We are officially four weeks away from RAW’s Netflix debut, a heavily booked show being promoted as an event celebrating the next major step into streaming. However, the final month of Cable T.V.’s ‘longest-running episodic’ programming should have its culmination celebrated. WWE may not roll out the red carpet for the USA Network finale, but the constant quality of content we are experiencing on Mondays could be the most appropriate sendoff possible.
The opening shots of RAW showcased a makeup-less Rhea Ripley receiving a huge pop from the live fans in attendance, while The New Day’s Woods and Kofi received snubs from the crew and some of the red brand’s roster of faces upon their arrival following last week’s ‘turn’ on Big E. Tonight’s show is live from the Trust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas.
Cody Rhodes Disappointed in New Day… Cody Coming To RAW?!
“You both should be ashamed of yourselves.”
Even @CodyRhodes can’t stand the sight of The New Day. 😬#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/eFFoMILM0w
— WWE (@WWE) December 10, 2024
After the video package showcasing last week’s New Day ‘celebration’ that left Big E in emotional shambles, we saw everyone in the back reacting to Woods and Kofi disappointedly. Cody Rhodes, who was shown coming out of GM Pearce’s office at a time when ‘brand trades’ are the buzz, ran into both Woods and Kofi and decided to express his own disappointment in them.
“You both should be ashamed of yourselves,” Cody said after admitting he’s known Woods since youth. Woods responded by claiming it was rich coming from Cody before referencing the idea that he may not have been such a great guy in high school—whatever that meant.
New Day Promo
Later in the evening, New Day headed to the ring after expressing displeasure in a loaded Big E question. Woods took the camera, and they walked out Gorilla to a chant of “New Day Sucks” from the fans. Kofi took to the mic, and the fans were livid. He asked how they could be mad at them after one day when they spread so much positivity over their tenure, but when Woods tried to speak, he was interrupted by even louder boos that eventually morphed into a “We want Big E” chant.
The heat was real, and it seemed like not even Woods and Kofi could have predicted the emotional turmoil caused by their treatment of Big E. The two huddled in the center of the ring, unsure how to play this, but Woods eventually just dropped the mic and left the ring. There were grown adults and children alike screaming at them on their way out. As terrific as the reactions are, where does this go if Big E is really done?
Gunther- Finn Balor
Truth to be told. pic.twitter.com/fLQgvGqHQx
— GUNTHER (@Gunther_AUT) December 10, 2024
Gunther claimed Balor made a huge mistake interfering in his match with Priest at Survivor Series. Gunther said Balor has his full attention before Balor and The Judgement Day Crew made their way out ringside. Balor spoke of the Saturday Night’s: Main Event title shot against Gunther and how it was ‘eight years in the making.’ Gunther also referenced the ‘8-years’ since Balor won the inaugural ‘Universal’ title—a belt that was used to split the undisputed world championship for ‘brand-split’ purposes.
The segment ended with Priest coming out and beating down TJD before Gunther took him out. After the break, GM Adam Pearce was prompted to make this Saturday’s singles title match into a triple-threat match that now includes Priest. To further matters, Pearce also booked Balor and JD to defend their RAW tag titles next week on RAW against the War Raiders.
The most interesting thing was the end of the segment where Liv asked Finn for ‘advice’ for both her and Raquel (booked for separate singles matches), using the tagline, “We just want to listen to Finn so we win.” It felt cheeky and manipulative, almost as if she were trolling him. The early indications of tonight’s opener were that perhaps Finn would come out of Saturday with the title to shake things up pre-January 6th. Yet, it now feels like Finn, who has butted heads with both Liv and her beau Dom Mysterio since they booted the ‘faces’ (Rhea and Priest) from Judgement Day, could be set up to lose everything in a week’s time.
Liv Morgan vs. Dakota Kai
Liv faced off against Kai later in the show when her ‘Diesel-like’ bodyguard was replaced by Sonya DeVille, who had been feuding with Kai. Sonya stepped in to provide the distraction for Liv to capitalize on, and after Liv pulled off the victory, the schmoz began. Despite the fact that Liv was not involved in the feud between the two other factions, she was the one left standing over Iyo Sky at the end of the segment.
Main Event: Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez
With no DQ, it was only a matter of time before Liv made her way to the ring, and she did. Rhea was able to defeat Raquel in a physical match complete with chairs, tables, and kendo sticks. The flow of the match was a little clunky, but there was plenty of action. The most over aspect of the match was not Ripley nor Raquel but instead Iyo Sky who took out Liv with a missile drop kick off the top rope before diving to the outside to take out the champ. This allowed Rhea to put Raquel through the table for the win.
Wyatt Sicks Reduced To Dust
Final Testament delivered the pinfall victory over Uncle Howdy himself as the Wyatt Sicks were beaten in the 8-man tag match. The Wyatt Sicks intro did not have the same intensity it once did, and the story reflects that. Uncle Howdy was in control of the uniformed chaos that was this match, but Scarlett interfered, only to be handled by Nikki Cross. But it was Paul Ellering who threw powder in Howdy’s eyes, allowing Kross to gain the pinfall. So, the Wyatt Sicks will have to knock the proverbial dust off their act to overcome their first real obstacle.
CM Punk, Do Us A Favor…
.@CMPunk has A LOT to say… 😳#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/sMCIk4qWgD
— WWE (@WWE) December 10, 2024
Punk was interviewed in a pre-tapped segment that started by shattering everyone’s hopes that we would learn ‘the favor’ he asked his ‘good friend’ Paul Heyman. Instead, they spoke about Seth Rollins in an attempt to regain the momentum their feud once had. To Punk’s credit, he did the job. He said that Rollins was once on a list of guys to be ‘fired from the company’ and that he, CM Punk, “shielded” Rollins from that fate. It was a nod to their first on-screen encounters on WWE TV, where Rollins was part of The Shield with Roman and Moxley (Dean Ambrose at the time).
“I guess if I had to live in my shadow, I’d hate me too,” Punk rattled off as if the venom in his words had no bite. “In my absence from this company, Seth did a fantastic job filling that job. But, simply put, the starter’s back, second string gotta sit back down on the bench.” The words were harsh because they blurred the line between work and real, but how Rollins responds will determine this program’s regained heat.
Seth Rollins Promo
Rollins delivered a live promo later in the night and admitted that he and Punk were once friends. He said that Punk is going to have a great future in politics with the way he spun their story earlier in the night. He also admitted to going to Punk for training and confirming Punk’s assistance when Rollins was nearly on the outs with the company.
However, Rollins said Punk left out something important. He said that 11 years ago when Punk walked out on the company, he called and texted Punk as a friend who respected what he stood for, but he said he got ‘ghosted’ by CM Punk. Rollins then said, “It wasn’t just me, it was friends of Punk that worked for this company.” It was not a Cabana reference, persay, but it was awfully close as he claimed if you didn’t ‘quit your dream job and your priorities didn’t line up with team CM Punk, then you were evil.’
Sami came out and eventually did the very Canadian thing by apologizing first as the bigger man. Sami admitted that he did not understand the extreme hatred between Seth and Punk and that he would stay out and let Seth handle things with Punk how he saw fit. Seth passed it off to Sami who said he spoke to Adam Pearce for a match with Drew at this weekend’s stacked Saturday card that also includes the newly made triple threat heavyweight title match. Drew came out and attacked Sami at the end of the segment.
Drew McIntyre Returns Home
Drew McIntyre delivered a promo via video package where he ‘explained’ his motivation for attacking Sami Zayn and Jey Uso after last week. He said it angered him to see Sami side with Punk at Survivor Series by teaming with him, going as far as to say that ‘at least Punk took a bribe’ to be there while Sami just came across as a turncoat. That’s when Drew said he knew he had to come back to take out Sami and Jey Uso. This could be seen as an odd motivation, but it acknowledges Drew’s own failures for not ‘taking out Punk’ by directing his frustrations outward and at someone else.
Lyra Valkyria vs. Zelina Vega vs. Ivy Nile (Women’s Intercontinental Tourney)
Lyra Valkyria is headed to the semi-finals of the women’s IC tournament after defeating Vega and Nile. Valkyria is one of the most talented young superstars on the roster, though Nile received the Cody rub on last week’s SmackDown and seemed like the favorite headed into this match.
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