7 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE Raw (9 Dec - Results & Review)
4. Rhea & Raquel Plow Through Plunder
Heading into Raw, Rhea Ripley versus Raquel Rodriguez was an open question. Which version of their matchup would unfold on Monday night? Would it be magic in the ring, or would it be a turkerino?
WWE measured it smartly, booking the match as a 10-minute sprint of a plunder brawl, starting with Rhea attacking Raquel mid-entrance for some fighting through the crowd before making their way back to the ringside area, where they’d avail themselves of chairs, kendo sticks, and tables. They kept plowing through the match, walloping each other and going for the home run shot.
Liv Morgan predictably got involved to try to help her heater, but Iyo Sky nullified her, allowing Ripley to put Rodriguez down with a Riptide through a table. This would then give way to Iyo and Rhea both grabbing for the Women’s World Heavyweight Championship, giving fans the visual of the money match they never knew they wanted.
It’s also worth noting that this was Rhea’s first singles match on Raw since January. WWE really went 11 months without booking one of their top stars in a singles bout on television. Hopefully, this performance – and the fans’ reaction – will remind them that putting Ripley in the ring once in a while isn’t a bad idea.