WWE Raw Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From Aug. 19

The storyline involving Rhea Ripley, Damian Priest and their former Judgment Day teammates continued Monday night as WWE Raw rolled into the Amerant Bank Arena in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Would Mami and The Archer of Infamy get their hands on Dominik Mysterio and women's world champion Liv Morgan ahead of their mixed tag match at Bash in Berlin on August 31 or would the cowardly heels evade punishment once again?

Find out with this recap of a broadcast featuring the latest in Randy Orton's pursuit of the world heavyweight title held by Gunther and CM Punk's blood feud with Drew McIntyre.

Announced ahead of Monday's show:

• Randy Orton promo
• Sheamus vs. Pete Dunne
• The New Day and Odyssey Jones vs. The Final Testament
• Women's Tag Team Championship: Damage CTRL vs. Pure Fusion Collective vs. Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre (c)
• CM Punk promo
• Maxxine Dupri vs. Ivy Nile

World heavyweight champion Gunther and right-hand man Ludwig Kaiser sent a message loudly and clearly to Randy Orton in the night's opening segment.

Fans in Fort Lauderdale greeted The Viper with an enormous reaction, but The Ring General quickly interrupted, taking exception to the RKO dealt to him a week ago.

Trash-talking ensued, culminating with Orton vowing to put his size-15, double extra-wide boot up Gunther's backside before Kaiser attacked.

The two-on-one numbers game proved too much even for the third-generation Superstar to overcome as the heels left him lying to close out the segment.

Grade

B+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• An absolute monster pop for The Viper only further underlines that he is a timeless performer who will be perpetually over. 
• Gunther told Orton to celebrate the RKO from last week because it will be the only celebrating he does at Bash in Berlin. "All you have managed to do was make this very, very personal."
• Gunther vowed to leave Orton a bloody mess and called him a "one trick pony," referring to his RKO.
• This was a strong opening segment in which we saw how disgraced Gunther was after suffering the RKO,. He intensified the rivalry with the introduction of Kaiser, who is a dangerous ally against an Orton without Kevin Owens or Cody Rhodes to back him up.

Sheamus and Pete Dunne wrote the latest chapter of their rivalry Monday in a punishing, hard-hitting battle that saw The Celtic Warrior get the best of the Bruiserweight, despite a previously injured left hand.

Dunne targeted the injured limb of his opponent, working it over in hopes of taking away one source of the Irishman's superb strikes away.

It worked for the majority of the match and when he trapped the hand in a turnbuckle pad, it appeared as though he had the former WWE champion in an inescapable position.

Sheamus mustered his strength, ripped the pad and delivered the Brogue Kick for the win.

Result

Sheamus defeated Dunne

Grade

B+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Pat McAfee revealed that Sheamus will be the guest picker on the first international edition of ESPN's College Gameday this Saturday in Dublin.
• McAfee and Michael Cole openly discussing TNA wrestler Joe Hendry ahead of that star's match against Dunne on NXT is wild. 
• As expected, this was a great match. Sheamus continues to wrestle some of his best contest late in his career, while Dunne is finally getting the opportunity to showcase his immense talents on the main roster. A great bout with a hot crowd and some fine work from both men, this was PPV-worthy.

The match between Maxxine Dupri and Ivy Nile never had a chance to get started as The Wyatt Sicks made their presence felt, attacking American Made's Chad Gable, The Creed Brothers and Nile.

The assault concluded with Uncle Howdy entering the ring from behind the Olympian and delivering Sister Abigail.

The segment ensured the feud would continue, but before that, it showcased Dupri as an intense and aggressive fighter who may not always be the most polished but whose emotions tell the story.

That, coupled with the Wyatt Sicks beatdown, elevated the grade beyond average.

Result

No-contest

Grade

C+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• An extraordinary Bron Breakker video package aired. WWE flexed its production muscles here.

• Gable officially named his group "American Made" and vowed that their issues with The Wyatt Sicks are far from finished. They should have been. The group interfered in the match, with Erick Rowan, Dexter Lumis, Joe Gacy and Nikki Cross laying out the heels and posing to end the segment.

CM Punk made his way to the ring with a leather strap and, after applauding the fans for their role in WWE's hot streak, revealed that he would face Drew McIntyre in a Leather Strap match at Bash In Berlin.

The Scottish Warrior interrupted, scoffed at the idea of the contest and vowed to destroy The Best in the World in Berlin.

The Scot taunted Punk by saying his wife and his dog are happier at home with him than with his rival, to which the babyface said McIntyre will be cuffed to him at the premium live event, not the other way around.

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Punk said: "I'm Taylor Swift for men." Not a line anyone expected to hear on Raw, but here we are, and it's not all that inaccurate.
• "I want this strap match so I can whip this bitch," Punk said of the stipulation for the match at Bash in Berlin.
• "I have a question. I'm 100 percent serious: Have you started drinking?" McIntyre asked in response to the strap-match reveal.

Before the night's next match, Dominik Mysterio issued a challenge to Damian Priest for a clash later in the show.

The New Day and Odyssey Jones picked up a hard-fought victory over The Final Testament in six-man tag team action Monday.

The heels isolated Kofi Kingston throughout the match, and when the former WWE champion created separation and inched toward his corner, he opted to tag in Jones.

The big man exploded into the contest, providing the spark for the babyface comeback before picking up the win with his modified Bossman Slam.

After the match, Xavier Woods looked less than thrilled with the victory, clearly disappointed by the blossoming friendship between Kingston and Jones and the idea that they may make up a revamped version of The New Day.

Result

The New Day and Jones defeated The Final Testament

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Cole repeatedly echoed Kross' reminders that Woods has not yet won a singles championship.
• Kingston made the hot tag to Jones, much to the dismay of Woods, who was visibly upset about his longtime partner choosing the newcomer over him.
• Woods continued to express frustration and disappointment after the bell, despite the win.

Bronson Reed continued his reign of terror over the Raw roster, defeating The Miz in a No Disqualification match.

The A-Lister put up a better fight, with some great babyface fire that had the fans ready to see him knock off the bigger competitor.

However, he was caught late with a Death Valley Driver through a table and a devastating Tsunami finished Miz off as Reed rolled to a win.

A post-match beatdown was thwarted by Braun Strowman, who emerged from the backstage area and established himself as the next opponent for Reed.

Result

Reed defeated The Miz

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Miz told Raw general manager Adam Pearce that he wasn't sure he wanted a match with Reed, but he would fight for his friend, R-Truth, who was beaten by the big man a week ago.
• Miz pulled out a desperation tornado DDT to a steel chair for an effective near-fall. 
• Listen to the crowd as Reed climbs the ropes for that finisher. They come alive, roaring in shock and horror as he prepares to deliver another. It is proof of the effectiveness of the move.
• Strowman vs. Reed is a battle of big men that should result in some fun matches. And if the latter emerges victorious from the feud, it will go a long way in establishing him as a main event villain.

Damian Priest told Rhea Ripley that he knew the match with Dominik Mysterio was a trap for The Judgment Day to get one over on him and he was right.

Before the contest could start, the heels attacked. And despite the former world champion's early success, they overwhelmed him.

The heels beat him down while Liv Morgan jumped an unsuspecting Ripley with a steel chair.

The remaining Judgment Day members laid out The Terror Twins and stood tall to close out the segment.

Result

No-contest

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Bron Breakker cut a promo revealing that there will be a tournament beginning next week for a shot at his Intercontinental Championship. He vowed to give the winner the beating of a lifetime.
• Priest sniffed out the trap from the get-go, laying out Finn Bálor, JD McDonagh and Carlito before the numbers game proved to be too much.
• Morgan blasted Ripley with a steel chair to turn the tide back in favor of The Judgment Day.
• The heels needed this. After weeks of the babyfaces standing tall, they finally got heat on Ripley and Priest, making their eventual revenge that much more anticipated by the fans.

The Unholy Union's Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre defended the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Monday night in a Triple Threat match. The challengers? Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark of Pure Fusion Collective, and Kairi Sane and Iyo Sky of Damage CTRL.

The action-packed contest saw some strong in-ring chemistry among the six competitors—not least of which was between long-time rivals Sane and Baszler—and told the story of resourceful champions.

Late, Baszler trapped Sane in the Karifuda Clutch and appeared to have the victory in hand. Instead, Dawn delivered a backstabber and Fyre launched herself off the top rope with a swanton bomb onto Baszler and Sane.

Three seconds later, the champions retained.

Result

Fyre and Dawn retained

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Damage CTRL was the clear babyface tandem here, which is surprising given how clearly heel they were as late as a month ago.
• Cole recalled the history between Sane and Baszler, which was integral to the evolution of the women's division in NXT beyond the Four Horsewomen.
• The finish was incredible. The champions continue to find ways to win, but not in the cheap way like some heel teams. They are outwrestling opponents.

Randy Orton avenged the attack from earlier in the night in Monday's main event, dropping Ludwig Kaiser with an RKO for the win.

The match saw Kaiser expertly pick apart The Viper's injured knee, the same one he delivered an illegal chop block to earlier in the show.

Orton fought through the pain and remained in the match, despite the constant distraction of Gunther at ringside. He fended off Kaiser, delivered his trademark draping DDT and set up for the RKO.

Kaiser countered with a roll-up, only to walk right back into the RKO as Orton secured the win.

Result

Orton pinned Kaiser

Grade

B+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• McAfee said of Kaiser: "He may be three percent body fat but he's a brawler." Ha. 
• Kaiser sprinted around the ring and dropkicked Orton's knee into the ring steps, echoing so many of the attacks he had dished out over the last year, including to Kofi Kingston and former partner Giovanni Vinci.
• Kaiser chopped the life out of Orton, but The Viper responded with a fallaway slam that sent him nearly across the ring.
• This was an excellent match between one of the most cerebral workers on the roster and another wrestling-intelligent performer. Kaiser hung in with one of the best to do it, never looked out of place and could have easily won here had there been momentum on his side. Instead, The Viper RKO'd his way to victory.

The August 19 Raw was another in a line of quality shows from WWE that continued the strength of its ongoing storytelling.

We got the latest in Randy Orton vs. Gunther, the next chapter in The Judgment Day storyline, and the continuation of Xavier Woods' descent into jealousy as part of the feud with The Final Testament.

All of it was effectively booked, with an eye on Bash in Berlin on Aug. 31, and the result was a focused, almost workman-like show.

Not a blow-away one, but one that hit its marks and made the forthcoming PLE card that much more intriguing.

Grade: B+