WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from October 28

With Crown Jewel on the horizon, WWE Raw set the stage Monday for the biggest matches of the event in Saudi Arabia.

Seth Rollins looked to prepare fully for his Falls Count Anywhere clash with Bray Wyatt by competing against Erick Rowan with the same stipulation.

Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair checked out the form of their respective team members, Ricochet and Drew McIntyre, ahead of the 5-on-5 Tag Team contest on Thursday.

Rusev and Lana were also set to be in the same ring at the same time as a part of "The King's Court" to settle their dispute with host Jerry Lawler.

While Becky Lynch will not be competing at Crown Jewel, she had her own statement to make, competing against Kairi Sane after The Pirate Princess pinned her two weeks ago.

The night also promised plenty of surprises as new stars looked to emerge. Buddy Murphy, Andrade, Humberto Carrillo and more all looked to leave impressions as the red brand attempted to create new stars.

Becky Lynch vs. Kairi Sane

Credit: WWE.com

Paige made her return to Raw, highlighting The Kabuki Warriors. However, Asuka and Kairi Sane mocked their manager before The Empress of Tomorrow spit green mist into her face.

Becky Lynch stomped to the ring and did her best to manage the repeated interference of Asuka. Sane got close, but The Man refused to lose and made The Pirate Princess tap out to the Dis-arm-her.

Result

Lynch def. Sane by submission

Grade

A

Analysis

This was as good as Sane has looked on the main roster. That came down to getting plenty of time to deliver and wrestling against Lynch, who has brought the best out of everyone this year. The two easily had the strongest match of the night.

It was surprising for The Kabuki Warriors to turn against Paige now, though. This may simply be a result of wanting to keep Paige face, but Asuka and Sane have fully committed to speaking only Japanese. It would be helpful to have someone as their translator for live promos.

R-Truth vs. Buddy Murphy

Credit: WWE.com

R-Truth revealed in an interview that he had bought new glasses to make sure he had four eyes to catch The Singh Brothers.

Buddy Murphy interrupted, though, and promised to ensure Truth knew his name from now on.

During this match, The Singh Brothers appeared, chased by various Superstars. Truth got distracted and ran around the ring, barely making it back in before the 10-count. He walked right into a high-impact knee to the face that gave Murphy the win.

Result

Murphy def. Truth by pinfall

Grade

C

Analysis

This was an entertaining way to give Murphy another win, but Truth got in a bit too much offense. He's entertaining and building a strong final legacy with the 24/7 Championship, but he shouldn't be outwrestling rising talent.

It will be interesting to see what Truth does next. WWE is building a new story around him missing Carmella, who always watched his back. Perhaps the promotion will keep him away from the title for a few months and give others an opportunity.

The Street Profits Want the Smoke

Credit: WWE.com

The Street Profits talked up their big win last week and the celebration that came after.

Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford made clear it was only the beginning, and they would fight anyone who stepped up to them.

Grade

C+

Analysis

The Street Profits make for an entertaining pair at every stage, but short promos like this are better as backstage interviews.

It felt like a waste of time since no story was truly advanced, and it would have been more logical to at least have Ford and Dawkins wrestle someone afterward.

Drew McIntyre vs. Ricochet

Credit: WWE.com

Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair came out first before Ricochet and Drew McIntyre arrived.

The One and Only started off hot, going right after The Scottish Psychopath, but neither man could find a way to take the win in this rubber match.

McIntyre dodged the 630 splash, and Ricochet turned around right into an RKO. Randy Orton gloated as The Scottish Psychopath dumped The One and Only out of the ring. The two talked trash to Hogan at ringside.

Result

Ricochet def. McIntyre by disqualification

Grade

B-

Analysis

This was a fine bout, but it hardly lived up to their match the previous week. It did not help that there was no reason to revisit the contest so quickly. It would have made just as much sense to go with Ricochet vs. Orton as a fresh pairing.

Still, McIntyre and Ricochet are on top of their games right now and can deliver even in bouts that do not need to happen. This was a fine way to sell Thursday's Team Hogan vs. Team Flair contest without going overboard.

The Viking Raiders vs. Local Competitors

Credit: WWE.com

Rizzo and Bryant, dubbed the Chicago Cubs, looked completely out of their depth from the opening bell. Erik threw around the local competitors before Ivar connected on the Viking Experience for the victory.

Result

Viking Raiders def. Chicago Cubs by pinfall

Grade

D

Analysis

The Raiders built to the Raw Tag Team Championships with squash matches. Now, they're back to it with the titles in hand. This was entirely unnecessary. Squash matches are usually not required, but they should be used on stars who need to be established.

Erik and Ivar should be in the background waiting for others to challenge them. The tag division is too sparse on challengers to waste time with squash matches for the champions, even if they are entertaining.

Andrade vs. Sin Cara

Credit: WWE.com

Sin Cara revealed he had brought help in the masked luchadora Carolina to deal with Zelina Vega at ringside. Vega distracted the referee in this match just enough to turn the tide. While Carolina slammed her into the barricade, El Idolo rolled up Cara with his feet on the ropes to take the win.

Result

Andrade def. Cara by pinfall

Grade

N

Analysis

While it was a nice move to give Catalina Garcia this chance on the main roster as Carolina, this ultimately felt unnecessary. Andrade should be past Cara as a challenger, so having him give the luchador competitive matches week after week does more harm than good.

Cara and Carolina could be a fun pairing to watch once they are working with someone besides Andrade, who should be among the top talent on Raw.

The IIconics vs. Natalya and Charlotte Flair

Credit: WWE.com

Peyton Royce and Billie Kay showed a fresh cohesion as a team, but their time off was not enough to be ready for the pairing of Natalya and Charlotte Flair. The IIconics were overwhelmed. The Queen of Harts locked Kay in the Sharpshooter for a submission as The Queen caught Royce with a Spear.

Result

Natalya and Charlotte def. IIconics by submission

Grade

C-

Analysis

This didn't make much of an impact. With little explanation for the combination of Natalya and Charlotte, nothing was clearly at stake. Thus, it was clear how the two former women's champions were taking their time to find their team chemistry.

Bringing back The IIconics to have them immediately take such a one-sided loss is a statement for how little WWE sees in the mostly comedic duo.

Falls Count Anywhere: Seth Rollins vs. Erick Rowan

Seth Rollins made clear in his pre-match interview that he would finally put Bray Wyatt behind him by defeating him at Crown Jewel.

Erick Rowan felt embarrassed by the way The Beastslayer tried to run right through him. He punished the WWE universal champion and tried to hit the Iron Claw through the announce table. Rollins turned it into the Stomp on the table for two.

The two fought into the backstage area, and Rollins again caught Rowan with the Stomp onto a ladder. To make sure The Big Redwood would not kick out again, he forced a man to pin Rowan under a forklift to set up a definitive three-count.

Result

Rollins def. Rowan by pinfall

Grade

B

Analysis

This was fun enough, though hardly came off as dangerous as it should have. It never felt like Rowan had a chance even though he lasted a while in the contest. He was just there to set up creative spots that may be revisited Thursday.

It's a shame because Rowan was built as such a force just a month back. Separating him from Luke Harper and failing to deliver on his momentum has already sent him crashing back down to Earth.

AJ Styles vs. Humberto Carrillo

The O.C. mocked Humberto Carrillo into agreeing to a match, as AJ Styles wanted to show he's the true top champion. The young cruiserweight gave his all, even getting close with a moonsault late. However, he tweaked his knee, and The Phenomenal One capitalized with the Calf Crusher for a quick tapout.

The United States champion faked a handshake to Carrillo before going after his bad knee. The Street Profits ran down and made the save.

Result

Styles def. Carrillo by submission

Grade

B

Analysis

This was a solid follow-up to last week's performance from Carrillo, though he looked less competitive against Styles than he had against Rollins. This was not a Styles vs. Ricochet standout match that begins a long title feud.

It was odd to ignore Kevin Owens after he attacked Styles last week. It almost came off as though that angle had been dropped.

Bobby Lashley and Lana Embarrass Rusev on "The King's Court"

Jerry Lawler tried to get the full story about how Rusev and Lana's relationship fell apart. The Ravishing Russian threw repeated insults about Rusev's sexual inclinations and desire to ruin her career. She even stated The Bulgarian Brute cheated on her.

Bobby Lashley stomped to the ring, and the two heavyweights began to brawl around the ring. Rusev dominated at first, but Lana distracted him, allowing Lashley catch him with a low blow. The two heels planted The Bulgarian Brute and made out over him.

Grade

F

Analysis

This was a terrible way to end the night. It was bizarre and got little reaction out of the crowd. No one knew how to react as Lana went from calling Rusev a deviant to a man who would not listen, to a cheater. It was like she was cycling through scripts.

There was a brief moment where an angry Rusev almost got the crowd invested, but he got beat down again. The WWE Universe then had to watch another make-out session. How this main-evented over anything else on this card is hard to explain.