WWE Raw Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From September 21

On the heels of the performance of a lifetime in Mexico City, former No. 1 contender Penta was live Monday night on WWE Raw from San Antonio.

What did the luchador have to say after pushing Roman Reigns to the limit?

Find out in this recap, which also includes grades and analysis from two different Money in the Bank Qualifying Matches and the latest showdown between Bayley and Lyra Valkyria.

Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match : Dragon Lee vs. Solo Sikoa vs. Dominik Mysterio

Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match : Iyo Sky vs. La Catalina vs. Roxanne Perez

Last Time in Action: Penta lost to Roman Reigns (Raw, September 14)

Penta kicked off Monday's show by addressing his loss to Roman Reigns and expressing his desire for a rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh interrupted, with the former poking fun at the luchador's loss and claiming the fans in San Antonio wanted to hear from a winner from last week's show.

Penta claimed Rey Mysterio was the only real King of the Luchadors, instigating a brawl that ended with the heels bailing and the masked babyface standing tall.

Penta is as over as possible and now is absolutely the time to catapult him to the top of the card, even if that means not giving him the world title. Yet.

What a random segment between two guys who have not been involved with each other for several months. Smart money? Penta is somehow involved in the Money in the Bank Qualifying Match involving Dirty Dom later in the show.

Women's Money in the Bank Qualifier: Iyo Sky vs. La Catalina vs. Roxanne Perez

Last Time in Action: Roxanne Perez defeated Faby Apache, La Hiedra, and Nattie (AAA Triplemania, September 11); La Catalina defeated Flammer (AAA Triplemania, September 13); Iyo Sky and Sol Ruca defeated Perez and Raquel Rodriguez (Raw, August 10)

The Prodigy is headed to Money in the Bank after Roxanne Perez defeated Iyo Sky and AAA Reina de Reinas Champion La Catalina.

Perez outlasted her opponents in a highly competitive match, staying resourceful and alert as she avoided Sky's Over the Moonsault, which crashed into Catalina. Seizing the opening, she delivered Pop Rox and scored what has to be considered an upset win.

Long overshadowed as the third-most-prominent woman in the Judgment Day, she has seen her star rise again lately, earning a shot at Catalina's Reina de Reinas title at Worlds Collide and now heading to Money in the Bank for a guaranteed championship opportunity.

This was a huge spot for La Catalina, making her Raw debut against two of the best workers on the roster: Sky and Perez. It shows WWE officials have a lot of trust in her, even if her presence alongside The Prodigy was a nice way to build hype for their Worlds Collide match.

This was a fantastic match, featuring three women without any big story arcs, who managed to win over the fans in San Antonio with the action between the ropes. It was a fantastic night for all three, and they should be factored into more significant plans, regardless of the brand, moving forward.

Early Predictions for WrestleMania 43 Match Card 🔮

Last Time in Action: LA Knight and Solo Sikoa defeated The Usos (Raw, August 24)

On the heels of the official announcement from Raw general manager Adam Pearce that he will challenge Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship at Money in the Bank, Knight hit the ring to address the fans.

Focused and fired up all at the same time, Knight acknowledged Reigns' greatness while, at the same time, acknowledging that The OTC has never beaten him one-on-one, straight-up, and without any interference.

He vowed to head into New Orleans and leave with the World Heavyweight Championship.

This was as good as we have ever seen Knight on the mic in WWE. He was focused, spoke with intent, gave credit where it was due, but also hyped himself and his own feats up.

Crediting Reigns for winning on his own lately, while also calling him out for not doing the same when they clashed, lent credibility to his promo and set the stage for the Tribal Chief to have to prove him wrong at Money in the Bank.

Last Time in Action: Je'Von Evans defeated Big Cass and Austin Theory (Raw, September 14); Bron Breakker defeated Ethan Page and Rey Mysterio (Raw, September 7)

If you can't beat 'em, cause a disqualification to save face and avoid defeat.

That was the strategy The Vision employed in Monday's match between Evans and Breakker.

The Young OG had evaded every spear from The Badass, fended off all attempts at interference from Theory, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, and Maxxine Dupri, and was still moments away from a huge upset win.

Until Theory re-entered the proceedings, broke up an OG Cutter, and drew the DQ.

After the match, The Vision teased a huge beatdown of the babyface, but Oba Femi returned, obliterated anyone in his way, and stood tall to close things out.

Evans defeated Breakker via disqualification

This was one of the best ways to present an underdog babyface we have seen in WWE in a long time. Evans was strong, confident, never fell for the same old heel tactics, and was on his way to actually winning while making The Vision look like fools. This was great stuff and went a long way in presenting the Young OG as a legitimate player at the next level.

The roof blew off the arena when Femi made the save. He is a monster Babyface at this point and someone who could win the world title today and be accepted in that role.

The Judgment Day Addresses the WWE Universe

JD McDonagh took exception to Joe Hendry's Funk Pop insult and claimed the nonsense has to end because it is affecting his family at home in Ireland.

Liv Morgan took over from there, turning her attention to the Women's World Championship, her controversial loss to Stephanie Vaquer in Chile, and what she calls the "Santiago Screwjob."

This brought out Becky Lynch, who appeared in the stands. She called B.S. on McDonagh's claims, said the whole world calls her the best referee ever, and staked her claim to a women's title opportunity.

La Primera joined the segment, promised to prove she didn't need Lynch to beat Morgan, and said she would defend against The Man, too.

She raised the women's title overhead to close things out.

This did not reinvent the wheel or anything, but it was efficient in that it highlighted two rivalries and continued to paint a picture of tension between Vaquer and Lynch, even as they focus their attention on common enemy, Morgan.

The inevitably Lynch vs. Morgan vs. Vaquer match is going to be hella great and a match with enough star power to justify a main event spot on a high-profile card.

Last Time in Action: Bayley lost to Lyra Valkyria (Saturday Night's Main Event, July 18); Valkyria lost to Sol Ruca in a match also involving Raquel Rodriguez (Raw, September 14)

Bayley started Monday's match seeking vengeance, unleashing months of frustration on Valkyria as the former tag team champions exploded.

A bum knee halted her momentum, though, and allowed the inaugural Women's Intercontinental Champion to seize control of the bout. The heel took control during the break and only relented when she missed a moonsault, allowing the Role Model to mount her comeback.

Bayley punished Valkyria and set up to drive her through the announce table, but the heel escaped. Stalking after her opponent like a predator after its prey, Bayley pummeled Valkyria inside the squared circle, but the referee's attempt to back her off backfired.

Valkyria used the momentary distraction to send her opponent into the ropes. A roll-up, with a handful of tights, secured the villainess the victory.

Bayley was deadly serious as she took to the squared circle, lacking her positive attitude or fiery demeanor. It was a welcome change of pace that underscored the gravity of the match.

The finish was clever, but without a stipulation (Loser Leaves WWE, maybe?), it feels like demand for the feud to continue has dropped sharply.

Hopefully, the company can stick the finish because, as the quality of the match here shows, Bayley and Valkyria are more than capable of delivering a match befitting them.

Last Time In Action: Roxanne Perez defeated La Catalina and Iyo Sky (Raw, earlier tonight); Lola Vice defeated Kelani Jordan and Raquel Rodriguez (Raw, September 14)

Adam Pearce introduced Vice not only as a competitor in Money in the Bank but also as the newest member of the Raw roster.

Before she could say much of substance, Perez interrupted.

A tense back-and-forth between former NXT foes ended with Vice standing tall.

This worked in that it introduced a first rivalry for Vice on the main roster, one that could see her stand beside Stephanie Vaquer and Becky Lynch against The Judgment Day in the weeks to come.

Backstage, Bron Breakker informed Paul Heyman that the problem is not that Oba Femi is still breathing, but that he is.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Penta vs. Dragon Lee vs. Dominik Mysterio

Last Time in Action: Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan lost to El Grande Americano and Stephanie Vaquer via DQ (Raw, September 14); Dragon Lee lost to Chad Gable (Raw, September 14); Penta lost to Roman Reigns (Raw, September 14)

After 946's Royce Keys, Bronco Nima, and Lucien Price kidnapped Solo Sikoa in front of a worldwide viewing audience as if there would be no legal repercussions, Adam Pearce announced that Penta would take the abducted Superstar's place in the men's ladder match qualifier.

The former No. 1 contender cashed his ticket to Money in the Bank following a thrilling, red-hot match-up that had fans in San Antonio hanging on every near-fall.

Late in the match, with Lee taken out of the equation following a Mexican Destroyer on the apron, Mysterio delivered a 619 and frog splash, but Penta kicked out. He dodged another 619, executed a springboard Mexican Destroyer, and picked up the win to the fans' delight as the show went off the air.

Bookending the show with Penta after his performance last week was an excellent creative decision.

Lee is red-hot right now and a Superstar the company should consider getting under a long-term contract sooner rather than later. He is just now finding his footing on TV and connecting with the audience based almost exclusively on his excellent work.

This was the best Mysterio in-ring performance in what felt like forever. Putting him there with the luchadores and letting him work from time to time, instead of playing a cowardly heel, may be exactly what the doctor ordered.

For the second consecutive week, Penta was the star of the show. WWE not only started and ended it with Cero Miedo, but the creative team also presented him in a way that told the world he is a top-tier performer with championship aspirations.

He delivered another stellar in-ring performance that sent fans home happy and excited about his current place in the WWE Universe.

Not quite the all-timer that last week's show was, this was still a really good episode of the flagship, highlighted by the excellent Money in the Bank qualifiers.

The steady storytelling involving The Bloodline and 946, the strength of the women's title picture, the introduction of a Vice-Perez feud, and a killer LA Knight promo really enhanced the viewing experience and made for another strong entry at a time of year when the product is typically on the colder side.