WWE Raw Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for September 4

WWE Raw (Source: WWE.com)

Follow our live review of this week’s episode of WWE Raw.

Previously on WWE Raw, the internet exploded when John Cena destroyed the fourth wall. Jeff Hardy won a battle royal, and became number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship. And Sasha Banks once again failed to successfully defend the Raw Women’s Championship.

This week, Raw promises to be action packed. In a huge match – literally – Braun Strowman faces off with the Big Show. The last time these two giants met in the ring, said ring didn’t survive. To make things more interesting, this time around it’s a steel cage match. If these behemoths can destroy a ring, what happens when they’re trapped in a cage?

Wasting no time, Jeff Hardy gets his Intercontinental Championship match against The Miz this week. The champ and his Miztourage have spent the past week trying in vain to get Jeff to join them. But instead, it looks like the Charismatic Enigma is intent on becoming a 5-time Intercontinental Champion. Will we get yet another title change on Raw this week? Or will The A-Lister find a way to retain?

In other action, the war of words between John Cena and Roman Reigns will likely continue. With their historic No Mercy match official, it’s just a matter of time before things get physical. Well, more physical than they already have gotten, at least.

And there’s a new Raw Women’s Champion in Alexa Bliss, who defeated Sasha Banks to regain the title. Bliss looks to already have a challenger lined up in Nia Jax, who viciously attacked her supposed friend while celebrating her victory. What’s next for the new champ?

Related Story: WWE Bold Predictions for September 4-10

Please follow along with our live review of WWE Raw for September 4, 2017, starting at 8:00 pm EDT.

WWE Raw (Source: WWE.com via Twitter)

John Cena vs. Jason Jordan

Result: John Cena defeated Jason Jordan via pinfall

Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars

After a lengthy recap of the Reigns/Cena showdown last week, Big Match John made his way to the ring for a Not So Big Match against Jason Jordan. Correlations were made to Cena’s debut match 15 years ago against Jordan’s dad, Kurt Angle. It’s Jordan’s big chance tonight, according to the commentary team. Honestly, I’m just thrilled that Raw is starting with a match instead of a too-long promo.

Problem was, it was not the kind of show opening match that gets a crowd excited for what’s to come – at least early on. Jordan is a celebrated amateur wrestler, so much of his early attack was waist locks and gut wrenches. It’s a little boring, to be honest – even when it’s good, like tonight. Cena made everything Jordan did seem like it was super powerful through his facial expressions.

Going into the commercial break, Cena looked to be bringing that “ruthless aggression” he claimed to have in 2002. His whips into the turnbuckle were a little more vicious than normal. Coming back from the break, Cena still looked to be in control, but Jordan came back with a beautiful dropkick to halt the Five Moves of Doom.

The submission holds were sloppy from both competitors. Cena’s STF was better than usual, but not great. Jordan completely obliterated his crossface, but somehow he made it look like a good chinlock with the arm trapped. Good for him! But that sequence led to incredible rolling northern lights suplexes from Jordan, but Super Cena kicked out. A great reversal sequence led to Cena finally hitting the AA for a victory in a terrific match for both men.

After the match, Roman Reigns made his way down to the ring to confront Cena.

WWE Raw (Source: WWE.com via Twitter)

No Deep Tracks Tonight

Clearly, WWE is sticking to what worked last week. There’s not much different tonight from last week than a lack of a table in the ring. We had a bunch of fourth wall breaking, a little casual homophobia, and a sprinkle of juvenile underwear based jokes. Cool cool cool.

More from Daily DDT

• It’s time for Adam Cole and MJF to drop the ROH tag team titles
• Tom Lawlor talks MLW return, AEW opportunity, CM Punk’s WWE return and more
• Eddie Kingston stands to gain the most from the AEW Continental Classic
• Trish Stratus on WWE NXT would help elevate that women’s division
• Randy Orton signs with SmackDown to go after The Bloodline

There was some good stuff here: Reigns is improving his improv skills. Sure, it went straight to emasculating his opponent, but it happened quick. That’s good! The story in general is also pretty good, once you wade through the inside baseball. Cena says he’s still the man, but Reigns claims that can’t be if he took 20 minutes to beat “a rookie.” I mean, it’s kind of a fair point on the one hand. But maybe Jordan is just that good?

And the whole Reigns-Cena feud is based on respect, or lack thereof. It’s 2017, but we’re still following the tried and true blueprints of “quality wresting program between two top guys.” The veteran doesn’t respect his perceived replacement, and the new top dog is trying to finish pushing the old guard out the door.

If we’re going to have another two-plus weeks to build to No Mercy, this is going to get old real quick. We’re already basically rehashing the first promo in the cycle, what’s left at this point? And if I had to guess, I’d say that the No Mercy match will be the first of more than one. So we’ll get to do this all over again, too. Yay.

WWE Raw (Source: WWE.com via Twitter)

Heath Slater & Rhyno vs. Sheamus & Cesaro

Result: Sheamus & Cesaro defeated Hearth Slater & Rhyno via pinfall

Rating: 2.25 out of 5 stars

The Raw Tag Team Champions Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins joined commentary for this match. (Friendly reminder: Ambrose and Rollins are known as The Shld in these parts) And hey, Slater and Rhyno getting a legit match on Raw! Excellent.

There wasn’t a whole lot to this one. Only a couple of minutes of actual in-ring action for the former champs, and they made short work of Slater and Rhyno. What was there was decent, not spectacular. Slater got to work over Cesaro for a bit, but Rhyno especially looked like a legit powerhouse for about 30 seconds, running roughshod with some big lariats.

But a bit of chaos towards the end with all four men in the ring led to Rhyno eating a nasty Brogue Kick. After a three count, The Bar emerged victorious, and stared down the champs at the announce booth.

If it wasn’t already official, it is now – The Shld will defend the Raw Tag Team Titles at No Mercy against The Bar.

Brother Nero Is Prepared

Jeff Hardy – along with Matt – tells Renee Young backstage that he is more than ready for his Intercontinental Championship match. Matt warns the “dastardly” Miztourage that if they interfere, they’ll go down to a Twist of Fate.

WWE Raw (Source: WWE.com via Twitter)

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match

The Miz (c) (w/ Maryse, Bo Dallas, & Curtis Axel) vs. Jeff Hardy (w/ Matt Hardy)

Result: The Miz defeated Jeff Hardy via pinfall to retain the Intercontinental Championship

Rating: 2.75 out of 5 stars

In the early stages of the match, it was basically a feeling out process. Nothing too crazy before the first commercial break. The Miz showed off his sense of self preservation, wisely moving out of the way so Jeff couldn’t utilize a plancha attack.

Back from the ad break, Hardy looked like he was about to mount a comeback. Jeff hit a Whisper in the Wind to incapacitate Miz. But as he climbed the top rope, Bo Dallas provided a distraction to the official so Curtis Axel could knock Jeff down. Matt evened the score, but the referee sent all three superstars back to the locker room.

With the numbers (mostly) even, Miz looked to take charge again. He made the most of the offense he stole from his NXT Rookie Daniel Bryan, with the running knee and Yes kicks.

Eventually, Jeff came back himself, fighting out of a Figure Four Leg Lock to hit Poetry in Motion outside the ring. Back inside, he went for a Swanton, but Maryse “encouraged” Miz to move out of the way. Jeff then went for a Twist of Fate, but Miz reversed it into a Skull Crushing Finale for a victory.

My big problem with this match is that at this stage of his career, Jeff Hardy should really be a tag team wrestler. It’s not that he can’t hack it as a singles wrestler, but he’s got a lot of wear and tear on his body by now. He moves a lot slower than he used to, and he seems to have less stamina than he used to – who among us doesn’t?

More Title Opportunities

Nia Jax complains to Kurt Angle about not getting her shot at the Women’s Championship. She kind of has a point, though Sasha is entitled to a rematch. Angle and Jax are interrupted by Emma, who also wants a title match. Showing wisdom beyond his years, Angle comes up with a solution. Emma and Nia will team up to face Sasha and Alexa BLiss. If Emma nad Nia win, they’re are added to the championship match at No MErcy, making it a fatal four way. If they lose, it remains a singles match. I like it!

WWE Raw (Source: WWE.com via TwitteR)

Tony Nese, Noam Dar, & Drew Gulak vs. Enzo Amore, Cedric Alexander, & Gran Metalik

Result: Enzo Amore, Cedric Alexander, & Gran Metalik defeated Tony Nese, Noam Dar, & Drew Gulak via pinfall

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Last week, I said that Enzo had just about worn out his welcome. This week, I’ll repeat that sentiment. His promo this week was, uh, not good. At the beginning, it didn’t make any sense. Why is the good guy bragging about cheating? It’s absurd! Then it drifted into borderline racist – I don’t speak much Spanish, but I think he called Gran Metalik spicy cheese? Long story short: Cedric Alexander and Metalik deserve better.

A 10 minute promo is immediately followed by a commercial break, which means half the match is gone by the time we’re back live. Alexander shows off his athletic ability on Tony Nese before Enzo tags himself in. Nese eventually gains the upper hand and brings in Captain Underpants Drew Gulak (man I hate Enzo so much right now).

The heels spend a few minutes beating up Enzo, which honestly is the best thing going on in the segment. Sadly, Gran Metalik’s sole involvement in the match is a missile dropkick and a step-up plancha. Woefully underused.

Enzo blind tagged back into the match, then hit Gulak with a thumb to the eye before using Chuck Taylor’s finishing move (again) Sole Food to pick up the win for his squad. I cannot wait for Neville to annihilate Enzo at every turn.

Strange Bedfellows

Reluctant partners Alexa Bliss and Sasha Banks argue about their upcoming match. Neither wants more superstars in their title match, but the hatred between the two is palpable. The odds that they’ll coexist in their tag match later? Not great.

WWE Raw (Source: WWE.com via Twitter)

Here We Go Again

Balor talks about how good championships have looked around his waist. (He ain’t wrong.) And if it weren’t for Bray Wyatt, Balor is confident that he would have won last week’s battle royal and beaten The Miz.

Of course, just because Balor defeated Wyatt at SummerSlam, he knows he isn’t done with The Eater of Worlds. So Finn states he knows his fate, he’s made his choice, and he won’t run from his demons. After all, sometimes he is his demons.

This rant conjures Wyatt on the big screen. Bray says that Balor did not defeat Wyatt – The Demon did. Wyatt claims that “The Demon” is Balor’s weapon, not Balor himself. So Bray issues a challenge to Finn Balor – man to man, no demon.

Wyatt opines that no mere mortal can defeat a god, so without the benefit of The Demon, it’s a foregone conclusion that Bray will be victorious. It feels almost like we’re playing this feud in reverse, doesn’t it? A week before SummerSlam, Wyatt defeated Balor on Raw. A bunch of mind games led to Balor painting up, and picking up the win. Now Wyatt is challenging him again without the paint.

If not in reverse, we’re stuck in a time loop. No paint? Bray wins. Demon? Finn wins. No paint? Bray wins. Demon? Balor wins. DORMAMMU, I’VE COME TO BARGAIN.

Here’s hoping that No Mercy sees Balor winning without the war paint, ending the feud so Bray can go be at home in Lucha Underground. (Seriously, his character is perfect for that show.)

WWE Raw (Source: WWE.com via Twitter)

Alexa Bliss & Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax & Emma

Result: Nia Jax & Emma defeated Alexa Bliss & Sasha Banks via pinfall

Rating: 2.75 out of 5 stars

In a tag match where neither team has any cohesiveness, it’s a real crapshoot as to who will win. On the one hand, Alexa Bliss is the current Raw Women’s Champion. Theoretically, that makes her the best superstar in the match.

On the other hand, Nia Jax is the most destructive force in the women’s division in many years. Balance that with Emma having some momentum from winning last week’s hashtag war with Mickie James, and things are pretty even.

And the match was pretty even at the beginning. Neither tandem was able to pull away with a serious advantage. Eventually, Bliss and Banks actually worked as a team to wear down Emma, making it seem they were in control.

The money moment of the match is when Nia and Alexa finally square off. Bliss tries to stand up to her, shoving her and slapping her in the face. A fairly hilarious scream session leads to a monster clothesline from Jax, and a Samoan Drop could have ended the match. But Sasha made the save for Alexa.

Emma blind tagged herself in as Nia hit a big leg drop on Sasha. The Queen of the Hashtags ran in to pin the fallen Banks, earning a victory for her squad. Hey, the champ didn’t take the pinfall – I consider that progress! More importantly, Emma and Jax are now in the No Mercy championship match. Nia got the last laugh, dropping Emma with a Samoan Drop.

BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUN

Listening to Braun Strowman talk about ripping people apart is somehow the perfect thing for tonight’s show. Braun has a point – why does he have to risk injury heading into a steel cage against Big Show ahead of a Universal Title match? It’s not like Brock Lesnar is risking anything between now and then. But it’s okay, because Strowman is a god among monsters among men.

WWE Raw (Source: WWE.com via Twitter)

Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins

Result: Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins defeated Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson via pinfall

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Returning the favor from earlier, Sheamus and Cesaro watched this match from ringside. Between that and the encounter with Elias backstage, one has to wonder if Ambrose and Rollins were able to properly focus on this match.

Early on it looked a little like Rollins and Ambrose were a little out of sync. During a double team spot on Gallows, it looked like Rollins was too quick and got there first, and Ambrose was expecting something else that never came. It was real quick and very slight, but when you’re the tag champs, everything matters.

Related Story: WWE: Should Finn Balor Finally Form The Balor Club?

Heading into commercial, The Shld finally on the same page, hitting a pair of catapult attacks to the outside. You gotta feel for Gallows and Anderson, as the majority of their offensive output came during the commercial. I mean, 90% of what Karl Anderson does nowadays is his spinebuster, and that happened while USA was trying to sell me Dunkin Donuts or something.

Ambrose spent a lot of time in isolation, never really able to fight back out. I think this is the right move for their team, as Rollins is arguably the more exciting member and should be the eventual hot tag. Even if part of what makes Rollins exciting is that his move set is just “Best of the Indies 2014-2016,”

The finish was, honestly, a disaster. Everything was well executed, but it was a convoluted mess. Sheamus and Cesaro tried to distract/interfere, but Rollins wasn’t born yesterday and sees it coming. Anderson tries a sneak attack, but it’s reversed. And Sheamus just abandons his plans for distraction, and the champs win.

After the match, Gallows and Anderson attack The Bar, who run back in to get revenge. So two heel teams are now bitter enemies, while the babyface champs are sitting pretty uninvolved. Sure!

Connor’s Cure

I will never have a bad thing to say about the Connor’s Cure program. I do a lot of work throughout the year for St. Baldrick’s, which raises funds to find a cure for childrens’ cancers. So all I’ll say is that it got a little dusty in the room during this video package, and good on WWE for doing something good for those who really could use it.

WWE Raw (Source: WWE.com via Twitter)

Cruiserweight Pals

As if there wasn’t enough of Enzo talking before, here he is backstage with his partners from earlier. As the three celebrated, Neville showed up with some news.

Tomorrow night on 205 Live, Enzo, Alexander, and Metalik will be three of five men in a fatal five way match. The winner gets the “privilege” of facing Neville for the Cruiserweight Championship.

Wait, We’re Talking to the Referee?

As if WWE hadn’t already put over the Strowman/Big Show match, here comes Charly Caruso to interview John Cone, the referee from the match where the ring broke. He gives a first hand account of what it was like to be in the exploding ring. While he’s talking, video is shown of the ring crew “reinforcing” the ring for the main event.

They’re totally going to destroy the cage, aren’t they?

King Kong Big Show

Answering Braun Strowman from earlier, Big Show delivers one of his greatest promos in ages. He had fire, he had passion – he had the knowledge that he’s about to enter hell. Literally.

But clean shaven Big Show does everything he can to sell the main event as the most important thing in the world. It’s the third time this year Show and Strowman have faced off on Raw, and both of the first two matches were terrific. Here’s hoping the third one tonight is on the same level.

WWE Raw (Source: WWE.com via Twitter)

Big Show vs. Braun Strowman, Steel Cage Match

Result: Braun Strowman defeated Big Show via pinfall

Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

Once again, the early part of the match was fantastic. The best thing about the series of matches between these two monsters is that neither one holds anything back. Sadly, the early part of the match lasted maybe two minutes. After withstanding a trio of splashes against the cage, Big Show knocked Strowman out with a KO Punch while he went for a fourth – and to commercial we go. Are you kidding me? Way to just kill the flow of what has the potential to be a great match.

But yeah, right before the ad break, Strowman took the KO Punch like a champ. Sold it with a dead drop, no hands to break the fall – pure perfection. These two work so well together, I wish they had more time to keep doing it.

When the action turned to the corner and the tope rope, things got really good. First, the visual of two 7-footers fighting on the top rope is stunning. Then you have the two falling to the mat. That’s followed by Big Show dropping a huge flying elbow from the top rope.

The only negative? Michael Cole and Booker T blathering on with terrible commentary. Booker gets one thing in his head and repeats it ad nauseum. Cole just spews terrible Vince one-liners (“We’re gonna have to rename it 405 Live!” Ugh.).

But the sequence with Show and Strowman trading blows, first from the knees then on their feet, made it all worth it. It’s followed by Strowman kicking out of an enormous chokeslam – who does that nowadays? By the time they got to the superplex spot (with the ring reinforcement actually working), this one is an all time classic.

The sheer strength of Strowman necessary to pull of the running powerslam on Big Show is incredible. A victory by pinfall is the way to go, too, rather than escaping the cage. Stay in there and fight! Kudos to Braun for having enough wind left for a promo after a 20 minute brawl, too.

And then the money shot: Strowman delivers a second running powerslam, but this time it’s through the wall of the cage. You had to know it was coming (especially if you noticed they stayed away from that side of the cage all match), but that doesn’t make it any less awesome.

Next: 25 Greatest WWE Entrance Themes of All Time

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