Monday Night Raw – August 31, 2026: Check The Tape
Monday Night Raw
Date: August 31, 2026
Location: Rocket Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett
We’re taped this week and in this case we have a heck of a main event. The tournament to crown a new #1 contender to Roman Reigns wraps up this week with a battle between brothers Rey Fenix and Penta. Other than that, Royce Keys and OTM are officially a thing and that isn’t going to go well around here. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
OTM and Royce Keys pull up in the back and wreck the Usos with pipes and smash them onto their car. The Usos are busted open (I’m assuming that’s what the censoring is for) but Jacob Fatu runs up to chase the other three off.
Women’s Intercontinental Title: Sol Ruca vs. Raquel Rodriguez
Rodriguez, with Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez, is defending as we keep going to a split screen to look at the bleeding Usos being tended to (the shattered window of their car is ignored). Wait hang on as we have the Big Match Intros but here is Jacob Fatu to call out Royce Keys and OTM. Fatu threatens violence but his mic is cut and Adam Pearce and the agents come in to get rid of Fatu.
With Fatu leaving through the crowd, we’re officially ready to go with Rodriguez going after the arm. Ruca flips away from a spin of the arm and clotheslines Rodriguez to the floor. The running flip dive takes Rodriguez down again but she runs Ruca over back inside. Ruca’s springboard spinning crossbody gets two but she misses the middle rope crossbody to the floor. Rodriguez runs her over again and we take a break.
We come back with Ruca hitting a running forearm against the ropes, followed by a Backstabber with her feet. They go to the apron with Rodriguez grabbing her by the head, only to get caught with a sunset bomb. The rest of Judgment Day try to get involved so Ruca hits a springboard corkscrew dive. Back in and Ruca loads up the Sol Snatcher but Lyra Valkyria runs in to break it up, allowing Rodriguez to hit the Tejana Bomb to retain at 9:13.
Rating: C+. Ruca trying to overcome the odds and getting caught in the end was a good way to go as Ruca can go after Valkyria while Rodriguez gets another opponent. The best thing about Ruca is that she is starting to feel like she belongs around here and is over her early yips. That should help carry her a long way and her star power and athleticism can get her the rest of the way.
Valkyria’s “who me?” look is rather amusing.
Video on Rey Fenix and Penta, who dominated AAA together and are now getting the biggest chance of their career.
We look back at the opening attack on the Usos.
Here is Chad Gable for a chat. Gable says he loves the energy around here and he thought that winning the Intercontinental Title was the big goal. Now though, he realizes that the real work begins and he would not be here without the Mexican people. He wants to thank them and that’s why when Raw returns to Mexico in two weeks, he’ll be defending the title.
Last week someone had a career making performance in the #1 contenders tournament and it has earned, which brings out Dragon Lee. Gable seems ready to make the announcement but Ethan Page interrupts, saying he gets what is going on around here. Page says he should get a title shot, with Gable saying that Page is on the list of challengers. Right under Honky Tonk Man.
Page tells him to stop being a charity case or he’ll become a paper champion. Lee cuts him off and Page says the adults are talking. That gets Page some yelling from Lee, who tells Page to prove that he’s the better man. Gable likes that idea and says let’s make this for the title shot in Mexico City (Page: “I’m in.”).
Ethan Page vs. Dragon Lee
For the Intercontinental Title shot in Mexico City. Lee kicks away to start fast but Page is back up with a powerslam. A heck of a big boot drops Lee again but he’s able to knock Page into the corner for the running dropkick. The big running flip dive connects for Lee and we take a break.
We come back with Page being thrown over the top and out to the floor. That’s fine with Page, who grabs a double underhook swinging backbreaker for two back inside. Lee’s tornado DDT gets the same and he knees Page to the floor for a running hurricanrana. The big running flip dive is cut off with a shot from Page though and he throws Lee into Gable. That’s enough for Page to take a turnbuckle pad off and avoid a charge to send Lee into the steel. The referee sees it though and won’t count the pin, meaning Operation Dragon can finish Page at 11:45.
Rating: B-. Page is a good choice for someone to put Lee over and set up the title match. It’s nice to have Lee win a match rather than getting the title shot coming off of a loss. Lee continues to look awesome and seeing him bust out that flip dive in Mexico is going to be great. Page needs something to do and hopefully that happens soon, as he’s a good hand as a heel.
We look back at Solo Sikoa turning on the Bloodline two weeks ago.
Roman Reigns arrives and finds Jacob Fatu, asking him about the twins. Fatu fills him in about the attack and is assigned to take out Royce Keys. Reigns will handle the rest, which includes going to the arena. In the ring, Reigns says everyone wants what he has and he should be dealing with Penta or Rey Fenix. Instead, everyone has complaints to make and that brings him to Solo Sikoa. Reigns gave him the chance to give Reigns what he earned but Sikoa picked LA Knight. He gets it: Knight reminds Sikoa of the Rock but HE’S NOT IN THE FAMILY.
Let’s talk about Knight, who is right here in person. Knight says Reigns is just reusing material from three years ago and putting things in Knight’s way. He didn’t realize that OTC stood for One Tremendous Coward and it’s time to do this one on one. Knight gets in the ring but we see Sikoa down in the back, and Fatu standing near him. Adam Pearce and company check on Sikoa (and someone else who is down that we can’t see) as Knight comes in to yell at Fatu. They’re held apart and Reigns Superman Punches Knight before telling Fatu that Fatu can handle Royce Keys while Reigns will handle Knight.
Video on Lola Vice (again unnamed but obvious) on the beach and in the gym. She’s here September 14.
Dominik Mysterio vs. Je’Von Evans
Mysterio’s AAA Mega Title isn’t on the line and JD McDonagh is here with him. This is fallout from Judgment Day jumping Evans after his loss to Big Cass last week. Mysterio jumps him before the bell but gets caught in a springboard hurricanrana. McDonagh offers a distraction though and Mysterio gets in an elbow to the face to take over. Evans isn’t having that and sends him outside for a big dive as we take a break.
We come back with Mysterio choking on the ropes, with McDonagh getting in a shot to the face. Back up and Evans kicks him into the corner and a heck of a springboard high crossbody sends Mysterio outside. Evans starts running around the ring but gets cut off by McDonagh for the DQ at 7:25.
Rating: C+. Evans is such an athletic marvel and it’s great to see him getting a chance to show that off. He can fly like few others these days and has some size to make it feel even more unique. The ending was a bit annoying but Mysterio has lost enough lately and you want him strong going into TripleMania.
Post match the beatdown is on but Joe Hendry runs in for the save. A livid Adam Pearce comes out to restart this as a tag match because he’s sick of Judgment Day.
Joe Hendry/Je’Von Evans vs. Judgment Day
The bell rings and Evans gets a running start to dive over the barricade and take the villains out. We take a break and come back with Hendry giving McDonagh a rather delayed vertical suplex for two. Mysterio gets in a cheap shot on Evans and McDonagh rakes the face in the corner.
Evans is fine enough to go up top for a spinning moonsault, because of course that’s something you can do. Hendry comes in to clean house, including a double fall away slam. McDonagh cuts him off with the big headbutt though and the frog splash gives Mysterio the pin at 9:11.
Rating: C. This was only so interesting but dang it’s hard to see what is happening to Hendry. He just feels like he has nothing to do and is only there for the sake of losing matches like this one. I get that he might not be the biggest star in the world but he was popular and should be able to do something more than this. Mysterio and McDonagh work well enough together but they’re not really the story here, as Hendry looks like nothing and Evans was getting beaten up for a lot of the match.
We look at Stephanie Vaquer teaming up with Becky Lynch to go after the Judgment Day.
Vaquer interrupts Lynch and they seem to respect each other, though Vaquer says she doesn’t owe Lynch anything. Lynch says if Vaquer wins the title from Liv Morgan, she’s first in line. Vaquer says that Lynch doesn’t deserve the title but it deserves her. This was rather tense.
Video on Oba Femi vs. Bron Breakker.
Paul Heyman is asked about the match and says that it’s a match both men have to win and neither can afford to lose (the exact words he used to hype up Austin vs. Rock at Wrestlemania XVII). He knows what Femi did to Brock Lesnar but he knows what Breakker does in the gym and the work he puts in. No predictions or spoilers, because we’ll find out this Sunday.
Sunday Night’s Main Event rundown.
Judgment Day celebrates their good night and Roxanne Perez says she has Liv Morgan’s back against Becky Lynch.
We recap the Usos and Solo Sikoa being attacked.
#1 Contenders Tournament Finals: Penta vs. Rey Fenix
For a shot at Roman Reigns in Mexico City in two weeks and Fenix’s AAA Cruiserweight Title isn’t on the line. They shake hands to start and Penta kicks away but gets rolled up for a fast two. Fenix snaps off a hurricanrana but Penta sends him to the floor for the big running flip dive. We take a break and come back with Fenix sending him into the corner for some kicks to the head. A corkscrew dive to the floor takes Penta down again and a handspring cutter does it again back inside. Penta kicks him in the face to cut things off and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets two.
We take another break and come back again with Penta knocking him down for two more. The Mexican Destroyer on the apron is blocked though and Fenix hits a moonsault press for two. Penta flips him into the air for a heck of a powerbomb and another near fall. Fenix cuts Penta off on top so Penta tries a super sunset bomb, with Fenix landing on his feet. The Mexican MuscleBuster is countered into a Penta Driver for two and they’re both down again.
With nothing in the ring working, it’s time to head to the announcers’ table, with Penta grabbing another Penta Driver for the big crash. Somehow that’s only good for two so Penta Sacrifices Fenix’s arm (Wade Barrett cringes) but Fenix snaps off a running hurricanrana for two. That leaves Penta to pop back up though and the Mexican Destroyer gives Penta the pin at 19:11.
Rating: A-. Yeah this was great, with the two of them beating the fire out of each other for a big prize. There is something about watching Fenix in the ring where you get the feeling that he is just leaving everything he has in the ring and it was on full display here. Penta winning was pretty much the only realistic result here, but they put in a heck of a match on the way there. Outstanding main event.
Respect is shown post match. Roman Reigns comes out for the staredown to end the show.
Overall Rating: B-. The main event was more than great but the rest of the show was more about setting things up for the future. That included a lot of focus on the Mexico City show, which makes sense as next week is going to be taking place on Labor Day and might not be the biggest draw. Not a must see show, but the main event is definitely worth a look.
Results
Raquel Rodriguez b. Sol Ruca – Tejana Bomb
Dragon Lee b. Ethan Page – Operation Dragon
Je’Von Evans b. Dominik Mysterio via DQ when JD McDonagh interfered
Judgment Day b. Je’Von Evans/Joe Hendry – Frog splash to Hendry
Penta b. Rey Fenix – Mexican Destroyer
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