Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly WWE RAW hits and misses series.
Last night’s RAW emanated live from St. Louis’ Enterprise Center. WWE dropped the third hour in its entirety for their flagship show on October 7. For those unaware, RAW will be a two-hour program for the remainder of the year. It could even be more flexible with the scheduled move to Netflix in January 2025.
With that in mind, here’s what went down on 10/7 Monday Night RAW.
Hit – CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins tease
CM Punk emerged from Gorilla all bruised and battered from his hellish encounter against Drew McIntyre. Punk addressed the crowd from the ramp because he couldn’t walk to the ring. The Straight Edge Superstar had a message for his fans and critics. Punk said he didn’t know when he’d show up next. He thanked the crowd before Seth Rollins’ music hit. The two stared a hole through each other before Rollins shoulder-checked his way into the ring to cut his promo.
Punk did an excellent job selling the effects of Hell in a Cell. For those who haven’t watched, I’ll say that it’s a modern-day classic. You can check my review of the match here. Punk not knowing what future holds for him goes to show how the HIAC match has affected him both physically and mentally. Rollins saying Punk should get healthy because he’s the one who’s going to retire him was gold. Are we finally going to get Punk vs. Rollins? I hope so.
Miss – Intercontinental title match on WWE RAW
Jey Uso put his title on the line against longtime frenemy Xavier Woods. The New Day star tried to keep the champion at arm’s length but Jey retaliated. It took a superkick and a splash combo for Jey to retain his title. Kofi Kingston shook hands with Jey but Woods declined. Bron Breakker came out of nowhere and hit Jey with a spear. Kingston tried to help but got gored as well. Woods was the last one to fell to the former I.C. Champion.
Jey wasn’t going to drop his title, but the in-ring action was quite underwhelming. The numerous superkick spots made it bad. Storyline-wise it was great because you could see the tension continuing to build between Woods and Kingston. Bron betraying Jey’s trust one week after showing respect to him shows he’s looking for a rematch. Let’s see if we get this rematch on weekly TV or PPV.
Hit – Sheamus vs. Pete Dunne
WWE RAW featured a Donnybrook match between former tag team partners Sheamus and Pete Dunne. Both men used the environment to their advantage. Sheamus planted Dunne with a massive White Noise through two tables. The Celtic Warrior picked up the win with a Brogue Kick even though his hands were zip-tied.
A great good ol’ fashioned Donnybrook match between two lads who know each other too well. The White Noise spot was, undoubtedly, the highlight of the match. Dunne kicked out of a Pale Justice. I can’t think of many who’ve done that in the past. Solid match, but Pete should’ve picked up the win.
Miss – Women’s tag team match on WWE RAW
Unholy Union tagged with Pure Fusion Collective to take on Natalya, Zoey Stark, Kayden Carter, Zelina Vega, and Kitana Chance. The babyfaces picked up the win after several minutes of action.
I do not want the women’s division to suffer a result of WWE RAW losing its third hour. That said, at least the ladies got TV time with this random throwaway tag team match.
Hit – Gunther vs. Sami Zayn for the world title
Gunther put his world title on the line against Sami Zayn in the main event. Both opponents gave each other a beating. Sami got the advantage with a helluva kick to the outside. He then hit the same inside the ring. Gunther recovered and hit Zayn with multiple powerbombs before choking him into unconsciousness. After the match, Cody Rhodes appeared to confront his Crown Jewel opponent as the show went off the air.
A fitting conclusion to WWE RAW and another great match added to the resume of both men. Both men didn’t really get to showcase their WrestleMania brilliance but got pretty close to it. TV time restrictions, of course. It is safe to say that it’s the end of world title chase for Sami, for now. He can focus on addressing the Cody-Owens situation from Bad Blood. I’m super hyped for Cody vs. Gunther at Crown Jewel.
Honorable Mention
- R-Truth confronted The Miz while he was talking to Karrion Kross backstage for attacking him last week. Truth said he didn’t blame Miz for believing he was still part of The Judgment Day. Miz told Truth to meet him in the ring next week. Truth’s comedy timing is second to none. I think he made Miz almost break character with his words.
- Former NXT Champion Ethan Page showed up backstage to have a conversation with Adam Pearce. Page complained about CM Punk’s actions during his title match against Trick Williams from last Tuesday. Ava said she booked Punk as the referee. It’ll be interesting to see how Shawn Michaels books Page moving forward.
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