WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from March 13
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Brock Lesnar and Omos.WWE
Welcome to Bleacher Report's coverage and recap of WWE Raw on March 13.
We're still a few weeks away from WrestleMania 39 on April 1 and 2, so WWE is still going through the motions to set up the entire card.
This week's show featured a face-to-face confrontation between Omos and the man he will battle at the marquee pay-per-view, Omos.
We also saw Bianca Belair face Chelsea Green for the first time, Elias fought Bronson Reed, and Dexter Lumis teamed up with Johnny Gargano to take on Dominik Mysterio and Damian Priest.
Let's take a look at everything that happened on Monday's show.
The Judgment Day vs. Johnny Gargano and Dexter Lumis
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Raw opened with a jovial Edge coming out to the ring to deliver a promo. He thanked the crowd before calling out Finn Bálor so they could finally settle their differences once and for all.
The Rated-R Superstar gave a brief summary of their long history over the past year before challenging the Irishman to a match at WrestleMania 39 in Hell in a Cell. Bálor accepted before this turned into a brawl that was joined by Johnny Gargano and Dexter Lumis.
We returned from a break to see Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio taking on Lumis and Gargano. Johnny Wrestling was unloading on Mysterio in the corner, but the ex-con was able to tag in the big man of The Judgment Day after being outwrestled for a few moments.
Gargano tagged in Lumis so he could trade some holds and takedowns with The Archer of Infamy.
For a match that began as a big brawl, this was surprisingly tame in terms of bell-to-bell action. We didn't see a ton of cheating or double-team moves. They kept it pretty basic at first.
The shenanigans outside the ring came during the second half when Rhea Ripley decided to interject herself. The longer this match went, the more chaotic it became. After a pretty solid match, Priest scored the win for his team by pinning Lumis.
Winners: The Judgment Day
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
- Edge calling each character of The Judgment Day a different Addams Family character was funnier than it should have been.
- Priest's reaction to Lumis doing a kip-up was hilarious.
- Candice LeRae being at ringside for this bout could be setting up a future encounter between her and Ripley.
- The boos Dom was getting during the Three Amigos seemed fake. The crowd didn't appear to react, but it sounded like he was being booed out of the building.
- Gargano's slingshot spear is one of those moves that doesn't always look good, but when it does, it is amazing.
Cody Rhodes vs. LA Knight
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Omos and MVP were out first for the face-to-face showdown with Brock Lesnar.
The Nigerian Giant did that thing where he shows his opponent how big his hand is before offering it for a handshake.
They got into a little tussle that led to Omos sending Lesnar over the top rope. The Beast Incarnate looked impressed and chose to fight another day. This was short and didn't add much to the feud, but they still have a few weeks to fill, so there's no rush.
The second match of the night saw Cody Rhodes take on LA Knight in singles action.
They locked up and struggled for control until The Megastar nailed his opponent with a cheap shot to the face. That lit a fire under The American Nightmare to take control.
This easily could have been booked to be a short match or even a squash, but Rhodes and Knight had a competitive contest that took up two segments. In fact, the latter had more near-falls to his name.
However, The American Nightmare put him away with the Cross Rhodes to win the match.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
- Does anyone else automatically hear "Something something Cody Rhodes" instead of the actual lyrics to his music?
- The way Knight blocked a suicide dive with a big punch looked great. Rhodes stopped in his tracks and was draped over the middle rope like he was lifeless.
- Knight showed some impressive agility when he jumped straight to the top rope so he could hit a superplex.
- The Cody Cutter either looks really good or really bad. There is little in-between.
Elias vs. Bronson Reed
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After a backstage interaction last week, Elias and Bronson Reed ended up having a match on Monday at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island.
The Australian easily wiped Elias out as soon as the bout started. Every time the crooner tried to build up some momentum, the big man would put him down on the mat.
Reed hit a big powerslam before heading up to the top rope for a tsunami splash to get the win.
This was short and made Reed look like a beast, but it was a little on the simple side.
Winner: Bronson Reed
Grade: C-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Rick Boogs and Elias might actually make a good tag team. They both play the guitar and are both built like tanks. If they find the right chemistry, this could work.
- Seeing a guy like Reed flying off the top rope at you has to be terrifying for anybody.
Angelo Dawkins vs. Austin Theory
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Austin Theory got into a bit of an argument with The Street Profits earlier in the day, so he and Angelo Dawkins agreed to a match.
Montez Ford came out with Dawkins but went backstage before it began so Dawkins could fight this battle on his own. He had Theory on defense at first, but one big back elbow put the Profit in the corner.
While they had spurts of quick offense, the pace of this was a little on the slow side. It was supposed to look like methodical offense from Theory, but it just ended up looking like they were waiting until it was time to hit the next move.
Dawkins continues to prove he should not be overlooked. He had the best moments in this match, although Theory still scored the win.
Winner: Austin Theory
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
- Ford calling Theory "Clarence from 8 Mile" was hilarious.
- There are certain things every wrestler does really well. Theory is one of those guys who has mastered the art of looking like a strike almost knocked him out.
Seth Rollins vs. Baron Corbin
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Dominik and Rey Mysterio had a long segment that repeated the same things we have been hearing for this entire storyline. It ended with Rey walking away as his son berated him.
Meanwhile, two men who also know each other very well met for a match this week when Seth Rollins took on Baron Corbin. This all started when the latter tried to offer to train the former for his upcoming match against Logan Paul.
The Miz sat with the commentary team because, apparently, he has some kind of pull with management to get Corbin a WrestleMania match if he wins.
Corbin pounced on Rollins as soon as he got to the ring to give himself an early advantage. After only a couple of minutes, The Visionary got the win with a Stomp off of the back of Miz.
These two have had some good matches before, so it was a little disappointing to see them reduced to having a contest that is shorter than most of the video packages we have seen on the show.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Grade: C-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Corbin was just trying to be helpful. How is he the bad guy here?
- It's kind of surprising WWE hasn't tried to pair up The Miz and Corbin before. They are both the same kind of cowardly heel.
Bianca Belair vs. Chelsea Green
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Carmella accompanied Chelsea Green to the ring for her showdown with Bianca Belair.
The EST of WWE overpowered her rival at first, so Green tried to use some cheap tactics to take control.
We returned from a break to see Belair controlling the pace until her rival kicked out her foot on the middle rope. Carmella cheered on her new bestie and ended up getting knocked off the apron when she tried to get the referee's attention.
These two had a few good spots, but this was a relatively uneventful match with a predictable outcome. Belair getting another win is never a bad thing, but Green needs some victories and this is just going to set her back a bit more.
Asuka saved Belair from a beating after the match was over. She had a bit of fun with the Raw women's title before handing it back to the champ.
Winner: Bianca Belair
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
- Green and Carmella should definitely be used in the women's tag team division. They make a good pair.
- Is there a story behind the hat Green wears to the ring or does she just like the way it looks?
- The way Carmella fell off the apron did not look great. The shoes she was wearing seemed to make her unsure of her footing.
Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa
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The main event of the night was also arguably the biggest draw on the card.
Kevin Owens and Solo Sikoa battled in a Street Fight, but before it took place, KO asked Cody Rhodes not to get involved because worrying about WrestleMania is more important.
The fight started in the aisle, but they ended up getting into the ring almost immediately. The Prizefighter seemed to have the upper hand early on, but Sikoa lured him out of the ring so he could drive him into the barricade.
We returned from a break to see Owens throwing several steel chairs into the ring. He set them up in a row in front of the turnbuckle, but Sikoa ended up sending him crashing through them instead.
This was as hard-hitting as you would expect it to be just from looking at the competitors. KO and Sikoa both rely on brawling for a lot of their offense, so they meshed well together as opponents.
As expected, The Usos ended up interfering so their younger brother could pick up the win. The bout was fun, but the outcome was too easy to see coming. A more shocking result would have been Sikoa winning clean.
Even with the interference, this is still the biggest win Sikoa has had since he joined the main roster.
Winner: Solo Sikoa
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
- Owens opted to wear street clothes for this match, but Sikoa kept his regular gear.
- The way Sikoa sold having his head slammed into the announce table was hilarious.
- Sikoa has a beautiful Samoan drop.
- If there is one thing the WWE Universe loves, it's tables.