Monday Night Raw Review - January 5, 2026

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY def. The Kabuki Warriors to Win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship

These four have been working well together for months, so it was no surprise that this was an entertaining opener. I really thought Kabuki Warriors might avenge their loss from Crown Jewel and retain the titles here, but apparently not. Then again, Ripley and SKY have such strong chemistry that I'm not against them getting a run with the tag titles, no matter how long it ends up being. This was a great way to start the show.

AJ Styles Confronted Gunther

WWE really didn't waste time in transitioning Styles into something significant on his own after losing the World Tag Team Championship last week. He's been having quick interactions with Gunther for a few weeks now, but this was their first extended exchange and it was solid stuff. I thought this might be designed to plant the seeds for a match at WrestleMania 42, but it was later announced that they'll be facing off on next week's Raw instead.

Becky Lynch def. Maxxine Dupri to Win the Women's Intercontinental Championship

This may have been the weakest match these two have had to date, which is unfortunate because they've developed quality chemistry together. If I had to guess, based on how quiet this crowd was, fans are probably tired of this feud, even though there wasn't anything wrong with the match. It was well worked while it lasted. I'm actually not a fan of Lynch getting the belt back. It was a nice moment for Dupri in Madison Square Garden back in November, but I guess they want the title on Lynch for her likely WrestleMania match with AJ Lee.

World Tag Team Champions The Usos Addressed the Audience; Raquel Rodriguez Attacked Women's World Champion Stephanie Vaquer

Both of these segments were short enough that I figured I'd lump them into one paragraph. The Usos cutting their promo from the crowd was a cool touch, but nothing of note was said. It might be a bit before we find out who their next major feud will be with. As for the subsequent segment with the women, Vaquer entered the ring with a walking boot for her interview with Jackie Redmond and she was attacked pretty aggressively by Rodriguez, so it felt like a write-off to me. I hope the injury isn't legitimate because that'd be devastating and another big blow to the division. Is that damn title cursed?

Liv Morgan def. Lyra Valkyria

This was Morgan's first match since returning from injury at the end of November, and it was also the first-ever one-on-one encounter between these two. It was a fairly standard television match, but I thought it was largely good with Valkyria selling her ass for Morgan's offense. They desperately need to further the tension within The Judgment Day, but I fear they might have to hold off on it until Dominik Mysterio returns to television. Hopefully he's back on the sooner side.

World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk def. Bron Breakker

This successfully captured the big fight feel. My money was on Punk retaining, especially after the two title changes earlier on, but Breakker had a real chance of winning. That made the nearfalls down the stretch all the more suspenseful. This match wasn't always pretty, but I thoroughly enjoyed it on the whole. The issue with Punk retaining here is that it feels more predictable Breakker will win the men's Royal Rumble, get a rematch at WrestleMania and win the belt there.

Overall Show

First of all, the Stranger Things theming was awesome. The set looked sick and the graphics and whatnot were well done, so as a fan of the show (or at least as someone who watched all of it last year), I appreciated that. Overall, this was an eventful episode for the two title changes, but it wasn't as hot as I would've hoped for the first episode of the year. You would never know they were in Brooklyn with how tame the crowd was at several points. I'd still give it a thumbs-up, but there have definitely been better shows in recent memory.

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