WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from Sept. 19

The cruiserweights saved WWE Raw.

Were it not for Brian Kendrick, Cedric Alexander, Rich Swann and Gran Metalik, all fresh off the Cruiserweight Classic tournament, storming the show, fans would have left talking about how sluggish and ineffective Monday's Raw was in building toward the Clash of Champions pay-per-view on Sunday.

Even with three hours of airtime to play with, WWE smashed several storylines together, muddling the narratives of a number of feuds.

The cruiserweights, on the other hand, had a simple focus and high stakes. Whoever won the Fatal 4-Way match on Monday night would represent Raw's new division and fight T.J. Perkins for his Cruiserweight Championship. 

Charlotte found out she will be fending off two foes at the PPV. Cesaro won his third bout in a row against Sheamus to ensure Clash of Champions would host a deciding match between them.

Monday's Raw featured story progression in those instances, but mostly it did not feel like a go-home show. At its worst, it was boring. 

At its best, the show offered a glimpse of a future where athletes like Metalik and Alexander infuse a Monday nights with the energy it needs.

Mick Foley Sets Up Several Matches

An angry, focused Roman Reigns seethed in the ring before Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley cut off his speech. Foley announced Seth Rollins will battle Rusev later in the show, and Reigns will take on The Bulgarian Brute at Clash of Champions.

Foley talked about the tenuous nature of his general manager position.

Kevin Owens entered after Foley booked a bout between him and Reigns for later in the evening. Foley added it would be a Steel Cage match.

Rollins crossed paths with both Owens and Reigns on his way to the ring.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "Are you just working for your next stand-up special?"—Owens.

Grade

D

Analysis

For such a long promo, it accomplished very little. Rollins and Owens only briefly glanced at each other. Reigns barely said anything about his rival.

The focus pointed squarely on Foley for much of the segment. Reigns doesn't need to speak a ton, but letting him stand around, while Foley frets about his GM gig, is pointless.

This is not the best strategy to hook fans who will be tempted to switch to NFL later in the night.

Seth Rollins vs. Rusev

Rusev celebrated in between pounding on Rollins. He overpowered his foe, while Rollins used his speed to fluster Rusev.

The battle left Rollins' back hurting, but he fought through as he flew all around the ring. A flurry of high-flying moves gave The Architect the advantage.

The two men brawled on the entrance ramp as the referee counted to 10.

Rusev tried to powerbomb Rollins onto the announcers' table, but the former WWE champ escaped. Rollins dove at Rusev to cap off the fight.

Result

Match ends in a double count-out.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• With one arm, Rusev flings Rollins out of the corner.
• Rollins hits a Falcon Arrow, bad back and all.

Grade

C+

Analysis

With both men prepping for big matches, WWE wisely avoided pinning a loss on either of them. That strategy's downfall is that none of them gained any significant momentum.

Rusev and Rollins had solid chemistry, and the bout had some good moments. It wasn't memorable overall, though. 

How long is WWE going to let Rollins sit in limbo? He has been facing heels, but still displays villainous traits. The transition to babyface status should be natural and not hurried, but we need to start seeing hints of where his character is going.

Braun Strowman vs. Sin Cara

Braun Strowman steamrolled over Sin Cara. He stomped and clubbed the smaller man. 

Sin Cara managed to get in a touch of offense, but Strowman was too powerful for him. The big bruiser gobbled up the luchador, pinning him in short order.

Result

Strowman wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Strowman catches Sin Cara in midair to prevent an attempted moonsault.
• "The guy's not human. Bigger than nature intended."—Corey Graves.

Grade

C

Analysis

WWE has gladly moved on from the jobber squash matches. Beating Sin Cara has a lot more weight than taking out some no-name enhancement talent. 

His matches are still too one-sided to be great entertainment, however. 

These victories are part of a patient building process. They are more utilitarian than they are fun.

Strowman is slowly looking more comfortable in the ring. Expect WWE to start trusting him to put on longer matches in the near future.

Charlotte and Dana Brooke vs. Sasha Banks and Bayley

Backstage, Dana Brooke pointed out to Mick Foley that both Sasha Banks and Bayley's shoulders were on the mat during the No. 1 Contender's match last week. That led Foley to book both wrestlers in a Triple Threat match for Clash of Champions against the women's champion Charlotte.

Frustrated, Charlotte pushed Brooke to the ground.

Once the match began, Bayley and Banks controlled the action early on. Charlotte and Brooke managed to regain the edge by double-teaming Bayley in their corner. When Banks entered, the champ and her protege focused on her injured back.

Brooke later distracted Bayley to allow Charlotte to score a three-count.

Result

Charlotte and Brooke win via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Bayley slams Charlotte into Brooke.
• Charlotte bends Banks around a ring post.

Grade

B

Analysis

Booking the Triple Threat match will mix things up for the women's title scene. WWE can save a Banks-Charlotte one-on-one encounter for a bigger event. The same with Bayley vs. Charlotte.

Brooke and Charlotte's relationship has become more compelling as it has developed. The champ's lackey desperately wants acceptance from a boss who is only using her like a puppet. Their tension is sure to grow, creating more drama in the process.

This tag match showcased Bayley's babyface fire and Charlotte's viciousness. It ended up being one of the night's better bouts.

Bo Dallas vs. Gary Graham

Bo Dallas angrily recited a poem. He then tore apart Gary Graham in little time.

Graham had but one flash of offense before Dallas pinned him.

Result

Dallas wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "All of our bridges need to burn."—Dallas.
• Fans chant "Let's go jobber!"

Grade

C-

Analysis

Dallas has given it all during this recent transformation. He looks energized. His aggression is bringing out his best.

Where is WWE taking this, though? The character feels limited as it stands. And he's taking part in a story arc generally reserved for monster heels and powerhouses. It's an ill-fitting role for now.

Sheamus vs. Cesaro (Match No. 6)

Sheamus entered the bout with a 3-2 lead in his Best of Seven series with Cesaro. The Celtic Warrior attacked Cesaro's injured spine as he has done throughout most of their battles.

Cesaro and Sheamus traded their best moves, scoring a number of near-falls. 

The Irishman cracked his knee against Cesaro's back, tried to use the ropes for illegal leverage and went for the Brogue Kick. Cesaro, though, gutted it out and knocked off Sheamus with a Neutralizer. 

Result

Cesaro wins via pinfall to tie the Best of Seven series at 3-3.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Cesaro uppercuts Sheamus over the guardrail. 
• Sheamus hits White Noise on the ring apron.
• "For Cesaro, this is overtime!"—Michael Cole.

Grade

B+

Analysis

Another creative and violent match from these two. Calling back to previous clashes with Sheamus continually going after the back and using the ropes a la Cesaro last week were nice touches.

The outcome was never in doubt with the Clash of Champions being the perfect home for the seventh and final bout. That took away from some of the drama.

Cesaro is now one win away from completing his improbable comeback. The last leg of that journey will be the best, with The King of Swing and Sheamus looking to top all their previous encounters.

The List of Jericho

Chris Jericho compiled a list of grievances against Mick Foley. He approached the GM with the list backstage before proceeding to read each item aloud in the ring.

Enzo Amore and Big Cass cut him off. Amore mocked Jericho's attire. Cass listed off famous best friends. 

The Shining Stars joined the fray just before The New Day emerged. Xavier Woods promoted their YouTube channel and the champions' upcoming title match against The Club.

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson took the mention of their name as their cue to join the segment.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "You're all going on the list."—Jericho.

Grade

D

Analysis

What began as good back-and-forth from Foley and Jericho backstage morphed into a complete mess.

WWE slapped a number of rivalries together with little purpose. None of the stories made headway as a result.

Every team was a blaring instrument in a discordant song.

10-Man Tag Team Match

Sami Zayn, The New Day, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady vs. The Shining Stars, Chris Jericho and The Club

The babyfaces manhandled Epico to start things off.

Luke Gallows briefly shifted things in his teams' favor, however. He and the heels kept Kofi Kingston in their corner, taking turns beating up the high-flyer.

Zayn and Jericho brawled. Amore dove onto Primo for the win. 

Result

Zayn, The New Day, Amore and Cass win via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Big E hurls Kingston onto Gallows and Karl Anderson.

Grade

C

Analysis

On a crowded stage, WWE tried to build a number of feuds all at once. That didn't happen. Each rivalry only took the tiniest of steps. 

Still, it was a fairly fun bout. And it was good to see Amore get a win after falling to The Shining Stars for the past few weeks.

Rich Swann vs. Gran Metalik vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Brian Kendrick

Foley introduced the new Raw cruiserweight division. Swann, Metalik, Alexander and Kendrick made their way to the ring before the GM announced the winner of the bout would go on to face Perkins for the cruiserweight title at Clash of Champions.

Kendrick lied in wait and looked to pounce on his foes as they fought each other.

Alexander overpowered Metalik. Swann danced as he went on the attack. Metalik soared all around the ring.

The match quickened as the wrestlers turned to aerial moves and prevented their foes from scoring three-counts.

Kendrick survived the chaos. He bent Alexander in half with the Captain's Hook to get the win.

Result

Kendrick wins via submission.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "July 30, 2009. They wished me the best in my future endeavors. They thought I was through, and so did I."—Kendrick.
• "The cruiserweight division is open for business."—Michael Cole.
• Alexander lands on his feet after Swann hits him with a headscissors takedown.
• Metalik springboards onto all three opponents on the outside.
• Kendrick hurls Swann upside-down into the security barricade. 

Grade

A

Analysis

Foley fumbled the opening, but the wrestlers made that a distant memory.

In an excellent showcase of the new division, Alexander flourished, Swann was a ton of fun and Metalik's moves impressed. Kendrick, the angry, desperate scavenger continued his recent hot streak.

He makes a great first challenger for Perkins as someone more casual fans will know thanks to his previous WWE run. The veteran will provide Perkins with a stellar first title defense, too.

It was odd the champion wasn't on TV, on commentary or at ringside. Perhaps WWE thought things would be too busy. He now has to wait until Clash of Champions to introduce himself to a wider audience.

Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens (Steel Cage)

Ron Elkman/Sports Imagery/Getty Images

Roman Reigns

Owens tried to escape the cage just as the opening bell rang. Reigns grabbed hold of the universal champ and issued a beating.

The match turned ugly as the Superstars resorted to eye rakes and low blows.

Reigns smashed Owens against the cage. He and the champ slugged it out. Reigns overpowered Owens in the end and escaped the cage.

Rusev stood waiting for him on the outside. With a chain in hand, Rusev locked himself inside the cage and he and Owens ganged up on Reigns.

Rollins eventually emerged and made the save.

Result

Reigns wins via escape.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Reigns counters the Pop-up powerbomb with a Superman Punch.
• Reigns kicks out of the Pop-up powerbomb.
• Rollins hits a crossbody off the top of the cage.

Grade

B-

Analysis

WWE just can't help itself. It is apparently compelled to book champions to lose. Owens will now head into his first PPV as universal champ coming fresh off a sound beating from Reigns.

The action was solid, and it was good to see Rusev and Owens get dastardly after the bout. 

The overlap of the Reigns vs. Rusev and Owens vs. Rollins feuds hasn't helped either one. WWE is clearly rushing these narratives along, and they are not at full strength as a result.