WWE Raw Results, Winners, Live Grades, Highlights Before John Cena's Retirement

Just five days before John Cena wrestles his final match in Washington, D.C. at Saturday Night's Main Event, his opponent, Gunther, will take center stage Monday night on WWE Raw.

The Ring General's address of the Greatest of All Time headlined a broadcast that also included the latest from a red-hot women's division and a tag team title defense from AJ Styles and Dragon Lee.

What went down, how did it grade out, and what did it mean for the red brand? Find out with this recap of the December 8 Netflix broadcast.

Lineup

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Announced in advance for Monday's show were:

Gunther appearance

Stephanie Vaquer appearance

Lyra Valkyria vs. Roxanne Perez

World Tag Team Championship Match: AJ Styles and Dragon Lee vs. War Raiders

Gunther Opened Up Raw

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Last Time in Action: Gunther defeated LA Knight (SmackDown, December 4)

"I'm going to force you to give up," Gunther warned John Cena at the top of Monday's Raw.

The Ring General wasted little time sending words of warning to Cena, just five days before competing against the Unseen Seventeen in the final match of his Hall of Fame career.

He called it the greatest honor of his career, for him to be able to compete against Cena in his final match. He vowed to crush Cena's spirit and force him to submit, quitting in his last match as a WWE Superstar.

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

"I'm going to do something that nobody ever managed before: I'm going to break your spirit," Gunther warned Cena.

"I'm going to squeeze until every bit of hustle, loyalty, and respect has left your body."

This was a stellar promo from Gunther, who did a fantastic job of setting the table and establishing the story of his match Saturday against Cena. He spoke with conviction, fired up when necessary, and put an exclamation point on the promo. He delivered in a high-pressure situation; in the only opportunity to provide any sort of emotional depth for the match beyond its historical significance as Cena's last.

Iyo Sky vs. Kairi Sane

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Last Time in Action: Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley fought to a no contest with Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss (Raw, December 1); Kairi Sane lost to Alexa Bliss (SmackDown, December 5)

The rivalry between Rhiyo and The Kabuki Warriors continued Monday when Sky and Sane squared off in one-on-one action, with partners Rhea Ripley and Asuka at ringside.

A competitive, back-and-forth match that highlighted the familiarity the two had with each other. Late, Sky delivered a German suplex on the ring apron, then launched herself off the middle rope, wiping The Pirate Princess out at ringside.

The Empress of Tomorrow attempted to interfere on behalf of her partner, but Ripley chased her off, allowing Sky to recover and deliver the Over the Moonsault for the pinfall victory.

Result

Sky defeated Sane

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

A good match that showcased the chemistry between the two, this was an entertaining way to kick off the in-ring portion of the show, even if it did nothing to further the narrative between the two teams or to adequately follow up on last week's show-closing segment.

Backstage, Logan Paul asked what The Vision was going to do about Rey Mysterio slapping him last week. After Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed stepped up, the social media megastar told Paul Heyman that the Mysterio business gets handled tonight, to which the Wise Man responded by handing him a pair of brass knuckles.

Logan Paul Attacked Rey Mysterio

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Last Time in Action: Logan Paul, The Vision, Drew McIntyre, and Brock Lensar defeated Roman Reigns, CM Punk, The Usos, and Cody Rhodes (Survivor Series: WarGames, November 29); Rey Mysterio defeated JD McDonagh (Raw, November 24)

As Rey Mysterio made his way to the ring for his scheduled match with Finn Bálor, Logan Paul attacked, leveling him from behind. When he tried to lay the Hall of Famer out with a pair of brass knuckles, Mysterio cut him off repeatedly.

That is, until the unknown assailant from Survivor Series: WarGames, clad in black, attacked and left Mysterio lying with a curb stomp. As security chased him off, Logan finally cold cocked his rival, only for LA Knight to make the save.

Frustrated over his own recent disappointments, Knight challenged Paul to a match for tonight.

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

This was one way to bring several moving pieces together and to put Knight in a position to remain a significant contributor to the show, even after his defeat at the hands of Gunther Friday night. He was on fire on the mic, cutting a short and sweet promo that meant as much as anything he has said in recent week.

Looking forward, could a Knight loss to Paul tonight further descend him into frustration and anger, potentially setting he stage for a heel turn?

World Tag Team Championship Match: AJ Styles and Dragon Lee vs. War Raiders

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Last Time in Action: AJ Styles and Dragon Lee defeated The New Day (Raw, December 1); War Raiders defeated American Made (Main Event, October 3)

Styles and Lee's determination to prove themselves as fighting champions continued Monday night as they defended against former champions The War Raiders' Erik and Ivar, all while their opponents from last week's show, The New Day, watched from ringside.

While the champions started hot, the challengers were able to slow things down and seize control throughout the commercial. A hot tag from Styles to Lee sparked a comeback but the strength and fury of Erik and Ivar proved to be unstoppable, with the latter delivering a moonsault onto the luchador's face.

Styles made the save, breaking up the pin, and moments later, caught Ivar with a Phenomenal Forearm for the pinfall victory.

After the match, New Day and Grayson Waller confronted the champions until The Usos interrupted and headed to the squared circle. "The Usos have a big-ass announcement to make," Jimmy said before revealing that they are back in the tag team division.

Jey vowed to body the rest of the division, then issued words of warning to the New Day before laying them out and staring down the champions

Result

Styles and Lee defeated War Raiders

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

The match was a ton of fun and a casual reminder that the Viking Raiders are a badass team who can work with any tandem of any style and background. Styles and Lee fought from underneath, scored the win, and continued their reign as they continue to evolve their in-ring chemistry.

The Usos' return to the tag team division is huge and should go a long way in injecting it with much-needed life, especially with Styles and Lee clearly not a long-term tandem. They bring legitimacy and marquee name value to it. Whether it is long-term or the means to an end narratively for Jey is the question.

Stephanie Vaquer Promo

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Last Time in Action: Stephanie Vaquer defeated Nikki Bella (Survivor Series: WarGames, November 29)

La Primera joined Jackie Redmond in the ring for a promo, where she discussed what is next for the women's world champion.

Vaquer name-dropped Rhea Ripley, Bayley, Natalya, Iyo Sky, and Nikki Bella before the latter interrupted. She expressed her desire for a rematch but before anything came of it, Raquel Rodriguez attacked, sending Bella face-first into the ring post.

She confronted the champion, told her to name the time and place, and vowed that she would be there.

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

Rodriguez had every reason to be angry at Bella and prevent her from jumping the line again since the Hall of Famer was instrumental in costing her the Women's World Championship against Vaquer on a recent episode of Raw. Her re-establishing herself as a singles title contender opens the door for Liv Morgan to slot into her position as Roxanne Perez's tag team partner, adding drama to that story.

And, right on schedule, Morgan explained to The Prodigy backstage that if Rodriguez is challenging for the top singles title, they will be competing for the tag team titles. The next chapter of the Judgment Day's ongoing tension and dissension is underway, with master manipulator Morgan preparing her revenge tour for someone who got way too close to Dominik Mysterio during her absence.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Roxanne Perez

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Last Time in Action: Lyra Valkyira and Bayley lost to The Kabuki Warriors (Raw, November 3); Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez defeated Stephanie Vaquer and Nikki Bella (Raw, November 3)

Valkyria and Perez rekindled their rivalry Monday night in singles competition, while tag team partners Bayley and Liv Morgan watched from ringside.

A hot start for Valkyria was negated entering the break as Perez sent her shoulder-first into the ring steps, seizing control of the bout. After the break, the babyface proved resilient, fighting through the pain to stay in the fight. The Prodigy, though, cut her off at every turn, preventing her from building momentum.

Even late in the match, as Valkyria looked for the Nightwing, Morgan provided just enough interference in the form of an eye rake for Perez to capitalize and deliver Pop Rox for the pinfall victory.

Result

Perez defeated Valkyria

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

Not only was the match another strong effort from two of the most gifted young stars in the women's division, but the story implications here were equally as good. Morgan continued to feign support for Perez, aiding her to victory while everyone waits for the other shoe to drop and the former women's world champion to attack The Prodigy. It did not happen here, with Morgan lulling her new tag team partner into a sense of security by helping her to victory.

Another vignette aired of Maxxine Dupri training with Nattie, this time getting the best of her and applying an ankle lock.

LA Knight vs. Logan Paul

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Last Time in Action: LA Knight lost to Gunther (SmackDown, December 5); Paul won WarGames with The Vision (Survivor Series: WarGames, November 29)

Paul jumped Knight before the bell, looking to get an early upper hand. It did not work as The Megastar recovered and quickly set out to punish his social media superstar opponent.

Back from the break, Paul controlled the pace, cutting Knight's offensive off while Paul Heyman watched in approval from ringside. The babyface eventually found an opening and battled his way back into the match, ignoring the presence of Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed at ringside to deliver his trademark top-rope elbow drop.

The numbers game eventually proved too much, with interference momentarily downing Knight. The referee tossed Reed and Breakker but, as Knight pounded away at Paul at ringside, the black-clad mystery man appeared and delivered a stomp to Knight.

The Maverick delivered a frog splash and earned the win.

The heels teed off on Knight from there, with Breakker delivering a spear and Reed following with two Tsunamis. The heels stood tall heading into one last commercial break.

Result

Paul defeated Knight

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

Another solid match in a line of them tonight, this one gave fans what they wanted in Knight beating Paul up, but provided drama in the form of the unknown assailant once again interfering on behalf of The Vision. While we don't know who it is under the disguise, whoever it is will undoubtedly be linked to the heel faction.

Bron Breakker Addressed His January 5 Title Shot

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Last Time in Action: Breakker won WarGames (Survivor Series: WarGames, November 29)

Breakker spoke directly to CM Punk, criticizing the current version of the Best in the World. He knocked this incarnation of the world champion, then got on his knees and begged the Chicago native to rediscover the side of himself from 2011-2013 that was rebellious, edgy, and opposed The Rock.

Breakker continued his intense promo on Punk, warning him that he would take his wife, too.

Video captured LA Knight attempting to get back to his feet and return to the squared circle, only for Reed and Paul to head backstage to finish the job. While Breakker finished his promo, the heels beat Knight down, culminating in a Tsunami from a backstage ledge, onto the roof of a car.

Adam Pearce called for medics as the show came to a close.

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

Breakker passed another test on the microphone, delivering a quality promo directed at Punk, begging for the Straight Edge Superstar to come back as the guy he was in a past life. His delivery was better than last week and the intensity with which he looks into the camera is second to none.

The show-closing angle was interesting in that it would seem to suggest that Knight is being written off the show for the time being but how that is supposed to convince fans to tune in next week is anyone's guess.

Overall Grade

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This was another strong effort from the Raw brand, with the advancement of key storylines, another opportunity for Breakker to shine, and a killer promo from Gunther that was kept short, sweet, and to the point ahead of his match with John Cena at Saturday Night's Main Event.

The brand appears to know where several stories are headed and that makes for a more coherent product, even if there are some fans who still justifiably criticize the sense of urgency with which the creative team approaches the product.

Still, a good show with solid wrestling and an emphatic show-closing angle (if not necessarily the cliffhanger they think it is) is more than enough to warrant a solid grade.

Grade: B