WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from September 17

Brock Lesnar is back, and he hardly took a month off. WWE Hell in a Cell 2018 was mostly a quality wrestling show, but it ended with a controversial result, as Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman fought to a no-contest thanks to The Beast Incarnate's surprise appearance.

This left a hanging question for the September 17 edition of WWE Raw. What is next for the Universal Championship? Certainly, Reigns, Lesnar and Strowman would have something to say about this situation, with The Shield and Raw tag team champions also likely involved.

The Undertaker promised to make an appearance to call out Triple H for his comments with their WWE Super Show-Down match rapidly approaching. With so much having already been said, it was tough to predict what would come of this latest segment in their story.

After putting away Alexa Bliss on Sunday, Ronda Rousey looked forward to a new challenge, although it was hard to say who could step up next. The Raw women's division may be stacked with potential stars, but few come off as legitimate threats to the women's champion.

It was expected to be a night of answers, with some of the biggest stars in WWE looking forward to new challenges and setting up huge matches down the line.

Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar Set for WWE Crown Jewel

Strowman interrupted Reigns as he called out Lesnar for a fight. The Monster Among Men demanded his own shot at The Beast.

Acting general manager Baron Corbin came out instead to announce Reigns vs. Strowman vs. Lesnar would headline WWE's November 2 event in Saudi Arabia.

Paul Heyman then arrived with the Hell in a Cell door that Lesnar broke down to mock both men, making clear his client wanted the money back that was stolen from him when he lost the Universal Championship.

Corbin added a second announcement that the injured Reigns would defend his title in the main event against The Constable.

Grade

B-

Analysis

This was a fine opening segment to build on the controversy Sunday, but it was odd to have the current general manager announce such a big Triple Threat so far out and then immediately threaten to ruin the match by taking the title from The Big Dog.

Meanwhile, it now feels far too obvious that Lesnar returned just to get a big paycheck in Saudi Arabia. He may not even appear for the next month, and it won't matter because he'll be there at Crown Jewel to hit a few suplexes before he finalizes his UFC deal.

Dean Ambrose vs. Drew McIntyre

Dean Ambrose came into this match with a game plan despite not having Seth Rollins in his corner, and it worked for a while.

He wore down the right leg of Drew McIntyre, who also was missing Dolph Ziggler, with strikes and submission holds that had the tag team champion limping to stay in the contest.

However, The Lunatic Fringe took one too many risks to go after his opponent, missing a diving double ax handle and landing hard on the barricade. While he avoided being counted out, he returned to the ring to run right into a Claymore, which gave The Scottish Psychopath the victory.

Backstage afterward, Ziggler congratulated McIntyre before Corbin walked in to tell The Showoff he should cash in his rematch clause with Rollins too injured to even be in the building, setting up a forfeit victory.

Result

McIntyre def. Ambrose by pinfall

Grade

A-

Analysis

This was a really good TV match, moving quickly while staying steadily focused. Ambrose ground down McIntyre with a targeted assault of the leg, but he still struggled to match up with the pure power of the big man.

Not only was this the best singles showing so far from Ambrose, but it was also one of the best examples of just how good McIntyre is. His clean victory without Ziggler in his corner showcased how big he can be.

Chad Gable (w/ Bobby Roode) vs. Viktor (w/ Konnor)

Despite some interference from Konnor, Chad Gable dominated Viktor with his quickness and newfound confidence thanks to Bobby Roode.

Gable picked up the win with a bridging German suplex, but Konnor ruined the celebration by taking out the winner and his mentor.

Result

Gable def. Viktor by pinfall

Grade

C+

Analysis

Gable is good enough to make a squash match like this fun, but this whole feud feels like a waste. Viktor and Konnor are being treated like jobbers and putting over two men not likely to be a tag team in the long term.

If The Ascension matters this little, why is this rivalry still going?

The Undertaker Announces Kane Will Be in His Corner at Super Show-Down

Credit: WWE.com

Undertaker came out to address Triple H, calling his comments in recent weeks delusional.

After making clear he would be victorious in their match at Super Show-Down in Australia on October 6, he announced his insurance policy. Because Shawn Michaels was sure to be in The Game's corner, The Phenom would have his brother Kane supporting him.

Grade

C

Analysis

Time gets us all eventually, and it has been clear for a while that Undertaker is far past his prime. That said, he came off like himself this week. While never a great mic worker, The Deadman has a particular cadence that just makes an impression when he's on.

Spending a whole segment just to announce HBK and Kane will be in the main event as support for the competitors was unnecessary, though. It would have been more effective if Kane had actually appeared, but it's hard to say how free The Big Red Machine is given his mayoral responsibilities.

Bayley (w/ Sasha Banks) vs. Dana Brooke

Credit: WWE.com

Dana Brooke looked impressive early here, using her power to keep Bayley dazed.

However, The Hugger refused to stay down, catching Brooke with a vicious running knee right into a Bayley-to-Belly for the win.

Sasha Banks celebrated with Bayley afterward.

Result

Bayley def. Brooke by pinfall

Grade

C

Analysis

There was nothing wrong with this match—it just wasn't all that interesting.

The former member of Titus Worldwide has a fine story going about attempting to regain her momentum as a competitor, but this was a squash that barely made Brooke look decent.

The Authors of Pain (w/ Drake Maverick) vs. Local Competitors

Credit: WWE.com

Drake Maverick stopped The Authors of Pain from hurting someone backstage. Akam and Rezar were then able to channel their aggression into a dominant performance against local competitors, winning with the Super Collider.

Result

Akam and Rezar def. local competitors by pinfall

Grade

D+

Analysis

The squash matches are getting old at this point. While it makes sense to restart Akam and Rezar's run with Maverick behind them to give them more credibility, these two have already taken out actual wrestlers on Raw.

It is not necessary to show them squashing random jobbers every week in contests that are not all that exciting even as car-crash exhibitions.

WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler

Rollins promised in an interview that he was healthy enough to defend his title, and Ziggler went back to Corbin to question whether he made the right decision.

The Architect fought with a back injury throughout, while The Showoff was a step slower than usual from his own injuries.

The WWE intercontinental champion hit a superplex, but the tag champion reversed the Falcon Arrow into a roll-up with a handful of tights.

Rollins barely kicked out and then hit the Stomp for the three-count.

Result

Rollins def. Ziggler by pinfall to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship

Grade

B

Analysis

Rollins vs. Ziggler is always going to be a solid match, but this felt too short to stand up next to their other great contests. Both sold their injuries enough that they didn't want to do much, leading to a stronger segment than a full match.

This should be the end of these two fighting for the Intercontinental Championship. Rollins needs to move on to a new challenger even if he will likely be involved with Ziggler and McIntyre in other angles for the next month.

The Riott Squad Ruins Ronda Rousey's Open Challenge

Rousey declared an open challenge for the Raw Women's Championship with Natalya's music playing.

However, The Riott Squad then dragged out Rousey's best friend onto the stage. Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan declared they needed to put down the champion to change WWE.

Their three-on-one assault went as expected as they slowly overwhelmed The Baddest Woman on the Planet until The Bella Twins arrived to even the odds. This allowed Rousey to hit Ruby with the Reverse Kata Guruma, with all three faces standing tall.

Grade

C+

Analysis

This was almost a successful segment. The idea of Rousey defending her title regularly on Raw is interesting, and her vs. Ruby would have been a great match. It would have even been interesting if The Riott Squad stood tall over the champion.

Instead, this was another opportunity to put over The Riott Squad that failed. The trio were quickly and decisively taken out, with the faces barely even caring about what happened to Natalya.

Bobby Lashley vs. Elias

Lio Rush interrupted Elias to diss the musician before hyping his man Bobby Lashley.

Lashley backed up the hype against The Drifter with explosiveness and resilience before he dived off the top rope into a high knee for a near-fall.

Kevin Owens took this as his moment, coming out and running Rush to the ring where, after a bunch of impressive flips and an enzuigiri to Elias that caused a disqualification, the manager had to be saved by The Dominator.

The faces then held the ring against the heels.

Result

Elias def. Lashley by disqualification

Grade

C+

Analysis

This should have been a much bigger and better match than it was. It was over quickly with barely enough time to make the non-finish disappointing. However, it did accomplish its main task of establishing the relationship between Lashley and his new manager.

The former ECW heavyweight champion needed someone to talk for him, and Rush has already stood out as more than the typical manager. He is a highlight-reel athlete who comes off far more interesting working off Lashley than bragging about himself on 205 Live.

Mickie James and Alicia Fox (w/ Alexa Bliss) vs. Ember Moon and Nia Jax

Credit: WWE.com

Alexa Bliss challenged Ember Moon to find a partner to face her friends Mickie James and Alicia Fox in a tag team match.

Moon came out first, followed by the returning Nia Jax. The heels tried their best to keep The Irresistible Force out of this match as long as possible.

Once the former Raw women's champion got the tag, it was quickly all over as Moon hit Mickie with the Eclipse and then Jax intercepted a running Fox with a Samoan drop for the victory.

Result

Jax and Moon def. James and Fox by pinfall

Grade

B-

Analysis

Many of the matches this week were rushed, and this was no exception. This was a fairly bland tag team match that served more as a reminder of how imposing Jax can be. It was great to have her back competing again even if she's only hitting a few moves.

This was another not-so-subtle hint that the women's section will soon include a tag team division.

WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Baron Corbin

Credit: WWE.com

The acting general manager worked over Reigns from the start in this match, taking advantage of his injuries from Sunday. The champion, though, pushed himself with pure adrenaline, hitting a series of running clotheslines only for Corbin to repeatedly escape outside.

When The Big Dog followed him for a Drive-By, Corbin threw a steel chair into his head to cause a disqualification. The Constable restarted the contest as a No Disqualification match, which brought out Strowman. While Reigns ducked his rival, Ziggler and McIntyre joined in as well.

Rollins and Ambrose tried to even the odds and managed to get the heels out of the way just long enough for Reigns to hit a Spear on Corbin and retain.

Result

Reigns def. Corbin by pinfall to retain the WWE Universal Championship after a restart

Grade

C+

Analysis

It is becoming clearer with each week that this Shield rivalry does not go well with championship gold on the line. Reigns' matches, in particular, have repeatedly been plagued by outside interference, distracting from any of the action.

Reigns and Corbin told a fine story here, but they've never been a great pairing. It was also odd that Finn Balor was not involved to make the fight completely fair. With The Shield outnumbered, the heels just looked bad failing to stand tall.