Five days before WWE arrives at Tropicana Field in Florida for the Royal Rumble, Raw on Monday featured the return of CM Punk in a one-on-one confrontation with Cody Rhodes, a moment fans have been waiting for since his return in November.
That confrontation was the focus of a broadcast that also included an update on the health of Seth Rollins, who was considering his future as heavyweight champion amid reports of a serious knee injury.
Cue a hard-hitting exchange between Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest and the successful Raw before Saturday's pay-per-view was full of newsworthy moments.
What happened and how did it go? Find out with this recap of the Jan. 22 broadcast from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
Announced before the show on Monday:
- An update from Seth Rollins on his future as heavyweight champion of the world
- CM Punk and Cody Rhodes himself
- Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest
- Chad Gable vs. Ivar
- Ivy Nile vs Valhalla
- The Miz vs. Dominik Mysterio
Photo credit: WWE.com
World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins told the WWE Universe that he won't miss WrestleMania 40.
The visionary vowed to do everything in his power to compete at the Showcase of the Immortals and defend his title despite his knee injury.
This was despite a new threat from Intercontinental Champion Gunther, who interrupted his promo and claimed he would win the men's Royal Rumble match and challenge Rollins on Saturday night.
This was a perfectly booked segment that gave us the big news from Rollins at the start of the show, presented Gunther as a legitimate threat to win the Rumble, and teased a potential Match of the Year contender between The Ring General and The Visionary .
That it ended with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods attacking Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci before their match only strengthened the segment.
That was a great start to the show.
Degree
A
Top moments and takeaways
- Rollins teared up as he stood in the middle of the ring. The gravity of the moment was not lost on him, nor was the love and adoration of the WWE Universe.
- “I heard you might not make it to WrestleMania and that makes me kind of sad,” Gunther said.
- The Ring General claimed he would win the men's Rumble and challenge Rollins for his title at the Show of Shows, where he would target his knee and the rest of his body before defeating him and becoming world champion.
Photo credit: WWE.com
The announced match between Kofi Kingston and
The double count-out was just the beginning of the action, the fight spilling across the ringside area and into the stands before all four men crashed through a table to put an exclamation point on the segment.
WWE Creative deserves a lot of credit for turning what seemed like a nice little undercard between two talented teams into one of the surprisingly more intense rivalries in the company.
If nothing else, it gave The New Day a much-needed edge and gave Kaiser and Vinci something meaningful other than being buddies with Gunther.
Result
The New Day fought Imperium with a double count
Degree
b
Top moments and takeaways
- Triple H, the creative team and all four wrestlers involved did a great job building this feud into a strong tag team program. The intensity was on point.
- Michael Cole announced that Kingston will compete in the men's Rumble on Saturday.
- The brawl that ended the contest and spread to the crowd suggests it will likely be a gimmick fight, perhaps a street fight, that will settle matters once and for all.
- Both teams dove from equipment cases through a table on the floor in a cool location to end the chaos.
Photo credit: WWE.com
Ivy Nile sought a measure of revenge for her friend Maxxine Dupri when she fought Valhalla of the Viking Raiders in a one-on-one match. Dupri accompanied Nile.
The back-and-forth contest was short-lived, ending with Nile delivering a middle rope bulldog that Wade Barrett dubbed “Pitbull” to earn the victory.
This was too short to be considered “good” and Valhalla didn't have nearly enough time to shake off the ring rust, although her facial expressions and body language made up for it.
Furthermore, this was a nice performance for Nile, who would go on to achieve some remarkable things in the women's division.
Result
Nile defeated Valhalla
Degree
C
Top moments and takeaways
- An enzuigiri sent Valhalla into a corner, clutching her in her teeth as Cole called her “a madwoman.”
- Barrett twice highlighted Cole's fascination with Valhalla competing barefoot, even though it had nothing to do with what was going on between the ropes.
Photo credit: WWE.com
Nia Jax set out to talk about her plans to dominate the women's Royal Rumble match and ended up showing the world what she's capable of after being interrupted by SmackDown's Becky Lynch and Bayley.
Lynch hit The Role Model with the Manhandle Slam before Jax threw The Man to the arena floor.
The Irresistible Force stood firm to close out the relatively one-dimensional segment, which did little to further the ongoing feuds or build anticipation for the Women's Rumble any further.
A disappointment considering the star power.
Degree
C
Top moments and takeaways
- “Shut up, Nia, you idiot,” Lynch said, echoing fans on social media over the past four years.
- “They probably hurt half of them,” Lynch said of Jax's relationship with the women's locker room.
- “I’m going to win the Royal Rumble. I’m going to point to the WrestleMania sign,” Bayley said.
Photo credit: WWE.com
Rhea Ripley gave Finn Bálor one order before Dominik Mysterio's showdown with The Miz: she wanted to see the Irishman's aggressive side.
She got a small taste of this when The Prince delivered a cheap shot to Miz that set him up for the 619 and cost him the match.
DIY's Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa hit the ring to make the save for The A-Lister, setting up a trios match that could happen as early as next week.
The contest itself was perfectly acceptable thanks to Miz's ability to work with everyone and Mysterio's continually improving work in the ring.
It was undone by a little too much interference to be anything more, but it was still a meaningful benefit to all involved as the slow embers of inevitable doomsday separation continue.
Speaking of which, Damian Priest cut a promo backstage before his main event against Drew McIntyre. Conspicuous by its absence? Judgment Day gear as he wore his Puerto Rican-inspired shirt instead.
A hint of his impending expulsion from the group?
Result
Mysterio defeated Miz
Degree
C+
Top moments and takeaways
- Backstage, Lynch confronted Rhea Ripley, who told her to make other plans for WrestleMania 40.
- Hilarity ensued backstage when R-Truth told Miz not to “get involved” and then warned him to be careful of Tom and Nick Mysterio.
- Moments earlier, Damian Priest warned Truth that Judgment Day would bring the hammer down on him and that he didn't want anything bad to happen to him, further aggravating their budding friendship.
- Miz pulled out a springboard crossbody, proof that he's not afraid to try new moves even this late in his career.
Photo credit: WWE.com
Stop me if you've heard this before: Chad Gable and Ivar had a blast on Monday night.
Two of Raw's more unsung performers brought the crowd to its knees and won over New Orleans fans en route to the Viking Raider's victory.
Valhalla appeared late in the match and distracted a rising Gable, a nod to last week's show where Maxxine Dupri cost the big man a match against Akira Tozawa.
From there, Ivar delivered a big moonsault on Gable and secured the tainted victory.
This was a fantastic match that left the crowd second-guessed because of the incorrect placements, proof that it is still possible to put two talented wrestlers in the ring and make them work for the attention and recognition of the fans.
The result suggests the feud will continue, but one has to wonder how much life is left of it given how long the Alpha Academy-Viking Raiders program has already lasted.
Result
Ivar defeated Gable
Degree
B+
Top moments and takeaways
- Backstage, Bronson Reed challenged Jey Uso to a match on next week's Raw.
- Elsewhere, Dupri presented Gable with a “Thank Yew Crew” rally towel. They'll sell well.
- Gable's T-bone suplex from the top rope was incredible, especially considering the risk involved.
Photo credit: WWE.com
In the highly anticipated portion of this week's Raw, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes faced off in the middle of the ring and delivered an explosive promo.
The men's Royal Rumble rivals talked about the late Dusty Rhodes and took a few digs at each other before Punk claimed to be more like his father than his son.
The American Nightmare replied that he was more CM punk than the man standing in front of him.
Anyone expecting any hints about All Elite Wrestling or the issues that led to either man leaving the promotion had unreasonable expectations.
Instead, two great orators laid the foundation for their story by recalling the real history between them, and while that meant evoking the memory of the American Dream, it led to a tense look that added to the intrigue surrounding the Rumble of the men only increased.
More importantly, it set the stage for a potential showdown between two of Raw's top babyfaces if Seth Rollins can't compete at WrestleMania and WWE needs a backup plan.
Degree
A+
Top moments and takeaways
- “When The American Dream asks you for a favor, you say 'yes,'” Punk said in 2007 about Dusty Rhodes' request to keep an eye on Cody.
- “…we've become friends and what makes that so bittersweet,” Rhodes said of his relationship with Punk and their upcoming match at Saturday's Royal Rumble.
- “I embody the American dream more than you do,” Punk said, referencing his father’s blue-collar background.
- “When you were gone [WWE], you didn't pass the torch, you dropped it. Do you know who picked it up? I did. Everything you talked about, I did. When you spoke, I left. “What’s actually ironic is that it makes me more CM punk than you,” Rhodes said.
- Punk said there was a much bigger star who came back and was ready to put an end to Rhodes' story. He was talking about himself.
Photo credit: WWE.com
Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark continued to stake their claim to a WWE Women's Tag Team Championship opportunity with a convincing victory over Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell.
The babyfaces fought hard to improve their winning streak, which included a win over Chelsea Green and Piper Niven a week ago, but they were overwhelmed by the tenacity of their opponents.
After the match, champions Katana Chance and Kayden Carter faced the winners, only to be overtaken by Asuka and Kairi Sane of Damage CTRL.
The Kabuki Warriors held firm to close out the segment and add shine to their upcoming clash with the Champions on Friday's SmackDown.
Result
Baszler and Stark defeated LeRae and Hartwell
Degree
C+, for the action in a short time window
Top moments and takeaways
- Barrett praised Chance and Carter's title win for breathing new life into the women's tag team division.
- The way Stark and Baszler are constantly looking to beat the life out of each other rather than their opponents helps set them apart from every other team in the division… for better or worse .
Photo credit: WWE.com
The budding friendship between Damian Priest and R-Truth suffered a major setback in Monday's main event, as the latter's unwanted late presence cost The Archer of Infamy his match with Drew McIntyre.
Truth's repeated distractions allowed the Scot to rock Priest with the Claymore and score the win, giving him momentum before the Rumble and handing Priest a needless loss at a time when patience for doomsday defeats is running low court subsides.
Priest had warned Truth earlier in the night that his teammates would give him the hammer. And after this main event plays out, Senor Money in the Bank might do it himself.
The loss furthers one of WWE's most unexpectedly entertaining storylines while also giving McIntyre a much-needed victory before the Royal Rumble.
Does The Scottish Warrior have a chance of winning on Saturday? No, but WWE and Triple H have done a good enough job of portraying him as a threat that he doesn't look out of place next to the likes of CM Punk and Cody Rhodes.
Result
McIntyre defeated Priest
Degree
B+
Top moments and takeaways
- McIntyre continues to be a fixture on WWE television, although he has reportedly not yet signed a new contract with the company.
- Priest's rise since last April at Backlash was one of the bright spots on Monday night. His presence and raw ability are undeniable.
- The broken arrow from Priest to McIntyre on the announce table was nasty and didn't seem to feel good at all.
- The punches in this game were fierce and to the point.
I really enjoyed the show on Monday.
Seth Rollins' announcement seemed like a big deal, as did the personal confrontation between CM Punk and Cody Rhodes. In between there were some great brawls from The New Day and Imperium, while Chad Gable and Ivar had the best match of the night.
The slow disintegration of Judgment Day continued, the friendship between Priest and R-Truth faltered, and the women's tag team division remained in the spotlight as Triple H attempts to pull this roster out of the doldrums and into prestige .
Still, there seemed to be a lack of urgency surrounding the Royal Rumble throughout the show.
The event and the men's and women's Rumble matches were hyped in individual segments, but what should have been a big sell felt more subdued than in years past.
Maybe that's because Triple H and his team believe they've sold the intrigue surrounding the Rumble matches well enough. Maybe it's Raw's too long running time that prevents it from feeling like a big show.
Be that as it may, Monday evening was missing.
Still, there was more good than bad and enough to give the show an above average grade.
Grade B