WWE Raw Results, Grades: Keith Lee makes a thunderous arrival
Keith Lee arrived on WWE Raw to take on the destructive Randy Orton.
With a historic SummerSlam in the books, superstars set their sights on the Payback event during WWE Raw this week. Keith Lee took his shot at the venomous Randy Orton.
Bayley Vs. Shayna Baszler
Grade: B
The first match of the night pitted SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley against Shayna Baszler. Baszler would commence the match by targeting the arm alongside a series of deadly submissions and quick strikes. Bayley assumed control shortly thereafter with her own rapid offense.
The match abruptly concluded after Nia Jax attacked Shayna, forcing a disqualification. The two enemies then displayed solidarity as Bayley and Sasha Banks made their retreat.
Bayley and Shayna made the best of their brief match by putting on a good technical showcase. They showed unique chemistry that could bode well for future encounters.
Cedric Alexander Vs. Akira Tozawa Vs. R-Truth Vs. Shelton Benjamin
Grade: C
The match started with R-Truth enduring a massive assault before Cedric Alexander was knocked out of the ring…Akira Tozawa took advantage of a momentary distraction to rollup Truth for the victory.
This match also suffered from a short runtime, though the performers attempted to show their respective skills.
Angel Garza Vs. Montez Ford
Grade: B
The match began with headlocks and a short rally from Montez Ford until he suffered a mid-air dropkick from Garza. Garza maintained control until Ivar swooned Demi Burnett to his side. Ford capitalized on the distraction and hit a frog splash for the victory.
Garza and Ford meshed well together in a fast-paced match. In addition to work on the mat, they threw caution to the wind with exciting high flying maneuvers in pursuit of the victory.
The IIconics and Zelina Vega Vs. The Riott Squad and Bianca Belair
Grade: B
The IIconics preyed on Liv Morgan before she unleashed an assault of her own. The duo continued to use quick tag maneuvers to wear down Ruby Riott once she was tagged. Bianca Belair rallied and attempted to pin Zelina until the IIconics settled the score. Bianca would hit the KOD shortly thereafter for the win.
Billie and Peyton capitalized on their camaraderie to destroy the Riott Squad piece by piece. Bianca proved to be the MVP of the contest by swiftly dismantling Zelina Vega.
Bobby Lashley Vs. Dolph Ziggler
Grade: C
The next edition of Raw Underground featured a furious Bobby Lashley against Dolph Ziggler. Lashley attempted to wear his opponent down until the latter nailed a flurry of punches. Lashley regained control by throwing Ziggler to the outside, gaining a KO win.
The All-Mighty felt right at home in the Underground arena, dismantling multiple opponents.
Keith Lee Vs. Randy Orton
Grade: B
Randy Orton began the match with headlocks until Lee outsmarted Orton in a quick exchange. He continued to decimate his opponent with slams until sustaining a head injury on the outside. Orton had no answers for Lee’s astounding offense in the middle of the match.
Drew McIntyre suddenly appeared at the end to attack Randy, giving the latter a disqualification victory.
Lee’s first match on Raw was a sizable success. He managed to outsmart Orton’s quick moves for most of the contest and used his massive frame for devastating feats.
Asuka Vs. Sasha Banks
Grade: B
The Empress of Tomorrow began the match with a quick assault that sent Sasha Banks to the outside. Bayley tried to protect her ally from fellow lumberjacks. The Boss capitalized on distractions and even attempted to use weapons until Shayna settled the score. Asuka then applied a brutal Asuka Lock for the submission finish.
The two rivals took advantage of their treacherous environment with distractions and vicious moves.
Dominik and Rey Mysterio Vs. Seth Rollins and Murphy
Grade: C
Dominik and Rey assaulted Murphy and Seth as they made their entrance, wasting no time in gaining vengeance. Dominik dismantled Murphy with arm drags as Rey targeted Seth Rollins on the outside. After a brief bout of control from Rollins, Dominik was tagged and continued to take down Murphy.
The match ended in a no-contest after Retribution arrived and destroyed the father-son duo.
August 24th Raw Results
- Shayna Baszler defeated Bayley via disqualification
- Akira Tozawa defeated R-Truth, Shelton Benjamin, and Cedric Alexander to become the new 24/7 Champion via pinfall
- Montez Ford defeated Angel Garza via pinfall
- The Riott Squad and Bianca Belair defeated The IIconics and Zelina Vega via pinfall
- Bobby Lashley defeated Dolph Ziggler via knockout
- Randy Orton defeated Keith Lee via disqualification
- Asuka defeated Sasha Banks via submission
- Dominik and Rey Mysterio vs Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy ended in a no contest