hall of Fame contributions in the City of Brotherly Love.
- Heyman was fired up here, clearly feeding off the energy in the building and his latest stop in the city in which he became the godfather of "Extreme." That elevated the overall quality of this and kicked off the show on the right foot.
- Breakker asking "He's still alive?" in regards to Tommy Dreamer was another one of those hilarious comments we have seen from him in recent weeks.
Iyo Sky vs. Raquel Rodriguez
3 of 9
Backstage, Asuka apologized for interfering in last week's match between Iyo Sky and Roxanne Perez and costing her a victory, to which The Genius of The Sky declined any backup for Monday's match.
She may have regretted that decision at one point as Raquel Rodriguez used her size and physicality to her advantage.
However, the former women's world champion fought her way back into the match, fending off interference from Perez and leaving Rodriguez reeling.
The Bullet Train Attack in the corner set up the Over the Moonsault as Sky scored the come-from-behind victory.
A post-match beatdown by Perez led to Rhea Ripley making the save and standing tall with Sky.
Result
Sky defeated Rodriguez
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Michael Cole noted on commentary that this is the first one-on-one match between Sky and Rodriguez on the main roster, which is astonishing given how many times they have been in the same place at the same time.
- Rodriguez has low-key turned in a strong 2025, including in matches against Rhea Ripley and in tag team competition.
- This was another strong match from Sky, who has been the measuring stick for in-ring performances in WWE this year. The post-match appeared to set up a tag team rivalry between The Judgment Day and the duo of Sky and Ripley. While there is an argument to be made that anything Ripley does with her former faction at this point is a creative step back, it keeps her prominently featured in a stacked women's division.
Penta vs. Xavier Woods
4 of 9
Backstage, Asuka and Kairi Sane took exception to Iyo Sky allowing Rhea Ripley to come to her aid but not her former Damage CTRL teammates. A shouting match between The Empress of Tomorrow and Mami ended with Sky stomping off in frustration.
Back in the arena, Penta squared off with Xavier Woods, the result of the babyface making fools of The New Day and mocking his opponent's mourning hat two weeks ago.
Woods controlled a large portion of the match. Penta fought back, though, and wiped out Kofi Kingston and Grayson Waller at ringside.
With no more distractions to take his focus off of his opponent, Penta delivered a Mexican Destroyer to score the win.
Result
Penta defeated Woods
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- It's absurd that Penta, who once appeared to be one big win away from breaking through to the main event on Monday nights, took a backseat to The New Day's mourning here.
- This was fine for what it was, but the fans struggled to get into it until Penta's comeback and eventual victory.
Mr. Iguana and Dragon Lee vs. The Judgment Day
5 of 9
At Saturday's AAA TripleMania, The Judgment Day defeated Mr. Iguana, Niño Hamburguesa, and Lola Vice in a Six-Person Mixed Trios match, during which Finn Bálor introduced his Demon-themed puppet, El Demonito, to combat Iguana's La Yesca.
Bálor and world tag team champion partner JD McDonagh rekindled the rivalry with Iguana, who partnered with LWO's Dragon Lee.
The heels controlled the action early, but the babyfaces mounted a comeback. It was not enough to earn them the victory, though, as the heels proved why they are the top tandem on Raw.
Bálor and McDonagh shook off the introduction of La Yesca and earned the win when the former pinned Lee.
A post-match beatdown led to a surprise appearance from AAA Mega champion El Hijo del Vikingo, who took the fight to The Judgment Day but eventually found himself laid out by intercontinental champion and Worlds Collide opponent Dominik Mysterio.
Result
The Judgment Day defeated Iguana and Lee
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- McDonagh laid into Lee with some vicious forearms across the face, and Bálor answered with a wicked chop. Not a great night to be the luchador from the LWO.
- This was a good match that added AAA talent to the show, a booking move that will only further help attract new eyes to the historic lucha libre promotion.
Women's Intercontinental Championship: Natalya vs. Becky Lynch
6 of 9
The latest video featuring Bayley aired, centered on the internal dialogue she has been having with herself on her recent failures.
It concluded with The Role Model admitting she does not know what she needs, to which that same internal voice responded: "How about a hug?"
Back in the arena, Natalya was forced to fight through tremendous pain in her shoulder following a nasty collision with the ring post. Lynch, a seasoned competitor with a sparkling resume that can be attributed to her ability to take advantage of every opening, targeted the joint to her advantage.
Slowed by the pain, The Queen of Harts was faced with the prospect of surviving rather than serving as the aggressor. Lynch laid out Maxxine Dupri and Akira Tozawa at ringside, applied the Disarmer and forced the submission for the win.
A post-match beatdown of Dupri by Lynch ensued before Nikki Bella made the save and laid The Man out, furthering their rivalry.
Result
Lynch submitted Natalya
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The payoff to this Bayley story is going to be extraordinary. Whatever form it takes, she is en route to becoming as interesting a character as she has ever been.
- Lynch and Natalya have had better matches, including a hidden gem at SummerSlam 2019. They are capable of show-stealers, so it was interesting to see this match take the form it did, with The Man essentially walking over The Queen of Harts...assuming the shoulder injury was not legit.
- Backstage, another near-brawl featuring Sheamus and Rusev ended with Raw general manager Adam Pearce announcing a Good Old-Fashioned Donnybrook for Clash in Paris. Can a match be labeled a banger before it happens?
Naomi Addresses the WWE Universe
7 of 9
Chants of "Naomi" rained down from the stands as the women's world champion took to the squared circle to address the WWE Universe.
She directed the fans' attention to the video screen, where she and husband Jimmy Uso told Stephanie McMahon's What's Your Story podcast that she is pregnant.
Instead of taking the predictable route of being a straight-forward babyface, she heeled it up. She refused to hand over the gold, dismissing Raw GM Adam Pearce.
She said The Bloodline will continue and laid her championship belt in the center of the ring.
However, Naomi warned the locker room she will be coming back for her title, even if it means holding her baby while she does it.
Grade
A+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- No one wants to see a performer leave in the midst of their greatest run, but congratulations to Naomi and Jimmy Uso on their family-based announcement.
- In true Naomi fashion, this was a fantastic promo that meshed her outstanding character work with the genuine woman who has won fans over every time she has had the opportunity to show them who she is.
Extreme Rules Match: Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker
8 of 9
Bron Breakker threw caution to the wind early in Monday's main event and nearly brought the match to a close and put himself on the sideline.
An early bump over the top rope and onto a shopping cart of weapons left him hobbled, and his knee clearly hampered him.
However, Breakker shook it off and seized control of the match. Uso proved his own resiliency, fighting his way back into the match and delivering a Spear for a near-victory. The babyface unloaded on The Badass before Bronson Reed made the save.
This brought out LA Knight, then Seth Rollins and finally CM Punk, as the contest descended into chaos.
But Punk inadvertently sent Knight through a table, enhancing the tension between them.
Just when it looked like it would be another big night for The Vision, Roman Reigns' music played and The OTC delivered a massive Spear from nowhere to Breakker.
Uso drove his rival through a table with the Uso Splash and scored the win.
Result
Uso defeated Breakker
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The bump over the top rope that hurt Breakker's knee was scary and could have led to a much more serious injury. Luckily, he proved the validity of his nickname by shaking off the pain and continuing the match.
- Reigns and Reed exchanged trash talk after the match, vowing to see each other in Paris and seemingly setting up another Clash at Paris PLE match.
- This was a fun, ECW-style brawl that featured plunder but also highlighted the stars and stories on the brand. It paid homage to a particular kind of match, from a historic company, while hyping two huge contests for August 31 in France.
Overall Grade
9 of 9
This was more like it.
After a show that felt way too much like a placeholder last week, this one got things back on track with a fun main event, storyline progression, a hot close to the show and a huge announcement from Naomi.
Not everything was perfect as it became bogged down in the middle, but it recovered nicely and sent fans home excited about the upcoming PLE in Paris rather than treating it like just another show.
Grade: B
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