Following latest pay-per-view Payback, WWE Monday Night Raw returned in St. Louis under the rule of sparring McMahon siblings Stephanie and Shane, following Vince McMahon's big announcement the night before. Here's what went down:
Credit: WWE
Stephanie and Shane open the show
Attempting to put their differences aside, Shane and Stephanie looked to rebuild their relationship as brother and sister with Stephanie giving Shane a framed picture of their father with a young Shane-O-Mac, but were interrupted by Kevin Owens who demanded he be given a shot at the Intercontinental Championship, after he was never given a rematch following his defeat at WrestleMania. Before Shane and Stephanie could rule on his demands however, Cesaro also came out to the ring to ask for another shot, as he was cheated out of the title the night before at Payback due to a distraction outside of the ring. This paved the way for Owens and Cesaro to go against one another for the number one contendership.
No number one Intercontinental Championship contender determined
With their bout opening the night, current Intercontinental champ The Miz decided to sit in on commentary to watch Owens and The Swiss Superman. Before Cesaro could get the swing on Owens however, The Miz interrupted the match and forced a no-contest decision. Sami Zayn then ran out to make the save for Cesaro as both Owens and The Miz beat down on him, landing the Helluva Kick on his rival and holding the Championship belt high. It looks like there's going to be four stars in the ring competing for this belt come Extreme Rules.
Tyler Breeze finally picks up a win
Tyler Breeze was given a win on Raw with tag partner R-Truth, up against Goldust and Fandango. Other than that notable moment, this is a rivalry which should now be cast aside. Something new needs to be done, especially with Prince Pretty. He has the talent, he just needs the push.
The tag division heats up
Following Enzo Amore's unfortunate concussion and premature ending to the tag tournament which culminated at Payback, The New Day addressed the rest of the division before the Vaudevillains made their way to the ring. Poking fun at Enzo for the injury he sustained, they demanded a shot at the titles, but the Dudley Boyz then asked for a restart to the tournament. Big Cass then came out to defend his 'family' Enzo, promised to finish what had started with Vaudevillains the night before and then teamed up with New Day following orders from Stephanie for a huge eight man tag match.
Big Cass secures victory and avenges Enzo Amore
Thriving following the hot tag, Big Cass delivered an Empire Elbow to Aiden English before taking out D-Von with the East River Crossing and picking up the three count. The crowd lapped up the victory - Amore was avenged, but the future of the tag division is still left up in the air.
Emma takes down Becky Lynch
Finally some steam was given to the Emma and Becky Lynch rivalry, with the pair's grudge brought to Monday rather than being a part of Payback. Emma delivered beautifully throughout the match and landed the Emma-mite Sandwich on her opponent, but Lynch wouldn't back down and almost locked in the Disarmer. With Lynch's injured eye poked by the heel and unseen by the referee however, a Michinoku Driver allowed the Aussie to pick up the win.
Stephanie McMahon cancels The Ambrose Asylum
Continuing on her path of being a heel despite her 'sincerity' with her brother Shane, Stephanie brought the Ambrose Asylum to an end, reintroducing Chris Jericho's Highlight Reel before the future Hall-of-Famer entered the arena. Facing off against Ambrose once more, the face tried to hit Dirty Deeds, but it was Jericho who landed the Codebreaker. He then smashed Mitch the potted plant over Ambrose's head and stood tall. This may be a rivalry that's not over just yet. Extreme Rules, anybody?
Ryback becomes number one contender for the United States Championship
A huge Battle Royal took place on Raw to determine just who would get a chance to challenge Kalisto for his title belt, and when all was said and done, Ryback stood in the ring after all of his opponents had been eliminated. Zack Ryder was the second man left standing and it was nice to see him continue to gain momentum in the business, despite falling just short of a title shot.
Natalya continues her quest for the Women's title
She may have been screwed over at Payback, but it doesn't look like Nattie will be tossed aside just yet. Continuing to chase the WWE Women's Championship, she told the WWE Universe of how Ric Flair had paid referee Charles Robinson off. Current champ Charlotte then did her best to attack Nattie, but she was cleared out of the ring before locking her father Ric in the Sharpshooter.
AJ Styles, Gallows and Anderson defeat The Usos and Roman Reigns
With Styles given the opportunity to smack his opponent Reigns with a steel chair at the end of his match, he decided to take the high road but paid for it when Reigns put him through the announce table. Reigns and the Usos actions are about as heel as you can get, so it could be that we've now officially seen the turn we've all been waiting for for quite some time. It's time for Reigns to step away from tweener and over to the dark side. Styles is the perfect babyface to help propel him there.
Tagged in WWE