WWE Raw results, recap, grades: Braun Strowman returns, Dexter Lumis traps The Miz inside a steel cage

Braun Strowman is back. The behemoth picked up right where he left off in 2021 by carving a path of destruction through WWE Raw on Monday night.

Strowman returned to the company after 14 months away from the WWE bubble. The former universal champion disposed of eight WWE superstars and promised to lay more waste on SmackDown.

Elsewhere on the program, The Miz attempted to find refuge from Dexter Lumis inside a steel cage, but instead found himself trapped with his worst nightmares on Monday night.  A U.S. championship match between Bobby Lashley and The Miz headlined the show.

CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from T-Mobile Arena in Kansas City, Missouri.

Braun Strowman strikes with brute force, Dexter Lumis executes with meticulous planning

A fatal four-way tag team match took place to determine the No. 1 contenders for The Usos undisputed tag team championships. American Alpha, Los Lotharios, New Day and Street Profits competed admirably but none of them emerged victorious. Strowman made his WWE return by clearing the field and flattening most of the superstars before driving Angelo Dawkins through a table.

Later in the evening, a cameraman approached Strowman for comment. “The Monster Among Men” celebrated his return, assured that no one was safe and announced that he would appear on Friday Night SmackDown this week. It was Strowman’s first WWE appearance since being released on June 2, 2021, as part of reported budget cuts.

The Miz and Ciampa arrived at Raw early in the program. Miz refused to address his kidnapping by Lumis when questioned by an interviewer. The villainous duo investigated a mysteriously upturned car before moving on.

Later in the evening, the pair were again approached for an interview. The Miz was short about Lumis, but the interviewer insisted that Bobby Lashley was the subject of the story. Miz promised to dethrone Lashley for the U.S. title in Monday’s main event. 

U.S. championship — Bobby Lashley (c) def. The Miz via pinfall to retain the title. Miz blindsided Lashley before the match started and took advantage during the early portions of the match. The challenger’s attempts to escape the cage gave Lashley the opening he needed to take over. Lashley repeatedly tossed his foe across the ring, punishing him with power movers and hunting for pinfalls. The Miz repeatedly nailed Lashley with signature moves — such as a running knee and the Skullcrushing Finale — that elicited near falls. Lashley was footsteps away from victory but was intercepted by Ciampa when attempting to exit the cage door. The Miz repeatedly smashed Lashley’s head against the cage door before scaling the side of the cage to escape. Mid-escape, The Miz spotted Lumis’ top half sticking out from under the ring. Miz fled back inside of the cage. Lashley took advantage of the moment and blindsided his opponent with a spear to score the pinfall and retain his title. 

Post-match, Lashley trapped Miz in the cage with Lumis. The stalker choked his victim unconscious and stroked his head to close out the show.

The scars of years of uneven and unfinished storytelling will take time to heal. Until then, I will continue to applaud consistent, multi-layered storytelling. The restraint to slowly unravel the mystery of Dexter Lumis is refreshing and exciting, even if the premise is hokey. The main event’s in-ring action was fine. The real highlight is how The Miz’s attempts to evade Lumis ultimately trapped him in a prison with the unhinged predator. Strowman’s return was also refreshing news. WWE heavily invested in their Strowman pet project and it was disheartening to see him released last year. Strowman is supremely athletic for a man his size and a believable threat at all times. Grade: B

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