WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from September 4

Braun Strowman sent a message, loud and clear, to universal champion Brock Lesnar during a steel cage main event against Big Show that headlined the September 4 episode of Raw.

The Monster Among Men pummeled the giant, defeated him and sent him crashing through the side of the steel structure to cap off what was overall a quality holiday episode of the flagship show.

Jeff Hardy challenged The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship, John Cena battled upstart Jason Jordan and Roman Reigns had a few words for the franchise star against whom he will compete at the September 24 pay-per-view event, No Mercy.

Find out who emerged victorious during Monday's broadcast and what effects the results of the show will have in the weeks to come with this recap of the USA Network broadcast.

John Cena vs. Jason Jordan

Jason Jordan would face his toughest test to date Monday night as he faced the measuring stick of WWE, John Cena, in the night's opening contest.

Jordan utilized his documented mat work to outwrestle Cena, grounding the 16-time world champion as both pro- and anti-Cena chants broke out in Omaha, Nebraska. A waist lock helped the NCAA wrestler maintain control of the bout.

A big Irish whip allowed Cena to take control heading into the break.

Cena once again fought from underneath late, delivering his trademark side suplex slam and Five Knuckle Shuffle.

Jordan evaded an Attitude Adjustment and rolled Cena up for a two-count. The STF followed, though, leaving commentators Michael Cole, Corey Graves and Booker T to question whether the inexperienced singles competitor could score the victory.

Jordan countered into a crossface, to which Cena countered into a fireman's carry. Jordan countered that and delivered two straight Northern Lights suplexes for a near-fall.

It would take one last counter—out of a side suplex, followed by the Attitude Adjustment—to net the victory for the franchise star.

Result

John Cena defeated Jason Jordan.

Grade

B

Analysis

This was a solid enough match, but it did feel, at more than one point, that the Superstars were going through the motions until it was time to execute the hot, frenetically-paced last third of the match.

With that said, Jordan looked strong in defeat, as has been the case for a few weeks now. He hung in there with Cena, proving himself capable of working with the best and not looking horribly out of place.

The question is, what is the end game with Jordan?

Does he finally win a high-profile match, or is this the case of WWE stringing a nonexistent carrot in front of him before settling him into the deep, dark abyss of nondescript midcarders?

Roman Reigns Interrupts John Cena's Celebration

Moments after Cena defeated Jordan in the opener, Roman Reigns interrupted and, after a quick break, engaged the leader of the Cenation in a verbal spat.

After some refreshing back-and-forth that felt more natural than the forced insults from a week ago, Cena admitted a lack of respect for Reigns and vowed to beat his ass at No Mercy.

Reigns, unfazed, told Cena to do it now.

There was no fight, and the segment ended with The Big Dog walking away, the anticipation for the upcoming match enhanced significantly.

Grade

A

Analysis

Whereas last week felt like a loss for Reigns, who came across as overly scripted, this felt more natural and believable. He was quick to shoot back at Cena, who pointed out his fly being down, and responded to harsh criticisms the way you would hope his character would.

Cena spoke with great conviction, even if half of what he said felt hypocritical.

Especially the part about Reigns being the golden boy.

The impending match will be infinitely more exciting thanks to the strengths of these verbal wars than it would have otherwise been with the tired WWE Creative booking tropes.

Heath Slater and Rhyno vs. Sheamus and Cesaro

Raw tag team champions Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins sat in on commentary as rivals Cesaro and Sheamus battled former SmackDown tag team champions Rhyno and Heath Slater.

The heels isolated Slater, working over their smaller opponent.

A hot tag to The Man Beast saw Rhyno bowl over Cesaro and Sheamus. A Brogue Kick from out of nowhere ended the night for the babyfaces and continued the self-proclaimed Bar's winning ways.

Result

Sheamus and Cesaro defeated Heath Slater and Rhyno.

Grade

C

Analysis

This was nothing more than a squash dedicated to putting Sheamus and Cesaro over as they prepare to face Rollins and Ambrose in a rematch at No Mercy. Rhyno got to look good for a fleeting moment, but going down so quickly and definitively to the Brogue Kick ruined that.

There was nothing more to the match, as Rollins and Ambrose contributed nothing to the segment on commentary.

Intercontinental Championship Match: Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz

Jeff Hardy outwrestled intercontinental champion The Miz early, to the point that the champion had to scurry to the sanctuary of the arena floor heading into the first break.

After the break, the constant interference from The Miztourage and Matt Hardy led to all three Superstars being banished to the locker room. Notably, Maryse remained at ringside.

The Charismatic Enigma utilized the side Russan leg sweep and unique pinning combination to score a two-count. Miz answered with a DDT for a near-fall of his own.

The champion took advantage of a big bump at ringside and applied the figure-four to his prone challenger.

Late in the match, Hardy scaled the ropes for the Swanton, but Maryse alerted her husband, allowing Miz to roll out of the way.

Hardy recovered enough to try a Twist of Fate, but Miz countered with the Skull-Crushing Finale and scored the pinfall victory.

Result

The Miz defeated Jeff Hardy.

Grade

B-

Analysis

If this match had happened a decade ago, it could have been a show-stealer, a candidate for Television Match of the Year. That is how good Hardy was at that point in his career.

As he is now, he is still incredibly talented but a step slower, and it definitely showed here. Years of pain and punishment have left him just a step or two off the performer he was at his peak. He makes up for it with an in-ring charisma and sympathy that pulls the audience in.

Plus, he's cool in a wrestling landscape that is not brimming with legitimately cool wrestlers.

The finish allows for the argument that Hardy would have won the title without Maryse's involvement, but even then, it feels fairly definitive.

A quality victory for Miz over a guy perceived to be an elite performer in the sport.

Cruiserweight Six-Man Tag Team Match

Enzo Amore, Cedric Alexander and Gran Metalik battled Drew Gulak, Noam Dar and Tony Nese in six-man tag team action. The match, the latest repetitive addition to the mediocre division, was a rematch from the August 29 episode of 205 Live.

After some athletic back-and-forth from Alexander and Nese early, the heels beat down and isolated Amore. The scrappy loudmouth fought his way around, over and through Gulak, Nese and Dar and made the hot tag to Alexander.

Action broke down and Amore tagged himself back into the match. A poke to the eye and Amore delivered what Corey Graves called Jor-donzo for the pinfall victory.

Result

Enzo Amore, Cedric Alexander and Gran Metalik defeated Noam Dar, Cedric Alexander and Tony Nese.

Grade

C

Analysis

This was a lackluster follow-up to these six Superstars' 205 Live offering, a match that existed solely to put over the "cheat to win" element of Amore's character.

It is frustrating, from an in-ring standpoint, to see such talented performers relegated to playing second fiddle to Amore.

Yes, Enzo draws a big pop, but his connection to the audience dies with every passing minute of his overly long pre-match promos. He is a comedic character not unlike Santino Marella, and putting him over guys who could realistically beat him is nonsensical.

Thankfully, WWE Creative devised a gimmick for him to cheat his way to victory rather than winning decisively, which would be unbelievable.

Finn Balor Addresses Bray Wyatt

A frustrated Finn Balor made his way to the ring, one week after Bray Wyatt screwed him out of an opportunity to challenge The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship.

The leader of Balor Club addressed his championship history and how every title he held looked good on him. He turned his attention to the events of last week's show and called out The Eater of Worlds, who appeared on the video screen.

Wyatt rambled about his hands being his judge, jury and executioner. He wanted to know if Balor will fight man-to-man, without the assistance of The Demon, or if he will run.

Run, he warned to close out the segment.

Grade

C

Analysis

It is incredibly difficult to believe anything Wyatt says.

Despite being a former WWE champion for a grand spanking one month, he loses all the time and comes across as a caricature of a false prophet rather than someone who strikes fear in the hearts of his opponents.

That is unlikely to change at No Mercy because the chances he beats Balor and ends the feud with his arm raised in victory are incredibly low.

Another empty promo that will mean nothing if WWE Creative does not actually follow through with anything closely resembling a push where he actually wins a match or two when they count most.

Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss vs. Emma and Nia Jax

General manager Kurt Angle announced earlier in the night that a victory for Emma and Nia Jax in this tag team match would earn them a shot at the Raw Women's Championship at No Mercy, changing the scheduled Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks match into a Fatal 4-Way.

For Bliss and Banks to maintain their singles bout, they would have to set aside differences and score an improbable victory.

Despite some bickering, Bliss and Banks controlled the match by isolating Emma and keeping her away from Jax.

A hot tag late, though, saw Jax obliterate Bliss with a massive clothesline. She tossed her around the squared circle and dropped a big elbow on her. Bliss tried for a float-over DDT, but a Samoan Drop nearly put her down for the count.

Banks broke up the pin but ended up on the receiving end of a big leg drop. Emma, who had tagged herself in, stole the pinfall on The Boss, much to the dismay of Jax.

After the match, a celebratory Emma was dropped, courtesy of Jax's Samoan Drop.

Result

Emma and Nia Jax defeated Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss.

Grade

B+

Analysis

It was interesting watching Banks and Bliss play the heels here as one would have assumed Jax and Emma would cheat at every turn to earn the title shot.

Instead, they overcame the concentrated effort of The Boss and Little Miss Bliss to fairly win a competitive match.

It was a nice change of pace and a refreshing addition to a story that has finally experienced some rejuvenation following the repetition and directionlessness of the summer.

Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson

Credit: WWE.com

Sheamus and Cesaro argued with Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows ahead of the latter duo's non-title match with Raw tag team champions Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose.

Rollins took the fight to Anderson early but took his eyes off his opponent for just a split second and paid for it, the presence of Sheamus and Cesaro at ringside providing more of a distraction than he probably expected.

The Architect recovered in short order, joining Ambrose for a double-team combination that left Anderson reeling.

The champions unloaded on Gallows and Anderson heading into the break.

The heels would settle down and seize control, working over the frenetic and unhinged Ambrose to the dismay of the WWE Universe. The Lunatic Fringe fought out of a superplex attempt, countered a choke bomb attempt with a dropkick and delivered his rebound clothesline.

A hot tag to The Kingslayer saw Rollins explode into the match. A blockbuster and Sling Blade gave way to a running forearm in the corner. Ambrose, meanwhile, wiped Gallows out at ringside with a suicide dive.

Cesaro and Sheamus interfered, and Rollins scored the pinfall off a miscommunication spot.

After the match, Anderson and Gallows cleared their fellow heels out of the ring. A brawl erupted before Sheamus and Cesaro stood tall to close out the segment.

Result

Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose defeated Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.

Grade

B

Analysis

The match was a fun one. Much more fun than the match from earlier in the show.

With that said, it would seem to have more sense to put Anderson and Gallows over here, on the back of interference from Sheamus and Cesaro, than to have the babyfaces win and make the heels look inept.

Rollins and Ambrose have hit their stride as a team. Their tag team chemistry reared itself here, and the result was fun and energetic.

Perfect timing considering they have a match with Sheamus and Cesaro at No Mercy that has the makings of the best match on the card.

Steel Cage Match: Big Show vs. Braun Strowman

Credit: WWE.com

The ring was reinforced and surrounded by a massive steel cage for the main event of Monday's show featuring No. 1 contender Braun Strowman and Big Show. It would be Strowman's very first steel cage match, according to commentator Michael Cole.

Big Show survived an early onslaught and sent The Monster Among Men into the sides of the cage, asking him how the steel tasted.

Show survived a big superplex attempt, shoving Strowman to the mat below. A top-rope elbow drop from The World's Largest Athlete drew expletive-laced chants of awe. The giant inched toward the door, but Strowman slammed the door on his head.

Big Show answered by slamming the door back in Strowman's face.

The babyface set his opponent up for the chokeslam, but Strowman countered with a DDT. Moments later, the big man finally executed his vaunted finisher, but the top contender to Raw's most prestigious title kicked out at two.

Big Show climbed to the top of the cage, but Strowman pulled him down, raking his body against the steel.

After teasing it earlier in the bout, Strowman executed a perfect superplex that popped the crowd.

Strowman finished Show off with a running powerslam and scored a hard-fought, physical match.

After the match, the victor promised Brock Lesnar he would suffer a similar fate at No Mercy before slamming Show through the side of the cage in a dazzling image.

Result

Braun Strowman defeated Big Show.

Grade

A+

Analysis

This was a war.

Big Show and Strowman have strong in-ring chemistry and, more importantly, have demonstrated an understanding of what fans want to see out of two athletes their size. They do not want lumbering punches and kicks. They want a high-impact match that sees the giants work outside of their comfort zones, working a match style closer to that of the rest of the roster than a typical slugfest.

They also want to see the sheer size and power of the performers on display.

Big Show and Strowman used counters and near-falls to keep the fans invested while pummeling each other with high-impact power moves that fit their characters.

The result was an engaging match that told a story and ended after a jaw-dropping superplex.

Strowman looks like a worldbeater, and the closing spot, with Show exploding through the side of the cage, was fantastically done.