WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from August 20

WWE SummerSlam 2018 was largely a success with big matches, memorable moments and more than a few welcome title changes. Even though some of the finishes led to some frustration, it was a big event that did more than enough to make Raw better.

The August 20 edition was expected to be a night of fallout. Raw finally had a consistent world champion after Roman Reigns captured the WWE Universal Championship, but he only barely escaped losing the title that same night to Braun Strowman, leaving their encounter for another day.

Ronda Rousey dominated Alexa Bliss and clinched the Raw Women's Championship in a fashion that left many questioning who could challenge The Baddest Woman on the Planet. She was expected to be given a title coronation with every Raw woman watching.

Seth Rollins was the third Raw champion to win gold thanks to Dean Ambrose, who was set to return to action against former WWE intercontinental champion Dolph Ziggler. Finally, Triple H promised to address his forthcoming clash with The Undertaker at the Super Show-Down.

All these expected moments were only the beginning for a massive show that would begin a new era on Raw with fresh champions and brand-new rivalries.

Roman Reigns vs. Finn Balor Set for Main Event; Baron Corbin vs. Bobby Lashley

Roman Reigns opened the show with his new Universal Championship. He made clear he was going to be a fighting champion, and he wanted to give a title shot to a man who never got his chance to fight for the championship after losing it to injury, Finn Balor.

After Balor came out to agree to the match, Baron Corbin interrupted to cancel it. However, Raw general manager Kurt Angle took over, making the main event as well as Corbin vs. Bobby Lashley next.

While Corbin gave Lashley a solid fight, he still ran into The Dominator for the three-count.

Result

Lashley def. Corbin by pinfall

Grade

B-

Analysis

Reigns vs. Balor was an exciting match to tease for later, but this quickly became too much about The Constable. Corbin again went too long in his match, slowing down the pace in what might have worked as a seven-minute sprint against Lashley.

The crowd was done with this contest long before the finish, and it's hard to blame it. Why is the follow-up to SummerSlam an overlong Corbin match? More importantly, why is he having so many long matches on Raw?

Sasha Banks, Bayley and Ember Moon vs. The Riott Squad

The trio of babyfaces in this match dominated early despite the cohesion of The Riott Squad until Ruby Riott caught Bayley on the outside with an STO. Sasha Banks got the hot tag and went off on all three.

However, Ember Moon and Bayley were taken out outside. This distracted Banks to allow Riott to catch her on the top rope with the Riott Kick and take the pinfall victory.

Result

The Riott Squad def. Banks, Bayley and Moon by pinfall

Grade

B-

Analysis

This was a solid match, but it felt like the same six-woman tag these wrestlers have always had. Even with Banks and Bayley supposedly reaching a common ground, they still fell to The Riott Squad.

Riott's injury has made her new run a bigger deal than the months of storytelling behind The Boss and Hug Connection. It's hard to say where any of these women are going from this latest clash.

Triple H Explains Why He Agreed to One Last Match with The Undertaker

Triple H talked about his coming match with The Undertaker, making clear he was done with Taker for a long time. He didn't think he would wrestle again, especially against The Deadman, after their End of an Era match.

However, after stewing for years waiting for the feeling to come back from when he was wrestling at his best, he realized he needed to be The Game again, so he agreed to this one last match with The Phenom.

Grade

D+

Analysis

This was a completely unnecessary promo. While Triple H is a fine mic worker, he has a tendency to talk forever, and it never felt like he reached a point here. He just rambled about a match that doesn't really matter and won't happen until October.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Dean Ambrose

In his return to in-ring action, Dean Ambrose pushed around Dolph Ziggler with his increased power until a distraction outside allowed The Showoff to dropkick him off the apron to the floor.

But The Lunatic Fringe showed off an impressive new repertoire to get back into the action.

Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins fought outside with Ziggler helping. The Architect retaliated with a suicide dive to the Scot that set up Ambrose to reverse a DDT into Dirty Deeds for the win.

Result

Ambrose def. Ziggler by pinfall

Grade

A

Analysis

This was a solid return match for Ambrose. While it wasn't a knockout classic, it was a strong TV clash that showed he has improved in his time off. The final sequence including Rollins' suicide dive was really cool.

If Ambrose is working at a higher level than ever before, he could still make this feud work even if it should have ended at SummerSlam.

Elias vs. Curt Hawkins

Elias tried to have a concert in New York, clearly frustrated with playing for this crowd.

Hometown wrestler Curt Hawkins tried to play to the crowd and get Elias to fight him. The Drifter agreed and easily put away the fiery underdog with the Drift Away to extend Hawkins' losing streak.

Result

Elias def. Hawkins by pinfall

Grade

B

Analysis

While it was not that long or involved as a segment, this worked well as it played on two stories with both men clearly motivated.

Hawkins' losing streak has real potential as a running thread on Raw, but it is only used sporadically. Here, he got to be the fiery babyface before running into a frustrated buzzsaw.

The Authors of Pain vs. Titus Worldwide

Apollo Crews got a strong hot tag from Titus O'Neil and went off, showing his athleticism. However, he just could not keep up with the stronger cohesive duo, as The Authors of Pain hit him with the Last Chapter to take the win.

Result

The Authors of Pain def. Titus Worldwide by pinfall

Grade

C

Analysis

This tag match did show off how good Crews can be with his final sequence, but it was largely unnecessary.

The feud has lasted too long as it is, and this was not a satisfying reason to extend the contest. Akam and Rezar deserve better than this.

Ronda Rousey Refuses to Play Stephanie McMahon's Games

Credit: WWE.com

Stephanie McMahon hyped up how much she had helped mentor Ronda Rousey to this moment, but The Baddest Woman on the Planet was having none of it. She put over the women's division and locked the Raw commissioner in an armbar.

The faces at ringside celebrated this moment while the heels looked after McMahon.

Grade

B

Analysis

This was a fine, if contrived, way to sell Rousey's potential impact going forward on Raw. Her feud with McMahon does not need to be revisited, so this was just a way to ingratiate her with the fans and sell her connection with the other faces.

It is nice to have a fighting champion with many great potential matches coming for the Raw women's titleholder. It is odd to have The Bella Twins involved right now, though.

Bo Dallas vs. Scott Dawson; Curtis Axel vs. Dash Wilder

Credit: WWE.com

The B-Team dedicated its future singles wins to Brooklyn. However, Bo Dallas did not seem ready to fight Scott Dawson, who dominated the contest before winning with a cradle DDT.

Curtis Axel immediately asked for a match with Dash Wilder, but he also got beaten easily with a Gory Bomb.

Result

Dawson def. Dallas by pinfall; Wilder def. Axel by pinfall

Grade

C+

Analysis

These matches were rushed, which is a shame because they could have been fun. Instead, this was basically a segment that sold just how much better The Revival is than The B-Team even though Dawson and Wilder can't seem to overcome the opposition's luck when it matters.

Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Finn Balor

Reigns and Balor went after each other viciously. The Big Dog dominated early on, but The Extraordinary Man took over after a dropkick to the floor followed by a somersault plancha. The two traded signature moves and refused to stay down.

The champion caught Balor mid-dropkick attempt with a Superman Punch. The Irishman blocked a Spear with a knee only to have Reigns roll through into another Superman Punch.

Braun Strowman arrived as The Big Dog set up a Spear, and Balor almost capitalized.

Reigns dodged the Coup de Grace, though, and hit the Spear. Afterward, Strowman tried to cash in the Money in the Bank, only to have Ambrose and Rollins arrive in Shield gear to save Reigns. Together, they triple powerbombed The Monster Among Men through the announce table.

Result

Reigns def. Balor by pinfall

Grade

A

Analysis

This was an excellent TV main event followed by a shocking and fascinating move. Reigns and Balor are always great together even though the commercial breaks broke up the flow of their match a bit. They still had a title match worthy of the main event.

The Shield's reforming was a shock move only because it feels a bit out of left field. All three came off as heels here, but it is likely they will be treated as faces still. The trio could be unstoppable for a while unless Strowman gets strong allies by his side.