WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from Aug. 22

Whatever Vince McMahon had planned for Finn Balor on WWE Raw and beyond as the first universal champion had to have burned in Brooklyn, New York.

A shoulder injury forced Balor to give up the brand-new Universal Championship and WWE to rewrite its script surrounding the title picture. With that in mind, one has to be impressed with how taut and compelling the show was. High stakes and in-ring drama made for a successful night.

In the process of setting up a Fatal 4-Way match for the now-vacant Universal Championship for next week's Raw, the show had a narrative foundation to build on—a spine that ran through the episode.

Elsewhere, the women's division welcomed a potential megastar in Bayley. Her arrival helped soothe the pain of seeing Balor forced to step away from the ring.

Add in the announcement that Raw will begin to feature its exclusive cruiserweight division on Sept. 19 and Monday's Raw was quite the newsworthy show.

The following is a breakdown of the post-SummerSlam Raw, from the highlights to Titus O'Neil falling flat on his face.

Finn Balor Relinquishes the Universal Championship

Michael Cole announced Balor injured his shoulder during his victory over Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship.

Raw general manager Mick Foley and commissioner Stephanie McMahon greeted Balor in the ring. With his right arm in a sling and the WWE universal title on his shoulder, the champ talked about what the belt meant to him.

He promised to come after the championship once he healed. 

Rollins emerged with a grin smeared across his face. He urged McMahon to give him the title, but Sami Zayn interrupted. Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, Enzo Amore, Big Cass and Roman Reigns all followed, arguing about who deserves the belt.

McMahon and Foley set up a series of matches that will culminate on the next Raw to crown a new titleholder. 

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Fans chant "You deserve it!" and "Thank you, Finn!" to Balor.
• Balor: "I want to thank Seth Rollins for giving me the match of my life."

Grade

B+

Analysis

Balor's injury is a punch to the gut. His rapid rise to the top is ruined. WWE has to rethink all of its plans surrounding him and the title.

The recent NXT call-up made the most of his farewell speech, coming off as both focused and crestfallen. The segment did well to give Balor his moment before adjusting the focus to the Universal Championship and the roster's collective desire to claim it.

WWE could have been clearer about the format regarding the "series of matches." It didn't announce that this was a means to decide who enters a Fatal 4-Way for next week until an hour into the show.

Why not just reveal that to begin with?

Seth Rollins vs. Sami Zayn

Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn traded the momentum early on in a fast-paced matchup.

Zayn tweaked his knee, but the underdog continued to launch himself at Rollins. He limped along during the fight, wincing after every move.

Rollins attacked the bad leg, stomping on it and wrenching it with a heel hook. The Architect finished his foe with a Pedigree.

Result

Rollins wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Zayn moonsaults off the security barricade.
• Zayn hits a sunset flip powerbomb. 
• Corey Graves: "Don't tell me Sami's going to pull this off."

Grade

A-

Analysis

It's hard to look better in a loss than Zayn did against Rollins. He came off as fearless and rugged. Zayn excels at this kind of resilient underdog role, and WWE has to take full advantage of that moving forward.

The high stakes and two quality performers led to an excellent opener.

Rollins is the favorite in this Universal Championship Fatal 4-Way match. It will be tough to prevent the outcome from being obvious when that match kicks off next Monday.

Kevin Owens vs. Neville

Neville had Kevin Owens retreating from the jump, but Chris Jericho's distraction halted his momentum. The Man That Gravity Forgot used his high-flying skills to overwhelm Owens regardless.

Jericho distracted Neville once more, leading to the powerhouse clobbering Neville. He used an Argentine neckbreaker to score the three-count.

Result

Owens wins via pinfall. 

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Neville hits a 450 Splash off the ring apron.
• Neville hits a spinning corkscrew moonsault from the second rope.
• Graves: "The prizefighter was simply a little better tonight."

Grade

B+

Analysis

As always, this bout featured strong work from these two rivals. Owens and Neville have among the best chemistry of any pair of Superstars on the roster.

Owens was such a heavy favorite, though, it was hard to believe Neville had a real chance. That says a lot about the Brit's current position. He needs some image repair in a hurry.

Joining the tag team division alongside Zayn is his best bet for that at the moment.

Big E vs. Karl Anderson

The New Day danced down to the ring, where the trio celebrated Big E's return from injury. The champs boasted about their year-long reign, thanking the crowd for its support.

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson mocked The New Day and demanded a rematch for the tag team championships. They settled for a singles match for now.

As Big E and Anderson battled, Gallows brawled with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods outside. That freed up the powerhouse to hit Anderson with a Big Ending for the win.

Result

Big E wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Big E ladled Booty-Os cereal into fans' hands.
• Anderson to Kingston: "Did you enjoy the Magic Killer you received at SummerSlam?"
• Gallows promises his partner will "dismember, dismantle and decapitate" Big E.
• Big E hurls Anderson out of the ring. 

Grade

C-

Analysis

It's OK to have Anderson lose here, but he put up so little resistance, he looked like a chump. That's par for the course with this team.

WWE has never taken advantage of the duo, portraying it as bumbling rather than imposing. The feud with The New Day has suffered as a result.

The champs continue to lack rivals on their level.

Titus O'Neil Challenges Darren Young

Titus O'Neil stumbled over a promo about losing the tag team championships last year. He talked about how his former tag team partner Darren Young was dead weight and has held back his career.

He called out Young, but Bob Backlund charged out. The Hall of Famer took down O'Neil briefly, but O'Neil knocked him out. The Real Deal followed up with a Clash of the Titus on Young.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• O'Neil on Young: "He would not be relevant if it weren't for me just like Jay-Z wouldn't be relevant without Beyonce."
• Fans chant, "We want Slater!"

Grade

D-

Analysis

The sentiment was fine, but the execution was terrible. O'Neil is now second only to Kalisto for worst promo of the year.  

He has never been able to translate his natural charisma into much of anything on screen.

This feud has zero juice. It's a rivalry that has materialized over a year too late. The Prime Time Players have been apart too long for this to really resonate.

WWE is going to have to redirect both men before long. There has to be a better way to tell Young's Backlund-centric narrative.

Rusev vs. Big Cass

Lana and Enzo Amore each introduced their respective partners before Big Cass and Rusev locked up.

The Bulgarian Brute wore tape around his injured ribs. Big Cass zeroed in on that area with right hands. Rusev, though, battled back with methodical offense.

The two Superstars moved the fight to the outside, where Big Cass slammed Rusev into the ring steps. Rusev retreated as the referee counted to 10.

Result

Big Cass wins via count-out.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Amore on Bulgaria: "Is that on the East side? Is that on the West side?"
• Rusev knocks out Amore with a roundhouse kick.

Grade

C+

Analysis

While it wasn't the best match of the night by any stretch, the booking was smart. WWE was able to protect the United States champ while also giving a fresh face a major opportunity.

Other than him ducking out of the bout at the end, Rusev didn't look like a heel here, though. He was resilient and gutsy a la Sami Zayn and hasn't cheated or been as vicious as he once was. Either WWE is setting him up for a face turn or his character is simply muddled.

Where is the Rusev who shouted at Titus O'Neil's kids on Father's Day?

Bayley Breaks Up Charlotte's Championship Celebration

With Dana Brooke at her side, Charlotte gloated about her title victory over Sasha Banks. She told Banks she would never get another title shot.

Mick Foley announced Banks would get a rematch once she was healthy. He then introduced Raw's newest free agent—NXT's Bayley.

Charlotte mocked Bayley, claiming she didn't belong on Raw. Bayley challenged Charlotte, but the champ scoffed at the idea. Instead, Bayley got a crack at Brooke.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Brooke chants, "You deserve it" to Charlotte.
• Charlotte: "I am the greatest female athlete in the world."
• Fans chant, "We want Bayley!" before she arrives.

Grade

A

Analysis

Bayley's arrival will overshadow the fact Charlotte is so inconsistent as a talker. She sounds like a star at times and then has moments when she looks like she should still be in promo class at NXT.

The long-overdue call-up will deepen the division in a big way. Bayley is a great storyteller and will be a huge hit with kids. 

WWE wisely introduced her in Brooklyn, where she was guaranteed a roaring reaction.

Bayley vs. Dana Brooke

Bayley flustered Dana Brooke with her trademark antics. The former NXT champ had her foe reeling until Charlotte interfered.

Brooke then pounded on Bayley with forearms, but it wasn't enough to keep her down. Bayley used the Bayley-to-Belly Suplex to score the win.

Result

Bayley wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Brooke slams Bayley's head into the security barricade.
• Brooke to Bayley: "I don't think so, sister. You're in the big leagues now."

Grade

B-

Analysis

This didn't need to be a classic—just an introduction to who Bayley is. On that front, the bout did a solid job. We saw Bayley be playful, energetic and a touch resilient.  

Brooke has quietly improved since her debut. Even so, Bayley will need a better stepping-stone rival in the weeks ahead as she pursues the Women's Championship.

Braun Strowman vs. Johnny Knockout

Johnny Knockout offered a sliver of resistance before Braun Strowman rolled over him. Strowman effortlessly destroyed his opponent.

After beating his foe, Strowman demanded a second three-count.

Result

Strowman wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Knockout on why he took this match: "Because I like big, sweaty men."
• Fans chant, "Let's go, jobber!"

Grade

C-

Analysis

The Strowman-destroys-easy-fodder pattern continues. It's hard to get excited about these bouts, but the process will pay off eventually. Strowman will have a robust number of wins under his belt before he starts to battle midcarders.

In years past, WWE could have stretched this story out for a good while, but impatient fans will force the company to move things along soon.

Knockout's explanation for wanting to take on Strowman can't be the kind of LGBT storylines WWE has talked about introducing of late. Reducing identity down to a punchline isn't accomplishing anything.

The Dudley Boyz Say Farewell

Bubba Ray Dudley recalled The Dudley Boyz's return to WWE last year. D-Von Dudley talked of their TLC matches with The Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian. 

They thanked the fans and said their goodbyes.

The Shining Stars walked out, insulting The Dudley Boyz. Primo and Epico offered the former tag team champs plane tickets to Puerto Rico.

The Dudley Boyz attacked both men. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson pounced on them before they could finish. The Club slammed D-Von through a table.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Bubba Ray: "We busted our ass for you for 20 years."
• D-Von: "Every bump we took in that ring, every ladder, every chair shot, if I had a chance to do it again, I would do it again tonight."

Grade

C+

Analysis

The reasoning behind this segment is logical. Younger teams were supposed to get a rub as The Dudley Boyz departed. The heels got to show off their arrogance and viciousness. 

It just didn't click as WWE surely intended.

This was a reminder of how forgettable The Dudley Boyz's latest run was. This didn't feel like a salute to the great team Bubba Ray and D-Von were but instead a low midcard act tangling with squads it has zero connection with.

Despite the retirement speech, The Club's attack may lead to one last rivalry for The Dudley Boyz. In that case, a proper sendoff may be well on its way.

Roman Reigns vs. Chris Jericho

Ron Elkman/Sports Imagery/Getty Images

Credit: WWE.com

Backstage, Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens bickered about each man's chances of winning the Universal Championship. 

In the ring, Jericho tried to throw Roman Reigns off his game by slapping him. It only angered the powerhouse. A poke to the eye had Jericho take control despite that.

Jericho then tortured his foe, pulling his hair and squeezing the breath out of him.

Reigns began to overpower Y2J, but Owens interfered to save his tag team partner. A cheap shot from Owens and Jericho's best moves weren't enough, though. The Big Dog speared his way to victory.

Result

Reigns wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Jericho: "I'm going to be champion of the universe. That's really big!"
• Fans chant, "You can't wrestle!" at Reigns.
• Reigns punches Jericho out of midair.
• Reigns counters the Codebreaker into a powerbomb.
• Reigns kicks out of the Codebreaker.

Grade

B

Analysis

As usual, Reigns delivered compelling action. He and Jericho hit all the right notes, from convincing near-falls to intense moments.

But how does WWE not build on Reigns' issues with Rusev more? Those two tried to kill each other on Sunday. On Monday, they barely crossed paths. Not weaving that narrative into this one was a misstep.

It's hard to take the United States title seriously when someone like Reigns so quickly stops hunting it.