5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (30 Dec - Results & Review)

4. A Compact Battle

Dakota Kai Zoey Stark
WWE

Had the Women’s Intercontinental Championship tournament been full of short, tight, competitive matches like Monday night’s bout between Zoey Stark and Dakota Kai, it might have been better received overall.

Stark and Kai had a no-filler match on Raw, eschewing chinlocks and breathers to focus on constant action. Dakota hit a pump kick at the bell and they traded corner whips before Kai hit a monkey flip on Stark – only for Zoey to land on her feet. They fought on the apron, traded bombs and went for their knockout blows, with Kai hitting a flipping backcracker and Stark nailing a suplex and powerdrive knee.

The finish saw Dakota counter a powerbomb with a Code Red, and then Stark hit a rolling Death Valley Driver, leading to Zoey going for a springboard dropkick… and getting cut off with a superkick. Kai hit the Go-To-Kick for the win, advancing to the finals.

The match wasn’t a technical masterpiece or even something that will make a “best of” list, but it was all action, had the crowd reacting to flurry of offense, and it produced a nice moment for Kai, who has suffered through a series of injuries and struggled to actually create a bit of momentum for herself.

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Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.