WWE Monday Night RAW August 24, 2026 Results & Recap: OTM Debuts as Penta vs. Rey Fenix Final Is Set

WWE Monday Night RAW did something Monday nights have needed more often lately: it moved several stories forward without pretending every development was equally important. From Ottawa, tonight built toward Sunday Night’s Main Event, pushed the World Heavyweight Championship No. 1 Contender’s Tournament into the exact final it seemed designed to produce, continued Solo Sikoa’s overdue evolution away from Roman Reigns and ended by dropping a completely new problem into the middle of the Bloodline story. Rey Fenix and Dragon Lee stole the night bell-to-bell, Oba Femi and Bron Breakker finally gave their “future of WWE” program some real personal hostility, and Penta punched his ticket to a showdown with his own brother. But the lasting image was Royce Keys returning alongside Bronco Nima and Lucien Price of OTM, wiping out The Usos, Solo and LA Knight and immediately forcing themselves into one of WWE’s biggest stories. That is how a call-up should work. WWE did not ask the audience to care because somebody came from NXT. It gave them a reason to care before the credits rolled.

Here are the full results

• Stephanie Vaquer defeated Roxanne Perez
• AAA World Cruiserweight Champion Rey Fenix defeated Dragon Lee with the Mexican Muscle Buster to advance to the World Heavyweight Championship No. 1 Contender’s Tournament final.
• Big Cass defeated Je’Von Evans
• Penta defeated La Parka with the Mexican Destroyer to advance to the World Heavyweight Championship No. 1 Contender’s Tournament final.
• LA Knight & Solo Sikoa vs. Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso ended without a winner after Royce Keys and OTM attacked both teams.

Breakdowns & Reactions

Solo Sikoa and LA Knight Open Tonight With The Usos — Grade: B+

Tonight opened where last week ended: Solo Sikoa finally refusing to be Roman Reigns’ obedient family problem.

That matters.

Solo spent too much of his WWE career defined by who he was standing behind. Roman. Jimmy. Jey. The Bloodline. Somebody was almost always the center of the story while Solo served as the weapon.

That version is disappearing.

Solo thanked LA Knight for having his back after he rejected Roman last week, and the strange chemistry between them continues to work because WWE is not forcing them to suddenly become best friends. Knight still treats Solo like Solo. Solo still feels dangerous. They just happen to currently hate the same people.

The Usos interrupted and made Roman’s message obvious: Solo’s rebellion has consequences.

That gave the eventual main event a purpose beyond simply putting four major names into a tag match.

What worked

• Solo finally speaking and acting like his own man.
• Knight and Solo have unexpectedly natural chemistry.
• The Usos kept Roman’s presence hanging over tonight without Roman appearing.
• The segment immediately established the main-event stakes.

What didn’t work

• Some of the Bloodline dialogue continues to lean too heavily on the same family terminology.
• Jimmy and Jey still fluctuate between heelish Bloodline soldiers and crowd-playing babyfaces depending on the scene.

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Roxanne Perez — Grade: A-

Stephanie Vaquer’s return match accomplished exactly what it needed to.

Roxanne Perez did not wrestle like cannon fodder for somebody returning from injury. She attacked Vaquer’s arm, used Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez intelligently and made Stephanie work for the victory.

Then WWE finally used Becky Lynch correctly inside this story.

Instead of Becky and Stephanie immediately arguing again and allowing Judgment Day to destroy both of them for another variation of the same angle, Lynch actually neutralized the numbers advantage.

Vaquer then finished Perez with the butterfly lungblower.

More importantly, Stephanie acknowledged Becky afterward without suddenly pretending their problems were gone.

That is a much better direction. Rivals can respect each other without becoming friends.

What worked

• Vaquer looked sharp after the layoff.
• Perez was treated like a credible opponent.
• Becky’s involvement actually helped instead of restarting the same misunderstanding.
• The Liv-Becky-Stephanie triangle advanced without overcomplication.

What didn’t work

• Judgment Day interference remains predictable.
• Perez eating another loss needs to lead somewhere rather than becoming her permanent role.

Rey Mysterio, Rey Fenix, Judgment Day and Je’Von Evans — Grade: B

This was short but useful connective tissue.

Rey Mysterio wished Fenix luck before Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh arrived to stir things up. Je’Von Evans then inserted himself into the situation and fought them off.

It continued Evans’ Judgment Day problem while getting Fenix naturally into his tournament match.

Nothing revolutionary. Nothing wasted.

What worked

• Multiple stories were connected without feeling forced.
• Evans continued being presented as fearless.
• Mysterio’s involvement reinforced the lucha identity of the tournament.

What didn’t work

• Evans confronting Judgment Day is becoming repetitive without a larger destination.

Rey Fenix vs. Dragon Lee — World Heavyweight Championship No. 1 Contender’s Tournament Semifinal — Grade: A

Best match of the night.

There really is not much debate.

Fenix and Dragon Lee were given roughly 14 minutes and wrestled like winning actually mattered. The speed was ridiculous, but the match never completely dissolved into guys performing moves because it was their turn.

Lee’s offense had urgency. Fenix kept having to survive.

The late stretch was excellent: dives, counters, near falls, the Styles Clash kickout, Fenix finding the Ace Crusher and eventually drilling Dragon with the Mexican Muscle Buster.

Fenix advanced, but Dragon Lee probably gained nearly as much from the match as the winner.

That is good tournament wrestling.

The post-match handshake, hug and Fenix carrying Lee on his shoulders made the match feel like competition rather than manufactured personal hatred.

Fan reaction during tonight reflected it. The immediate conversation online overwhelmingly treated this as the match the second semifinal was going to have trouble following.

And it did.

What worked

• Outstanding pace.
• Excellent near falls without completely killing finishers.
• Dragon Lee looked better in defeat than he did entering.
• The crowd treated the match as important.
• Fenix now enters the final with real momentum.

What didn’t work

• WWE still sometimes rushes past Dragon Lee after he delivers matches like this.
• The inevitable Penta-Fenix final made the outcome somewhat predictable.

Lola Vice Is Coming — Grade: B+

The mystery vignette did not need to spell everything out.

The MMA imagery, presentation and “9.14” ending made the direction obvious: Lola Vice is being positioned for the main roster, with September 14 pointing directly toward WWE’s return to Mexico City.

That is smart.

Vice leaving NXT and entering the main roster in Mexico gives WWE a much stronger environment for her first major presentation than quietly dropping her into a random backstage segment.

The women’s division could use another personality, too.

What worked

• Clean, simple vignette.
• Mexico City is an ideal setting for the next step.
• WWE resisted overexplaining it.

What didn’t work

• The women’s roster is already crowded with stories that sometimes disappear for weeks, so bringing somebody up only matters if WWE has an actual plan.

Oba Femi and Bron Breakker Contract Signing — Grade: A-

This feud finally stopped being two powerful men staring at each other and started becoming personal.

Breakker’s argument was actually strong.

Before Oba arrived, Bron was supposed to be WWE’s next monster. Then he got hurt. Oba exploded. Brock Lesnar put him over as the future. Suddenly Breakker was watching someone else occupy the spot people spent years telling him belonged to him.

That is a story.

Oba’s answer was even better.

His basic point was devastating: Bron might have been WWE’s future in another era. Unfortunately for him, he exists in Oba Femi’s era.

That frames Sunday Night’s Main Event as more than a random power match.

Austin Theory eventually entered the fight, Breakker and Theory briefly overwhelmed Femi, but Oba recovered, drove Theory through the table and stared Breakker down while Bron backed away.

Oba then signed.

The visual was not subtle. It did not need to be.

What worked

• Breakker finally had an actual emotional motivation.
• Oba sounded completely comfortable opposite a top-level talker.
• Paul Heyman’s divided loyalties remain interesting.
• Theory going through the table gave the segment a memorable ending.
• Sunday Night’s Main Event now feels more important.

What didn’t work

• Oba once again got the overwhelming visual victory.
• WWE has to be careful not to make Breakker feel secondary in a match being sold as two equal futures.

Road to Sunday Night’s Main Event

September 6 in Atlanta currently centers around three significant programs:

• Oba Femi vs. Bron Breakker.
• Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton.
• United States Champion Baron Corbin vs. Lil Yachty in a five-minute challenge; if Yachty survives, Trick Williams earns another United States Title opportunity.

Tonight did its job with Oba and Breakker. The match now has a reason to exist beyond two freak athletes running into each other.

Jacob Fatu and The Usos — Grade: B+

The quiet Bloodline story might eventually become the most important one.

Jacob Fatu did exactly what Roman told him last week: stand down.

Jey and Jimmy blamed him anyway.

Jey then waved his authority around as if Roman’s delegated power suddenly makes Jacob answer to him.

Wrong person.

The segment ended with Jacob kicking equipment after The Usos walked away.

WWE is not hiding where this is headed. The question is whether Jacob turns against Roman, against The Usos, or simply decides he answers to nobody.

All three are better options than leaving him in the background forever.

What worked

• Jacob’s frustration continues building logically.
• Jey’s arrogance gives the eventual explosion justification.
• WWE is letting the tension breathe.

What didn’t work

• The Bloodline tree is getting crowded again.
• Roman’s authority needs clearer rules because characters selectively follow it when the plot requires it.

Big Cass vs. Je’Von Evans — Grade: B

This was better than the result sounds.

Big Cass wrestled his first WWE match in more than eight years, and WWE wisely did not book Je’Von Evans like a helpless undersized kid.

Evans fought.

He attacked Cass aggressively, flew over the barricade and forced the bigger man into an actual match.

Cass ultimately caught him and finished him with the big boot, but Evans looked defiant in defeat.

Judgment Day then attacked him afterward.

If WWE is serious about Evans on the main roster, losses like this can work. The problem comes if “look how brave Je’Von was while losing” becomes the entire character.

What worked

• Cass looked physically imposing.
• Evans got meaningful offense.
• The size difference created a simple story.
• Evans maintained credibility despite losing.

What didn’t work

• Another Evans loss/beatdown combination risks becoming repetitive.
• Judgment Day attacking him afterward felt like one extra beat too many.

Sol Ruca, IYO SKY and Lyra Valkyria — Grade: B

Sol Ruca’s rematch with Raquel Rodriguez next week was positioned while WWE continued the increasingly strange Lyra Valkyria character arc.

IYO congratulated Sol.

Lyra congratulated Sol.

Then Lyra wanted another championship opportunity.

Sol told her to earn it.

Lyra immediately compared Sol to Bayley and walked away irritated.

That line was the entire segment.

Lyra still carrying the emotional wreckage of what happened with Bayley is more interesting than simply turning her heel because the script says so.

What worked

• Sol continues gaining personality beyond athletic highlights.
• IYO’s involvement keeps the women’s division interconnected.
• Lyra’s Bayley reference gave her frustration actual history.

What didn’t work

• Lyra’s direction remains intentionally messy, but WWE cannot stretch the instability forever without advancement.

Penta vs. La Parka — World Heavyweight Championship No. 1 Contender’s Tournament Semifinal — Grade: B+

Following Fenix and Dragon Lee was an impossible assignment.

Penta and La Parka still delivered a strong match.

La Parka got meaningful near falls, including the avalanche Spanish Fly, before Penta survived and hit the Sacrifice followed by the Mexican Destroyer.

Penta advanced.

Then Rey Fenix appeared.

Brothers.

One title shot.

Roman Reigns waiting in Mexico City.

WWE telegraphed this final from the moment the bracket was revealed, but predictability is not automatically bad booking when the destination is the correct one.

Penta vs. Rey Fenix is the correct destination.

What worked

• La Parka was presented credibly.
• Penta remains one of WWE’s strongest crowd connections.
• The tournament now has an emotionally obvious final.
• The Mexico City stakes fit both finalists perfectly.

What didn’t work

• The outcome felt predetermined.
• La Parka’s entrance not receiving the full televised presentation hurt his importance.
• It could not match Fenix-Lee.

LA Knight and Solo Sikoa Backstage — Grade: B

Solo again thanked Knight.

Knight basically told him to stop getting emotional and focus on business.

Perfect.

That is why the pairing works.

WWE is not pretending Knight suddenly trusts the former Bloodline enforcer. He just understands they are stronger together right now.

What worked

• Their personalities remain distinct.
• The alliance feels conditional rather than manufactured.
• It reinforced the main event.

What didn’t work

• WWE should avoid overusing backstage conversations to repeatedly explain their relationship.

Chad Gable and Ethan Page — Grade: B+

This felt like WWE planting the next Intercontinental Championship program without officially announcing it.

Adam Pearce praised Chad Gable’s defense against Rey Mysterio.

Ethan Page arrived and immediately turned the conversation into himself.

Page argued that Gable was willing to face respected veterans because he was avoiding him.

Gable reminded Page that they already had the same opportunity and Page lost—then told him he had basically talked himself out of being near the front of the line.

That is the exact kind of petty championship story the midcard needs.

What worked

• Page immediately gave Gable a different personality to play against.
• The championship remains surrounded by potential challengers.
• Their exchange was sharp and concise.

What didn’t work

• Gable saying Page talked himself out of a title shot was funny but logically weird.
• WWE needs to actually follow through instead of leaving this as a one-week tease.

Stephanie Vaquer Responds to Becky Lynch — Grade: B

Vaquer said she did not need Becky’s help.

She thanked her anyway.

More importantly, Stephanie made clear that in two weeks she intends to take the Women’s World Championship back from Liv Morgan.

That kept the story focused on the title instead of allowing Becky and Stephanie’s tension to swallow everything around it.

What worked

• Vaquer remained confident rather than suddenly becoming grateful and friendly.
• Liv Morgan stayed the actual objective.
• The two-week title-match timeline was established.

What didn’t work

• WWE still needs to clarify exactly where Becky fits once Stephanie receives the title match.

LA Knight & Solo Sikoa vs. The Usos — Grade: B

The actual match was secondary to the ending.

That is not necessarily criticism.

Solo spent much of the match isolated before Knight got the hot tag. The Usos worked with their usual rhythm and the crowd was ready for the closing run.

Then everything changed.

Royce Keys appeared and blasted Jey.

Bronco Nima and Lucien Price hit the ring.

OTM had arrived.

The match essentially ceased to matter.

What worked

• Solo remained central to the story rather than disappearing behind Knight.
• The Usos worked effectively as a unit.
• The match created the perfect opening for the closing angle.

What didn’t work

• The match never received a meaningful conclusion.
• Most of the wrestling will be forgotten because the post-match angle completely overshadowed it.

Royce Keys Returns With OTM and Hijacks the Main Event — Grade: A

This was the best segment of the night.

Not because it was technically brilliant.

Because nobody watching the match needed OTM to appear.

That matters in wrestling.

WWE has become so structurally predictable that genuine left turns immediately feel bigger.

Keys, Nima and Price attacked everybody.

Jey.

Jimmy.

Solo.

Knight.

No alliance.

No explanation.

No hesitation.

Steel steps came into play before OTM powerbombed Jimmy through the announce table while Keys directed traffic.

That is how you introduce a threat.

Nima and Price spent years in NXT. They did not arrive waving goodbye to developmental or cutting a speech about accomplishing their dream. They walked into one of WWE’s biggest ongoing stories and wrecked it.

Now people have to figure out why.

That is infinitely better.

It also connects directly to Royce Keys’ existing problems with Jacob Fatu, creating another wrinkle inside a Bloodline story already cracking from multiple directions.

What worked

• Genuine surprise.
• OTM looked dangerous immediately.
• Royce Keys suddenly has direction again.
• The main roster call-up felt important instead of ceremonial.
• They attacked both sides instead of immediately becoming somebody’s henchmen.
• Jacob Fatu now has another reason to become involved.

What didn’t work

• The live crowd needed a moment to process who OTM were.
• WWE now has another faction entering an already crowded Bloodline orbit.
• The follow-up next week has to explain enough without immediately overexplaining everything.

NXT Call-Ups and WWE’s Youth Movement

Tonight quietly reinforced how aggressively WWE is cycling younger talent onto the main roster.

Bronco Nima and Lucien Price made the biggest possible statement by joining Royce Keys and destroying four established names.

Lola Vice’s vignette pointed toward September 14.

Je’Von Evans continues receiving significant television time.

Oba Femi is being openly framed as WWE’s future.

Bron Breakker is fighting him specifically because he believes that label belonged to him first.

That is not accidental.

WWE is in the middle of a generational transition, and tonight was one of the clearer examples yet.

The important part is making sure these wrestlers receive stories rather than simply screen time.

OTM received a story immediately.

That is the difference.

The Rise of Solo Sikoa

Solo Sikoa is more interesting now than he has been in a long time.

Not stronger.

Not necessarily better booked yet.

More interesting.

There is a difference.

The moment he Spiked Roman Reigns last week removed the most limiting part of Solo’s character: inevitability.

Before that, everybody knew where he belonged.

Inside the Bloodline.

Now nobody does.

Tonight reinforced that uncertainty.

He joked with LA Knight.

He worked opposite his brothers.

He got attacked by an entirely new faction.

He was part of the main event without Roman physically standing next to him.

Solo finally feels like somebody with a story instead of somebody inside Roman’s story.

That is progress.

Road to RAW’s Return to Mexico City

Everything around the tournament is pointing toward September 14 at Arena CDMX.

WWE Monday Night RAW returns to Mexico City for the first time in 15 years, and Roman Reigns will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against the tournament winner.

The final is now exactly what WWE seemed to want from the beginning:

Penta vs. Rey Fenix.

Putting the Lucha Brothers against one another for the right to challenge Roman in Mexico City is simple booking, but simple booking works when the stakes naturally fit the performers.

The Lola Vice teaser ending in “9.14” further tied tonight into WWE’s Mexico strategy.

September 14 is increasingly being presented less like another episode and more like a destination event.

That is the correct approach.

Fans, WWE Social Media and the Wider Reaction

The strongest immediate reaction coming out of tonight centered around three things.

First, Fenix vs. Dragon Lee was overwhelmingly treated as the match of the night. The pace, near falls and freedom both wrestlers were given stood out immediately.

Second, the Penta-Fenix reveal got the reaction WWE clearly wanted. Everyone could see the possibility coming, but actually getting the brothers one-on-one with a Roman Reigns title match attached still feels meaningful.

Third, OTM produced the night’s real surprise.

WWE’s social push leaned heavily into the tournament, the Oba-Breakker confrontation and the mystery surrounding September 14, while fan discussion quickly shifted toward who Royce Keys and OTM are targeting and where Jacob Fatu fits.

That is the biggest success of the ending: tonight finished with questions people actually want answered.

Best Match of the Night

Rey Fenix vs. Dragon Lee — Grade: A

Nothing else came particularly close bell-to-bell.

Fast without becoming empty.

Athletic without becoming an exhibition.

Predictable winner, unpredictable journey.

Dragon Lee reminded everybody why WWE should be doing more with him, while Fenix entered next week’s final looking like a legitimate threat to Penta rather than simply the second Lucha Brother.

Best Segment of the Night

Royce Keys and OTM destroy The Usos, Solo Sikoa and LA Knight — Grade: A

The Oba Femi-Bron Breakker contract signing was cleaner.

The OTM debut was more important.

Tonight closed with something it did not have three hours earlier: a completely new variable inside its biggest storyline.

That wins.

What Was Announced for Next Week’s WWE Monday Night RAW

• Roman Reigns returns.
• Penta faces Rey Fenix in the World Heavyweight Championship No. 1 Contender’s Tournament final.
• Raquel Rodriguez (c) vs Sol Ruca (Women’s Intercontinental Championship)
• Fallout is expected from Royce Keys and OTM’s attack on The Usos, Solo Sikoa and LA Knight.

Current and Updated World Heavyweight Championship No. 1 Contender’s Tournament

First Round

• Penta defeated Laredo Kid.
• La Parka defeated Psycho Clown.
• Dragon Lee defeated El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.
• Rey Fenix defeated El Fiscal.

Semifinals — August 24

• Rey Fenix defeated Dragon Lee.
• Penta defeated La Parka.

Final — August 31

• Penta vs. Rey Fenix

World Heavyweight Championship Match — September 14, Mexico City

• Roman Reigns vs. Penta/Rey Fenix

One brother leaves next Monday with the biggest singles opportunity of his WWE career.

The other watches him challenge Roman Reigns in Mexico City.

That is enough story by itself.

Final Thoughts

Tonight was good because WWE mostly stopped wasting motion.

Fenix and Dragon Lee delivered the wrestling.

Penta completed the tournament story.

Oba Femi and Bron Breakker finally made Sunday Night’s Main Event feel personal.

Stephanie Vaquer continued moving toward Liv Morgan without restarting the same Becky Lynch argument.

Solo Sikoa continued separating himself from Roman.

Jacob Fatu continued getting angrier.

And then OTM showed up and kicked the entire Bloodline chessboard across the room.

There were still familiar problems. Judgment Day interference is becoming automatic. Je’Von Evans is dangerously close to becoming “young guy who looks great while getting beaten up.” The Bloodline remains complicated enough that alignment sometimes changes depending on which entrance Jey Uso is doing.

But tonight had momentum.

More importantly, it ended with more momentum than it started with.

That is what weekly wrestling television is supposed to do.

Next week now has Roman Reigns, Penta vs. Rey Fenix, a Women’s Intercontinental Championship match and the fallout from OTM’s arrival.

For once, WWE does not need to manufacture a reason to come back.

It already gave us one.

Overall Grade: B+

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