WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from March 7

Smoldering emotions highlighted a strong edition of WWE Raw.

Jealousy drove Chris Jericho to attack his own tag team partner. A hunger for vengeance that never went away had Sami Zayn pounce on Kevin Owens. Shane McMahon dealt with both a heartless father and a security team charging at him.

While the show certainly had points where it dragged, Monday's Raw did well to surprise the audience and keep fans intrigued by what's to come.

Newsworthy events comprised much of the night. Zayn's emergence, Jericho's turn and a tease involving Bray Wyatt will all leave viewers with much to talk about en route to Roadblock. A number of standout performances in the ring boosted the show, too.

Looking at the highs and lows of the night, the following is a full breakdown of the latest Raw.

Shane McMahon Collides with His Father

Shane McMahon told fans he has lost respect for his father. He promised to end Vince McMahon's reign and The Authority's control of the company. 

Vince soon emerged to a chorus of jeers. He smashed a photo of him and his son before dismissing Shane as "just Vince's son." Mr. McMahon ordered security to oust Shane from the arena.

Shane-O-Mac brawled with the security guards, tossing each one out of the ring.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

"You are a egomaniacal, miserable old bastard. And you have lost your touch."—Shane about his father.

WWE teases an Undertaker appearance with the trademark bell toll before Vince entered.

"It's totally ironic that my greatest creation will put to rest my greatest failure."—Vince.

Grade

A

Analysis

WWE hit a number of key notes here. Before the segment, John "Bradshaw" Layfield mentioned Shane's wins over Big Show and Shawn Michaels. That's the kind of addition to the narrative that lets the audience believe (at least a little) that Shane-O-Mac has a shot against Undertaker.

The company is also wisely pitting Shane against fans who believe Vince is past his prime as a booker. 

Shane is not nearly the mic worker that his sister is, but he got the point across and had the crowd energized and engaged.

And having Shane off the security guards allowed him to show off his striking skills. That put an image of a powerful Shane into the audience's mind.

Now if only WWE can get Undertaker directly involved with this story for more than a single line. 

Neville vs. Kevin Owens

A focused Kevin Owens pounded on Neville as he dominated early on. Neville's thunderous kicks allowed him to make a brief comeback.

The intercontinental champ and the high-flyer then traded control of the matchup. Each hit huge moves, but it ended up being a schoolboy that ended the action. Owens rolled up Neville as he was headed to the top turnbuckle. 

Owens followed up the win with an attack on The Man That Gravity Forgot. Sami Zayn, though, ran out to make the save.

Result

Owens wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

"That's all you got, mate?"—Owens.

Owens hurls Neville into the ring steps.

Owens flips Neville over with a release German suplex.

Neville hits a Shooting Star Press to the outside.

Grade

A

Analysis

The relatively short match had ample bursts of excitement. It did well to showcase both Owens' and Neville's strengths.

The aftermath is the bigger story here, though. Bringing Zayn and Owens' bad blood over onto the main roster is a deft move. It allows them to start with momentum already in hand, and there is NXT history to utilize moving forward.

Bringing in Zayn now is unexpected timing. He instantly adds an intriguing wrinkle to the WrestleMania picture, likely chasing after the IC title.

Brie Bella vs. Summer Rae

After WWE showed a Total Divas clip, the women went to work.

Summer Rae proved vicious as she went on the attack. When Brie Bella fought back with her signature moves, Lana came out to distract her. Summer took advantage and scored the pin.

Lana hit Brie with a facebuster before sauntering out.

Result

Summer wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

"Lana is doing more than getting in the head of Brie Bella."—John "Bradshaw" Layfield.

Grade

D

Analysis

The distraction finish is overused and played out. It's lazy storytelling at this point.

It's hard to get invested in the Lana and Brie feud right now. It's not clear what their issues are. And it doesn't help that the idea of these two wrestling isn't appealing in the least.

Why isn't Paige or Natalya getting this spotlight ahead of WrestleMania?

Dean Ambrose and Triple H Face off

Dean Ambrose told fans he was going to win the WWE title and overcome Triple H. He laid out what things would look like if he were world champ.

Triple H interrupted, letting The Lunatic Fringe know he was just living in a fantasy world.

The two traded barbs from a distance. The Game warned Ambrose he will get hurt. When Ambrose challenged him, Triple H instead booked him in a match against Bray Wyatt.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

"I'm hijacking WrestleMania whether anyone likes it or not."—Ambrose.

"This face is going to be on Oprah. This face is going to be on People magazine."—Ambrose.

"Roman Reigns tried to take it [the WWE title] away from me, and they're gluing his face back together."—Triple H.

"Roadblock is just a clever name that some idiot in marketing came up with. It has nothing to do with you. You are not a road block."—Triple H.

Grade

B+

Analysis

WWE is deftly teasing an Ambrose win at Roadblock, just as it did before Fastlane. With Roman Reigns not around, The Lunatic Fringe again got to show he's the star ready to ascend to the top.

Triple H was his usual excellent heel self. WWE is going to need to have others step up to his level in that department. The Game can't be the villain that opposes every rising babyface.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus, Rusev and Wade Barrett (Elimination Tag Match)

Thanks to a tweet in which Dolph Ziggler criticized The Authority, Stephanie McMahon put him in a handicap match. 

The Showoff struggled to deliver any offense. Wade Barrett pounded on him. Sheamus took his turns doling out punishment.

Ziggler withstood the beatdowns to eliminate Barrett with a superkick. A Brogue Kick did the babyface in, though, just moments later.

Result

Sheamus, Barrett and Rusev win via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Rusev kicks Ziggler in the head as The Showoff's head hung over the bottom rope.

Grade

D

Analysis

John "Bradshaw" Layfield comparing The League of Nations to The Four Horsemen is painfully hollow. The current faction doesn't feel like much of a threat and isn't compelling at the moment.

The bout itself lacked energy despite a bit of drama with the elimination stipulation.

A tweet is an odd catalyst for a match. The Authority suddenly acting like it did pre-Survivor Series 2014 feels out of place. And Stephanie downplaying Ziggler's accomplishment at the event is the latest example of WWE wasting the momentum he created that night.

Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch vs. Tamina and Naomi

Backstage, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks bickered briefly near the dressing room. They got on the same page enough to take on Team B.A.D.

Tamina and Lynch brawled on the outside as Naomi clashed with Banks in between the ropes. Banks quickly locked in the Bank Statement for the win.

Charlotte attacked both her WrestleMania opponents.

Result

Banks and Lynch win via submission.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

"Showing you who the dominant Diva is in WWE."—Michael Cole.

Grade

C

Analysis

With such a short match, WWE didn't provide much of a stage for either Banks or Lynch here. It was good to see Banks look dominant, and Charlotte's attack was a smart move, but why rush all of this?

Continually handing out such a small slice of airtime to the women each week makes a clear statement to the audience that their match isn't all that significant.

The New Day vs. Chris Jericho and AJ Styles (Tag Team Championship)

Big E talked about getting a unicorn tattoo on his backside. The New Day's antics didn't last long, however. The challengers marched out to cut the trio's speech short.

The action started in high gear as AJ Styles and Chris Jericho floored the champs.

The New Day regained control by overpowering Jericho. When Styles tagged in, he went on a rampage. He flew around the ring, revving up the crowd in the process.

Each team scored a number of near-falls. It was Big E blocking Jericho's Codebreaker and turning it into a Big Ending that finally sealed the deal.

Y2J attacked Styles after the bell, mumbling insults to him afterward. He shoved a Y2AJ T-shirt into Styles' mouth.

Result

The New Day wins via pinfall. 

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Jericho slingshots Kofi Kingston over the top rope.

Styles hits a perfect springboard DDT for a two-count.

Styles hits a springboard 450 splash.

Jericho nails Styles with three Codebreakers.

Grade

A+

Analysis

An excellent showdown featured great timing and lots of convincing near-falls. The New Day hasn't looked this good in a long time, thanks to high stakes and great foes.

The breakup many were expecting for weeks finally arrived. And it was the best option for this story as Styles needs to be on his own at this stage. 

Letting The Phenomenal One overcome a future Hall of Famer in Jericho is far better than him playing his sidekick.

Tyler Breeze vs. Kalisto

Kalisto had Tyler Breeze reeling early on with his trademark high-flying offense. Prince Pretty, though, grounded the U.S. champ, slowing the match down.

That is, until Kalisto hit the Salida Del Sol to score the quick win.

Backstage, Ryback complained that Kalisto was headed to WrestleMania and not him. The Big Guy said he was better than Kalisto and movie superheroes.

Result

Kalisto wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Kalisto hits a Salida Del Sol using the top turnbuckle.

"That lucha chant drives me nuts."—John "Bradshaw" Layfield.

"Ryan Reynolds, Robert Downey Jr., I make them look like Ant-Man."—Ryback.

Grade

C-

Analysis

The match itself was nothing memorable. It didn't feel like a dominant win for the champ, but instead just a rushed narrative. 

Ryback sounded robotic in his promo. He's going to have to find his groove as a heel, or this latest gimmick change won't lead anywhere

The best part of all this is WWE inserting Ryback into the United States title scene. Kalisto has been in need of a challenger other than Alberto Del Rio for a while now. Ryback provides a Goliath to the champ's David, creating a compelling juxtaposition of styles and size.

Curtis Axel vs. Ryback

Credit: WWE.com

The Social Outcasts delivered a short speech before the action began. Curtis Axel said Ryback's win against Adam Rose was a fluke.

Ryback manhandled Axel. His former tag team partner battled back, but The Big Guy bashed Axel in the head with right hands before Shell Shocked.

Result

Ryback wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Axel makes a yelping sound as he pantomimed chopping with an ax.

Ryback mocks CM Punk's "go to sleep" taunt.

"The Book of Ryback says 'I win'"—Michael Cole.

Grade

D+

Analysis

The Social Outcasts act isn't working. The jokes aren't funny; Axel's ax sound isn't catchy. The group is the poor man's New Day at this point. 

Ryback looked overpowering in flashes, but why not just have him win a straight-up squash match?

The Big Guy should also be doing more overtly heel things. Had he attacked The Social Outcasts after the match or thrown Axel through a table, he would have made a bigger statement about his villain status. 

Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt

Credit: WWE.com

Bray Wyatt talked about conquering Brock Lesnar at Roadblock before going to work against Dean Ambrose.

The Lunatic Fringe slugged it out with Wyatt, who responded with hard-hitting offense. Wyatt knocked him out of the ring where the battle soon continued.

The lights went out, and The Wyatt Family surrounded Ambrose. The clan of bruisers battled Ambrose. 

Triple H stepped into the ring where he and Wyatt stared each other down. The Eater of Worlds stroked the WWE title before exiting. 

Before Triple H could do further damage to Ambrose, the babyface DDT'ed the champ.

Result

Ambrose wins via disqualification.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

"How can you outthink a guy who doesn't think?"—John "Bradshaw" Layfield on Ambrose.

Ambrose and Wyatt press their heads together like rams. 

Wyatt slams Ambrose onto the security barricade with an uranage.

Grade

B+

Analysis

The usual foot-on-the-gas, tooth-loosening action between these two continued the show's trend of putting on good matches. The disqualification ending brought it down some, but there was some major intrigue after the bout to soak up.

In a completely unexpected development, WWE teased a future showdown between Wyatt and The Game. That is a rivalry with huge potential. It's a no-brainer move at some point.

WWE also did well to leave fans with the image of Ambrose toppling Triple H. He's not likely to win at Roadblock, but this final moment helped create doubt about the outcome of their title match.