The GOAT addressed "The Beast," WWE's power couples got into each other's faces and we got a tag team main event on the go-home edition of Raw before Saturday's Wrestlepalooza (7 p.m. ET on ESPN Unlimited).
Going into Raw from Springfield, Massachusetts, John Cena had seven WWE appearances left before his December retirement. He used one of those remaining dates on Monday night to address a crowd in a city with which he shares a special connection.
The four wrestlers in Saturday's mixed tag team match -- CM Punk/AJ Lee and Seth Rollins/Becky Lynch -- took turns trading verbal and physical slaps at each other days before they are to step into the ring together.
And in the main event of Raw, Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker scored a big victory over LA Knight and Jimmy Uso, leading to a postmatch angle where Knight got his revenge on Jey Uso by laying him out with a BFT to close the show.
Here's a recap of Raw with the biggest takeaways from Monday night.
Sept. 15 Raw results
• Lyra Valkyria def. Roxanne Perez
• Penta def. Kofi Kingston
• El Grande Americano def. Dragon Lee
• Stephanie Vaquer def. Kairi Sane
• Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed def. LA Knight and Jimmy Uso
An 'afraid' John Cena returns to Springfield and is ready for Brock Lesnar
As Cena's WWE career continues to wind down, he made one final appearance in front of a sellout crowd at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. Cena was an offensive lineman at Springfield College in the late 1990s before signing with the WWE in 2001.
The 17-time world champion seemed to enjoy talking to fans, friends, former teammates and family in his home state of Massachusetts. Cena delivered an impassioned speech about how saying no to a match against Brock Lesnar would have been the safe option, but as the last real champion, he would have to overcome being afraid of stepping into the ring against "The Beast." It was a good speech just days before their main event match at Wrestlepalooza Indianapolis.
It has been more than 10 years since Lesnar and Cena last met in a singles match, with Lesnar winning four of the six one-on-one battles between the two.
Other Raw takeaways
• The confrontation between CM Punk/AJ Lee and Seth Rollins/Becky Lynch was a fun preview for their highly anticipated Wrestlepalooza mixed tag team match. During the 20-minute segment, all four wrestlers took turns on the microphone, delivering jabs about liking their spouses, taking shots at theme song choices and reading (or not reading) their opponents' autobiographies. In the end, Becky and Seth planted the seed of whether AJ Lee's 10-year retirement and previous injuries would hurt her in Saturday's match. The insults culminated with Becky flattening AJ Lee with a Manhandle Slam and slapping CM Punk in the face.
• Bayley returned to WWE following a two-month absence, coming to the aid of Lyra Valkyria, who was attacked by Judgement Day following her win against Roxanne Perez. Bayley then proceeded to walk around the ring, hugging everyone in sight. It appeared that "Hugger Bayley," previously adored by WWE fans, was back ... at least for a portion of the night. Later in the show, Bayley berated Valkyria for walking into her locker room. I wonder if we will see these dual happy/angry versions of the Bayley character interchangeably throughout future shows.
• I love that we are seeing multiple El Grande Americanos -- two extra ones came to help the one competing to defeat Dragon Lee, then hit the "Spider-Man point" meme on the entrance ramp. A funny moment in the match was when AJ Styles came to the ring to help even the odds for Dragon Lee (after the second Grande Americano attacked) and commentators Joe Tessitore and Corey Graves pointed under the ring, signaling to Styles where the other Americano was. Despite also pointing, Graves asked Tessitore, "Why'd you tell him, you stooge?" It was a Bobby "The Brain" Heenan-inspired quip from Graves. I hope we get a Survivor Series match with five El Grande Americanos on the same team.
• During a backstage segment, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed vowed to "end" The Usos, whom they acknowledged as the greatest tag team in the business. I like it when Breakker takes a page from Jake "The Snake" Roberts and speaks softly in his promos. The son of Rick Steiner and nephew of Scott Steiner doesn't need to yell; his ludicrous speed and car-crash-level spears do more than enough of the talking.
• Similarly, I liked Rusev's interaction with Dominik Mysterio because of its simplicity. Judgement Day continues to unravel as Finn Balor and JD McDonagh delivered a stern message to Mysterio about his recent allegiance to El Grande Americano. When his Judgement Day partners left, Rusev entered backstage and startled Dirty Dom to let him know that "I am the next Intercontinental champion" before walking away. Rusev is an imposing figure, and it should eventually be a terrific match between the two.