WWE Raw Winners, Grades and Reaction Before Night of Champions 2026

Night of Champions is coming up this weekend, which means we are that much closer to crowning the King and Queen of the Ring.

Liv Morgan and Iyo Sky have made it to the finals in the women's bracket, while Oba Femi and Jey Uso will make up the men's finals.

This week's Raw saw them hype their upcoming matches, but Monday's show had some action of its own, too.

The men's and women's tag titles were both up for grabs in London. Let's take a look at what happened on Monday's episode.

Brie Bella and Paige vs. Bayley and Lyra Vakyria

Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images

The first match on the London show saw Paige return to England to defend the women's tag titles with Brie Bella against Bayley and Lyra Valkyria.

This match played out in a relatively predictable manner. It never felt like the challengers were going to win, but they put up a decent fight. Bayley and Valkyria are both good performers and showed their chemistry as partners.

However, that all came to an end after they lost the match. As Bayley was trying to comfort her, Valkyria snapped and attacked her, leaving her down in the ring and turning heel in the process.

While the women's tag team division still needs to be built up a bit more, this team felt like it had run its course. Neither woman was getting anything out of it anymore, so using it to turn Valkyria heel was the best choice.

The match we got here was fine, but the heel turn after is what people are going to be discussing the most.

Result: Paige and Bella defeated Bayley and Valkyria

Grade: C+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Lyra countering Paige into her own finisher looked great.
• The way Bayley hit the ropes after Valkyria turned on her looked nuts. She sold it like a pro.
• Valkyria as a heel is going to be a test for her. She is untested in that area, so it's a gamble.

Chad Gable's Apology Tour

Andrew Timms/WWE via Getty Images

Chad Gable has spent the last few weeks apologizing to all of the luchadores he has offended in WWE, but this week, he decided to finally apologize to his former teammates.

Otis, Akira Tozawa and Maxxine Dupri came out and listened to what he had to say. Gable tearfully recounted the ways he has wronged them and apologized for how he treated them in the past.

It looked like Otis was ready to forgive him, but Dupri didn't allow it. She said Gable went too far with the things he put them through and refused to forgive his transgressions.

On paper, this sounds like a boring segment with no resolution, but in execution, it worked exactly as it was intended. Gable looked sympathetic, and Otis helped sell that emotion with his facial expressions.

The real star here might surprise people, but Maxxine carried the weight of the second half of this segment. She was not only justified in how she felt and listed several examples to back up her feelings, but she spoke with confidence and conviction. It might be the best she has looked on the mic since arriving in WWE.

There was no fighting, and we probably won't even get a match out of this, but they did the right thing by not just having them forgive Gable after everything he did. The story is more interesting if they make him earn back their respect.

Grade: B+

Dragon Lee vs. Ethan Page

Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images

Gable may be trying to make up with the lucha libre community, but Ethan Page had no such goals when he took on Dragon Lee in the next match.

They started with a fast pace right out of the gate and showed off their skills. Lee hit several of his usual high-flying moves, and All Ego played a great base for him to land safely.

Both of these guys are at the point in their careers when everything feels like second nature. They could put on a decent match with their eyes closed, but when they put a little effort into it, it ends up being great.

Page winning with a low blow fits with his character and slightly protects Lee. Plus, we know this is not the end of this feud, so the high-flyer will get retribution eventually.

This was a fun sprint that showcased two workhorses. It's definitely worth a watch.

Result: Page defeated Lee

Grade: B

Notable Moments and Observations

• Lee's tornado DDT looked awesome because Page sold it like he was out cold.
• Page is much stronger than he looks. He is deceptively big and is great at fighting these smaller guys that he can throw around.
• Lee's suicide dive was bonkers. He almost flew into the crowd.

LA Knight vs. Jimmy Uso

Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images

Jimmy Uso was the one trying to keep Knight and Jey Uso from fighting in recent weeks, but after a backstage disagreement, they ended up having a match this week.

They did a good job making this feel like a more personal fight right out of the gate. They didn't waste any time with lockups and chain wrestling. They were throwing hands right out of the gate.

They put on a solid match that took the fight in and out of the ring several times. Knight had the crowd behind him, but Jimmy still had some fans on his side, too.

There weren't any real stakes to this bout, but that can sometimes be a good thing. This was just about two guys trying to settle their differences. Nothing more, nothing less.

Solo Sikoa showing up and costing Jimmy the win is going to make things between him and The Bloodline even more tense moving forward.

Result: Knight defeated Uso

Grade: B

Notable Moments and Observations

• Danhausen's backstage segment with Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh was funny. He has found his niche in WWE.
• Knight slamming Jimmy's head into the table several times was a fun sequence.
• There was one point in the match when it felt like the crowd got completely quiet for a few moments.

The Vision vs. The Street Profits

Michael Marques/WWE via Getty Images

With Logan Paul still out with an injured arm, Bron Breakker stepped in to help Austin Theory defend the tag titles against Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins.

The Vision attacked the Profits as soon as the bell rang to gain an early advantage, but the Profits didn't let them control the pace for too long. It quickly turned into a competitive back-and-forth fight.

All four of these guys are tremendous athletes, so nobody is going to be surprised to find out they had a good match. WWE gave them plenty of time in the main event, so they didn't feel like they had to rush, but they still kept up a healthy pace.

Ford is often praised, but Dawkins is just as impressive in different ways. They are always fun to watch, and this match was no different. It was an enjoyable main event that highlighted the often-underused tag team division.

Ending the show with a title change gave it an exciting conclusion while also putting gold back on a team that has gone too long without it. This ended up being the best match on the show while also having the most satisfying conclusion.

Result: The Street Profits defeated The Vision

Grade: B+

Notable Moments and Observations

• It looked like Ford was trying really hard to make sure he didn't spill an empty cup during his entrance.
• Does anyone else miss Breakker's old entrance music?
• WWE needs to be more consistent about when it does the dimmed lights and official introductions for title matches. We don't always get it, but it always adds a sense of importance to the match before it gets started.
• The Spear Breakker hit on Ford looked brutal.

The Final Word

Andrew Timms/WWE via Getty Images

Monday's Raw may not have been very heavy on the action with only four matches, but each one was enjoyable in its own way.

Page and Lee put on a great contest in the middle of the show, but the tag title match stole the show in the main event.

Gables apology tour hitting its first roadblock finally gives him and his former Alpha Academy teammates something to do, and making him earn back their respect and trust instead of just forgiving him right away is much more interesting.

Night of Champions has a solid card that might have one or two surprising outcomes, and with the addition of NXT's Great American Bash also taking place, it's going to be a busy weekend for WWE.

Grade: B-