WWEaired its penultimateMonday Night Rawon cable television, as the company begins to make its way towards its Netflix Debut.Drew McIntyre defeated Sami Zayn in a Main Event that included the Bloodlineinvading Raw to take out Sami and Jey Uso. Damian Priest and the War Raiders started a new partnership, the former World Champion defeated Dominik Mysterio via DQ. Dexter Lumis also defeated Miz by DQ, as The Final Testament and The Wyatt Sicks continued their intense feud.
Elsewhere, Seth Rollins and Jackie Redmond had an intense interview about his upcoming match with CM Punk, Chad gable defeated Akira Tozawa and will face Otis on Raw next week, andIyo Sky is now in the Intercontinental Championship tournament, replacing Kairi Sane and defeating Natalya and Isla Dawn to reach the semi-final stage.
8Drew McIntyre and Sami Zayn Open Raw
In an uncharacteristically emotional opening from Drew McIntyre, he addressed the crowd that his recent absence was due to the passing of a family member. His continued bitterness is captivating viewing.Drew accuses the world of forgetting about himin an instant, and is interrupted by Sami Zayn. It’s a fascinating dynamic between Sami and Drew, as Sami shares the struggles that people are going through all over the world and makes Drew’s selfishness seem small, especially two days before Xmas. The pair would meet in the Main Event, whereDrew would beat Sami for the second time this month.
7Enter Iyo Sky
After Kairi Sane was attacked on last week’s episode of Raw, Pure Fusion Collective approached Adam Pearce about Sonya DeVille taking her place. The always forward Raw GM said he would be out of his mind to replace Kairi with one of the people responsible for her injury, and had already replaced her with Iyo Sky.Sky then defeated Natalya and Isla Dawn in a triple threat to qualify for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship semi-final, in a tournament she is now the favorite for.
Chad Gable absolutely rag-dolled Akira Tozawa, putting through a series of canvas-shattering suplexes and a devastating ankle lock. As American Made looked set to make further example of Tozawa, Otis got an enormous pop as he hit the ring to shimmy-and-shake the advancing bullies out of the ring. It’s a long-term rivalry, butOtis and Gable are set to finally settle their score on Raw,next week.
5Damian Priest Finds New Allies
Damian Priest earned a DQ victory over Dominik Mysterio, as he fended off JD McDonagh (dressed as Santa) and Carlito under the ring, but Finn Balor’s arrival caused the bell to ring. As The Judgment Day went about their usual business of swarming Damian, The War Raiders came to Priest’s aid. They then cut a great backstage promo together, and will take part in a 6-man tag team match against Finn, JD, and Carlito on next week’s Raw.
4Seth’s Sit-Down
Seth Rollins and Jackie Redmond engaged in a sincere sit-down interview in which the usually charged and adrenaline-fueled Rollins was in a somber-yet-spiteful mood. Following the brash physicality and sheer nihilism of last week’s encounter between him and CM Punk, Seth this week simply promised that their match would be “a fight”. That Netflix debut can’t come quickly enough.
3The Final Testament And The Wyatts Continue To War
Dexter Lumis vs the Miz was in full swing before the Authors Of Pain arrived to cause a distraction, and Karrion Kross would cause a DQ finish. The Wyatts would arrive, including throwing Nikki Kross at Miz and The Final Testament from inside the ring, to keep the fires of this feud still burning. This felt like filler, but the rivalry’s resolution is surely on the horizon.
2The New Day Are Public Enemy Number 1
Nobody is currently getting booed more in the WWE than The New Day. With even Dirty Dom (!) telling them they were cold earlier in the evening, The New Day took offense to more biased journalism from Raw’s commentary team. When taking to the ring to protest their innocence, they then announced Kofi Kingston’s mom had flown to be there tonight. He then went to hug her, before she asked him what the hell was wrong with him and left the arena. New Day truly does suck.
1Drew And The Bloodline’s Union Begins
After the seeds of their unholy union were sown on SmackDown, The Bloodline and Drew McIntyre began hatching their plans to dominate The OG Bloodline. Drew would hammer Sami with a vicious ground and pound after defeating him with a thunderous Claymore, before Jey Uso would rush into the ring to fight The Scottish Warrior. The Bloodline would then arrive unannounced and tear Jey and Sami apart as Raw went off the air.
