WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from July 20

The first WWE Raw after Battleground offered fans the sight of two behemoths entangled with each other, a mass of men trying to pull them apart.

Undertaker and Brock Lesnar began the build to their SummerSlam match in explosive fashion. The monsters digging their claws into each other was the highlight of a show that delivered a healthy dose of in-ring action.

Luke Harper and Roman Reigns collided. Big Show found victory easy to come by. And the much-talked-about revolution in the women's division is clearly underway as the Divas got more ring time than they usually get in three editions of Raw.  

Normally, Raw nails the opener and the ending, with the middle and the midcard storylines suffering from a lack of energy. The opposite was true in Kansas City, Missouri. The show tailed off after big mid-show moments from Reigns, Lesnar and Sasha Banks.

It was a night that shouldn't be judged by its final limping steps, but instead by what promising things it set up for the future.

Undertaker Returns to Raw

With his hat pulled down to his brow and blue light glinting along his skin, Undertaker explained his actions at Battleground.

It wasn't just that Lesnar broke his undefeated streak at WrestleMania that drove him to violence, it was his and Paul Heyman's incessant reminders of that feat. The Deadman was angry, hungry for revenge, and he not only challenged Lesnar to a fight, he spoke of challenging his mortality.

The usual supernatural and death-related imagery that one would expect was abundant here.

And after he laid out his reasoning and put down the gauntlet, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H celebrated backstage. The SummerSlam main event was falling into their proverbial laps.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

"I stand here tonight a relentless, remorseless, cold-blooded, vengeful, grim reaper."—Undertaker.

"Last night was my true resurrection."—Undertaker.

"Wyatt Earp has just returned to Tombstone for some unfinished business."—John "Bradshaw" Layfield.

Grade

B+

Analysis

A measured, passionate delivery led to a strong promo here. Undertaker is not known as a mic wizard, but this was good work from a performance standpoint. His anger felt real; his presence was powerful.

It's a lack of continuity that held this back.

Why was there no mention of Kane? Lesnar just broke Undertaker's brother's ankle, and even though that may not be the main reason for The Deadman's attack on Sunday, it seems odd that this wouldn't be a part of his fury as well.

Brie Bella vs. Charlotte

Team Bad sat in on commentary as Charlotte and Brie Bella locked horns. The competitors' teammates stood in their respective corners playing cheerleaders.

Brie dominated much of the bout. She taunted Sasha Banks in between taking shots at Charlotte at the ringside. 

Charlotte eventually charged back. With the crowd behind her, she got on a roll and never got off it. Even a distraction from Nikki Bella couldn't deny her a victory here.

A Figure Eight soon had Brie tapping, just as it did at Battleground.

Result

Charlotte wins via submission.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Naomi admonishes Micheal Cole for getting Tamina's name wrong. 

Brie mimics Daniel Bryan with a series of kicks to the chest. 

Charlotte delivers a series of thunderous chops.

Grade

B-

Analysis

With about nine minutes to work with, Brie and Charlotte delivered a decent matchup. There weren't many highlights to speak of, and this wasn't a special bout from an action standpoint.

It did its job, though. Charlotte is further presented as a threat to the Bellas. Tension between her trio and Team Bella grows.

WWE is clearly building up to something big between all these teams. Decisive wins that showcase the newcomers from NXT is a smart way to move in that direction.

The Prime Time Players vs. Los Matadores

A fast-paced tag team match ended early.

Teamwork and athleticism from Los Matadores had Titus O'Neil and Darren Young in trouble early on. The announcers sold it as possibly the champs letting their guard down after a big win down at Battleground.

O'Neil's power advantage helped the champs recover, though. He threw his foes around like a tornado does lawn furniture. 

The New Day came down to ringside. Their irritating brand of positivity was enough of a distraction to net the bullfighters a victory via a schoolboy pin.

Result

Los Matadores win via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

O'Neil catches Fernando in midair and hits a backbreaker.

Grade

C-

Analysis

Lazy booking has WWE pull out the overused, cheap distraction finish. It's such a "let the air out of a match" move.

The New Day and The Prime Time Players put on a good match at Battleground. Their chemistry suggests that they can do something special together if WWE puts some creativity into its storytelling with their feud. So far, it's been a book-by-numbers approach.

This tired means of drumming up animosity is no different.

The Miz vs. Big Show

Big Show toyed with The Miz, a lion swatting at a mouse. The big man chased around The Miz. Once he caught him, he whopped him with little resistance.

A rare flying move got him the win.

The World's Largest Athlete then grabbed a mic and barked at Ryback. He said he's coming for the Intercontinental Championship before plugging his upcoming appearance on Tough Enough.

Result

Big Show wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Big Show hits a diving elbow drop from the second top rope. 

"I'm going to feed Ryback my fist."—Big Show.

Grade

D-

Analysis

The match was essentially the scene from Battleground stretched out for slightly longer.

It's hard to pull for either of these guys as the two heels in the feud are left without the injured babyface. It wasn't a great rivalry before the champion centerpiece was gone, but it now just feels pointless.

WWE is making a mistake by having The Miz look so weak. Making him look like a threat to Ryback's title reign elevates the uncertainty of that match's outcome. Now that eventual Triple Threat match will feel like two titans colliding while a parasite gets crushed in between them.

The Tough Enough plug was as heavy-handed as you can get. Big Show did his best to make that mid-promo ad feel natural, but even the top mic workers would struggle with that.

Undertaker and Brock Lesnar Don't Want to Wait Until SummerSlam

Paul Heyman ranted about how Brock Lesnar got cheated out of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. He recounted Lesnar's history with Undertaker and reminded us that his client broke The Deadman's undefeated streak at WrestleMania.

He talked about making it personal between Lesnar and Undertaker just before The Phenom himself showed up.

Undertaker readied his fist to batter Heyman, but The Beast Incarnate came charging in. Security failed to separate the brawling foes. The throng of Superstars had to take up that job instead.

Officers led a handcuffed Lesnar out of the arena.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

"A violent retribution must face a most capable avenger."—Heyman.

"You can sell your soul to the devil, but your ass belongs to Brock Lesnar."—Heyman.

Lesnar leaps out of the grip of over a dozen Superstars to fly at Undertaker.

Grade

A+

Analysis

Leave it to Heyman to make sense of WWE's timing. Undertaker waiting a year-plus to take down Lesnar was baffling, but the advocate sold the move. He painted a picture of the big man becoming enraged over time.

He also sold the SummerSlam battle as he has done with so many other bouts. His in-ring sermon made the match feel huge; the brawl that followed made it feel massive.

The action itself promises to be a letdown thanks to this coming at such a late stage in Undertaker's career. So far, though, the buildup has been a home run.

Roman Reigns vs. Luke Harper

Backstage, Bray Wyatt spoke of revolution and of bringing Roman Reigns down. When the action moved to the ring, Dean Ambrose emerged to make sure that Reigns didn't have to deal with two enemies at once.

Relying on clotheslines and right hands, Reigns slugged it out with Luke Harper.

He would have to do so with a bad wing, though. Harper attacked Reigns' left arm, leaving it limp at The Big Dog's side for much of the contest.

Wyatt was tired of sitting and watching the action. He attacked Reigns, inciting a brawl between the former members of The Shield and The Wyatt Family. It was a brawl that ended with the babyfaces chasing the heels from the ring.

Result

Reigns wins via disqualification. 

Memorable Moments and Quotes

"You chose him. You anointed him. Now, y'all gonna burn for it."—Wyatt to the fans about Reigns.

Harper hurls Reigns out of the ring onto his bad arm. 

Reigns suplexes Harper with one arm.

Reigns hits his apron dropkick on both Wyatt and Harper.

Grade

A-

Analysis

Both the match and the promo are proof of what Harper gains from Wyatt.

Harper's fine at adding a line to a speech as he did with Wyatt here, but he can't handle the workload himself. And after months of wandering on his own, WWE unsure of what to do with him, he's suddenly thrust into a high-profile storyline that appears to be catching on fire.

The bout showcased Reigns' toughness and Harper's viciousness. It was the best bit of in-ring action all night despite the non-climactic ending.

Seth Rollins Faces off with John Cena

Seth Rollins rubbed the fact that he retained the world title at Battleground in the audience's face. He gave a very CM Punk-like speech about not getting the respect he feels he's owed. 

He asked Lilian Garcia to announce that Rollins was still champion as he grinned.

John Cena soon showed up, his own title in hand. He talked about the excellence he brings to his championship. Both titleholders got into each other's faces.

Cena challenged the world champ; Rollins chose to run.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

"I don't give a damn about Brock Lesnar."—Rollins.

"So thank you, Seth Rollins for being such a conniving, slimy, weasel-faced, suck-up, sellout poor excuse for a champion."—Cena.

Rollins shoves a microphone into Cena's chest.

Grade

B

Analysis

The surprising nature of this meeting made it exciting. It felt random at first, but it soon made sense as Cena's sense of honor drove him to go after Rollins.

Passion and energy were in surplus here. The segment, though, was too heavy on cutting down Rollins' credibility. Yes, he's the cowardly champ, but Cena started talking about Rollins devaluing the WWE title. That's a mistake; that prize needs to remain WWE's holy grail. 

Becky Lynch and Paige vs. Naomi and Sasha Banks

With Team Bella providing guest commentary, an angry Naomi took it to Becky Lynch. The orange-haired wrestler fought back, as control of the match didn't last long for either team early on.

When Sasha Banks was on offense, she made sure to insult her foes. She taunted both Lynch and Paige and handed out a number of stinging slaps.

Lynch then played the victim for a good while. She absorbed punishment aplenty before tagging in her partner.

The bout turned chaotic with bodies flying, hard strikes landing and eventually Banks bending Paige backward until she quit.

Result

Banks and Naomi win via submission. 

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Lynch hits a springboard kick to Banks' face.

"Are these the end days of the Bella empire?"—John "Bradshaw" Layfield. 

Paige rattles Naomi with a succession of knees to the face.

Grade

B+

Analysis

Plenty of ring time and a strong sense of animosity between the teams aided an engaging bout. The NXT transplants aren't being hampered by being asked to tone down their move sets either.

One of the night's better offerings showcased this still-developing three-team rivalry, as well as further introducing the audience to Lynch and Banks. And WWE has made sure to have these newcomers look strong.

After dominating much of the Triple Threat match at Battleground, Banks gets a big submission here.

Grating commentary from the Bellas with heavy-handed comparisons of Ronda Rousey to Nikki Bella hurt what was a success otherwise.

Randy Orton, Cesaro and John Cena vs. Sheamus, Rusev and Kevin Owens

A whirlwind of disharmony changed this six-man clash in a hurry.

Kevin Owens viciously beat on John Cena. The heels worked on Cesaro in turns. Then the infighting began.

An inadvertent collision between Owens and Sheamus left the two men battling each other rather than their opponents. The Celtic Warrior stormed off after clocking the former NXT champ.

It was then Owens' turn to jump ship. He had a disagreement with Rusev that ended in a superkick. Owens exited, leaving Rusev alone against Randy Orton and company.

Lana and Summer Rae who had been squabbling backstage before the action, met on center stage in the midst of this match. Lana threw her shoe at Summer and smacked her around. 

The Bulgarian Brute watched on before suffering a three-sided assault. Orton hit his signature move to end Rusev's night.

Result

Cena, Cesaro and Orton win via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Summer Rae dresses exactly like Lana.

Cesaro lands on his feet after flipping over the top rope.

Owens hits Cesaro with a Codebreaker. 

"Get in here, idiot!"—Owens to Rusev.

Cesaro slingshots Rusev into an RKO from Orton.

Grade

C+

Analysis

What felt like a house-show main event capped off the post-Battleground pay-per-view for some reason. While so much of Monday's Raw was spent advancing storylines, all this managed to do was show us more catfighting in short dresses.

This Rusev-Lana story has felt like it has been running in place, even with violent meetings like this. It's a narrative with little juice, offering little motivation to look ahead.

To place that in this most prominent spot is a mistake. And so a lackluster match with a hackneyed story ends a mostly successful night of wrestling.