WWE continued to give the fans what they wanted this week on Monday Night Raw, as Shane McMahon returned to run the show for another night despite his loss at WrestleMania 32 against The Undertaker in Hell in a Cell.
Credit: WWE
Shane's plans
Opening the show, Shane thanked the fans for their support and then went on to announce a slate of matches for the night, including a Women's Championship match between current champion Charlotte and Natalya. Also announcing that a tag team tournament would begin on Raw to determine a number 1 contender, he said Sami Zayn would face AJ Styles that night for the right to compete in the upcoming WWE World Heavyweight Championship match.
Before continuing, former Intercontinental champion Kevin Owens interrupted and demanded a rematch for the title against current champion The Miz. To get that however, McMahon said Owens would have to beat Cesaro to become the new number one contender.
Cesaro becomes the Intercontinental Championship #1 contender
Facing off against Owens for the right to face The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship, Cesaro's injured shoulder was the target of Owens' aggression.
Cesaro however managed to fight back with his trademark moves included uppercuts and an incredible Cesaro swing. When it looked like the momentum was to turn in Owens' favour, Owens went for his Pop-up Powerbomb, but Cesaro managed to counter, hit the Neutralizer and land a three-count, becoming the new #1 contender for the Intercontinental title.
The Dudley Boyz advance in the tag tournament
The Lucha Dragons didn't seem to stand a chance in the first match of the #1 contender tag tournament, with Kalisto beat down by the Dudley Boyz outside of the ring before the match had really gotten underway.
This left Sin Cara to deal with both D-Von and Bubba Ray Dudley, but he didn't last long, falling victim to a Dudley Death Drop and seeing The Dudley Boyz advance.
Once again, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady emerged to land some brilliant verbal beatdowns on The Dudley Boyz.
Bray Wyatt teams with Roman Reigns
WWE Champion Roman Reigns took to the ring to talk about potentially facing two other people in a Triple Threat title match at Payback, but his speech was cut short by the League of Nations who stormed into the ring, only to have The Wyatt Family appear and help Roman fend them off.
This led to Shane emerging and announcing Reigns would team up with Bray Wyatt for the night's main event, against two members of the League of Nations.
Charlotte retains the Women's Championship
Dr. Phil actually seemed to be helping Natalya a lot backstage, as he told Women's Champion Charlotte that her relationship with her father Ric Flair is actually detrimental to her.
Watching the match from ringside, Dr. Phil saw Charlotte and Natalya duke it out with momentum switching between the sparring women.
Natalya was weakened with many a submission hold but when she applied the Sharpshooter it looked like it was all over. That is of course until the Nature Boy pulled the referee out of the ring just before his daughter tapped out, handing Natalya the win, but via disqualification, meaning Charlotte would retain the title.
The Usos advance in the tag tournament and two Bullet Club members debut
Up against the Social Outcasts, The Usos looked to be being worked in the early stages of this match, but as Jimmy Uso tagged in during Axel and Slater's celebration, he took the opportunity he needed to roll up Slater for a three count and take his brother through to the next round of the tag tournament.
It was what came after the match that really set the audience alight. Running through the crowd, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows made their Raw debut, attacking the Usos following their win and showing that they're on the roster to make their presence known.
AJ Styles remains the only WWE World Heavyweight Championship #1 contender
Sharing respect for one another in a backstage segment, it was clear that the match between AJ Styles and Sami Zayn was going to be an incredible one.
There were a number of near falls and misses, such as AJ locking in the Cattle Crusher on Zayn who managed to reach the ropes, but in the end it would be Styles who came out on top, keeping the Payback title match against Reigns a singles match.
Following the match, the pair shook hands and remained solid favourites with the crowd.
Tensions grow between Dean Ambrose and Chris Jericho
Bringing his talk show segment back to Monday Night Raw, Jericho reminded the crowd just how fantastic he was, before being interrupted by the Lunatic Fringe, Dean Ambrose.
Walking out with a potted plant and a sign, Ambrose told Y2J how Shane McMahon had replaced Jericho's show with Ambrose Asylum, before interviewing Jericho and taking him out with Dirty Deeds.
Apollo Crews continues to dominate
In a short match against Adam Rose, Apollo Crews showed just how powerful a competitor he could be, eventually hitting Rose with a spinning powerbomb and picking up the three count for the win.
Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns defeat The League of Nations
Though they're clearly not content being partners, Wyatt and Reigns worked well together throughout their match against Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio.
As The League of Nations did everything possible to pick up the win, it was Wyatt who ended things with a Sister Abigail, sending the League of Nations into retreat.
Reigns and Wyatt then again shared an intense stare down - the foundations are being laid for a brilliant rivalry in the future.
Tagged in WWE