WWE Raw Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for August 21

Raw, Source: WWE.com

To follow up WWE SummerSlam, the Raw brand brought free agent John Cena into the fold. Plus, Enzo Amore took on Big Cass in a Brooklyn Street Fight.

Previously on WWE Raw, chaos broke out in the build towards SummerSlam. Tensions were high, bodies flew all over the place, and titles even changed hands. It was a crazy episode, all things considered.

At SummerSlam, it was more chaos. On the Raw brand side of things, two championships changed hands (three if you count 205 Live’s Cruiserweight Championship). A Demon took down a World Eater. And in a truly wild main event, Brock Lesnar withstood a ton of punishment to remain Universal Champion.

This week’s episode of Raw dealt with the fallout from the Biggest Party of the Summer. Prior to the show going on air, Kurt Angle signed a grudge match between Enzo Amore and Big Cass. It wouldn’t be just any ordinary match, either – these two would settle their differences in a Brooklyn Street Fight.

Angle also made a big announcement ahead of the broadcast. (This besides announcing that Brock Lesnar would be in the building.) He stated he was bringing a “celebrated” superstar over to the flagship show. With a certain free agent having vanquished his most recent foes on SmackDown Live, most people knew that it was John Cena coming to Raw. How did Cena reacquaint himself to Monday nights?

Related Story: WWE SummerSlam 2017 Review

Please continue reading for all the results and highlights for WWE Raw for August 21.

Hey-Man and the Master of the Universe

The montage of images shown during Brock’s entrance doesn’t even come close to doing the fatal four-way justice. If by some strange turn of events you didn’t get to see Braun Strowman basically MDK Lesnar, go watch it. It was truly special, and the prospect of a Strowman vs. Lesnar one on one match is fantastic.

Saying that Paul Heyman does a great job of selling the enormity of a match is an understatement. Without mentioning Strowman by name, Heyman managed to convince the entire world that he is the most destructive force in WWE – except for maybe Lesnar himself. Who punished Lesnar so much that he needed to be put on a stretcher? Strowman. According to Heyman, that’s the first time in Lesnar’s life that something like that has happened. Pretty impressive.

After a great dig at Roman Reigns (because who doesn’t love those), Strowman makes his way to the ring. The crowd reaction at Summerslam when these two were squaring up tells you everything you need to know about future encounters. And without a word, Strowman makes it clear that he has the champ’s number, and will stop at nothing until he is the Universal Champion.

The fact that Strowman didn’t walk out of SummerSlam as champion can be forgiven, but only if he defeats Brock in the very near future. With the match officially scheduled for No Mercy, it needs to happen. Braun deserves the gold, and Lesnar can take another break. The era of Strowman is nigh.

Big Cass vs. Enzo Amore, Brooklyn Street Fight

Result: Enzo Amore defeated Big Cass via injury stoppage

Rating: 2.0 out of 5 stars

Let’s take a second to appreciate Cass’s new trunks, with his logo that rips off the New Day, who ripped off indie tag team Devastation Corporation, who ripped off Run DMC. It’s like the Inception of logo stealing (and yes, I know a ton more teams/wrestlers/companies/so on ripped off this iconic logo).

And as is customary at this point, Enzo proves he has worn out his welcome. His promos sound like they have passion behind them, but the content is just kind of blah. Most of what he said tonight would have been better said in that first post-break-up promo. Too much pandering, and too much time to do it.

Since it’s a street fight, Enzo brings out a shopping cart full of weapons. I guess digging them out from under the ring isn’t good enough anymore. But leading into the commercial break, the match is all Big Cass – as it should be. The only thing that should cost Cass a victory over Enzo would be 1) interference, or 2) over confidence.

Or 3) legit injury, I guess. Cass took a wonky spill to the outside going for a big boot and jacked his knee. I thought it was just a good job selling, but apparently not. Cass dropped to the mat after attempting the Empire Elbow, the ref threw up the X, and the doctor came over while Cass screamed at himself for getting hurt.

It’s a shame whenever anyone gets injured, and hopefully it’s nothing too serious. Cass has the ability to be a big part of Raw for a long time. With any luck, he comes back quickly and all this Enzo nonsense is forgotten by then.

Nia Jax vs. Emma

Result: Nia Jax defeated Emma via pinfall

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

I think the “Emma is deluded out of her mind” story has potential. Don’t get me wrong, she ain’t beating Nia Jax. But I love the fact that she just openly ignores legitimate facts and says whatever pops into her skull. She’s got a political future ahead of her, I’m sure.

But anyway, her mouth gets her into some trouble with Nia Jax, which leads to this match. Quick, if I told you Emma was facing Nia on Raw, what do you think the match would look like?

If you said anything other than “Emma gets squashed like she’s an enhancement talent,” please try again. It’s a real shame this is what she’s devolved into, because anyone who watched NXT in the early days of the WWE Network knows what she can do. But anyone who’s only seen her as Santino’s girlfriend with a pink snake may think this is perfectly appropriate.

One can’t help but wonder if this is punishment for the Emmalina fiasco. All those weeks of promos about the makeover of Emma, and officials found out the legit wrestler didn’t know how to be a vapid model. It’s not like Vince McMahon hasn’t been vindictive in the past or anything, just ask Titus O’Neil. Or Baron Corbin. Or literally anyone who’s passed through WWE at some point.

Elias vs. R-Truth

Result: Elias defeated R-Truth via pinfall

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

It was tough to focus on Elias and his performance tonight, because on his way to the ring he walked right past Solo Darling. For those who don’t know, Solo is a pretty good indie wrestler, notable for her time in CHIKARA (who also produced such superstars as Drew Gulak, Cesaro, and Luke Harper, among others). Strange to see her without her tail (it’s a whole thing, just watch some of her matches).

After saying rap isn’t real music (appropriately, based on my musical tastes), Elias is interrupted by R-Truth for this match. I guess quoting your biggest – and only – hit and saying it’s not real music would make anyone angry. And when all is said and done, we get our second consecutive squash match of the evening.

I don’t know what exactly the point of R-Truth is anymore. He’s still a good hand, but it’s painfully obvious that he’s never going to be more than a joke for Vince and company. This, of course, despite the fact he’s a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion. Yes, the same title held by Harley Race, Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, and Lou Thesz. That title.

But Elias is getting some additional seasoning in the ring, which is always a good thing for any relative newbie. He didn’t spend a whole lot of time in NXT, and for much of that he was on the shelf with an injury. Being in the ring with a proven veteran like R-Truth, all things aside, can only serve to bolster Elias’s skills for the long haul.

John Cena Thinks He’s a Visigoth

In the worst-kept secret in recent memory, Kurt Angle announced he has brought John Cena back to Raw. It was just a matter of time since the whole “free agent” announcement, so whatever.

Right off the bat, Cena makes his intentions clear. He says he’s waited a long time to come to Raw so he can be face to face with “a certain WWE superstar.” And then Roman Reigns makes his way to the ring, and the long-rumored showdown is put in motion.

According to Michael Cole, these are “the two most polarizing figures in WWE.” Well, that’s putting it mildly. I believe that’s code for, “HOLY COW, WHY DO YOU FEEL THE NEED TO BOO THE GUYS WE WANT TO RUN THE PLACE?!?!?!?”

Getting into the meat of the segment, it’s exactly as cringe-worthy as you would expect – until The Miz comes down to save it. Imagine typing that before 2017 – The Miz saved a segment featuring the powerhouse of The Shield and a 16-time world champion.

And save it Miz did, because this was Talking Smack Miz. Spitting truth, showing more passion than I’ve ever seen on Monday nights. Miz wonders where his “moment” is, because Cena always makes everything about himself. Cena offers a tag match where he’ll team with Roman, and he gets the world’s most deadly side eye for that suggestion.

Eventually, Samoa Joe comes down to the ring and I don’t even know what to think anymore. Joe declares himself Miz’s tag team partner over the Miztourage, then runs down Reigns and attacks Cena to set off a brawl.

Throw in a Brooklyn crowd out to get themselves over (seriously, it was rough), and this was a trainwreck that somehow stayed on the rails and wasn’t all bad.

Drew Gulak, Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, & Noam Dar vs. Gran Metalik, Rich Swann, Cedric Alexander, & Mustafa Ali

Result: Gran Metalik, Rich Swann, Cedric Alexander, & Mustafa Ali defeated Drew Gulak, Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, & Noam Dar via pinfall

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

You know, this match is emblematic of everything wrong with the Cruiserweight division. There’s eight ridiculously talented superstars in the ring, many of whom haven’t been on Raw in weeks. Now, all of a sudden, the post-Summerslam crowd – in Brooklyn, where they’re going to try and get themselves over at all costs – is supposed to be invested in what they’re doing? I don’t get it – WWE sets up a cruiserweight division, runs a fantastic tournament to establish it, and then does everything in their power to sabotage it being successful thereafter.

Trying to leave that aside, is there really a rhyme or reason to the pairings other than “good guys vs. bad guys”? Gulak and Ali finished their beef, Dar and Alexander should have finished theirs, Gran Metalik was lost in limbo for months, and Tony Nese has lots of abs. Mix in a mid-match commercial break that means the television audience misses half the match, and how is the division supposed to gain traction?

By the time Cedric catches the hot tag, the crowd is knee deep in doing The Wave (which I hate as much as beach balls) and ignoring the good stuff happening in the ring. Chants that on TV sounded like “This guy sucks” serenade the eight competitors, and the only pop came from Metalik’s sick moonsault and Cedric’s Lumbar Check.

The talent on 205 Live is undeniable, but they have no shot at success the way things are going right now. It’s awful.

King Neville II

Keeping things in the cruiserweight division, Neville gets challenged to a rematch by Tozawa. Please don’t hot potato the title every few days – either let Tozawa win the title and be done with it, or have Neville keep it and lose it to, I don’t know, Mustafa Ali at Survivor Series.

Burn It, Dean

First things first, I’m going to be referring to Ambrose & Rollins as THE SHLD, since they’re two-thirds of The Shield. They need a name, and until Roman finishes messing around with Cena and joins up for a trio, this will have to do.

But it’s great to see Dean and Seth on the same page, even if I maintain that eventually, Dean is going to be the backstabber this time. For now, though, keeping them as a team clears the singles division for guys like Cena, Strowman, Joe, and all the others.

New Grand Slam Champion Dean Ambrose issues an open challenge, since they like to fight. It’s answered by The Hardy Boyz, who seem to revel in toying with the Brooklyn crowd. Whether Broken or Woken, Matt and Jeff know how to get a reaction.

It’s a good first-ish feud for The Shield. Very different types of matches than what they would get from Cesaro & Sheamus. And it is sort of a dream match, with the Hardys against The Shield – even if The Shield was always more of a trio (and the tag team portion was Rollins and Reigns).

Through all of that, Jeff offers congratulations, and Matt talks about revolutionizing the tag-team division for a quarter of a century. Man, if I didn’t already feel old… anyway, they want a match tonight. Rollins calls for a referee, and we’re off to the races.

Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins vs. The Hardy Boyz (Matt & Jeff)

Result: Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins defeated The Hardy Boyz via pinfall

Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars

Right off the bat, Rollins took a double-team slam that looked really painful. Like, the slow-mo replay made it look a billion times worse, and it already looked bad at full speed. He seemed fine, but he’s gonna feel it tomorrow.

Considering most of the matches to this point were not great, this one seemed like Omega/Okada by comparison. Lots of great teamwork on both sides, but especially Rollins and Ambrose. The Hart Attack/Sling Blade is a great tandem move, for example. Clearly, that’s the story with them, and their union will work better as they improve their chemistry.

The spot towards the middle of the match where Rollins pulled Ambrose out of the way was a great touch. I also feel like it proves my point of Ambrose being the backstabber when the team runs its course. I don’t see Dean pulling Seth out of the way of any big moves, you know?

The worst part of the match is the willful ignorance of the commentary team. Apparently, Rollins and Ambrose have only been a team for 24 hours. I guess that two-on-three handicap match where they faced Miz/Dallas/Axel a few weeks ago never happened, right? That’s kinda where this whole thing got started, If I remember correctly.

For a while there, I thought we were going to get a “THE HARDY BOYZ HAVE DEFEATED THE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS” finish. It would have killed the Ambrose/Rollins reign, but it’s such a WWE thing to do. Thankfully, the new champs earned a victory built on impressive teamwork. Good start to their reign.

Samoa Joe, Master Strategist

Solid gameplan there, Joe.

Legit Champ

Sasha Banks made history made at Barclays Center. No, not at SummerSlam, when she became a four-time Raw Women’s Champion. I’m talking about tonight on Raw, where she delivered a promo without sounding like someone who’s never spoken the English language before.

Coming back to the odd commentary of the night, what the heck is the “Brooklyn Curse”? I’m guessing Sasha lost last year at SummerSlam? Sounds like it. She’s dropped the Raw Women’s Championship (to Charlotte) so many times that which show or building it happened in kind of blurs together. And she had the Match of the Year at Barclays in 2015 against Bayley – just because she lost the title shouldn’t mean she’s “cursed.”

Sasha is interrupted by Alexa Bliss, who’s in a foul mood. Losing your title will do that to you. She states that she will take her rematch for the title – but next week, not tonight. Good move, because she’s right – Brooklyn doesn’t deserve that again.

Hopefully one of two things happens next week. Either Alexa loses and the division moves on, or we get the start of Evil Bayley on Raw. With the reactions Bayley has been getting for the past few weeks, something needs to happen to shake up her character. And with everyone predicting a Sasha Banks heel turn for months but never getting one, turning that on its head could be an interesting move.

Jason Jordan vs. Finn Balor

Result: Finn Balor defeated Jason Jordan via pinfall

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Earlier in the night, Jordan asked his proud papa for a match tonight. Angle thought he wanted The Miz after last night’s empty arena bout, but Jordan said he wanted to face Balor. Okay, sport, go get him, tiger!

Going into this one, I felt if the match got more than three minutes, it could have been insane. Jordan is supremely athletic, and Balor is no slouch in the ring. But when the match had a commercial break, and I realized how long it was going, it seemed like they were holding back a little.

Psychology wise, the first part of the match was terrific. Jordan aimed to utilize his considerable size advantage. Balor wanted to keep things quick. When Finn hit a stiff dropkick, Jordan looked for a handshake as a sign of respect. Balor’s refusal and kick to the gut had me thinking “HERE COMES BALOR’S HEEL TURN AND TEAM UP WITH GALLOWS AND ANDERSON!” But I’m stubborn and suffer from wishful thinking.

Balor’s look when Jordan rolled into the ring to avoid the penalty kick on the apron was one of sheer disbelief. It was like Finn didn’t think it was possible for someone to come up with that as an escape.

Of course, all of this didn’t matter to the crowd, who was playing with multiple beach balls, and chanting for the damn things. Jordan had the best singles match of his young career, Balor picks up another victory, and all anyone cares about is a $2.50 piece of plastic. It’s absurd, and I’d be furious if I was either competitor.

The Miz (w/ Maryse, Bo Dallas, & Curtis Axel) & Samoa Joe vs. John Cena & Roman Reigns

Result: John Cena & Roman Reigns defeated The Miz & Samoa Joe via pinfall

Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars

At 10:53 p.m. EDT, Roman Reigns was just finishing his entrance. He was the fourth person in this match to be introduced, so all that was left was to ring the bell. Instead, as he climbed through the ropes, USA/WWE had to get in one more ad break. So an entire segment was just four ring entrances, no in-ring action. Guess the overrun is going long tonight.

When the match finally started, the WWE production team tried the “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” tactic of filming and acknowledging the beach balls in the crowd. Ugh, what a mistake. The only reason the beach balls were in the building is because Cesaro ripped one apart at SummerSlam. It was a great visual, but the average modern fan wants to be involved – whether for good or bad. It’s why we have Brock Lesnar Guy, Frank The Clown, and Sign Guy.

Somewhere in the fiasco of beach balls, commercials, and waves was a main event tag team match. The Miz made no effort to hide his displeasure with the crowd, but he and Joe worked pretty well together. Reigns and Joe did a great job of selling the effects of the SummerSlam main event, adding consequence to everything that happens in a WWE ring. Even guys that strong shouldn’t be able to shake off such brutal punishment.

A near perfect ending sequence closed the show out. Samoa Joe interrupted Cena’s Five Knuckle Shuffle with a Coquina Clutch. Reigns went for a Superman Punch to break it up, but hit Cena instead. Joe then tossed Reigns but couldn’t inflict more punishment. Miz tried to take advantage, but ate an AA and a pin to end things.

Now there’s (more) tension between Reigns and Cena, and a No Mercy match is likely in the works. Miz is in the main event where he belongs, and Joe can just continue being a major source of destruction wherever needed.

Next: 25 Greatest WWE Entrance Themes of All Time

What did you think about this week’s episode of WWE Raw?