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

Sami Zayn has threatened to expose Bobby Lashley on

WWE Raw

. What does that mean? Photo Source: WWE.com

WWE Raw is back stateside after a European tour, and Sami Zayn has threatened to “expose” Bobby Lashley. Follow along with our live review of this week’s show!

Previously on WWE Raw, Kevin Owens went 1-1, but his win qualified him for the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Seth Rollins again ruled the roost. And beloved babyface Roman Reigns senselessly assaulted Jinder Mahal backstage — twice.

This week on Raw, Sami Zayn has invited Bobby Lashley’s sisters to the show. Zayn has vowed to “expose” Lashley as a fraud, as his sisters have a very different story than the sit-down interview from The Dominator two weeks ago. Sami is battling through his bout with vertigo to provide the WWE Universe with the truth about Lashley. What does all of this mean?

There are still two spots left for WWE Raw superstars in the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match. So far, Ember Moon and Alexa Bliss have qualified. As of this writing, no matches have been booked for tonight to fill those vacant berths. Who will be next to qualify for the opportunity of a lifetime?

For several weeks running, Seth Rollins has been a part of Raw‘s best matches. He’s two weeks into a series of open challenges for the Intercontinental Championship. Rollins is 2-0, having defeated Mojo Rawley and Kevin Owens. With a chance to make a name for themselves, which of Team Red’s superstars will step up to Rollins this week?

There’s also the situation with Roman Reigns, which, honestly, the less said the better. The Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match participants from Raw have all been decided — Finn Balor, Braun Strowman, Bobby Roode, and Kevin Owens will go for the briefcase. Plus, Nia Jax begins preparations for her upcoming title defense against Ronda Rousey.

Related Story: WWE Raw: 5 Predictions for May 21, 2018

All in all, it promises to be an action-packed episode of WWE Raw, especially now that the crew is back home in the United States. Be sure to follow along with our live review right here, starting at 8 p.m. ET.

Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter

So We’re Doing THIS Again, Huh?

Kurt Angle heads down to the ring for some “HUGE announcements.” At least, that’s what he called them when he tweeted about it earlier in the afternoon. BUT WHO CARES ABOUT THAT BECAUSE STEPHANIE MCMAHON IS BACK. (Does sarcasm translate through the written word? Because that’s sarcasm, folks.)

All Kurt is able to spit out is something the graphics already told us: Ronda Rousey and Nia Jax will sign the contract for their Money in the Bank championship. And because Stephanie basically says Kurt is terrible at his job, she pulls him away from presiding over the contract signing. Instead, Stephanie herself will oversee it. I’m sure everything will go perfectly according to plan, don’t you?

Next on the agenda is how Angle is “mishandling” Roman Reigns. Oh, so we’re breaking the fourth wall, I see. Someone must have seen Deadpool 2 this weekend. But as The Billion Dollar Princess starts to talk about The Big Dog, out he comes to — wait, are those cheers?

Obviously, Stephanie is out to finally make sure Reigns gets cheered. And for the most part, it works. There isn’t a crowd in this universe that is going to cheer Stephanie McMahon, so it’s kind of a default reaction for Roman since he’s the anti-Stephanie. Maybe it’s what he needs to get the babyface ball rolling?

But Kevin Owens emerging from the back gets an even bigger reaction, so maybe Roman still has some work to do. Owens is by far the best thing about this segment. He’s got terrific timing, he makes logical points, but — because he’s a heel — you can’t really agree with everything.

It takes almost 15 minutes to get to the end game of Owens vs. Reigns, which happens after the commercial break. But there’s enough good mixed in with the typical “heel authority has problem with babyface hero” nonsense that it’s still entertaining. And Roman getting cheers is so foreign at this point, hearing them is a big surprise.

Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter

Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns

Result: Roman Reigns defeated Kevin Owens via disqualification

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

There’s a few great moments early on in this one that have largely been absent from Roman Reigns matches over his career. First, he was basically booked almost like an Undertaker-type character. He was seemingly impervious to pain, and anything Owens threw at him was brushed aside. And his raw power was on display early, too, with a running shoulder tackle that sent KO into a backflip to sell it.

Next, THEY FINALLY PLAYED UP THE CHEST PROTECTOR REIGNS WRESTLES IN. How many times did Owens punch Roman in the gut, or chop his chest, only to be brushed off? Even the look Reigns gave him screamed, “bruh, you for real?” I wish commentary would have focused on that (shockingly, only Coach seemed to allude to the chest protector when he said Owens had a “bad idea”), but at very least the reactions from the competitors sold the fact that Reigns is prepared.

And the match itself was pretty good, which isn’t a big surprise. Owens is on a major roll, and Reigns has been one of the best in-ring talents in WWE for a long time now (despite what some fans would have you believe). The drive-by counter into a superkick was ingenious, and the only bad thing about that was an immediate commercial break.

I don’t particularly care for DQ finishes, especially when a more definitive finish could have accomplished the same thing with the extracurriculars happening after the bell. But Jinder getting revenge here is warranted and a good call, because Reigns deserved some kind of payback for his actions last week.

And Seth Rollins running down to save his buddy and even the odds? OH, YES, BRING IT ON, BABY.

C’mon, Seth, it’s not that bad. Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter

Kevin Owens & Jinder Mahal (w/ Sunil Singh) vs. Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins

Result: Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins defeated Kevin Owens & Jinder Mahal via pinfall

Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

If there was any doubt that the first hour of WWE Raw tonight was labeled as “GET ROMAN OVER” on the script, the finish of his singles match with Owens and the start of the tag match should remove that doubt. Let’s take a look at everything that happened since the show kicked off:

• Stephanie McMahon returns and makes it clear she’s not on Roman’s side
• Kevin Owens, ostensibly a heel, sarcastically talks about how much he likes Roman Reigns
• Even foreign heel Jinder Mahal costs Reigns a victory by interfering in the match
• Hottest talent on Raw, Seth Rollins, runs in to make the save
• Reigns is placed in a second consecutive match, this time teaming with hottest talent on Raw Seth Rollins

If this guy can’t hold on to some of the cheers he’s getting tonight, he doesn’t deserve to be the top guy. I don’t care how much certain parts of the WWE Universe are trying to sabotage his push with unfounded boos. The company is making butt tons of money, especially after the new TV deals go into effect. The guy is getting pushed regardless of what the “die-hards” want. But Reigns needs to keep the more casual, laid-back fans on his side to justify things.

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/998727132959264768

Honestly, the only negative about this tag match is that it most likely eliminates this week’s Intercontinental Championship Open Challenge. But holy cow, was he awesome off the hot tag in this match, or what? The whole suicide dive sequence was ridiculous, some of the moves he took looked brutal with a capital B, and the Blackout off the almost reversal was beautiful.

Jinder’s post-match assault with the steel chair was the perfect punctuation to this match. It keeps the Jinder/Roman story going, it opens the possibility of a future Rollins feud, and it continues the trend of the first hour — get Reigns cheered. Mission accomplished.

Photo Source: WWE.com via Twtter

As Days Go By, It’s the Bigger Love of the Family…

Oh, dear god, this is the plan for this? Since I can’t fill this portion of the review with “**fart noises**” over and over, let me try and find some words to describe this atrocity.

After a pretty great first hour of Raw, things take a left turn into Awfulville. Like, this was on “Bayley: This is Your Life” bad. I guess that would explain the brief interaction between Sami Zayn and Alexa Bliss last week.

The sheer ridiculousness of the skit almost redeems it. It’s at MST3K levels of schlocky, but it’s so mean-spirited that you can’t even enjoy it. The “sisters” aren’t bad enough actors to make it enjoyable in a cringey way, and they’re not good enough to salvage things.

When Lashley himself comes out to respond, he’s laughing. If this was funny in the slightest, I would forgive him. But this is so bad that the laughter seems just as mean-spirited as the segment itself. Since Sami is a heel, him being mean-spirited is fine. Lashley is supposedly the hero — why would he be such a jerk?

The whole thing is an excuse to get Lashley to beat up a bunch of non-WWE superstars. And he does, and Sami runs away without getting any kind of comeuppance just yet. I want to burn these images out of my eyes and never discuss this again.

Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter

Ember Moon vs. Alexa Bliss (w/ Mickie James)

Result: Ember Moon defeated Alexa Bliss via pinfall

Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars

Before the match, Alexa Bliss compares her loss to Ember Moon in April to the Romans and the Visigoths. WE GET IT, YOU CAN STOP TRYING TO PUT ROMAN OVER.

I like the quick start for Ember, who seemed hip to the strategy of Little Miss Bliss and Mickie James. The work on the outside of staying one step ahead for a few moments puts Ember in a class separate from most of the rest of the division, who always get caught up in the numbers game without a fight. But eventually, Ember can’t completely withstand the two on one odds, and Bliss takes charge.

But after Ember made her comeback, the whole thing with Mickie getting tossed from ringside was beyond absurd. It was like watching a Three Stooges bit — Mickie was so over the top with her mannerisms sneaking into the ring, then with her reaction to being thrown out, it was enough to take me out of the match.

Take that away, and it was a pretty decent match. Bliss working the arm sets up a potential hurdle for Moon to overcome at Money in the Bank — how do you climb a ladder with a busted wing? And Alexa looked pretty tough for much of the match, which she should as a former women’s champ.

How Do You Like Them Apples?

Seriously, how do you like them? Hey Braun, I hear Mott’s is hiring if you need a side job.

Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter

No Way Jose vs. Baron Corbin

Result: Baron Corbin defeated No Way Jose via pinfall

Rating: 2.75 out of 5 stars

Since first coming to WWE Raw, No Way Jose has defeated a local competitor, and gotten annihilated by Baron Corbin a few times (though he does have a victory over the Lone Wolf). It’s been an uneven stay since arriving from NXT for the Dominican standout.

But by far, this was the best Jose has looked since his Raw debut. He got some great offense in, and for a few minutes it looked like he might pull out a victory. That’s huge for a guy who never really seems like a serious threat. To bring Baron Corbin to the brink is pretty impressive.

However, a Deep Six and an End of Days proved too much for Jose, and Corbin earned the W. Baron needed a strong, clean victory, and he got one here. It’s not the flashiest match of the night, but it accomplished so much for both superstars. Kudos all around.

Step Into My “Office”

Chad Gable got himself a backbone! Noice!

Lots of good stuff in this segment. Kurt Angle’s makeshift office, and his glass half-full attitude. The revelation that Gable was Angle’s choice for the MITB qualifier. Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre being a couple of bullies — which is kind of okay because they’re heels. Gable sticking up for himself. Angle’s passive-aggressive dismissal of Dolph after he leaves. Not a bad little backstage skit.

Photo Source: WWE.com

The B-Team (Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel vs. Breezango (Tyler Breeze & Fandango)

Result: The B-Team defeated Breezango via pinfall

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

With the first hour of this week’s Raw devoted almost entirely to the Roman Reigns saga, hour two was a weird hodgepodge of matches and segments to try to get a larger portion of the roster on television. We got a contender for Worst Segment of the Year with the Lashley sisters. Then a decent match between Ember Moon and Alexa Bliss that was kind of ruined by Mickie James.

A couple of backstage segments with the warring authority figures making matches around David vs. Goliath themes or apple crushing bookended a surprisingly good Baron Corbin/No Way Jose match before we got this. It was a nice little comedy match that, uh, forgot the comedy.

I like The B-Team. How can you not? Dallas and Axel have more than paid their dues. I also like Breezango. That’s a pair of guys who just have fun and found a niche for themselves, and they’ve been killing it in that little comfort zone.

But this match had almost none of those kinds of things. It was too short to get anything going, and the vast majority of the match was devoted to the victory celebration. That seems a little backwards to me.

Hopefully the B-Team momentum continues, because they’re entertaining. They just need more to do in the ring.

Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter

Sign Your Life Away

Oh, boy, here comes the “Ronda Rousey is an entitled brat who gets things she doesn’t deserve” storyline. Or is it the “Ronda Rousey isn’t ready for what she’s being handed” story? I can’t tell, because I don’t think WWE knows which direction to really go with this.

And because the story has too many directions to go, the one it ends up taking is the one too often taken in the women’s division: everything is about Stephanie McMahon! We have Ronda Rousey needling Steph about her arm. Stephanie also directs the entire segment, working both sides of the table (literally) to get under the skin of champion and challenger alike. So the one who comes out of this looking the best is the ringleader, the puppet master, the boss.

How does Stephanie look the best here, you ask? Both Nia Jax and Rousey just sit there and listen to every word Steph says, and when they finally break their silence they simply echo what Stephanie already said.

There’s still four weeks until Money in the Bank. (Wait, really? Holy jeez, it’s going to be a long month.) That means there’s more than enough time for this match to actually get more story behind it than “you’re the best but I’m better.”

Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter

Dolph Ziggler (w/ Drew McIntyre) vs. Chad Gable

Result: Dolph Ziggler defeated Chad Gable via pinfall

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

So nice that we got like 20 minutes of the B-Team celebrating and 15 minutes of the Lashley sisters, and therefore miss out on not only ring entrances but the beginning of this match. Nothing quite like joining a match in progress during a wrestling show so you can squeeze in all those talking segments.

And this had the potential to be a pretty great match. What we saw wasn’t bad at all, but it left a lot to be desired. The amateur backgrounds of both Gable and Ziggler open up many possibilities for how this could have gone down. Sadly, the one we got was “half a match because we need to save time for other stuff.”

Gable has one of the best bridges in pro wrestling, and I can tell you from experience that neck bridges are the devil. For him to be that good at them, he’s suffered a lot. But Ziggler’s “show-off” style won the day here, and if these two actually get a real match I think it could be something special.

The attack after the match by McIntyre had me once again waiting for Jason Jordan to come down and make the save. Part of me doesn’t think American Alpha would reunite so soon after being split up. But I also don’t know what else Jordan or Gable would be doing if they’re not teaming.

Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter

Dana Brooke vs. Liv Morgan vs. Sarah Logan vs. Natalya, Money in the Bank Qualifier

Result: Natalya defeated Sarah Logan via submission to qualify for Money in the Bank

Rating: 2.0 out of 5 stars

Taking a page out of the SmackDown Live playbook, two members of the same group were booked to compete for a chance to enter the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. You’d have to think heading into the match that Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan would cancel each other out. And Dana Brooke in a ladder match could be incredibly dangerous.

That would leave Natalya as not only the favorite, but the most likely winner of the match heading in to this qualifier. Not to mention her pretty obvious upcoming heel turn when she wins MITB and cashes in on new women’s champ Ronda Rousey. It’s like the stars were aligned for Nattie in this match.

Of course, she wins. And after the match, she feels compelled to bring up Rousey during her talk with Charly Caruso. Hmmmmmm, why on earth would you bring up Rousey — unprompted — in a victory promo?

The non-conflict between Morgan and Logan was a little silly. I get that they’re BFFs, and it’s a Three Musketeers type philosophy. But all for one and one for all has to end somewhere with a potential title match on the line, right?

Can’t say WWE doesn’t do the smart thing once in a while, since this match ended exactly as it should have. I question Natalya’s confidence based on her MITB experience when Becky Lynch has been in just as many of the matches as Natalya. But I guess we let her have her moment.

Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter

Elias vs. Bobby Roode

Result: Elias defeated Bobby Roode via pinfall

Rating: 2.0 out of 5 stars

The only word I can think of for this feud, and this match in particular, starts with “cluster” and ends with a word I can’t use on a family friendly site. Even commentary referred to it as “the rivalry that just won’t end.” I’m sure they meant it as a good thing, but that’s not how I see it.

The match should have been over before it even started — Elias shouldn’t have let up his pre-match assault, which would have left Roode unable to compete. Once the match did get under way, it should have ended in a DQ when Roode threw his robe at Elias. How is that not use of a foreign object? Good job babyfacing, Bob.

The other problem with this match? How is it that every time these two wrestle, there’s a good portion of the action spent in rest holds? I’m not suggesting that the entirety of the bell-to-bell action should be spent running, flying, or jumping. But enough of the chinlocks and such, and keep things moving.

Now that Elias has won three of the four matches — including this one clean as a whistle — can this feud end? Is there someone else Elias can work with? Can Roode prepare for Money in the Bank by working with literally anyone else?

An appearance by a wild Braun Strowman may mean Elias is going to once again get to square up against The Monster Among Men. But more likely, it means diddly squat, and Braun’s match is up next.

Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter

Braun Strowman vs. Finn Balor

Result: Braun Strowman defeated Finn Balor via pinfall

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars

Okay, I know it’s just an episode of WWE Raw, and WWE have shied away from it lately. But wouldn’t this, of all times, be a great spot for Balor to paint up? Braun Strowman is, by far, the strongest, most destructive superstar in WWE. Wouldn’t the assumed psychological edge be something you’d want?

Balor did get off to a quick start, but this one was almost all Braun. The Monster Among Men has really transformed into the most “pro wrestler” superstar in all of WWE. He’s got the patter with the crowd down cold. All the nonverbal stuff a sports entertainer should do, Braun does. And the relative ease with which he can string together moves while playing to the crowd is amazing.

For my money, this was my favorite match of the night. It wasn’t the best — I still feel like Reigns/Rollins vs. Owens/Mahal was the objective match of the night. But this match had everything, and it was hella entertaining. It really picked up after Finn slapped the taste out of Braun’s mouth; everything after that was pure gold.

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The Sling Blade counter to Braun’s carousel charge outside the ring was one of those things that you don’t realize how obvious it is until you see it. The Coup de Grace on the floor from the barricade was exquisite. And the whole finishing sequence had me thinking Balor could have pulled out a win — right up until Balor got those hands around his neck for an attempted chokeslam.

I know Strowman is being built up as the clear cut favorite to win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. But I don’t think he actually is the favorite. Ideally, I’d love to see Miz win it, because he’s on the run of his life and he’d be perfect with the briefcase again. If a WWE Raw superstar were to win MITB, I think it’ll be Owens — he’s got the personality that’s perfect for the case. Strowman is there for a crazy spot, but he won’t win the whole thing.

Next: SmackDown Heading to Fox After New $1B Rights Deal

Honestly, this was a very uneven episode of WWE Raw. The first hour built around Roman Reigns was fantastic, but the middle hour was too disjointed and odd. After the contract singing segment, the third hour was itself a mixed bag — another Elias/Roode match wasn’t great, but Balor/Strowman was a blast. What did you think of this week’s episode of WWE Raw?