In a reveal that was nearly two months in the making, Raw general manager Kurt Angle's announcement wasn't as shocking as most expected on Monday.  Still, the segment acted a strong anchor to a fun three hours of wrestling as Angle broke the news that Jason Jordan of American Alpha was his son. Where the storyline goes from here will ultimately define whether the reveal was a success. 

Outside of Angle's surprise development, the recurring theme on Monday was physicality with one strong match after another. Braun Strowman's return helped provide the episode with its most violent moments, breaking up a No. 1 contender's main event bout between rival Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe, causing chaos ahead of SummerSlam.  

Elias Samson's guitar also became a weapon on this night as he used it to bust open Finn Balor in a segment that ultimately left more questions than answers. That was certainly the case for most of Raw on Monday night.

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WWE Raw results, recap

In the ring -- Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins: With a chair in hand, Ambrose called out The Miz (and company) following last week's beat down. Out came Rollins to offer his help and friendship. Ambrose was understandably cautious, referencing Rollins' heel turn to break up The Shield. "I'm out here, Dean, to ask you a question," Rollins said. "When I take the fight to The Miz, brother, will you be standing in my way or standing by my side?" Ambrose resisted, calling Rollins a liar and cheater before adding, "You? I don't know you." Rollins said it's all in the past and turned his back on Ambrose, offering him a shot to hit him in the back with a chair "as many times as you need to get it out of your system." Out came The Miz with Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel. A brawl ensued with The Miztourage using chairs to quickly overwhelm the babyfaces. Miz hit Rollins with a Skull Crushing Finale onto a chair. Shortly after, the heels brushed off a backstage interview attempt and quickly exited the arena.

Hot start to Raw with some strong attention to detail in terms of the dialogue between Ambrose and Rollins. Look for this to likely become a juicy feud entering SummerSlam with strong potential for the former Shield members' unsteady alliance to crack. The crowd's unrequited plea for Roman Reigns to run in added a nice touch considering Reigns' soft heel turn of late. 

Bayley def. Alexa Bliss via pinfall: This non-title match found some legit intensity late as Nia Jax came out to protect Bliss, setting up a distraction outside the ring that helped Bliss land a cheap shot. Sasha Banks hit a surprise run in and attacked Jax from behind. Bayley then hit her Bayley-to-Belly suplex inside the ring for the pin. Banks jumped in to hug Bayley, which produced a noticeably large pop from the crowd. 

 
Backstage -- Kurt Angle and Corey Graves: After Graves abruptly left the announce desk upon reading a text message, Angle told him he had second thoughts about coming clean. "I love the WWE Universe, but maybe this is something that shouldn't be televised," he said. Graves said that in this day of social media, Angle's reputation would be gone if he didn't report the news himself. He also told Angle he had nothing to be ashamed of. "Your friendship means everything to both of us," Angle said.  

Backstage -- Titus Worldwide: Titus O'Neil gave a motivational speech, convincing his faction to step up its game and rebound from setbacks. In walked Ariya Daivari to call out Akira Tozawa, saying he has no honor for begging cruiserweight champion Neville for a rematch. After Daivari challenged him to a match later tonight, Tozawa agreed.  

Mustafa Ali & Jack Gallagher def. The Brian Kendrick & Drew Gulak via pinfall: The purple tape was noticeably gone from the ropes for the first time during a cruiserweight match on Raw. Late in the match, Gallagher used a head butt on Kendrick to break free and get the tag. Ali then hit a beautiful inverted 450 splash for the 1-2-3.  

In the ring -- Enzo Amore, Big Cass and The Big Show: Saying his losses sometimes outweigh his assets in the wrestling business, Amore worked hard to put over his resiliency and toughness. He then cut a meandering promo on Cass for turning on him. Out came Cass, but Amore escaped before his former partner could attack and took a seat in the front row. Show's music hit, revealing Amore had set Cass up. Cass and Show took part in a physical brawl with the momentum changing hands throughout. Big Show suffered a hard-way cut on his nose. Cass finished him off with a running kick to the ribs before turning to hit Amore with a kick to the shoulder. Cass exited to large boos from the crowd. 

The majority of this segment was extraneously long and brutal with Amore deserving most of the blame. His promos continue to go in the same direction of his booking: nowhere. Cass' violent finish created the only high point. If the entire goal was to get Cass legit heel heat, this was mission accomplished as the crowd was happy to oblige.  

Backstage -- Roman Reigns: "The Big Dog" told Charly Caruso he's at his best when the stakes are high, which bodes well for tonight's match against Samoa Joe. Reigns downplayed his previous two losses to Joe by predicting a title victory over Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. "Want to know why?" Reigns asked. "Because I'm 'The Big Dog' around here, and this is my yard." 

Backstage -- Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins: Angle broke up an argument between them inside the rocker room by offering them a match next week against two members of their choice from The Miztourage. Ambrose countered that they'll fight all three, Rollins consented, and Angle agreed to the handicap match.  

Finn Balor def. Elias Samson via disqualification: Samson's in-ring power was put over well throughout this physical match. Balor countered outside the ring with a running kick to the face from the apron and a missile dropkick into the barrier wall. Samson then picked up his guitar and broke it over the shoulder of Balor, cutting open the side of his head in the process. As Balor was escorted from the ring by referees, Bray Wyatt's music hit. During a video promo on the big screen, Wyatt said he has been watching Balor for some time. "That look of pain and suffering, it ignites the fire in my soul and my soul is thirsty, ravenous," Wyatt said. "I feel the need to satisfy my soul … and to punish you man." Later on, Balor and Samson were booked in a no disqualification match for next week.  

Although Samson appeared to miss his target, this was good timing to finally debut the guitar spot, long inspired by the likes of The Honky Tonk Man and Jeff Jarrett. Wyatt's appearance was just as well received considering the strength of his promo. "You say you're the product of Irish mythology," Wyatt said. "But me, man, I'm not a myth. I'm real. I'm the eye of the storm." Exactly where Wyatt fits in to Balor's feud with Samson remains uncertain. But the idea of Wyatt and Balor doing business at SummerSlam, channeling the return of "The Demon King," is great news for all.

Vignette -- Samoa Joe: "I will beat down your heroes," Joe said about Reigns. "And when they wake up, I will do it all over again."  

Backstage -- Kurt Angle, Bayley and Sasha Banks: Another cryptic Angle phone call was interrupted by a bickering argument as both Bayley and Banks felt they were deserving of a title shot against Bliss. Angle agreed they were both deserving, saying, "I'm not going to decide. You are." He then booked a match on Raw for next week with the winner facing Bliss at SummerSlam.  

Backstage -- The Revival: Dash Wilder explained to Charly Caruso that they attacked The Hardy Boyz last week as payback for the first time they met "when The Hardyz treated us like we were nobodies." Scott Dawson added, "I guarantee after tonight they will care about The Revival. Top Guys out."  

Ariya Daivari def. Akira Tozawa via surrender: After Daivari dedicated the match to 2016 freestyle wrestling gold medalist Hassan Yazdani (with WWE showing a picture of the Iranian Olympian on the big screen as a likely recruiting pitch), he went on to dominate Tozawa by focusing on his left shoulder. Following an extended beating, O'Neil stood on the apron to ask the referee to call for the bell. An angry Tozawa walked away before turning on the ramp to yell at O'Neil, "I never quit! You don't care about me! I'm done!" 
 
In the ring -- Kurt Angle and ... After months of buildup, a nervous Angle apologized to fans before referencing an action from his past that produced a life-changing consequence. Sharing that both his family and WWE were "100 percent supportive" of his announcement, Angle revealed he just found out about a son he had from a failed college relationship. His son turned out to be Jason Jordan of American Alpha. An emotional Angle announced Jordan is moving to Raw before father and son embraced inside the ring.  
 
Although the announcement failed to live up to the expectations of the build, at the very least the reveal proved unpredictable. (And, let's be honest, having it not be Dixie Carter is a victory for all.) What was untold during Raw is what this means for American Alpha. If this move opens the door for a long-term solo push for Jordan, this could get interesting.

The Revival def. The Hardy Boyz via pinfall: This one was a brawl from the opening bell. Dawson and Wilder showed strong continuity in targeting Matt Hardy's left knee and keeping him from making a tag. Late in the match, Jeff Hardy jumped off his brother's back to land a Whisper in the Wind on Dawson. But after he climbed to the top rope, Wilder pushed Jeff off to set up a quick pin from Dawson, who grabbed a handful of tights. 

Backstage -- Samoa Joe: Calling himself a force of nature, Joe said the third time against Reigns "will be charmed" tonight on his road to Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. 
 
Backstage -- Titus O'Neil and Akira Tozawa: O'Neil explained that he only stopped the match because he knew Tozawa wouldn't quit. The Japanese cruiserweight said he wants a rematch with Ariya Daivari on Tuesday's 205 Live and angrily walked out.  
 
Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe ends in a no contest: There was no shortage of electricity and physicality in this three-segment match, complete with a pay-per-view intensity and multiple stiff strikes. After Joe kicked out of a Superman punch late, out came an angry Braun Strowman. Following a lengthy brawl between all three men, including a short time in which Joe applied the Coquina Clutch, Strowman finished with the upper hand. Strowman hit Reigns with a devastating spinebuster and finished Joe with a massive powerslam. After security threatened to break up the skirmish, Strowman landed one more slam on Reigns before storming off. During a WWE Network interview with Angle after Raw, the general manager declared he would make an announcement next week about who will face Lesnar at SummerSlam.  
 
Strowman's run in may have been predictable but that didn't stop it from being effective. With all signs pointing toward a Fatal 4-Way at SummerSlam, expectations couldn't be any higher for a classic.