WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from May 2

On the heels of a Payback event that promised a new era in WWE, Raw rolled into St. Louis for another action-packed episode—this time under the rule of both Stephanie and Shane McMahon.

Roman Reigns successfully retained his WWE World Heavyweight Championship, though not without controversy. After several match restarts and interference from Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, The Roman Empire continued its rule. Styles, with a championship rematch already slated for Extreme Rules, had plenty to say about his championship encounter.

What Gallows and Anderson were up to was of the most interest.

With heated rivals Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in the same building, would they be able to stay away from each other, or would their hatred ignite another wild brawl?

Viewers found out the answer to those questions and more Monday night during the latest episode of WWE's flagship show.

Shane and Stephanie Start the Show

Stephanie McMahon kicked off this week's show, determined to play nice with brother Shane as they embark on their quest to run Raw together. She even brought her older sibling a photo of them from their childhood. Before any sort of truce could be reached, though, Kevin Owens interrupted, demanding his rematch for the Intercontinental Championship—something he never received after WrestleMania.

Cesaro took exception, making his way to the ring to discuss Owens and Sami Zayn ruining his shot at the same title by brawling all over ringside.

Shane cut the verbal sparring quickly, booking Cesaro against Owens in the night's opening contest. 

Grade

B

Analysis

It was a given Shane and Stephanie McMahon would kick off the show, especially given their father's announcement from Sunday night, but the inclusion of Cesaro and Owens was a great way to get exposure for the IC title.

That there were natural and logical arguments to be made by both men was a nice touch too, as neither felt forced into a specific position in the segment. It was natural, flowed perfectly and was a strong way to set the tone for the remainder of the show.

Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens

The Miz sat in on commentary as Kevin Owens and Cesaro battled to kick off the in-ring portion of the night's broadcast.

Owens controlled throughout the majority of the bout as The Swiss Superman sold his previously injured shoulder. A huge Frog Splash and cannonball looked to have driven the fight out of Cesaro, but a few uppercuts got him back in the fight.

Before Cesaro could execute the swing, The Miz hit the ring, drawing the no-contest decision.

The action broke down as Cesaro battled both Owens and The Miz before Sami Zayn made the save. He delivered the Helluva Kick on Owens before holding up the Intercontinental Championship to a thunderous ovation. 

Result

No-Contest

Grade

B+

Analysis

Any match between Cesaro and Owens will never not be excellent. The two Superstars' talent will not allow it.

What made the segment successful was the way it built upon Sunday's events to further the story involving the three top contenders to the IC championship and titleholder The Miz, presumably setting up a Fatal 4-Way match for Extreme Rules.

The Miz is the perfect heel in this scenario in that he does not have the audience's respect from an in-ring perspective as his three foes do. He talks a big game, but he cannot be expected to hang with the three biggest threats to his championship reign. So he cheats, and when he doesn't, he's left dismayed like he was at the end of this segment.

Beyond the story, The Miz will benefit immensely from proving his worth against three incredibly talented and celebrated professional wrestlers. He is damn good and will have the opportunity to show the world while sharing the ring with Zayn, Owens and Cesaro in what should be a fun match if, and when, it finally takes place.

Goldust and Fandango vs. R-Truth and Tyler Breeze

Tyler Breeze was R-Truth's tag team partner this week, while Goldust reprized his tag team with Fandango.

Truth comically made his way to the ring with a selfie stick made of a tree limb, but that was about the most noteworthy thing about this contest.

After a few minutes of nonsense, Prince Pretty caught Goldust with a rollup for the pinfall victory. 

Result

Tyler Breeze and R-Truth defeated Goldust and Fandango.

Grade

D-

Analysis

Can this feud end already?

It has been months since the program began, and there has been no real advancement or growth. Truth and Goldust are not teaming yet, rendering everything moot to this point.

There is nothing worse about a three-hour episode of Raw, already a chore to sit through based on length alone, than having meaningless segments drag the show down even more.

The Tag Team Division Explodes

The New Day hit the ring, drawing a huge pop from the St. Louis fans. They discussed the WWE Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contenders' Tournament Final before The Vaudevillains interrupted.

Aiden English did his singing shtick before Simon Gotch was braggadocios in his claiming that they made Enzo Amore the "realest guy in the emergency room."

The Dudley Boyz interrupted, followed by Colin Cassady. A brawl broke out before the commercial break. 

Grade

C-

Analysis

This was interesting in that it introduced the four main players in the tag team division but cut to commercial before any match could be announced or the angle could be advanced.

It seemed to set up an Eight-Man Tag Team match, but with such an abrupt break, it was more messy than anything, which may have been the intention in this, the "new era" of WWE.

The New Day and Big Cass vs. The Dudley Boyz and The Vaudevillains

Back from break, it was revealed Stephanie McMahon ordered the predictable Eight-Man Tag Team match to take place.

Simon Gotch found himself frustrated and beaten up early as the babyfaces rolled. After another commercial timeout, though, The New Day's Xavier Woods was isolated from his partners, and the heels beat him down. Woods eventually took advantage of an opening and tagged Kofi Kingston. The Boom Drop master fared no better, though, again isolated from his partners.

Big Cass received a hot tag late and immediately tore through the competition. He delivered the Empire Elbow to Aiden English, but Bubba Ray Dudley broke up the pinfall.

Moments later, he took out D-Von with the East River Crossing and scored the win for the babyfaces.

Result

Big Cass and The New Day defeated The Vaudevillains and The Dudley Boyz.

Grade

B- 

Analysis

This was an energetic bout, never feeling its 15 minutes in length. What it did well was maximize the talents of the Superstars involved. Big Cass thrives off the hot tag and brings tremendous energy to the match.

Both Kingston and Woods are smaller, more sympathetic workers, so having them alternate the Ricky Morton, "babyface-in-peril" role was a nice touch.

The outcome was the right one, with Big Cass avenging the injury to his partner, Enzo Amore, with a big, crowd-pleasing victory.

Becky Lynch vs. Emma

Becky Lynch and Emma should have been part of the Payback pay-per-view card Sunday night. They were not, their grudge match was reserved for Monday's broadcast.

The Aussie competitor controlled the majority of the bout, wearing her opponent down and even catching her with the Emma-mite Sandwich. Lynch answered with a fiery babyface comeback, delivering an exploder suplex and trying for the Disarmer.

A poke to The Lass Kicker's previously injured eye, undetected by the official, and the Michinoku Driver helped Emma to victory.

Result

Emma defeated Becky Lynch. 

Grade

C

Analysis

This was a really solid match for the short amount of time the competitors were afforded. Emma and Becky demonstrated strong in-ring chemistry and probably could have had the chance to steal the show with a bit more time to work with.

The finish allows for the rivalry's continuation, what with Lynch having been illegally poked in the eye to set up the loss.

This is what the women's revolution was supposed to spawn. Feuds beyond the Woman's Championship should be the norm, and, if WWE Creative would shift just a little of its focus to it, Lynch and Emma's ongoing issues could result in a compelling one.

The Ambrose Asylum with Stephanie McMahon

Stephanie McMahon joined Dean Ambrose in The Ambrose Asylum Monday night.

Ambrose poked and prodded WWE's principal owner, trying to invoke the real Stephanie out from behind the facade she had put up all night long to that point. She fought it, maintaining her composure despite mounting frustration.

To get back at The Lunatic Fringe, she reintroduced The Highlight Reel, and Chris Jericho made his entrance.

The Superstars fought, with Ambrose trying for Dirty Deeds, only for Jericho to counter with the Codebreaker. From there, he picked up Mitch, the potted plant Ambrose introduced weeks earlier, and shattered it over his rival's head.

Jericho stood tall to end the segment.

Grade

B

Analysis

This was a really solid segment, probably better than it had any right to be.

WWE Creative set up a story going forward that revolves around Stephanie McMahon's fake sincerity and the fact that, beneath the smile is a woman furious with her father's decision to make her share power in running Raw. Stephanie, as she has been for quite some time, was extraordinary in her performance.

She understood the nuances of it, and the result was a promo elevated solely on her showing.

Jericho's return was fine, but it still begs the question: Why exactly are he and Ambrose feuding? Don't say, "over a talk show," either, because that would rank alongside "spilled coffee" and "shampoo commercials" as the worst reason for two guys to ever feud.

No. 1 Contender's Battle Royal

WWE.com

United States champion Kalisto sat in on commentary as several talented Superstars battled for the right to challenge him next.

Among the Superstars involved were Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus, Sin Cara, Alberto Del Rio, Rusev and Zack Ryder.

Corbin and Ziggler continued their issues, with The Showoff dropkicking The Lone Wolf over the top rope. Rusev dumped Ziggler shortly thereafter, just moments after Corbin attacked the former world champion.

The League of Nations exploded, with Sheamus, Rusev and Del Rio trading blows throughout the contest. Del Rio dumped The Celtic Warrior, and Ryder sent the Mexican-born star tumbling to the arena floor.

The action came down to Long Island Iced Z and The Bulgarian Brute. Unfortunately for Ryder, it was Rusev who emerged victorious, earning himself a future championship opportunity against the underdog champion Kalisto.

Result

Rusev won, last eliminating Zack Ryder.

Grade

C+

Analysis

This was better than the typical Battle Royal, primarily because it meshed several different stories together to create one massive match. Ziggler and Corbin look primed to wage war with each other for another month while any and all friendship that existed among The League of Nations members was thrown out the window.

Rusev winning was a nice surprise. Of all of the guys in the match, he was most in need of a big win to help him regain some credibility going forward. A series of matches with Kalisto should be a great way to get there, especially if the endgame is another coveted U.S. title reign.

Charlotte Promo

Credit: WWE.com

WWE women's champion Charlotte cut a promo about her match with Natalya at Payback. She backhandedly complemented her opponent before her father, Ric Flair, said The Queen of Harts quit just like the rest of her family did.

Referee Charles Robinson made his way to the ring and claimed Natalya screamed "stop it"—a sign of her submission. He tripped up, admitting his fandom of Flair influenced his decision before correcting himself. He said the decision was final and was then dismissed.

Natalya claimed Flair paid Robinson off before bragging about the Hart family one last time.

Charlotte tried to attack Natalya, but the third-generation competitor cleared her out of the ring. The Nature Boy took off his jacket and looked primed to go to battle, but Natalya slapped him and locked in the Sharpshooter.

The champion rescued her father, while Natalya stood tall, sporting Flair's Hall of Fame ring and Rolex in mocking fashion.

Grade

C 

Analysis

While it was nice to see Natalya and Charlotte get the screen time outside of a traditional match, there was still one major, underlying issue with the segment: it was about Flair and Bret Hart more than it was the women battling for the top prize in their field.

All of the work WWE did to ensure the WrestleMania Triple Threat match was treated like a special ordeal that elevated women to the level of their male counterparts has been erased by the treatment of Charlotte and Natalya as secondary to Flair and Hart, respectively.

Roman Reigns and The Usos vs. AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows

Credit: WWE.com

In the evening's main event, Roman Reigns teamed with The Usos to battle AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in a Six-Man Tag Team match.

Styles and Company isolated Jey Uso, working over the former tag team champion for the majority of the match. Anderson, in particular, delivered an impressive spinebuster to send the air out of Jey.

Reigns received the hot tag late and exploded into the match. He delivered a series of big clotheslines. 

The action broke down late, leading to Styles landing a Phenomenal Forearm to Jimmy Uso and earning the pinfall victory.

After the match, Anderson and Gallows held Reigns and tried to convince Styles to bash him with a steel chair. The Phenomenal One refused, though, opening the window for The Usos to attack. The action spilled outside, and Reigns power-bombed Styles through the announce table to close out the show.

Result

AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows defeated The Usos and Roman Reigns.

Grade

B

Analysis

Styles picked up the win, making up for his loss the previous night, but it was his refusal to attack Reigns that was of the greatest note here. Clearly, WWE Creative is taking the approach of Styles being a reluctant accomplice of Anderson and Gallows, with their friendship catching him up in trouble he wants no part of. He was admirable in not using the chair to blast Reigns but paid for it in the end.

That is solid storytelling.

What was interesting was the way The Usos attacked Styles, and Reigns put him through the table. It came across as the actions of a heel trio, even if WWE Creative and management would love nothing more than to see them accepted as babyfaces.

Whether an official heel turn is coming or the trio will continue to act in their tweener roles remains to be seen.