6 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (Results & Review - 22 Jan)

3. Gable, Ivar Steal The Show

In news that will shock almost no one, Chad Gable and Ivar had what the kids call a banger of a match Monday night.

While the setup for this match – Ivar actually lost to Akira Tozawa in a horrible banana peel finish – was terrible, the prospect of this confrontation made it somewhat forgivable. Gable continuously attacked the much bigger Ivar, trying to get him off his feet and using his speed to keep the Viking Raider off-balance.

However, Ivar isn’t a slug by any stretch, so he flattened Gable and kept rebuffing the former Olympian’s offense. But Gable’s tenacity won out when he nailed a German suplex and then countered a superplex attempt with another German.

Things looked to be in his favor until Valhalla suddenly appeared on the apron, just inches from his face as he attempted a moonsault of his own. That allowed Ivar to pick up the hard-fought win – with a little help.

If WWE hasn’t lost the plot with Gable, this could be the catalyst to get him back on track to dethrone Gunther. If not, at least fans got an excellent little TV match. Here’s hoping for more of the former than the latter though.