 Becky Lynch and Damage CTRL BrawledLynch's return was one of the top takeaways from the weekend, so opening Raw with her made total sense. It also makes sense to have her feud with Damage CTRL since they put her on the shelf in storyline over the summer, not to mention it's a non-title feud and WWE needs more of those with the women. Damage CTRL have zero heat right now coming off their many losses, but the brawl in the arena concourse was well done. It's so great to have Lynch back to being a babyface for the first time in over a year since it's the role she's best in. Mia Yim vs. Rhea Ripley Ended in a No Contest; The Judgment Day (Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley) def. The O.C. (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows) and Mia YimI was stunned Yim vs. Ripley was given away without being advertised in advance at all. It wouldn't have made much of a difference (if any) in the ratings, but it's been built up for a month, so I didn't think they'd throw it out there cold like that. Not only that, we also got the eight-person tag team match between Judgement Day and O.C. due to the non-finish in Yim vs. Ripley. Both bouts were fun and Judgment Day were able to rebound from their losses at Survivor Series. This killed plenty of television time but did so effectively, and the fact the whole first hour of the show was commercial-free helped a lot. Kevin Owens Confronted The BloodlineEverything about the exchange between Owens and Zayn was fantastic. Owens isn't even frustrated at Zayn for what he did at the end of Survivor Series; rather, he simply wants nothing to do with him anymore. And you know that's going to play perfectly into them reuniting before long to take out The Usos. This was the usual great stuff from all involved to set up the Owens vs. Jey Uso main event for later on. The Street Profits def. Alpha AcademyWe haven't seen Street Profits on WWE TV since early October when Montez Ford was shown wearing a walking boot and I'm happy they're back. That said, not much has changed in the Raw tag team division in their absence, and they were right back to facing Alpha Academy for the umpteenth time. Thankfully, they work well together and this was a quality contest, but I'm ready for Street Profits to do something different now that they've returned. I'd be all for them doing more singles stuff while still aligned and occasionally teaming. Seth "Freakin" Rollins Confronted United States Champion Austin TheoryTheory is carrying himself much more like a star now than he was even a month or two ago. The serious character change for him has really done wonders and the best part is that it's only just begun. I really liked the exchange he and Rollins had here, making the United States Championship feel even more coveted in the process. The only thing I wasn't a fan of this segment was whatever the hell Rollins was wearing. If he's supposed to be a babyface at this point, can he please ditch the dumb outfits? Dexter Lumis def. The Miz in an Anything Goes Match to Earn a WWE ContractThis storyline has dragged on for so long that I'm not at all shocked the crowd sat on their hands for a majority of the match. They benefited from the Anything Goes stipulation and the stakes of Lumis earning a Raw contract if he won, but all I could think about while watching this was how badly I wanted Lumis to win so this angle could be over. Now the question is, where does Lumis go from here? Will he maintain a relevant, regular role on Raw or disappear to Main Event before long? Candice LeRae def. Dakota KaiThis was a rematch from a month or so ago when Kai beat LeRae. LeRae's been gone for about five weeks (reportedly due to an injury), so this was a nice way of getting her back in the fold. They had an enjoyable outing and were surprisingly given plenty of time, but I don't blame the crowd for being quiet because neither of them are established with the main roster audience yet. They're too talented to not get over in the long run. Kevin Owens def. Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champion Jey UsoDespite Owens vs. Jey Uso not feeling like much of a main event on paper, this was terrific stuff. They've always had chemistry as opponents and I appreciated that they got as much time as they did here. The commentators teased that Owens may have to go through every member of Bloodline to get to Roman Reigns, and although that's a logical route to take, Reigns vs. Owens in a straight-up singles match doesn't excite me much because Reigns has already beaten him three times. They would really have to raise the stakes to sell me on that again unless it turns into a Triple Threat with Sheamus or someone along those lines. Overall ShowThis was a weird show because I thought it started strong and had an excellent first hour. We also got the returns of Street Profits and LeRae. Unfortunately, the show lost momentum as it entered the second hour and didn't get too interesting again until the main event, which ended the evening on a high note. It was one of those instances where Raw would have been better if it was just two hours, but I realize that's just not going to happen. I'd give this episode a slight thumbs-up, but I hope they don't coast until the Royal Rumble and are able to kick off some fresh feuds soon.
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