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

Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE Raw on December 15.

John Cena is officially retired from WWE following his loss to Gunther on Saturday, but that didn't mean WWE was done airing tributes to the 17-time champion.

Here's a look at what WWE advertised for Monday's show:

• The Usos vs. New Day
• Rey Mysterio vs. Logan Paul
• CM Punk returns
• Stephanie Vaquer vs. Raquel Rodriguez (Women's World Championship)
• Gunther speaks after defeated Cena

Let's take a look at everything that happened on this week's Raw.

Opening Segment

Mike Marques/WWE via Getty Images

Raw opened with a recap of Cena's final match at SNME two days ago, which led into Gunther making his way to the ring.

The crowd gave him a lot of heat as he stood on the announce table and posed for the unhappy crowd. He bragged about making Cena tap out before dropping the mic and walking away with a huge smile on his face.

However, he turned around and went back to the ring so he could pose one more time as the entire arena booed him. He looked like he would leave after that, but he chose to go back and keep bragging about making Cena tap out.

One of the defining qualities Gunther has is his simplicity, and this segment leaned into that. He didn't need to talk for 20 minutes. He just needed to get some heat, and it worked.

The camera followed him backstage as he insulted a few WWE Superstars. Adam Pearce told him to go find the exit because he was done for the night. He drove off while mocking the Cena hand gesture to AJ Styles.

This was barely a segment, but it was also exactly what it needed to be. Gunther doesn't need to do much to get a big reaction, so it was smart to let the crowd do most of the heavy lifting here.

Grade: B-

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Notable Moments and Observations

• The recap video excluded all of the booing and negative chants after Cena's last match.
• It's almost weird to see Gunther laughing.

The Usos vs. New Day

Melina Pizano/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: The Usos won at WarGames (Survivor Series), New Day lost to Dragon Lee and AJ Styles (Raw, Dec. 1)

Jey and Jimmy Uso made their entrance first to take on Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, reigniting their years-long feud in the process. Grayson Waller was in New Day's corner for support.

Jimmy and Kofi started for their teams with a standard lockup into a headlock sequence. Both men ducked kicks from each other to show how well they knew what each other would do.

While this was a serviceable match, these two teams have had so many show-stealing performances in the past that it felt like they fell short of what they are capable of together.

To be clear, this was not a bad match. It just didn't measure up to their potential. They don't have to tear the house down every time, but it felt like something was missing that kept this from being as good as it could have been.

Thankfully, they were given a lot of time to work, so at least they didn't feel rushed and were able to sell appropriately. Once Waller was booted from ringside for interfering, The New Day's advantage went away.

The last third of the match was definitely the best part. They did a good job making it look like either team could win at any time, but in the end, it was The Usos who scored the victory with the 1D.

Result: The Usos defeated The New Day

Grade: B

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Notable Moments and Observations

• Woods and Kingston were talking a lot of trash to people in the crowd during their entrance.
• Joe Tessitore noted that these two teams have fought 44 times.
• It's kind of sad that WWE doesn't have anything better for Waller to do. He is a great heel who could be a midcard champion right now.

Maxxine Dupri vs. Ivy Nile

Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Maxxine Dupri defeated Becky Lynch (Raw, Nov. 17), Ivy Nile defeated Thea Hail (Main Event, Nov. 24)

Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley were heading to the ring for a promo when Asuka and Kairi Sane attacked them from behind. The Kabuki Warriors left them down and out to end the segment.

The next match saw Dupri defend the women's Intercontinental Championship against her former friend, Nile. Maxxine tried to show she wasn't scared of Ivy, but she quickly found herself on the mat.

Dupri used more submissions to show how much training with Natalya has helped, but she was still portrayed as being inexperienced despite having been with WWE since 2021.

The story of Dupri's reign is that she defied the odds, so it made sense for her to continue looking like an underdog, but at some point, she has to progress past the rookie phase and improve to the level of other main roster talents.

There is no denying that Dupri has looked better in the ring during her last few matches, but it still feels like she has a long way to go. She has more confidence in how she moves, and that definitely makes a difference.

Nile countered the hold a few times, but Dupri kept going back to an Ankle Lock, and it eventually got her the win.

Result: Dupri defeated Nile

Grade: C-plus

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Notable Moments and Observations

• Paul Heyman was shown saying he does not know who the masked man is who has been helping them recently.
• Nile did not have a televised entrance.
• The powerbomb Nile hit out of nowhere looked good.
• The way Dupri jumped off the top rope looked very awkward.

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Vaquer defeated Rodriguez (Raw, Nov. 10)

CM Punk marched his way to the ring after the break looking like he meant business. He focused all of his attention on Bron Breakker and what happened in the WarGames match. Surprisingly, the promo went uninterrupted.

The next match to take place was the women's world title bout between Vaquer and Rodriguez, who asked Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez to stay backstage this time.

Rodriguez used her height and strength to her advantage, but Vaquer stayed in the fight and made this competitive. It never felt like she was in too much danger of losing, which is not exactly what you want in a title bout.

This was a solid performance from two women who have gotten better at working together with each encounter. Unfortunately, it ended with Nikki Bella attacking both women to cause the ref to throw out the match.

Result: No Contest

Grade: B-

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Notable Moments and Observations

• Hearing Ludwig Kaiser speak Spanish with an Austrian accent was hilarious.
• Rodriguez had such a big size advantage that it felt like she should have been more dominant in this bout. Vaquer should have felt like a much bigger underdog.
• Nikki is so much more natural as a heel.

Rey Mysterio vs. Logan Paul

Cooper Neill/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Mysterio defeated JD McDonagh (Raw, Nov. 24), Paul defeated LA Knight (Raw, Dec. 8)

Paul and Mysterio have had their issues, so there was no love lost when they stepped into the ring this week.

They locked up and fought for control in the corner, but when Paul tried to talk some trash, Rey responded with a slap across the face.

For some reason, the referee allowed Paul to use his belt as a weapon, which allowed him to take control for a little while. When we went to a break, Mysterio had regained the upper hand with a moonsault from the apron to the floor.

This was a decent match with some good high-flying spots from both men. Paul has learned a lot in his time with WWE and continues to show more improvements with each match.

Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker started heading to the ring, but Punk showed up with a chair to drive them off. A few moments later, the masked man hit Mysterio with a Stomp while the ref was distracted, allowing Paul to hit a splash for the win.

Punk showed up again and the masked man revealed himself to be Austin Theory. The distraction allowed Breakker to hit a huge Spear to take out the champion.

Result: Paul defeated Mysterio

Grade: B

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Notable Moments and Observations

• It's kind of funny how Joe Tessitore feels the need to censor himself saying words that have already been said on the show without censoring.
• Lyra Valkyria was shown hyping Bayley up backstage in a funny segment.
• The way Paul took a headscissor takedown looked very weird. It was like he didn't know what move Rey was going for and didn't have time to sell it properly.

The Final Word

Mike Marques/WWE via Getty Images

On paper, this week's show seemed like any other week, but something about Monday's episode felt off.

Other than the women's world title bout, which ended in a No Contest finish, it didn't really feel like any of the other matches mattered. Even the women's IC title match felt predictable.

This is not a knock against the performers, but it's definitely a criticism of management. We understand that not every show can be the best show of the year, but we need more to invest in than WWE is giving us right now.

This was one of those episodes that was fine while watching it, but as soon as it was over, it was instantly forgettable. Somehow, the show as a whole was worse than any of the individual matches or segments.

Grade: C