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September 14 promised a special In Your Face edition of Monday Night Raw. Competing against the return of NFL, WWE had a huge plan for the night to make this spectacular for wrestling fans.
Drew McIntyre returned to action against Keith Lee. His good friend has been on a roll since debuting on Raw including defeating the WWE champion's rival Randy Orton at WWE Payback. Would these training partners go to the next level together, or would The Viper ruin their friendly competition?
Dominik Mysterio had a chance to finally shut up Seth Rollins in a steel cage match. Could Rey Mysterio's son pull off an incredible upset? Which members of the Mysterio family would be at ringside? Would Murphy attempt to get involved after his savage beatdown at the hands of the frustrated family the previous week?
A long-time veteran performer, Mickie James finally got another chance to be champion. Asuka stood in her way. This massive title clash had potential to change the course of the women's division.
As a part of the quarterly Brand-to-Brand Invitational, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura graced the red brand with their presence. The champions wanted to show they were the dominant team in WWE over The Street Profits in a Champions vs. Champions clash.
This In Your Face Raw promised so much. It was just a matter of whether the red brand could deliver. Would the talent shine through? Would the booking get everyone talking?
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Dolph Ziggler joined commentary with Michael Cole and Byron Saxton to replace Tom Phillips and Samoa Joe, who were off for the night.
Drew McIntyre told the WWE Universe that he was not fully cleared to compete. He refused to heal up and forfeit the WWE Championship. Instead, he would risk his health to stay champion. He challenged Randy Orton to an ambulance match for WWE Clash of Champions.
Adam Pearce arrived to announce that The Viper was not healthy enough to appear on this show and may not make it back by Clash of Champion. He advised that if Orton did not compete at Clash and Keith Lee defeated the WWE champion in the main event, The Limitless One would face McIntyre at that pay-per-view.
Grade
B
Analysis
While it is always preferable to start with wrestling over talking, McIntyre has been a consistently excellent promo since becoming champion. This was a strong fiery speech from the WWE champion on what it means to him to be the champion.
The segment also added complications to the night. McIntyre vs. Lee was an exhibition match before, but this wrinkle made it a huge contest. While Orton vs. McIntyre has to happen, a victory by Lee means he will eventually get a title match.
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Cesaro started off hot, blasting Angelo Dawkins with an uppercut, and Shinsuke Nakamura helped him quickly isolate Montez Ford. Brief bursts of energy from The Street Profits were cut short by the power and continuity of the SmackDown tag team champions.
However, the resilient Raw tag team champions would not go down. Ford kicked out of a pop-up uppercut and got the tag to his partner. With Nakamura injured on the outside, Dawkins connected on the Cash-Out Splash on Cesaro for the victory.
Result
Street Profits def. Cesaro and Nakamura by pinfall.
Grade
B+
Analysis
On a night expected to be loaded with great wrestling, this contest started the show off on solid footing. The action from both sides was good, though Cesaro clearly carried the action. The Swiss Cyborg was a human highlight reel in a way no one else can be.
It is a shame that the new tag team lost. Cesaro and The Artist are still finding their footing as a unit and could have used the opportunity to define themselves as champions. The Street Profits have so much momentum that one loss would not have hurt them.
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Cedric Alexander explained again that he joined The Hurt Business because he wanted to have protection. He was done getting beat down week after week. Ricochet and Apollo Crews told Alexander that he was weak willed and would regret his decision down the line.
As Ricochet vs. Alexander began, a fight ensued on the outside between Apollo Crews and the other members of The Hurt Business. Erik attacked Bobby Lashley, and the two brawled to the back.
Despite the odds evening a bit, The One and Only was too distracted by MVP and Shelton Benjamin at ringside. Alexander caught Ricochet with the Lumbar Check for the victory.
The lights went out afterward, and Retribution warned WWE that the group would destroy the foundations of the company. Backstage, The Hurt Business told Adam Pearce that they would take care of the Retribution situation for a price.
Result
Alexander def. Ricochet by pinfall.
Grade
D+
Analysis
Despite the talent in the ring, this was a flat segment and match. Due to the rushed overuse of The Hurt Business the previous week, it was not necessary for either side to talk this week. It was just a time sink with a few bad speakers at the head.
The uninteresting explanation by Alexander led to a surprisingly weak match. Alexander and Ricochet did not seem to be on the same page in moments. When they were, the match was not nearly as heated as it should have been.
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WWE showed a video package of Mickie James' career. The veteran explained in an interview that this might be her last opportunity at a women's championship, and she refused to lose.
Zelina Vega confronted Angel Garza flirting with Lana. As Garza and Andrade bickered, Vega walked out on her clients.
Asuka did not care about Mickie's story, blasting her in the face with kicks early. Firing back with kicks of her own, Mickie closed in on a victory. However, after a devastating back elbow, the challenger was left dazed and never found her way back into the fight. Asuka made her pass out to the Asuka Lock.
Vega confronted The Empress of Tomorrow in the ring. She told the champion that she was done wasting her careers on ingrates and wanted gold. She slapped Asuka and walked away.
Result
Asuka def. Mickie by referee stoppage to retain the Raw Women's Championship.
Grade
C+
Analysis
Mickie and Asuka could not find the same magic in the ring that they had upon the veteran's return to WWE. This was sloppy and hard to follow. Commentary repeatedly called out the missed moves. Mickie just seemed out of sorts, which might have led to the odd finish.
Vega's arrival was a nice surprise. She has spent to long as a manager. It is time to see what she can do on her own. While it is hard to believe that she could defeat The Empress of Tomorrow, a strong showing at Clash of Champions could pave the way.
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MVP joined commentary to talk about Bobby Lashley as The All Mighty took on Erik.
The Viking Raider tried his best to keep up with The All Mighty. However, the United States champion was just the better man. Lashley took down Erik and made him tap out to the Hurt Lock.
Result
Lashley def. Erik by submission.
Grade
C
Analysis
Lashley vs. Erik was always going to be a squash, but at least it had some story behind it. MVP hyped up The All Might as The CEO of The Hurt Business destroyed a thorn in their side.
It will be interesting to see who steps up to Lashley at Clash of Champions. He needs fresh competition. Apollo Crews and Lashley might have another good match in them, but it would be nice to see the opportunity go to someone else at least for one show.
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WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from September 14 - Bleacher Report
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