WWE Raw Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights Before Bash in Berlin
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Just five days before Bash in Berlin, WWE Raw rolled into Providence, Rhode Island with for a packed go-home show.
Uncle Howdy made his in-ring debut, the Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contender's Tournament kicked off, and we got the latest from The Judgment Day and Terror Twins as their heated rivalry continued.
What went down, who emerged victorious and how did it affect the final build to the first premium live event in Germany?
Find out with this recap from the August 26 episode.
Match Card
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- Uncle Howdy vs. Chad Gable
- Braun Strowman vs. Bronson Reed
- The fallout between The Judgment Day and The Terror Twins
- Randy Orton appearance
- Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contender's Triple Threat match: The Miz vs. Pete Dunne vs. Xavier Woods
- Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contender's Triple Threat match: Kofi Kingston vs. Karrion Kross vs. Jey Uso
Announced in advance of Monday's show:
The Judgment Day Kicks Off The Show, Battles LWO in 8-Man Tag Team Match
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- "You betrayed The Judgment Day and you got exactly what you deserved,"Bálor said, without expanding on how Ripley and Priest betrayed the group.
- Dirty Dom revealed he will compete in the Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contender's Tournament.
- The opening promo segment was fine and gave fans a quick recap of what occurred last week before transitioning into the match, which was very good. The LWO always impresses with time and should be featured more frequently. This worked as the final hype for Saturday's mixed tag match, with Ripley and Priest getting a measure of revenge. Can they finish the job in Berlin or will The Judgment Day emerge victorious?
Credit: WWE.com
The new Judgment Day kicked off Monday's show, celebrating their beatdown of Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest from last week.
JD McDonagh, Carlito and Finn Bálor took turns bragging about their actions before women's world champion Liv Morgan grabbed the mic and ran down Ripley. Dominik Mysterio attempted to talk but drew a loud chorus of boos.
The LWO interrupted and exchanged words with the heels, before an eight-man tag match was made official during the commercial break.
The tag match was a long one, stretching across two segments and encompassing a commercial break. The heels took turns isolating Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde before a hot tag to Rey Mysterio sparked a babyface comeback.
Before he could score the win for his team with a top-rope splash, Morgan pulled Dominik out of the way and the universally despised heel executed a La Magistral Cradle for the pinfall win.
Ripley and Priest broke up a post-match beatdown and sent a message to their rivals by laying out McDonagh and Carlito.
Grade
A
Result
The Judgment Day defeated LWO
Top Moments and Takeaways
Damage CTRL vs. Pure Fusion Collective
3 of 10
- Backstage, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods talked about their big night as part of the No. 1 Contender's tournament, but there was still clear tension between them as the future of The New Day is murkier than ever before.
- The chemistry between Sane and Baszler is still incredible. Can we get another one-on-one match between the two?
- A video message from Bo Dallas/Uncle Howdy saw him call Chad Gable a false prophet and claimed he is leading lambs (The Creed Brothers and Ivy Nile) to the mouths of wolves (Wyatt Sicks).
The rivalry between Damage CTRL and Pure Fusion Collective wrote its latest chapter Monday when Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane defeated Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark in tag team action, thanks to a well-timed assist by the returning Zelina Vega.
Avenging a backstage assault by Baszler, Stark and Sonya Deville, Vega laid out The Pride Fighter, preventing her from interfering on behalf of her teammates.
Sane and Sky took advantage, with the former delivering the In-Sane Elbow for the victory.
A good match, it continued what has been a renewed emphasis of sorts for a women's tag team division that had been woefully underwritten seemingly forever.
The followup will be important, especially as it pertains to any sort of loose partnership between Vega and Damage CTRL, but the more women's tag team action we get across Monday and Friday nights, the better.
Result
Damage CTRL defeated Pure Fusion Collective
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
Drew McIntyre Promo
4 of 10
- McIntyre equated the fans' cheers for Punk to enabling him, inflating his ego and giving him the false sense of security that he can beat The Scottish Warrior.
- "You've chosen nostalgia over the warrior who has always been there for you through the darkest days," the Scot said.
- After the match, Braun Strowman cut a backstage promo on Bronson Reed ahead of their match later in the show.
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Drew McIntyre hit the ring for one last promo before his Leather Strap match against CM Punk on Saturday.
He talked about destroying The Straight Edge Superstar and said it is ironic that the "50 cent piece of junk" bracelet on his wrist causes so much drama because the strap that is around his other wrist will be Punk's downfall.
This brought out the babyface for a brawl that was ultimately broken up by security, but not before Punk unloaded on them with the strap.
This was a perfectly acceptable go-home segment, but everything between Punk and McIntyre feels like a placeholder until we get to the actual match.
We know the story, we have seen them brawl. It is time to write the latest chapter in the feud, hopefully in a match that is even better than their SummerSlam encounter.
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
Jey Uso vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Karrion Kross
5 of 10
- Uso and Kingston put aside a long history to unload on Kingston in an early fun spot.
- Cole, a commentator whose research skills are on-point and an underrated element of his performance on the headset, revealed that Kingston won a tournament to win one of his four intercontinental titles. A great stat.
- This was a fun, action-packed three-way match that kept the ongoing storyline involving The New Day and Kross at the forefront while reintroducing Uso into the title mix. It was not a match that would set the world on fire, but it was a nice tone-setter for the rest of the action to come as the locker room chases a shot at Breakker.
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In the first Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contender Triple Threat match of the night, Kofi Kingston, Jey Uso and Karrion Kross battled to see who would advance to the next round.
A fast-paced contest culminated with Uso catching Kross with a Spear to pick up the victory and advance in the tournament for a shot at the unstoppable force that is Bron Breakker.
Uso would figure to be the favorite to win the tournament given his star power, but there have been questionable creative decisions over the last few months when it comes to the former Right Hand Man of The Bloodline, so it would not be surprising if he is knocked out in next round.
Regardless, Uso remains mega-over and is as good a choice to roll with as the first contender to Breakker's title.
Result
Uso defeated Kingston and Kross
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
Randy Orton Promo
6 of 10
- "You guys singing along to my music means the world to me. Even if it took you 15 years to do it," Orton said.
- "You've watched me grow up and get humbled time and time again."
- "Gunther has never been humbled, but this Saturday in Berlin, that is exactly what I plan to do."
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Ahead of his World Heavyweight Championship match against Gunther at Bash in Berlin, Randy Orton took to the squared circle to express the importance of the contest.
He recalled the demons he faced and the significance of the world title to him. He was the youngest to hold it and then, a decade ago, he unified it with the WWE Championship.
In Berlin, he will be battling for the right to move into second place in terms of all-time world title reigns.
This is the best version of Orton we have seen, and it's his ability to step back and appreciate his career for what it is: One of the best ever. He connects with the audience because he is real and can use his experiences to tell stories.
He did that here, enhancing the quality of the promo and the gravity of Saturday's title match against Gunther.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
Braun Strowman vs. Bronson Reed
7 of 10
- Reed delivered a picture-perfect tope suicida ahead of the commercial, wiping Strowman out at ringside. Big boy's got mad hops.
- The Monster Among Men showed great strength in slamming Reed off the ropes.
- Strowman chokeslammed a staff member through a snack table backstage. What a waste of perfectly good Fritos.
Credit: WWE
The war between Braun Strowman and Bronson Reed ended inconclusively Monday as the monstrous big men brawled out of the arena, through the backstage area and into the parking area.
Having caused chaos and damage everywhere, they fought around a car, with Strowman chokeslamming his opponent on the vehicle and tossing him across it.
Reed recovered and downed The Monster Among Men with a pipe and then delivered his best Tsunami yet, crushing the big man through the roof of the car and exploding the windows out of it.
This was another in a series of star-making angles for Reed, who is as hot as any heel on the show right now and someone who will ultimately end up winning fans over if he can continue to unleash hell as he has done since his attack on Seth Rollins.
It was made even more impressive by the beating coming at the expense of Strowman, a former universal champion who is perpetually over with the fans.
Result
No-contest
Grade
A+
Top Moments and Takeaways
The Miz vs. Xavier Woods vs. Pete Dunne
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- Backstage, Bron Breakker took exception to Uso's comments about him, warning him, "No one in your family ever beat up on anyone in my family" and Jey would not be the first. Given the times the Steiner Brothers battled the Samoan Swat Team/Headshrinkers, there is a wealth of history to pull from for a potential feud.
- Is The Miz the smoothest wrestler in WWE? He works hard, everything looks clean and nobody gets hurt. That may be the most underrated element of his Hall of Fame career.
- In a pre-taped promo, Priest and Ripley embraced the role of bad guys and said Mysterio and Morgan do not have to play victims because they will make them actual victims in Berlin. "We're your devils and we're coming for you," Priest said.
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The second Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contender's Tournament Triple Threat match saw Xavier Woods, The Miz and Pete Dunne vie for advancement to the next round.
Much was made of Woods' lack of a singles title in his WWE career, but it was not the longtime tag team specialist who earned the victory. Instead, it was The Bruiserweight, who broke up the referee's count following Woods' top-rope elbow drop, tossed him to the floor and delivered the Bitter End to Miz for the win.
This was a much better match than the first three-way, thanks to the chemistry of those involved. The reversals and counters were more fluid, the spots were more fun and the finish was clever, with Dunne taking advantage of the rules.
Again, Woods fell just short of proving he could succeed on his own, something that will likely prove significant in whatever direction the New Day storyline and prospective breakup takes.
Result
Dunne defeated The Miz and Woods
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
Uncle Howdy vs. Chad Gable
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- Howdy stunned Gable with knees and proceeded to dance with his limp body.
- "I competed against Bo Dallas. Psychologically, this is not Bo Dallas," Corey Graves said on commentary.
- Howdy needs a mask upgrade. The one he works with pales in comparison to what we have seen outside of the ring and in the pre-recorded vignettes.
Credit: WWE.com
Before the main event of Raw, Bo Dallas' last match in WWE came on November 13, 2019, in a tag team contest that included Chad Gable.
Monday, Dallas assumed the guise of Uncle Howdy, leader of the Wyatt Sicks, and squared off with Gable in one-on-one action.
Interference from Ivy Nile and The Creed Brothers late kept Gable in the match. Dexter Lumis, Joe Gacy and Erick Rowan appeared, fending the heels off and allowing Howdy to secure the victory with Sister Abigail.
The match was quite good, especially considering Howdy had not competed on television in just under five years. He had the unenviable task of keeping up with a workhorse Gable who can outwrestle anyone but never appear outmatched.
The emotion the man under the mask incorporates into every performance is clear and elevates it. The odes to his late brother, Bray Wyatt, and friend Luke Harper/Brodie Lee, were evident throughout Monday's match.
His performances are for those who came before him, and it makes watching what he has accomplished with this Wyatt Sicks story that much more rewarding.
Result
Howdy defeated Gable
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
Overall Grade
10 of 10
This was another excellent episode of Raw, with some hot angles, emphasis on the rivalries that will play out in Berlin on Saturday and a great reintroduction to the squared circle for Bo Dallas/Uncle Howdy.
The Judgment Day/Priest/Ripley stuff was hot and continues to be the most consistently over program on Monday nights. And while the CM Punk-Drew McIntyre interaction felt like more of the same, there is no denying the fans in Providence were all over it.
Bronson Reed looks like a monster main eventer-in-waiting, and we got two solid three-way matches plus action from a women's tag team division that continues to heat up.
Some will say there could have been a greater emphasis on Bash in Berlin and while they may not be wrong, what we got was quality action that meshed well with stories that will be a significant part of Raw's long-term future.
Grade: B+
