WWE Raw results, recap, grades: The Bloodline invades and dominates; Theory retains title over Seth Rollins

While the headlines leading up to the first Raw of 2023 were all about a pair of championship contests, it was an invasion by The Bloodline that was the show’s biggest storyline on Monday night.

The Bloodline, still stinging after a loss on SmackDown, invaded Raw in the show’s opening moments, looking to make a statement. This would lead to WWE officials throwing the group into a pair of matches later that night as punishment.

However, it was ultimately The Bloodline who punished.

CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

The Bloodline dominates the Raw locker room

The Bloodline invaded Raw to kick off the show. After The Usos, Solo Sikoa and Sami Zayn took over the ring, Kevin Owens came out with a microphone. Zayn told Owens it was a hostile takeover and people were going to get hurt, leading to Owens trying to storm the ring before Adam Pearce came out and said that The Bloodline is not the authority in the building and that the group would leave the building before sending the hapless standard security guards to the ring to get beaten up. Owens then ran to the ring but was overwhelmed, leading much of the Raw locker room to run to Owens’ aid and flee from the invaders. Pearce then said that if the band wanted to come to work, he would put them to work and each of them would have a game later that night.

Solo Sikoa beats. Elias in a Music City street fight after hitting a Rock Bottom from the ring apron on a piano. The match saw both men using instruments as weapons throughout before Sikoa got the big finish. During the match, musician Hardy also hit Sikoa with a guitar but the hit had no effect.

The Bloodline won. The Street Profits & Kevin Owens via pinfall when Sami Zayn hit Montez Ford with a Helluva Kick. After the match, The Bloodline dragged Owens to the ring before attacking him as a group. Solo Sikoa grabbed a chair but Sheamus and Drew McIntyre ran to attack Sikoa and Zayn before eliminating The Usos.

The Bloodline had suffered a few losses lately, with Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins picking up a win over the group two weeks ago on Raw and Owens teaming up with John Cena last Friday to beat Zayn and Roman Reigns. Considering how strongly WWE has held the group together this whole time, it’s no surprise that they – minus Reigns – are returning to Raw to scramble and pick up some wins. It’s predictable, but they’re a group that will remain incredibly strong until WWE decides otherwise. Category B

What else happened on WWE Raw?

• Raw Women’s Championship – Bianca Belair (c) def. Alexa Bliss by disqualification after Bliss attacked the referee. Bliss broke down mid-match after grabbing her head and attacking the referee before brutalizing the champion outside the ring, including hitting Belair with a DDT on the ring steps. During the attack, Belair appeared to injure his mouth as a stream of blood flowed from his lips. Later on the show, Bliss said she didn’t lose control, but rather took control of Belair’s mind.
• Dexter Lumis won. Chad Gable via pinfall by reversing a cradle pinning combination.
• Damage CTRL def. Becky Lynch & Michin via pinfall when IYO SKY hit Michin with a moonsault. Michin joined Lynch in the middle of the game. Lynch was distracted by attacking Bayley during the finish, allowing Michin to take the pin.
• United States Championship – Austin theory (c) def. Seth Rollins by fall after hitting A-Town Down. Theory attempted to leave the match but Rollins caught him before the champion could flee into the crowd. Theory then attempted to use his title belt to hit Rollins but ate a superkick. Rollins ran, but the pair slammed into the referee, causing a delay in the count after Rollins reached a pedigree. Theory hit Rollins with a low kick as the second referee was distracted, he followed that up with a chop block to Rollins’ already injured knee and hit A-Town Down to retain his title.