WWE Raw Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights of Roman Reigns vs. Penta and Full Show

WWE's stint in Mexico City continued Monday on Raw with a Netflix broadcast headlined by a blockbuster main event with high stakes.

Did Roman Reigns successfully retain his World Heavyweight Championship when he defended against Penta, or did the hometown hero relieve the OTC of his gold, making it three successive shows south of the border with a new champion crowned?

Find out in this recap, including grades and analysis for the entire show.

World Heavyweight Championship Match: Penta vs. Roman Reigns (c)

Intercontinental Championship Match: Chad Gable (c) vs. Dragon Lee

Women's Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Raquel Rodriguez vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Lola Vice

Men's Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Je'Von Evans vs. Big Cass vs. Austin Theory

Last Time in Action: Rey Mysterio lost to Omos (AAA Triplemania, September 11)

Sporting a neck brace following a vicious attack from Omos at AAA Triplemania, the 2023 Hall of Famer kicked off the show, addressing the fans and throwing to a recap of Stephanie Vaquer's Women's World Championship victory over Liv Morgan on Saturday night in Chile.

La Primera joined Mysterio in the ring, drawing a huge ovation from the Mexico City audience, and expressed the joy of winning the title in her home country and the pride she has in representing Mexico.

Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio interrupted, drawing a chorus of boos from the audience, the fans nearly drowning out the latter as he reprimanded his father.

El Grande Americano, the new AAA Mega Champion after defeating Dirty Dom 24 hours earlier, arrived to a deafening pop and a Mixed Tag team Match was announced to kick off the in-ring portion of the show.

WWE could not have possibly started a show hotter than this, for this audience. The crowd ate all of it up, Vaquer showed great emotion, Mysterio was the perfect option to welcome Mexico City to Netflix, and the Mixed Tag Team Match featuring the beloved Americano was a stellar creative decision.

El Grande Americano and Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio

Last Time in Action: El Grande Americano defeated Dominik Mysterio (AAA Triplemania, September 13); Liv Morgan defeated Stephanie Vaquer (Raw, September 7)

The Judgment Day, as it tends to do, arrived just in the nick of time to ruin the opening contest of Monday's show.

A high-energy, red-hot Mixed Tag Team Match pitting Americano and Vaquer against Mysterio and Morgan was progressing perfectly, with La Primera delivering a 619 to both opponents and the babyfaces setting up for the win.

The arrival of Roxanne Perez, Raquel Rodriguez, and JD McDonagh turned the numbers game in the heels' favor and ensured the segment ended with the villainous faction standing tall to close it out.

Before that, fans were treated to two mini matches within the context of a bigger one, each appropriately good with enough connective tissue to pass for one overarching bout.

All four Superstars were excellent, the crowd ate it up, and the only negative was the decision to book the non-finish just to rebuild heat for a faction that typically does not have problems with that.

Americano and Vaquer defeated Morgan and Mysterio via disqualification

Vaquer and Americano have so much in-ring personality. They were excellent here, feeding off the audience and playing to it when the time called for it.

Would it have hurt for the babyfaces to have one more triumphant night in Mexico City?

Money in the Bank Qualifier: Je'Von Evans vs. Austin Theory vs. Big Cass

Last Time in Action: Je'Von Evans defeated Dominik Mysterio via disqualification (Raw, August 28); Big Cass defeated Brooks Jensen (Main Event, September 10); Austin Theory lost to Otis (Raw, September 7)

Maxxine Dupri attempted to run interference for her boyfriend Theory, distracting Cass at ringside. It did not work. Instead, Evans drove him into the giant, then proceeded to outmaneuver Cass, deliver the OG Cutter, and score the victory.

A good, energetic match that built nicely and only got a little messy late, it featured a pleasant surprise outcome, with Evans cashing his ticket to Money in the Bank, where he joins Bron Breakker in the namesake ladder match.

Theory held this one together nicely. For all of the issues that some have with his character, he is a spectacularly solid wrestler who probably does not get the credit he has earned for his in-ring work.

Interesting to see Big Cass eat the fall here when the aforementioned Theory was right there . Considering the lengths to which WWE has gone to rejuvenate The Vision after last week's Sunday Night's Main Event and Raw, it makes sense that the creative team would not want to beat Theory. Why book itself into a corner by beating Cass, though?

Intercontinental Championship Match: Dragon Lee vs. Chad Gable

Last Time in Action: Dragon Lee, Penta, and Rey Fenix defeated Los Perros del Mal (AAA Ola del Calor) ; Chad Gable defeated Rey Mysterio (Raw, August 17)

Two of the best wrestlers on the Raw brand wowed the fans in Mexico City with a competitive battle for the Intercontinental Championship as Gable defended against Lee.

The challenger threw himself around the squared circle early and often, wiping the champion out and putting him on the defensive entering the break.

Back from the timeout, champion and challenger traded blows, each looking for the knockout that would earn them the title. Gable targeted the ankle, looking for his trademark submission, but Lee answered with a double stomp to the floor.

Later, he survived a moonsault from Gable to deliver Operation Dragon, but could only hold the champion down for two. Chants of "esto es lucha!" rained from the stands as Lee countered out of an ankle lock, delivered the Styles Clash, but still could not keep Gable down for three.

Gable grabbed the ankle and forced the tapout moments later, but took time to express respect for Lee, to the appreciation of the Mexico City fans.

Not that it should surprise anyone, but this was a hellish match. Gable and Lee tore the house down in a great one, featuring plenty of drama, a red-hot crowd, and some jaw-dropping athletic feats.

The right person went over as so much time and energy, two year's worth to be exact, went into Gable winning the gold.

With that said, Lee has had copious bangers over the last year and really should be rewarded with a consistent push instead of being relied on to be "the other guy" in great matches.

Women's Money in the Bank Qualifier: Lola Vice vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Last Time in Action: Lola Vice lost to Kendal Grey (NXT, August 4); Kelani Jordan defeated Jaida Parker (NXT, September 8); Raquel Rodriguez defeated Sol Ruca (Raw, August 28)

Vice capped off her main roster debut with a rollup on Rodriguez that earned her the win over Big Sexy and NXT Women's Champion Jordan and a spot in the Money in the Bank match.

A competitive bout that saw Vice waste little time acclimating herself on the Raw brand by taking the fight to her opponents from the opening bell, it appropriately spotlighted all three competitors.

The NXT exports highlighted what about them made them breakout stars in the first place, while Rodriguez kept them at bay, looking to cash her ticket to New Orleans.

Unfortunately for the Judgment Day muscle, Vice scored the win with a rollup and appears fast-tracked toward success on the flagship.

In a match with a lightning-quick pace at times, neither Jordan nor Vice looked out of place as they competed for a spot in Money in the Bank. Their work was crisp, their timing was mostly perfect, and they highlighted themselves well to an audience that may not be as familiar with their work as others.

Rodriguez was great here. She was the experienced veteran tasked with holding the match together. It helped that Vice and Jordan have a rich history with each other, but working on TV, on Monday Night Raw, is a completely different beast. She made sure everything went well and even finds herself with a potentially new challenger in Vice.

Jordan is ready to be called up now, but the lack of spots on Raw or SmackDown means she is better off being the standard-bearer for the brand she was introduced and evolved on.

World Heavyweight Championship Match: Penta vs. Roman Reigns

Last Time in Action: Penta, Rey Fenix, and Dragon Lee defeated Los Perros del Mal (AAA Ola del Calor, August 30); Roman Reigns defeated Seth Rollins (SummerSlam, August 2)

The atmosphere was otherworldly as Penta and Reigns came face to face during the introductions for Monday's main event.

Penta controlled early while Reigns seized control entering the commercial break. The challenger shook it off and put The OTC on the defensive. Grabbing hold of the champion's arm, Penta delivered the Sacrifice, snapping the limb straight back and sending Reigns scurrying in pain.

The Tribal Chief dropped Penta on the ring apron, then followed with a powerbomb on the announce table. It did not take the fight out of the challenger, who delivered a Penta Driver for a dramatic near-fall that reignited the crowd.

High drama reigned supreme late in the bout as Penta delivered a Mexican Destroyer, only to eat a spear from Reigns. The Tribal Chief was left in disbelief as Penta shot his shoulder off the mat to avoid the three-count.

Frustrated, he talked trash to Penta, then grabbed the microphone to demand acknowledgement from the Mexico City fans. The challenger did just that, in the form of another Mexican Destroyer, but Reigns kicked out.

An exchange of blows gave way to a springboard attempt by Penta, who landed face-first in a Superman Punch. A spear later and Reigns successfully retained the gold.

This is the best Reigns we have ever seen. Perhaps he is on a revenge tour, hellbent to remind the audience of who the top guy in WWE really is, but he is on a streak of main event matches that have each been Match of the Year contenders.

Get Penta in the main event scene now. Put him there, keep him there. This was his biggest test and he passed it with flying colors. He was fantastic, as he has been consistently, and has earned that jump to the next level.

The chemistry here was off the charts, too. Who would have thought we would see Reigns sell two Mexican Destroyers, let alone one?

It is a testament to the show as a whole that determining the MVP of this broadcast was as difficult as it is. With that said, the weight of the world was on Penta to prove he could hang with Reigns in the main event, in front of a rabid audience ready to see him win the World Heavyweight Championship.

The luchador did just that, proving himself worthy of sharing the ring with one of the measuring sticks in WWE and, even in defeat, coming out of it looking like a genuine main event star.

In his first real test of his main event value, he passed with flying colors and earned another look in the title picture sooner rather than later.

Recency bias be damned, this was one of the greatest episodes of WWE Raw of all time. An elite crowd, a card that featured nothing bad or even mid, for that matter, and a main event that would have been right at home on a premium live event card, this was a sign of what WWE is capable of when motivated to produce the best possible product.

We saw some NXT stars shine, a tremendously fun opening Mixed Tag Team Match, two quality Money in the Bank qualifiers, and a breakout performance from a luchador who should already be a fixture in the main event.