WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from August 24

The Aug. 24 edition of WWE Raw fed off SummerSlam's massiveness.

A glut of surprises on an eventful night made sure the first Raw after the summer blockbuster made good on the tradition of post-pay-per-view shows being huge, memorable ones. The unexpected kept coming: Ric Flair sauntered onto the stage, Jon Stewart took a bump and The Dudley Boyz got back to their table-breaking ways.

Fans came out of Monday's Raw assured of a third Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker match at some point. There's a new member of The Wyatt Family to look forward to. And it sure looks like Sting made himself the No. 1 contender for the WWE title.

While not a great show in terms of in-ring action, Raw in Brooklyn made sure fans will be buzzing afterward. The following dives into what generated all that buzz, breaking down all of the night's hits and misses.

Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman React to the SummerSlam Controversy

With Brock Lesnar seething next to him, Paul Heyman recounted the controversial finish of SummerSlam's main event. He replayed the footage of The Undertaker tapping out and explained that he had no issue with the referee or the timekeeper for their parts in this situation.

He simply wanted to inform people that The Undertaker's immortality is a fable and that his client wanted to take on The Deadman then and there in Brooklyn.

Bo Dallas came out instead. His usual condescending shtick served to only poke the bear. A smirking Lesnar clobbered Dallas. He then flung the former NXT champ around the ring with a series of suplexes. Heyman kept asking The Beast Incarnate to keep re-entering the ring to continue to torture Dallas.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

"I understand how uncomfortable it may be for this fairy tale to end."—Heyman

"Only in Brooklyn do you boo compassion."—Heyman

"I have enough material to last all three hours of Monday Night Raw."—Heyman

"Did Bo make a wrong turn?"—Byron Saxton

Grade

A-

Analysis

A surprisingly calm version of Heyman broke down the events at SummerSlam. He masterfully riled up the crowd and had Lesnar come off as the babyface in this scenario.

Blending reality and storyline by mentioning The Undertaker collapsing after the pay-per-view was a nice touch. Heyman tends to fold in the latest rumors into the narrative, adding depth and a sense of realism.

The big takeaway is that there clearly will be an Undertaker vs. Lesnar III as many expected. Look for others to get the treatment that Dallas did until that bout goes official. The Beast Incarnate will be on the prowl, a predator in wait for his prey.

The New Day vs. The Lucha Dragons

The Prime Time Players sat in on commentary, forced to watch the men who dethroned them Sunday in action.

Xavier Woods played the trombone as Big E and Kofi Kingston sang a self-congratulatory song. Of course, the heel trio took a few shots at the host city. Their mood soon changed, though, as Kalisto and Sin Cara had them reeling with their high-flying offense.

After the commercial break, Big E and Kingston regained control. They finished off The Lucha Dragons with ease.

The Dudley Boyz then stormed out, whipping the tag team champs while the crowd roared. After leaving Woods out cold, Bubba Ray and Devon jawed with The Prime Time Players.

Result

The New Day win via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

"Brooklyn is booty!"—Big E

Kingston hits Kalisto with a reverse suplex.

"Brooklyn has turned into Dudleyville."—Michael Cole

The Dudleys send Woods through table with a 3D.

Grade

A

Analysis

The New Day keep turning up the volume on their shtick. They have absolutely nailed their gimmick. Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods have performed so well in this role that they are becoming too popular to be true villains. 

The bigger story, though, is that The Dudley Boyz are back. The announcers made it sound like this wasn't some one-time deal, either. If they stick around, the tag team division is suddenly far more electric.

With the same teams going at it again and again with little story and little buzz, having Bubba Ray and Devon back is a well-needed boost.

Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt

The SummerSlam rematch began with Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose slamming their feet on the gas. They charged around the ring, bashing into Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt.

The Wyatt Family returned the favor. They clubbed Ambrose in their corner, slowing the contest into a slugfest.

When Reigns eventually tagged in, the match quickened and grew chaotic. Hard strikes echoed through the arena; bodies flew from rope to rope.

The lights went off, and a bearded behemoth in a sheep mask appeared. The big man laid out both Reigns and Ambrose.

Result

Ambrose and Reigns win via pinfall. 

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Harper slingshots himself over the top rope onto Ambrose.

Reigns punches Harper off the ring apron.

Fans chant "Who are you?" to the newest Wyatt.

Grade

B+

Analysis

Braun Stowman is the massive mystery man. He certainly has the right look for The Wyatt Family, but it's an odd choice, going with someone who has such little experience. It's also strange that Stowman got to jump straight to the main roster before debuting on NXT TV.

The Wyatt Family growing makes it feel more like a clan again. That's good news for the group overall, but questions linger about how much this powerhouse can contribute.

Miz TV with PCB

Becky Lynch, Charlotte and Paige talked up their SummerSlam victory. The Miz questioned whether there is tension between the members of the group.

Team Bella came out to cut the celebration short. Tension flared up quickly as The Bellas and Alicia Fox mocked their rivals and dismissed their accomplishments.

As PCB closed in on The Miz to make him pay for insulting them, the Bellas attacked them. A mild brawl ensued.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

"Your dad and I are old pals, actually. He taught me the figure-four, and I perfected it."—The Miz

Lynch says she would take on a dinosaur or cyborg if it came to it.

Fans chant "We want Sasha!"

Grade

C-

Analysis

The segment never clicked. PCB, who came off as rather heelish, had little to work with here. It's hard to buy all their dominance talk after just one match.

Like the match that followed, this is an example of how this faction-versus-faction angle feels more like a crowded stage than a battlefield.

The angle is losing momentum each week. WWE needs to better establish a direction for the story and use it to create more than a singular, one-dimensional feud.

Team Bella vs. PCB

The Divas champion found herself in defensive mode early. Becky Lynch, Charlotte and Paige took turns grappling with Nikki Bella.

PCB remained dominant for much of the match. Charlotte briefly found herself in the wrong corner, but Paige soon took back control for her team.

The restless crowd wasn't interested in much of it.

Nikki landed a forearm to Paige behind the referee's back. That allowed Alicia Fox to get the pin.

Result

Team Bella win via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Fans chant "We want Blue Pants!"

Lynch and Charlotte kip up at the same time.

Charlotte dives over the top rope onto all three members of Team Bella.

Grade

C-

Analysis

A disrespectful crowd crapped all over this. There's a lot of blame to go around for that. The Brooklyn fans were more interested in getting themselves over than seeing what unfolded in the ring.

The match was a snoozer at worst and OK at best, though. A slow pace hurt it. So did the unclear nature of what's at stake in this rivalry.

Just having the teams trade wins isn't a winning formula. Victories start to mean less when everyone earns them and no one is getting them in a row to gain momentum.

Stardust Attacks King Barrett

It looked as if Stardust were going to team up with King Barrett again. Instead, The Prince of Dark Matter attacked his ally.

Neville soon rushed in. He kicked Stardust dizzy and readied the Red Arrow, but Stardust darted out of the ring.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Stardust hits The Queen's Crossbow on Barrett.

Grade

D

Analysis

So much for the Barrett-Stardust team. The duo had some solid potential and was a good place for Barrett to thrive. He gets shafted instead, while Stardust is the clear focus moving forward.

This all happened too fast. Was a tag team match supposed to happen? If so, why not hold off the attack for a bit longer and milk the implosion more?

Jon Stewart Explains Himself

JP Yim/Getty Images

Jon Stewart told fans that he attacked John Cena at SummerSlam to prevent him from tying Ric Flair's record for the most world title reigns. The Nature Boy himself soon came out, saying that he was pulling for Cena.

Flair said that he respected Cena just moments before the former U.S. champ came out to confront Seth Rollins. Cena barked at Stewart about costing him his title. He gave the TV host an Attitude Adjustment and left him lying in the ring.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

"The champ is Flair!"—Stewart

"Don't forget. God's in the house tonight."—Flair

Stewart does Cena's "You can't see me!" gesture, hoping it makes him invisible to an angry Cena.

"I've got punchlines too. I'll have you stand on a line and punch you."—Cena

Grade

A

Analysis

A serious, angry Cena never disappoints. He was strong here and gave WWE a moment that is going to blow up on mainstream media tomorrow: slamming Stewart to the mat.

Stewart's reasoning is good enough. The success of the SummerSlam betrayal hinged on his doing it for a plausible reason. Being a crazy Flair fan of sorts works fine.

This was a fun, surprising segment, the kind of thing one expects on Raw right after a big pay-per-view.

8-Man Tag Team Match

JP Yim/Getty Images

Randy Orton, Ryback, Cesaro and Dolph Ziggler battled Rusev, Kevin Owens, Sheamus and Big Show.

The eight rivals stared one another down outside the ring before getting down to business. The heels swarmed on Ziggler, keeping him grimacing as they took turns clocking him.

Lana and Summer Rae brawled outside the ring, which distracted Rusev and incited the crowd.

Rusev and Owens slugged it out. Orton tangled with Sheamus. 

An errant knockout punch from Big Show and an RKO from The Viper allowed the babyfaces to grab the win. Owens and Rusev, angry with Big Show's error, teamed up to beat him down. The giant then took a beating from the good guys as well.

Result

Orton, Ryback, Cesaro and Ziggler win via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Fans chant "Big Show sucks!" in the style of "New Day sucks!"

Owens does the Ziggler hip-shaking dance.

Sheamus executes a standing Brock Lock.

Cesaro stuns Rusev with a Cesaro Swing.

"That's no way to greet a giant."—John "Bradshaw" Layfield

Orton hits an RKO on Big Show with Cesaro and Rusev holding up the big man.

Grade

B

Analysis

Following a recent trend, WWE crammed several feuds in one match. While there wasn't much in the way of advancing those feuds here, a few things stood out.

For one, Ryback and Owens showed some good chemistry. That's a good option for an Intercontinental Championship feud if WWE wants to opt for it.

Rusev and Owens clicked as a team as well—another intriguing direction to take there.

And hopefully Big Show getting pummeled by his partners isn't a sign that he's turning face again. He flip-flops alignments far too much. An angle where he has a breakdown after fans and wrestlers alike reject him is the better option.

Seth Rollins Statue Unveiling

As promised, Triple H had a Seth Rollins statue made. To ensure that the unveiling ceremony went smoothly, The Authority had security escort John Cena out of the arena. 

After singing an off-key rendition of "Happy Birthday!" to Vince McMahon, The Authority talked up Rollins' accomplishments. Rollins soon arrived, comparing himself to Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth. He trashed Cena before the drumroll hit.

Sting stood under the black curtain, with no statue in sight. The Stinger attacked the champ as The Authority scampered away.

Sting held up the WWE title as the show closed.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

"You're not the future of the WWE anymore; you're the man."—Triple H

"That sounds wrong. There aren't really any legendary Brooklyn Nets."—Rollins

Grade

A-

Analysis

Smart move by WWE to play videos of other wrestler statues getting unveiled. This made the moment feel bigger.

The speeches ran on long here, holding back the segment more. 

At this point, though, any Sting appearance feels like a major event and allows WWE to cover up its storytelling flaws. And this Raw ended with fans intrigued about what's to come. Is Sting really in the title picture? How does Cena fit into this story, then?

The fact that the answers to those questions aren't obvious leaves the audience engaged and curious going forward. That's a success in itself.