3 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE Raw (12 Oct - Results & Review)

1. IC Title Match Rocks The Arena

In some ways, Chad Gable’s Intercontinental Championship run is a pretty big disappointment in that he’s winning over arenas of fans with his wrestling, but his only official storyline is “apology tour.”

Gable once again shined in the ring Monday night, defending his IC title against Rey Fenix in a fantastic TV match. The champ strung together some great offense, catching a slingshot attempt with a Northern Lights suplex for two, then hit a moonsault, and then reversed a Fenix ankle lock with one of his own. Fenix would go for his rolling cutter, only for Gable to catch him with an Angle Slam.

But the AAA Cruiserweight Champion kept coming back. An avalanche hurricanrana set up a springboard moonsault, followed by Goodbye Amigo and a frogsplash… for a two-count. That eventually led to an ankle lock reversal sequence that ended with Gable clamping on his finisher and refusing to let go until Fenix reached the ropes.

Fenix tried a Mexican Muscle Buster, but his mangled ankle gave way, allowing Gable to cinch in the ankle lock one last time and score the tap-out.

This was just a fun, fast-paced match that showcased everything good about WWE’s in-ring product. The crime here is that these two men have wrestled in just three PLE matches combined in the past 14 months, with both of them competing in the 2026 Royal Rumble (Gable’s Intercontinental Championship win at SummerSlam is the other). They’re being sent out to mesmerize fans on television, but they’re not getting intricate, high-level storylines and PLE opportunities.

That’s really a shame, because fans clearly responded to this. Imagine if they were given more than the wrestling as a reason to invest in superstars like Gable and Fenix.