WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from August 10

The card for SummerSlam on August 23 took shape on Monday's episode of Raw, with matches involving the WWE Divas, the WWE Tag Team Championships and celebrity Stephen Amell all announced throughout the show's three-hour run time.

With all that happening, again the show was built around Seth Rollins.

The WWE World Heavyweight champion bookended the broadcast, kicking it off with a promo before defending his title in the night's marquee bout. His opponent? Randy Orton, who defeated Cesaro and Kevin Owens in a splendid Triple Threat match to earn the title bout.

But The Viper would see the Celtic Warrior and Money in the Bank holder Sheamus dash his championship hopes.

With Ryback making a huge return, Daniel Bryan making an appearance and Summer Rae and Lana getting into a physical confrontation, the August 10 broadcast was full of developments that had the WWE Universe buzzing.

What went down and how will it affect SummerSlam in just over a week?

Find out now with this exclusive look back at Monday's show.

Seth Rollins Promo and a New Dilemma for the Architect

WWE World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins kicked off the evening's broadcast to a tremendous chorus of boos.

He welcomed fans to "Monday Night Rollins" before referring to himself as "the man who broke the face that runs this place."

Rollins questioned why Cena had not, as of yet, answered his challenge from last week. He suggested that, if Cena does not want to be a man and fight him, he can come to Brooklyn and hand over the United States Championship.

The champion mocked Cena with a corny pre-taped vignette aired on the TitanTron, talking about Cena appearing on Tough Enough Tuesday night but not Raw. He referred to himself as the rightful champion and then discussed defeating Neville in last week's first-ever WWE Championship Open Challenge.

Cesaro's music played, interrupting the promo and drawing a huge pop from the crowd.

The Swiss Superman challenged Rollins to a title match on Monday night's broadcast, but Rollins cowardly denied him the opportunity.

Kevin Owens interrupted, mic in hand, as the segment began to descend into madness. He criticized fans for holding up Cesaro Section signs and then stated the case for a title shot on Monday night's broadcast. 

Randy Orton became the latest Superstar to interrupt, as all hell began to break lose. Soon, "King of Kings" played, and Triple H made his way to the stage.

After Rollins said he did not care about what The Authority said, the COO announced a Triple Threat match between Orton, Cesaro and Owens, with the winner facing Rollins for the title in the main event.

The champion looked dismayed as the show's first segment came to a close. 

Grade

B-

Analysis

The opening segment did a great job of showcasing Rollins as the smarmy heel, whose criticisms of everyone around him, wound up biting him in the backside as he drew the ire of Triple H and The Authority and found himself thrust into a situation in which his WWE World Heavyweight Championship was at stake.

Owens and Cesaro's involvement made sense in that both men had been involved with each other, as well as John Cena and Rollins in recent weeks, but Orton's involvement felt forced, even if he did work Owens two weeks ago. As someone feuding with Sheamus, it felt very much like he was being included just to bring the three-count, rather than because he had a legitimate claim to the title.

With that said, the first-half of Monday night's main event should be spectacular given the talent of all three Superstars.

Six-Diva Tag Team Match: Team Bella vs. Team BAD

Team PCB (Paige, Charlotte and Becky Lynch) sat in for chemistry for the night's opening contest.

Alicia Fox and Naomi started things for their respective teams, with the latter delivering a series of hard forearms to the face. Fox, a former Divas champion, delivered a wicked backbreaker to slow the very early offensive.

Team BAD took over on offense, working over Divas champion Nikki Bella. The titleholder fought back, grounding Naomi as the bout headed into commercial break.

NXT Women's champion Sasha Banks wore down Nikki for the majority of the match's middle portion before a hot tag to Brie ignited the crowd. The fans in Washington, her husband Daniel Bryan's home state, chanted "yes" as she unloaded with a series of kicks. Unfortunately, Tamina cut off her momentum.

Brie's quick, fluke rollup scored Team Bella the pinfall win before all hell unleashed, with all three teams brawling inside the squared circle.

Charlotte and Becky cleared Tamina from the squared circle and then the second-generation Diva leveled Brie with a spear. Team BAD and Team PCB stared each other down, as Team Bella retreated up the ramp. 

Result

Team Bella defeated Team BAD.

Grade

C-

Analysis

Hardly up meeting the standards the WWE Divas recently set, this was fine for what it was.

Brie Bella got a big win in front of her adopted hometown fans and earned Team Bella a big win over one of the two upstart teams.

The post-match brawl was ugly, but it put the spotlight on the newcomers, while JBL reminded fans that the Bellas are still on top of the women's wrestling mountain.

It was an effective enough a segment, but it was lacking compared to more recent efforts that featured both better booking and wrestling.

Los Matadores vs. The New Day

Kofi Kingston and Big E attempted to get back into tag title contention as they squared off with Diego and Fernando Monday night.

The former champions ran over Los Matadores early, while WWE Tag Team champions The Prime Time Players watched from backstage.

Kingston worked over Fernando, isolating him from his partner. When Big E crashed shoulder-first into the steel post, Diego was the recipient of the hot tag, and the babyfaces mounted a comeback.

As Xavier Woods attempted to interfere, El Torito took him over with a headscissor. Back inside the ring, Kingston and Big E planted Diego, picked up the win and danced to celebrate. 

Result

The New Day defeated Los Matadores.

Grade

C-

Analysis

An inoffensive tag match, this continued to present The New Day as the top contenders for the tag titles. Surprisingly enough, Michael Cole, JBL and Byron Saxton all discussed how close Diego and Fernando have come over the years to winning the title, only to fall short, suggesting this may be their year.

While the team certainly looked impressive, another loss will do nothing to convince the crowd that they have a snowball's chance in hell of capturing the titles at any point in the near future.

No. 1 Contender's Match: Randy Orton vs. Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens

All three Superstars were in the squared circle as the show returned from break, maximizing the time available to the match.

Orton tried for an RKO right out of the box, leading to Owens bailing early.

Cesaro attempted his trademark swing on Orton, but Owens pulled him out of the ring and sent him into the steel post. The former Ring of Honor heavyweight champion's senton netted a two-count on The Viper.

Orton stood tall, having thwarted his opponents' onslaughts. Cesaro, though, reentered the bout and delivered a series of uppercuts. Owens recovered and treated the Swiss Superstar to a few of his own. But The Viper again took control, delivering his signature backbreaker to slow his opponent down.

Cesaro's cross body block from the top rope caught Orton off guard, and the two traded more forearms. Orton cut off the surging Cesaro with a big clothesline. An RKO attempt was countered by the Swiss competitor's crossface, as Michael Cole reminded fans that a rope break does not apply in a Triple Threat match.

Owens sent both Cesaro and Orton out of the ring and then barreled over the top rope with a senton, leveling his opponents heading into the break. Cesaro held his knee, clearly in pain.

The former NXT champion climbed the ropes, but Orton cut him off for a superplex attempt. Cesaro's dropkick left Owens stunned on the top, leading to a double superplex onto Owens, to the crowd's delight.

Cesaro executed the Cesaro Swing and trapped Orton in the Sharpshooter. Owens broke it up.

The Viper delivered the DDT, but Owens caught him with fallaway slam into the barricade. Cesaro dove over the top, wiping out both of his opponent.

Orton delivered a series of RKOs and picked up the win, pinning Cesaro for the victory. 

Result

Randy Orton defeated Cesaro and Kevin Owens.

Grade

B+

Analysis

Cesaro wrestled another fantastic match, earning the fans' respect with every dive, every swing and every submission attempt.

What started as a very slow match built beautifully, with bigger spots and more meaningful near-falls until Orton went on a RKO spree and picked up the win.

Some will question why the veteran went over two fresher stars, but considering the likelihood that the winner of this match was likely dropping the main event to Rollins, it makes sense to sacrifice the bulletproof Orton in that role, rather than portraying Cesaro and Owens as guys who can't win the big one.

Even if that is essentially what happened anyway with Cesaro's most recent loss.

But, alas, WWE Creative strikes again.

Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper

The latest chapter in the family feud between Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, and Luke Harper continued this week as the Lunatic Fringe, Ambrose, battled Harper in singles competition.

Reigns hit the ring as Ambrose's backup, which he would certainly need in order to combat what was sure to be some sort of underhanded interference from the Reaper of Souls Wyatt.

JBL insisted that neither Ambrose nor Harper have a plan, that they just do things, channeling The Joker's mindset from The Dark Knight. Meanwhile, in the ring, Harper delivered a huge sideslam reminiscent of TNA star Abyss' Black Hole Slam.

Ambrose turned the tide, delivering a baseball slide dropkick and a dive from the apron as the bout headed to break.

Harper controlled with a face lock and then tossed Ambrose like a lawn dart into the middle turnbuckle.

The Lunatic Fringe's comeback began with as boot to the face and tornado DDT. He scored a near-fall with a sunset flip, and the babyface continued to build momentum with a big bodyslam. Harper missed a big boot in the corner that led to a brawl outside the squared circle.

Ambrose sent Wyatt over the announce table and then caught Harper with a big clothesline.

Wyatt and Reigns brawled at ringside before Harper booted Reigns. Ambrose dove through the ropes onto his larger opponent, but it was Harper's discus clothesline that scored him the victory.

Result

Luke Harper pinned Dean Ambrose.

Grade

B

Analysis

It took a bit for the crowd to warm up to this one, but by the time the intensity increased, and Reigns and Wyatt became more involved, the crowd was eating it up.

And that is key. All four performers are incredibly intense so it makes the most sense for WWE Creative to play that up, to build their matches to chaotic crescendos, and leave fans wanting more, as was the case here.

Harper needed the win to establish credibility, while Ambrose is as close to bulletproof as they come. He has lost countless times in recent months but remains over because of his character and understated charisma.

Miz TV with Daniel Bryan

Credit: WWE.com

The Miz returned to Raw with another edition of Miz TV, with his special guest, hometown hero Daniel Bryan.

But first, he introduced actor Stephen Amell, promising to re-brand him and teach him how to act after Stardust runs through him.

Bryan was introduced to a huge ovation as he took his seat next to his longtime rival. Chants of "Daniel Bryan" filled the arena, interrupting the proceedings.

Bryan played to the hometown fans, starting a "Seahawks" chant, but The Miz cut him off, claiming to have made his career. The Yes Movement leader mocked The Miz's acting credentials and then credited his hard work and fan following for his achievements.

The Miz brought up Bryan's health, to which he responded by touting his success as an author and his status as a judge on Tough Enough.

The Miz credited Bryan with doing the right thing by giving up championships when injury struck and then suggested Ryback do the same thing. Big Show interrupted, cutting a promo about The Miz being full of crap and then unleashing on fans chanting "please retire."

Ryback returned, hitting the ring to a huge chorus of "feed me more" chants.

Bryan rolled The Miz into the ring, directly between his SummerSlam opponents. Within seconds, action erupted, with Ryback clearing the ring and fans chanting along with him. Ryback delivered the Meathook, hitting The Miz so hard he knocked him out of one shoe. The babyfaces stood tall to end the segment.

Grade

A 

Analysis

This was a great segment that gave hometown fans what they wanted in the form of a Daniel Bryan appearance, and it also put the attention and focus on SummerSlam's Intercontinental Championship match.

Ryback drew a huge pop, proving that his current push has been the most successful and rewarding of his career. It was a great moment for the Big Guy, who celebrated with friend Bryan.

Of course, the segment's one blemish was what felt like a sudden babyface, followed by another heel turn, for Big Show. That he can execute both within seconds of each other is further proof that even HE has no idea what he is supposed to be at this point.

Mark Henry vs. Rusev

When all else fails, trot out either Mark Henry or Jack Swagger to face Rusev. Monday night, WWE Creative opted for the former, as the World's Strongest Man battled the Bulgarian Brute.

Henry sandwiched Rusev in the corner, but the former United States champion caught him with a big kick off a Summer Rae distraction.

Summer attacked Lana in the ring, while Rusev left Henry lying at ringside. The former ballroom dancer applied The Accolade to Lana, leaving her in a heap in the center of the ring, much to Rusev's delight.

The Bulgarian flag was lowered from the ceiling, with Rusev's picture adorning it. 

Result

No-contest

Grade

C

Analysis

This was much better than the teen high school drama that has played out over the last two months.

Summer Rae proved dangerous, leaving Lana lying in the ring and putting further heat on the heel duo.

Henry is dead in the water; any star power he once had is gone.

This feud desperately needs Dolph Ziggler, and with one week until SummerSlam, by the time next week's Raw rolls around, expect to see The Showoff return, even though Lana announced on commentary that he would not return until after the summertime spectacular.

Neville vs. King Barrett

With much of the focus on Neville, Stardust and Stephen Amell at ringside, The Man That Gravity Forgot squared off with 2015 King of the Ring, King Barrett.

Barrett sent Neville sternum-first into the top turnbuckle and hammered away with some forearms to the back. A big kick to the face and the Red Arrow finished Barrett in short order.

Stardust attacked Neville after the match and then spotted Amell at ringside. He pie-faced Amell, who hopped the rail and took Stardust down, to the fans' delight. Security pulled Amell off as his lead villain hightailed it, with the Seattle fans chanting "let them fight." 

Result

Neville pinned King Barrett.

Grade

C

Analysis

It was a fine segment that did what it set out to by including Amell in the action and setting up a big SummerSlam match.

With that said, the grade is certainly affected by the bout's and the segment as a whole's rushed nature. It was hastily executed because of a lack of television time. It looked like a meaningless midcard program more than anything.

Luckily, the company has one more week to right that wrong.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins

Credit: WWE.com

One of the most intense rivalries of the first-half of 2015 was renewed in the main event of this week's show, as Randy Orton challenged Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Lilian Garcia gave the match the special title-match introductions, and the bout was underway.

The Viper controlled early, sending Rollins scurrying just a minute into the match, leading to the final break of the night.

Rollins worked a headlock out of the commercial, wearing down his already-exhausted challenger. A running forearm in the corner and a neckbreaker put Orton down, but a right hand cut off Rollins' suicide dive.

A series of clotheslines and the third-generation star's small package led to a two-count, while his trademark Snap Powerslam scored another near-fall.

The action spilled outside the ring, with Orton planting Rollins spine-first on the announce table.

The champion teased the Phoenix Splash, but Orton crotched him on the top rope, leading to a superplex, shades of the great "Cowboy" Bob Orton. The maneuver netted a close two-count.

Orton backdropped Rollins out of a Pedigree attempt, but The Architect landed on his feet. The Viper tried for the DDT, but Rollins countered and used his opponent's own move against him.

Rollins mocked the Orton RKO setup, drawing a chorus of boos. Orton caught Rollins midair with the RKO, but Sheamus pulled him out of the squared circle, drawing the disqualification (DQ) and costing his rival the title.

The Celtic Warrior delivered a Brogue Kick to Rollins and teased cashing in Money in the Bank, but Orton delivered an RKO and stood tall to close the broadcast.

Result

Randy Orton defeated Seth Rollins by disqualification.

Grade

C

Analysis

Orton and Rollins have had much-better matches in the past, but this was fine for a television main event.

The finish was clunky, with a botched spot just prior to Orton's midair RKO and a booking decision that makes no sense.

Why would Sheamus cost Orton the title, rather than really sticking it to him by letting him win it, only to cash in and take it from him? It would have been the ultimate heel move. Instead, fans were treated (?) to a finish everyone saw coming from a mile away.

Orton stood tall, a questionable decision considering the heavyweight champion looked like a complete afterthought by the end of the show.