CM Punk Interrupts Drew McIntyre, Finn Balor VS Tommaso Ciampa
Monday Night Raw kicked off this week with Drew McIntyre in the ring as Drew talked about his loss to Seth “Freakin” Rollins last week. McIntyre clearly wasn’t very happy with himself, Damian Priest, CM Punk, and basically all of the other top stars on Raw before CM Punk interrupted him to a big pop. Before Punk could really say much, Drew McIntyre ripped into his rival about being a leader 10 years ago and that now, The Scottish Psychopath is the leader. CM Punk then said he’s looking to emulate what McIntyre achieved when he returned to WWE before the segment ended with Punk telling Drew that he’ll eliminate him last in this year’s Royal Rumble. This was good stuff and Drew McIntyre came off this looking particularly strong.
Grade: B
It was then time for the first match of the night as “The Judgment Day’s” Finn Balor took on “DIY’s” Tommaso Ciampa. Finn and Tommaso are known for being two of NXT’s best over the years and they showed why in this one. It was also funny that this show was taking place in Portland because Balor, Ciampa, and Johnny Gargano all have plenty of history together in the same building. Anyway, after Damian Priest tried to interfere to help his Tag Team partner, it ended up being Gargano who helped Ciampa steal a victory in a rather odd and not great-looking moment which was a shame as the match itself was pretty decent.
Grade: C+
Kofi Kingston VS Ludwig Kaiser, Nia Jax Promo, Katana Chance and Kayden Carter VS Chelsea Green and Piper Niven: WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships
After Becky Lynch said she’s going to win the Women’s Royal Rumble, it was straight into the next match as Ludwig Kaiser was looking to get revenge on Kofi Kingston for what happened to Ludwig Kaiser last week. In fairness, Ludwig did that, and then some! The match itself was alright, even though it did end rather abruptly in the form of a double count-out, something I’m never a fan of. However, what came afterwards was great as Kaiser racked the eyes of Kofi before he destroyed Kingston with some wicked shots including a dropkick onto the steel steps. Ludwig Kaiser looked awesome in this moment whilst Kofi Kingston is famous for being a terrific Babyface in situations like this.
Grade: C+ for the Match, B+ for the Aftermath
Ludwig Kaiser was furious with Jackie Redmond backstage when she questioned why Kaiser would do that to Kofi Kingston (what a stupid question) before Michael Cole brought out Nia Jax. Nia contemplated whether she should break Cole’s face after Michael said Jax beating Becky Lynch last week was a major surprise before The Irresistible Force made it clear that she’s going to go on and win the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble match. This brought out Rhea Ripley who called Nia a “scaredy-cat” before Jax proclaimed that when she win’s the Rumble, she’s going to challenge Ripley for her Women’s World Championship at WrestleMania. That isn’t happening, but I think it very much will at Elimination Chamber. As for this segment as a whole, it was fine, but it’s not necessarily must-see television.
Grade: C+
After Shinsuke Nakamura attacked Cody Rhodes backstage because he felt like it, it was time for Katana Chance and Kayden Carter’s first defense as the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions as they looked to retain against the team they beat for the Titles, Chelsea Green and Piper Niven. This was a fine match, I like both teams, but it didn’t feel like there was much jeopardy in it which is a bit of a shame. Still, after Piper Niven accidentally delivered a Viper Bomb onto her own partner, Chance and Carter hit the Cake Stand onto Chelsea Green to get the victory and prove why they are the best Women’s Tag Team in the company.
Grade: C+
JD McDonagh VS The Miz, Seth “Freakin” Rollins Promo, Ivar VS Otis
R-Truth cut this rather funny video of why he’s a member of The Judgment Day and Damian Priest seemed to really enjoy this (no one else in The Judgment Day did though) before it was time for JD McDonagh to go one-on-one with The Miz. JD McDonagh is a hell of a Professional Wrestler so I’m never going to complain about watching him in the ring whilst I actually don’t mind The Miz as a Babyface. Both Dominik Mysterio and R-Truth also brought some fun to this contest on the outside, and yeah, The Miz ended up picking up the victory with a Skull Crushing Finale and this simple, harmless, sports entertainment.
Grade: C+
After we cut back to Rhea Ripley, Finn Balor, and Damian Priest who weren’t happy that JD McDonagh just lost, Seth “Freakin” Rollins was the next man to come out as the World Heavyweight Champion wanted to chat. Seth talked about his aim to walk into WrestleMania as World Champion for the first time before he laughed off the crowd chanting CM Punk’s name after Rollins asked them who they’d like him to face at the show of shows. Amazingly, Jinder Mahal’s music then hit as The Modern Day Maharaja came out to tell Rollins that he wants his World Heavyweight Championship. This ultimately resulted in a brawl, and yeah, Rollins-Mahal for the World Heavyweight Championship is taking place next week which is honestly the most random thing I think I’ve seen in a while!
Grade: C+
After a backstage confrontation earlier in the show, we got a match between Ivar of “The Viking Raiders” and Otis of “Alpha Academy”. These are two big guys that are very agile for their size and this was totally harmless. Some people will have absolutely loved this and others would’ve hated it. For me, I have no problem with it, especially when it leads to Ivar getting the victory with a ridiculous Moonsault.
Grade: C+
Cody Rhodes VS Shinsuke Nakamura: Street Fight
After what went down earlier in the show, the Main Event of Raw between Cody Rhodes and Shinsuke Nakamura was changed into a Street Fight (why it wasn’t that to begin with I honestly don’t know or understand). I really enjoyed this match, this is by far the most fun I’ve had watching Cody Rhodes since his match with Roman Reigns at last year’s WrestleMania. It helped that Shinsuke Nakamura is on a tear right now and Shinsuke using Nunchucks is honestly the coolest thing I’ve ever seen! Overall, after a hard-fought battle that saw plenty of weapons used (including a broom), Nakamura went crashing into a table before The American Nightmare delivered a Cross Rhodes to score the victory. Whilst it’s a shame to see Shinsuke lose again, I’m totally okay with it if The King of Strong Style goes on to eliminate Cody Rhodes from the Royal Rumble.
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