While it seemed a sure thing that Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton were set for a rematch at WWE Payback on Sunday, "The Viper" showed off his vicious side once again during Raw, delivering three punts to McIntyre over the course of the show. After the third punt, McIntyre left the WWE ThunderDome in an ambulance and Orton was left with a new opponent for Sunday.
Keith Lee made his debut during an Orton promo following the first two punts to McIntyre, an attack that followed McIntyre's show-opening promo. Lee threw down the challenge for a match later in the night, which did happen later in the show. The match ended with McIntyre ran in to attack Orton, continuing a disappointing thread of non-finishes that ran through the entire show. But the third punt came moments later and left Lee to challenge Orton after seeing his friend taken from the arena by medical professionals.
Keep on reading for a recap of everything that went down Monday night with highlights and grades for a quick turnaround Payback go-home edition of Raw.
WWE Raw results, grades
Randy Orton viciously attacked Drew McIntyre to start the show: McIntyre told Orton he won at SummerSlam because he's simply hungrier and better. McIntyre again leaned on his past firing, saying he knows what it's like to wonder where your next paycheck is coming from, something the coddled Orton never had to struggle with. He added a little dig that, by beating Orton with a wrestling move, after Orton beat Edge in the "Greatest Wrestling Match Ever," that it must mean he's the greatest wrestler ever. As McIntyre made his way up the ramp to leave, Orton attacked him from behind. McIntyre fought back, but Orton attacked McIntyre's eyes before delivering a punt. Orton would return to deliver a second punt moments later as McIntyre was being treated by officials backstage. If you were going to run Orton vs. McIntyre back after SummerSlam, there were far less effective ways to get there than to have Orton double-punt. Hot start to the show and upped the stakes to the match. Grade: B+
Shayna Baszler def. Bayley via DQ after Nia Jax interfered: Jax showed up backstage and was asked why she was at the event after having been suspended. She said she had been reinstated after apologizing to Pat Buck. Baszler then confronted Jax and the two traded insults about their looks before Baszler left for her match with Bayley. Before the match started, Jax made her way to the entrance ramp where she stayed as the match began. Baszler immediately went after Bayley's arm. After a bit of back-and-forth action, the inevitable happened and Jax ran in to attack Baszler. While Bayley and Sasha Banks watched on laughing at the attack, Jax and Baszler turned their attention to the tag champions before leaving the ring together and chasing the champs off. The match had potential but there was no way to get into it knowing it was just a matter of time before Jax would run in. Later in the night, Jax and Baszler agreed to team up to challenge for the tag titles at Payback with Baszler adding a slap to Jax's face after coming together as a team. Grade: C
Aleister Black attacked Kevin Owens on the K.O. Show: Black, with a black bandage wrapped around his eye, opened the segment by asking to have the footage of Murphy shoving his face into the corner of the ring steps. Black then dropped to his knees and acted dizzy. Owens asked if he was alright, only for Black to hit him with a spinning elbow and then a Black Mass to the head before walking off, signaling a heel turn.
24/7 Championship -- Akira Tozawa def. Shelton Benjamin (c), R-Truth [via pinfall] and Cedric Alexander to win the title: What started as a hot match ended quickly when Tozawa was thrown into his ninjas by Benjamin, who caught him and set him back on the ring apron. Truth threw Benjamin out of the ring, where he was restrained by the ninjas as Tozawa rolled up Truth to get the victory. There's nothing much to grade here as the match started with a brief bit of excitement before ending without really getting anywhere meaningful. Grade: D+
Keith Lee made his Raw debut by interrupting Randy Orton: Orton said that he has done what he wants to do, when he wants to do it and to whoever he wants to do it to. But that didn't happen at SummerSlam. Orton said he punted McIntyre twice earlier because no one offers him a title rematch out of pity. As Orton was about to call himself the greatest wrestler in the world, Lee's music hit and he made his Raw debut by interrupting "The Viper." Lee cut a promo, introducing himself to Orton and throwing down the challenge for a one-on-one match "here and now." Orton responded by saying, "maybe later," and rolling out of the ring. Just a phenomenal way to debut Lee, interrupting Orton immediately makes him a big deal instead of getting mixed up on smaller matters on the midcard. Grade: B+
Montez Ford def. Angel Garza via pinfall: Before the match, there was a bit more battling for the romantic affections of The Bachelorette's Demi Burnett. That would play into the match when Ivar walked to ringside where Burnett was seated at ringside, handed her a turkey leg and walked off with her. Moments later, a distracted Garza was knocked from the top rope and hit by Ford's twisting frog splash for the victory. This continued the trend through the show of burning potentially good matches with quick finishes driven by outside-the-ring issues. Halfway through the show, it was becoming a significant issue. Grade: C-
Bianca Belair, Ruby Riott & Liv Morgan def. Zelina Vega & The IIconics via pinfall: Riott, Morgan and Belair make a very solid team, mostly running roughshod over Vega and The IIconics before Belair finished off Vega with a KOD. This was the best match on the show so far and still was a fairly short affair that really only served to show off Belair. But there are far worse talents to show off than hers. Grade: B-
Apollo Crews def. Bobby Lashley in an arm wrestling match, and Hurt Business invaded Raw Underground: Mark Henry hosted the competition, asking Lashley to keep the rest of Hurt Business backstage. Lashley said he didn't need any help beating Crews and would also beat him up after they arm wrestled, but not so much that Crews wouldn't be able to defend the United States title at Payback. Crews stomped on Lashley's foot and used the distraction to slam Lashley's hand down. Lashley tried to attack afterward, but Crews got the better of him, dove onto Shelton Benjamin as they ran to the ring and then grabbed his title and ran off.
Lashley, frustrated with what happened with Crews, took Hurt Business to Raw Underground because he wanted a fight. Lashley quickly choked out a guy, and then Dolph Ziggler entered the ring to take on Lashley. Ziggler got off to a fast start before a Lashley comeback. Ziggler then locked up a rear-naked choke, but Lashley escaped and pounced Ziggler from the ring. Lashley later put a beating on Cedric Alexander, knocking him out before a brawl broke out between Hurt Business and Viking Raiders. Hurt Business has now used Raw Underground twice to work out their frustrations, an interesting twist on an otherwise still-dead concept. But Crews continues to be booked strong and there's little to complain about from that side of things. Grade: C+
Lana and Natalya hosted a "retirement ceremony" for Mickie James Lana and Natalya claimed they tried to help James but she chose to remain irrelevant. They then showed a "highlight video" of her career, which was just a black screen. James ran to the ring and laid out both women before walking off.
Randy Orton def. Keith Lee via disqualification after interference by Drew McIntyre: Lee drove Orton into the corner from the early lock up and then powered out of a headlock before a leapfrog and shoulder tackle. Lee also caught an Orton punch and crushed his hand. That all set up an extended stretch of Lee domination as he used his speed and size to baffle Orton, eventually knocking him from the ring. Orton, of course, is too smart to have an opportunity on the outside and he used that moment to take over, hitting the hanging DDT and setting up for an RKO before Drew McIntyre ran in and pulled Orton from the ring before attacking him to end the match. Again, potential wasted in the ring even if McIntyre's attack made sense in the larger story, but there's no way around it being deflating to see Lee debut with music changed for the worse, his gear changed for the worse and then his first match ending as part of someone else's story. Grade: C+
Orton delivered one final punt to McIntyre: McIntyre was being interviewed backstage after the conclusion of Orton's match with Lee when he was attacked from behind. As McIntyre was on the ground, Orton delivered his third punt of the night before being backed down by WWE officials. It was later announced that trainers were worried McIntyre had a skull fracture and potentially bleeding on the brain. As McIntyre was loaded into the ambulance, Keith Lee said that he was ready to tell his friend not to interfere in his matches, but after seeing him loaded into the ambulance, he had issues to settle with Orton.
Raw Women's Championship -- Asuka (c) def. Sasha Banks in a lumberjack match to retain the title: Baszler was quick to insert herself into the match once Banks was knocked to the outside among the lumberjacks. With Bayley at ringside, she was quick to stick her nose into the match, taking shots at Asuka when opportunities presented themselves. That eventually became Banks' downfall as Bayley would try to slide a chair into the ring for Banks, but Baszler grabbed on to Bayley's ankle. The distraction allowed Asuka to sneak up behind Banks and lock up the Asuka Lock for the submission to win. With everything Banks and Asuka are capable of, once again there was just not enough given to them in the ring this time around, really rendering the match meaningless. What was there, while not much, was good, of course, with two talented women doing what they do. Grade: C
Dominik & Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins & Murphy ended as Retribution attacked: As Rollins and Murphy hit the ringside area, a brawl immediately broke out. Rey was quickly taken out and Dominik was rolled into the ring by Rollins with the bell ringing to signal the start of the match. Dominik quickly took over on Murphy with some lucha arm drags before knocking Rollins and Murphy from the ring where Rey helped set up a top rope dive by Dominik. After a commercial break, Rollins took things over on Rey briefly before a big comeback spot to get to a hot tag to Dominik. As Dominik was taking over, Murphy hit him with a chop block to take him out, but a Rey comeback set up a double 619 before the lights flickered as Dominik was climbing the ropes to land a frog splash.
Retribution ran in to surround Dominik. Rollins and Murphy ran away and Rey tried to save his son, only for Retribution to put a beating on both Mysterios. The six retribution members involved in the attack -- a much smaller group than this past week's SmackDown -- celebrated on the ring apron as Rollins happily looked on to end the show. Another match without a solid ending, but at least it had time to build up some drama and the Retribution involvement had to happen at some point. Adding Rollins' excitement someone else was doing his dirty work and this could have been worse. Grade: B-