WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from Dec. 11

The Shield again dominated WWE Raw as all three Hounds of Justice battled in singles bouts.

Roman Reigns fended off Cesaro, Dean Ambrose fell to Samoa Joe, and Seth Rollins survived Sheamus.

Continuing a recent pattern, WWE focused on in-ring action and gave its Superstars ample time to work with between the ropes. That led to a stellar Intercontinental Championship match, a battle between the cruiserweights and Rollins' victory over Sheamus taking up much of the show with quality wrestling.

Monday's Raw did well to add stakes to it all, even if it didn't capitalize on them in the main event.

The show featured another IC title bout. The red brand drew closer to naming the next Cruiserweight Championship contender. But when Kane and Braun Strowman met to decide who would challenge Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble, WWE waffled. 

From The Shield's haymakers early in the night to Strowman clashing with Kane, read on for a full breakdown of Raw in Cleveland.

Samoa Joe Sets a Trap

Samoa Joe trashed every member of The Shield, recalling the damage he's done to them. He called out Reigns and after a long delay, The Big Dog arrived.

The two bruisers bashed each other in a brawl.

Cesaro and Sheamus soon leaped into the fray. Rollins and Ambrose soon followed. The heels left The Shield lying.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "I am not impressed with a man whose leg I snapped so easily."—Joe on Rollins.
• "I am told I'm a very intimidating individual"—Joe.

Grade

B+

Analysis

A big brawl to kick things off is almost never a bad idea. This one helped set up the singles bouts for later in the night.

The fighting could have been more intense, and it didn't feel quite as brutal a beatdown as the announcers described it.

Also, Joe is tremendous. He remains one of Raw's best talkers, and the red brand would be smart to exploit that. 

Bayley and Mickie James vs. Paige and Mandy Rose

Sasha Banks accompanied Bayley and Mickie James to the ring as they took on two-thirds of Absolution. Paige led the way as the group trash-talked their foes before the bell. 

In the ring, the babyfaces had Absolution reeling early.

Mandy Rose was able to take down Bayley, and she and Paige took turns beating on The Huggable One in their corner—until James mounted a comeback.

However, a blindside kick from Paige allowed Rose to score the pin on James.

Result

Absolution wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "Absolution is a symphony of carnage and the music is about to start."—Sonya Deville.
• James kicks Deville off the ring apron.

Grade

C-

Analysis

Rose's promos still need a lot of work; her lines felt forced here. Overall, she came off as unnatural. Deville was a touch better, but she is a work in progress, too.

Absolution getting the win was a no-brainer as WWE is in the early stages of establishing the group.

There is a disconnect, though, between the idea they are destroyers and what actually unfolded in the ring. The trio and the announcers talked up how dangerous these wrestlers are, but we saw standard heel fare here, not a mauling of any kind. 

Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt Trade Verbal Shots

Another round of dueling promos saw Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt talk Sister Abigail, Hardy's "wokeness" and the usual oddness from each of these men.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "Matt Hardy is a liar, a modern-day calf."—Wyatt.
• "Why would you follow a jester when you can follow in the footsteps of a king?"—Wyatt.
• "Broken brilliance will illuminate the masses."—Hardy.

Grade

C

Analysis

The sequel couldn't match the first go-round's success. In part, too many transitions are to blame. A less clear sense of the enemies' issues didn't help.

And there was too much laughing. It felt as if WWE was just looking to fill time and told them both to laugh like maniacs until they ran out of breath.

Finn Balor vs. Curtis Axel

Curtis Axel removed his neckbrace before teaming up with Bo Dallas in a two-on-one beatdown. Once the bell rang, Axel grounded Finn Balor.

Balor recovered to down his foe in a short match.

Result

Balor wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Axel dramatically grabs his neck in pain after a dropkick in the corner.

Grade

D

Analysis

This story reeks of WWE simply not knowing what to do with Balor and giving him a filler feud for the moment.

This was neither a squash to boost Balor nor an entertaining back-and-forth battle. It instead resided in an awkward space between those options.

And Axel's neckbrace was a bigger focus than Balor and whatever goals he may have. What happened to him having his sights set on the Universal Championship? 

Seth Rollins vs. Sheamus

Rollins pounced on Sheamus right away, battering him with right hands. He chased The Celtic Warrior all around the ring as he kept him under attack.

Sheamus was able to use his power to shift the advantage his way.

As the match slowed, the tag team champ focused on Rollins' right knee. The Kingslayer took a good amount of punishment that left him limping.

Rollins was able to gut it out and use a knee to the jaw to score a victory.

Result

Rollins wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Sheamus yanks Rollins by the leg and flings him to the mat.
• Rollins flips out of Sheamus' grip and hits a DDT.
• Rollins delivers a superplex-Falcon Arrow combo on one leg.
• "You have to respect everything about what Seth Rollins just did."—Corey Graves.

Grade

A-

Analysis

Rollins vs. Sheamus proved to be a high-quality match that showcased both men.

Their styles meshed well, and the bout told a simple, effective story of Rollins having to survive as his enemy went after his weak point. It all worked. 

This didn't have the freshness that the other two Shield bouts had, but it didn't really matter.

Second-Chance Cruiserweight Championship No. 1 Contender's Qualifier Match

Mustafa Ali vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Tony Nese vs. Ariya Daivari

Enzo Amore talked to Drew Gulak backstage about the Cruiserweight Championship picture. The champ brought up Nia Jax's name by accident, but Gulak didn't realize the significance of the Freudian Slip.

Gulak then provided commentary as the Fatal 4-Way unfolded.

Alexander and Ali went back and forth with each other until Nese forced his way in. Daivari looked to use a ground-and-pound technique to take over.

The match grew chaotic as everyone took their best shots and bodies flew everywhere.

Alexander was able to emerge from it all and pin Daivari to be the last man standing. He earned a No. 1 Contender's match against Gulak as a result.

Backstage, Amore insulted Gulak, telling him he's not his friend before flirting with Jax.

Result

Alexander wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "Thank you, Mr. T. It's an honor."—Gulak to Booker T.
• Ali leaps from the top rope to topple Nese and Alexander.
• Alexander hits a spingboard STO on Daivari.
• Gulak expertly avoids Michael Cole's questions about his loyalty to Amore.
• Alexander hits a Spanish Fly and Lumbar Check in quick succession.

Grade

A-

Analysis

WWE gave the cruiserweights a stockpile of time and they delivered.

A ton of near-falls, creative offense and intriguing subplots made for a first-rate bout. A touch of tension popped up between The Zo Train members, and Alexander and Ali's friendly rivalry buzzed. 

As a bonus, Gulak was a hoot on commentary without being overbearing. He's quickly become the best character in the division.

Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro (Intercontinental Championship)

Cesaro and Reigns traded control in the early going.

Outside the ring, The Swiss Cyborg smashed his foe's arm against the guardrail, which gave him an Achilles' heel to exploit. Reigns had to fight like hell to stave off defeat despite working with one good arm.

Every comeback attempt from The Big Dog was met with a shot to the arm that left him writhing. That is until Reigns hit one final spear to end the contest.

Result

Reigns wins via pinfall to retain the Intercontinental Championship.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Cesaro counters Reigns' corner clotheslines by leaping out of the ring and wrenching on his arm.
• Cesaro flattens Reigns with a kick as The Big Dog attempts a Drive By.
• Reigns leaps off the ring steps to hit a Superman Punch. 
• Fans chant "This is awesome!"

Grade

A+

Analysis

Reigns and Cesaro took the basic story Sheamus and Rollins told and improved it. 

Cesaro showed off his technical mastery and in-ring psychology expertise, while Reigns continued his run of great matches as IC champ. He's been Raw's most important titleholder of late, and lengthy matches with foes as good as The King of Swing are the way to keep that going.

The only thing worth nitpicking is Reigns' inconsistent selling. There were moves he simply shouldn't have been able to pull off after taking that much damage to his arm. 

Absolution Attacks Asuka

Credit: WWE.com

Asuka awaited her opponent, but Alicia Fox never arrived. Paige and Absolution stepped out instead. The big screen showed Fox nursing an injury.

Paige threatened Asuka and looked to ambush her. The Empress of Tomorrow fought off the heels, but Absolution eventually overpowered her. 

Banks, Fox and the rest of the women's division ran out to fight the heels off.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "You move out of the way or we make you move out of the way."—Paige. 
• Rose takes a spinning back fist from Jax. 

Grade

B-

Analysis

Asuka and Paige finally collided, but WWE is being smart here in letting this rivalry move along slowly. That's the money match at the end of the rainbow.

Before it arrives, though, the company has all kinds of options for Absolution as the group has made enemies of everyone.

Dean Ambrose vs. Samoa Joe

Credit: WWE.com

Jason Jordan watched the match from a chair on the stage—just as how Joe watched him compete last week.

In the ring, Ambrose tried to overwhelm The Destroyer with offense. Joe, though, responded by rocking his foe with hard shots.

Distractions from Jordan disrupted the match. The Lunatic Fringe and Joe both wanted to club the outsider as a result. Eventually, the powerhouse choked out Ambrose with the Coquina Clutch.

Result

Joe wins via submission.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "I should probably avoid getting kicked in the face."—Ambrose on his strategy.
• "I'm overheated, overexcited and ready to get my hands on Samoa Joe. Thanks for the pep talk."—Ambrose.
• Ambrose enrages Joe with a slap to the face.
  
• Ambrose hits a suicide dive onto both Joe and Jordan.

Grade

B

Analysis

The least engaging of Monday's three Shield bouts. Joe and Ambrose didn't click as well as the other Rollins and Sheamus or Reigns and Cesaro.

It was still a solid contest and a pairing we hadn't seen to this point.

Jordan's presence disrupted the flow for the sake of a brewing feud between him and The Destroyer. If he's going to work with Joe for any substantial amount of time, he's going to grow big time. It would be hard not to feed off The Samoan Submission Machine's energy.

Kane vs. Braun Strowman

Backstage, Titus O'Neil told Dana Brooke she was now officially a part of Titus Worldwide. Everyone cleared out in a hurry as Strowman charged past them on his way to the ring.

The Monster of Men battered Kane in a slugfest.

Kane hit Strowman with his best shots. The fight moved into the stands as the referee counted out both men.

After the bell, Strowman flung Kane around ringside. The Big Red Machine clobbered his foe with chair shots. And Strowman ended it with a running powerslam through a table.

Result

Match ends in a double count-out.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "Tonight, you and I step into the abyss."—Kane.
• Kane chokeslams Strowman.
• Strowman drives Kane through the security barricade.
• Both men smash rings steps into each other at the same time.

Grade

C+

Analysis

The bout and the brawl that followed it had some fun moments to marvel at, but that was overshadowed by the odd booking.

The match's ending hurt the importance of its stakes. Why change this to a No. 1 Contender's match only to not reach a definitive conclusion?

The announcers' confusion at the end mirrored what many in the audience had to be feeling and that's not the emotion you want fans to be experiencing in this spot. 

The result also extends a plodding feud that would have been best served ending right here for good.