-Well, it’s a new year, so naturally we had a Stranger Things themed episode of WWE Raw on Netflix. Look, the stage looked kinda cool, but overall it was a weak integration if you ask me. That’s both good and bad. Good because silly sponsorship integrations can get nauseating on a big scale. Bad because if someone out there actually tuned into the show because they were a fan of Stranger Things, they got almost nothing for their time.
New champs
-The WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match between Kabuki Warriors and Team Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky was very good. Lots of action and the match was built around the strength of each woman. In turn, each woman got their moment to shine. Props to Asuka and Kairi Sane. Both women flew around selling for Ripley and Sky. As for Ripley and Sky winning the tag titles? Eh. It’s clear that the women’s tag team division is getting attention and that’s great. At the same time, for every moment Ripley is in the tag team division, she isn’t at the top of the Raw women’s division as a singles star. That’s where she needs to be.
-They got it right with Gunther this week. Compared to other weeks, he was a lot less of a troll and lot more of a true heel selling a major match. The angle between AJ Styles and Gunther worked. It showed Gunther for the scared bully that he is and painted AJ as a valiant babyface who isn’t afraid to stand up to the bully. That entire story was captured and now they have a main event match next week. Well done.
From The Takedown on SI
-I have no problem with Becky Lynch winning the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship again this week. Yes, Maxxine Dupri has improved greatly, but she still is a long way away from even being close to Lynch’s level. Lynch losing again would have looked terrible. Plus, Lynch cheated like a heel should and Dupri gets some protection out of that. In theory. The announce team basically no-sold Lynch cheating, which entirely negates the cheating and the heat it’s supposed to generate. Not a bad match, but a truly awful play on the commentary team or Triple H on the headset in Gorilla.
-Maybe The Usos really are just back together as a tag team? Their promo was fine this week, but that’s all it was. The more Jey and Jimmy continue in this direction, the more they become one-note schtick gimmicks on the show.
Simple, but effective
-Stephanie Vaquer and Raquel Rodriguez were great this week. Vaquer as the fighting and injured babyface generated gobs of heat for Rodriguez as Rodriguez attacked her injured leg. This is the perfect example of not needing to be too cute. This was a simple heat angle for Rodriguez and it worked.
-It doesn’t look like Liv Morgan has lost a step in the ring since being injured. She hung with Lyra Valkyria and got a win. Clearly, WWE has big plans for her in 2026.
-Between the video packages, CM Punk’s promo, and the backstage prep video of Bron Breakker, the show collectively did a nice job of hyping it’s big world title main event. They touched on it at least three times throughout the night and by the time the bell rang for the match, the skids were appropriately greased and it came across as a significant moment.
Bron Breakker is the real deal, but not champion
-As for the match, CM Punk vs. Bron Breakker for the WWE World Championship was excellent. A bit of a classic story of the seasoned veteran getting the upper hand after taking the best shot of the young gun early. The match was action packed, but it felt unpolished — in the best way possible. There were some botches, but they helped the match feel like a fight and less of like a dance. If you didn’t believe it, you should believe it now. Breakker is a star. Not only did he do all the physical stuff in the match, but he sold and emoted well too. It wasn’t Breakker’s night to win the championship, but his time is coming.
What did you think of this week’s episode of WWE Raw? Let us know in the comments!
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