WWE Monday Night Raw Review – 08.17.2026

Welcome to a special Monday Night Garth Edition of WWE Monday Night Raw, filling in for the QB1 (and QB2) to bring you all the details of tonight’s exciting WWE action (excitement not guaranteed). We’re coming to you live from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY, and tonight, we have the following advertised; Chad Gable defending the Intercontinental Title against Rey Mysterio! Sol Ruca vs. Lyra Valkyria! Championship Contender Tournament Matches featuring the stars of AAA! AND THE BIG ONE… Jey Uso will deliver Solo Sikoa to Roman Reigns!

Michael Cole and Corey Graves are ringside to call all the action, unless otherwise noted. We recap last week’s Main Event, setting up tonight’s chapter of “As The Bloodline Turns.” WWE Monday Night Raw is presented by DoorDash.

Stephanie Vaquer comes to the ring as we recap last week’s confrontation between Vaquer and Becky Lynch over who is going to challenge Liv Morgan for her Championship. Vaquer is here for one reason, HER TITLE, and she’s not here to talk, and dares Liv to come out and fight. Morgan comes out with Roxanne and Raquel, and she doesn’t care about the women that came before her, she doesn’t care about being a Champion for the people, she only cares about being a Champion for herself. Liv reminds he she won the title from Stephanie at WrestleMania and beat her so bad she went home for 3 months. The trolling continues in absolutely obnoxious fashion, as Liv promises to be the longest reigning Champion of ALLLLLLLLLLLLLL-(deep breath)-LLLLL TIME. Typical Judgment Day behavior follows (Cole said it!) but Vaquer fights off the 3-on-1 attack until it’s only herself and Liv in the ring. The numbers game eventually overwhelms, but here’s Becky Lynch to make the save. Unfortunately for our heroes, they bicker for poorly executed accidental contact, and it’s the Judgment Day that’s left standing when all is said and done. (Liv leaning extra-hard into being obnoxious was good heeling, but her delivery was all over the place, like the first part of her promo sounded like she just rolled out of bed from a nap)

Jimmy and Jey Uso are here, and measuring their level of jubilation, must have drank some of the Yeet Juice, as they have Solo Sikoa with them on a special delivery for the Tribal Chief. They come across L.A. Knight in the hallway, who doesn’t seem pleased with what is about to transpire.

Je’Von Evans vs. JD McDonagh (w/ Dominik Mysterio):
We come back from commercials and have a match ready to go in the ring?! Cole quickly recaps the events of recent weeks, with Evans having issues with the returning Big Cass (and Dominik Mysterio crying over being left out of the tournament)

Lockup into the corner, JD gives Evans a shove and they trade blows, with Evans getting the upperhand with a spinning head-scissors and dropkick that sends Evans out of the ring. Evans teases a dive, but Dirty Dom trips him up, allowing McDonagh to take control. Evans recovers, sending McDonagh to the floor. A clothesline sends the Bison-headed minion into the crowd and Evans races around the ring to dive over the barricade. Evans avoids Dom’s attempt to interfere, but that slight hesitation buys McDonagh time to avoid a dive from the top rope (with Evans selling a rough landing) and starts punishing the left leg, wrapping it around the post.

We get a split-screen ad for DoorDash (Hello, Sheamus!) and I’m sorry, I lost focus on the action in the ring. JD’s still in control, but now I feel obligated in ordering out. JD keeps the high-flying Evans on the ground, putting all his focus on working the leg. Evans surprises JD with a springboard rolling heel kick (….), sends him into the turnbuckle, and lands a kick to the back of the head. Springboard clothesline connects, but Evans can’t cover immediately, and JD is up at two. Evans keeps doing springboards and he’s losing me. Evans with the big headbutt and a brain buster gets a near-fall. They jockey for position in the corner, JD seems to have things in hand, but Evans avoids a moonsault and hits the OG Cutter for three at 9:21. I thought JD’s leg work was great, but Evans’ comeback negates it, as it all requires jumping sizzle moves and what purpose is working the leg if it’s all going to be ignored?

The celebration is short-lived, as BIG CASS comes from behind and blasts Evans with a clothesline. Evans is easy pickings for the 7’0” monster, and Cass rag dolls him before planting Evans with a swinging slam. Evans gets on the microphone and taunts Cass into coming back to the ring. Cass takes the bait and Evans gets a few shots in before Dirty Dom gets involved, sending Evans into the post. Cass drags Evans along ringside by the hair, throws him into the barrier, and lays him out in the ring with a running boot. I’m all for a Big Cass run; he looked pretty good in AEW (before being banished after Jericho disappeared and the Learning Tree stopped being a thing) and earned another shot with all he’s gone through and getting in the best shape of his career in recent years.

Last Monday, Penta defeated Laredo Kid, and on Saturday, La Parka defeated Psycho Clown to advance to the next round of the Championship Tournament. Next week on Monday Night Raw, Penta and La Parka battle it out in a Semi-Finals Match!

Rey Fenix and El Fiscal with pre-tape promos hyping up their upcoming match… which is NEXT!

Championship Contender’s Tournament 1st Round Match:
Rey Fenix vs. El Fiscal:
Who doesn’t love a tournament to determine a new #1 contender? The winner here (the field made up of AAA talent) will challenge Roman Reigns when Monday Night Raw emanates from Mexico City on September 14th, and of the names listed, it seems like a foregone conclusion that it will be Penta getting the honors, but you never know. If you’re casually checking in on Raw and some names are unfamiliar, check out an episode of AAA (streaming every Saturday Night) or check out the weekly coverage from Niz. Rey Fenix is the AAA World Cruiserweight Champion, but of course, that title isn’t on the line here.

I am very familiar with Rey Fenix (and his underwhelming time on the WWE main roster), but this is my first time watching El Fiscal. Lockup and they fight for control of a waist-lock. Fiscal comes off the ropes with a shoulder block and sweeps the leg, but Rey Fenix is quick to his feet. Graves gives us the rundown of Fiscal and his relation to Abismo Negro, which answers my question about his gear. Fiscal creates separation with a punt to the chest and comes off the top with a twisting body press for a two-count. Fenix counters a whip with a handspring into a cutter for two. The two trade blows on the second rope, with Fenix knocking Fiscal to the apron and running the ropes, landing a kick across the face. Springboard to the floor and HIT THE COMMERCIAL BREAK!

We come back (no split-screen this time, sorry) with Fiscal in control, stretching out Fenix and clubbing him across the chest. Fenix fights free and stuns Fiscal with a jaw breaker, but is caught coming off the ropes with a military press drop and discus clothesline for a two-count. Fiscal shrugs off a slap across the chest and boots Fenix across the face. Whip to the corner, Fenix creates separation and builds momentum (takes a shot), rocking Fiscal and hitting a springboard moonsault for a near-fall. Fiscal catches Fenix in mid-air for a Tombstone attempt, but Fenix counters and moments later, finishes with the MEXICAN MUSCLE BUSTER at 9:05. Nothing special (a cold match in front of a lukewarm audience unfamiliar with at least one of them), but they had decent chemistry and had a fine little match.

Cathy Kelley is standing by with Stephanie Vaquer. BREAKING NEWS: Vaquer will meet Roxanne Perez NEXT WEEK on Monday Night Raw! Becky Lynch interrupts, being a smart-ass about Judgment Day’s ways of going about things and Vaquer’s ambitions of chasing the Championship.

Pre-tape from Lyra Valkyria, who is looking like she hasn’t slept much lately. She’s taken out Bayley, and it’s gotten her NOTHING, as Sol Ruca gets all the opportunities. She’s smarter than Sol, because when you fly around to show off, bad things happen. Tonight, she’ll make sure that Sol crashes and burns, and she’ll get her title back.

Sol Ruca vs. Lyra Valkyria:
Poor Lyra seems to be in a bit of limbo at the moment; after defeating Bayley at Saturday Night’s Main Event and giving her a post-match beating that has written her off TV for the time being, Lyra has been getting reps on Main Event (defeating Wren Sinclair and Jaida Parker), while Sol Ruca is stuck in the Judgment Day vortex (she said it, not me!), having lost the Women’s Intercontinental Championship to Raquel Rodriguez on July 27th.

This match was brought to us by Digiorno. It’s NOT Delivery! That’s DoorDash! … No, I’m not being a smart ass, that’s the sponsor. Lyra is really going all in with that unkempt appearance, kudos to her. Lockup and Lyra with the early advantage, taking Sol to the canvas with a side headlock and a head-scissors. Sol escapes, but Lyra stays one step ahead, showing off her technical prowess. The crowd gets behind Sol by getting clap-happy, but Lyra cuts it off and mocks the audience. Whip to the corner, Sol with a flip over escape and a dropkick, sending Lyra out of the ring. Sol flashes her athleticism, avoiding a counter, hitting a running boot to the face, and diving off the ropes with a moonsault. Back inside, Lyra hides in the ropes, forcing Lady Ref Jess to create separation. Sol goes to the well one time too many and has her legs taken out from under her for a crash landing as Monday Night Raw rolls on!

We come back from break (again, no split-screen) and Sol teases a comeback before getting hung up across the top rope. Lyra makes the trip to the top rope and jumps into a knee. Sol runs wild with spinning elbows and a release German suplex. She comes off the top with a big time missile dropkick and runs through Lyra with a big knee for a near-fall. Lyra powders and counters the handspring moonsault with a neck breaker across the top rope! Lyra with the flying scissors-kick, but Sol kicks out at two! Nightwing is countered, Lyra gets planted with a DDT and the Sol Snatcher finishes at 10:53. Heel Lyra is really doing it for me, but I don’t understand giving her all the heat from Bayley’s beating only to get sent to Main Event and jobbing to set up someone else for the second-tier title on Raw. Anyway, I thought this was a solid match, and so far, the best of the night.

Jacob Fatu is hanging out backstage, and the Usos are still very Super-Ucey. They went and did something Jacob couldn’t do, and they brought Solo to the OTC! “Who’s a punk-ass now?” Well, that was uncalled for!

The Buffalo Bills are IN THE HOUSE. Who gave them a Championship belt?!

Cathy Kelley is backstage with the Vision. Austin Theory and Maxxine Dupri are being all lovey-dovey while Logan Paul is looking ROUGH. Holy crap, what the hell happened to him?! Maxxine reminisces about how Otis and Tozawa are geeks that have received what they deserved. Bron Breakker doesn’t have much to say right now, because what he needs to say he wants to say directly to Oba Femi…

We track Bron from the backstage area to the ring, and he doesn’t seem to appreciate the attention that Oba Femi is getting as the future of WWE. He tells Oba that if he wants to be the future, then come out and take it from him right now! We interrupt the challenge with an appearance from Paul Heyman. He gives the usual Heyman spiel before being interrupted by not just Breakker, but the entrance of Oba Femi. Oba says it’s stupid for Bron to ask who the future is, because everyone in the building knows it… oh, and Brock Lesnar knows it too. THE FUTURE IS OBA FEMI, and if he doesn’t like the answer, he can take it up with him any day, any time. Bron wants to go RIGHT NOW, but Heyman interrupts and says one step towards Femi means a permanent step away from him. WE DON’T ANSWER TO THE PEOPLE LIVE, WE LISTEN TO SHAREHOLDERS! Heyman has made arrangements with Adam Pearce; Sunday Night, September 6th in Atlanta, GA, it will be Oba Femi vs. Bron Breakker! Heyman shakes hands with both men, and that seems to bother Breakker.

Championship Contender’s Tournament 1st Round Match:
Dragon Lee vs. El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr:
Our second match of the night to finish off the first round of the tournament. I swear, Dragon Lee is constantly in that position where they want to make him a bigger deal than he is, but something happens or they lose interest and then give up before going back to Step 1 a few months later. Like El Fiscal, I don’t have much exposure to El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr, but I have an idea of his heritage…

Lockup and despite the size advantage, it’s a struggle for control, with them taking it to the corner. Dragon Lee staggers Wagner III but the size and power is clearly on his side. Wagner hits the ropes but the Speed vs. Strength continues to be the story early. Wagner surprises Dragon Lee with a step-up knee in the corner and Death Valley Driver for a two-count. Dragon escapes a capture suplex, but is caught off the ropes with a tilt-o-whirl back breaker. Wagner with a clothesline, sending Dragon out of the ring, and the big man follows with a senton from the apron. Another cold match, so not expecting much from the Buffalo crowd. Back inside, Dragon sweeps the legs but is cut off with a Super Kick that turns him inside-out.

We return from our ad break with Dragon Lee catching a charging Wagner on the chin with a boot, followed by a snap German suplex. Wagner is stunned with a palm strike and rolls to the floor following a Tornado DDT. Dragon keeps the pressure on, hitting Wagner with a tope con hilo. Back in the ring, we get a strike exchange that briefly goes Dragon’s way before he’s pressed into the air for a face-first landing and knocked silly with a running boot. Wagner with a slow climb, allowing Dragon to interrupt things. Wagner gets caught in a tree of woe and a double stomp from the top gets a near-fall for Dragon Lee. Wagner blocks a flying head-scissors, throwing Dragon over the top with a Powerbomb and coming off the top with a frog splash for two! Wagner with the Super-Plex, but a follow-up is countered with an Inverted DDT! Operation Dragon (think a standing Sliced Bread #2) connects and Dragon Lee advances at 11:05. I wasn’t sure I’d care much, but this was an entertaining match with Wagner showing off his strength and Dragon fighting from underneath and overcoming the disadvantage in size. Fenix vs. Fiscal was fine, I thought this was significantly better.

The WWE returns to Hawaii for the first time since 2019! Buy tickets and book your flights NOW!

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match:
Chad Gable (c) vs. Rey Mysterio:
I apologize for the history lessons before each match, so feel free to skip this paragraph if you’re looking to read about the action. As I’m sure most of us know, Gable fulfilled the lifelong dream of being the Intercontinental Champion, defeating Penta at SummerSlam and celebrating with a cold Mug’s Root Beer (this follows a spectacular program with El Grande Americano for AAA). Why Mysterio? Well, Gable is a fighting Champion, and he’s doing it as a sign of respect. Not to piggyback Kat’s comment last week, but why is Rey allowed to be a GM and wrestle, and Nick Aldis was not?

We DO NOT get the special Championship Match introductions, which seems odd not to do when you’re presenting this as a big deal. We get a friendly handshake after the bell and they lock hands, jockeying for control. Rey is moving around very well for a man his age and with the miles (and surgeries) on those knees, and they have the crowd popping after a hot sequence where neither man is able to build momentum. Rey sends Gable staggering into the corner with a spinning head-scissors and gives us the classic mounted punches before doing a classic Eddie taunt. Gable takes advantage of Rey’s hotdogging and scoops him up for a hard takedown. Whip across the ring, Gable has the leap-over counter scouted and catches Rey with a release German suplex that turns Rey onto his face. The struggle brings both men to the apron, with Rey launching Gable face-first onto the post and follows up with a flying head-scissors as we ROLL ON, COURTESY OF DIGIORNO.

Rey takes time from the match to pose with the belt, which seems like an unsportsmanlike move from a pure babyface! Gable catches Rey flipping over the ropes with a Fisherman Suplex for two! Heck of a counter right there. He begins targeting the leg of Mysterio, cranking the knee with a step-over toe hold and snapping back with the hold. Whip to the ropes and Rey with a surprised crucifix cradle for two. Powerbomb attempt from Gable is countered, but the good luck train is derailed as Gable drives Rey into the canvas with a back suplex. Rey takes Gable out of the ring with a head-scissors and connects with a beautiful Asai Moonsault that is well-deserving of an instant replay.

Gable meets the post and Rey comes out of the corner with a Tornado DDT for two! Irish whip is countered and Gable drops Rey face-first with a cliffhanger DDT. Gable to the top rope and the diving headbutt gets a two-count! Rey flips out of another back suplex, but the knee buckles. Gable goes for the Angle Slam, but Rey counters with an arm drag. Rey with a seated senton and another Tornado DDT for a near-fall! Gable catches Rey with the Angle Slam on the second attempt, but it only gets a two-count. They fight to the top rope, and Gable with an Avalanche Angle Slam for two! The Ankle Lock is countered, 6-1-9 countered! Gable gets sent into the corner and the 6-1-9 connects! Dropkick into the ropes and Rey with another 6-1-9! THE CROWD IS LOSING THEIR MIND AS REY CLIMBS TO THE TOP ROPE! Gable brings up the knees on a splash and hooks the Ankle Lock! Rey spins out, but Gable hangs on with each movement. Rey somehow turns it into a victory roll, but Gable rolls backwards and hooks the legs to secure the three-count to retain at 13:10! Post-match, they show each other respect and Rey straps the belt around Gable’s waist.

This was no smoke and mirrors style match, Rey turned back the clock and put on a spectacular performance with both men hitting everything with smooth precision and building up to a finish, holding nothing back and having the crowd at a fever pitch. Easily a 4-star match and well worth checking out.8

Next Week on Raw… Stephanie Vaquer vs. Roxanne Perez! Penta vs. La Parka and Dragon Lee vs. Rey Fenix in the Semi-Finals of the Championship Contender’s Tournament! THE CONTRACT SIGNING OF OBA FEMI AND BRON BREAKKER (reset the counter).

It’s time for our MAIN EVENT SEGMENT as Roman Reigns makes his way to the ring for the official delivery of Mr. Solo Sikoa, with Jacob Fatu lurking in the background. Somewhere, Night is fantasizing about The Usos cosplaying as Boba Fett and Roman Reigns as Jabba the Hut, with Solo being the obvious in this production. Roman has a receipt to collect and demands they bring him Solo… OK, maybe my Star Wars/WWE crossover fan fiction isn’t so outlandish! I can only imagine Jey and Jimmy dancing and annoying Solo for most of the night.

Roman has a scowl on his face and just looking at Solo pisses him off. Some say he’s petty and how can he hold receipts, but how can he not with Solo? It was almost three years ago on Raw in Tribal Combat (excuse me? THREE YEARS?) when Roman beat his ass (and has prepared a video package reminding us of last January and Solo’s newly found confidence in showing his personality). The crowd might think this is funny, but Roman doesn’t and wants to know why Solo isn’t on his knees begging.

Suddenly, Jacob lights up Solo with a Super-Kick and grabs the Tongan Death Grip until Roman orders him off. “He’s not too funny now, is he?” He says Jimmy and Jey are the captains, they’re Made Men, and if you disrespect them, you disrespect him. Roman rewards them with their own black ula fala. Out comes L.A. Knight, and there’s no words exchanged, as the Usos move in for the attack and Knight quickly sends him to the floor. Jacob Fatu from behind and Roman cuts him off, wanting the honors himself by laying Knight out with a Superman Punch. Roman taunts Solo, demanding him to take care of Knight or else. SERVE YOUR FAMILY! Solo yells at Knight that he’s sorry, loads up for the Samoan Spike… AND LAYS OUT ROMAN REIGNS! The Usos try in vain to avenge the Tribal Chief, but Solo and Knight clear them out. Jacob just looks on from the corner as Roman attempts to hit Knight with the Superman Punch, but it’s countered with the BFT! Has LA Knight finally earned himself a title shot? What next for Solo? Why didn’t Jacob do anything for anybody at the end?! So many questions, and we’re out!

Final Thoughts: Wow, that was quite the entertaining episode of Monday Night Raw! I wasn’t looking forward to the latest adventures of the Bloodline, but that turned into quite the finale for a night that had some strong bell-to-bell action with very little to be down about (I did complain about the psychology of JD vs. Evans and the lack of selling, but it wasn’t a terrible match). I’m starting to find myself in the anti-Liv Morgan camp; I acknowledge she’s playing an obnoxious heel, but her promo and delivery tonight was cringe. Paul Heyman’s interest in Bron Breakker vs Oba Femi will likely pay off sooner than later, and hey, if you’re trying to reheat Bron, putting him in a battle of heavy hitters with a hot property is a great way to go about it! I am disappointed we didn’t get Danhausen, but it looks like he was either an international or YouTube exclusive, but hey, we can’t always get what we want. If you’re looking for a quality “banger”, definitely check out Chad Gable vs Rey Mysterio.

Did you enjoy Raw? Did you hate it? Am I a big smelly meanie? Comment below and thanks for reading!