WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from July 4

Patriotism was the theme of the July 4 episode of WWE Raw, and while the main event may have featured a gigantic tag team bout pitting Team USA against The Multinational Alliance—and a huge United States Championship match between Titus O'Neil and Rusev—some of the sport's most talented tag teams stole the show.

Enzo Amore and Big Cass not only stormed through The Social Outcasts, they aligned themselves with John Cena in his war with The Club and will now compete in the highest-profile match of their careers at Battleground.

The New Day laughed off threats from The Wyatt Family only to have a visibly shaken Xavier Woods threaten the demise of the wildly popular trio if it does not recognize the threat that Bray and his followers present.

Sasha Banks confronted Charlotte, while Becky Lynch sent a message, loud and clear, to Natalya with her victory over Summer Rae.

Hardly the most productive show from a creative standpoint, Monday's show was an entertaining one that set up a few pay-per-view matches while introducing a new element to the Cena-AJ Styles feud that will catapult it forward.

Find out everything that went down, who emerged victorious and how each match graded out with this look back at the Independence Day edition of WWE's flagship show.

United States Championship Match: Titus O'Neil vs. Rusev

After a food fight kicked things off and Lilian Garcia delivered her stirring rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner," the attention turned to the squared circle where the hated "Bulgarian Brute" Rusev defended the United States Championship against nemesis Titus O'Neil in a match that has become intensely personal over the last month.

The challenger sported a ridiculously over-the-top Uncle Sam-style outfit, just in case you were not sure that this was a Fourth of July episode of Raw.

O'Neil controlled early, but a huge dropkick from Rusev cut off the onslaught and led to the villain taking over.

The former Florida Gator fought out of a headlock before the action descended into a brawl. O'Neil delivered Clash of the Titus, but the champion powered out ahead of the three-count.

Rusev recovered, delivered a side kick and applied The Accolade. Just like at Money in the Bank, the babyface fought the pain as long as he could before tapping out.

After the match, Rusev ducked out of the ring and mocked the chants of "USA" by the WWE Universe, ending the patriotic open on a low note.

Result

Rusev defeated Titus O'Neil.

Grade

C- 

Analysis

This was probably the worst of the three matches between Titus and Rusev to this point. The action was sluggish and the match never really felt like it got out of first gear.

Rusev looked great, but Titus looked sluggish compared to his recent performances.

The result was a mediocre match with a predictable finish, the only bright spot being the continued restrengthening of The Bulgarian Brute as a legitimate force in WWE.

Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. The Social Outcasts

Bo Dallas, Heath Slater and Curtis Axel came to the ring dressed as the Founding Fathers only to be cut off by Enzo Amore and Big Cass' arrival.

Amore cut a promo naming every United States president, claiming that they would all be embarrassed by the appearance of the heels.

After the bell, Dallas and Slater isolated the smaller Amore, delivering a tenacious beatdown in the corner and covering for a count of two.

The Smack Talker Skywalker recovered, made the hot tag to Big Cass, and the red-hot babyfaces finished their opponents with The Rocket Launcher for the pinfall victory.

Result

Enzo Amore and Big Cass defeated Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel.

Grade

C

Analysis

OK, so Enzo's knowledge of every U.S. president was impressive, and my grade is biased as a result. Deal with it.

This at least paid off the confrontation between the teams from last week, but one cannot help but consider Enzo and Cass to be on a booking treadmill of sorts. They are consistently among the most over stars on the entire roster but have not progressed forward or back since their debut in April.

That could very well be the result of the upcoming brand extension and WWE's reluctance to do anything with its top young stars until it has a clear idea of where those competitors will land.

That is understandable, but it still feels like Enzo and Cass are suffering when they should be thriving in a higher-profile spot.

Sasha Banks Interrupts Charlotte and Dana Brooke

Charlotte and Dana Brooke were in the squared circle as the show returned from break and a quick "WWE Rewind" from two weeks ago, when Sasha Banks returned to Raw and made her intentions to challenge for the Women's Championship clear.

Charlotte used the word "jealousy" to describe Banks' actions. She mocked the "we want Sasha" chants before stating that "Chants don't pay the bills."

The Boss interrupted the champion. She reiterated the fact that Charlotte has never beaten her and she would be the titleholder if not for Ric Flair's involvement at WrestleMania. "You're not even in the conversation," Charlotte said before Banks shot back with, "I am the conversation."

Charlotte referred to herself as a Legit Boss.

The promo broke down into a physical encounter that concluded with Charlotte delivering a big boot only for Banks to recover and deliver The Bank Statement. Brooke dragged the champion to safety, leaving Banks standing tall.

Grade

B

Analysis

Really strong work from the women, especially late with the impassioned back-and-forth that ultimately led to the physicality.

Charlotte was once overbearing on the mic, a heel so obnoxious no one in their right mind would voluntarily listen to her. Since then, she has developed her own cadence and presence on the mic that have helped her become her own woman rather than the Flair ripoff that Banks referenced during her promo.

While Charlotte was good, Banks was great.

She expressed the same confidence that she did as a heel but made sure to shut down the heel with credible comebacks, drawing loud reactions from the WWE Universe. She looked like a star, handled herself like one and, outside of a miscommunication with Dana Brooke on a strike, was phenomenal here.

WWE Champion Dean Ambrose vs. Intercontinental Champion The Miz

Prior to his second battle with Dean Ambrose in five days, intercontinental champion The Miz grabbed the microphone and dedicated his match to wife Maryse. Still fuming from the food fight that ruined his designer suit, Miz was none too pleased to be cut off by the WWE champion, who arrived to a thunderous ovation.

Ambrose overwhelmed Miz early, delivering a modified Russian leg sweep into the guardrail. Moments later, Miz benefited from a brief distraction from Maryse to seize control of the match as we headed to break.

The Hollywood A-lister targeted the knee of Ambrose, undoubtedly setting him up for a potential Figure-Four Leglock. Ambrose countered with a sunset flip only to wind up in the submission hold moments later.

The Lunatic Fringe threw caution to the wind, firing back with a flurry of offense that threatened to further injure his knee—something John "Bradshaw" Layfield called out on commentary.

It mattered not, however, as Ambrose survived a Skull-Crushing Finale attempt and delivered Dirty Deeds for the win.

Seth Rollins interrupted the victor's celebration. Ambrose responded by taking a seat at the commentary table for The Architect's upcoming match.

Result

Dean Ambrose defeated The Miz.

Grade

C

Analysis

Miz and Ambrose have solid chemistry, but nothing about this match felt that much different from their SmackDown bout, calling into question the reason for devaluing the IC champion for the second consecutive show.

The little mind games between Ambrose and Rollins are always fun and served as a strong pre-commercial tease before the next contest.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins

Dolph Ziggler issued a challenge to Seth Rollins earlier in the day, citing the upcoming WWE draft and the potential that they may never again square off as the reason.

Ambrose, JBL and Michael Cole all put over Ziggler's collegiate wrestling skills as he grappled The Architect and scored a few near-falls.

Rollins controlled coming out of the break, but Ziggler mounted a comeback with a Stinger Splash in the corner and a neckbreaker. Ziggler fired up a superkick, but Rollins countered and put him down with a back kick to the midsection. A second kick, this one to the jaw, put The Showoff down for two.

The Superstars traded near-falls until Ziggler plastered Rollins with a superkick for a strong false finish.

Rollins recovered and tried for a wild kick only to suffer a DDT. He thwarted a Zig Zag and delivered a Pedigree for the victory.

Rollins grabbed a microphone after the match and called himself the best, namedropping Roman Reigns as he ranted about the Triple Threat match at Battleground.

He vowed to take back his title, to which Ambrose responded, "Nah" before tossing his title at his longtime rival and igniting a brawl at ringside that culminated with Dirty Deeds onto the Spanish announce table.

Result

Seth Rollins pinned Dolph Ziggler.

Grade

B+

Analysis

Ziggler and Rollins delivered a strong wrestling match hampered only minimally by a few clunky spots. For the first time in months, Ziggler looked like a guy capable of actually winning, perhaps setting him up for a renewed push when the brand extension takes effect on the July 19 episode of SmackDown.

The post-match brawl was well done, as was Rollins' seething promo on Reigns.

Whether those were his own words or management's way of further reprimanding Reigns is unknown, but Rollins delivered them like a guy totally in agreement with every one of them.

The Dirty Deeds to the announce table looked nasty for Ambrose, whose spine smacked off it without budging it. Considering the fact that Monday's show is not likely to draw a great television rating by any means, was it really worth risking that spot?

Vickie Guerrero Returns and Big Show Rallies the Troops

Vickie Guerrero returned to Raw, stating her case for the permanent role as general manager of SmackDown.

She was shrill, loud and obnoxious as she slapped one security guard attempting to pull her away from the microphone, then had one of her patented meltdowns as she disappeared behind the curtain.

Backstage, Big Show delivered an impassioned and motivational promo to his team for Monday night's enormous 16-man tag team elimination match. Apollo Crews, Zack Ryder, Jack Swagger, The Dudley Boyz, Mark Henry and Kane were fired up as they headed to the squared circle behind The World's Largest Athlete.

Grade

C 

Analysis

Vickie Guerrero was outstanding here, proving that her year away from the industry has not hurt her ability to incite a rabid crowd reaction. Her segment was kept short and sweet so as not to overexpose her.

Big Show was very effective with the material given to him here. He does the "fired up babyface" shtick as well as anyone and it showed, even if his partners are a who's who of meaningless babyfaces stuck in midcard purgatory.

The Golden Truth vs. The Vaudevillains

The reasoning for this match? The food fight from earlier in the show.

You read that correctly.

Breezeango watched from ringside, unimpressed by both teams as the feud between them and the babyface Golden Truth appears unfinished. Sadly.

R-Truth caught Simon Gotch with a heel kick, then inexplicably looked out of it. Goldust tagged in and unleashed a series of maneuvers, including a big bulldog.

Truth recovered and joined his partner in delivering Solid Gold, a new double-team maneuver, for the pinfall win.

Result

The Golden Truth defeated The Vaudevillains.

Grade

F

Analysis

With that, The Vaudevillains are officially The Ascension of 2016.

The former NXT tag teams have hit rock bottom, disgraced in a food fight earlier in the night and beaten in less than two minutes by a team that is opening-match fodder at best.

The fact that WWE Creative appears hellbent on continuing the feud between Golden Truth and Breezeango did little to help improve the horrifically bad segment.

John Cena Addresses The Club

Credit: WWE.com

John Cena hit the ring and immediately called out the crowd for its somewhat lethargic response to the night's show. It responded with the typical mixed reaction that precedes any Cena promo.

The franchise player recapped his feud with AJ Styles before arriving at his point: Anytime you fight one member of The Club, you fight the entire Club. The entire promo set up his, "You want some, come get some" catchphrase, to which Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows obliged.

Styles was fuming about Cena being at the center of the promotional materials in Japan and reiterated that Anderson and Gallows are guarding him from Cena's burial.

The Phenomenal One talked about the lack of support Cena has, then joked with his friends about the fun they will have beating Cena up on every holiday.

The three-on-one beatdown commenced until Enzo and Big Cass arrived, making the save for the biggest star in the industry.

Grade

B-

Analysis

Remember that time I wrote about Enzo Amore and Big Cass being underutilized and stuck on a booking treadmill earlier in the night?

WWE Creative silenced me here, introducing Enzo and Cass as backup for Cena, instantly inserting them in the second-most important storyline in the company. They have the crowd support and raw energy about them to elevate this program to even greater heights, and their presence will likely net Cena that rare positive reaction.

Great thinking on the part of WWE Creative as a fantastic way to elevate the importance of one of the company's hottest acts.

Becky Lynch vs. Summer Rae

Credit: WWE.com

The commentating team announced Becky Lynch vs. Natalya for Battleground before The Lass Kicker did battle with Summer Rae in a match originally slated for last week's show.

Surprisingly enough, Summer controlled the match, capitalizing on a potentially overemotional Lynch to keep her grounded.

After a scary suplex that saw Lynch dropped on her head, the Irishwoman fired up a comeback and tapped Summer out with the Dis-Arm-Her.

Result

Becky Lynch defeated Summer Rae.

Grade

D+

Analysis

As effective as Summer Rae has been in other roles, it is a wonder WWE continues to throw her into the ring and expect a great match when it is the one thing she has not excelled at.

That suplex on Lynch was downright scary, something commentators briefly broke stride to mention.

Lynch has one of the best babyface comebacks in the entire company and is one of its best workers. She made the most of the situation and now moves on to what could very well be a show-stealing match against Natalya at Battleground.

The Wyatt Family Threatens The New Day

Credit: WWE.com

The New Day hit the ring, drawing a huge pop for a pre-main event promo segment.

Kofi Kingston and Big E poked fun at The Wyatt Family while Xavier Woods looked unmotivated, lethargic and disenfranchised with the entire thing.

Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman interrupted. The Reaper of Souls once again challenged The New Day to come to The Wyatt Family compound and fight them.

Big E and Kingston were quick to accept until Woods finally snapped. He scolded his teammates for being so eager to battle Bray and Company, warning them that if The New Day does not realize how dangerous its rivals are, then the trio may not survive.

He dropped the microphone and walked off, leaving fans and his teammates in stunned silence.

Grade

A+

Analysis

Hands down, this was the best segment on this week's show.

The Wyatt Family came across as menacing and dangerous as it has in months. It looks like a threat not only to the tag titles but to anyone unfortunate to cross it. After a year of misuse on the part of WWE Creative, it looks rejuvenated and ready to rule over Raw or SmackDown going forward.

Woods was so good here, appearing absolutely terrified by the threats of Wyatt and his followers while also speaking with insight.

His suggestion that The New Day may not survive teases not only the breakup of the trio but also the potential for it to be drafted to separate brands come July 19.

16-Man Tag Team Elimination Match

Credit: WWE.com

The Multinational Alliance consisted of Sami Zayn, Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, The Lucha Dragons, Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio and Cesaro. They would battle Big Show, Kane, Apollo Crews, Jack Swagger, Zack Ryder, Mark Henry and The Dudley Boyz.

Rapid eliminations occurred early as The Dudleys sent Sin Cara packing following a 3-D only for Kalisto to eliminate Bubba Ray seconds later.

Cesaro delivered his trademark swing to D-Von, putting an end to the other Dudley Boy's night.

The days of The Real Americans were revisited momentarily as Cesaro and Jack Swagger sparred. The All-American American had his night cut short moments later courtesy of a Codebreaker from Chris Jericho.

From there, the action broke down, with all of the remaining stars filling the ring for a brawl as we headed to break.

Henry swatted Kalisto to the mat and scored the pinfall that sent the former U.S. champion to the showers. An enraged Owens delivered a massive Pop-Up Powerbomb to The World's Strongest Man to eliminate him.

The "teamwork" between Owens and Zayn was short-lived, as the former delivered a chair shot to his rival that led to his own disqualification. Kane grabbed the chair and used it on Owens, leading to a disqualification of his own.

Crews pinned Zayn, and Sheamus responded by pinning the electrifying newcomer. Jericho and Sheamus isolated Ryder from Big Show, hoping to capitalize on the 4-2 numbers advantage that The Multinational Alliance touted.

Cesaro turned on his own team, unloading with a series of uppercuts. He walked into a rollup from Ryder and was eliminated. Long Island Iced Z made the hot tag to Big Show, who tore through the opposition until Sheamus was the only remaining member of the foreign team.

Ryder finished Sheamus with The Rough Ryder for the win.

Result

Team USA defeated The Multinational Alliance.

Grade

C-

Analysis

How can a match with as much talent as this one suck as much as it did?

Michael Cole, JBL and Byron Saxton took turns openly mocking it for the complete lack of logic that unfolded before the WWE Universe. The disqualifications of Owens and Kane made such little sense that Cole, the ultimate shill for the company, questioned how they were even possible.

The disjointed action, rapid eliminations and nonsensical pairings led to a mangled mess of lazy, uninspired and downright idiotic booking that even an awesome, rare Zack Ryder victory could not make up for.

The July 4 episode featured its share of patriotism, and rightfully so, but this was as poor a choice to cap off the show as any.