7 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE Raw (9 Dec - Results & Review)
WWE Raw - New Day sucks, Punk and Rollins add layers to rivalry.
Watching Raw in December has become a very different experience during the past few years. What once was disposable, skippable, and sometimes agonizing television has evolved into meaningful, entertaining, and quality programming.
Monday night’s offering was far from a blow-away show – there were some pretty solid moments, but nothing will really make a “best of” list. The in-ring action ran the gamut, but storyline developments were a strong suit for Raw, which is especially critical as WWE heads into Saturday Night’s Main Event this weekend.
Two new developments for Saturday’s relaunch were made official, with Sami Zayn skipping over the weeks of back-and-forth promos and attacks and announcing that he’s facing Drew McIntyre, and Damian Priest was added to the World Heavyweight Championship match, making it a triple threat.
Raw’s best moments came after the bell, with CM Punk and Seth Rollins adding layers and texture to their year-long rivalry, McIntyre making the case for why he returned and immediately attacked Zayn, and New Day being drowned out by a chorus of boos one week after summarily dismissing Big E. The main event between Rhea Ripley and Raquel Rodriguez was a bright spot in the ring, with the two women using the compressed match time and plunder to their advantage.
Overall, Raw was a solid show with a hot crowd, and that makes it an easy watch.
Let’s get to it…