WWE RAW: New Tag Champs & Uncle Howdy Drops Epic Promo

Monday Night Raw was without Pat McAfee on commentary, but whatever was planned for the opening of RAW was hijacked by Drew McIntyre. In front of all the fans at Lucas Oil Stadium in NASCAR country of Indianapolis, IN, McIntyre took to the center of the ring to cut a promo following his brutalization of CM Punk. The hijacking was fitting, considering Michael Cole was in the process of throwing back to the truck for a video package of the New Wyatt Family (Wyatt Sicks) and their hijacking of the ending of last week’s RAW—a segment that set social media on fire.

McIn-Tired?

Drew came out very much in character. That’s to say, he played the blame game for all his issues, but he upped the ante just when it all started to feel a little too familiar. After he fake retired last week in a move that blurred the lines between the real-life rumors surrounding his contract status with WWE, Drew needed to offer up direction on this program because “Punk being injured” is getting old—they would have been better served if he was actually cleared to compete as opposed to finding ways of protecting him and his real-kayfabe injury.

McIntyre revealed that he took Punk’s bracelet, the same kind your kid makes you at day camp or arts and crafts time at school, dawning his wife and dog’s name—AJ (former Diva’s champ) and Larry (Punk’s fury friend that found himself at the center of the “Brawl Out” incident). This felt really authentic, and it is saddening to realize that Punk was always willing to do business, and maybe those in AEW were unwilling to put ego aside for ‘the work?’

Either way, McIntyre is pushing the limits of this feud further and further, and nobody is going into business for themselves on Punk. That means Punk is prepared to take this thing further and that Drew is being positioned for that next BIG PUSH.

Liv, No-Mor…gan

She called him ‘Daddy Dom’ while wearing a shirt that said, ‘Daddy’s Girl.’ All of this happened after she left The Judgement Day with a bunch of gifts in their locker room and an apparent nude photo (a sext, if you will). It is still not clear whether WWE is purposely leaning into the innuendos or if they do not comprehend the social media colloquialisms well enough to recognize the tone of this storyline and the impact it is having on Liv’s title reign. Sure, this storyline is interesting, but where does it go? If this is all about getting in Rhea’s head, a superstar out of action with a legit injury, then it will fail to elevate any of Liv’s actual title feuds.

For example, Zelina came out later and dropped some great lines on the mic, but her getting a title shot pales in comparison to the counter-program between Liv and the rest of Judgement Day. Of course, ratings are ratings, and if someone or something is getting over, criticism should always be held off until things play out (mostly). But what exactly is getting over on this storyline? It is one thing to book RAW segments in hopes of creating massive social media clicks, but it is another to take that same direction and attempt to correlate it with actual feuds for Liv Morgan. She later thanked Dom for saving her from his “deadbeat dad,” Rey Mysterio.

That is when the best thing on WWE TV entered the chat as R-Truth asked if that was “Tom or Nick Mysterio” playing a reluctant hero. It was hilarious and thoughtful as a segment. Liv used her deceptive nature to get Truth to agree to give “Tom, Nick,” and JD a shot at the tag team titles. Then Truth dropped the line of the night after Liv Morgan walked away: “I always liked Carmella. I love love.” Truth deserves more.

Tag Team Titles and Titillation

Despite an hour left on TV, Liv delivered JD and Fin a tag team title match on this edition of RAW and got Dom a match against his dad, Rey, next week. By the time Priest was ready to address Rollins, he had walked in on Liv alone with Balor in the Judgment Day locker room. Priest is weary of Finn, but that program is slow burning and took a backseat to Rollins’ promo.

He leaned on Priest, needing help from JD and Punk, and with everything going on behind the scenes with Priest, Seth might have the upper hand heading into MITB, but Priest is on fire. Still, Seth highlighted the fact that he believes the fans don’t see Priest as a top dog and then tried to help make sense of the champion challenging a challenger (exactly what launched this match last week for MITB).

Seth upped the stakes of this match by claiming that if he loses to Priest, he will NEVER challenge for the heavyweight title as long as Priest is champion. Gunther came out to make his presence known if the stakes weren’t high enough. Gunther came out with a simple reminder that his King of the Ring win gives him a shot over the champ (whoever is following MITB).

Awesome Truth (c) vs. Judgment Day (JD and Balor)

The match was made the main event (so what was the planned main event replaced only an hour before the ending of the show?) and given more time than most Awesome Truth matches have received. It’s a shame that the tag champions are forced to play B-side to a storyline with all the clickbait allure, but the veterans gave us a great show. The rest of JD eventually came out to interfere, but it did not work as first planned. Liv, who brokered the whole match, was out ringside to revel in her work and make Dom even more uncomfortable (of course, she could be out there for Finn?).

R-Truth got the hot tag, but it was broken up before Truth slapped in the STF, broken up by JD. That is when Liv got on the apron to distract Truth. Truth could not resist a hug from “Carmella,” but it backfired as Liv pulled Truth’s neck down on the top rope, allowing Finn to hit the Coup de Gras for the win. Finn and JD are the new tag team champs, and it will be very difficult for Priest not to get on board with TJD earning more gold.

MITB Qualifiers

Shayna Basler vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Kairi Sane (Women’s MITB Qualifier)

After last week’s shock underdog wins in both the men’s and women’s qualifiers, it was anybody’s guess as to who was winning this week’s round of qualifiers. To be fair, there wasn’t a heavy favorite in this one. I mean, if you’re Vegas, then I assume you put the minus (favorite) on Sane, but she lost to Valkyria, which started a small existential crisis for her character, and Basler is always a match away from a top spot because her ‘bad a**’ character is real—it’s her.

Sane stole the show early, that’s for sure, as she sent fans to break with a dive to the outside of the ring that displayed Ballerina-like grace. Then, returning from the break, Sane was seen dropping Basler on her head after reversing a suplex from the ring’s apron. Lyra took advantage of Sane’s momentum, a theme for last week’s qualifiers, but all three women offered up something special—special enough to get a “this is awesome” chant from the fans in the 3^rd act of the match.

The finish saw Sane hit her big elbow drop from the top on Basler (taking her out), but the awesome psychology of this ending saw Lyra hit Sane with the Knightwing for the 1-2-3. That said, it could be argued that this finish is only a continuation of the same booking from last week, and it is, but it played on the idea that the Sane elbow drop is a move that takes just as much from the person delivering as it does the one receiving. Lyra won as an underdog, and she did it by ‘stealing the victory’ from the superstar in the match that did all the work, but at least it made sense.

(QUALIFIED SO FAR: Chelsea Green, Iyo Sky, and Lyra Valkryia)

Chad Gable vs. Bronson Reed vs. Braun Stroman (Men’s MITB Qualifier)

Bronson Reed faced off against Braun Stroman and Gable in a match that helped reveal RAW’s issue of too many Brons/Brauns on one show. Gable was supposedly physically and mentally distraught from the attack he suffered last week at the hands of the Wyatt Sicks. So, his presence in this match was sus, and WWE thought sending him out there with a mic would make us all forget about what happened.

To top it off, after months of Gable losing title match after title match, he won the MITB qualifier after delivering a picture-perfect moonsault from the top turnbuckle following the week where his stable turned on him, and he was left unconscious to close out RAW.

The Wyatt Watch Your ‘Sicks’

Gable won, and the shenanigans started as smoke filled the ring and a constant D-flat/C-Sharp pounded over the speakers. That is when Nikki Cross entered through the bottom rope, and Gable fell over himself, trying to escape the ring. The fans went crazy at first, but then confusion set in as Nikki picked up a package and left it on the commentary desk for Cole (Miz left commentary after Liv tricked R-Truth into defending the tag titles).

Nikki left through the fans, a bizarre finish to the segment, and when we came back to break, Cole revealed the package contained a VHS tape that simply said ‘Play Me.’ Gable ran to his former Alpha Academy members, attempting to mend fences now that he seriously needed backup, but Otis rebuffed the offer.

Later, Cole was able to have the tape played for viewers (live and watching at home). The videotape showed Uncle Howdy interviewing or maybe giving therapy to Bo Dallas. Uncle Howdy asked him about his brother Bray’s passing, a segment with dark themes and a major league performance from Bo. Uncle Howdy smiled as he saw the pain in Bo’s eyes. He described how “they” want to forget, but “they” will make them remember. It was a cryptic message that amplifies these players in a way that hopefully doesn’t end in ‘retribution.’

Tidbits/In-Ring Action

Aside from the impromptu start to RAW, it was announced that Indy would be the site for Royal Rumble 2025, part of a deal that Cole referred to as a “gift” for Indianapolis on commentary. A partnership was struck that will bring three of the four biggest WWE events (reserved for Stadiums), Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, and SummerSlam, to Indy, kicking off on Feb 1^st of next year.

Bron Breakker was made to work more than a 90-second squasher tonight against Kaiser. The match was solid, and unlike most of his matches, Kaiser got in some impressive offense. But Breakker stole the show. The finish was a bit trite, but it is easy to be a mark for ‘face’ Sheamus—who interfered by attacking Kaiser, a feud that dates back to Sheamus’s return but was then ultimately laid out by Breakker. Later in the show, Breakker was seen crying to his dad… GM Adam Pierce as he complained about the interferences in his matches. That is when Sami Zayn popped into frame from Breakker’s back (metaphor), and a great shot of Pierce’s eyes panning over as Bron slowly turned to reveal everyone’s favorite ginger.

They should’ve let Zayne do the heavy lifting in this segment as Breakker jumped in without contemplation by saying, ‘You and me at MITB,’ or something to that effect. It felt rushed and overly deliberate—the IC champ just granted Breakker his shot, but he demands it nearly two weeks later. Why? Why not on any of the two other shows between now and then? These are little things, but the little things count in storytelling—from Shakespeare to WWE and everything in between. If you want to create care for a character, then you need continuity. Make it make sense.

Sticking with the familiar theme we’ve seen lately (and for the past several decades), WWE brought a local sports star hero, Tyrese Haliburton, a 2-time NBA All-Star for the Indiana Pacers. Haliburton just happened to be face timing with US Champ Logan Paul when The Miz brought him on camera with his phone in one hand and the RAW tag team title draped across his other shoulder.

Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn(c) vs. Katana Chance & Kayden Carter (WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship)

Champs retained but were attacked by Damage CTRL following the match.

WrestleMania XL: Behind The Curtain has a release date of July 3 on WWE’s YouTube page.

Mario Mungia

Mario Mungia Jr. has a decade worth of experience as a combat sports journalist and correspondent which began with ThaBoxingVoice (TBV) as a podcast co-host, writer and editor-in-chief. Aside from his online resume, Mario spent a fair portion of his early career working for Spanish/English magazine Premier Round and the Mexican website Izquierdo. Mario has also contributed to NYFights while simultaneously working for MIC Sports Network as part of the broadcast crew covering local high school sports. Since then, he has launched his own podcast/live stream (Infighting/Work In Progress) and is covering pro wrestling for FightsATW.

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