WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from May 16

The final episode of WWE Raw before Extreme Rules hit the USA Network airwaves on Monday night, with the company attempting to sell its audience on this weekend's spectacular.

Roman Reigns and AJ Styles were under the same roof just six days prior to their WWE World Heavyweight Championship match. With their situation already volatile, and The Usos, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson lurking nearby, would champion and challenger be able to maintain their cool or unleash hell on each other?

Kevin Owens, Cesaro, Sami Zayn and WWE Intercontinental champion The Miz kicked off the in-ring portion of this week's broadcast as WWE Creative looked to put the final touches on the build to their Fatal 4-Way match on May 22. Who would get the last laugh, establishing themselves as the favorite to leave the event victorious?

These two questions were answered on Monday night as WWE presented the latest edition of its flagship show, headlined by a contract signing between Natalya and Charlotte ahead of their submission match.

Find out now what went down, how each segment graded out and how it affects the state of WWE.

AJ Styles Promo

Just six days before an Extreme Rules match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns, AJ Styles kicked off Monday's broadcast.

Shortly into his promo, Reigns interrupted. The champion told The Phenomenal One that all of the titles he has won are essentially meaningless until he wins the title, from him, on May 22.

Eventually, The Usos joined the champion in the ring. Styles charged in but ate a big right hand before joining Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson on the ramp.

Grade

C-

Analysis

This was kept short and sweet, which was probably for the best given the mic skills—or lack thereof—of the two Superstars involved.

This was somewhat disappointing in that nothing was really accomplished or furthered. Instead, it was champion and challenger promising to win at Extreme Rules, something the audience has heard repeatedly over the last three weeks.

It was a waste of a segment that could have been used to put heat on Gallows and Anderson after their beatdown of The Usos on SmackDown.

Cesaro and The Miz vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn

What started as Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro descended into chaos when Kevin Owens attacked The Miz at ringside as both were serving as guest commentators.

Stephanie McMahon arrived on the scene and booked a tag match pitting Cesaro and The Miz against Zayn and Owens, forcing heated rivals to coexist if they wished to emerge victorious.

Zayn found himself isolated from his partner for the majority of the match, worked over by a much more effective Miz/Cesaro tandem than one would have imagined.

Late, Owens received the hot tag and exploded into the match, unleashing a Cannonball as he tore through the opposition.

The action broke down, with each Superstar hitting their trademark maneuvers before Zayn delivered the Helluva Kick on Miz for the win.

Result

Zayn and Owens defeated Cesaro and Miz.

Grade

B

Analysis

WWE Creative could have gone the predictable route and booked a SmackDown rematch, but instead it booked an entirely fresh bout.

Of the greatest interest was the babyface reaction that Owens received when he got the hot tag. Fans clearly want to cheer for the guy based off the reaction that his entrance receives alone. The strong response to his ring work proves that WWE could have a huge babyface star on its hands if it ever opts to go in that direction.

This was a quality match that set the table nicely for Sunday's IC title bout.

The Shining Stars Debut

Scott Jackson and Brian Kennedy, local talent from Greensboro, Carolina, were first up for Epico and Primo as they looked to get the Shining Stars gimmick over.

The former Los Matadores cut a promo comparing the ring to their homeland of Puerto Rico, then proceeded to run through their opponents.

Epico hit a The Tripleta, a side suplex into a German suplex and ending with a snap suplex.

The team hit a version of Total Elimination, dubbed "The Shining Star," for the victory.

Result

Primo and Epico defeated Jackson and Kennedy.

Grade

D-

Analysis

This gimmick is already dead in the water. Primo and Epico, for as talented as they are between the ropes, were met with apathy by fans in Greensboro, who wanted nothing to do with them or their new gimmick.

All of the pre-taped vignettes and the efforts of Michael Cole to really put the team over could not change the fact that the gimmick itself is awful and guaranteed to fail.

How anyone thought this was an upgrade over the fun, undercard gimmick of Los Matadores is a mystery.

Dean Ambrose and Chris Jericho's Final Verbal Confrontation

Dean Ambrose wasted little time calling Chris Jericho to the ring following the beating he endured Thursday night on SmackDown.

Jericho made his way to the ramp and proceeded to tout his successes before calling himself a lunatic the likes of which Ambrose has never encountered.

Ambrose one-upped him, revealing a steel cage equipped with weapons and straitjackets. After Jericho had accepted a match against him for Extreme Rules, The Lunatic Fringe announced the first-ever Asylum match.

Grade

C+

Analysis

Jericho is great in his current role, but there was nothing here we have not heard or seen before.

The Asylum match should be great, especially considering the fact that Ambrose thrives in the hardcore matches, but there is nothing about the feud that suggests there is a hatred intense enough to warrant such a high-profile gimmick bout.

Moreover, the setup of the weapons inside the cage looked second-rate compared to WWE's typically high production standards.

Becky Lynch vs. Dana Brooke

In her first attempt to avenge last week's sneak attack by the debuting NXT star Dana Brooke, Becky Lynch squared off with the newcomer in singles competition on Monday night.

Brooke withstood an early onslaught to take control at ringside, driving her opponent into the guardrail. She worked over Lynch's back. The Lass Kicker mounted a comeback only to have her momentum cut off with a bodyslam. A second comeback proved much more effective, as Lynch exploded with a jumping forearm and Exploder suplex.

Moments later, Brooke countered a rollup attempt into a pin for the upset victory.

Result

Dana Brooke defeated Becky Lynch.

Grade

C-

Analysis

For her first major televised match on Raw, Brooke looked fairly solid as she kept up with Lynch, who is among the best women's wrestlers in the industry. There were times when she looked unsure of herself or was half a step off, but for a first showing, she was more than efficient.

Lynch remains the most mismanaged woman on the roster, with WWE Creative not fully understanding or appreciating just how good she actually is.

Losing allows the feud to go on, but one has to question why she is in that position in the first place.

Golden Truth vs. Tyler Breeze and Fandango

Months of television time finally paid off on Monday as Goldust and R-Truth, known collectively as Golden Truth, finally made their first appearance as a team. Their opponents? The men who betrayed them on SmackDown, Tyler Breeze and Fandango.

Goldust and Truth showed great energy early, unleashing a furious vengeance on the opposition.

Late in the bout, though, Truth accidentally hit his own partner, allowing Breeze to deliver the Beauty Shot and score the win.

Result

Breeze and Fandango defeated Goldust and R-Truth.

Grade

D

Analysis

The match was a sprint—too quick to mean anything. It also involved a storyline that has been excruciatingly long.

The outcome was the right one because it suggested that Truth and Goldust are not a well-oiled machine, a team in its first match and trying to develop chemistry. That was about the only effective thing here, and, unfortunately, it looks like Golden Truth has wrestled just its first match.

The New Day Promo

The New Day poked fun of The Vaudevillains and vowed to travel back to the so-called "bygone era" that Aiden English and Simon Gotch are so fond of.

They revealed a special time machine, which Big E accurately described as a giant refrigerator box, and made the trip.

The screen turned black and white, and Xavier Woods exclaimed, "The bygone era sucks!"

From there, English and Gotch came from out of nowhere to attack, leaving the champions lying on the ground and standing tall to close out the segment.

Grade

C-

Analysis

The New Day typically would have made that segment so much better than it was, but the material just was not there on Monday night. Big E was hilarious, as he typically is, and his insistence that the "time machine" was anything but was the highlight of the segment.

The Vaudevillains needed this segment to help lend them credibility heading into Extreme Rules, but does anyone really expect them to leave East Rutherford, New Jersey, as the tag team champions?

The Usos vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson may have controlled the middle portion of the match, isolating their opponents from each other, but it was The Usos who stormed back into the match. Anderson scored a near-fall off a spinebuster on Jey, but that was the last-gasp attempt by The Club to secure the win.

The twin babyfaces flattened Anderson with a double superkick and scored the win when Jimmy delivered the top-rope splash.

After the match, Reigns and Styles came face-to-face before Gallows attacked the champion. The Usos and The Club battled outside the squared circle, the heels getting the upper hand.

Back inside the ring, Reigns blasted Styles with a steel chair. As he delivered a Superman Punch, Styles picked the chair up, blasted the champion with it and finished with an emphatic Styles Clash on the weapon.

Result

The Usos defeated Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.

Grade

B+

Analysis

Should The Usos be beating Anderson and Gallows at this point? Absolutely not, but that win set up everything that followed, and it was damn good.

The dynamic between Styles and Reigns is so much better than anyone could have imagined. Their in-ring chemistry is extraordinary, and the booking has been so strong that it is hard to imagine the same WWE Creative that is behind it has been responsible for so many other duds over the last six months.

The Styles Clash on the chair was a great spot and really put an exclamation point on Styles' push to this point. After resisting the urge to sink to the level of his friends, Styles finally went over the edge—just in time for Extreme Rules.

Big Cass vs. D-Von Dudley

D-Von Dudley was the unfortunate soul to face Big Cass this week, rekindling a rivalry that looked poised to take off before Enzo Amore suffered his ill-timed concussion.

Cass was fuming after having his pre-match spiel interrupted, and he took his frustration out on Dudley, pinning him in just one minute following the East River Crossing.

Result

Big Cass defeated D-Von Dudley.

Grade

D-

Analysis

There was absolutely no reason for this to make the show. Sure, WWE Creative likely wanted to keep Big Cass in the spotlight, but this didn't so much build any momentum for him than further diminish the credibility of one of the greatest tag teams in WWE history.

The Dudley Boyz may be back to put over young talent, but eventually their effectiveness in that role becomes nonexistent thanks to the repetitive losses.

Kalisto vs. Alberto Del Rio

Credit: WWE.com

United States champion Kalisto battled Alberto Del Rio in a primer for his defense against Rusev at Extreme Rules.

Michael Cole brought up the history between the two, though no one would know how successful Kalisto actually has been against Del Rio based on the way the match went.

Del Rio completely outclassed his opponent, working him over throughout the majority of the contest. Backstage, cameras captured Rusev attacking Sin Cara, punishing him by slamming his head repeatedly into an anvil case.

Later in the match, as it looked like Kalisto might pull out the win, The Bulgarian Brute emerged with Sin Cara in tow, tossing him into the ring post.

Del Rio capitalized on the distraction and scored the victory off the Backstabber.

After the match, Rusev nearly bent Kalisto in half backwards with a particularly nasty-looking Accolade. He tossed the U.S. title on the fallen body of his opponent, looking absolutely dominant heading into Sunday's event.

Result

Alberto Del Rio defeated Kalisto.

Grade

C+

Analysis

Del Rio and Kalisto have had far better matches in this calendar year alone, but this was not really about the in-ring action.

This was more angle than anything.

Rusev was outstanding here, the sole reason for this segment's relatively high grade. He was intense, ruthless, vicious and violent. He was angry and unleashed his fury on the Lucha Dragons, looking more like a champion in one single segment than Kalisto has during his entire reign.

Women's Championship Match Contract Signing

Credit: WWE.com

Stephanie and Shane McMahon were in the ring to oversee the contract signing between WWE women's champion Charlotte and Natalya.

Before Stephanie could introduce the current titleholder, Ric Flair appeared and did the honors. Shane introduced Natalya, who walked to the ring with a purpose. The Queen of Harts said she wanted to get something off her chest, then proceeded to remind fans that Charlotte beat her in NXT and does not need her father to do so.

Charlotte suggested that the fans in Greensboro would cheer her no matter what because they worship the ground she walks on.

"My last name is Flair...and you're just Nattie," Charlotte said.

Shane revealed an added stipulation to the contract, stating that if The Nature Boy so much as walks to the ring on Sunday night, Charlotte will forfeit her title. Charlotte begrudgingly signed the contract, the threat of forfeiting the title on this night hanging over her head if she refused.

The segment broke down, with Flair removing his jacket and Stephanie slapping him before Natalya trapped Charlotte in a Sharpshooter and raised the women's title to close out the show.

Grade

C-

Analysis

It was nice to see WWE Creative attempt to give the women's division the spotlight of the main event segment, but the Charlotte-Natalya feud is not nearly hot enough to justify it.

With that said, the champion was extraordinary here. She was confident on the mic, obnoxious and even overbearing—everything a heel should be. She was a spoiled brat trying to control her father, and it worked.

Natalya was the opposite. She appeared nervous, undoubtedly the product of having her mic time limited over the course of her career. 

This did little to put any more heat on what should be a damn fine match on Sunday night and felt more like an excuse to get Stephanie and Shane in the ring for their weekly promo time.