Show Recap —

Various wrestlers were shown arriving at this taped edition
of Raw (along with fake crowd noise).

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez entered. Liv welcomed us to
Monday Night Morgan. She knew Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill
were in the house and weren’t alone, so she didn’t come
alone either. That brought out Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton and
Candice LeRae.

Jax told Morgan and Rodriguez that she didn’t care about
them but couldn’t stop thinking about Belair, Cargill and
Naomi. Those three women entered right on cue (to more fake
crowd noise). Belair said they didn’t come alone either,
which brought out Iyo Sky.

Morgan noted that they were still outnumbered 5-to-4. Morgan
called herself “really, really, really smart” because she
knew what was about to happen and asked who would throw out
the first punch.

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Inspired by
Rhea Ripley entered (to a big reaction) wearing a protective
face mask. (The announcers reminded us of her broken orbital
bone.) She yelled, “War Games!” and headbutted Morgan.
Morgan escaped through the crowd as Sky wiped out everyone
with a moonsault outside the ring. The babyfaces stood tall.

(It often feels so phony when wrestlers parade out like this
and it felt especially so here, at least until Ripley
returned.)

********

There was a replay of Bronson Reed joining the new Bloodline
on Smackdown.

They showed a tale of the tape for Seth Rollins vs. Reed
tonight.

They announced Raw at Intuit Dome for the Netflix debut on
January 6th.

********

Mixed tag team match: Rey Mysterio & Zelina Vega defeated
Chad Gable & Ivy Nile (10:00)


Nile smacked Vega before the match began. They brawled to
the outside and the referee started the match with Rey and
Gable in the ring. A Nile distraction allowed Gable to take
over on Rey. Gable and Nile put the boots to Rey as the ref
held back Vega.

Rey tagged in Vega who hit Nile with double knees in the
corner for two but Nile blocked a suplex and clobbered her
with a clothesline. Nile was in control through a break
until Vega hit a tornado DDT.

Vega went for a tag but Gable grabbed her by the leg and the
crowd booed. Vega hit an enziguri and tagged in Rey who hit
a seated senton and rollup for two. Gable caught Rey out of
mid-air and hit a cliffhanger DDT for two.

With Gable seated on the top rope, Rey catapulted Vega
toward Gable and she brought him down with a hurricanrana.
Vega dropped the top rope as Nile charged at her but Nile
couldn’t make it over the top so she just sent herself out
of the ring over the middle rope.

Rey followed with a springboard moonsault for a nearfall
before hitting a 619 and springboard splash for the pinfall
win. The crowd was happy.

— The Creed Brothers helped Gable to his feet but he pushed
them away. He screamed at them that he wasn’t a loser and
they shouldn’t accept this. Gable slapped Julius Creed twice
to motivate him. Julius and Brutus began shoving each other
to psych each other up and all four members of American Made
stood tall together.


********

Finn Bálor saw Morgan was clearly stressed out so he offered
to take the wheel for Judgment Day tonight and she accepted.
Bálor hyped up Dominik and Carlito for their match against
the War Raiders.

Bálor offered advice but Dom didn’t seem interested. Bálor
said he was the great Dominik Mysterio and he would figure
it out either way. After Dom and Carlito left, JD McDonagh
pulled Bálor aside to chat. (They added fake booing in
different spots here and it felt completely out of place.)

********

There was a video promo with The Miz and Final Testament.
Miz had a cut on his eyelid. He said he deserved an Oscar
for his performance last week, convincing the Wyatt Sicks
that they could change him.

Karrion Kross said they exposed the Wyatts as wounded people
using others to make themselves feel better. They were not
invincible. Miz randomly started wondering who would direct
his next film. Kross said he dealt the cards and the Wyatts
would continue to play the game he controls.

*******

Gunther approached Ludwig Kaiser. Kaiser wasn’t happy about
what happened last week (when Kaiser tried sticking up for
Gunther but Gunther shut him down) but Gunther told him to
start making a name for himself. Gunther wanted Kaiser to
speak for himself and be his own man.

Before Kaiser left, Gunther asked him, “Look into my eyes,
what do you see?” (A reference to Cult of Personality/CM
Punk, perhaps.) Gunther asked Kaiser if he still saw the old
ring general inside of him. Kaiser said, “Of course.”
Gunther was happy to hear it.

Damian Priest happened to be nearby signing autographs and
Gunther tried to blindside him but Priest fought him off and
knocked him down. Priest told Gunther he might be a general
in the ring, but on the streets, Priest was king.

********

Intercontinental Championship: Bron Breakker defeated
Sheamus via disqualification (13:33)

They were even for the first two minutes until Bron hit a
leaping clothesline off the apron over the announce table.

[SECOND HOUR]

After a break, Bron knocked Sheamus down with a dive off the
top to the outside. Sheamus fired up in the ring and hit a
powerslam, clothesline, lifting knee, and ten beats of the
Bodhrán. Sheamus followed with a diving knee drop for two.
(Bron seemed out of place but because it was taped they were
able to use a camera angle that didn’t quite show it.)

Bron came back with a backstabber for two. Sheamus followed
with an avalanche White Noise for a nearfall. The crowd
chanted, “This is awesome.” Sheamus went back to the top but
Bron brought him down with a Frankensteiner. Bron went for a
spear but Sheamus nailed a knee strike for a nearfall.

The crowd got up as Sheamus set up for a Brogue kick but
Bron cut him off with a spear. Sheamus rolled out of the
ring before he could go for a cover.

Bron went for a sprinting spear around the ring but Kaiser
nailed him with a clothesline for the DQ. Kaiser also kicked
Sheamus into the steel steps. The crowd booed Kaiser as he
stood tall on the steps.

(This was really good until the end and the crowd was very
into it.)

********

Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and Sami Zayn approached Seth Rollins.
Jey wanted them all, just this one time, to put their
differences aside. Zayn noted that Rollins previously put
their differences aside last year to team with him, Jey and
even Cody Rhodes. Zayn wanted to do it one more time.

Rollins said he would stand side-by-side with Jey, Jimmy and
Sami but never with Roman Reigns. It wasn’t worth Reigns
being on top again. He planned on solving their Bronson Reed
problem tonight and whatever happened after War Games was on
them. “So good luck, but I’m out.”

********

There was a Dakota Kai video package.

Women’s War Games was made official for Survivor Series:
Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky and Naomi
vs. Liv Morgan, Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton, Raquel Rodriguez
and Candice LeRae.

Next week on Raw, Belair faces Jax with the winner earning
the War Games advantage for their team.

********

The War Raiders defeated Carlito & Dominik Mysterio (9:30)

Judgment Day cheated to take advantage ahead of a break.
Ivar made a hot tag after the break, led the crowd in a
“War” chant and hit Dom with a cannonball for two. Ivar
suplexed Dom into Carlito and an apple fell out of Carlito
like this was WrestleMania: The Arcade Game. They hit
Carlito with War Machine for the pinfall win.

— Bálor and McDonagh attacked Erik and Ivar post-match. They
specifically targeted Erik’s previously injured neck and
Bálor laid him out with Coup de Grace. Judgment Day stood
tall.


********

Bo Dallas had a message for the Miz via VHS tape:

“The trust of the innocent is a liar’s most useful tool. We
offered you salvation. Freedom from the pit. I tried to warn
you. But you’ve damned yourself. I’m sorry for what happens
next. You chose this. Hands will forever be blood-stained
crimson scarlet red because of your actions. And you will
lose what matters most. I never wanted this.”

********

There was a Lyra Valkyria video package.

New Day segment

Otis, Akira Tozawa and Maxxine Dupri ran into Kofi Kingston
backstage. Dupri was excited about New Day’s 10-year
anniversary but she wondered how things were between him and
Xavier Woods. Kingston wasn’t sure. Woods showed up at that
exact moment.


Woods was worried. They had 10 years of no serious arguments
but they’ve been yelling at each other for weeks. He
couldn’t stop thinking about something Karrion Kross said —
that New Day was dead but they were the only ones who didn’t
know it.

Kingston said they weren’t dead, they just had to remember
what New Day was about. Woods seemed to take that personally
but Otis stepped in before they could start arguing again.

Woods didn’t want to hear from Otis and said there was a
reason Gable left their asses. Woods challenged them to a
match next week and a win over them could get New Day back
to where they wanted to be.

********

Bronson Reed defeated Seth Rollins (17:27)

The new Bloodline, minus Solo Sikoa, showed up at ringside
as soon as the match started. The Usos and Sami Zayn ran out
(to Jey’s music) to take them out. The crowd popped big and
kept singing Jey’s music even though they cut it off early.

Zayn and Jimmy easily got rid of Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa.
It took three simultaneous superkicks by the Usos to knock
Jacob Fatu over the barricade. The good guys followed the
Bloodline to the back and with ringside clear, Rollins hit
Reed with a suicide dive.

Rollins hit chops following a break but Reed knocked him
down with a body block. Reed hit a shoulder tackle off the
apron and shoved Rollins into the steel steps. Rollins
avoided a charge and Reed collided with the steps.

Rollins repeatedly bounced Reed’s head against the steps.
Rollins tried a stomp on the steps but Reed avoided it and
entered the ring. Rollins hit a springboard knee and boot
but Reed remained on his feet. Reed came back with a sit-out
powerbomb for two.

After a break, with Reed standing on the middle rope,
Rollins slipped underneath and hit a powerbomb followed by a
springboard moonsault for just a one count. Rollins hit a
springboard senton, also for just a one count. Rollins
superkicked him in the back of the head and hit a frog
splash for two.

Reed responded with a clothesline and brainbuster for two.
Reed went up for Tsunami but Rollins rolled out of the way.
Reed missed a senton and Rollins followed with a superkick
and Pedigree for two.

Rollins hit a curb stomp but didn’t go for a cover. He went
to the top for a super stomp but stopped what he was doing
upon seeing Solo Sikoa standing on the announce desk. Reed
hit Rollins with a DVD, consecutive sentons and a Tsunami
for the pinfall win.

Sikoa raised Reed’s hand as the show ended.

• F4wonline