 Bron Breakker Confronted Intercontinental Champion Jey UsoKicking off the show with the wildly-popular new Intercontinental Champion was the right call. I'm glad Uso got more serious as he progressed through his promo and didn't just rely on his "yeet" shtick. Breakker showing Uso respect and teasing turning babyface was a pleasantly surprising development, but I don't think it'll stick. I like that the commentary team acknowledged how he reacted differently compared to when he suffered his first loss on the main roster to Sami Zayn a few months ago. Xavier Woods def. Rey MysterioThis was the first-ever one-on-one meeting between these two. The New Day angle is officially the best thing going on Raw right now, so this had my attention. It was a good match that could've been better with more time, but the key was that Woods took advantage of Mysterio while unmasked to pick up the win. That's the first heelish thing we've seen him do since he started teasing tension with Kofi Kingston. I'm looking forward to him challenging Uso for the Intercontinental Championship on next week's show. Zoey Stark def. Lyra ValkyriaWWE was doing a great job with Valkyria when she was first called up to the Raw roster following the Draft and she seemed to be gradually getting over. Unfortunately, she's been floundering since failing to win Queen of the Ring and her push hasn't been consistent. This was a well-wrestled match between her and Stark, but the crowd didn't care and it's difficult to blame them. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter returned by making the save for Valkyria afterward, as it looks like they'll be replacing Natalya and Zelina Vega in this feud. What is any of this actually accomplishing? CM Punk and Drew McIntyre Went Face-to-FaceBoth men have cut excellent promos individually in recent weeks, but I was hoping for one last face-off from them before Bad Blood and I'm happy we got it. They spoke with intensity and summed up their storyline nicely. The Hell in a Cell structure surrounding them was a cool touch. It was an effective final sell for their big blow-off. That's exactly why it should headline the event, but I'm already expecting the tag team match to go on last. The Judgment Day ("Dirty" Dominik Mysterio, Carlito and World Tag Team Champion JD McDonagh) def. The LWO (Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro and Dragon Lee); Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley Brawled with Judgment DayPersonally, I'm tired of the faction warfare with Judgment Day and LWO, but I understand these matches are meant to kill television time and give Judgment Day more momentum. It had a few fun moments, but this is exactly what Raw needs less of when it returns to the two-hour format (albeit temporarily) starting next week until the matches are going to matter. The post-match scene with Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley brawling with Judgment Day before the two big matches at Bad Blood was well done. Chad Gable def. Kofi KingstonSimilar to Mysterio vs. Woods, this was a solid match, but it was more about furthering the New Day story. Right before the finish, Woods attempted to trip up Gable, which ended up working against Kingston and costing him the win. The idea is that it was accidental, but what if it was actually on purpose? Color me intrigued. Also, don't look now but Gable shockingly won for a change. World Heavyweight Champion Gunther Attacked Sami Zayn and Accepted His ChallengeI've been digging the story Gunther and Zayn have been telling over the last several weeks and this was their strongest segment yet. They added another layer to their rivalry and Gunther finally accepted Zayn's challenge, though their championship clash will be happening on next week's Raw and not at Bad Blood. Is that because they'd be overshadowed by the other big matches scheduled for the show? I wasn't originally in favor of them going that route, but it makes sense in that case. Authors of Pain def. Awesome TruthR-Truth returned backstage earlier in the evening. He hadn't been seen since being attacked by Bronson Reed last month. This was a logical match to do given all the interactions The Miz has had with Karrion Kross as of late, but I appreciated how Miz didn't wait until afterward to turn on Truth. Miz got over as a babyface, but the Awesome Truth reunion had run its course and this was the easiest way to split them up. The match itself was whatever, but hey, it did give Authors of Pain a win. Braun Strowman def. Bronson Reed in a Last Monster Standing MatchThe video package they produced for this match (which also aired last week) was awesome. This entire feud has been a blast and they capped it off with a very entertaining brawl here. You had to know the ring was going to collapse (they even hinted at it a week or two ago), but it was still a spectacle, nonetheless. I wasn't fond of Reed losing (nor do I think they should've telegraphed Seth Rollins' return by having Reed mention him in a backstage interview earlier), but he loses nothing in defeat. It also gives me more faith that Reed will win their first match together. Overall ShowI thoroughly enjoyed this edition of Raw on the whole, but I will not miss three-hour Raw shows for the next three months. It will be a welcome change of pace to be back to two hours for the first time in over a dozen years. There was a lot of moving parts on this episode, including quality hype for Raw's three matches at Bad Blood. Additionally, the main event delivered and there were several notable storyline developments. They announced a stacked show for next Monday night, but more than anything else, I'm excited for the two-hour format and the potential change in format.
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