WWE Monday Night Raw was live from San Jose, California. It was a go-home show for WWE Fastlane 2023, but WWE could not build much in terms of rivalries and matches. The announced segments were a contract signing between Tommaso Ciampa and IC Champion Gunther. Becky Lynch will put her NXT Women’s Championship on the line against Tegan Nox. What happened with the Women’s division after the return of Rhea Ripley? Catch everything in our WWE Monday Night Raw Results, Winners, Grades, and Analysis from the October 2 Episode.
Chaotic Opening
WWE Raw opened with a brawl between Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. A match between the two was advertised, but it never materialized. Women’s World Champ Rhea Ripley and Raquel Rodriguez returned to the show. After this entire brawl, Rhea was alone in the ring, and she grabbed a mic.
Grade C
Analysis
WWE made a wise move to have Nia Jax in the opening. She has attention these days. WWE is going in a 4-way direction between Ripley, Jax, Baszler, and Rodriguez.
Judgment Day Drama
Rhea Ripley addressed the Judgment Day situation. She said she handed the business to Damian Priest, who disappointed her. Priest defended himself and pointed out Dominik’s title loss. Ripley clarified to Dom that he would reclaim the title, or he may not come home. Jey Uso came out and compared Ripley to Roman Reigns. Dom and JD McDonagh attacked Jey, but Cody Rhodes made the save.
Grade B
Analysis
It was an excellent overall segment. Most people would have forgotten that the show opened with another scenario. Mami is back, and Dom is on notice to bring back the NXT North American Title. The segment will catalyze the Judgment Day vs Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso Match.
Tag Team Match
Alpha Academy vs. Imperium
Otis and Gable faced Imperium’s Kaiser and Vinci. It was a good wrestling match. Kaiser is very talented and just has a lack of exposure these days. Gunther made Kaiser responsible for Vinci, which became a must-win for Imperium to stay together. The action in the match was good, but it was repetitive stuff. Kaiser pinned Otis and secured the win for Imperium.
Winner: Imperium
Grades B
Analysis
It looks like Chad Gable will still face Gunther in the future. That’s why they are keeping him around Imperium. On the other hand, Imperium’s Kaiser and Vinci can be a great addition to Tag Team action if they get used properly.
Singles Match
Bronson Reed vs. Cedric Alexander
Cedric Alexander got the TV time after a long time as he faced Big Bronson Reed. It was like a squash match. Cedric had some offense early in the match, but Big Bronson soon turned things. A Tsunami Splash did the work for Reed.
Winner: Bronson Reed
Grade C
Analysis
Big things are near for Bronson Reed as he continues to dominate the Monday Night Raw roster. There are reports that WWE is preparing him for a program against Braun Strowman. On the other hand, Cedric Alexander is exceptionally talented. Sadly, WWE does nothing with him.
Singles Match
Xavier Woods vs Ivar
Before the match, Ciampa and Gunther signed the contract for their Intercontinental Championship match. Adam Pearce confirmed the match for the later on the show that started a brawl between champion and challenger. Ivar entered the ring without Valhalla and Erik to face Woods. Both wrestlers tried hard to put on a decent match. A botched powerbomb in the corner broke the momentum of the action. Xavier Woods won the match with a rollup.
Winner: Xavier Woods
Grade C
Analysis
WWE tried to make this rivalry enjoyable, but an injury to Erik halted everything. Kofi Kingston had some fun moments with Michael Cole and Wade Barrette on commentary. Both Erik and Woods are great workers and can put on more exciting matches in the future.
Seth Rollins appeared in front of the live crowd to discuss his match with Shinsuke Nakamura. Before he could speak much, Nakamura attacked him to prove that he could take him down for ten counts. Nakamura is brilliant with his heel tactics. He and Rollins will wrestle a classic match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Singles Match
Tegan Nox vs Chelsea Green
Chelsea Green came up with her partner, Piper Niven, to face Tegan Nox. The short match did not allow both competitors to do much in the ring. Niven tried to interfere in the match, but Natalya arrived in the Nox’s corner to even the odds. Nox hit the shiniest wizard to pin Green.
Winner: Tegan Nox
Grade C
Analysis
It is now the 2nd week that WWE advertised Tegan Nox vs Becky Lynch but did not give us the match. It was a wrong booking decision. The match between Green and Nox was short and had nothing to discuss. The only outcome from this match is that Nattie can team up with Nox to face Green and Niven for the future Women’s Tag Team Championships.
Singles Match
Drew McIntyre vs The Miz
Drew McIntyre entered the arena to explain his actions from the last two weeks. He claimed that he did not owe an explanation to everybody except WWE Universe. McIntyre exposed his plans for the future. He will not remain the savior of the people. The Miz entered the fray, told McIntyre it was a Miz TV segment, and asked him about his charge on the host last week. Drew McIntyre took him out was enough to book a match between them.
Drew McIntyre rag-dolled Miz in this match. He punished Miz for most of the time. In the end, he slammed Miz on the exposed turnbuckle. He hit a Future Shock DDT to put the A-Lister. The finish was a great way to describe that McIntyre may accept the dark side soon.
Winner: Drew McIntyre
Grade C+
Analysis
Drew McIntyre will look fresher with his character after turning heel. This match was not good enough to get a B Grade. However, the way McIntyre beat the Miz by using an exposed turnbuckle is something to excite. WWE must turn him heel to refresh his character a bit.
Intercontinental Championship Title Match
Gunther vs Tommaso Ciampa
The main event of WWE Raw had an IC title match where the champ entered without his partners Vinci and Kaiser. Tommaso Ciampa finally had his chance on Goldie on the main roster. Both men are hard strikers, which were displayed in this match. Gunther took much beating from an aggressive Ciampa to put his opponent over. Ciampa also sold Gunther’s offense well to make him look good. Gunther won the match with a sleeper hold.
After the match, Kaiser and Vinci entered the ring to attack Tommaso Ciampa. Before they could do much damage, Johnny Gargano returned to WWE Raw to save his former partner from DIY. It was a great way to finish WWE Monday Night Raw.
Winner: Gunther
Grade A
Analysis
It was an outstanding main event where both men performed remarkably. However, there is still much room left in this match, which they saved for the future. Johnny Gargano’s return was the show’s highlight, as he will now rejoin with his former tag team partner Ciampa to form DIY. DIY will rule to WWE as a tag team in the future.
It was all from our WWE Monday Night Raw Results, Winners, Grades, and Analysis from the October 2 Episode.
