WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from February 27

Goldberg returned to address his Universal Championship match with Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman signed the contract for their colossal collision at WWE Fastlane Sunday night and Seth Rollins confronted Triple H on a newsworthy Feb. 27 episode of Raw.

Beyond those three major angles, though, was a disappointing broadcast that failed to maximize its minutes, thanks to questionable squash matches and meaningless bouts.

Little was accomplished in terms of building an intriguing match card for Fastlane, with WWE instead relying heavily on the top feuds on Raw to carry the final broadcast before Sunday's spectacular.

How did the matches grade out, and why did they receive the relatively low marks they did?

Take a look with this exclusive recap of Monday's Raw.

Goldberg Promo

Just days before a WWE Universal Championship match with Kevin Owens at Fastlane, Goldberg kicked off this week's broadcast.

He said he never makes promises he cannot keep and then proceeded to promise his friends, family and fans that he will take the title from Owens Sunday night.

Owens appeared and wasted little time running down the wealth of talent he has beaten over his two years with WWE. From AJ Styles to Roman Reigns, he has beaten everyone, and he vowed to add Goldberg to the list.

Goldberg, having mocked the speech with a golf clap, said the promo pissed him off. He tried to get Owens to fight Monday night, but the champion backed down, unwilling to give the fans of Green Bay, Wisconsin, a match of that magnitude.

He dropped the mic and headed to the back.

Grade

C+

Analysis

The problem with this promo, much like the build to the match, was Owens' lack of credibility. Not once in the build to the bout has he ever felt like a guy capable of beating Goldberg. He feels like a paper champion destined to meet the same fate Brock Lesnar did last November.

Nothing more, nothing less.

No strong promo work or resume of victories will change that.

At this point, it will be a surprise if Owens retains his title Sunday night.

The New Day vs. Jinder Mahal and Rusev

The New Day cut a pre-match promo that featured the obligatory Oscars flub joke.

A basic tag match ensued, with Xavier Woods finding himself isolated from Big E. The hot tag was made late, and the former powerlifter exploded into the ring.

As the action broke down, Kofi Kingston and Lana argued at ringside, grabbing the attention of Rusev. From there, Jinder Mahal became distracted, and Woods scored the pinfall victory off a roll-up.

Result

The New Day defeated Jinder Mahal and Rusev.

Grade

C+

Analysis

The Oscars joke sucked. Luckily, the in-ring action redeemed The New Day, even if the act still feels as insignificant as ever.

The post-match tease of dissension among Rusev and Mahal does nothing to inspire interest in a match between the two, especially given how ice-cold their characters are.

Overall, it was a meaningless match that did nothing to help anyone involved. 

Akira Tozawa vs. Noam Dar

Akira Tozawa continued his impressive streak of victories this week as he squared off with Noam Dar in a match that was never in doubt.

Tozawa executed a suicide dive that allowed him to fight back into the match, and then he hit his snap German suplex for the pinfall victory.

After the match, The Brian Kendrick attacked Tozawa and said, "I hope you're learning your lessons."

Result

Akira Tozawa defeated Noam Dar.

Grade

C

Analysis

It is a good thing Dar is as entertaining as he is because his legitimacy is shot. He rarely wins and is as defined by his relationship with Alicia Fox as anything at this point. He is a joke, no matter how skilled a worker he is.

Tozawa is a nice burst of energy for the cruiserweight division, and he should play a major role in its future, but the feud with Kendrick is rather uninteresting.

Bayley and Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair and Nia Jax

Prior to a scheduled tag team match pitting Bayley and Sasha Banks against Charlotte Flair and Nia Jax, The Queen related Bayley to other notable one-hit wonders, including Green Bay Packers quarterbacks Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers.

Bayley correctly pointed out that, for a one-hit wonder, she has beaten Flair three times.

Flair vowed to crush Bayley's dreams at Fastlane.

The heels isolated Banks once the match started, using size and strength to overwhelm The Boss. She fought back into the match and made the hot tag to Bayley, who exploded into the squared circle. She would deliver her signature offense but later found herself prone at the feet of Jax.

The largest competitor in the match caught Banks flying in the air and slammed her onto Bayley. The big leg drop scored the win for the heels.

Result

Nia Jax and Charlotte Flair defeated Bayley and Sasha Banks.

Grade

B-

Analysis

It was nice to see Bayley spar with Flair to the extent she did and make the points she did. Anytime the babyface can stand up to a heel like that, it helps her credibility.

The match was far from dynamic and did not break the mold when it came to its layout, but the women worked hard, and Jax continued to stake her claim to a Raw Women's Championship match, thanks to her victory.

It was an effective contest that continued the march toward a Fatal 4-Way match at WrestleMania.

Big Cass vs. Luke Gallows

Just days before teaming with Karl Anderson to defend the tag team titles at Fastlane, Luke Gallows battled one-half of the No. 1 contenders, Big Cass, who was accompanied to the ring by partner Enzo Amore.

In a sprint of a match, Cass demonstrated his superiority as a singles competitor, running Gallows over with a fallaway slam, the Empire Elbow and a big boot for the win. 

Result

Big Cass defeated Luke Gallows.

Grade

C-

Analysis

Remember that time Anderson and Gallows won the tag team titles and felt like an act finally finding its groove?

If two straight embarrassing showings in handicap matches against Roman Reigns were not bad enough, Gallows was summarily obliterated by Cass. It was a poor way to treat the champions of the tag division and an even worse way to sell the upcoming tag title match.

Nothing Gallows and Anderson have done with the titles has been enough to explain taking the gold away from Sheamus and Cesaro.

In fact, it makes that decision look even worse in hindsight.

Sheamus vs. Titus O'Neil

Just in case you forgot Titus O'Neil is the jobbiest of jobbers, he squared off against Sheamus in a match that lasted 19 seconds Monday night.

The former Prime Time Player attacked before the bell and hammered away at The Celtic Warrior. Moments later, he was greeted by the big boot of a Brogue Kick and beaten in humiliating fashion.

Result

Sheamus defeated Titus O'Neil.

Grade

D-

Analysis

What a waste of television time.

Sure, it was about two minutes in all, but that is two minutes that could have been devoted to a video package hyping the unstoppable force that is Braun Strowman or a match that made Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows look slightly better than the jokes they came across as earlier in the night.

O'Neil is dead in the water at this point, while Sheamus inexplicably needed a win here to strengthen that nonexistent singles career of his.

Seth Rollins Returns

Seth Rollins made his return to Raw Monday night and discussed the knee injury that is threatening his spot on the WrestleMania card against Triple H.

Rollins questioned whether it was some karma-like force that led to the injury, as if he were being paid back for selling out to The Authority and winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31. He said he should have known better and suggested he will not be able to compete at The Showcase of the Immortals.

Triple H, alongside Samoa Joe, interrupted.

The Game took credit for making Rollins champion but now looks at a washed-up Superstar who is a shell of the man he created.

He warned Rollins that, if he showed up at WrestleMania, it would be the last thing The Architect did inside a WWE ring.

"And if that is the last thing I ever do, I can promise you it is the last thing you'll ever do," Rollins responded.

The King of Kings headed up the ramp with Joe to close out the segment.

Grade

A

Analysis

Rollins showed remorse for his actions of two years ago, questioning whether he made the right decision by aligning himself with The Authority in the first place.

That is the epitome of character growth and development the likes of which WWE is not known for. He came across as likable here, recognizing what he has done wrong and aiming to fix it.

Triple H was great as the condescending villain, threatening Rollins in the process.

While it will not be the highest-profile match on the card, do not be surprised if it steals the show should it actually occur. 

Big Show vs. The Shining Stars

Big Show threw The Shining Stars around the squared circle.

He hit Epico with a knockout punch and nailed Primo with a chokeslam, scoring the pinfall victory.

Result

Big Show defeated The Shining Stars.

Grade

D-

Analysis

This was another curious waste of television time that benefited no one.

Big Show looked like a force of nature, The Shining Stars' status as the bottom feeders of the Raw tag team roster was further confirmed and all was right with the world.

Jack Gallagher and TJ Perkins vs. Neville and Tony Nese

The final hype for the cruiserweight title match between Neville and Jack Gallagher was relegated to a two-minute sprint of a match Monday night.

Gallagher picked up the win for himself and TJ Perkins, forcing a tapout from Nese as a frazzled Neville walked out on the defeat.

Result

Jack Gallagher and TJ Perkins defeated Neville and Tony Nese.

Grade

D

Analysis

The next time someone questions why the cruiserweight division isn't working, reference this match.

A two-minute match that treated the division more like a sideshow than a valuable asset, it was a waste of the talent involved. No one stood out, and the least amount of work possible went into hyping Gallagher vs. Neville for Sunday's Fastlane.

Cesaro vs. Samoa Joe

Cesaro came off the ring apron early in the match, tweaking his knee in what appeared to be a real, potentially serious injury.

The two worked a smarter, more grounded match to make up for the injury, with Samoa Joe working over the injured joint.

Cesaro showed tremendous strength in powering Joe over on a few occasions, but he was slowed significantly.

Joe caught Cesaro trying a springboard and delivered a uranage slam for the win.

After the match, Joe was attacked by Sami Zayn, who dove off the stage and onto The Samoan Submission Machine to hype their upcoming match.

Result

Samoa Joe defeated Cesaro.

Grade

B

Analysis

The match was a major disappointment, adversely affected by Cesaro's bum knee. With that said, Joe looked even more dangerous for having slowed and stopped Cesaro, and then he engaged Zayn in a brawl that significantly hyped their contest.

It was a strong segment that would have been even better had the injury not slowed it significantly.

Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman Contract Signing

Credit: WWE.com

Braun Strowman made the mistake of talking down to Raw general manager Mick Foley, awakening a frustrated legend in him. Before the two could throw down, however, Roman Reigns hit the ring.

He brawled with Strowman, going as far as to deliver a spear through the timekeeper's position.

It was not enough to keep down Strowman, who sent Reigns into the corner, breaking the turnbuckle with the sheer force of the Irish whip.

Reigns recovered, signing the contract for Sunday's match between them, much to the dismay of Strowman, who watched from the ramp to close out the show.

Grade

B 

Analysis

There were two strong bumps and a magnificent story told to help this rank among the best segments of the night.

Strowman was booked like a world-beater—a big man unstoppable in his quest for complete dominance in WWE. Yet there was a glimmer of doubt in his eyes as Reigns recovered just long enough to sign the contract for Sunday's show.

Their match may not be a pretty one, but it could be the biggest surprise of the entire Fastlane card.