Monday Night Raw Review - December 16, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

CM Punk and Seth "Freakin" Rollins Brawled

There aren't too many recent rivalries I can think of where every segment felt like must-see TV, but that's been the case with Rollins and Punk over the last year, at least for me. This was another excellent interaction from them with Punk running down Rollins and again winning their war of words. They had a hot brawl in the crowd, leading to the announcement from Adam Pearce later on that they'll fight on the first Netflix Raw in three weeks. Hopefully that's the first in a series of matches between them and not just a one-off.

Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker def. Ludwig Kaiser

Despite failing to win the Intercontinental title at Survivor Series, he did have a claim to another opportunity since he wasn't pinned in that Triple Threat. Kaiser has had a great year as a singles star and this was another impressive performance from him. Of course, he loses a lot more than he wins and he can't keep looking credible in defeat forever. This was a very good match and I appreciated that they got as much time as they did.

Rhea Ripley Confronted The Judgment Day

Dominik Mysterio and Raquel Rodriguez accompanied Liv Morgan but stood in the background the whole time. I'm as tired of the Ripley vs. Morgan feud as anyone, but we're thankfully in the final stretch, or so it seems. Morgan's mic work was basic but generated a ton of heat per usual. Ripley kept her part short and sweet by establishing she's next in line for a shot at the Women's World Championship, though she didn't make it clear when she'll get it. I have to imagine that match will go down on Raw's Netflix premiere.

Zoey Stark def. Kayden Carter and Raquel Rodriguez in a Women's Intercontinental Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match

Carter was always going to take the losing fall, but Stark and Rodriguez had about an equal chance of winning. I would've liked to see Rodriguez against Dakota Kai in the semifinals given their history, but oh well. None of these women are over, so the crowd was quiet throughout, but this was a nicely-paced Triple Threat, nonetheless. It's a shame the finish was botched and they didn't redo it.

War Raiders def. The Judgment Day (Finn Balor and JD McDonagh) to Win the World Tag Team Championship

The rest of Judgment Day were barred from ringside. War Raiders losing to Judgment Day the last time was stupid, so it was imperative they avenged that loss and took the titles here. Granted, they won thanks to an assist from Damian Priest, but it was the correct outcome, regardless. This was an enjoyable outing. The tag titles being spotlighted in the main event for a change was refreshing, but I have little confidence WWE will attempt to elevate the division from this point forward.

Overall Show

As you can tell from the results above, there really wasn't much on this show that happened in front of the live crowd. That was probably by design since a second episode was taped right afterward (due to next week's airing right before Christmas). What we did get was at least eventful with the setup for the first Netflix Raw, Breakker successfully retaining the Intercontinental Championship and War Raiders winning the World Tag Team titles. That won't be considered enough for some and that's understandable, but I'd certainly say it was a thumbs-up show.

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