WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from September 12

Universal champion Kevin Owens battled Roman Reigns in the main event of Monday's Raw, but it was United States champion Rusev who had the biggest effect on the contest.

After weeks away, Rusev avenged insult and injury suffered at the hands of Reigns, costing him the opportunity to compete for the top prize on Raw at Clash of Champions.

It was not the only match with championship implications.

Sasha Banks battled, and defeated, Bayley and Dana Brooke in a match to determine the No. 1 contender to Charlotte's Women's Championship.

Chris Jericho hosted The Highlight Reel with Sami Zayn, Cesaro and Sheamus did battle in Match No. 5 of their Best of Seven Series and Nia Jax looked to continue her destructive ways.

How did each match go down, how did they grade out and what do they mean to Raw's current state?

Find out now with this look back at the September 12 episode.

The Women's Revolution Takes Center Stage

Mick Foley kicked off the evening's broadcast and introduced fans to women's champion Charlotte.

Frustrated by the loss suffered at the hands of Bayley, she attempted to force Dana Brooke to apologize to her for the defeat. Sasha Banks interrupted, followed by the aforementioned Bayley.

The segment broke down into all three women expressing their desire to hold the gold.

Charlotte again chastised Brooke for last week's loss, to which the former fitness competitor responded by slapping the taste out of her former mentor's face.

Foley announced Brooke vs. Banks vs. Bayley for the opening contest with the winner facing Charlotte at Clash of Champions.

Grade

B+

Analysis

The women took center stage to kick off the show, and it is a wise move on the part of WWE Creative.

On the heels of last night's bout at Backlash, Raw needed to answer and doing so with the talented roster it has was the right decision.

It feels a little early for Brooke to make her turn given how Charlotte's verbal abuse is still in its infancy, but it did set up another interesting storyline to follow.

Sasha Banks vs. Bayley vs. Dana Brooke

The product of the night's opening segment, Sasha Banks vs. Bayley vs. Dana Brooke kicked off the in-ring portion of the broadcast.

Late in the match, Banks lined Bayley and Brooke up for the double knees, but Bayley escaped and countered with a cross body block from the top rope.

Banks delivered the Tower of Doom superplex spot, allowing her to take control of the match. She delivered the Bank Statement to Brooke, only to have Bayley cut off her submission attempt.

Moments later, Bayley delivered her Bayley-to-Belly suplex, only to have Banks counter a pinfall into a rollup for the win.

Result

Sasha Banks defeated Dana Brooke and Bayley.

Grade

B

Analysis

The clever finish alone helped this match achieve the "B" grade it did. Action-packed and featuring a great closing segment, it firmly established Banks as the rightful challenger to Charlotte.

Brooke held her own despite being wildly inexperienced compared to her opponent.

Bayley taking the pin was questionable in that she is still relatively new. That it was after delivering her finisher and appearing to have the win softens the blow a bit.

Brandon Scott vs. Bo Dallas

The angrier, more focused and aggressive Bo Dallas was back in action Monday night.

He withstood an early onslaught from enhancement talent Brandon Scott and scored the victory in dominant and decisive fashion.

Result

Bo Dallas defeated Brandon Scott.

Grade

D

Analysis

This feels very much like a story destined to end with a jobber defeating Dallas.

For now, it works. If it stretches out too long, though, expect fan backlash.

The Highlight Reel Featuring Sami Zayn

Chris Jericho mockingly introduced Sami Zayn to The Highlight Reel, poised to ask him about his previous friendship with Kevin Owens.

Instead, Zayn turned the conversation to Jericho. He mentioned the reason he and Owens traveled the world together was so they could be like Y2J. They were journeyman like Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero—guys who plied their craft to get to WWE and be like Jericho.

A visibly shaken Jericho fell silent and then proceeded to pull out his phone to show Zayn a text he got from Owens earlier in the night.

Instead, he blasted Zayn with the phone and left him lying there with the Codebreaker.

Grade

B+

Analysis

This was the best Zayn has ever been on the mic, at least during his stint on the main roster. He appeared genuine as he credited Jericho for inspiring him. Jericho's reaction was priceless, completely floored that Zayn would make a valid point against him.

The phone bit was classic, and suddenly, the prospect of a Y2J-Zayn match is much more appealing than Reigns vs. Jericho, which has been teased of late.

Best of Seven Series: Cesaro vs. Sheamus

Down 3-1 in the Best of Seven Series against Sheamus, Cesaro hit the ring looking to take one step closer to evening the odds.

Sheamus took control early, targeting his opponent's injuries, but The Swiss Superman rebounded and attempted the Sharpshooter. The Celtic Warrior bailed as the show headed to break.

Back from the commercial, Sheamus had Cesaro trapped in a backbreaker.

Cesaro was able to apply the Sharpshooter, but Sheamus made it to the bottom rope. A ill-advised attempt at the Cesaro Swing did further damage to his back, but he recovered just enough to score a rollup victory while holding the ropes.

Result

Cesaro defeated Sheamus.

Grade

B

Analysis

So a heel breaks the rules and it's cheating, but a babyface does it and that's "doing what you have to do?"

Sound logic, Michael Cole.

Cesaro and Sheamus have wicked chemistry, and it becomes more apparent with every passing match. They have had a different match every time, making the series a greater success than most expected.

It should be interesting to see how Cesaro continues to find ways to overcome his injury to eventually win the series.

Alicia Fox vs. Nia Jax

Born of a backstage segment on last week's show, Nia Jax faced her toughest challenge to date Monday as she squared off with former Divas champion Alicia Fox.

Though Fox was able to connect with a big boot and then fire away with a few fists, Jax proved dominant.

After pummeling Fox at ringside, Jax rushed her with a gigantic spear, sending her crashing through the guardrail. The emotionless Jax stood over Fox's limp body as referees rushed to the former champion's aid.

Result

Nia Jax and Alicia Fox fought to a no-contest.

Grade

A

Analysis

This did more to get Jax over with the audience than any of the mindless squash matches she competed in. She looked like a monster that could dominate the division for years to come, and that is exactly how she should be portrayed.

A great bit of booking on WWE Creative's part.

The New Day vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson

The New Day cut a promo mocking Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson for their vignettes and the horrible Old Day segment from last week. 

When the talking was over, though, Anderson and Gallows battled Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods in a non-title match. It would be a warm-up of sorts for their contest at Clash of Champions, where the gold would be up for grabs.

Anderson and Gallows were more aggressive than they had been to this point—a fact Corey Graves mentioned on commentary. That aggression allowed them to withstand the champions' late-match comeback, including Woods' impressive discus punch, and score the win over the UpUpDownDown host with The Magic Killer.

Result

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson defeated The New Day.

Grade

C+

Analysis

This was an interesting bit of booking in that it will be difficult to convince fans to care about the pay-per-view match when the two teams have been wrestling on television, every week, for the last two months. Why should the audience invest itself in another match when the teams have traded wins and losses for weeks without any forward progress to speak of?

With that said, this was a solid wrestling match that heightens hopes for that one-blow-away bout the two teams are capable of, but have yet to deliver.

Jack Swagger vs. Jinder Mahal

Jack Swagger returned to Monday nights and battled Jinder Mahal in singles competition.

It was not the return he had hoped for.

A Swagger Bomb did not go according to plan as the former world champion came crashing stomach-first on the knees of Mahal.

It was academic from there as the former third of 3MB scored the pinfall victory.

Result

Jinder Mahal defeated Jack Swagger.

Grade

D-

Analysis

The good news? WWE Creative remembered Swagger had a job.

The bad news? He just jobbed to resident enhancement guy Mahal, who has not won a match since he returned to the company.

One certainly outweighs the other.

Enzo Amore vs. Epico

Credit: WWE.com

A week after The Shining Stars defeated Enzo Amore and Big Cass in a major upset, Epico looked to continue the duo's winning ways as he battled Enzo in singles competition.

Late in the match, Enzo attempted a suplex from the outside in, but Primo grabbed hold of his foot, allowing Epico to shift his weight and come down on top. Three seconds later and the villains had scored another unexpected victory.

Result

Epico defeated Enzo Amore.

Grade

C-

Analysis

The Shining Stars are timeshare salesmen, just in case you are trying to think of the worst gimmick of the last five years.

The match was fine for a three-minute sprint, and putting Epico over allows him and Primo to garner a little heat, but this feels like a feud in which Enzo and Cass are destined to go over as soon as Clash of Champions.

Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens

Credit: WWE.com

The match the entire show was built around nearly featured an unsatisfactory conclusion.

Late, Seth Rollins appeared, attacking Kevin Owens and drawing a disqualification finish. With Owens declared the winner, Reigns was robbed of a spot in the Clash of Champions main event. Infuriated, general manager Mick Foley appeared and ordered the match restarted.

Reigns and Owens delivered a dramatic bout that had the fans in Baltimore biting on every near-fall.

At one point, Reigns avoided the Popup Powerbomb and scored a schoolboy rollup, which he turned into his sit-out powerbomb for a close two-count.

Reigns was distracted by the arrival of Rusev, who ate a Superman Punch. From there, Owens delivered his finisher and picked up the win.

After the match, Rusev pummeled Reigns and left him lying there to close out the show, with Lana watching from the ramp.

Result

Kevin Owens defeated Roman Reigns.

Grade

A

Analysis

The main event of Monday's show was spectacular, a preview of the extraordinary work Reigns and Owens are capable of when given time and a hot crowd. The reactions to ever near-fall helped make the contest feel more important, something that cannot be said about every television main event.

The reintroduction of the Rusev-Reigns story was essential given the lack of proper conclusion back at SummerSlam. That the Bulgarian Brute looked as ruthless as he did to close out the show will only create an environment where the possibility of Reigns winning is not quite as much a given as it otherwise would have been.

Owens continued his hot streak and now looks forward to what should be a superb match against Rollins at Clash of Champions.