WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from May 30

Seth Rollins' showdown with Roman Reigns and AJ Styles' encounter with John Cena on the Memorial Day edition of WWE Raw were reminders of the heights and depths the flagship show can reach.

Rollins stopped and started, hesitated and teased a fight only to walk away without a word. Monday's Raw had its share of moments like that—ones which accomplished little.

But Styles rejoining The Club and assaulting the returning Cena was a work of theater that made one slide forward in their chair. It set up a storyline moving forward, pairing two intriguing stars against each other, whetting the audience's appetite.

That happened to a lesser degree elsewhere on Monday's Raw. It ended up being a night of rivalries beginning, as Rusev, The New Day and Cena all met new rivals. Along the way, WWE offered one of the worst opening segments in recent memory and a subpar confrontation between world champion and challenger.

The following is a look at all the successes and flops of Monday's Raw, complete with letter grades and highlights.

The New Day and the McMahons Talk Brand Split

After a video package commemorating Memorial Day, Shane and Stephanie McMahon kicked off the show.

Shane talked up SmackDown going live on July 19. Stephanie did the same for Cena's return. The New Day interrupted, wondering aloud about the Raw-SmackDown brand split. The tag champs wanted to know what show they would be on post-draft.

When the McMahons said it was possible that The New Day could break up, Xavier Woods and company got upset. Even so, the trio ended up dancing with Shane-O-Mac.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• John "Bradshaw" Layfield: "Put it in your calendar. This is going to dissolve in a nuclear way."
• Woods: "She deserves all three of your fathers."

Grade

D-

Analysis

The fans gave this no reaction, and you can't blame them. Even with The New Day aboard, this had no energy. It felt scripted and sterile, more housekeeping at a meeting than entertainment.

WWE didn't inform fans of anything about the brand split. "We haven't decided yet" is not the cliffhanger this segment needed.

It's as if WWE, knowing that it's competing with the NBA and NHL playoffs, essentially decided it wasn't worth trying to be creative to kick things off.

The New Day vs. The Vaudevillains

Simon Gotch and Aiden English dominated in the early going. The Vaudevillains kept Kofi Kingston in their corner, overpowering the high-flyer.

Big E later turned things around, flooring Gotch until chaos erupted outside the ring. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows attacked Kingston and Xavier Woods. The Club then pounced on Big E, leaving the powerhouse out cold on the canvas.

Result

The New Day wins via disqualification.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• English knocks Kingston out of the air with a side kick.
• Michael Cole: "They just put the tag team champs on notice."
• Gallows: "We've arrived, and we're not going anywhere."

Grade

B-

Analysis

A non-memorable match served as the bridge to a feud that needed to be initiated. The New Day's reign has been hampered by a lack of viable challengers. Gallows and Anderson will be just that, forcing the champs to be a part of a more serious rivalry.

As for The Vaudevillains, they looked ferocious in the brief time they spent in the spotlight. The commercial break ran over much of the bout.

WWE needs to show more of this side of Gotch and English. 

The Usos vs. Breezango

Golden Truth rapped and danced before sitting in on commentary.

Jimmy Uso briefly manhandled his foes before Tyler Breeze and Fandango took control. A distraction courtesy of Jey and Breeze fighting outside the ring allowed Jimmy to score a surprise pin on Fandango.

After the bell, the heels brawled with R-Truth and Goldust. Golden Truth fought off their rivals with little effort.

Result

The Usos win via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• R-Truth mistakes Byron Saxton for Jonathan Coachman.
• Layfield: "Why would you put two car wrecks in the same garage?"

Grade

C+

Analysis

The process hasn't been exciting, but this storyline has continued to develop. Golden Truth finally looked like a cohesive unit, even if it wasn't in official action. Breezango tried to blame the babyfaces for its losses, making things more contentious between those two teams.

The payoff doesn't promise to be anything special. Any feud with R-Truth and Fandango in it is hard to get excited about.

Still, Raw needs its low-card filler, and WWE has done well to sustain this narrative more often than it does with non-marquee angles.

Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins Face off

Roman Reigns challenged Seth Rollins to come out and prove that he's the man. The Architect answered, charging halfway down the entrance ramp before changing his mind.

Instead of fighting, Rollins only teased that he was ready to trade blows. He hesitated several times near the ring but ultimately ducked out in silence.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Chants of "Boring!" break out amid an otherwise dead crowd.

Grade

F

Analysis

WWE accomplished nothing here other than reminding us that this title match is set for Money in the Bank.

Rollins said nothing. He did little. His cowardice wasn't effective enough to make the audience dislike him.

The rivalry is going to be painful if WWE continues to have Reigns play the fan favorite and Rollins be the heel despite audiences clearly preferring the latter to the former. And if WWE Creative isn't going to put more effort into this feud than it did on Monday night, everyone involved is going to lose momentum in a hurry.

Rusev vs. Zack Ryder (Non-Title)

Zack Ryder said in a pre-taped promo that he wanted to pull off a Memorial Day miracle. Rusev wasn't having any of that.

The U.S. champ overpowered Ryder, nailing him with knees to the gut. Ryder made a comeback, complete with a Broski Boot, but Rusev soon grounded the babyface. The new version of the Accolade was enough to put Ryder away.

Rusev started berating Americans, but Titus O'Neil interrupted him. O'Neil said he wasn't going to stand for that kind of talk. He popped Rusev with a right hand, inspiring the U.S. champ to retreat.

Result

Rusev wins via submission. 

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Layfield: "Rusev looks unstoppable right now."
• O'Neil: "You're more of a Bulgarian blowhard."

Grade

B-

Analysis

Having Rusev tear through the roster has been fun. WWE too often lets 50-50 booking get in the way of this kind of momentum-creating run.  

O'Neil isn't the ideal challenger, but the two should produce some high-quality hoss fights. This gives O'Neil the kind of narrative he has lacked for much of his career. It provides Rusev with a formidable foe.

And judging by the strong reaction the segment got, the foreigner-versus-patriot dynamic still works.

The Dudley Boyz vs. Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady

Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady entered, getting the crowd to chant along with them. They talked trash about The Dudley Boyz before the bout began.

Bubba Ray Dudley led the way as the heels brawled with Big Cass. Cassady's size (7'0", 276 lbs) had him cut the Dudleys' time on top short.  

The Dudley Boyz regained control by focusing on Amore, but Cassady floored his foes again. The big man eventually launched Amore at D-Von Dudley for the win.

Result

Amore and Cassady win via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Amore: "It's only right that we keep it G like a Packers helmet."

Grade

B

Analysis

The Green Bay, Wisconsin, fans reached their loudest point of the night up to this point when Amore and Cassady walked out. The duo is so over that the crowd ate it up even when the promo started getting ridiculous. Big Cass listed off cheeses at one point, and fans still cheered.

Even with that kind of popularity, The Realest Guys in the Room are going to have to find better material. 

The clean win here suggests that the feud isn't going on much longer. Expect The Dudley Boyz to just be brief stepping stones. Hopefully, that means WWE inserts them into a rivalry with a crew like The Wyatt Family rather than low-rung duos like The Shining Stars.

John Cena Meets AJ Styles

A somber Cena quoted John F. Kennedy's inaugural address before honoring the United States armed services with his own words.

He announced that he was back on Raw, wondering aloud if he still belonged. He talked about the new era's arrival and WWE's emerging stars believing that his prime is behind him.

Cena said that the future has to go through him, just before AJ Styles stepped into the ring. The Phenomenal One showed the former champ a ton of respect, welcoming him back and offering to shake his hand.

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson came out, mocking Styles for kissing up to Cena. Styles joined them as they beat on Cena. The Phenomenal One kept leaving the ring area only to run back in and throw more shots.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Cena: "Liberty is freedom and freedom is our pulse, our lifeblood. It is what makes us feel."
• Cena: "New era, old era, golden era, Roaring '20s, Ming Dynasty. The only era that is happening is the one in judgement from the new names and new faces that think I will just roll over and go away."
• Dueling chants of "AJ Styles!" and "Let's go Cena!" prevented the two men from getting their promo off the ground.
• Styles: "I know that we've been in two different worlds, but here's the thing. Here we are right now, in this very ring."
• Gallows: "Pick up his teeth."

Grade

A

Analysis

The early patriotic stuff was a bit too heavy-handed. It was when Styles arrived that things truly got interesting.

In a stirring twist, Styles rejoined The Club, perhaps even faking the breakup to get to Cena. The heel turn was extremely well done, especially considering that Styles has been struggling with his own sense of morality for the past two months.

Pairing these two is a great move, too. Styles can keep his momentum going against the megastar. It's a smart use of the "new era" narrative, with the newcomer looking to prove himself against the top dog.

The matches will be awesome. The feud will be tremendous.

Dana Brooke vs. Natalya

Backstage, Stephanie McMahon confronted Charlotte about her treatment of her father backstage. She scolded her, telling her she was an embarrassment.

The women's champ then accompanied Dana Brooke to the ring. The champ's protege handled her business in the ring, pounding Natalya with power moves in the early going.

A distraction from Charlotte helped Brooke to a win. The rookie slammed Natalya to the mat with her Samoan Driver.

Charlotte and Brooke then attacked Natalya.

Result

Brooke wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

McMahon: "You're not a champion. You're just a waste of talent."

Grade

D

Analysis

Teasing McMahon-Charlotte tension is smart, but having the non-wrestler come out on top against the champ with no chance of retaliation isn't. Why hurt Charlotte's momentum so much just after making her a bigger heel by abandoning Ric Flair?

And having Brooke and Natalya's match go for such a brief time is frustrating. If the women are only going to get one match on Raw, it can't be of the blink-of-an-eye variety.

It's so hard to get invested in Charlotte, Brooke and the division as a whole when it only appears in spurts.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin

Before what was supposed to be a technical matchup, Dolph Ziggler inserted a mouthpiece and put on headgear. He then nailed Baron Corbin with a blatant low blow.

Ziggler then proudly walked away with Corbin writhing behind him.

Result

Corbin wins via disqualification.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

Ziggler: "Dolph Ziggler is disqualified. The loser of this match is still Baron Corbin."

Grade

B-

Analysis

This was an efficient segment that moved this story along without consuming a bunch of time. Ziggler got some revenge, looked clever and WWE gave fans a surprise along the way.

WWE could have built up the moment better, though, by being more heavy-handed with presenting it as a technical matchup.

Money in the Bank Ladder Match Field 6-Man Tag Team Match

JP Yim/Getty Images

All the men set for the Money in the Bank ladder match battled in tag team action. Beforehand, Sami Zayn, Cesaro and Dean Ambrose huddled in the locker room. Chris Jericho, Alberto Del Rio and Kevin Owens later did the same.

Cesaro was the star in the opening moments. He floored Owens and clubbed Jericho, but the heels soon ganged up on him.

Zayn went on a roll of his own, one that led to Owens and Del Rio bickering. Ambrose brawled with Jericho. 

The Underdog from the Underground found himself in trouble in the heels' corner but managed to tag in Ambrose. Jericho seemed to have the match won, but tension between teammates cost them a victory. Ambrose hit Dirty Deeds on Owens to get the win.

Result

Cesaro, Ambrose and Zayn win via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Ambrose to Zayn after realizing that he's Canadian.: "That explains so much."
• Jericho to Owens: "Moi! That's French."
• Zayn leaped over the top rope onto Jericho, Owens and Del Rio.
• Jericho to Zayn: "You stay down! You stay down!"

Grade

B+

Analysis

After so many low points, Raw needed a six-man tag bout like this. A frenetic energy powered much of it. Ambrose and Jericho's rivalry, Owens and Jericho's shaky alliance, and all the talent involved made for a fun main event.

There was no huge moment here or cliffhanger for next week, but instead strong work in the ring and plenty of tension to go around.

This is shaping up to be quite the electric build to the ladder match. WWE will, though, have to get more creative than booking tag matches with the Superstars involved in that upcoming contest.