WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from March 13

Diatribes and one-liners bolstered the build to WrestleMania on Monday's WWE Raw. The Joe Louis Arena in Detroit hosted a show heavy on talking, one filled with speeches that improved the stories WWE is telling en route to its biggest event of the year.

Kevin Owens explained his dastardly actions to help set up his bout with Chris Jericho.

Paul Heyman went to bat for his client, Roman Reigns received a warning from a special guest in Shawn Michaels and Triple H reminded us that he's a world-class villain by ripping Raw general manager Mick Foley with cold threats.

This is where Monday's Raw thrived, when it leaned on some of the brand's best talkers.

The trip to Detroit was plenty eventful beyond that, though. Monday featured Austin Aries' first match on Raw as well as Dana Brooke's violent split from her abusive mentor.

For the most part, Raw felt as if it was in the midst of WrestleMania season, powered by urgency. The show wasn't without its misfires, however. The following is a look at all those highs and lows as Raw took its latest steps toward the April 2 megashow.

Brock Lesnar Relishes His Attack on Goldberg

Paul Heyman stood by Brock Lesnar's side as he mocked Goldberg for falling to his client last week. He talked of how The Beast Incarnate will take down Goldberg at WrestleMania.

He recalled Lesnar's losses to Goldberg while talking about how the big man's attack on the universal champ last week boosted his confidence.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Heyman calls Lesnar "the Goldberg-eating carnivore."
• "F-5 equals Lesnar goes up. Down goes Goldberg."—Heyman.

Grade

B+

Analysis

Heyman was excellent here, providing the foundation for the Goldberg-Lesnar story without a single word from his client.

The advocate did well to sell us on Lesnar's added confidence, too. Even as much as Goldberg has dominated The Beast Incarnate, Heyman managed to make it seem like Lesnar was the favorite in this bout.

This wasn't exactly newsworthy, though. There were no major developments with the feud and zero physicality.

Sasha Banks vs. Dana Brooke

Both Charlotte Flair and Bayley looked on as Sasha Banks battled Dana Brooke.

Banks dispatched Brooke in a hurry. She held her tights during a roll-up to get the win.

Flair berated her protege. Brooke responded with a huge forearm shot. She beat on Flair until the heel escaped the ring.

Result

Banks wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "You think you're riding my coattails to WrestleMania?"—Flair.
• Crowd chants "Dana! Dana!"

Grade

B-

Analysis

A smart move sets Brooke free, giving the women's division another babyface to work with. She earned a loud response from the crowd for the face turn. That's encouraging moving forward.

This split, though, could have been so much bigger had Brooke not been absent so much over the past months. There has been a giant hole in the narrative, one that hurt the impact of this moment.

Tony Nese, Brian Kendrick vs. Akira Tozawa and TJ Perkins

After a cheap shot from Brian Kendrick, the heels took the early advantage over Akira Tozawa. He managed a counterattack, but Tony Nese and Kendrick punished him.

TJ Perkins charged in to battle back for his team.

Perkins' high-speed offense looked to be the key to victory, but Kendrick took care of Tozawa while Nese pinned the former cruiserweight titleholder. A roll-up with a handful of tights earned the heels the win.

Result

Nese and Kendrick win via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Perkins hits a hurricanrana from the ring apron.
• Nese covers Tozawa's head in the ring skirt to distract him.

Grade

C

Analysis

Even with the talent involved here, it felt like filler.

The Tozawa-Kendrick feud has crawled along and only took a few baby steps with their interactions here. Perkins and Nese have little going on.

These short, hurried bouts don't do any of these men much good. They have been the anchor holding back the cruiserweight division.

Kevin Owens in the Spotlight

Kevin Owens reflected on his betrayal of Chris Jericho before a recap video aired. He dismissed Jericho's friendship as disingenuous.

KO explained why he wanted to dethrone Jericho, promising to make him pay for distracting him at Fastlane.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "I'm going to take Chris Jericho's United States title just like he took my title from me."—Owens.
• "The only thing that will be left of Y2J will be the tears of Jericho. Cry it out, man."—Owens.

Grade

A-

Analysis

This cold, measured version of Owens is a welcome sight. The former universal champ engaged from moment one as he laid out his issues with Jericho.

His motivations are logical, and he believes his misdeeds are justified. That's normally true of the best villains.

KO's rant helped round out the narrative, offering the audience insight into his dark mind.

Chris Jericho and Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens

Samoa Joe locked horns with Chris Jericho before stunning Sami Zayn with big strikes. Owens joined the fun to batter his old adversary.

Zayn hurt his knee on a dive, opening the door for the heels to demolish him.

The referee stopped the bout when Joe and Owens refused to listen to him. The two beasts continued the assault after the bell. They left both Jericho and Zayn flat on their backs.

Result

Zayn and Jericho win via disqualification.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Owens superkicks Jericho off the ring apron.
• Zayn hits a tope con hilo to both Joe and Owens.

Grade

B+

Analysis

The match was too brief to engage the crowd fully, but the post-bout brawl was a strong showcase for both Owens and Joe. The heels' destruction was attention-grabbing, providing a lasting image of their merciless impact more than the official result.

WWE waited until Owens lost the title to start booking him like a beast for some reason, but better later than never.

He and Joe are tremendous as a take-no-prisoners duo. They need to continue to be an alliance to make full use of their chemistry and natural fit together.

Cesaro and Sheamus vs. Enzo Amore and Big Cass (No. 1 Contenders' Match)

The winner would earn the right to face Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson for the Raw Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania.

Enzo Amore delivered his usual pre-match antics before introducing a "Cuppa Haters" mug. Big Cass threw in a ton of March Madness references in his promo.

The two teams traded the advantage early on.

Sheamus and Cesaro, though, managed to take over by pounding on Amore in their corner. Big Cass responded with a flurry that left The Celtic Warrior on his back.

Gallows and Anderson emerged to attack both teams.

Result

Match ends in a no-contest.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "There's only two types of men in this world. Sheamus, Cesaro, you ain't neither one of them."—Amore.
• "Enzo and Cass are going to leave Motown in style. We're gonna beat Cesaro and Sheamus all the way from the Joe to Eight Mile."—Cass.

Grade

D+

Analysis

Lazy writing is poised to lead to a three-way match at WrestleMania.

The concept of that bout is fine, but the route there was predictable.Why would Gallows and Anderson interrupt this match, anyway? They have now assured themselves two sets of opponents at WrestleMania.

Cass' promos force topical elements into them, leading to cringe-worthy moments. Charisma can only sometimes overcome bad writing.

The match had some flashes of excitement thanks to high-impact offense, so there's hope the WrestleMania match will be entertaining.

Roman Reigns vs. Jinder Mahal

Jinder Mahal blasted Roman Reigns to start off the match. The Big Dog withstood the early storm and began to wallop Mahal with clotheslines.

Undertaker's gong sounded, distracting Reigns.

Mahal pounced on his opponent but only managed to enrage him. A Superman Punch did Mahal in.

Reigns called out Undertaker, but Shawn Michaels appeared instead. The Heartbreak Kid offered him advice, recalling his past experience battling The Deadman.

Braun Strowman ambushed Reigns as he tried to exit.

Result

Reigns wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Mahal hits a running dropkick to Reigns' jaw.
• "I'm not messing around tonight."—Reigns.
• "He's already set up shop in that head of yours. Come WrestleMania, he's going to eat you alive."—Michaels to Reigns on Undertaker.
• "The Undertaker retired you, and I'm the guy that's gonna retire him."—Reigns.

Grade

A-

Analysis

An odd match bled into a dramatic, unexpected moment. Michaels as the voice of reason in Reigns' ear was a smart idea and a fresh combination of personalities.

Reigns' proclamation that he will end Undertaker's career was the latest example of his increasing cockiness. His character needs to keep heading in this direction, embracing the hate the audience has for him.

Austin Aries vs. Ariya Daivari

Neville looked on from backstage as Austin Aries and Ariya Daivari locked up.

Daivari flung Aries outside the ring, leaving him hobbled. The heel focused on Aries' injured orbital bone.

Aries battled back, though, to steamroll his way to a win.

Result

Aries wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Aries hits a spinning elbow to Daivari's chest.
• Aries follows a shinbreaker with a nasty suplex.

Grade

B-

Analysis

A mostly one-sided win offered a solid introduction for the debuting Aries. He hit hard and took some hard hits. He came off as a viable threat to Neville, as well.

Corey Graves did an excellent job of listing off Aries' accomplishments to round out the former TNA star's first match on Raw.

It's clear WWE is pushing toward an Aries-Neville WrestleMania showdown, and that's the absolute right move. As fun as Jack Gallagher and Tozawa are, Aries and Neville will tear down the house representing the cruiserweight division.

Big Show vs. Titus O'Neil

Backstage, The New Day talked the WWE Jetsons movie with Big Show. Titus O'Neil was angry that he wasn't in the movie and pushed Big Show as a result.

In the ring, The World's Largest Athlete dominated O'Neil. He ran over the powerhouse in a hurry.

Result

Big Show wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "I love the Jetsons!"—O'Neil.
• Fans chant "One more time!" to get Big Show to chokeslam O'Neil again.

Grade

D

Analysis

The fight over O'Neil's Jetsons jealousy is one of the weirdest catalysts for a match you will ever see. It felt forced, a commercial trying to act as a storyline foundation.

Big Show's recent dominance made sense when it looked like he was headed for a WrestleMania battle with Shaquille O'Neal. If that's not on the table, there's not really a need to remind us that he's a clubbing giant.

Why not give Strowman that spot instead?

Bayley vs. Nia Jax

Credit: WWE.com

Nia Jax

Sasha Banks encouraged Bayley backstage but hinted at not believing her worthy of being champion.

Bayley struggled against Nia Jax at first. The powerhouse had Bayley reeling, knocking her around the ring. Jax was able to quell each of Bayley's comeback attempts.

Jax stomped on Bayley in the corner until the referee disqualified her.

Result

Bayley wins via disqualification.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "That heart might have irritated Nia Jax."—Graves.
• Jax catches Bayley coming off the top rope.
• Jax hurls Bayley into the security barricade.

Grade

B

Analysis

Raw managed to create some intrigue around the women's title picture, which seemed settled next week.

It's not clear what WWE has in mind for Jax at WrestleMania, but she sure has a robust supply of momentum heading into the big event. She devoured Bayley here, a bear batting around a rabbit.

Banks hinted at a coming heel turn, a slow-burning shift that will be a thrill to watch.

Mick Foley's Difficult Choice

Credit: WWE.com

Backstage, Raw commissioner Stephanie McMahon told general manager Mick Foley he had to fire one member of the Raw roster.

Foley struggled with the decision. He wandered around the arena in deep thought.

Near the close of Raw, McMahon stood alongside him in the ring to hear his choice.

Foley announced he decided to fire McMahon. She told him that wasn't within his power. The GM accused McMahon of colluding with Triple H against Seth Rollins.

Triple H emerged to trade insults with Foley. The Game threatened Foley, implying that he would fire Foley's son from his WWE gig.

After suffering Triple H's verbal abuse, Foley pulled out Mr. Socko and clamped the Mandible Claw on his former rival. McMahon kicked him off her husband.

Rollins limped down the entrance ramp to brawl with Triple H. The fight ended with The Cerebral Assassin grinning and The Architect clutching his injured leg in pain.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Crowd chants "Fire Roman!"
• "They're human beings! They're human beings!"—Foley on the Raw roster.
• "I didn't know you really existed. I thought you just sat in the shadows."—Foley.
• "You going to read the name of the city off your hand for a cheap pop?"—Triple H.
• "You need to tuck your tail between your legs and waddle down that ramp."—Triple H.
• Rollins drops his crutch and runs into the ring.

Grade

A

Analysis

Much of the scene focused on authority figures, but in the end, this was about Rollins and Triple H. The former got to play both the cavalry and the victim, creating a number of emotions for the audience.

The moment offered quite the surprise, as WWE had been so secretive about Rollins' health to this point.

The closing scene reminded us how vile Triple H is. He will flourish in this feud as his impassioned dialogue on Monday night previewed. Rollins is going to benefit in a big way from battling him all the way up to WrestleMania.