WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from May 8

A sluggish edition of WWE Raw failed to take advantage of a normally hot London crowd.

A fun Tag Team Turmoil match, Dean Ambrose and the Intercontinental Championship getting spotlight again, plus Samoa Joe feasting on his foe weren't enough to make this a memorable edition of the show. Raw felt off for much of the night.

WWE ran the same play again and again. The red brand's heels sunk their teeth into their rivals after the bell several times over. Joe, Nia Jax, The Miz, TJP, Sheamus and Cesaro all walked that same path. 

That speaks to a lack of creative effort. Jetlag apparently hampered the writing staff after landing in the United Kingdom.

The following is a look at Monday's Raw, from its least appealing elements to its highlights.

Dean Ambrose Opens the Show

Ambrose took a call from Raw general manager Kurt Angle backstage before stepping into the ring. He announced that Angle had made him acting GM for the night.

The Miz emerged, though, criticizing the move. He claimed Raw commissioner Stephanie McMahon had made him co-acting GM.

Wearing a sling, Braun Strowman strode into the ring to say his piece. He talked of taking down Roman Reigns and challenging Brock Lesnar. 

Kalisto soon joined the party. He recalled beating Strowman in their recent Dumpster match and demanded another bout with him. Ambrose booked the match despite The Monster Among Men's injury.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "You can't boo a sick dog. You just can't."—Ambrose.
• Fans chant "Thank you, Strowman!" 
• "As long as Roman Reigns can walk, I'm not finished with him."—Strowman.
• "I crushed you like an empty beer can."—Strowman.

Grade

C

Analysis

This wasn't the best way to hype up the London crowd.

Ambrose was entertaining, as he has been of late, but there was a lack of energy throughout. Strowman is better off destroying than talking, and Kalisto is underwhelming with a mic in his hand.

The authority figures appearing via phone calls made the show feel less significant. WWE tried to create drama from their absences, but it didn't work.

The Miz vs. Finn Balor

Finn Balor chased down The Miz and controlled the action early on.

A distraction from Maryse opened the door for The Miz to take over. The heel slowed the pace and punished Balor with a measured offense.

The Miz pulled Balor into the referee and then demanded the official disqualify his foe.

Ambrose reversed the decision. After restarting the match, he banned Maryse from ringside.

Balor bowled over his foe. A Coup De Grace ended the bout in a hurry.

Result

Balor wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Corey Graves describes Balor as being "James Dean cool, John Wayne tough."
• Balor sends The Miz crashing into the security guardrail.

Grade

C-

Analysis

This wasn't the best match either man has produced. It never got out of first gear and not much memorable happened. And the GM angle didn't resonate.

The Miz attempted to be crafty but ended up a loser thanks to his rival. This will give their feud some fuel, although not nearly as much as it could have with WWE taking another route.

Alexa Bliss vs. Mickie James

Backstage, Nia Jax aligned herself with Alexa Bliss. She said she would go after the women's title eventually but would have Bliss' back for now.

Mickie James brought Bayley along for the match.

Bliss kept her opponent grounded, thwarting her attempted comebacks. Jax's interference aided the champ, even with Bayley there to help.

Bliss beat on James after pinning her. Jax went on the attack after the bell.

Result

Bliss wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "Looks like you just got yourself a new best friend."—Jax to Bliss.
• Bliss fakes a high-five to a fan.
• Fans sing "Hey Baby" to Bayley.
• James floors Bliss with a nasty thrust kick.

Grade

C+

Analysis

The match was fine, but the majority of the post-Raw talk will be about the Jax-Bliss alliance. That's a partnership with ample potential. It will give both women added depth to their characters and sow the seeds for a feud between them down the road. 

James, meanwhile, hasn't shown much of her character since moving over to Raw. She's turned babyface with little explanation and a lack of mic time has her feeling flat for now.

Kalisto vs. Braun Strowman

Strowman refused to wrestle the match, citing his injury. When the bell rang, though, he pounced on Kalisto anyway.

Reigns stepped down to the ring to stare down his rival.

He went after Strowman's arm. The two titans brawled at ringside, each going after their injured limbs. The Big Dog eventually chased off Strowman with a flurry of chair shots.

Result

Match ends in no-contest.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "The big man's hurt! The big man's hurt!"—Michael Cole.
• Strowman nails a running Reigns with a boot to the shoulder. 

Grade

B

Analysis

The intensity between Reigns and Strowman was palpable. Every time they cross paths, it feels important.

Strowman showed far more vulnerability here than he has in the past. It's an odd move considering how superhuman WWE has made him look of late. 

WWE has to seriously consider letting The Monster Among Men beat Reigns when they meet again and have him go on to face Lesnar. The beast's popularity is peaking; it's time to take advantage of that. 

Tag Team Turmoil

Goldust tried to motivate R-Truth backstage before the bout.

Enzo Amore and Big Cass talked trash once they entered. Cesaro and Sheamus soon joined them in the ring.

The Europeans dominated the action, eliminating their first foes early.

Heath Slater and Rhyno brawled with Cesaro and Sheamus outside the ring. After Rhyno was taken out, Slater tried to battle solo, but the heels ousted him from the contest instead.

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson were up next.

The Club slugged it out with Anderson and Gallows, trading blows with the bruisers. A Brogue Kick ended Gallows and Anderson's chances.

The Golden Truth ran in as the last duo.

After a brief flurry, R-Truth and Goldust struggled against Cesaro and Sheamus. The former tag champs beat down Goldust in their corner. A schoolboy pin eventually took out R-Truth.

Cesaro and Sheamus kept the punishment going after the match.

The Hardy Boyz stepped out, and the heels retreated in response.

Result

Cesaro and Sheamus win via last eliminating The Golden Truth.

Memorable Moments and Quote

• "The Hardy Boyz aren't the only ones who can turn the clock back."—Goldust.
• Cesaro batters Amore with a long string of stomps to the chest.
• Cesaro and Sheamus hurl Rhyno into the ring steps.
• "Cesaro and Sheamus, they look unstoppable right now."—Booker T.
• Cesaro deadlifts Gallows before hitting a delayed suplex.

Grade

B+

Analysis

WWE gave this match the time it needed. Cesaro and Sheamus emerged as the stars, looking more focused and nasty than they have in the past. Their domination gave them all kinds of momentum.

More excitement surrounded The Golden Truth than we've seen in months. Just a little bit of direction and one high-stakes match pulled them out of a major slump. That's a lesson to WWE how some creativity and attention can change midcarders' fortunes in a hurry. 

Amore's promos are becoming hard to watch. They make little sense and go for the cheapest of humor. The inventive, energetic version of him we saw at NXT has faded away.

Samoa Joe vs. Seth Rollins

Samoa Joe barked about Seth Rollins, threatening to hurt The Kingslayer. Rollins appeared and battered him with right hands. WWE officials had to pull Rollins away.

During the actual match, each man went after the other with rapid-fire strikes. Joe and Rollins continued their fight outside the ring.

The Destroyer took control after hurting Rollins' bad knee.

Joe pounded on The Architect. Rollins fought back with a gutsy flurry, however. He yanked off the turnbuckle cover as he tried to escape from Joe.

That came back to haunt him a moment later when Joe sent him into the exposed steel. When the powerhouse used it as a weapon again, the referee disqualified him.

Joe choked out his rival after the bell, even as the ref tried to pry him free.

Result

Rollins wins via disqualification.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "You will hear every ligament pop. You will hear every joint break."—Joe.
• Joe hurls Rollins into the security guardrail.
• "It's my time, all the time."—Joe.
• Joe throws the turnbuckle cover out of the ring.

Grade

B+

Analysis

The announcers played up how fast, strong and smart Joe is. We haven't seen enough character development for him since joining Raw, so it's refreshing to see WWE flesh out his persona a bit. 

Rollins and Joe built toward the climax with a strong showing.

This was the best The Destroyer has looked since joining Raw. He played the predator perfectly. And his rivalry with Rollins got a boost thanks to this physical encounter.

TJP vs. Jack Gallagher

Neville sat in on commentary as his minion TJP took on Jack Gallagher.

Gallagher blasted his foe right out of the gate. He had the heel on the run until he slammed The Gentleman into the ring steps.

TJP rolled up Gallagher and held his tights to steal a win.

He continued the assault after the bell. Austin Aries charged in, knee brace and all, to save the day.

Result

TJP wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Gallagher nearly wins in mere seconds with a headbutt.

Grade

C+

Analysis

TJP (the former TJ Perkins) has officially dropped his full name and is being referred to only by his initials.

He continued to do Neville's bidding, looking to hurt Gallagher as he did Aries recently. TJP is perfect as a bootlicking sidekick, but it's hard to take him seriously as an attack dog.

Gallagher's charisma popped onscreen in this brief match. Making him a bigger part of the cruiserweight division needs to be a priority.

Sasha Banks vs. Alicia Fox

Credit: WWE.com

Sasha Banks and Alicia Fox slapped each other to open the contest. Fox went on the attack and was able to thwart The Boss' offense. 

Banks leaped on to Fox and pinned her quickly.

Result

Banks wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Graves questions whether Fox's shoulder was up during the three-count.

Grade

D+

Analysis

In a flashback to the era of the Divas, Banks and Fox had minimal time to tell a story. This didn't feel like a gutsy win for Banks or a showcase of either woman's skills. It was a rush job with an awkward ending.

They clearly have chemistry with each other. We didn't get to see it much of it here, though.

Perhaps WWE will follow up on Fox's shoulders being up at the end, but as it unfolded, it felt like someone made a mistake in the ring. 

Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt

Credit: WWE.com

The Miz joined the commentary team as his rival took on Wyatt.

Wyatt seized control after slamming Ambrose on to the floor. He clobbered the IC champ, controlling the pace.

When The Miz approached the ring, Ambrose dove into him.

With the referee's back turned, The Miz clocked him with his Intercontinental title. Wyatt took advantage, hitting Sister Abigail for the win.

The Miz pounced on Ambrose after the match before promising to take the gold in their match next week.

Result

Wyatt wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "The Intercontinental Championship meant something when I had it."—The Miz.
• Wyatt suplexes Ambrose off the ring apron on to the floor.
• The bored crowd chants "Randy Savage!"
• Wyatt punches Ambrose out of midair.

Grade

C-

Analysis

A lack of energy hurt this match. It didn't feel like a main event.

Wyatt did get a much-needed win, though. And The Miz and Ambrose's feud got advanced once more. The post-match stuff helped sell next week's title bout.

As for Wyatt, his rivalry with Balor got zero attention this week.

We've seen much better contests between these two in the past. This bout wrapped up Raw in underwhelming fashion.