Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s weekly review of "WWE Raw," the show where they just casually drop mid-broadcast that the show is going back to two hours for the last three months of 2024, something wrestling fans have been praying would happen for 15 years now. It was honestly difficult for those of us here at WINC to come up with three things we loved from the actual show itself because we were busy dancing around in circles and praising the names of various Pagan deities, but we managed to do it eventually. We're professionals, after all.
Anyway, while you can always go to our "Raw" results page for the bare-bones happenings of this week's sadly still three hours' worth of Monday night wrestling, this right here is the only place where you can get our strongest opinions on those happenings, both positive and negative. From the latest Wyatt Sicks match to the red brand return of Bret Hart to the crowning of a new No. 1 contender to the Intercontinental Championship, here are three things we hated and three things we loved about the 9/9/24 episode of "WWE Raw."
From an appearance from industry icon Bret "Hitman" Hart to a Fatal Fourway match with Intercontinental Championship implications, there was a big fight feel for Monday's season premiere of "WWE Raw." With as many high-profile segments as it had, it would've been easy for the red brand's production team to toss the Eight Man Street Fight between the Wyatt Sicks and American Made aside in favor of these bigger, more star-studded segments.
The Wyatt Sicks and American Made were not content to allow their segment to be overshadowed by legends and title implications, however. Instead, they absolutely blew the roof off of Scotiabank Saddledome.
There was no doubt that the clash between the Wyatt Sicks and American Made would be anything less than chaotic violence, but the performance both parties put on in the ring was a masterclass in star-making. All performers did well, but Erick Rowan and Nikki Cross are near unrecognizable compared to their previous main roster runs. Rowan was painted as an absolute behemoth his strength was an example of the sublime, and there has not been a spot as unique as barricade disassembly in recent memory, much less on a television episode. Cross was the great equalizer for the Wyatt Sicks; nobody got close to her, in terms of dominance. American Made took everything the Wyatt Sicks threw at them exquisitely, and not just in terms of rebounded offense. There is something about selling well selling with intention, putting someone over that communicates a Superstar's reliability and What a way to showcase people who previously had little to no solid direction in a company.
This match was also a stellar example of the awesomeness behind intergender wrestling. Obviously, it must be acknowledged that WWE's idea of intergender violence is incredibly one-sided, with females being the exclusive perpetrators. Regardless, Ivy Nile and Cross' roles in this male-dominated match was impressive nonetheless. In one of the match's many false finishes, Chad Gable held Joe Gacy in an ankle lock, and Nile came in with a kendo stick to beat Gacy's top half as Gable worked on his bottom half. Through this, Nile increased the stakes of the moment it became so much more unbelievable that Gacy could withstand such pain, and so the audience was beckoned towards the edge of their seats. While Nile's set-up for Cross' interference could have been more seamless she was just standing behind Gable, kendo stick raised for a notable amount of time Cross more than made up for the awkwardness with her own contribution to the spot. Nikki's suplex onto Gable was incredible to watch. In that moment, all of the highlights of this match were on display: Cross was made into a veritable star with her feat of strength, Gable gained another accomplishment to add to his stellar reputation of being a generational in-ring worker, and the value of intergender wrestling shot through the roof.
This match was so good, I forgave Uncle Howdy's bad wig. That's how much this rocked.
Written by Angeline Phu
Drew McIntyre has had tunnel vision for months and his entire personality has been CM Punk. Even after defeating him, McIntyre still obsessed over Punk. Last week he brutally attacked his nemesis to the point that he was stretchered out of the ring.
This week he came to the ring, convinced that he ended Punk's career. Instead of shifting his focus to oh, I don't know a champion, he chose *checks notes*, Wade Barrett. "The Scottish Warrior" brought up their longtime friendship, including getting arrested together. Barrett attempted to be a voice of reason last week and stop his friend from doing something stupid. He warned Barrett that if he stepped in again, he'd fight him. Mind you, Barrett hasn't been an in-ring competitor in eight years.
Adam Pearce had to come out before the two got physical. He said Barrett has been the only one keeping McIntyre afloat during his obsession and now he's threatening his friend. That's where this obsession with Punk has taken McIntyre. There is finally going to be some resolution at Bad Blood, but then what? McIntyre has focused on almost nothing else all year long. He went for one of his oldest friends simply because he can see no one else.
Written bySamantha Schipman
It seems like week after week, Drew McIntyre and CM Punk alternate appearing on "Raw" to cut the exact same promo and do the same brawl if there's any physicality involved in it. This week, it was McIntyre's turn to speak and it was no different than the last handful of times he's appeared on the show.
This is one of the rare times that I will credit WWE for using Hell In A Cell for its intended purpose of settling feuds that cannot otherwise be settled outside of putting two competitors inside a cage and letting them battle it out, but to have Adam Pearce be the one to announce the match rather than McIntyre or Punk throwing out the challenge is a little bit anti climatic. McIntyre claimed that he was moving on from Punk to focus his sights on the World Heavyweight Championship, but yet spent the next several minutes after that continuously talking about Punk felt counter intuitive and made very little sense. There seems to be no need for Punk and McIntyre to both declare their intentions of coming for the title two weeks in a row at this point now that they have a Hell In A Cell match coming up, and at a certain point, you have to pick a lane for the two of them to ride in. The storyline between the two has already become oversaturated as is, and the addition of a title seems unnecessary especially with what little progression that has been made to increase what's at stake.
Written by Olivia Quinlan
I feel like it's been a minute since I got to write about how amazing Sami Zayn is, but fortunately, this week's "Raw" gave me an excuse to return to my favorite subject, because "Raw" was in Canada, and in 2024, Zayn is the premier Canadian wrestler on the red brand. Not only did Zayn get to come out to the massive pop he always gets in Canada (and everywhere else, really, but even more so in Canada) but he got to stand in the ring with Calgary's own Bret Hart and come out on top in an encounter with World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER.
I loved this segment primarily because it allowed Zayn to do what he's best at doing: being an earnest, authentic babyface. I think it's still the hardest thing to do in wrestling even now, when the majority of WWE and AEW crowds seem to just uncritically cheer whoever their promotion of choice tells them to cheer. It's hard to find that authenticity as a babyface, particularly when you're not a cool antihero or something. For most people, coming out to defend a beloved wrestling legend from the heel champion while wearing the jersey of a tragically deceased local sports hero would quickly put them in danger of veering into hokey territory, or worse, of just coming off flat, like they're reading from a script. Fortunately, earnest babyface authenticity is Sami Zayn's superpower, and it was on full display in Calgary. GUNTHER was fantastic in the segment as well, smiling and mocking Hart and Zayn for not being in his league in the most condescending possible way, and Hart was Hart by the very nature of who he is, when he speaks, we believe him.
It wasn't just the flawless execution of this very traditional wresting trope that caught my attention, however. I really enjoyed the way Hart was used to advance the GUNTHER/Zayn feud to places it hadn't even gone during their WrestleMania build. Bret Hart comes out because Calgary and talks about being a champion. GUNTHER comes out to be an insufferable prick because he thinks he's legitimately better than everyone else, which brings out Zayn to defend his idol. It all makes logical sense. But being Canadian isn't the only thing Hart and Zayn have in common; they were also wrestlers who, despite their considerable skill as performers, were unfairly kept down by Vince McMahon because they didn't look like bodybuilders. As much as Zayn is defending Hart and defending Canada, he's also defending himself his right to be recognized as a top contender in WWE.
After Hart called him a coward, GUNTHER tried to focus his enmity on the legend, dismissing Zayn as inconsequential. Zayn got in GUNTHER's face over and over again, finally dropping him with a cathartic flurry of fists, because this was suddenly very personal. Zayn probably won't take GUNTHER's title this time, but GUNTHER at least needs to be reminded of who the hell Zayn is.
Written by Miles Schneiderman
The season premiere of "WWE Raw" was pretty good. So, I'm alright with hating on a hypothetical.
The Terror Twins were not absent from the star-studded cast of Monday's Calgary-based episode of "Raw," but in rare fashion, the two were outnumbered by the sheer numbers of The Judgement Day. When all hope seems to be lost, when The Judgement Day seem to finally have the Terror Twins' number, in comes "Main Event" Jey Uso, armed with a steel chair. After he wards away the Monday night vultures, Uso kneels down to check on Rhea Ripley.
Can they go ahead and get a Waffle House booth already? Or, actually, don't Ripley has proven time and time again that she does not need a man to be the most over woman in the company. In fact, it could be argued that Ripley is more over than she ever was without a man.
Of course, the Uso and Ripley romance angle is not confirmed, and the two could be interpreted as just close friends. Close friends have each other's number, borrow each other's catchphrases, and show up to fight in tag team matches all the time, right? Even if the romance angle is not confirmed, however, it is in poor taste to even attach Ripley to another romantic interest so soon after her disconnection from "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio. Has she not proven how over she is without a romantic partner? Has she not proven how capable she is as a performer without a person to hang on her shoulder?
While it would be hyperbolic to claim that WWE is reverting to a Diva's era style of booking (or, heaven forbid, a pre-Diva's era style of booking), it's worth criticizing the sheer idea of bringing Ripley into another romance angle. Sure, her run with Mysterio was entertaining, but her brutality then compared to her brutality now is night and day. Without her man, it seems that Ripley is without inhibition as well she has been absolutely ruthless in the ring, incendiary on the microphone, and overall a more interesting babyface, now that she is not tied down to Mysterio. It seems that Liv Morgan has now become shallowed since she has started genuinely dating Mysterio; who was once a conniving backstabber has now become a petty mistress. All those things considered, it seems counterintuitive not backwards, but illogical to pair Ripley with a new in-ring beau.
If Ripley is to be roped into a romantic storyline (again, heaven forbid), then it is a bit strange to pair her with Uso. There is a notable age gap between the two, with both of them in very different stages of their in-ring careers. Their aesthetics clash, and while they have playful chemistry, there have been no compelling displays of affection for each other. They are not compatible, and when one considers Uso's current target audience (children and preteens), the romance angle becomes more indefensible.
Again, these are all implications. The implications themselves, however, are worth critiquing.
Written by Angeline Phu
While I'll be the first to admit that I'm getting old and I initially found Jey Uso's "YEET" catchphrase, or well, catchword, to be a bit annoying, as the weeks and months have gone by, I've started to find it more endearing than annoying. It's fun to watch the crowd really get involved with Uso's entrance and "yeet" along with him with their phones brightly lit. He's such a charismatic babyface who has grown so much on his own since his time alongside Roman Reigns and the Bloodline, that I really enjoy him as a character. Tonight, commentary really kept driving the point home that Uso has never one singles gold within WWE, and though I knew that, hearing it again was pretty shocking, considering just how over he is right now. Tonight, his win over Ilja Dragunov, Pete Dunne, and Braun Strowman to be number one contender for Bron Breakker's Intercontinental Championship was absolutely the right move on WWE's part.
WWE is striking with the iron is still hot with Uso, unlike what they did with LA Knight over on 'WWE SmackDown" with the United States Champion, to the point they waited so long to get the gold on Knight that it was almost too late. I initially didn't think Breakker was losing his title anytime soon, but now with the win by Uso, I'm not so confident in that thought. Maybe WWE learned their lesson with almost being too late with Knight being majorly over and they'll put the title on Uso. Breakker is so young he can always win it back eventually, or even work his way up the card to challenge the likes of GUNTHER on a smaller pay-per-view card or even a main event of "Raw" moving forward. No matter what happens, though, I'm excited to see Breakker versus Uso. I'm a big fan of both of these guys, and I think they're going to be able to make some magic in the ring with how unique their styles are.
I was intially surprised that this was the main event over the Wyatt Sicks and American Made street fight, but I think the positioning on the card worked well. The match itself was also fantastic between these four men, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the awesome "from outta nowhere!" appearance of Bronson Reed sending Braun Strowman through the announce desk, taking him out so the other smaller guys could do their thing for a minute in the ring. Out of everyone who competed, I'm the biggest fan of Dragunov, but I'm certain he'll have his time and get his shot. Right now, I think it's all about the "YEET!" on "Raw," and I'm interested to see if WWE will pull the trigger and put the gold on Uso.
Written byDaisyRuth
