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WWE Raw Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights Before SNME 41
WWE Raw hit the airwaves Monday, and with Saturday Night's Main Event only five days away, the red brand promised a packed show.
Ahead of their clash for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship, CM Punk and Jey Uso came face-to-face one last time.
Who got the upper hand and the all-important momentum ahead of their high-stakes clash?
Find out in this recap of Monday's show, which also featured Nikki Bella's return to the squared circle and a match to determine intercontinental champion Dominik Mysterio's next challenger.
Lineup for October 27
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Announced in advance of Monday's show were:
- CM Punk and Jey Uso face-to-face
- Nikki Bella vs. Roxanne Perez
- No. 1 Contender's Match for Shot at Intercontinental Championship: Penta vs. Rusev
- Women's Tag Team Championship: Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Bayley and Lyra Valkyria
CM Punk and Jey Uso Face-to-Face
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Last Time in Action: Jey Uso won the No. 1 Contender's Battle Royal (Raw, October 20); CM Punk defeated Uso and LA Knight (Raw, October 13)
Jey Uso hit the ring to kick off Raw and quickly turned his attention to the number of people in his ear of late, including Roman Reigns, his brother Jimmy, and his mother.
He claimed not to care about what any of them thought, which brought CM Punk out to confront his opponent for the vacated World Heavyweight Championship at Saturday Night's Main Event.
Punk said he watched Uso throw his own brother over the top rope last week, then asked him how far he is willing to go in their match. "I need to be world heavyweight champion like I need air in my lungs," he said.
"Screw you, Punk!" Uso exclaimed before uttering his catchphrase and exiting the ring to close the segment.
Grade
C
Top Moments and Takeaways
- This was not the plan, there is no recognized issue between Punk and Uso, and it was clear in this segment. This was a whole lot of nothing. Punk was great as he tried to make the story about the depths to which Jey would go to beat him, but there was no real follow-up from the former world champion and the result was a segment of television that did not create any additional excitement for the matchup.
- Backstage, Dominik Mysterio continued to put himself above everyone else, taking exception to the upcoming No. 1 Contender's match, to the dismay of his teammates, who lost the tag titles last week or, in Roxanne Perez's case, were preparing for a match of their own.
No. 1 Contender's Match: Penta vs. Rusev
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Last Time in Action: Rusev and Penta lost the Battle Royal to Jey Uso (Raw, October 20)
A shot at Dominik Mysterio's Intercontinental Championship was at stake in the night's first match.
What was a hot start by Penta came to a screeching halt entering the commercial break as Rusev flattened him on the ring steps and seized control of the bout.
The Bulgarian Brute dominated through the timeout and caught his opponent mid-flight with a Machka Kick. The luchador answered with a Penta Driver, but neither man was able to keep the other down.
As the action intensified, Los Americanos hit the ring, drawing a double disqualification. El Grande Americano joined his cronies in the middle of the ring, but ultimately earned the wrath of Rusev. He cleared the ring of the sidekicks and Penta set Americano up for a Mexican Destroyer, but the heels escaped.
Result
Rusev and Penta fought to a double disqualification
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Mysterio has history with Americano, giving Chad Gable the idea to embrace the luchador gimmick in the first place. And despite Ludwig Kaiser now filling the role, it made sense that he and his Americanos would cause the non-finish, saving Dirty Dom from having to battle either one.
- The match was good otherwise as Penta and Rusev have strong in-ring chemistry. Might they have even better chemistry as partners, with a potential showdown against Americanos being the result of this outcome?
- Backstage, LA Knight announced his intention to pursue Punk or Uso after Saturday Night's Main Event.
Nikki Bella vs. Roxanne Perez
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Last Time in Action: Nikki Bella lost to Asuka (Raw, September 8); Roxanne Perez lost to Stephanie Vaquer (Raw, October 20)
The product of the babyface's return on last week's show, where she saved women's world champion Stephanie Vaquer from a beatdown at the hands of The Judgment Day, Bella squared off with Perez in singles competition.
Perez wore down her Hall of Fame opponent, targeting the head and neck in an attempt to exploit a previous injury. Bella fought through the pain, fended her off, and was rolling late.
Despite interference from Rodriguez, the former Divas champion was in a position to win late, but the alert Prodigy sent her neck-first into the turnbuckle and delivered Pop Rox for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Vaquer made the save, preventing a two-on-one beatdown of Bella.
Result
Perez defeated Bella
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Perhaps it's a lack of consistent in-ring performances, but Bella still looks a step or two slower in the ring against the stars of today. This was better than her match with Becky Lynch from a few months ago, and Perez is as good an opponent as there is, but she still looks almost hesitant. That would likely change if she was in the ring more often.
- Backstage, Bayley hyped up Lyra Valkyria for their match against Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss in the main event, but not before a confrontation with Asuka and Kairi Sane to hint at that upcoming rivalry.
LA Knight vs. Bron Breakker
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Last Time in Action: Knight lost a Battle Royal to Jey Uso (Raw, October 20); Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed defeated Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton (SmackDown, October 3)
Made earlier in the night, Knight and Breakker wrote the latest chapter in the rivalry between The Megastar and The Vision.
Breakker dominated the action into and coming out of the commercial break, using his strength to wear down the babyface. Knight fought back, rolling late and driving The Badass to the mat with a sudden superplex from the top rope to the mat below.
After laying into Reed at ringside, Knight countered a gorilla press slam into a reverse DDT for two. As he scaled the ropes for his trademark elbow drop, Breakker kipped up, dodged the flying Knight, and broke him in half with a Spear for the win.
Result
Breakker defeated Knight
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Knight and Breakker mesh well, and this was another solid match featuring two top stars on Raw. It feels repetitive, but if for no other reason than the fact that Knight has already worked with every major star on Monday nights despite arriving just a few months back. Still, the quality was there, the finish sequence was great, and the result was an above-average match that highlighted the strengths of both men.
- Backstage, Raw general manager Adam Pearce informed Dominik Mysterio that he will defend the Intercontinental Championship against Rusev and Penta at Saturday Night's Main Event.
Sheamus vs. JD McDonagh
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Last Time in Action: Sheamus and JD McDonagh lost the Battle Royal to Jey Uso (Raw, October 20)
Sheamus sought a measure of revenge against The Judgment Day after they led to his elimination from last week's No. 1 Contender's Battle Royal. He started his path to retribution with a one-on-one match against McDonagh.
The Iron Lung absorbed an early onslaught by The Celtic Warrior long enough for well-timed interference from Finn Balor to allow him to capitalize on the distraction and seize control entering the commercial break.
Sheamus mounted a comeback late in the match and appeared to have McDonagh pinned at one point until Balor placed his tag team partner's foot on the bottom rope, breaking the count and earning the ire of the former WWE champion.
At ringside, the babyface teased a Celtic Cross to Balor but instead stopped McDonagh and rag-dolled him over the announce table. Back inside, Sheamus held the rope, but Balor caught him with the shillelagh and McDonagh delivered a Spanish Fly from the top for the win.
Result
McDonagh defeated Sheamus
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- McDonagh has been one of the best workers on Monday nights all year and it is nice to see him getting more opportunities in singles competition. Predictably, he and Sheamus were great here, delivering a strong match that was impacted late by the interference of Balor. Letting them go at it across two segments will always be a good idea.
- Backstage, Adam Pearce granted Balor and McDonagh's demands for a tag team title match on next week's show.
Women's Tag Team Championship Match
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Last Time in Action: Bayley and Lyra Valkyria defeated Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez (Raw, October 13); Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss defeated Sol Ruca and Zaria (SmackDown, October 17)
Bayley and Valkyria tested their tag team coherency Monday night in the main event of Raw, challenging Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair for the Women's Tag Team Championship.
The champions started hot, but the challengers took over control of the bout during the commercial break, where Bliss was left on the defensive and Valkyria nearly folded her in half backward.
Bliss mustered a double DDT, creating separation and allowing a hot tag to The Queen. Flair exploded into the match, wiping both challengers out with a crossbody before unloading on them with a barrage of chops.
A big boot knocked Bayley off the ring apron but also fired up The Role Model, allowing her to unload on her fellow Four Horsewoman and take Bliss of the apron. A Bayley-to-Belly earned only a two-count.
Late, a tag to Valkyria allowed her to enter the match but Bliss caught her from out of nowhere with Sister Abigail. Bayley broke the pin up at the last second amid chants of "This is awesome!"
Moments later, Valkyria delivered the Nightwing but Flair broke up the count
Flair applied the Figure Eight but Valkyria prevented Bayley from tapping out, only to fall victim to Twisted Bliss. The Queen added a double Natural Selection to pick up the win and successful title defense.
After the match, The Kabuki Warriors attacked the champions and challengers, leaving them lying to introduce that feud.
Result
Flair and Bliss defeated Bayley and Valkyria to retain their titles
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
- This was an exceptional main event, made even better by a red-hot crowd. All four women cut a frenetic pace, had fans eating up everything they executed, and left plenty of questions about who would eventually emerge victorious from the contest. The chemistry was off the charts, and this may have been Bayley's best performance in months.
- From the video package hyping a decade of Asuka to her being present in the main event angle, it was nice to see WWE go out of their way to feature the all-time great performer so prominently.
Overall Grade
8 of 8
The opening segment between Punk and Uso landed flat, but the rest of the show was excellent.
Raw has developed into the best weekly show from WWE, and in-ring action like Rusev vs. Penta, Sheamus vs. McDonagh and the tag team title match are the reasons why.
The hype for Saturday Night's Main Event was fine, if a little lackluster, but this show was all it needed to be, and the result was another strong offering from the flagship.
Grade: B+
