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WWE RAW RESULTS
AUGUST 17, 2026
BUFFALO, N.Y. AT KEYBANK CENTER
STREAMED LIVE ON NETFLIX
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves
Ring Announcer:
Attendance: WrestleTix reports today that 9,597 tickets were distributed so far; arena set up for 10,623. The arena has a capacity of 19,200 spectators when configured for basketball.
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[HOUR ONE]
-They opened with a recap of the Jey Uso and Solo Sikoa interactions last week followed by their match with Jey winning via interference, thus requiring Solo to show up tonight and be “delivered” by Jey to Roman Reigns, the Tribal Chief.
-They showed Chad Gable signing fan autographs outside the area, then arrival shots of Sol Ruca and Sol Ruca.
-Michael Cole introduced the show as they panned the audience. He touted a crowd of over 11,000.
-Stephanie Vaquer made her ring entrance. They recapped last week’s verbal exchange with Becky Lynch and Liv Morgan. She said live that she doesn’t want to talk because wrestling is her first language4. She called Liv to the ring to fight. Liv’s music played. She came out with Roxanne Perez and Raquel. Rodriguez. She said that Becky alleged that her holding the title negates all the progress people like her have made. She said she doesn’t care and he’s not a champion for anyone but herself. She leaned heavily into her awkward laughter.
Vaquer told her to head to the ring. Liv accepted the invite and said she’d regret it. Vaquer outmaneuvered Raquel and Perez, but Liv then tackled her. Vaquer made a comeback and kicked Vaquer in the face. Raquel and Perez regrouped and attacked her. Becky came out for the save. The three heels voerwhelmed them. Perez gave Vaquer a Pop Rox. Liv’s music then played as the heels gloated.
(Keller’s Analysis: This was paint-by-numbers in a good way.)
-Jimmy and Jey were dancing and elated backstage. They obnoxiously called Solo out of their locker room. He looked forlorn as he walked down the hall. They ran into LA Knight. Solo and Knight locked eyes. The Usos told Solo that the Tribal Cheif was waitiing, so let’s roll. They entered the locker room labeled Roman Reigns. [c]
(1) DOMINIK MYSTERIO vs. JD MCDONAGH
The bell rang 17 minutes into the hour. Cole said it was an impromptu match that developed during the commercial. He said Dom and JD were complaining that Dom wasn’t in the tournament to determine who Roman would face next month in Mexico. That led to Je’Von Evans coming out to call out Big Cass, which led to a match with JD.
Evans cleared JD from the ring early. Cole said he admired Evans for calling out Big Cass. Dom tripped Evans from ringside, opening up JD to blindside Evans from behind. Evans lifted his knees on a JD splash. Dom pulled JD to ringside. Evans clothslined JD over the time keeper’s area. He then played to the crowd and circled the ring before hitting a flying crossbody onto JD who was sitting on a chair in the time keeper’s area. He applauded and then threw JD back into the ring. JD took over, working over Evans’ ankle and ramming his leg around the ringpost. They cut to a double-box break at 4:00. [c/db]
JD remained in control after the break. Evans landed a flying clothesline, but favored his leg after he landed so he was slow to make the cover. JD kicked out at two. JD headbutted Evans and then delivered a brainbuster for a two count. Evans set up a top rope move, but JD avoided it. Evans countered with a top rope OG Cutter for the win. Grave said, “This young man is special.”
WINNER: Evans in 10:00.
-Big Cass attacked Evans from behind. He stomped away at Evans in the corner. Cole called it “another cowardly attack” and Graves called it “a cheap shot.” Cass gave Evans his East River Crossing sideslam for the third straight week. When he left the ring, Evans said into a mic while face down on the mat, “Is that all you got?” Cole told Evans to quit while he was ahead because he was still breathing. When Evans returned to the ring, Evans knocked him down and then dove through the ropes and tackled him. Dom was standng by and he intercepted Evans and threw him into the ringpost. “Absolutely disgusting!” said Cole. He called it a cheapshot. Dom and JD scurried away. Cass dragged Evans by his hair and threw him into the ringside barricade. Cole said Cass made his point, so stop. He recalled Cass saying it wasn’t personal at first.
(Keller’s Analysis: It’s great to hear the commentators actually framing heel attacks that are designed to get heel heat with a negative, critical framing. They hadn’t been doing that and I pointed that out last week. The strategy here seems to be to have Cass look tough, be a bully to the smaller and popular Evans, and end up being a credible opponent for Oba who fans are easy to see get beat up by Oba.)
-They went to Cole and Graves at ringside. Cole was red-faced angry at Cass’s actions. (He should have turned it down a notch, actually. It felt over-the-top and kind of pushy, especially consider what else goes on in WWE week to week.) They pivoted to plugging that Raw starts two hours early next Monday live from Ottawa. They showed La Parka beating Psycho Clown in AAA, setting up Penta vs. La Parka in the semi-finals. The other semi-final will be the winners of Rey Fenix vs. El Fiscal and Dragon Lee vs. El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.
-Soundbites aired with Rey Fenix and El Fiscal. Fiscal then made his entrance. [c]
-They showed Rey Mysterio warming up backstage.
(2) EL FISCAL vs. REY FENIX – Opening Round match for World Title shot against Roman at Raw Mexico City
The bell rang 39 minutes into the hour. Graves noted Fiscal isn’t known to “take it to the sky” all that often, but can if the situation calls for it. They cut to a break at 2:00 after Fenix ran the top rope and kicked Fiscal in the head and then leaped off the top rope with a crossbody. [c]
Fiscal set up a tombstone. Cole noted it was banned in Mexico. Fenix escapedand took over. He then gave Fiscal a Mexican Muscle Buster for the win. He got a nice pop and they showed a dad high-fiving a young kid at ringside.
WINNER: Fenix in 9:00 to advance to the semi-finals
-Cathy Kelley interviewed Vaquer backstage. She said this is exactly what Liv does. She said Liv three people to deal with her and it’s become personal. Becky came in and said she messed it up good. Vaquer said she didn’t ask for her help and Liv is her problem now Becky said as long as she’s aiming for the title, it’s her business. She sarcastically said she’s sure next week it will be a straight forward one-on-one match.
-A vignette aired on Lyra Valkyria. She expressed rage and jealousy of Sol Ruca replacing her as the new hot rising star in the division. She said if you fly around just to show off, that’s when bad things can happen. She said she’ll make sure she crashes and burns and then she’ll get her title back.
-Sol Ruca made her entrance. [c]
-Cole got in some TKO plugs.
(3) SOL RUCA vs. LYRA VALKYRIA
The bell rang 55 minutes into the hour. Ruco dropkicked Lyra out of the ring at 2:00 and then did a handstand on the ring apron before kicking Lyra in a chest. She followed with a backflip onto Lyra on the floor. Cole compared Sol to Lita. Lyra went for an enzuigiri, but Sol ducked. Lyra kicked the ropes as Sol jumped onto it and she took over. They cut to a break at 4:00.
[HOUR TWO]
[c]
Sol made a comeback after the break. Lyra countered a handspring move with a leaping neckbreaker over the top rope. She followed with a top rope legdrop to the back of Sol’s neck for a two count at 10:00. Lyra stayed on the attack and went for a Night Wing. Sol flipped out of it and gave Lyra a DDT followed by a Sol Snatcher for the win.
WINNER: Sol Ruca in 11:00
(Keller’s Analysis: Sol needed this, a solid match without any obvious botches. Not sure if Lyra approached it differently or they just curated some of the spots, but it felt more like a fight and less like a gymnastics display.)
-Cole plugged a new Jey Uso action figure. They went to ringside where Graves held up the Jey action-figure. Graves speared Cole with the action figure and Cole said, “Owww!”
-Backstage, Jey and Jimmy approached Jacob Fatu. Fatu asked why he didn’t look more upbeat. He said tonight Solo goes to the OTC. Jey asked, “Who’s the punk ass now, Jacob?” Fans “ohhh’d.” Cole called Jey “very cocky.” [c]
-They showed an aerial view of Buffalo. Then they cut to ringside for some Buffalo Bills players.
-Kelley interviewed The Vision backstage. Austin Theory and Maxxine Dupri were focused on each other. Logan Paul said anyone who steps up will be put down. He asked Maxxine if that was true. She wasn’t listening, but then reminisced about what they did to Otis and Tozawa. Theory said Oba took a cheap shot at him last week, and that will not go unnoticed. He said he and Bron Breakker are the tag champions, and he has his “delicious Maxxine.” Kelley asked Bron if he has anything to say to Oba. Bron said if he has something to say to Oba, he’ll say it to his face. Fans cheered and barked.
-Breakker made his way to the ring. Cole said, “I don’t think this is going to go well.”
Advertised Matches & Appearances
- Chad Gable vs. Rey Mysterio – Intercontinental Championship match
- Dragon Lee vs. El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. – World Heavyweight Championship No. 1 Contender Tournament first round match
- Rey Fenix vs. El Fiscal – World Heavyweight Championship No. 1 Contender Tournament first round match
- Sol Ruca vs. Lyra Valkyria
- Jey Uso to deliver Solo Sikoa to Roman Reigns
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