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Hello everyone and Merry Christmas/Yule/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa and whatever you may celebrate. Welcome to our live WWE Raw coverage here on 411. Jeremy Thomas here, filling in for Tony who has the holidays to handle. So apologies for being stuck with me. Tonight’s Raw will be looking at the best of 2023, and so we’re gonna be doing this a little differently. I’m gonna be covering generally in the usual way, but we’re not gonna go match by match with a fresh perspective and instead will be letting Tony (or whoever filled in as a guest for that particular week) speak to the matches in retrospective. Make sense? Probably not, but you’ll see what I mean. These shows are what they are, but we should at the very least get to enjoy some of Raw’s best moments over the past 12 months so sit back, relax and have fun.

As a reminder, the GoFundMe for Larry’s daughters is still active and if you can make a donation, that would be awesome. Thank you so much to everyone who’s done so thus far.

* We start off with The Miz walking onto a set and saying, Really? Really, this is it? He expected more pizazz and production value, so he snaps his fingers a couple times and gets a gift-stacked red carpet. Tonight we’ll relive the moments of 2023. He says the Oscars called him to host but he was busy covering WrestleMania. What, it’s his show; he can do what he wants.

He says that WWE covered every genre including drama, like Cody vs. Brock and Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania. Logan Paul vs. Ricochet, Trish vs. Becky Lynch, the men’s WarGames match (with George Kettle taking out Miz). But he means Bad Bunny’s match with Damian Priest at Backlash. He says to always stick around until the end for post-credits scenes, and we get a quick clip of CM Punk’s return.

Miz says this isn’t some forgettable sequel; it’s 365 days of heart-pounding action that only WWE can deliver. Get ready for WWE at its absolute best because this is Raw’s Absolute Best of 2023, and it is awesome!

* Jackie Redmond and Peter Rosenberg are here to talk about Miz’s opening. Pete says we have gifts for everyone including exclusive interviews with Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, Jey Uso, and more. Jackie says Seth Rollins will be here, but first we go back to May for Seth vs. AJ to win the inaugural World Heavyweight Championship.

World Heavyweight Championship Tournament Finals
AJ Styles vs. Seth Rollins

(Recap courtesy of Kevin Pantoja)

Seth’s gear gave me King from Tekken vibes. The crowd was mostly behind him. The early stages here felt exactly the way they should as two veterans had a feeling out process and neither was out to make the first mistake. It was Seth who slipped up first as AJ escaped a superplex attempt and hit his own suplex into the corner. From there, things picked up including a pretty Seth frog splash and AJ busting out the moonsault DDT for the first time in forever. You could tell that AJ was putting in the effort tonight and that’s great because we don’t always get it from him at this point (which I totally understand). Seth altering his signature spot to be inverted was a sick change of pace. AJ’s response was to hit a damn Brainbuster on the apron, showing that these guys were out to steal the show. On a tope suicida, Seth tweaked his knee, giving AJ a target for the Calf Crusher. Seth did the Curb Stomp to the hand down the stretch but it wasn’t clear enough to get the reaction it needed. Seth survived a Pedigree but his next Curb Stomp attempt saw his leg give out. His next attempt, which came after a Pedigree and selling of the knee, connected and won him the title in 20:39. AJ brought his A game tonight and Seth was his usual great self. A hell of a match and Seth finally gets back on top of a brand the way he deserves. [****]

* Jackie and Peter welcome Seth Rollins by video call and wish him, Becky and Roux a Merry Christmas. Jackie asks if Roux gets hyped for the holiday and Seth says she really digs all of it. He says it’s great to be there and watch her get into all of it.

Pete asks Seth what it meant for him to be the first World Heavyweight Champion, and he says it’s been an honor in his career to win the title and give the Raw guys something to shoot for. He’s not in the business of just being here for Seth Rollins, he wants to be there for everyone else. He mentions some of his opponents and that he’s looking forward to doing it more.

Pete asks about CM Punk’s return and what his thoughts were at that moment at Survivor Series. Seth says it was a mixture of emotions: rage, disappointment but also you kind of knew it was coming, and when you hear it disbelief like you’ve seen a ghost, but one you want to punch in the mouth.

Jackie asks if it would be possible for Punk to earn his respect and Seth says they have a long road to get to that. It’s been 10 years of him doing the opposite and he says he had respect, but Punk has been the epitome of “don’t meet your heroes.” He doesn’t want to say it’s Mt. Everest, because that wouldn’t be doing it justice. Pete asks what they sent Punk for Christmas and he says probably a couple lumps of coal.

Jackie asks about Drew, and Seth says a lot of what Drew’s saying isn’t wrong. He understands Drew, his approach and what he wants. But Drew’s problem is that he has to beat Seth, and he’s operating at an untouchable level. Drew has to beat him at Day 1 and he doesn’t think Drew can. He says Drew and he will bring the best out of each other and no Merry Christmas to him because he’s a jerk, but may the best man win.

* Up next: Mami love.

* Alpha Academy are celebrating their year, and Gable says he’s sad they have to say goodbye to 2022. Maxine says that Gable has the Christmas Blues, but she has the cure: shopping! She tells Tozawa to reveal shirts and they pimp WWE Shop.

* Jackie and Peter talk about how Alpha Academy are the best, and Jackie talks about Jade Cargill’s signing with WWE. Pete calls it an early Christmas present and runs down her talents, then quotes Rihanna a lot. They can’t wait to see Jade mix it up with the women, and that transitions into the rhea vs. Charlotte match at WrestleMania 39 Night One.

SmackDown Women’s Championship Match
Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley

(Recap courtesy of Scott Slimmer)

Flair and Ripley lock up to start, and Ripley levels Flair with a shoulder tackle. Flair ducks a short clothesline and levels Ripley with a shoulder tackle of her own. Ripley gets in Flair’s face and eats a stiff chop. Flair catches Ripley with a boot between the ropes and follows up with a diving crossbody off the top. Ripley dumps Flair face-first onto the top turnbuckle and locks in the body scissors. Ripley rolls Flair onto her chest, but Flair reverses position into Ripley’s guard. Both women get back to their feet, and Ripley lands a stiff forearm shot to Flair’s lower back. Ripley levels Flair with a short clothesline and follows up with another short clothesline. Flair fights back with a back elbow shot and slams Ripley’s face into the top turnbuckle. Flair chops the chest and stomps on the back of Ripley’s knee. Flair heads up top and hits a diving crossbody, but Ripley rolls through and tries to counter into Riptide, but Flair counters into a DDT for a two count. Flair goes for the Figure Eight, but Ripley kicks her away. Flair and Ripley connect with simultaneous big boots and level each other. Flair heads up top and sets up for a moonsault, but Ripley leaps up behind her and hits a release German suplex from the second rope. Flair fights back with Natural Selection, but Ripley kicks out at two. Ripley heads to the outside and slams Flair’s shoulder into the ring steps. Ripley rolls Flair back into the ring and slams her to the mat face-first for a two count. Ripley again goes for Riptide, but this time Flair counters into a German Suplex. Ripley hits a release German Suplex that ends with a VERY scary landing on Flair’s face and neck. Flair sends Ripley to the outside and heads up top. Flair hits a moonsault from the top to the outside and takes out Ripley. Flair rolls Ripley back into the ring and goes for the Figure Eight, but Ripley kicks her away. Ripley hits Riptide, but Flair just manages to kick out before three. Flair catches Ripley with a rollup pin but only gets a two count. Ripley catches Flair in the Prison Trap, but Flair breaks free and hits a spear for yet another two count. Flair and Ripley trade punches in the middle of the ring, and the crowd is solidly behind Ripley at this point. Flair once again goes for the Figure Eight, but Ripley makes it to the ropes. Flair slams Ripley’s face into the ring post and drags her up top. Ripley drops to the apron and slams Flair’s face into the top of the ring post in the process. Ripley heads back up top and hits a Riptide from the top for the three count.

Match Result: Rhea Ripley defeats Charlotte Flair with a Riptide from the top.
Match Length: 23:36
Slimmer’s Rating: ****½

* We then get a vignette of Rhea talking about how she and Judgment Day took over Raw in 2023, and she eradicated everyone in their way. And as we approach Day 1, another fool is stepping to her in Ivy Nile. She tells Ivy she’s going to learn what everyone knows: this is her division.

* Up next: Logan Paul and Bad Bunny.

* We’re back and jumping right into a montage recap of Logan Paul vs. Ricochet from SummerSlam, before Peter says his Christmas wish would be to wake up as Paul. He points out Paul’s been in eight matches but performs like a veteran, while Jackie says it feels like he’s born for this. We’ll see his match with Rey at Crown Jewel on Smackdown.

Jackie says Paul wasn’t the only celeb to shine in WWE and pimps the fact that Bad Bunny had 4.5 billion streams on Spotify this year. They talk about Bunny’s match at Backlash at Damian Priest.

San Juan Street Fight
Damian Priest vs. Bad Bunny

(Recap courtesy of Thomas Hall.)

Street fight and Bunny is the hometown boy to a major reaction. Bunny brings the kendo stick but whips out a shopping cart full of weapons. Priest powers him into the corner to start but gets slapped in the face, with Bunny hitting a Michinoku Driver for two. Bunny grabs the kendo sticks but Priest knocks him down and breaks one of them. Back up and Bunny hammers away in the corner, only to get taken down again.

South Of Heaven connects but Priest pulls him up at two. It’s time to bring in an ax handle (single this time) but instead Priest loads up the springboard dive…which is cut off by a chair being thrown into his face. Bunny hits a big dive and drops him with a bunch of trashcan lid shots, giving us a Flair Flop on the floor. Back in and another Michinoku Driver gives Bunny two more but it’s time to head back outside.

Priest gets the better of things this time and smashes the Puerto Rico kendo stick across Bunny’s back. They head into the crowd and over to the tech area, where a Falcon Arrow sends Bunny crashing HARD through some tables. Adam Pearce comes out to say this needs to stop but Priest carries Bunny back to ringside. Priest misses a kick to the post and can barely stand, so Bunny blasts said leg with a kendo stick.

Bunny hits something like a Stunner to the leg out of the corner and the leg is wrapped around the post. A chain is wrapped around the leg to send it into the post again (with Priest begging him not to do it). Priest begs off from a chair shot and gets in a kick of his own, only to get hit low for his efforts. Cue Judgment Day to go after Bunny, with Rey Mysterio making the save.

With Rey beaten down, Carlito makes the save to an explosion, including the Backstabber and apple spit. Judgment Day gets back up but here is Savio Vega, who brings out the LWO to keep up the fight. With everyone else gone, Priest’s leg gives out on a kick to the head attempt, allowing Bunny to grab a Figure Four. Priest gets out so it’s a Sliced Bread for two (with Bunny almost landing on his head). A Canadian Destroyer finishes Priest at 25:05.

Rating: A. Yeah this was a total blast and played to the live crowd as well as anything else was going to. Bunny is as over as free beer in a frat house around here and they brought in the legends/current stars to make it feel that much bigger. It was fun and Bunny put in an all time celebrity performance, but Priest deserves all kinds of credit for holding it all together. Great stuff here, but egads how is anything supposed to follow this?

* Still to come; Cody’s trilogy with Brock and The New Day giving their take on the year.

* We’re back as Peter and Jackie look at Christmas around the world — coincidentally, where WWE is headed for PLEs in 2024.

* The New Day are here to give their perspectives on 2023! Woods says the powers that be asked them to share their thoughts and infinite wisdom and immeasurable knowledge on Big Meaty Men Slapping Meat. They talk about Big Bronson Reed and his Tsunami, and the Viking Terror, Ivar. Kofi doesn’t want to be in a Viking Rules match with him again. Xavier mentions Jelly Roll’s appearance.

Up next: the Women’s Evolution. They talk about Kayden & Katana taking over the women’s division, Tegan Nox fighting Becky & Charlotte, Zoey Stark’s title shots, Raquel’s dominance and almost Chelsea Green, but there are plans for her tonight.

Next, the people you least want to be kicked in the head by: Xia Li, Sami Zayn, and Shinsuke Nakamura.

Then it’s a look at the tag division. Kofi says Judgment Day is on top but goth look is a phase and the titles will come back to them. They mention Sanga and Veer, DIY, The Creeds, and Imperium. Kofi says they’re forgetting someone, but who could it be?

Finally: That’s Nasty. New Day talk about Alpha Academy and Tozawa’s dancing, saying “That’s Nasty!”

* Jackie asks Peter if he has moves like Tozawa and immediately regrets it. Jackie mentions Maxxine and Tozawa joining Alpha Academy and Chad Gable’s match with Gunther for the IC Title.

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Chad Gable vs. Gunther

(Recap courtesy of Tony Acero.)

LOCKUP!!! Gunther with a side headlock takedown. They stand, and Gunther hits another takedown. Another. Gable shoots the leg, tries for an ankle lock, but Gunther gets to the ropes. Gable double taps the chest and pisses Gunther off. Gunther tries for a chop, Gable ducks under, slides out of the ring, back in the ring, then dropkicks Gunther off the apron. Another dropkick to Gunther.

WE ARE BACK and Gable has a leg lock around the ropes till 4. He releases then clips the back of the leg. HUGE kick from Gunther drops Gable, though, and he covers for 1..2..NO!! Gable with some rights, Gunther kicks, lifts the chin and chops. Gable is down. Gunther lifts Gable by the nose and drops an elbow to the bridge of it. Right from Gable, antoher, a chop, chop from Gunther drops Gable. Gable is up! STRAPS ARE DOWN!!! He chops away at Gunther, but Gunther lays him across the top rope and chops his chest then just puts his boot to the chin!

WE ARE BACK AGAIN and Gunther is slapping Gable around. He lifts up for a powerbomb, Gable head scissors him over the top rope and they both tumble outside. Gable is up, Gunther is up, GERMAN FROM BEHIND BY GABLE!!! Ref is at 6. Gable rolls Gunther into the ring, then slides in….right into a powerbomb! Cover for 1.2….NO!!! Gable sits Gunther on the top rope. He climbs and hits some rights. HUGE CHOP from Gunther drops Gable to the mat. Gable back up! Locks the head! SUPERPLEX TO GUNTHER!!!! GABLE TO THE TO PROPE! He dives! HEADBUTT! COVER! 1..2…..NO!!! ANKLE LOCK FROM GABLE! Gunther kicks Gable away. Gable locks up from behind. CHAOS. THE—NO!! Elbow from Gunther! He spins Gable! Tries for a pwoerbomb, Gable lands on his feet. Gunther with a side headlock, but Gable hits a Saito SUPLEX!!! Straps are back up just ot take them back fucking down!!! CHAOS THEORY!!!!!! 1….2…..NO!!!! Gable to the top rope! MOONSAULT! Lands on his feet, Gunther kicks up, Gable catches the foot, ANKLE LOCK! Gunther rolls through, Gable holds onto the lock!!!! GRAPEVINE!!! Gunther gets near the ropes, Gable pulls him back, kick from Gunther, Gable falls back….into a Sleeper by Gunther! Gable stands with Gunther on his back! Gunther falls back, but Gable turns it into a pin! 1..2..NO!!!

Gunther releases the hold! Gable with a headlock! He suplexes Gable on his head! Powerbomb! Clothesline!

Winner: Gunther
Good golly that was great. I really wish they didn’t have two commercial breaks, but they more than made up for it in the final minutes. It could have gone either way. Solid main event to a pretty good RAW.
Total Rating: ****
Match Time: 16:13

* Still to come: Becky and Trish’s Steel Cage match and Roman Reigns acknowledgement.

* Jackie says you can’t talk about the best without talking about Roman Reigns. Pete says that there are two words that let you know you’re in the presence of Mt. Rushmore-level WWE talent: “acknowledge me.”

Jackie says that according to Paul Heyman, what we’ve seen from Reigns in 2023 is a drop in the bucket.

* We then get a vignette from Heyman telling us to take a moment to acknowledge Reigns, who is in his 1,212th day as Universal Champion. He says it’s now a threepeat year for the Tribal Chief, standing alone atop WWE in 2023. And looking back, what a monumental 365 days. Royally solving KO, beating Sami Zayn at EC, crushing Cody’s story, outshining LA Knight at Crown Jewel, engaging in Tribal Combat against the miserable, rotten and ungrateful Jey Uso. Everyone who stepped up to Roman and his Bloodline fell in 2023, including John Cena at Solo Sikoa’s hands. And as special counsel, he offers not predictions but spoilers for 2024: there will be no challengers unseating the GOAT. Not AJ, not Orton, not Knight.

But before he goes, the Wise Man will bestow wisdom and present us this holiday season an important reminder: 2024 is a leap year. So its a gift of one more day to acknowledge the reigning Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, Roman Reigns.

* This Friday: Reigns vs. Cody from WrestleMania. And Cody is here next.

* Jackie and Pete welcome us back. Jackie says Pete’s a big fan of their next guest and so is everyone: Cody Rhodes! He asks how Cody is, Cody says Merry Xmas and happy holidays. Cody is looking to go back to back with Royal Rumble wins.

Jackie asks him about Christmas and how into the spirit he and his family get. Cody says it’s Christmas all of November, no procrastination, they got their tree the day after Thanksgiving and Brandi has seen Santa three times.

Peter asks Cody about his memories of his dad at Christmas. Cody says it was explained early on that Christmas was the day Santa would deliver gifts and a huge show day. Now with the Holiday Tour, it’s changed slightly to where it’s the day after Christmas and you can’t beat it.

Jackie asks about Nakamura attacking him on Raw, and asks where they’re at. Cody says he had the highest regard for Shinsuke before this, but the respect has been altered. And it’s a fun psychological element because he was terrified of the mist. But he’s felt it now and Shinsuke has felt the receipts. It’s a bit more personal but they will settle it for however long it goes on.

Pete points out Brock’s attack on Cody as another example of someone having issues Cody didn’t realize. Cody learned that he never wants to to go Suplex City again and he enjoyed it, as it’s surreal to beat Brock twice. But Peter said it: he’s had one thing in mind but everyone else has had another and it’s been a curveball.

Jackie asks if Cody has a favorite moment of the last year. He says he’s had a lot of good memories and as good as the Rumble was, an unappreciated gem (or maybe too appreciated) was his Fastlane press conference with Jey. He loved it because it was unexpected, he tries to be polished but it was so much fun.

* Time to look at Cody vs. Brock III at SummerSlam.

Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes

(Recap courtesy of Kevin Pantoja.)

Cody attacked Brock before the bell and got the jump on him. However, his advantage didn’t last long. Brock started pulverizing him to the point where Cody could barely stand. It was kind of what we’ve come to expect from Brock. He kept yelling for Cody to stay down and even take a countout loss. That included hitting an F5 out there. When Cody got up and fought back, he took a huge German and an F5 through the announce table for his troubles. A barrage of Cody Cutters changed momentum but then Cody got caught in the Kimura for a while. Cody survived and sent Brock into an exposed turnbuckle. He then put on his own Kimura and turned that into three Cross Rhodes to win in 17:28. That was a well told story though like a lot of similar Brock matches, the portion with him dominating isn’t all that interesting, especially since it has been done better in the past. [***¼]

* Still to come: CM Punk returns at Survivor Series. But up next: Becky talks Trish Stratus and Nia Jax.

* We get a montage recap of Becky Lynch’s NXT Women’s Championship win over Tiffany Stratton before Jackie and Peter welcome her to the studio by video call. Becky wishes Merry Christmas and Jackie talks about how Seth mentioned how festive the household is. She asks who does the bulk of the Christmas work, and she points at herself. She says Seth didn’t try to take credit, did he? She laughs and says it’s teamwork because she buys and shops, but he puts it all together while she’s doing other things.

Peter asks about her NXT Women’s Title win and what it meant. Becky says it was about the opportunities to others more than anything and you want to redeem yourself form 10 years earlier, and you win the title and gratify yourself. But it was really about seeing what the future holds and giving others who haven’t had another shot. She mentions Xia, Tegan and Indi, and says there are more she wants to face but there’s 2024 still.

Jackie asks in the future she has Nia Jax next week, and says the fans have been wanting to see it get reignited (really?). She says that Nia will see that she can’t put Becky down and it’s not just about breaking her nose and looking cool; it was about what that symbolized of getting back up and fighting.

Peter asks about her feud with Stratus which led to his match of the year at Payback. He asks what it would mean to a young Becky to know she’s have that rivalry with Trish. Becky says her head would have exploded, and also mentions winning the title against Lita.

* Time for Becky vs. Trish!

Steel Cage Match
Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus

(Recap courtesy of Rob Stewart.)

What would end up as the second best match of the night was the opening Steel Cage match that blew off the Lynch/Stratus feud. My wife got right into form, complaining about Becky’s hairstyle (“Her hair is all weird, mismatched lengths. She should do her extensions better”) and asking why Trish looks so much older than her opponent.

The crowd was super into this throughout! A lot of excitement in the air, and a lot of really big, risky spots from two of the greatest women’s wrestlers ever. This got a well-deserved (to me) “This Is awesome” chant, and even though I really expected Lita to make a return to even the odds when Zoey Stark got involved, I did not feel ripped-off that we did not get it.

After Zoey clobbered Trish to end the match, Trish got a lot of “You Still Got It” and “Thank You Trish” chants from the crowd as she left the ring. Not sure that those made TV, but I doubt it.

Winner: Becky Lynch

* Coming up: Jey Uso!

* Adam Pearce is on the phone when Chelsea Green walks up and says that she has not been included in almost three hours of highlights tonight. Adam Pearce says sorry and says he has a Christmas gift. The production team put together a montage of her highlights, and it’s playing right now.

Of course, it’s everyone from Raquel and Nia to Asuka obliterating her, her quick Royal Rumble elimination, various TikToks of her being a Karen, and her and Piper’s Tag Team Title loss from last week.

Chelsea is shocked into silence before she says it’s an outrage and she’s going to speak to management. Truth walks up and says it was better than It’s a Wonderful Life.

* Peter and Jackie celebrate R-Truth’s return to Raw. But now, Jey Uso is here by video call! Peter recaps his year and asks how Christmas has been. He says it hasn’t been the same as every other year and Thanksgiving wasn’t the same.

Jackie says Jey leaving The Bloodline was a big moment and asked what Cody said to get him back to Raw. Jey says it was a new start and fighting his family got to him. Then he got a call from Cody and was hesitant but Cody convinced him, saying they’re friends for years and he would be chilling on an island without Cody.

Pete asks about Sami helping his transition to Raw. Jey talks about how he didn’t like him at first but now he’s the one texting Sami all the time. He wouldn’t see himself here of Sami wasn’t around.

Jackie asks what’s up for him in 2024, and he says he’s reaching for the stars. He has to handle Drew McInty6re, handle unfinished business with his brothers and be him. Be Main Event Jey Uso and have a good year. YEET!

* Up next: Survivor Series; WarGames.

* We’re back with a montage of Judgment Day’s highlights in 2023.

* Peter says the Judgment Day have been running WWE in 2023. Jackie says the difference between the JD and the Golden State Warriors and KC Chiefs is we like the Warriors and Chiefs, but not JD. That brings us into the men’s WarGames match at Survivor Series.

Men’s WarGames Match

(Recap courtesy of Robert Winfree.)

Balor starts things off for Judgement Day, smart choice all things considered, while Rollins heads down for the good guys. Rollins jumps across the space between rings to dive onto Balor and get things going. Strikes from Rollins and Balor and some audible “CM Punk” chants start up. Rollins bounces Balor off of the cage a few times then gets the crowd to sing his theme song and cut off the chants. Balor avoids a buckle bomb and lands a clothesline. Now it’s Rollins who gets sent into the cage a few times as Balor is in charge of things, then Balor hits a Sling Blade. “CM Punk” chants again, and Rollins lands a superkick to counter a John WOOOO dropkick. Rollins and Balor between the rings now, Rollins wants a Pedigree but Balor back drops his way out of it as everyone decides that at the moment Rollins has a bad back. Rollins avoids a Coup de Grace and hits his own Sling Blade. Some punches from Rollins now then a back suplex into a backbreaker and a running kick. That’ll be the last action before JD runs down.

Rollins kicks the human Funko Pop before he can get in, but Balor attacks and this all lets JD get a few kendo sticks and then head into the ring. Balor and JD with kendo stick shots to Rollins for a while and the crowd again chants “CM Punk” because they’re bored. Rollins fights back to halt those chants but JD hits an asai moonsault from one ring to the other to drop Rollins and keep the heels in charge. Balor and JD with a kendo stick clothesline to drop Rollins again. Some more slow work to keep Rollins on the back foot then a double cutthroat suplex to drop Rollins before Jey heads down.

Jey grabs a chair as he heads into the ring to counter the kendo sticks and he proceeds to lay into both JD and Balor with it. Punches to JD and Balor, Jey’s connection to the crowd is genuinely incredible as they’re with everything he’s doing while he lands enziguri kicks to both Balor and JD. Hip attack for Balor but JD intercepts a second with a Spanish Fly to put Jey down. Rollins saves Jey from a double suplex and they hit stereo superkicks to drop Balor and JD. Balor runs away from Rollins but Rollins walks the ropes to chase him and hit an ax bomber in the second ring. Jey stomps on JD, Drew wants in but he and Priest wind up arguing over who goes out and Priest says the plan hasn’t changed then Priest heads down to the match.

Priest enters and gets swarmed by Rollins and Jey but he’s able to fight them off just enough to let JD and Balor get back into the picture so the numbers are with the bad guys. Priest has a baton and uses it to whack Jey and Rollins down. Suplex from Priest to Jey then an elevated Flatliner to Rollins. Priest up top for a slightly modified Whisper in the Wind to drop both Jey and Rollins again. The crowd grows restless and we can hear “CM Punk” chants again. Priest stomps on Rollins for a bit while Balor and JD use a chair on Jey. Judgement Day stands tall as Sami heads down to the ring.

Sami cracks JD with a kendo stick then slams the door onto Balor’s head, he considers entering the cage but instead goes under the ring for a table to cheers. Sami enters the ring now and clotheslines Priest between the rings and stomps on him. Blue Thunder Bomb to Balor then Sami heads up top for a moment, he wants to go higher but JD is here to complicate things. JD and Sami fight on the ropes, Sami drops JD crotch first onto the ropes then pulls a metal pipe off of the cage and begins laying into Balor and JD with it. Pipe shot to Priest as well and Sami stands tall. Jey battles with Priest in the second ring, we get the “Ole” chants and Cole speculates that El Generico is in the crowd somewhere. Balor takes a kendo shot then Rollins slams him into an upright chair. Next here comes Drew though to sour the tone.

Drew walks into the ring, no weapons, and plants Rollins then Sami. Drew launches Sami with a belly to belly throw then crushes Rollins onto Sami with an inverted Alabama Slam. Drew is staring at Jey like there’s a tombstone already on his head and stalks him into the second ring. Jey sees Drew coming and the two men start throwing hands. Drew tries a Future Shock but Jey fights free and hits a superkick but Drew catches him with a neckbreaker. Drew bounces Jey off the cage while screaming that all he had to do was apologize and acknowledge what he did to him. Jey blocks a Claymore with a superkick, then he and Sami drop Drew with a 1D. Balor and Priest swarm Sami to keep him down as Cody enters the fray.

Cody runs wild on Priest for a bit then lays in punches to everyone else. JD eats a clothesline and then Cody elevates him with a back body drop. Cody then gordbusters Balor onto JD and pulls a bull rope out from under the ring. Rollins gets the other end of the rope and they both reiterate they’re on the same page for one night before using the rope on JD and Balor. Cody admits to Rollins that he’s not sure if Randy will be here. Things slow down as the countdown hits for Dom to enter the match.

Dom attacks Cody and Rollins, then Jey but not much coming out of it. Dom with a Three Amigos attempt on Cody, he only gets 2 though before he realizes he’s surrounded by the good guys. Everyone jumps Dom to a pretty good pop. The table comes back into play as they set it up in the corner of the second ring. Rollins goes to powerbomb Dom through the table but Priest and Drew break that up. We get a moment for Drew and Priest to stare off while the crowd alternate between “Randy” and “CM Punk” chants. Drew and Priest with a triple chokeslam to drop Cody, Rollins, and Sami. JD moonsaults onto Sami, Balor with a Coup de Grace to Rollins and then Dom with a Frog Splash to Cody. The table is set up, and Priest with a Razor’s Edge to Rollins through the table.

The clock counts down, the cage is empty. . . but here comes Rhea Ripley with Priest’s MITB contract, but before that can be cashed in “I hear voices in my head” and here’s Randy Orton to a thunderous ovation.

Randy enters the ring and beats up Dom for a bit. Snap powerslams for Dom and JD, then a hanging DDT for Balor. Drew and Randy stare down and there’s a boatload of history there. Randy with a punch but Priest jumps Randy from behind. Everyone stomps on Randy in the corner but the rest of Team Cody come to the rescue. A bunch of people are between the rings now, and Team Cody all hit hanging DDTs to stand tall. Randy looks a tad blown up but who could blame him, he sets for an RKO to Priest, then turns to look at Jey instead. Jey and Randy stare off, Jey apologizes then saves Randy from a Priest attack with a superkick. RKO to Dom, Stomp to Priest between rings, Cody Cutter, Drew takes a Helluva kick then an Uso Splash. Poor Funko man is left all alone, he tries to escape the cage but Sami and Rollins chase him up to the top of the cage. JD gets abused by Sami and Rollins, Randy stands below them and calls for them to toss him down so Randy can show off his impeccable timing again and catch him with a sick RKO. Priest eats Cross Rhodes and we’re done.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Team Cody won in 34:21

Rating: 4 stars
Thoughts: That was the shot of energy this show badly needed. The heat between different people was palpable, the intergroup drama made sense and the only contrived spot made sense as everyone set up JD for what Randy caught him with. Not quite as drama filled as last years men’s match but still pretty darn good work here.

* We then get reaction video montage to CM Punk’s return after the match, with lots of headlines from mainstream media. Then Punk’s Raw promo where he said Hell froze over, he’s changed, and he’s home.

* Jackie and Peter talk about Punk becoming a member of the Raw roster and the notion of who he might face. They then preview next week:

– World Heavyweight Championship Match: Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre
– Becky Lynch vs. Nia Jax
– Women’s World Championship Match: Rhea Ripley vs. Ivy Nile

They’re excited for the week to come and the Royal Rumble before bidding us a fond farewell.

And with that, we’re done for the night!