Monday Night Raw rolled through Grand Rapid, MI, for a superb night of action from one of the best shows delivered by WWE‘s red brand recently. Gunther vs Damian Priest for the World Heavyweight Championship will happen at Survivor Series 2024, with Gunther spending the night worried about Priest who defeated his compatriot, Ludwig Kaiser. Dakota Kai returned to Damage CTRL who then won a trios match against Pure Fusion Collective, and Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill successfully defended their tag team championships against Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez in a match that saw many SmackDown women invading. Bron Breakker and Sheamus had a verbal exchange that has led to an Intercontinental title match on next week’s Raw.
Seth Rollins was the focal point of the evening, brawling with Bronson Reed and delivering a world-class promo to turn down Sami Zayn’s offer of a truce with Roman Reigns. Later, he also turned down Solo Sikoa’s similar offer on a night when Seth Rollins stole the show. Pete Dunne defeated Kofi Kingston who continues to bicker with Xavier Woods, and Karrion Kross and The Miz pulled off a hell of a swerve to decimate The Wyatt Sicks, pushing this storyline to a whole new level.
Seth Rollins
The First Person To Speak Sense On Babyface Roman Reigns
This was a very good Monday Night Raw for Seth Freakin’ Rollins. Interrupting a menacing promo from Bronson Reed (who continues to shine in every aspect of his game), Seth Rollins was called out and came out twirling a mic to his signature song. As Grand Rapids awaited what The Architect had to say, Seth Rollins charged the ring and set off a brawl that was as exciting as their first encounter. Reed has looked like Godzilla all summer but, crucially, Seth Rollins took the fight to Bronson Reed. The two will settle their score for good on next week’s Monday Night Raw.
Then, Seth Rollins delivered one of his best moments of 2024. Being confronted after his war with Reed, Sami Zayn was on the cusp of begging Seth to be the good guys’ fifth man at War Games. Seth Rollins pointed out that he took himself to a physical breaking point over two nights and lost his championship at WrestleMania just to ensure an end to years of Roman Reigns’ oppression. Kevin Owens might be ready to end people for aligning with the OTC, but Seth Rollins made a spectacular-yet-calm case for staying a babyface, while asking “what the hell are we doing here?” about one of WWE’s biggest superstars. A great twist that shows Seth has a real backbone, and he wasn’t done yet.
Damian Priest
Gunther Is Running Scared From The Former El Campion
After winning last week’s Fatal 4-Way to be the number one contender for Raw’s greatest prize, Damian Priest is officially challenging Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series. That means that Priest has been in the World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania (kinda), SummerSlam, and Survivor Series. This continues to be the best year of Damian Priest’s career and that’s not slowing down into the final furlong.
Assuming that Gunther is going to retain in Vancouver, the aim for the next month and in the upcoming bout is to ensure Priest doesn’t look like cannon fodder for the big Austrian. The booking has Gunther looking afraid of an opponent for the first time, with Priest doing a great job of planting seeds of doubt in the champion’s mind. Gunther chastised Ludwig Kaiser for defending his honor, fearing Priest’s backlash. Priest then went on to beat Ludwig Kaiser on a big night that also included his theme music getting a new glow-up that includes former Slayer guitarist Kerry King.
Damage CTRL
Dakota Kai Returns To Make Damage CTRL Stronger
To their enormous credit, Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane have been such a major part of Monday Night Raw that audiences could be forgiven for forgetting that Damage CTRL has been missing half of their faction to injury. The return of Dakota Kai was greeted with a huge pop as it had not even been rumored, a master stroke when paired with the trio being thrown straight into a hard-hitting match with Pure Fusion Collective. Damage CTRL emerged victorious and their leader wasn’t finished for the night.
An Inter-Brand Women’s Survivor Series Match
Raw And SmackDown Go Head-To-Head On The Road To Vancouver
Raw’s Main Event saw Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill put their Women’s Tag Team Championships on the line against Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez in a feud that has been bubbling for weeks. Jade and Bianca often talk about putting in the work and the sheer volume of defenses they have put in over the last month has backed that up. The match itself ended in the champions retaining, but it was the all-star ending and aftermatch that stole the headlines.
SmackDown women Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton, and Naomi invaded the show for a chaotic, all-out brawl to end the show with run-ins and carnage unfolding all over the ring area. It feels like Survivor Series is likelier to feature an inter-brand match than a Raw or SmackDown exclusive match-up, and it’s going to be a lot of fun if this was anything to go by.
Karrion Kross
The Final Testament’s Best Week Ever?
People have been tough on Karrion Kross over the years, but his new role as the devil on your shoulder has been steadily building momentum. It isn’t hyperbole to suggest this may be Karrion Kross’s best main roster moment to date. Interrogating The Miz after his kidnapping at the hands of The Wyatt Sicks last week, Kross bullied a desperate, pleading, and pathetic Miz. Grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and dragging him through guerilla position in a way that felt convincingly off script, they spilled out to the ring. His threats to a sniveling, bleeding Miz felt laced with malicious intent, as he demanded to face The Wyatts and that they pay for what they did to Paul Ellering.
It was impressive that Kross and The Final Testament are the first people to actively call out The Wyatt Sicks. When the arena lights went out and they finally arrived, Miz ducked out of the ring in fear for his life. Only when The Wyatt Sicks faced The Final Testament, Miz reappeared with a chair as part of a masterful swerve to take out The Wyatt Sicks. The grand plan and execution here was the smartest The Final Testament has ever looked. Momentum is key from this moment on.
Fifth Men At War Games
A Layer Of Intrigue Surrounds Survivor Series’ Main Event
After Smackdown ended with the euphoric reformation of the original Bloodline, all eyes turn to War Games and the fact that this is a five-on-five affair. Solo Sikoa, The Bloodline, and Jacob Fatu are locked in against Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Sami Zayn. Both teams need to find a fifth member ahead of War Games and this became a fixture without a resolve on this episode of Monday Night Raw.
Seth Rollins turned down both teams, Bron Breakker was approached by Jimmy Uso in a section that was left open-ended and Sami Zayn said he had someone in mind but didn’t specify who. Solo Sikoa’s team will surely lean towards locking Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn in a cage with a psychotic Kevin Owens if Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson isn’t their secret fifth man. It’s exciting but with less than three weeks until War Games, time is running out.
Uncle Howdy
His Laughter Muddies An Excellent Segment
For the first time, The Wyatt Sicks were called out and then wiped out by The Final Testament. It is important for The Wyatt Sicks to be humanized, the supernatural elements and the wrestling have to meet at some point that makes sense in a wrestling ring on a wrestling show. However, that’s not the thing that calls their performance into question.
After taking a brutal beatdown that included steel chairs, being hurled from the apron, and finishing moves being detonated, Uncle Howdy’s laughter felt like it cheapened the good work that came before it. Instead of taking their medicine, Howdy’s laughter diluted the massacre that just occurred and the performances that The Miz and Karrion Kross in particular had warranted. It didn’t feel unhinged or psychotic. It felt misplaced and misguided.
- We have missed hearing Gunther say “street trash”. How dare Priest take that away when it was moments away from happening?
- Dakota Kai returned to Monday Night Raw for the first time since July 8th. Welcome back, Dakota!
- Rey Mysterio turning down Jey Uso in the background of Bronson Reed’s walkout was a great touch.
- Bronson Reed going through WWE security guards like he’s John Wick. Incredible.
- Bronson Reed vs Seth Rollins, Dominik Mysterio and Carlito vs The War Raiders, and an Intercontinental Championship match between Bron Breakker and Sheamus are set for next week’s edition of Monday Night Raw.
- Ludwig Kaiser has not won on Raw or SmackDown since June.
- Dominik Mysterio is the only man to beat Damian Preist on Raw since April. What a stat.
- The New Day continues to have problems as Pete Dunne defeats Kofi Kingston, with Xavier and Kofi not on the same page yet again.