0 of 10
WWE has officially moved on from SummerSlam as we begin to look forward to the next big pay-per-view on September 26, Extreme Rules.
Following his win over Goldberg at SummerSlam, Bobby Lashley teamed up with Sheamus for a tag team match against Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest on last week's Raw.
Lashley was supposed to battle Sheamus this week, but WWE changed course and booked The Celtic Warrior in a different match.
Last week also saw the official breakup of Eva Marie and Doudrop. The former Piper Niven was giving an interview when Marie attacked her with an equipment crate. This week, Doudrop was given a chance to get some payback on her former "mentor."
Let's take a look at everything that happened on Monday's episode of WWE Raw.
1 of 10
Damian Priest came out at the top of the show and welcomed everyone to Raw before issuing an open challenge for the United States Championship. Sheamus came out to accept, but Drew McIntyre soon joined him.
Lashley and MVP also joined the conversation. The All Mighty was looking to add another title to his resume. The clown car continued to unload as Randy Orton and Riddle came out to talk some trash. Lashley said he might just take their tag titles if they aren't careful.
Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce came out to make Priest vs. Sheamus vs. McIntyre for the U.S. title and RK-Bro vs. MVP and Lashley for the tag titles official.
Grade: C+
Analysis
This segment was fine if a little crowded. Priest opening the show was a nice change of pace, especially since it looks like he is finally done with The Miz and John Morrison.
MVP being booked for a tag match with Lashley meant the advertised bout between Lashley and Sheamus was canceled.
2 of 10
Nia Jax accompanied Shayna Baszler to the ring for her match against Rhea Ripley. Nikki A.S.H. was at ringside to support the Australian.
The Queen of Spades focused on Ripley's arm right away to set her up for a submission. The former Raw women's champion ate a stiff kick to the head but still kicked out at two.
Baszler continued to dominate as the show cut to a commercial. She was still in firm control when we returned, but Ripley was starting to show signs of life as she dared her opponent to kick her again and again.
Jax attacked Nikki at ringside, and the distraction allowed Baszler to roll Ripley up, but The Nightmare rolled the pin over and stole the win. Jax came in and hit her with a Samoan drop right away.
Grade: B
Analysis
WWE needs to decide if it wants to break up Jax and Baszler and just pull the trigger. This back-and-forth stuff is starting to wear thin.
The Queen of Spades looked vicious during the first half of the match, which is how she should always be booked. This was one of the first times since her breakout performance at Elimination Chamber 2020 that she has had a chance to shine on her own.
The friendship between Ripley and Nikki is still a work in progress, but they could grow into an entertaining duo with the right opportunities.
This was a physical contest with some great technique. Both women came away from this looking like dangerous competitors, which is not always an easy thing to do in a singles match.
3 of 10
Shanky sat this one out while Jinder Mahal and Veer took on Erik and Ivar in tag team action. Veer and Ivar started for their teams with a basic lockup into a headlock.
Erik tagged in, and he and Ivar hit a double-team move for a quick two-count. The former Raw tag team champions kept the newcomer isolated for a bit, but an unorthodox Thesz press allowed Veer to make the tag to Mahal.
They cut Ivar off from his partner with quick tags, but the powerhouse was never going to stay down for long. He cartwheeled into a kick before bringing Erik back in.
Ivar took out Veer and Shanky with a senton from the apron, leaving Mahal by himself to take the Viking Experience. Erik made the cover and scored the win.
Grade: B
Analysis
This was a quick but fun tag team match. Mahal and Veer made a good combination, but Erik and Ivar were the real stars here.
The best part about this is that it looks like WWE is trying to build up some competition in the Raw tag team division. The trio of Veer, Shanky and Mahal could become like The New Day and cycle people in and out of matches.
4 of 10
Priest's first U.S. title defense began at the bottom of the first hour. All three men looked ready to fight before the announcer had finished his introduction.
Priest and McIntyre ended up forming a temporary alliance so they could beat up Sheamus, but the Irishman rolled out of the ring to escape their wrath. The champion followed with a dive from the ropes to take him down.
The Celtic Warrior was dumped into the timekeeper's area, leaving Priest and McIntyre to fight between themselves.
We returned to see Sheamus back in the fight and in control. He ran McIntyre into the ring post so he could focus on the U.S. champion. Priest put him in a modified triangle choke but had to release when Sheamus rolled it into a pin.
All three men came close to winning at different points before we went to a second break. We came back to see all three competitors looking winded as they tried whatever they could think of to put each other away.
McIntyre spiked Sheamus with the Future Shock DDT and lined up for the Claymore, but he ran into a huge knee from The Celtic Warrior. The Archer of Infamy ended up retaining the title when he hit McIntyre with his finisher. The Scot shook his hand to show him some respect after it was over.
Grade: A
Analysis
This was three big dudes beating the hell out of each other. What more could you want out of a pro wrestling match?
The feud between Sheamus and McIntyre is well-traveled territory, but adding Priest and the U.S. title to the mix helped make this feel less like just another chapter in their ongoing story. It felt fresh.
All three men looked fantastic in this performance and helped make Raw's midcard title feel important. This bout would have been right at home on any pay-per-view card and would have been one of the highlights. Priest beating two former WWE champions is definitely his biggest win to date.
5 of 10
Doudrop didn't even wait for the bell. She attacked Marie as soon as she got to the ring. She counted the pin herself while the ref tried to get her to stop.
He ended up declaring Marie unable to compete on the night, so Doudrop grabbed the mic and announced herself as the winner.
Grade: Incomplete
Analysis
There was no match, so there isn't much to grade. Doudrop clearly could have won easily, so it's weird that WWE felt the need to extend this feud by booking it this way. The crowd was pretty quiet for all of this, too.
6 of 10
Karrion Kross was up next for a contest against a man who hasn't been on Raw nearly enough in recent months, Humberto Carrillo.
Kross took control early, and other than a short burst of offense from Carrillo, he dominated the majority of the match. He finished the bout with the Kross Jacket submission.
Grade: C-
Analysis
Kross went from being an interesting character in NXT to being a reject from Demolition in about a month. It's truly remarkable how WWE has bungled his transition to the main roster without Scarlett.
This was a short and uneventful match that barely scratched the surface of what either of these competitors can do. What they did do looked good, but it wasn't enough.
The crowd gave Kross almost no reaction. It's kind of sad because he's actually a good wrestler who could be a huge star with the right booking.
7 of 10
After her partner fought Ripley earlier in the show, Jax had a singles match against Charlotte Flair. Unfortunately for her, the Raw women's title was not on the line and Baszler opted not to accompany her to the ring.
The Queen rolled out of the ring to avoid Jax as she charged at her. They eventually locked up, and the champ had to resort to pulling some hair to break her opponent's grip.
The Irresistible Force overpowered her when she tried to hit a suplex and fired back with a headbutt. Charlotte had to take a breather at ringside before she was able to hit a slingshot crossbody from the ring to the floor.
They had a stiff exchange at one point that ended with Charlotte taking out Jax's knee to get her ready for the Figure Eight. In a somewhat surprising outcome, Jax picked up the win with a powerbomb.
Grade: B
Analysis
Surprisingly, the crowd started to get behind Jax and chanted her name as she controlled the early part of the match. She might be a heel, but the fans were more in the mood to boo Charlotte.
They worked a smart pace and used their individual strengths to their advantage. Jax focused on her power, while The Queen tried to use her speed and agility to stay out of her grasp.
The match got more intense as it went on and almost looked like it turned into a real fight for a few seconds when they started slapping each other. It added some brutality that made the whole thing more fun to watch, but it will be interesting to find out if they went off script.
8 of 10
John Morrison was supposed to have a match against The Miz this week, but he said The A-Lister backed out at the last second, so he requested a bout against Omos for some inexplicable reason.
Johnny Drip Drip used his quickness to stay out of Omos' range and hit him with a few strikes, but the big man eventually got his hand on him and threw him over the top rope to the floor.
Morrison and Omos mistimed a parkour spot at ringside, but they recovered quickly and got back in the ring. AJ Styles' personal colossus hit his two-handed chokeslam for a surprisingly quick win.
Grade: C-
Analysis
WWE advertised Morrison vs. The Miz and Lashley vs. Sheamus, and it didn't deliver on either promise. The only advertised match to take place was Marie vs. Doudrop, so management was clearly writing this show right up until it started.
It looked like JoMo would get a babyface push after his breakup with The A-Lister, so it was a strange decision to have him lose so quickly to Omos in a throwaway match.
There was no real explanation for The Miz's absence, so it was probably travel issues or something along those lines. Either way, this was a weird booking decision.
9 of 10
After Omos defeated Morrison, Xavier Woods immediately made his entrance to take on Styles. Omos remained at ringside to watch his teammate's back.
Woods got the upper hand right away and hit a series of quick moves. The Phenomenal One tried to counter him, but the New Day member was too quick and dropped him across the barricade.
The New Day's resident trombone player avoided the Phenomenal Forearm by rolling out of the ring, but he couldn't avoid the baseball slide dropkick Styles hit a moment later.
Woods turned things around and hung Styles in the Tree of Woe for a dropkick to score a two-count. The Phenomenal One was able to lock in the Calf Crusher for the submission victory.
Grade: B-
Analysis
Woods has been in a tag team for so long that it's easy to forget just how good he is on his own. He and Styles have worked together many times over the years, so it wasn't surprising to see them put on a solid performance.
Omos had no involvement, so this was a pure singles match between two guys who are known for their exciting offense and innovative ideas.
Even though he lost, it's been nice to see Woods get some time to shine on his own while Kofi Kingston is out of action. He should be in consideration for a U.S. or intercontinental title reign at some point.
10 of 10
The main event of the night was the Raw Tag Team Championship match between The Hurt Business and RK-Bro. Styles and Omos stayed by the commentary table to watch the action up close.
Riddle went right after Lashley once the ref called for the bell, but The All Mighty easily countered and hit a vertical suplex for a near-fall.
Once MVP tagged in, Riddle was able to push him to the corner so he could tag Orton. He stomped on MVP's arms and legs as he looked Lashley right in the eye.
We returned from a break to see Lashley slam Riddle so MVP could get a two-count. The Original Bro backflipped to his corner so he could make the hot tag to a fresh Viper.
He took out Lashley with a rope-hung DDT, but that distraction allowed MVP to recover and hit him with a boot to the face. Riddle hit the Floating Bro on Lashley, but MVP was there to break up the pin.
Riddle prevented Omos from interfering and hit MVP with the Floating Bro for the win.
Grade: B+
Analysis
WWE has been booking a lot of rematches lately, but this week's show seemed to break away from that trend and this match was one of the prime examples.
MVP looked great for a guy who has barely wrestled this year, but Orton was the one getting the most love from the crowd. He is as over as any other babyface in the company right now.
This was a good main event, but it's hard not to think Sheamus, Priest and McIntyre would have been better suited for this spot.
This week's show had more hits than misses, which is not something we can say about Raw most weeks. At least half of what took place is worth checking out.
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