WWE Raw Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Bret Hart Highlights from Sept. 9
One of the greatest and most beloved Superstars in professional wrestling history returned to WWE Monday night in his hometown of Calgary, as Bret Hart guest-starred on Raw.
The Hitman headlined a packed broadcast in which No. 1 contenders were determined, championships decided and the latest chapters in rivalries were written.
What went down, who picked up key victories, and which competitor sought to make a name for themselves at the expense of the 2006 Hall of Famer?
Find out with this recap of the September 9 broadcast.
The Wyatt Sicks vs. American Made
With Uncle Howdy watching from his brother Bray Wyatt's trademark rocking chair, Erick Rowan, Joe Gacy, Dexter Lumis and Nikki Cross settled The Wyatt Sicks' rivalry with American Made, defeating Chad Gable, The Creed Brothers and Ivy Nile in an eight-person mixed tag team Street Fight.
The heels picked apart the opposition, proving that success can be had against The Wyatt Sicks if you can isolate them. Every time the babyfaces attempted to fight back, though, Gable and Co. cut them off.
That was the case until the monstrous Rowan recovered from being buried under plunder and unloaded on American Made. After neutralizing Nile at ringside, Cross delivered a German suplex to Gable.
Moments later, Howdy entered the ring, delivered Sister Abigail to Julius Creed, and Lumis finished with a frog splash for the win.
A fun, energetic and chaotic match, this was the appropriate finale between the two sides. It will be interesting to see where The Wyatt Sicks go from here and which villain they target next. Could a post-Bad Blood date with The Judgment Day await?
Some will argue that the one-sided nature of the program will hurt Gable and his heat, but if anyone has paid attention to anything he has done this year, they will see he has a knack for staying over with and infuriating audiences regardless of his win-loss record.
Result
Wyatt Sicks defeated American Made
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The heels, dressed in T-shirts and jeans, hammered home the Street Fight rules. It is an old trope, but one that always works.
- Rowan lifted the entire timekeeper's barricade and used it as a weapon to flatten his opponents.
- Gable delivered an Angle Slam to Gacy, off the top rope and through a table in a spot that could have been real ugly with just one slip.
Finn Bálor Promo
Weeks after his shocking betrayal of Damian Priest at SummerSlam, Finn Bálor finally addressed his former friend and the WWE Universe.
Seething with anger, he blamed The Archer of Infamy for pushing him into the background and keeping him from winning the World Heavyweight Championship in 2023.
He accused his former teammate of screwing him out of the title against Seth Rollins back when Priest was carrying the Money in the Bank briefcase.
This drew out Priest and then the rest of The Judgment Day. Rhea Ripley limped to the ring in an attempt to help her fellow Terror Twin, but the numbers advantage proved to be too much.
The heels laid into The Archer of Infamy with Ripley's crutch until Jey Uso made the save.
This felt like a segment designed to heat The Judgment Day back up after they had been beaten down and dominated by The Terror Twins.
It worked for the moment, but they still need a quality win or two before the one-sidedness of recent booking can be forgotten.
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Prior to the arrival of Bálor, commentator Joe Tessitore revealed that from October 7 through the company's exit from USA Network in December, WWE Raw will move to two hours, from 8-10 p.m.
- Tessitore also announced Ripley vs. Liv Morgan for the Women's World Championship at Bad Blood on October 5 in Atlanta.
- Bálor to Priest: "The more I helped you up, the more you held me down."
- "You turned Finn Bálor into a sidekick. I ain't no sidekick."
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship: Belair and Cargill vs. Unholy Union
Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill proved their victory over Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship at Bash in Berlin was no fluke Monday, defeating the former holders to retain their titles.
The match was on the shorter side compared to their premium live event duel, but the action was solid and the two teams again exhibited solid in-ring chemistry.
Belair is an absolute workhorse and Cargill has been explosive off the hot tag, a formula that has benefited her since she arrived at WWE.
Add to that Fyre and Dawn's work as a team, underrated by many and undervalued until recently, and you had a fun match that should serve as another piece of the puzzle in the evolution of the tag team division.
Result
Belair and Cargill defeated Fyre and Dawn
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Cargill has continued to improve her in-ring performance, including her selling, which was on display here.
- Dawn and Fyre have great chemistry as a team. One can only hope this is not the end of their recent run of relevance because they have earned more television time.
Bret Hart's WWE Return
Calgary's own Bret "Hitman" Hart returned to Raw, joining Tessitore and Wade Barrett in the squared circle for a special announcement: Survivor Series is coming to Vancouver in November.
As The Hitman spoke on the importance of champions, world heavyweight champion Gunther interrupted. He mockingly expressed his love for The Hitman before admitting that his real favorite wrestler was...Bill Goldberg.
Sami Zayn interrupted and reiterated his desire to challenge The Ring General for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Gunther again denied the man who defeated him at WrestleMania 40.
A brawl broke out, and Zayn defeated his prospective opponent and stood tall alongside his childhood hero, Hart.
This was a perfectly fine use of the WWE Hall of Famer. His influence on both men is evident and utilizing his connection to the Canadian fans to firmly establish Zayn as the next man to challenge Gunther makes sense.
It would have been nice for him to say more, but this was a short, sweet and to-the-point segment.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
- "No one took more pride in being a champion than I did," Hart told fans.
- Zayn wore a Johnny Gaudreau jersey to honor the former Calgary Flames star, who died on Aug. 29. It was a respectful touch.
Dragon Lee vs. Dominik Mysterio
The Judgment Day got one over on the LWO Monday night when Dominik Mysterio defeated Dragon Lee.
Liv Morgan factored heavily into the final moments as she clipped the knee of Lee, dropping him onto the ropes and setting him up for a 619 from Mysterio and the deciding frog splash.
The match featured perfectly acceptable wrestling but again appeared to be focused on rebuilding The Judgment Day as a dominant and destructive faction. In that regard, this worked and continued to put heat on the pairing of Morgan and Mysterio.
Result
Mysterio pinned Lee
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Bron Breakker visited Pete Dunne, the second of the four men involved in the night's main event to be approached by the intercontinental champion. Sheamus got a measure of revenge for the recent attacks at the hands of The Bruiserweight, laying him out.
- Lee's double stop from the top rope to Mysterio, who hung from the corner, was a great spot.
- WWE aired a moving tribute to Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.
Lyra Valkyria, Natalya and Zelina Vega vs. Pure Fusion Collective
Natalya made a long-awaited return to the squared circle Monday as the hometown hero joined Zelina Vega and Lyra Valkyria to battle Sonya Deville, Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler.
Much of the match occurred in the commercial break, leading to a hot tag to The Queen of Harts and a red-hot comeback for the babyfaces ahead of a creative finish and hard-fought victory.
The match was exactly what it needed to be. It highlighted Natalya, giving her a much-deserved homecoming victory and potentially ending their rivalry with Pure Fusion Collective.
Result
Natalya, Valkyria and Vega defeated Pure Fusion Collective
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- "I know your entrance is important to you," Deville said to Valkyria after interrupting her arrival.
- Natalya broke out the Sharpshooter, but Valkyria added a Lance Storm-inspired half-Boston crab and Vega applied a Rick Martel-inspired full crab for the triple submission victory. A great spot and an ode to some of the most famous Canadian competitors.
Drew McIntyre Promo
Drew McIntyre and CM Punk will settle their long-running rivalry inside Hell in a Cell on October 5 at Bad Blood.
The announcement was made by Raw general manager Adam Pearce moments after diverting the Scot's attention from his friend, Wade Barrett, with whom he appeared destined to throw fists after warning him not to stop him from beating up Punk again.
McIntyre vowed that Pearce was signing Punk's "death warrant" with whatever announcement he had for another match between the two, only to look concerned.
The introduction of a potential program between McIntyre and Barrett, which would presumably see the in-ring return of Bad News, was an interesting development that made sense within the context of what we saw a week ago.
It also hinted what awaits McIntyre, win or lose, after Bad Blood.
Punk and his rival have been gradually intensifying the feud since the Royal Rumble in January. And in Atlanta next month, they will bring it to an appropriate conclusion inside the confines of a steel structure we saw for the first time on October 5, 1997 at the inaugural Bad Blood event.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
- McIntyre rejected the idea that Punk would move on from him just because he won a match where he touched the four turnbuckles rather than actually beating him.
- Barrett rising from the commentary table to look his friend in the eyes drew a big reaction, suggesting there is interest in a return to the squared circle for the four-time intercontinental champion.
Rey Mysterio vs. Finn Bálor
The revival of The Judgment Day's credibility continued with Finn Bálor's brutal attack on Rey Mysterio.
A one-on-one showdown between two of the most influential Superstars of their eras concluded with the inaugural universal champion trapping the 2023 Hall of Famer in the ropes and refusing to break the half-Boston Crab by the time the official counted to five.
Simply punishing him was not enough, though.
Bálor attacked Rey with two shotgun dropkicks that sent the legendary luchador into the ring post and then the apron, before standing over him and talking trash as medical and security rushed to the ringside area.
This is what we have been waiting for from the Irishman. He betrayed Priest at SummerSlam, then immediately lost any edge he had coming out of that show. Since then, though, he had been quiet. He had been beaten down and treated like an afterthought.
The promo, coupled with the beatdowns, the win over Mysterio and the assault afterward, rebuilt the Irishman in one night.
It will be up to Triple H and the creative team to ensure that momentum continues heading into Bad Blood so as not to give fans the impression that Priest will easily steamroll Bálor.
Result
Bálor defeated Mysterio
Grade
B-
Top Moments and Takeaways
- This was great stuff from Bálor, who needed to rediscover that killer instinct and send a loud and clear message that he and The Judgment Day are not to be messed with. This was it.
- Mysterio is invaluable. He is beloved by fans, has a boatload of credibility to his name and does not mind putting others over. He is a huge asset to a company trying to re-establish Bálor as a main event star and Judgment Day as the dominant force they were entering SummerSlam.
Fatal 4-Way No. 1 Contender Match
Jey Uso will challenge Bron Breakker for the Intercontinental Championship at Bad Blood by way of his victory in Monday's main event.
The former Right Hand Man of The Bloodline outlasted Ilja Dragunov, Pete Dunne and Braun Strowman to claim his trip to Atlanta and a shot with his fellow second-generation Superstar.
The match was excellent, the best of the night. It featured a concentrated effort to slow down Strowman and some well-timed interference from Bronson Reed, who made sure The Monster Among Men would not advance by driving him through the announce table.
The interactions between Dragunov and Dunne were every bit as good as one would expect, and Uso remains the picture of consistency in terms of crowd heat and participation. He is immensely popular and, given how often he has sniffed a title shot but come up short, this will be the time to give him the final push.
Uso vs. Breakker will be a red-hot contest in Atlanta.
Result
Uso defeated Dunne, Strowman, and Dragunov
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The match told the story of three smaller opponents working together to neutralize Strowman and keep him from building momentum. It was reminiscent of the 2017 SummerSlam main event, where Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe and Brock Lesnar all wore out Strowman in hopes of keeping him from heating up
- Yes, WWE, we would like more Dragunov vs. Dunne. Please and thank you.
- Reed exploded from out of nowhere. It's incredible how a guy that size just enters the frame with no indication. This is a great visual and spot.