WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from December 25
For the first time in the almost 28-year history of Raw, the show was live on Christmas night and culminated with a major title change.
Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan defeated Sheamus and Cesaro to win the Raw Tag Team Championships, a capper on a show that also saw Roman Reigns defend the Intercontinental Championship against Samoa Joe and John Cena make a long-awaited return to the brand.
There was not much in the way of storyline development, and the squash matches were almost overdone, but the show was a solid enough holiday presentation that made sense within the context of the stories that have played out of late and was, at the very least, entertaining.
Relive Monday's broadcast with this recap, including grades and analysis for each segment.
John Cena Returns
John Cena returned to WWE Raw for the first time since September, kicking off the evening's special broadcast with a bang and drawing a surprisingly positive reaction from a notoriously tough Chicago audience.
Cena was in the midst of a holiday-themed speech when Elias interrupted him, claiming WWE stood for "walk with Elias."
Chants of "CM Punk" interrupted Elias, to which Cena insisted they let the fans have fun. When The Drifter tried to play a song that insulted the city, Cena took exception and called Elias a jerk.
Seemingly reformed, Elias reshuffled the song to make words kinder, only to lay Cena out with a cheap shot to end the segment.
The Grinch of Monday Night Raw issued a challenge to Cena for a match right away.
Grade
B
Analysis
For a holiday-themed segment to open a show and set up a match between two Superstars with no backstory, this was perfectly fine, fun shlock.
Elias is a heat magnet who will get himself back over, even with a loss, and fans get the treat of seeing Cena back on television.
Hardly a bad way to start the first-ever live Christmas Day episode of the WWE flagship.
John Cena vs. Elias
The Drifter took the fight right to a Cena still reeling from the sneak attack dealt to him at the top of the show. At the same time, commentators Corey Graves and Booker T made comparisons between the competitors and their starts in WWE, pointing out the musical backgrounds and desire to succeed of both men.
At one point, Elias continued his dominance over the 16-time world champion with a sit-out powerbomb that scored him a near-fall.
Cena made the comeback, and the crowd came alive. He delivered the shoulder tackle, but Elias wisely rolled outside. Back in, he delivered a big clothesline that left Cena on his back once again.
After more dominance from Elias, which also saw him survive two attempts at the STF from Cena, the Superman of WWE fought back, hit his signature onslaught and delivered the Attitude Adjustment for the pinfall victory.
Result
John Cena defeated Elias
Grade
B-
Analysis
This was a match that felt longer than it actually was, and that is rarely a good thing.
Fans never really bought into the bout, particularly because Elias has never been presented as a Superstar even remotely close to the equal of Cena. It was almost as if, over the course of the 15 or so minutes the match lasted, fans waited for the inevitable comeback.
They got it, the result was academic and all was right with the WWE Universe.
Hideo Itami vs. Brian Kendrick
In Hideo Itami's singles debut on Raw, he met a dangerous and cerebral man in former cruiserweight champion Brian Kendrick.
Jack Gallagher watched from ringside as Kendrick wore Itami down early, trapping him in several submission maneuvers in an attempt to keep him from firing off the strikes that are such an integral part of his arsenal.
Itami fought back quickly and put Kendrick away with Go To Sleep.
Result
Hideo Itami defeated Brian Kendrick
Grade
C-
Analysis
Itami quickly dismantled Kendrick—to complete apathy from the WWE Universe.
Outside of quiet CM Punk chants, the GTS did not generate anything in the way of a pop, and the crowd seemingly could not have cared less about the former NXT star.
Perhaps this is a sign of things to come given how little backstory or character development Itami has undergone in his jump from development to the main roster.
Bayley, Mickie James and Sasha Banks vs. Absolution
The more experienced trio of Bayley, Sasha Banks and Mickie James started out quick Monday night, isolating Mandy Rose and picking the villainess apart. A well-timed left hand to Bayley, though, allowed the heels to take control of the bout.
A vicious, scary clothesline by Sonya Deville to The Boss continued Absolution's control of the bout. Paige followed up on the assault, stomping away at her fellow NXT alumna. The Boss spent several minutes on the receiving end of punishment at the hands of Paige and her cohorts.
Rose, in particular, seized the spotlight and turned in a strong performance as she wore down the former women's champion.
Bayley made the hot tag and fired off strikes at everyone in her path before a Bayley-to-Belly nearly spelled the end of Paige.
The action broke down at ringside, and when Bayley and the Anti-Diva returned to the squared circle, the raven-haired Brit seized a momentary opening and delivered Ram-Paige for the pinfall victory.
Result
Absolution defeated Sasha Banks, Bayley and Mickie James
Grade
B
Analysis
Paige may have scored the victory, but this was the Mandy Rose show, as the former Tough Enough competitor shined in her increased ring time here. She never looked out of place, nor did she look overwhelmed while sharing the ring with Banks.
That is a testament to her preparedness from her days in NXT.
The match itself was fine for what it was, but in reality it was just the latest chapter in Absolution's path of destruction. Where its path ends, no one really knows because WWE Creative has not given us nearly enough background to explain as much.
Heath Slater vs. Kane
In an attempt by Rhyno to toughen up Heath Slater, he booked the West Virginian against The Big Red Monster, Kane.
It took some motivation from The Man Beast at ringside for Slater to fire off a flurry of offensive maneuvers, but in the end, Kane scored the victory quickly and decisively with his patented chokeslam.
After the match, Rhyno got some solid offense in but ended up eating a chokeslam of his own as Kane walked away victoriously.
Result
Kane defeated Heath Slater
Grade
B
Analysis
It always remains to be seen how long a lower-card story such as Slater and Rhyno's will hold the interest of WWE Creative, but this was an awesome display.
Not only did this put over Rhyno's attempt to make Slater a tougher competitor, it also allowed Kane to look like a dominant badass as he laid waste not only to Slater but to his tag team partner as well.
A short, sweet segment that accomplished two things at once.
Quality television, folks.
Finn Balor vs. Curt Hawkins
Curt Hawkins, citing the feeling of a Christmas miracle, issued an open challenge to any Superstar in the Raw locker room for a match in hopes of extinguishing his 146-match losing streak.
First-ever universal champion Finn Balor answered the challenge, drawing a big pop from the Chicago fans.
Seeking his first win of 2017, Hawkins took the fight to Balor and even scored a handful of near-falls. A double stomp by Balor, and the Sling Blade shortly thereafter, led to the Coup de Grace and a victory for Balor.
Result
Finn Balor defeated Curt Hawkins
Grade
F
Analysis
Why?
Why the hell did this match happen?
At least the previous squash match in which Kane obliterated Slater worked to tell the story of the latter. This had no rhyme or reason for existing.
And the misuse of Balor continues.
Woken Matt Hardy Sends a Message to Bray Wyatt
As Bray Wyatt entered the arena, presumably for another long-winded promo, the lights came up and Matt Hardy attacked.
He cleared Wyatt from the squared circle, grabbed a microphone and laughed maniacally as The Reaper of Souls looked visibly shaken at the top of the ramp.
Grade
A
Analysis
The idea behind this was to establish Hardy's ability to match mind game for mind game with Wyatt. It did just that.
There was no rambling or ranting, no drawn-out promos. It was short, sweet and effective.
How effective? During the backstage vignette involving The Bar, a loud chant of "Hardy" and then "Delete" could be heard drowning out Sheamus and Cesaro's audio.
Miracle on 34th Street Fight
Cruiserweight champion Enzo Amore, Drew Gulak and Ariya Daivari, dressed in holiday garb, battled Cedric Alexander, Akira Tozawa and Mustafa Ali in a Six-Man Tag Team Miracle on 34th Street Fight.
Tozawa and Ali wiped out Gulak and Daivari at ringside as the show headed to break, with the babyface clearly rolling.
Back from the commercial, there were high jinks and plunder that gave way to the 054 from Ali. Gulak made the save, but before long, the action came down to No. 1 contender Alexander and cruiserweight champion Amore.
Gulak again made the save, wiping Amore out by accident and enduring a vicious candy-cane attack to the back. Daivari re-entered the bout, but Alexander finished him off with the Lumbar Check to score the win.
Result
Cedric Alexander, Mustafa Ali and Akira Tozawa defeated Drew Gulak, Ariya Daivari and Enzo Amore
Grade
C+
Analysis
There was more personality in this one cruiserweight match than has been on display in the division since its inception last year.
It was as silly and stupid as expected but featured some quality high spots and put Alexander over, the latter being significantly more important than anything else accomplished during the bout.
Intercontinental Championship Match: Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe
An impassioned and vengeful Roman Reigns, seeking payback for his opponent's assault on Dean Ambrose last week, unloaded on Samoa Joe and controlled the early portion of Monday's Intercontinental Championship match ahead of the break.
The Destroyer, though, worked over Reigns with insulting slaps and a stunning headbutt coming out of the commercial. Reigns, though, countered with a Samoan Drop for a quick two-count.
Reigns followed up with a big Superman Punch that, for the second time, nearly scored him the victory. As he set up for the Spear, though, Joe countered with a kick to the face, and a Uranage earned him a near-fall of his own.
Joe caught Reigns coming back into the squared circle and locked in the Coquina Clutch, a move he had used numerous times to defeat The Big Dog.
Reigns was unable to reach the ropes and fell to his back, where the danger he found himself in became more apparent with every passing second. Never one to quit, though, Reigns grabbed hold of the bottom rope.
Joe soared through the middle and top ropes, crashing into Reigns and injuring the left arm of his opponent. The limb became a target for Joe, who worked him over and played up the angle involving Ambrose from last week.
Reigns unloaded on Joe in the corner and shoved the referee, with emotion getting the best of him. This caused a disqualification. Joe may have won the match, but Reigns delivered a big Superman Punch that sent Joe to the floor.
He punished Joe and then targeted the arm of his rival, a receipt of sorts for the ambush on Ambrose.
A handful of referees hit the ringside area and eventually separated them.
Result
Samoa Joe defeated Roman Reigns via disqualification
Grade
A
Analysis
The match itself did not live up to previous encounters, but it really wasn't supposed to.
Instead, this was a way to put over the tenacity and ferocity of Reigns, who is no longer willing to let Joe get the best of him without some repercussions.
The arm work featured late leaves this writer wondering if there will not be some sort of gimmick match between the two, perhaps as soon as the Royal Rumble in Philadelphia. What that would be is unclear, but the fact that much was made of each Superstar targeting the other's arm may be an indicator of things to come.
Secret Santa Match: Braun Strowman vs. The Miztourage
Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas continued their Christmas caroling Monday night in the ring, eager for a Secret Santa match booked by Raw general manager Kurt Angle. Their opponent would be a secret but not for long.
The Monster Among Men turned Dallas inside out with a nasty clothesline, and Axel experienced the same sort of pain and punishment shortly thereafter.
Strowman made short work of the team, earning the victory with a running powerslam.
Result
Braun Strowman defeated The Miztourage
Grade
C
Analysis
The annoying carolers were silenced quickly and entertainingly by one of the top contenders to the Universal Championship.
That is about all this one had going for it.
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