Raw was excellent on Monday night from Everett, Washington.
In one of the final episodes on USA, WWE jam-packed the two-hour time slot with a myriad of deep, developing storylines and some solid in-ring action.
Arguably the most compelling storyline of all involved The New Day. It was the tenth anniversary of one of the most successful and beloved tag teams in WWE history. After weeks of tension, we were all prepared to see Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston go their separate ways.
The New Day’s breakup seemed inevitable as it was set to come at a time when WWE is celebrating its tag-team divisions, with this storyline adding emotional weight to the company’s broader focus. I expected one of them to hit Big E with a chair to solidify his new heel status.
Welp, Big E came out, and he was turned on. No one hit him with a chair, but instead of one member of New Day turning his back on Big E, Kofi and Woods blamed their former brother for leaving them behind.
They called him selfish for not coming back to wrestle with a broken neck, and they shunned his offer to be their manager.
Big E has been sidelined since March 2022 with a broken neck sustained during a SmackDown match, making his return to television (not included PLE pre-shows) even more impactful.
It was a strong scene and solid utilization of the pieces at the storytellers’ disposal. The crowd’s reaction to the entire New Day segment proved how invested fans remain in the group, with many expressing shock and sadness (think Undertaker-lost-his-streak-level shock) at the apparent restructuring of the beloved trio.
Here is a look at the meatiest parts of the segment.
Watching Kingston attempting to be serious after all these years—especially as a heel—will be interesting. He’s such a nice person that it almost looked painful for him to say mean things to Big E.
Woods is a killer on the mic whom I’ve always felt had a serious heel run in him. Both of them are likely going to get the chance to do something special at this stage of their careers.
It could be a new day for the New Day. Here is a look at the results of every match on Raw, including a what-you-need-to-know explanation for the matches with the most depth or surrounding storyline.
Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez def. Damage CTRL
Liv and Raquel won, but Rhea Ripley did emerge to wreak some havoc before slamming Morgan’s face into the edge of the announcer’s table.
That action set up a match between the two powerful women next week on Raw.
Dakota Kai def. Shayna Baszler and Katana Chance – Women’s Intercontinental Championship Tournament
This match wasn’t very entertaining, but Kai winning made sense considering the options.
Gunther def. Dominik Mysterio
It looks as if Gunther is headed for a face turn, which feels weird. Gunther’s potential face turn could be a response to the overwhelmingly positive crowd reactions he’s been receiving in recent months, particularly during international events.
We’ll see how this goes over. Finn Balor attacked Gunther after the match.
Gunther will now defend his World Heavyweight Title against Balor on Saturday Night’s Main Event.
R-Truth def. Pete Dunne
Easily the weakest point in the show. R-Truth won on a roll-up. Dunne is dreadful on the mic, and it holds back any storyline he’s in. If there was ever a guy who needs a manager to augment his look and in-ring ability, it’s Dunne.
Seth Rollins def. Sami Zayn
Layers upon layers here. Rollins interrupted CM Punk’s show-opening promo and went word-for-word and punch-for-punch with him. There are definite issues that will culminate at some point in 2025.
Punk made it clear he wants to main event WrestleMania at the Showcase of the Immortals, but Rollins just wants to wreck him. Zayn broke up the fight, and later in the show, someone attacked Jey Uso backstage.
Zayn believed it was Rollins, who is still hot about anyone teaming up with Roman Reigns at Survivor Series.
Rollins says it wasn’t him but still defeats Zayn in the main event via small package pin. Seconds after losing, Zayn gets laid out in the middle of the ring by Drew McIntyre, who made his first appearance since losing a Hell in a Cell match against Punk at Bad Blood.
McIntyre’s return adds another layer to Raw’s stacked roster heading into 2025. His potential programs with Zayn could headline major events in the coming year.
There was a lot here to unpack, but plenty of seeds were planted as we move into 2025, and Raw makes its way to Netflix in January.
