WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from October 3
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Damage Control
Welcome to Bleacher Report’s coverage and recap of WWE Raw on October 3.
Damage CTRL were in the spotlight this week for two segments. Not only did Bayley and Bianca Belair sign their contract for Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view, but we also saw Candice LeRae take on Dakota Kai.
Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle had a confrontation, Otis took on Johnny Gargano, Chad Gable faced Braun Strowman, and The Judgment Day took on the team of AJ Styles and Rey Mysterio.
Let’s take a look at what happened during Monday’s Raw.
The Judgment Day vs. Rey Mysterio and AJ Styles
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Damian Priest and Finn Bálor were out with Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio by their side to deliver a promo about Edge. The Prince promised to make him say “I quit.”
Rey and Styles came out for the opening bout and began brawling with Priest and Bálor as soon as they hit the ring. They took both opponents down to send us into a break.
The Judgment Day were in control for some time when the match resumed. Rey took most of the offense being dished out until he made the hot tag to Styles, who unloaded on both opponents with a flurry of strikes until Priest shoved him through the ropes to the floor.
Dom did the thing where he dares his dad to hit him before Ripley took him out with a clothesline. This all happened while the ref was distracted, so Bálor was able to finish off Styles with a Coup de Grace for the win.
This was a decent way to open the show. The match was good but didn’t do anything to move this storyline forward. It was more of what we have already seen for the past few weeks.
Winners: Rey Mysterio and AJ Styles
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Ripley whispering to Dom before he speaks is such a fun little detail. It’s just too bad he isn’t a convincing heel yet.
- Rey’s baseball slide into a headscissor takedown on Bálor looked great.
- Styles getting mad at Rey probably made some people think he might join The Judgment Day until the group attacked him and left him down in the ring.
Bobby Lashley vs. Mustafa Ali
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After throwing down a challenge backstage, Mustafa Ali had a chance to take on United States champion Bobby Lashley.
The former 205 Live regular missed a dropkick right out of the gate, so The All Mighty was able to take control right away.
Ali started to make a comeback and hit a 450 to Lashley’s arm as it was draped over the bottom rope. However, it only slowed the champ down a bit. Ali slapped him in the face, which made The All Mighty snap. He took Ali out of the ring and ran him into two different ring posts.
This was a great showcase and another example of how underutilized Ali has been for the past few years. He has so many great attributes, especially as a babyface.
Lashley made him regret beating a count-out when he cut him in half with a Spear before applying the Hurt Lock. Ali refused to tap, so he ended up passing out.
As the champ tried to help Ali to his feet, Seth Rollins came out of nowhere to hit a Stomp on the titleholder.
Winner: Bobby Lashley
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
- Ali should bring back his old entrance and music. His current song is more generic and he does n’t stand out at all.
- It was cool to see Ali repping Chicago with his tights.
- Lashley turning Ali inside out with a clothesline at ringside was a nice spot.
- The 450 spot to The All Mighty’s arm looked incredible even in slow motion.
Riddle and Seth Rollins Promo, Candice LeRae vs. Dakota Kai
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Rollins and Matt Riddle had a face-to-face confrontation in which they were not allowed to touch each other, but before The Original Bro came out, his rival introduced unfamiliar fans to the Fight Pit through a quick video package.
Riddle outright said he was going to kill The Visionary on Sunday. Rollins mentioned Riddle’s kids to mock him, so Riddle countered with some remarks about Becky Lynch being more successful.
Daniel Cormier appeared in a video to say he would be the ref for the Fight Pit at Extreme Rules.
The segment was probably the best part of this feud so far, and definitely one of the best showings for Riddle on the mic. He kept the stoner stuff to a minimum and came across as serious and focused.
Grade: B
Candice LeRae came out by herself for a match against Dakota Kai, who had backup in the form of Bayley and Iyo Sky.
The match was more competitive than the previous encounters we have seen on this show. Kai and LeRae each had chances to get in some good offense, but having Bayley and Sky at ringside gave the women’s tag team champ an unfair advantage.
Thanks to help from Bayley, Kai was able to steal the win.
While this match was good, it fell short of what we know both women can do in the ring.
Winner: Dakota Kai
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
- Bayley had a Two-Face vibe with her outfit. Some might say “Cruella Deville.”
- The dropkick LeRae hit through the ropes looked awesome. The way the camera was positioned was perfect to make it look like she came out of nowhere.
- It’s surprising how much Riddle is willing to let his personal life be talked about.
Otis vs. Johnny Gargano, Chad Gable vs. Braun Strowman
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Chad Gable was at ringside and Austin Theory was on commentary when Otis took on Gargano.
Johnny Wrestling used his quickness to avoid the big man at first, but Otis slammed him into the corner to take him down fast.
The former Mr. Money in the Bank is much quicker and more versatile than he appears, so this ended up being a fun bout between two great athletes. It’s just too bad it was another match with interference. Three out of four matches up to this point in the show have had some kind of shenanigans.
Theory hit Gargano with the briefcase while the ref was looking the other way, so Otis was able to hit a huge slam for the pin and the win.
Braun Strowman ran down and took out Otis on his way to the ring before he got his hands on Gable.
Winner: Otis
Grade: B
Strowman vs. Gable was already taking place when we returned from the break. In yet another example of interference, Otis was shown throwing The Monster Among Men over the announce table during the break.
Gable got in a surprising amount of offense against Strowman, and even looked like he might have a chance of winning at one point, but one big boot from his rival took him out. He finished the former Olympian with a powerbomb for the pin.
This was quick, but it was an entertaining sprint of a match. Strowman has looked great since his return.
Winner: Braun Strowman
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
- Otis is beginning to show some signs of his old self again. He is being more vocal and getting more fired up like he used to.
- Gable is so great at just about everything. WWE should really try to do more with him as a singles wrestler.
- The way Otis sent Strowman over the announce table looked brutal.
Angelo Dawkins vs. Solo Sikoa
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Following a backstage confrontation earlier in the evening. Angelo Dawkins and Solo Sikoa met for a singles match.
The Usos and Sami Zayn were by Sikoa’s side, but Montez Ford was unable to provide his fellow Street Profit with much assistance since his foot was in a medical boot.
These are two big guys who can move especially well for their size, so this was the kind of match almost every fan should have enjoyed. They moved quickly, hit hard and never slowed down.
Once Sikoa began to control the pace, he slowed it down a bit as he started punishing specific body parts. Ford looked on from ringside as his teammate tried to fight through the pain.
As good as this was, it was another in a long line of matches that included interference in some way. WWE has been much better as a whole lately, but it feels like an oversight that somebody let this many instances of outside help get booked on one show.
Sikoa scored the win after some mayhem at ringside with Zayn and The Usos.
Winner: Solo Sikoa
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- The growing animosity between Jey Uso and Zayn is one of the best storylines going in WWE. Everything The Honorary Uce touches turns to gold these days.
- Sikoa has a great Samoan drop. Not everyone hits it well, but his hits flush every time.
- Dawkins should win the award for the most improved Superstar. He has really stepped up his game over the past few years.
Alexa Bliss vs. Iyo Sky
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Bayley and Bianca Belair signed the contract for their ladder match at Extreme Rules that was overseen by Corey Graves. We saw some footage of Kai and Sky attacking Alexa Bliss and Asuka backstage.
This led to Bliss challenging Sky to a match after Asuka was left injured by a steel-chair attack to her leg. Belair accompanied by The Goddess to the ring to help even the odds.
Bliss showed more aggression than she has in quite some time as she beat her opponent down with every move she could think of.
As time went on, Sky began to make a comeback. After yet another match that included some ringside activity, The Genius of the Sky hit her signature moonsault for the pin.
There was a lot to like in this contest, but with so many bouts including interference on one show, it was hard not to let it impact the perceived quality of the entire show.
When all but one match on a three-hour episode has some kind of nonsense, it might be time to review the script. We saw some good storyline developments, but there were other ways to accomplish the same thing.
Winner: Iyo Sky
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- The angry look Bliss had during the backstage segment started good, but it became a little over the top as it went on.
- The Thesz press is one of those moves that a lot of people use, but only a few can make it look really good. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was one of those who made it look great most of the time. Bliss is hit or miss with it.
- The running double knee Sky hit in the corner looked painful. She was moving quick when she made contact.
- Kai and Bayley sending Belair into the steps looked and sounded nuts. She hit those steps hard.