WWE Raw Results, Highlights, and Grades: Divorce Court derails otherwise excellent episode

AJ Styles confronted Humberto Carrillo backstage

Backstage, we saw United States Champion AJ Styles get in the face of Humberto Carrillo, who had an impressive debut effort last week against Seth Rollins. Styles, who of course had Gallows and Anderson at his side, made it clear that Carrillo needed to take on Styles to truly prove himself against the best champion that Raw has to offer and challenged Carrillo to a match on Raw.

Grade: A, Good stuff here by Styles and company that continues to elevate Humberto Carrillo by keeping up against such top-notch talent.

The Viking Raiders squashed The Chicago Cubs

In an attempt to acquire some cheap heat while in St. Louis, the home of baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals, we got to see two local independent wrestlers compete as Rizzo and Bryant, collectively called The Chicago Cubs.

They went up against Raw Tag Team Champions The Viking Raiders and it went about as well as you’d expect. Over a few minutes, The Viking Raiders completely dominated The Chicago Cubs and picked up a quick win.

Grade: B, Solid little squash match here for The Viking Raiders. Good work by the local talents as well. 

Andrade w/ Zelina Vega vs. Sin Cara w/ Carolina

Before the match, Sin Cara was interviewed backstage and introduced Carolina as his equalizer against Andrade and Zelina Vega. Carolina (pronounced more like Catalina) has been competing in NXT at live events under the ring name Catalina, but this was the first time we’ve seen her with a mask and in this new character.

With his equalizer at ringside, Sin Cara had a solid matchup against Andrade. Both men garnered momentum at times and looked in control, but ultimately it was the women at ringside that were the game-changers.

Zelina Vega distracted the referee during a pinfall attempt, but Carolina went to stop her interference. Vega leapt off and went to hurricanrana Carolina, but the luchadora showed impressive strength by catching Vega and slamming her into the ringside barricade.

Unfortunately, the commotion at ringside allowed Andrade to roll up Sin Cara and get his feet on the ropes out of sight of the referee. Andrade took the win, but Carolina still had an impressive debut at Sin Cara’s side.

Grade: A-, I’d grade a little higher if this match had been longer, but this was all really good stuff. Hopefully, Carolina will be a new fixture of Raw and eventually the women’s division. 

Natalya and Charlotte Flair vs. The IIconics

Next up, we got a glimpse of some women’s tag team action as Natalya teamed with Charlotte Flair to take on The IIconics. It was nice to see all of them get a chance to shine on Raw, and to see a new pairing of a Hart and Flair come together as a team.

Charlotte Flair took control early against Peyton Royce, keeping her isolated as best she could and keeping the momentum on her team’s side. The IIconics were said to be re-energized after WWE’s recent tour of Australia, but it wasn’t enough to carry them to victory.

After a somewhat short but still solid contest, Natalya got Billie Kay isolated in the ring and locked on the Sharpshooter. Peyton Royce tried to break it up, but Flair intercepted her with a huge Spear. Kay tapped out, and that secured a big win for the new pairing of Natalya and Charlotte Flair.

Grade: B, This match could’ve been given a little more time, but it was still a great sight to see all four of these women showcased on Raw. It was a strong win for a new team of Flair and Natalya, seemingly putting them on the path for a future WWE Tag Team Championship opportunity.