WWE Raw Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights After Sunday Night's Main Event

On the heels of Sunday Night's Main Event, where Bronson Reed returned to help Bron Breakker, Logan Paul and Austin Theory lay out Oba Femi and intensify their rivalry, WWE Raw aired on Netflix from Legacy Arena at the BJCC in Birmingham, Alabama.

What went down when The Vision and Femi were in the same arena? Was Stephanie Vaquer able to avenge her WrestleMania 42 loss to women's world champion Liv Morgan? What was next for 946?

Find out the answers to those and more in this recap of the September 7 broadcast.

Lineup

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Announced in advance of Monday's show were:

• Women's World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan (c)
• The fallout from Bronson Reed's return
• Men's Money in the Bank Qualifier: Ethan Page vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Bron Breakker
• Women's Money in the Bank Qualifier: Maxxine Dupri vs. Sol Ruca vs. Lyra Valkyria

The Vision Kicks Off Raw

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"The Vision is complete, and we do not ask what happens around here. We decide it," Bronson Reed said as he rejoined Bron Breakker, Logan Paul, Austin Theory and Maxxine Dupri in the ring at the top of Monday's show.

The opening promo segment saw the faction take a victory lap, with each member receiving mic time. Their celebration was cut short by the arrival of Akira Tozawa, who revealed that Theory would be competing Monday night, but it would not be against the former cruiserweight and 24/7 champion.

Instead, Otis emerged, making his return after weeks away, ready to avenge a brutal assault at the hands of the world tag team champion.

Grade

B

Top Takeaways

• Reed's return and beatdown of Oba Femi was the most memorable moment of the night Sunday, so kicking off the show with The Vision was the right call. It may have been a more effective segment had Auszilla been able to shine a bit more, but if the point was to reassert the group's dominance, this felt like a step in the right direction.
• It is a testament to the connection Otis has with the audience that he and Tozawa remain as over as they are, even after a year-plus of losing more than they win.

Otis vs. Austin Theory

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Last Time in Action: Otis and Akira Tozawa lost to Bron Breakker and Austin Theory (Raw, July 27); Theory defeated Tozawa (Raw, August 10)

Much as they did Sunday night in Atlanta, The Vision again combined to unleash hell and beat down Alpha Academy Monday night as Bronson Reed attacked Otis as he built momentum late in the match with Theory.

The result was a disqualification loss for the egotistical young competitor. Still, it mattered not, as Bron Breakker brutalized Otis with a spear, then joined his teammates in leaving Tozawa in a heap.

An angry Oba Femi hit the ring, but the numbers game proved to be too much for The Ruler, who found himself on the receiving end of multiple Tsunamis and left lying for the second consecutive night.

Result

Otis defeated Theory via disqualification

Grade

B+

Top Takeaways

• Femi hit the ring without entrance music, a rare babyface run-in without the bells and whistles that take away from the spontaneity of it all.
• This was the first time that The Vision felt like more than an overhyped midcard act. They were presented as well as they have been in months and the result was a successful first quarter of the broadcast. Hopefully, the creative team can build on that momentum.

The Miz and Kit Wilson Attack Matt Matthews

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Jackie Redmond caught up with comedian Matt Matthews in his hometown of Birmingham, but they were interrupted by The Miz.

Celebrating two decades of in-ring competition in WWE, The A-Lister took exception to WWE wasting time on the celebrity guest rather than giving him airtime—justifiably so.

The segment turned physical, with the heels bullying Matthews and The Miz downing him with the Skull-Crushing Finale.

Grade

F

Top Takeaways

• The positive: Miz and Wilson got television time.
• Beyond that, this certainly happened, drawing little to no reaction from fans whose familiarity with Matthews appeared to mirror that of the national audience.

Men's Money in the Bank Qualifier: Rey Mysterio vs. Ethan Page vs. Bron Breakker

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Last Time In Action: Rey Mysterio lost to Chad Gable (Raw, August 17); Ethan Page lost to Dragon Lee (Raw, August 31); Bron Breakker lost to Oba Femi via DQ (Sunday Night's Main Event, September 6)

Bron Breakker continued his momentous two-night stretch, cashing his ticket to Money in the Bank in New Orleans by besting Rey Mysterio and Ethan Page in a three-way qualifying match.

He absorbed punishment at the hands of his Hall of Fame opponent, Mysterio, but recovered and tossed his opponents around the squared circle before earning the win with his trademark spear.

Mysterio is a GOAT candidate, and Page certainly deserves better than he has enjoyed to this point, but Breakker winning was the right call.

Result

Breakker defeated Mysterio and Page

Grade

C+

Top Takeaways

• Mysterio is in the discussion for best wrestler of all time. What he has accomplished over his career—revolutionizing professional wrestling in the United States—and his longevity are nearly unheard of today. That he is still having good matches against top talent to this point is even more impressive.
• Maybe he is rejuvenated by his renewed push, but this was a strong performance from Breakker. He was crisp, sharp, and there was a sense of confidence in his ring work. He looked great here and was the right choice to go over.
• Backstage, LA Knight implored general manager Adam Pearce to give him his shot at Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship before warning Solo Sikoa to stay out of Royce Keys and OTM's path.

Women's Money in the Bank Qualifier: Sol Ruca vs. Maxxine Dupri vs. Lyra Valkyria

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Last Time in Action: Sol Ruca lost to Raquel Rodriguez (Raw, August 31); Maxxine Dupri defeated Wendy Choo (Main Event, August 27); Lyra Valkyria lost to Sol Ruca (Raw, August 17)

Valkyria was moments away from cashing her ticket to the Money in the Bank Ladder Match when Bayley returned after weeks away, pulling referee Jessika Carr out of the ring and preventing the three-count.

Ruca, red-hot throughout most of the match, capitalized and delivered the Sol Snatcher to cash her ticket to the premium live event.

After the match, Bayley unleashed weeks of frustration on Valkyria, standing tall and seemingly answering the question of what the future holds for her.

Result

Ruca defeated Valkyria and Dupri

Grade

B+

Top Takeaways

• This may have been Ruca's best performance on the main roster. She looked confident, crisp, and was given plenty to do. Of course, a lot of wrestlers have had their best matches over the last year with Valkyria.
• The pop for Bayley was otherworldly and exactly the reaction a star of her magnitude, with the resume she has, deserves.
• The match itself was a strong one, with some great chemistry on display between the aforementioned Ruca and Valkyria, and a quality showing from the underutilized Dupri.
• A pre-taped vignette saw Joe Hendry make fun of JD McDonagh by claiming his mother fell in love with a giant Funko Pop.

Joe Hendry vs. JD McDonagh

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Last Time in Action: Joe Hendry lost to Dominik Mysterio (Sunday Night's Main Event Pre-Show, September 6); JD McDonagh and Mysterio defeated Hendry and Je'Von Evans (Raw, August 31)

You had to figure that the Funko Pop headpiece that featured in the Hendry vignette would rear its large, oversized head in this match, and it did.

Late in Hendry and McDonagh's match, Je'Von Evans appeared with the headpiece on. He blasted Mysterio with a headbutt, and the distraction allowed the Scot to score the win.

As usual, WWE never misses the chance to overdo a gag and beat it into the ground.

Result

Hendry defeated McDonagh

Grade

D

Top Takeaways

• How did we get here, to the point where Mysterio is taking bumps for Funko Pops, less than one year after defeating John Cena to regain the Intercontinental Championship at Survivor Series?
• Everyone involved with this segment is above it. They are all better than this, yet this was the best that the creative team could come up with for them. Make it make sense.

Women's World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan

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Last Time in Action: Stephanie Vaquer defeated Roxanne Perez (Raw, August 24); Liv Morgan defeated Iyo Sky (SummerSlam, August 1)

After taunting Becky Lynch backstage, women's world champion Morgan took to the squared circle for her much-anticipated WrestleMania 42 rematch against Vaquer.

Morgan halted La Primera's early onslaught and worked over her challenger throughout the match's first commercial break. She dominated Vaquer, but the challenger fought her way back into the match, exchanging blows with Morgan.

Moments later, the babyface battled the champion to the floor and unleashed Devil's Kiss on the commentary table, to the delight of the WWE Universe.

Chants of "this is awesome" rained from the stands as Morgan delivered a big powerbomb but could not keep Vaquer down for the count. Frustration set in for both women amid failed attempts to pick up the win.

As La Primera built momentum and looked for the Vaquer Inferno, Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez arrived on the scene, providing a distraction that ended with their banishment from the ringside area. Lynch made the save, fending off Big Sexy, but The Prodigy slipped Morgan the women's title belt. The heel utilized it to knock her opponent out and secure the win.

Result

Morgan defeated Vaquer to retain the title

Grade

B+

Top Takeaways

• This was a strong match from Vaquer and Morgan, showcasing in-ring chemistry far greater than what they displayed at WrestleMania, where one of the year's biggest matches received only six minutes. It was longer, better, and had fans hanging on every near-fall.
• The finish protected Vaquer and potentially intensifies her rivalry with Lynch, as she may incorrectly suggest that The Man's presence proved distracting.

The Bloodline Runs the Play

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After a show-long story in which Jimmy and Jey Uso waited for Jacob Fatu to call the play, one week after the former two were beaten down by Royce Keys and OTM, the brothers and The Samoan Werewolf made their way to the ring to call out 946.

Instead of joining The Bloodline in the ring, Keys and OTM appeared on the video screen, live from the parking lot outside of the Legacy Arena. The former instructed the latter two to destroy the faction's vehicle, then watched as they doused it in gasoline.

Keys tossed a match, burning the vehicle with two explosions to close the show.

"Ain't nobody safe," Keys warned.

Grade

C+

Top Takeaways

• Cool visual? Sure, but did we really need a show-long build to this segment considering the outcome? Would it not have worked as a brief segment midway through, with the women headlining instead?
• The answer to the first is "no," while the answer to the second is a hard "yes."
• Regardless, Keys and OTM have received meaningful TV time and made the most of it, which is a welcome development on Mondays.

Overall Grade and MVP

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MVPs: Vaquer and Morgan

It was the most hyped match of this week's show and the WrestleMania 42 rematch delivered. The crowd was hot, the action was vastly superior to the six minutes of mediocrity we got in Las Vegas, and the finish propels the ongoing story forward rather than leaving it stagnant.

A great night for both women, with Morgan reminding the audience that she can, in fact, work.

Overall Grade: C+

This edition of Raw did not quite hit as one would have hoped, but there was still more good than bad over its two-plus-hour runtime. Some questionable use of that time, including the decision to close with the final segment rather than the title match, only further muddied the waters.