Chad Gable and Otis have been feuding for months now, with our earliest records of their dissension dating back to June 2024. These men have clashed time and time again, whether it is in a formal match, a war of apparel, or an exchange of harsh words backstage. Gable and Otis needed a match to settle their differences, to disentangle themselves from each other once and for all.

They didn't even get a glorified episode of "WWE Raw" to do it? We're doing this now?

Let's make this perfectly clear — Otis and Gable wrestled a great match on Monday. As tired as we are of this feud, Otis and Gable have a deep understanding of each others' wrestling style, and both men put forth everything to make this match a pleasure to watch. It's just a damn shame that it happened on the "Raw" before WWE's hyped-up debut on Netflix. Otis and Gable put on a great match and have kept the fire lit underneath this feud (whether they have for too long or not), just for it to be put on a show that will fade into an obscure memory come the red brand's debut on arguably the most popular streaming service in the world.

There are two possibilities here: either this feud truly ends tonight, on some random episode of "Raw," or — if Ivy Nile's interference and Gable's win imply — this continues on for far longer. The first possibility, while with its silver lining (after all, they will be free to pursue other storylines), is just pure disrespect. After showing a new side of themselves with this feud, Otis and Gable have been reduced to just "Raw" highlight reels. The biggest platform their feud ever got was at Clash at the Castle. They didn't even put Gable on the SummerSlam 2024 card, even as he was embroiled in a feud with the newly debuted Wyatt Sicks! It is criminal how under-broadcasted this feud was, considering all of the work Gable and Otis clearly put into it. Is it because they're not 6'2" with six packs? If this was truly the end of an era for Gable and Otis, it is hardly a goodbye. It is more like a kick to the porch and the slam of a door.

Nile's interference and Gable's dirty victory imply that this match is not the end of things between the former Alpha Academy members, and that also upsets me. While the chances of this ending appropriately are much higher, Gable and Otis have already been fighting for half a year. This feud needs to die out so both individuals are allowed to fully commit to new feuds, new projects, and new personas. We are on the eve of 2025, and these two are still fighting a feud that began in June 2024. That is absurd.

WWE has fully fumbled what would have been one of 2024's top ten feuds. Instead, they've soiled it and made it into a weekly television show exclusive.

Written by Angeline Phu