WWE Raw results, recap, grades: Cody Rhodes signals return of Randy Orton at Survivor Series for WarGames

Drew McIntyre and Judgment Day secured the WarGames advantage but their celebration was short-lived

The numbers advantage in WarGames is always a key piece of the storytelling for the iconic match. That advantage was up for grabs on Raw on Monday night, but the losing team may have scored the biggest win by adding a surprising member as their fifth man for the match at Survivor Series on Saturday.

After announcing that he had joined Judgment Day's team for WarGames, Drew McIntyre defeated Jey Uso in the Raw main event, securing the advantage for the team on Saturday. But it was the team of Uso, Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn who delivered the biggest blow of the night, announcing that they had secured Randy Orton as the fifth man on their team before the show went off the air.

CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

McIntyre secures WarGames advantage, but Orton is back

Drew McIntyre opened the show to address his actions from the previous week when he cost Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes their shot to regain the undisputed WWE tag team championship. McIntyre said that Uso never apologized for costing him the undisputed WWE universal championship at Clash at the Castle, robbing him of the biggest moment of his career in front of his family. So, no, McIntyre said, he didn't join Judgment Day but he will join their team at WarGames on Saturday because it gives him the chance to face Uso inside a cage.

The members of both WarGames teams came out but Adam Pearce told them if anyone fought before Saturday, they'd cost their team the advantage in the match. Judgment Day ultimately decided to allow McIntyre to wrestle in the advantage match later in the show. On the other side, after some back and forth, it was agreed that Uso would face McIntyre while everyone began attempting to decide who the fifth man would be on their team.

Drew McIntyre def. Jey Uso via pinfall with a Future Shock DDT. The win gives McIntyre and Judgment Day the advantage in WarGames. After the match, McIntyre continued attacking Uso at Rhea Ripley's insistence. McIntyre was ready to put Uso through the commentary desk before Judgment Day ran in and attacked. Rhodes, Zayn and Rollins ran to the ring with steel chairs to make the save. Rhodes announced their group had found their fifth member before announcing they found an "apex predator," signaling that the group had secured Randy Orton.

Orton's return is a big deal, obviously. He's been out of action for quite some time, with his last TV stint featuring him in a tag team with Matt Riddle. WWE has done an admirable job of building to Survivor Series, showing some sparks of inspiration that run beyond just this match. Miz won over the crowd by bringing the fight to Gunther (see below) and the women's WarGames match also has momentum. Nothing to complain about tonight. Grade: B+

What else happened on WWE Raw?

• Nia Jax def. Raquel Rodriguez via pinfall with a Bonzai Drop.
• Becky Lynch def. Xia Li via pinfall with a Manhandle Slam. After the match, Damage CTRL came to the ring to attack Lynch but Lynch's WarGames teammates rushed the ring to make the save, leading to a brawl.
• Johnny Gargano def. Ludwig Kaiser via pinfall with One Final Beat. Kaiser was distracted when his teammate, Giovani Vinci, came to ringside.
• Natalya & Tegan Nox def. Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell, Ivy Nile & Maxxine Dupri and Katana Chance & Kayden Carter via pinfall when Nox pinned Dupri. With the win, Natalya and Nox secured a spot as the No. 1 contenders for the WWE women's tag team titles.
• The Miz hit Gunther with a skull-crushing finale. The two men came face-to-face in the ring and cut promos on each other before brawling where Miz was able to hit Gunther with a low blow and then the Skull-Crushing Finale to grab momentum going into their intercontinental championship bout at Survivor Series.
• Shinsuke Nakamura def. Chad Gable via pinfall with a roll-up. Nakamura had exposed the steel turnbuckle earlier in the match and when Gable pulled up to avoid it, Nakamura turned it into the match-winning pin.