WWE Raw Winners, Live Grades and Reaction Before SummerSlam 2026

Just days before SummerSlam 2026 kicks off at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, WWE Raw emanated from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles with a packed show featuring last-minute hype for the biggest matches on the weekend's two-night card.

What went down when Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins came face-to-face ahead of their World Heavyweight Championship match at the premium live event, and what awaited Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi as they weighed in for their date in Hell in a Cell?

Find out with this recap of the July 27 Netflix broadcast, including grades and analysis from all of the night's action.

Lineup

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Announced in advance of Monday's show were:

• Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins face-to-face before SummerSlam
• Alpha Academy vs. The Vision (non-title)
• Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar weigh-in
• Joe Hendry and Danhausen concert
• Je'Von Evans vs. Rusev
• Women's Intercontinental Championship Match: Sol Ruca vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Hell in a Cell Weigh-In

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Last Time in Action: Oba Femi defeated JD McDonagh (Raw, July 20); Brock Lesnar defeated Femi (Clash in Italy, May 31)

Ahead of Saturday's Hell in a Cell Match between Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar, the combatants took to the squared circle for the official weigh-in, conducted by Raw general manager Adam Pearce and WWE chief content officer Triple H.

With the unforgiving confines of the steel structure surrounding the squared circle, Femi weighed in at 302 pounds before The Beast Incarnate made his way to the ring.

Paul Heyman put over Lesnar's history of success in cages and warned The Ruler that he will be the underdog Saturday night before revealing his client's weight: 303 pounds.

"I'm not locked in here with you. You are locked in here with me," Femi said to close out the segment.

This was all spectacle. Nothing was accomplished beyond what we have already seen in multiple segments involving these Superstars.

The visual of the cell was great, and at least WWE changed things up with a weigh-in segment instead of a tired contract signing, but this did little to make anyone want to see the match any more or less than they already did.

Grade

C+

Top Takeaways

• If Saturday's match has any outcome other than a Femi victory, this company deserves every bit of criticism it deserves.
• Femi laying out security with his trademark powerbomb would probably have meant more if we had not already seen it before.

Alpha Academy vs. The Vision

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Last Time in Action: Alpha Academy defeated BirthRight (Main Event, May 28); The Vision defeated Dragon Lee and Je'Von Evans (Raw, July 20)

Alpha Academy proved themselves a capable and worthy opponent for the World Tag Team Championship on Monday night, pushing Austin Theory and Bron Breakker to the brink in a highly competitive non-title match.

Late in the match, Otis and Akira Tozawa overcame an onslaught from The Vision and were rolling. The latter climbed the ropes for his trademark senton, only for Logan Paul to provide a distraction. Theory got his knees up, driving the wind from Tozawa.

With Otis down at ringside, Breakker obliterated the smaller babyface to win the match.

After the match, the heels beat down their opponents, with Maxxine Dupri adding insult to injury on Otis. Theory delivered a sickening chair shot to the big man to close things out.

A strong outing from the babyfaces, a fun match down the stretch, and some great heat for the heels made this a great way to kick off the in-ring portion of tonight's broadcast.

Result

The Vision defeated Alpha Academy

Grade

B

Top Takeaways

• Dupri is reveling in the opportunity to be a heel. She is completely invested and the result is a character that is easy to dislike.
• Alpha Academy is a genuinely great babyface tag team that does not get utilized nearly enough. Every time they have the chance to showcase themselves in an extended match, it is a banger.

Je'Von Evans vs. Rusev

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Last Time in Action: Je'Von Evans and Dragon Lee lost to The Vision (Raw, July 20); Rusev and Ethan Page lost to Chad Gable and Penta (Raw, July 20)

Two weeks after he suffered a post-match beatdown at the hands of The Bulgarian Brute, Je'Von Evans squared off with Rusev in singles action.

The Young OG frustrated his opponent at multiple points throughout the match and even appeared to blind him following a Red Dot kick. Rusev shrugged it off, though, and caught Evans in mid-flight before applying the Accolade.

Evans, ever the resilient babyface, fought his way to the ropes, stunned Rusev, and added the OG Cutter for the grueling win.

A good power vs. elusiveness matchup, it paid off the angle from two weeks earlier and gave Evans what is, hopefully, a momentum-building win.

Result

Evans defeated Rusev

Grade

C+

Top Takeaways

• Evans was more verbal in Monday's show than usual. It works for his character and helps add to the unbridled energy he brings to his performances. Looking into the camera and saying, "We'll be right back," before the commercial break was brilliant.
• These two have been wrestling in singles, tag team, and multi-man matches as part of Raw's midcard for so long now that it was understandably difficult for the audience to get too excited for the match. It might be time to freshen things up on Mondays.

Joe Hendry and Danhausen Concert

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Last Time in Action: Joe Hendry defeated Dominik Mysterio (Raw, July 20); Danhausen defeated JD McDonagh (Saturday Night's Main Event, July 18)

A concert segment involving Joe Hendry and Danhausen, which admittedly went on for too long, came to a screeching halt Monday night, courtesy of The Judgment Day's Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh, and WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia.

The latter blasted Hendry with a guitar, then watched as Dirty Dom and the Iron Lung beat down Danhausen ahead of Mysterio's showdown with the very evil, very nice Superstars on Saturday in Minneapolis.

This was fine and fun, to an extent, but it did nothing to further the Danhausen-Mysterio feud or put any additional heat on it that did not already exist. A theme with tonight's show.

Grade

C+

Top Takeaways

• Segments like this succeed because of Danhausen's commitment to the bit. He hammed it up here when it became clear he was not playing the organ and it elevated the whole ordeal.

Rey Mysterio vs. 'All Ego' Ethan Page

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Last Time in Action: Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee defeated Ethan Page and Rusev (Raw, June 1); Page and Rusev lost to Penta and Chad Gable (Raw, July 20)

Looking to avenge a rib injury suffered at the hands of his opponent in June, Rey Mysterio squared off with Ethan Page in a match with potential Intercontinental Championship implications.

The heel controlled the match through the commercial break, but as he had so many times in his Hall of Fame career, Mysterio stuck around and fought his way back into the contest.

Late, he dove from the top rope, delivered a hurricanrana to the floor that sent his opponent into the commentary team, and set Page up for the 619. The resourceful All Ego used the ring apron to trap his opponent. From there, the Egoplex earned Page the win.

Another good match that, unfortunately, feels more like treadmill riding for those involved rather than anything to propel either upward. Still, not a bad way to spend two segments of a Monday night.

Result

Page defeated Mysterio

Grade

B

Top Takeaways

• Why bring Mysterio back after a month and a half away just to have him lose? Sometimes, WWE loses track of how valuable a star the Hall of Famer is by having him needlessly lose.
• Backstage, Adam Pearce caught up with Danhausen, who demanded a "Human Monies on a Pole" match with Dirty Dom at SummerSlam.

The Usos Hyped SummerSlam

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Last Time in Action: The Usos lost to The MFTs (SmackDown, May 1)

Ahead of a big Six-Man Tag Team Match pitting The Bloodline against Solo Sikoa, LA Knight, and Royce Keys, Jimmy and Jey Uso hit the ring for a promo.

Before they could say much, Sikoa appeared in the crowd. He asked why he would want to go back to the Bloodline, then said he loved where he was. "You can tell Roman he can kiss my ass," he exclaimed.

LA Knight entered the arena, talked trash, then joined Sikoa in a brawl with The Usos until Jacob Fatu arrived on the scene. The Samoan Werewolf made his way to the ring, but quickly caught fists from Knight and Sikoa.

Fatu fended them off and dominated until Keys made the save. He threw down with his friend-turned-rival, eventually clearing him from the ring and standing tall with his SummerSlam partners.

Like much of the show, this highlighted a match on Saturday's card without doing anything to actually push the story forward. It was fine for what it was, and it gave Sikoa a chance to show off his personality, so there is that.

Grade

C+

Top Takeaways

• Sikoa is going to be a big star as a babyface. He is charismatic in a way that a large portion of the audience has yet to see. Expect that to change in the coming weeks and months.
• Fatu is getting that star reaction when he enters. The entire tone of this one changed as he came through the curtain.

Women's Intercontinental Championship: Sol Ruca vs. Raquel Rodriguez

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Last Time in Action: Sol Ruca defeated Raquel Rodriguez (Raw, July 6)

Three weeks after winning their previous encounter, women's intercontinental champion Sol Ruca sought to retain her title once more when she defended against Raquel Rodriguez.

The NXT export bloodied her No. 1 contender, appearing to shatter her nose following a moonsault to the floor. Rodriguez dominated a large portion of the bout there, and even benefited from interference from Roxanne Perez and Liv Morgan.

Iyo Sky attempted to even things up and prevent a tainted win. She did, wiping Morgan out with a Bullet Train attack against the ring post. That distraction allowed Perez to interfere, pulling Ruca off the ropes and allowing Rodriguez to deliver the Tejana Bomb for the win and the title.

The match was not always pretty, and it looked like Ruca and Rodriguez were not on the same page at least once, but the chaos in the closing moments helped elevate the quality. The surprise outcome put an exclamation point on it.

Result

Rodriguez defeated Ruca to win the championship

Grade

B

Top Takeaways

• Rodriguez has been a workhorse for the women's division for the better part of the last two years. She has also evolved her game over that time, earning the right to win her first singles title on the main roster.
• With that said, Becky Lynch worked hard to get Ruca over as a champion on the main roster, only for it to end two defenses later. That is hardly the way to maximize a genuine main eventer's star power.

Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns Face-to-Face

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Last Time in Action: Seth Rollins defeated Bron Breakker (Night of Champions, June 30); Roman Reigns defeated Jacob Fatu (Clash in Italy, May 31)

Seth Rollins interrupted Roman Reigns' main event promo and wasted little time telling him that, while The OTC has it all, the one thing he cannot claim is that he is better at professional wrestling than The Visionary.

The Architect reminded Reigns that their entire rivalry is defined by him beating The Tribal Chief, and Sunday at SummerSlam, he does not stand a chance at beating Rollins.

"The whole industry needs me to beat you," Reigns said.

Rollins reminded his former Shield mate of WrestleMania 31, when he cashed in on Reigns and sent his whole family home in tears. "I hope your whole family is there on Sunday because I would like nothing more than to watch them cry. Again."

Rollins suckered Reigns into losing his cool. Reigns unloaded on the No. 1 contender, rocking him with a Superman Punch and adding a spear. He grabbed a chair and reentered the ring with it, only for the recovered Rollins to deliver a stomp, driving his head into the weapon.

Rollins stood tall to close the show.

Grade

B+

Top Takeaways

• After weeks of "I need to beat you" drivel, this got back to where it all started, with Rollins manipulating Reigns and using his emotions against him. It worked to perfection here and ultimately allowed the Visionary to seize the upper hand entering Sunday's marquee match-up.
• Look for that steel chair to come into play Sunday night. It was, after all, the instrument of The Shield's demise and the start of the Rollins-Reigns feud.

MVP and Overall Grade

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MVP: Raquel Rodriguez

Big Sexy put the work in, never complained, and it paid off Monday night on Raw when she was rewarded with her first singles title on the main roster by way of her victory over Sol Ruca.

Fending off a clearly broken nose that left her bloodied, Rodriguez still bumped all around to sell Ruca's stuff and, arguably, was a better wrestler in the back-half of the bout than the early portion.

Some will take exception to the randomness of the title change, but Rodriguez is the furthest thing from an undeserving champion.

Overall Grade: C+

This was an odd show full of uninspired television segments that did nothing to generate any more intrigue or excitement for this weekend's premium live event.

That does not mean it was bad.

The show itself, in a bubble, was fine. When considering it was a go-home broadcast for the second biggest premium live event of the year, it was a sizeable disappointment that spent much of its time promoting matches through video packages while focusing all in-ring attention on stars without SummerSlam matches.