WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from September 28

Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt saved Monday's episode of Raw.

A night marked by ill-advised booking, a lack of anything special and a general malaise got a cure in the form of two rivals creating a cyclone of violence together.

WWE's mishandling of the Divas revolution continued. Big Show was all over the show, not convincing the audience that he is capable of taking down Brock Lesnar. Matches ended too quickly, with narratives being rushed.

Then came Reigns and Wyatt looking to prove that it made sense for their battle to main-event Raw. It did. Their feud took a giant step forward on a night when so many stories stood still.

The following is a look at that battle and all the show's happenings. Letter grades are for the effectiveness of stories, the performances in the ring and the quality of WWE's decision-making.

John Cena vs. Xavier Woods

Welcomed by boos, John Cena addressed the crowd in Buffalo, New York, claiming he was going to start doing his open challenges once more.

The New Day answered him this time. Big E mocked the champ and Kofi Kingston cackled as he promised that the trio would be swimming in gold. They eventually chose Xavier Woods as their representative.

An intense Cena bowled over Woods, decked Big E off the ring apron and threatened to take down Kingston. After the referee ejected Kingston and Big E, the champ found himself in a bit of trouble.

Woods stunned Cena with a few big moves, including Lost in the Woods.

A missed leap from the top rope cost Woods, though. Cena clamped on the STF, and Woods' teammates ran in to save him.

The Dudley Boyz soon joined forces with Cena to clear the heels from the ring.

Result

Cena wins by disqualification.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Woods plays Cena's entrance music on his trombone.
• Big E to Cena: "Your title reign has been booty."
• Woods lands a springboard DDT.

Grade

B-

Analysis

For the second week in a row, WWE opened Raw with someone other than The Authority. That freshened things up, avoiding the usual pattern of going with a longwinded promo to kick things off.

The New Day's antics were highly entertaining as usual. The match itself had a handful of strong moments but wasn't great. Woods is the least talented in-ring performer of the trio, and it showed.

Nevertheless, WWE was smart to highlight the tag champs here and portray Woods as a challenge for Cena.

The Dudley Boyz and John Cena vs. The New Day

The brawl after Raw's opening bout eventually became an official tag match.

Big E worked over the weary John Cena. The rest of New Day followed his lead, keeping the powerhouse on the mat and in its corner.

D-Von Dudley stormed in to shift the match's momentum. He had the tag champs reeling, seemingly ready to hit the Dudley Death Drop. A distraction from Woods allowed Kingston to take out D-Von with Trouble of Paradise.

Result

The New Day wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Woods to Cena in the corner: "I should be U.S. champion! I should be U.S. champion!"
• D-Von yanks Kingston's hair before nailing him with a neckbreaker.

Grade

C

Analysis

Not a lot in the way of standout action here. This was just a means to get The Dudley Boyz more upset at the champs heading into their title bout.

The goal makes sense. The journey there just wasn't thrilling. The Dudley Boyz have yet to have a stellar showing since coming back.

It's going to take incorporating tables, ladders and chairs into the mix to get the most out of them.

Big Show vs. Mark Henry

Big Show dominated Mark Henry. He made sure to bark to the crowd after nearly every blow to his fellow big man.

The World's Largest Athlete body-slammed Henry over and over. He clobbered him with stomps and finished him with a knockout blow.

Result

Big Show wins pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Big Show: "I'm a damn giant!"

Grade

D

Analysis

It's hard to sell Big Show as a legit threat to Brock Lesnar when The Beast Incarnate whipped him so decisively at the 2014 Royal Rumble. Rather than mention that beatdown, WWE seems to be hoping fans have forgotten it ever happened.

It's even harder to get excited about Big Show's growing momentum. The expected outcome is that he just gets torn apart by Lesnar.

Beating Henry isn't going to help in that department. At this point, everybody beats the powerhouse from Silsbee, Texas.

Miz TV with Charlotte and Becky Lynch

The Miz plugged Total Divas before welcoming Becky Lynch and Charlotte. He tried to rile up his guests by reminding them of Paige's actions last week.

Lynch yanked the mic from The Miz and tossed it. Charlotte called out Paige, hoping to get some revenge, but The Bellas sauntered up instead. Nikki Bella reminded everyone that she broke AJ Lee's record and claimed to have started the Divas revolution.

The teams closed in, ready to fight, before Paige made her way onto the crowded stage.

Bickering turned into brief brawling. Paige worked alongside Lynch and Charlotte to have the heels retreat.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Nikki on who started the Divas revolution: "There was one woman, one beautiful, amazingly talented Diva that day. And that Diva was me."
• Paige to Nikki and Brie: "When you have two boyfriends like yours, who really needs ambition?"

Grade

C-

Analysis

WWE has been too busy talking about the revolution rather than showing it in action.

Stop referencing the angle and start writing it. Stop having the women bicker over who started the movement. Instead, let them develop rivalries like actual wrestlers.

The Miz calling Paige vs. Charlotte a catfight is demeaning. It should be billed as a battle of titans. Catfighting is below these women.

Charlotte and Lynch not attacking Paige right away was silly. WWE made a worse choice than that, though, by then pairing them up with her in the next match.

Team Bella vs. PCB

Despite their issues, despite Paige tearing into both her teammates, PCB joined forces against Team Bella.

The heels took control by overpowering Lynch. Brie drove her knee into Lynch's back. Alicia Fox threw her around the mat.

The match soon turned chaotic, leading to Charlotte accidentally running into Paige. The Anti-Diva stormed off in response.

Natalya came down to offer her support. Paige rewarded her by slamming her on the ring apron. Their fight distracted Charlotte, allowing Nikki to pounce and get the win.

Result

Team Bella wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• John "Bradshaw" Layfield: "Chaos brings ladders."

Grade

D-

Analysis

The announcers spent too much time arguing about the Divas revolution. Call the action. The match is part of the revolution and far more relevant than a discussion about who started the movement.

There were too many lapses in narrative logic.

It makes zero sense that Lynch and Charlotte would trust Paige. It makes no sense that Natalya would think she can replace Paige in the match.

WWE seems to be booking the women's division halfheartedly. This felt like something rushed out of the writers' room.

The Prime Time Players vs. Luke Harper and Braun Strowman

Luke Harper withstood Darren Young's brief offensive flurry and then floored him with a boot to the face. He and Strowman then delivered a methodical dismantling of the babyface.

Titus O'Neil fared better. He stunned Harper but failed to do the same to Strowman. Distracted by the monster of a man, O'Neil fell to Harper first and then The Wyatt Family's Goliath.

O'Neil failed to escape Strowman's finisher, passing out in moments.

Result

Harper and Strowman win via submission.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Michael Cole: "The new face of desolation on the right. The new face of destruction on the left."

Grade

B-

Analysis

Brief but effective action helped give Harper and Strowman some momentum. It's refreshing to see them cause havoc on their own.

While not a classic bout by any means, there was solid action in the short contest.

Having a decisive winner is the way to go here. The bearded bruisers can be major forces in the tag division. This is how you build them up to be just that.

Neville vs. Stardust

Stardust grounded Neville early on. He made sure to keep the high-flyer from using the top rope, stomping on his chest.

Neville, though, would not be stopped. He evaded Stardust in his usual thrilling fashion and looked to be readying Stardust for the Red Arrow.

King Barrett returned, first clubbing Neville and then leaving Stardust out cold.

Result

Match ends in a no-contest.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Stardust hisses at Neville from his knees.
• Barrett: "All hail the return of the king."

Grade

C

Analysis

It's good to see Barrett back and without the cartoon king gear.

This all felt rushed. Even though Neville and Stardust keep fighting each other, they seemingly aren't that much of a priority.

There wasn't enough time for the match to be anything memorable, but Barrett's comeback was a good surprise. It will be interesting to see where WWE goes with this next. Does Barrett force his way into this rivalry?

Kane's Performance Evaluation

The Authority informed Kane that he would be undergoing a performance evaluation.

Beforehand, Kane showed off his compassion for his co-worker when he presented Seth Rollins with the head from his statue in a box. Ashley from Human Resources later stood with Kane in the ring to evaluate the Director of Operations.

She didn't get but a word in when Rollins interrupted. He tried to explain to Ashley that Kane is not the corporate yes-man he is pretending to be.

A video recapped Kane's destructive days. Another showed Rollins' issues with Kane.

Ashely then determined that Kane was sound of mind. In her mind, it was Rollins who needed the evaluation.

Rollins dropped the WWE title. When Kane went to pick it up, the champ hit him with a Pedigree. The Architect proceeded to throttle Kane with chair shots.

He followed that up by snapping Kane's leg inside the chair. Doctors put Kane onto a stretcher. He would later emerge from the ambulance with his mask and Demon Kane gear on.

The monster stormed back, this time not feeling the chair shots Rollins had for him. Kane whipped the champ, choke-slamming him but failing to land the Tombstone Piledriver. Rollins scurried away but left his title behind.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Kane to Rollins: "It's your severed head...from your statue."
• Rollins claims that The Pope told him he was going to heaven.
• Rollins to Kane: "You don't get one over on me. You get dead."
• Rollins to Kane: "You sure as hell ain't no demon. You like very human to me, right now."

Grade

C+

Analysis

Kudos to Kane for nailing his performances. He flips back and forth from spitting corporate jargon to slipping into his darker persona perfectly.

With that said, this feels like a midcard feud disguised as a main event program. It's too silly to be built around the WWE title.

It's odd that WWE decided to cram video recaps in the middle of the segment rather than show them elsewhere in the show.

And the company can't help itself when it comes to making Rollins looking weak. After he bared his fangs and had Kane on a stretcher, he was playing scared victim once again.

Bo Dallas vs. Randy Orton

Referencing the members of the Buffalo Bills in attendance, Bo Dallas talked about how they were missing a Super Bowl trophy. In his mind, all they had to do was "Bolieve" in order to win one.

Dallas had some brief early success, but Randy Orton was soon toying with the would-be motivational speaker.

He smirked as he hit Dallas with a DDT, forearm shots and eventually an RKO for the three-count.

Result

Orton wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• John "Bradshaw" Layfield: "Maybe Bo inspired Randy. That's how inspirational he is."

Grade

C-

Analysis

A mildly fun squash match provides further confirmation of Dallas' jobber status. His character is so one-dimensional compared to the NXT version. WWE is missing the mark with him.

As for Orton, where is WWE going with him? He talked about battling The Wyatt Family but was not involved with it at all on Monday's Raw. He's being crammed into that story despite it not being a great fit.

WWE needs to find him a battle of his own.

Kevin Owens vs. Rusev

A frustrated Ryback sat in on commentary as the two heels battled.

Rusev and Kevin Owens slugged it out. The brawl quickly moved to the outside. Ryback took an errant shot and things exploded.

All three men fought before Owens and Rusev teamed up on The Big Guy. Dolph Ziggler ran in. Owens slipped out with the Intercontinental Championship in hand.

Result

Match ends in a no-contest.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Ryback takes a dig at Owens' weight, telling John "Bradshaw" Layfield that he should take him mountain-climbing to "work on his cardio."

Grade

D

Analysis

This all happened too fast. Rusev and Owens probably threw fewer than five punches before this was over. That's a wasted opportunity.

And while it added some animosity between Owens and Ryback, it didn't help the Ziggler angle at all. The Showoff and Rusev's feud feels hollow right now.

Paul Heyman Faces Big Show

Paul Heyman talked up the power of his client, Brock Lesnar. He sold Big Show as a giant bored among men.

He said he was worried about Big Show's punching power but promised that Lesnar would take him to Suplex City.

Big Show interrupted. He yelled at Heyman, claiming that Lesnar was afraid of him. Heyman hurried out of the ring, with Big Show still barking at him.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Heyman: "Hell shall descend upon Madison Square Garden."

Grade

B

Analysis

It's hard to ruin a Heyman segment, but WWE did that by adding Big Show and not letting this lead anywhere.

Heyman started strong, selling the match extremely well and adding depth to the story. He didn't go on nearly long enough, though. The focus was on Big Show and WWE's continued attempts to make him seem like a real threat to Lesnar.

Heyman should have been the lead salesman here instead.

Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns

Credit: WWE.com

Bray Wyatt promised a one-on-one match but came to the ring with his crew. Roman Reigns mocked him for bringing his buddies. The Eater of Worlds sent them away.

A slugfest ensued. Wyatt slowed the bout down, took control and left Reigns wobbling.

Reigns slowly mounted a comeback, smashing into the monster with clotheslines. Both men would trade near-falls before the action moved outside.

Wyatt threw the ring steps at Reigns. The Big Dog hurled Wyatt over the guardrail.

They then fought in the stands, a street fight unfolding after the referee counted past 10. The rivals beat each other down, leaving destruction in their wake. They battled until they both lay out of breath atop a broken table.

Result

Match ends in a double count-out.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Wyatt: "Only a fool believes he can look into the dragon's eyes and not get burned."
• Reigns calls Harper and Strowman Wyatt's "training wheels."
• Wyatt hits a nasty clothesline that leaves John "Bradshaw" Layfield giddy.
• Wyatt launches a WWE tech employee into Reigns.
• Wyatt crashes into Reigns, breaking down the guardrail. 
• Reigns spears Wyatt into the announce table.

Grade

A

Analysis

When all else fails, strap the show to two workhorses' backs and let them tear each other apart.

Slow, intense action built toward excellent brawling. It was clear that these two hate each other. It was the natural progression of a long feud.

This was the night's most compelling offering by far. 

WWE put two emerging stars in a prominent spot, and they both delivered. The best way to capitalize on this is to put Reigns and Wyatt inside a cage at Hell in a Cell to let them build on the battle they delivered here.