Edge
WWE Raw Results and Grades: The Royal Rumble was just days away and WWE had to do a lot to ensure the other storylines for the Rumble were hot.
Drew McIntyre was to return on Raw after a positive Covid-19 test, and that is where we start this WWE Raw results and grades piece.
McIntyre came out and lauded how his opponent had defeated every star after coming back. However, The Miz interrupted and claimed he would cash in the Money in the Bank briefcase at the Rumble.
Goldberg then came out and he teamed up with McIntyre to destroy The Miz and John Morrison. The pair then had a stare down to end the segment.
Grade B
This was simple, yet effective. WWE didn’t make things too confusing as McIntyre and Goldberg did all the work of destroying a couple of rivals before the Rumble.
Charlotte Flair was to fight Shayna Baszler but just a few seconds in Nia Jax led to a DQ win for Charlotte.
She was then attacking Flair before Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke came out to attack the heels. Lacey Evans joined them and a six-woman tag was set up.
When the match started, Baszler was called out for not entering the ring back in time and the match was handed to Flair, Rose and Brooke.
However, Adam Pearce restarted the match and this time, it were the heels who got the win.
Charlotte beats Baszler; Charlotte, Rose and Brooke win, Evans; Baszler and Jax win
Grade C
This was quite a bit of a mess and the botch count was something too. This is what happens when WWE tries to overthink stuff. They could have just setup the six-woman tag before hand but they needed two matches to ensure that happens.
Mustafa Ali has been targeting Kofi Kingston in recent weeks and Retribution got a crack at Kingston’s partner, Xavier Woods again.
Slapjack took on Woods in the next match However, this time, it was Woods who got the win and he was staring down Ali.
Woods was choke slammed after the match and Ali sat down on a chair and was happy that he would replace Kingston in the Rumble due to an injury.
Woods beats Slapjack
Grade B
Ali lost his time to shine due to an injury and it was Kofi who reaped the benefits. It is the same now and Ali replacing Kingston is a pretty nice storyline ahead of the Rumble.
The Hurt Business had another VIP Lounge segment where Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin handed MVP a necklace, but things got heated between the pair.
Then R-Truth and Riddle appeared and the Hurt Business attacked the posse who came out to challenge for Truth’s 24/7 title.
Riddle was left alone in the ring and attacked MVP before running away.
Sheamus and Morrison fought next after confirming their places in the Royal Rumble. Sheamus got the win despite The Miz trying to interfere but he was then challenged to a 2-on-1 match.
The pair of heels were on the ropes in the second match but the numbers game worked for them and they got the win in the end.
Sheamus beats Morrison; Miz and Morrison beat Sheamus
Grade C
The only winner in all these segments was Sheamus as they showcased him as a top star. Taking up another match just after a tough one against Morrison only put him over and it will be interesting to see what they do with him next.
AJ Styles, who had denied Ricochet a place in the Rumble, was out to do the same to Truth. Styles didn’t waste much time, even with Omos doing his tall gimmick, and got the win easily.
Styles beats Truth
Grade D
This segment also felt like filler as Truth had no real chance of winning a normal match against Styles.
Alexa Bliss came out in her playground and spoke about how things had been with Randy Orton.
She then spoke about waiting to see “him”, The Fiend, and said she didn’t want to play much.
Bliss then stared into the camera and The Fiend’s face kept cropping up before “let me in” was heard.
Grade A
Bliss has been one of the few bright spots in Raw this year. Her acting has been top notch and even though this segment didn’t have anything new, it was great.
Riddle was up against all three members, minus Bobby Lashley, of the Hurt Business in a gauntlet match. A win over all three of them would earn him a shot at the US title at the Rumble.
Thanks to some miscommunication between the trio, he defeated Shelton Benjamin and MVP rather easily.
Alexander tried to redeem himself but even he was beaten by a game Riddle. Lashley then attacked Riddle as the Hurt Business looked on in shock.
Edge then declared himself into the Royal Rumble.
Riddle wins gauntlet match
Grade B
This was a great match as the third segment was a crazy performance between Riddle and Alexander. It now seems set that Alexander will leave the Business after costing Benjamin the win early on.
Edge returning to the Rumble was huge news too and it will be interesting to see how it goes for him after being out for so long.
The Raw Women’s Champion was aggressive against Bliss early on and dominated her rival. However, things turned weird when Asuka was knocked out of the ring and Bliss was seen riding a toy horse in the ring.
Another weird segment took place after Bliss was attacked and she reverted herself to a Bliss from before her Fiend days.
Bliss looked confused and was crying. She went to a corner of the ring as the lights went out and it was the evil version of Bliss staring down Asuka.
Asuka looked shocked and scared now but Bliss was blocking and dodging every strike before a knee caught out the dark Bliss.
Asuka tried to get the Asuka lock in but Bliss used the Mandible Claw. Orton then came out of nowhere to hit Bliss with the RKO and that’s how the evening ended.
Asuka vs Bliss ends in No contest?
Grade B
The match was going extremely well and it would have been great if Bliss was the kryptonite for Asuka.
However, we will never know that as Orton, even looking like he had ketchup on his face, to sell the burns, attacked Bliss.
Asuka vs Bliss has to happen again and this time, without Orton interfering.
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