WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from Oct. 17

WWE built Monday's Raw around Goldberg's return, celebrating the past and mining nostalgia.

After 12 years away from WWE, the former WCW champion stepped inside the ring and answered Brock Lesnar's challenge. The moment clicked just as WWE had to have dreamed it would. The fans roared for the powerhouse, welcoming him back warmly.

Leading up to that point, Raw had an overflow of objectives.

The show had to build toward the bouts set for the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view on Oct. 30. It also paved the way for Survivor Series, which isn't until Nov. 20. And it had to recap Goldberg's career, psyching up fans for his first Raw appearance since his departure following WrestleMania XX.

Foreshadowing popped up for events that will happen all over the calendar.

Raw general manager Mick Foley talked vaguely of the red brand's contribution to Survivor Series. Sasha Banks and Charlotte discussed their upcoming Hell in a Cell clash. 

Strife between Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho suggested that a rivalry between them is on the way eventually. Foley booked a Triple Threat match between them and Seth Rollins, which will likely hurry their dissolution along.

Which of Raw's stories flopped and which ones hit it out of the park? Let's dive in, breaking down the night's highs and lows.

Seth Rollins Irks Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho

Credit: WWE.com

Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho

Kevin Owens, with Chris Jericho at his side, claimed that Raw general manager Mick Foley has a vendetta against him. Jericho talked up the danger of the Hell in a Cell.

Owens promised to hurt Seth Rollins and end his career. 

The Architect soon showed up to respond. He insulted Jericho and tried to create tension between Owens and his best bud. Jericho insisted that Owens stand in the back as he took on Rollins.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Owens to the fans: "Your stupid little chants can wait."
• Owens: "Years from now, you idiots will still be talking about the hell I put Seth Rollins through."
  
• Rollins calls Jericho "Sparkle Crotch."

Grade

B

Analysis

Juvenile humor from Rollins aside, the opening segment worked to create intrigue moving forward.

Owens controlled the crowd, even when it seemed more interested in Jericho. We need to see more of this, more of an angry, indignant and sadistic version of the champ.

Most importantly, cracks have begun to form in the Jericho-Owens alliance. Enough jealousy and mistrust crept up to foreshadow a split down the road. That story has the potential to be superb.

WWE must dive into that feud before Jericho goes off to play music again.

Seth Rollins vs. Chris Jericho

A flustered Chris Jericho barked at Seth Rollins as they battled. He mocked his opponent as he kept him down.

Jericho maintained control for much of the match. Rollins' speed and high-flying arsenal were key to him staving off defeat.

Kevin Owens emerged just as Rollins started to make a comeback. The champ tried to cheat for his friend but ended up distracting him. Rollins took advantage and bested Y2J.

Result

Rollins wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Jericho attempts a Pedigree, but Rollins blocks it.
• Rollins dives onto Jericho from the top rope on the outside.
• Rollins blocks the Codebreaker and counters with a Pedigree.

Grade

B-

Analysis

Solid performances from two strong performers weren't enough to create much of a spark here. It didn't help that these two just battled last Monday.

WWE is smart to continue give Rollins wins ahead of Hell in a Cell. And this took Jericho and Owens a step closer to a breakup.

Still, this bout was neither man's best work.

The backstage bickering between these two afterward was far more powerful. Watching Jericho and Owens fight is unsettling, much like seeing one's parents shout at each other.

The Golden Truth and Mark Henry vs. The Shining Stars and Titus O'Neil

Backstage, The Shining Stars and Titus O'Neil proposed that if they beat The Golden Truth and Mark Henry, then the babyfaces would have to buy their bootleg watches.

O'Neil, Epico and Primo beat up on Goldust early. R-Truth battled back. Henry came and quickly overpowered O'Neil for the win.

Result

Henry and The Golden Truth win via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Epico awkwardly dumps Goldust out of the ring.
• Byron Saxton: "Don't try to scam The World's Strongest Man."

Grade

D

Analysis

This is not how you add stakes to a match. The premise was flimsy and the match came off as thrown-together filler between teams few care about.

The Shining Stars experiment hasn't worked. WWE is clearly not giving up on it, though, marching on playing a broken trumpet.

Sheamus vs. Big E

Cesaro took selfies as he entered alongside Sheamus. The New Day handed out Booty-O's as they headed down the entrance ramp.

Throwing in as many marijuana references as possible, the champ insulted an irate Sheamus.

The Celtic Warrior and Big E smashed into each other, the two bruisers leaving each other wincing. Cesaro played on Facebook Live as the bout unfolded.

Sheamus tried to shake off the distraction but ultimately took his eyes off Big E to deal with his tag team partner. Big E capitalized, rolling up Sheamus for the win.

Result

Big E wins via pinfall. 

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• The New Day carries a "Day No. 420" sign.
• Big E: "Sheamus must be a mile high to think he can beat me."
• Xavier Woods: "You can't say 'Sheamus' without 'shame.'"
• Big E hits a splash onto Sheamus on the ring apron.

Grade

B+

Analysis

WWE struck a good balance here with an intense, hard-hitting match that featured goofy shenanigans as window dressing.

Sheamus and Cesaro's disunity isn't nearly as fun as Team Hell No's but has been entertaining. Their tag team title bout will be far more interesting thanks to their explosive relationship.

Everyone from The New Day killed it in the intro, proving that their reign as the funniest act in WWE is not yet over.

Bo Dallas vs. Neville

Curtis Axel stood in Bo Dallas' corner.

A vicious, intense Dallas pummeled Neville. He grunted as he beat down The Man That Gravity Forgot.

When Nevile charged back, Dallas repeatedly escaped his Red Arrow attempts. Dallas then nailed Neville with a DDT for the three-count.

Dallas then attacked Axel, hurling him into the security barricade.

Result

Dallas wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Axel: "You're not the only one who 'bo-lieves' in Bo."
• Neville hits an Asai Moonsault on Dallas outside the ring.

Grade

C

Analysis

This narrative will create a needed opportunity for Axel. He's been doing next to nothing since the draft. A babyface turn and some clashes with Dallas will be a big improvement.

It still feels odd that WWE is backing Dallas so much. He has failed to compel since leaving NXT. Neville, meanwhile—the more talented, more popular act of the two—has been relegated to stepping-stone material.

Dana Brooke vs. Bayley

Dana Brooke darted around the ring to escape Bayley. The babyface caught her, though, and proceeded to throttle her rival.

Brooke tried to slow down the bout. Bayley kept the pressure on her with high-energy offense.

Brooke recovered and pinned her in the corner.

Result

Brooke wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Corey Graves: "Basically, you're telling me Bayley is the Ken Bone of WWE?"
• Brooke sends Bayley crashing into the ring post.

Grade

D

Analysis

What was looking to be Brooke's strongest performance to date seemingly ended with a bad botch. The abrupt ending appeared to be a result of Brooke being too far from the ring ropes when she was going for extra leverage.

As a result, Bayley took a clean loss in a short bout. That does little to help this burgeoning rivalry.

It's also more evidence that WWE called up Brooke too early. The company is having to live with Brooke's rough edges as she learns on the job.

Braun Strowman vs. The Mile-High Trio

The Mile-High Trio talked up their chances before the bout.

Braun Strowman clobbered them with ease. He flung them around, using his opponents as weapons. Strowman chased his prey around the ring.

He disposed of them quickly and threatened Mick Foley once more.

Sami Zayn came out to stand up to him. Strowman pushed the babyface aside, but Zayn never backed down.

Result

Strowman wins via pinfall. 

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Strowman throws one jobber over the ropes onto the two others.
• Graves: "I thought that was No Way Jose's less threatening cousin, Perhaps Not Jorge."
• Graves: "Strowman makes the Revenant bear look like Winnie the Pooh."

Grade

A-

Analysis

In a moment, WWE set up a story for both Strowman and Zayn. Strowman's jobber-eating narrative now has him facing an underdog willing to stand up to a bully. That's a great way to showcase both men's characters.

And this was one of the big man's funnest squash matches. Strowman continues to look better and better in the ring.

Taking on Zayn will be a hell of a test for him. Against a top-tier storyteller, Strowman will be expected to produce his best work to date.

Rusev Introduces His Family

After Lana asked fans to welcome Rusev, a "true American hero," he growled in the ring.

Rusev talked proudly of his family as he showed a slideshow featuring his mother, father, grandmother and brother. The crowd booed throughout.

Roman Reigns stepped in to cut things short. He threatened Rusev, but a slap from Lana stunned him. Rusev then pounced, battering the United States champ outside the ring.

The Bulgarian Brute bent his foe in the Accolade atop the ring steps.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Rusev: "You have 700 Samoans sitting around a campfire eating a turkey leg with mayonnaise."
• Rusev: "Don't you dare boo my mother!"
• Reigns: "You look more like the family dog."

Grade

C+

Analysis

The verbal part of this was a failure. The violence allowed the rivalry to flourish.

The silly photo-sharing segment was a disservice to Rusev. It was not only boring, but showing images of Rusev with his family is far from the best way to make him look like a villain. And WWE is still asking Reigns to fire off corny one-liners for some reason.

The brawl and attack were all this needed. Rusev standing tall here was a powerful lasting image. Seeing pics of his mom rowing didn't add to that.

And this feud has been far too reluctant to bring up the U.S. title. It's an afterthought—not the centerpiece it should be.

Karl Anderson vs. Big Cass

Enzo Amore fired up the crowd before Big Cass and Karl Anderson collided.

Big Cass overpowered Anderson in a blink-of-an-eye bout. He sent Anderson and Luke Gallows retreating in mere seconds.

Result

Big Cass wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Amore: "You two have been chumps from the jump. You're chump change."

Grade

D

Analysis

What in the blue hell is WWE doing with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson? Steering them away from comedy was vital. The company continues to present them as easy-to-topple stooges, though.

The jobbers taking on Braun Strowman lasted longer than Anderson did here.

Amore and Big Cass are hugely entertaining, but this feud won't mean anything if it feels like they're stepping over a pair of doormats. Anderson and Gallows need some victories in a hurry.

Lita Interviews Charlotte and Sasha Banks

Lita interviewed both Charlotte and Sasha Banks backstage in separate interviews about their Hell in a Cell match.

Charlotte was especially cocky. She mocked Banks for being hurt in the past. She bragged about being genetically superior.

Banks claimed to be fully healthy after her back issues in the summer. She grew emotional talking about her and Charlotte breaking ground by being the first women to collide inside the Hell in a Cell.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Charlotte: "I don't prepare. I was born for these moments."
• Banks: "It's huge. It's so special. Sometimes I don't even know that this is real."
• Banks: "There can't be fear. Fear is not an option for me."

Grade

A

Analysis

These sit-downs helped to add the proverbial big-fight feel to Banks vs. Charlotte. The hype for that contest is ballooning.

Charlotte was at her best here, finding her footing with her character. Banks wasn't at the challenger's level but came off as easy to root for.

WWE's next step needs to be to focus more on the danger of the structure and let the history-making part speak for itself.

Cruiserweight 6-Man Tag Team Match

Brian Kendrick, Drew Gulak and Tony Nese vs. Cedric Alexander, Rich Swann and T.J. Perkins

Kendrick and Perkins both gathered allies backstage. In the ring, Perkins pounced on his rival, looking for the kneebar right away.

High-octane action saw everyone soar at one another. Alexander excited the crowd. 

Kendrick finished off Swann with the Captain's Hook, and Perkins was unable to free his partner in time.

Result

Kendrick, Gulak and Nese win via submission. 

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Graves says Gulak looks like he just came from the Renaissance fair.
• Swann front-flips before knocking over Gulak with a dropkick.
• Nese hits a 450 splash.

Grade

B-

Analysis

As usual, the cruiserweights delivered lots of electricity and great athleticism, but with only a touch of story.

WWE has crammed as much as it can for the cruiserweights in a small space. That has meant minimal exploration of the division's characters. Kendrick vs. Perkins remains the only rivalry.

The action has been good, but the cruiserweight division is missing its narrative heart. 

Goldberg Returns

Via satellite, Paul Heyman dismissed Goldberg's chances against his client. 

Goldberg had an opportunity to respond in the show's closing segment. He did his trademark entrance, pyrotechnics and all, before addressing the Denver crowd.

He talked about his journey back, about wanting to kick some ass again. Goldberg teased potentially not taking on Brock Lesnar but ultimately agreed to take on his WrestleMania XX opponent again.

Goldberg interacted with the fans on his way out.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Heyman: "Brock Lesnar doesn't even think about you anymore."
• The crowd chants Goldberg's name and "This is awesome!" upon his arrival.
• Goldberg: "It's been a long time, and you didn't forget."
• Goldberg: "Maybe I have one more ass-kicking left in me."
• Goldberg: "Not only, Brock Lesnar, does it mean you're next, it means you're last."

Grade

A+

Analysis

WWE followed a winning formula here: Surround a wrestler with a hungry, vocal crowd, and let him speak from the gut.

Fans ate up the nostalgia of seeing the big man back in the ring. An emotional Goldberg sold us on his desire to compete one more time and be a superhero once more. The match with Lesnar may turn out to be a clunker, but the setup for it was stellar on this night.