WWE Raw Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From Aug. 24

WWE rolled into the Canadian Tire Centre in Montreal for the August 24 episode of Raw, headlined by a contract signing featuring Oba Femi and Bron Breakker.

What went down when they shared the same ring in a highly combustible situation?

Find out in this recap of Monday's show, including grades and analysis for the night's No. 1 contender's tournament match-ups.

Lineup

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Announced in advance of Monday's show were:

• No. 1 Contender's Tournament Match: Rey Fenix vs. Dragon Lee
• No. 1 Contender's Tournament Match: Penta vs. La Parka
• Stephanie Vaquer vs. Roxanne Perez
• Oba Femi and Bron Breakker contract signing

LA Knight Promo

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Last Time In Action: LA Knight, Solo Sikoa, and Royce Keys defeated The Bloodline (SummerSlam, August 1)

LA Knight and Solo Sikoa sent a warning shot to The Bloodline after dropping Roman Reigns and The Usos last week, kicking off the show with an in-ring promo that perfectly blended humor and serious, story-advancing work.

Interrupted by Jimmy and Jey Uso, though, the united duo accepted a challenge for a main event match later in the show and got the last word, to the delight of the fans.

A solid segment that showcased Sikoa's enormous personality, this was a great follow-up to last week's show-closing segment, on a night when the OTC is not scheduled to appear.

Grade

B

Top Takeaways

• Sikoa was genuinely funny here. His impersonation of Knight was outstanding and his Matrix reaction to Jey's "warning shot" was right out of Scary Movie. He's going to become a huge babyface star for WWE.
• Knight is doing some of his best work right now. He seems motivated by his spot, a spot that should have been his far sooner than it is.

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Roxanne Perez

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Last Time in Action: Stephanie Vaquer lost to Liv Morgan (WrestleMania, April 18); Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez lost to Iyo Sky and Sol Ruca (Raw, August 10)

Stephanie Vaquer scored her first victory in her first match in four months, defeating The Judgment Day's Roxanne Perez in singles competition on Monday.

The Prodigy put up a tough fight, working over La Primera, who showed some signs of ring rust but shook it off for the most part down the stretch.

Overcoming interference from Women's World Champion Liv Morgan and Women's Intercontinental Champion Raquel Rodriguez, Vaquer downed Perez, thanks to the arrival of Becky Lynch, and earned the win to continue building momentum toward a championship opportunity.

After the match, Lynch and Vaquer exchanged words, keeping the tension between them alive in what is becoming one of the best programs on the Raw brand.

Result

Vaquer defeated Perez

Grade

B

Top Takeaways

• Perez is almost wasted in this role. The issues between her and Morgan are nearly non-existent at this point. She has largely become the tackling dummy for the Judgment Day, working matches and losing them as part of everyone else's story. One of the best wrestlers in the company, hopefully that trend changes sooner rather than later.
• Vaquer looked good in her first match in four months. She looked a tad slower, but that ring rust will be erased the more ring time she gets in the coming weeks and months.

No. 1 Contender's Tournament Match: Rey Fenix vs. Dragon Lee

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Last Time in Action: Dragon Lee defeated El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. (Raw, August 17); Rey Fenix defeated El Fiscal (Raw, August 17)

Two of the best luchadors in professional wrestling squared off in the semifinals of the No. 1 Contender's Tournament, a chance to challenge Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship on September 14 in Mexico City, on the line, as AAA Cruiserweight Champion Rey Fenix battled Dragon Lee.

Chants of "this is awesome" rained from the stands as Lee launched himself through the ropes with a tope suicida and wiped Fenix out on the announce table. Back in the ring, he delivered a big DDT for two.

Fenix delivered a rolling cutter to a charging Lee, then added the Mexican Muscle Buster for the pinfall victory to cash his ticket to the finals of the tournament.

This was an excellent match that highlighted two woefully underutilized talents. Fans in Montreal were red hot for everything they did, and the result was an enhanced experience that proved that sometimes the best thing WWE can do to win over the audience is to let two extraordinary in-ring talents deliver between the ropes.

Result

Fenix defeated Lee

Grade

A

Top Takeaways

• How many times does Lee have to show up and show out before enjoying a sustained push?
• Are we really going to get a Fenix vs. Penta match before we ever see them team up as the Lucha Bros? It certainly looks that way.