WWE Raw Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights from March 4

Drew McIntyre continued his crusade to save WrestleMania 40 Monday night on WWE Raw but along the way, took to the squared circle for a showdown with one man he has consistently blamed for him already not being the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion: Jey Uso.

The Scottish Warrior battled Uso in a blockbuster main event match to cap off a show that also included the culmination to another rivalry, this one between Becky Lynch and Nia Jax.

Who emerged from those two matches victoriously and with momentum on their sides ahead of the biggest show of the year and what other happenings had direct WrestleMania implications?

Find out with this recap of the March 4 broadcast.

Announced in advance of Monday's show were:

• Jey Uso vs. Drew McIntyre
• Becky Lynch vs. Nia Jax
• The Judgment Day (Finn Balor and Damian Priest) vs. Imperium (Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser)
• Cody Rhodes and Seth "Freakin" Rollins promo

Cody Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins are coming to SmackDown Friday night to confront The Rock and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, the babyfaces revealed at the top of Monday's show.

Not before Rollins revealed a new nickname for The Great One, though. Dubbing Rock "Diarrhea Dwayne," he cited his long-winded promos and childish insults. He claimed that ending The Bloodline is the biggest thing he and The American Nightmare can do at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia.

This was an energetic promo to kick off the show, even if there was not nearly as much accomplished as other segments involving Rhodes and Rollins to this point in the build to the April 6 and 7 show.

Expect fireworks Friday night on SmackDown, though, as all four Superstars are in the same arena at the same time, for the first time since the WrestleMania Kickoff event in Las Vegas.

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

• "Don't ever talk about my dog," Rhodes warned Rock.
• Rhodes hesitated to call Rollins his friend but ultimately did. Naivety, thy name is Cody.
• "Rock, I dare you to try," Rollins said in response to The Great One threatening to make the World Heavyweight Championship disappear.

On the heels of a foolish staredown by Dominik Mysterio toward Intercontinental Champion Gunther, the second-generation star squared off with The Ring General Monday night.

It went about as well as expected, with Gunther overwhelming Mysterio with his arsenal of strikes, chopping the air out of his opponent. The most despised man in WWE mounted a comeback and was quite impressive as the babyface fighting from underneath, but Gunther cut him down, delivered a powerbomb, and tapped him out with the Boston Crab or the win.

As a one-off showdown between two heels, this was executed well and added a little bit of heat to the teased Judgment Day-Imperium feud from a week ago. It also showcased the growth and evolution of Mysterio, something the young competitor still does not get enough credit for.

Result

Gunther defeated Mysterio via submission

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Michael Cole congratulated Sting on his retirement Sunday night, without mentioning the company for which he competed. Pat McAfee put over the main event of the AEW Revolution pay-per-view, just in time for Cole to divert attention back to the match in the ring.
• Gunther tore Dom's gear and chopped him, turning him inside out.
• Mysterio played an effective de facto babyface here but he is so hated that fans did not react as strongly as they may have otherwise.

Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark inched one step closer to a shot at the Women's Tag Team Championship Monday when they defeated Katana Chance and Kayden Carter in a competitive, albeit short, match.

Late, the former champs appeared to have the win in hand until Baszler broke up the pin. From there, the heels earned a pivotal win for their championship aspirations.

After the match, Dakota Kai, WWE Women's Champion Iyo Sky, and the Women's Tag Team Champions The Kabuki Warriors entered the ring. Kai said that, after Asuka and Kairi Sane successfully defend their titles against Lyra Valkyria and Tatum Paxley tomorrow on NXT, they will defend against Baszler and Stark next Monday night in Houston.

Baszler and Stark vs. Asuka and Sane is a potential show-stealer if it is given enough time. The only downer? The lack of expectation that the new No. 1 contenders will actually dethrone the champions.

Result

Baszler and Stark defeated Chance and Carter

Grade

C+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Damage CTRL joined Cole and Pat McAfee at the commentary position, getting a close look at potential challengers to their Women's Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 40.
• Carter and Chance broke out a double Spanish Fly off the ropes for a near-fall.
• The babyfaces have the most tag team chemistry of any team in the division, this side of the champions.

The intense rivalry between Becky Lynch and Nia Jax wrote another chapter Monday night in a competitive match that saw The Irresistible Force attempt to halt The Man's momentum ahead of her WrestleMania 40 match against Rhea Ripley for the Women's World Championship.

Before a finish could be rendered, though, Liv Morgan made her presence felt, drawing a disqualification by attacking Jax. From there, she confronted Lynch and the two appeared ready to throw down but Jax leveled both and stood tall to close out the segment.

The money match for WrestleMania 40 is Lynch vs. Ripley but one cannot help but notice that WWE has kept Morgan and Jax as integral parts of this story. A backstage encounter between Lynch and Morgan after the match appears to have led to a match on next week's show but interference there should be expected, too.

This begs the question: is there a chance WWE pivots and books a four-way title bout that allows all story threads to come together in one high-stakes battle?

Result

Jax defeated Lynch via disqualification

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• "Momentum is a real thing even if some stats nerd says it's not," McAfee said.
• Jax delivered a hell of a leg drop from the middle rope on Lynch, but the Elimination Chamber winner kicked out at two.
• This may be the best version of Jax we have ever seen. She is as motivated as ever and her chemistry with just about every opponent she has worked with has been undeniable. This was headed toward being a strong match before the finish and her performance is a big reason why.

Andrade returned to the squared circle for the first time since his surprise appearance in the Royal Rumble match, squaring off with Apolo Crews.

In what amounted to an extended showcase for El Idolo, the second-generation star earned the win with La Sombra, a modified hammerlock DDT.

There was not much substance to the match as Crews has been a non-factor on Monday nights for months, but it did get Andrade back out in front of fans with a strong win, so there is that.

More interesting than any extended squash match is in what manner the mutual respect between him and Mysterio ultimately manifests itself.

Result

Andrade defeated Crews

Grade

C+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Before the match, Raw general manager Adam Pearce revealed that there will be a Gauntlet Match to determine Gunther's opponent for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania on next week's show. 
• Superstars vying for the opportunity include Sami Zayn, Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bronson Reed, JD McDonagh, and Chad Gable.
• A backstage interview with Zayn descended into a challenge from the underdog for a match with Ivar later in the show.

Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Finn Balor and Damian Priest of The Judgment Day continued their recent streak of success, defeating Imperium's Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser in a fun, quality match Monday night.

The heels isolated Balor for a large portion of the bout, setting up a hot tag to Priest. The Archer of Infamy was excellent as the fiery de facto babyface, tearing through Kaiser and Vinci before putting the latter down for the win.

This was a well-worked match that saw the champions score a rare clean victory and continue their reign as champions.

There was no sign of R-Truth or The Miz this week, either, so the victors were allowed to celebrate their victory accordingly, without hijinx.

Result

Balor and Priest defeated Vinci and Kaiser

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• The commentary team put over Balor's championship resume more than once here. Could there be a conscious effort to heat him up amid expectations that there may be a split incoming for Judgment Day?
• Priest showed great babyface fire in the closing of the match and had fans solidly behind the tag team champions in the battle of heel teams. 
• Kaiser appeared to have possibly injured his foot late in the match, clutching it after coming down awkwardly off the apron.

Sami Zayn earned another quality victory on his road to WrestleMania 40, defeating Ivar in a great match that highlighted both evenly and reminded the audience of the underrated run the Viking Raider has been on over the last six months.

Afterward, "Big" Bronson Reed attacked Zayn and delivered the Tsunami, sending a message to the rest of the field involved in next Monday's Gauntlet Match to determine the No. 1 contender to Gunther's Intercontinental Championship.

Speaking of The Ring General, Chad Gable interrupted an interview by Cathy Kelley, with the champion, and vowed to win next week's match so that he could avenge his loss to the Austrian-born titleholder by beating him and putting a smile on his daughter's face.

The Gauntlet Match, and the numerous stories at play within it, make next Monday's show a can't-miss one. Add to that the wealth of talent involved and we could very well have a candidate for WWE TV Match of the Year when all is said and done.

Result

Zayn defeated Ivar

Grade

B+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Cole's commitment to the Valhalla and her antler shtick is commendable. The manager joined him at the commentary position and placed her antlers on his head. 
• Ivar does not get nearly the credit he has earned for his solo work over the last handful of months. He has been superb, proving capable of working strong matches against competitors of varying backgrounds. He cut off a Helluva Kick by Zayn with a heel kick that was perfectly executed. 
• Zayn delivered an exploder into the corner but Ivar answered, again cutting off the Helluva Kick with a seated senton out of the corner. 

Drew McIntyre dominated the match early and often, his drive and determination to prove his worth to an audience that sees him as a bitter sore loser. He succeeded, for the most part, controlling the pace for two-thirds of the contest.

Uso, ever resilient, stayed in the match and fired off a comeback later on in the show.

That is, until Jimmy Uso appeared, distracted his twin brother, and allowed The Scottish Warrior to score the win with a Claymore.

Just prior to the finish, Rhodes hit the ringside area to fend off Solo Sikoa. After the bell, Rollins did so too, blowing past McIntyre as if he did not exist and chasing Jimmy out of the squared circle.

Like Jey had moments earlier, Rollins ate a Claymore as McIntyre again implored the fallen champion to rethink his vendetta against The Bloodline as the show went off the air.

The match was good, if not a wee bit long, but the closing moments of the show were red-hot, thus elevating the segment of the broadcast.

We had the continuation of the Usos' sibling rivalry as well as the latest between Rhodes, Rollins and The Bloodline, not to mention McIntyre's quest to save WrestleMania and beat the World Heavyweight Champion for the title.

Result

McIntyre pinned Uso

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• For a guy that has reportedly not re-signed with WWE, McIntyre gets a lot of screen time. 
• McIntyre hurled Uso over the announce table entering the commercial break.
• The look on McIntyre's face as Rollins sprinted past him to fend off The Bloodline was one of setting anger. He was disrespected and he expressed it. 

This was another quality episode of Raw as WWE continued its road to WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia.

We got the latest out of the top feuds and Superstars, most of which was good and logical, while the creative team also revealed a big Gauntlet Match for next week. To top it off, we saw fun matches pitting The Judgment Day against Imperium and a show-stealer between Sami Zayn and Ivar.

Logical story progression, fun in-ring work, and quality storytelling is quite literally the formula for success with regard to WWE TV. We got all three in this broadcast, making it an easy thumbs up.

Overall Grade: B+