On December 30th, 2024 WWE aired the 1,649th episode of Raw live in Houston Texas inside Toyota Center.
Note: This review will be shorter then normal as it be the last few mins of the match.
-Kicking off this week’s Raw with Kofi Kingston immediately calls for their music to be cut off and looks to continue to speak but fans interrupt him by raining down boos on him & Xavier Woods. New Day try telling fans that they have a limited amount of time to speak but fans continue raining down boos on them.
-Jey Uso’s music hits and he makes his way out. Woods asks fans if they look Jey and fans cheer. Woods tells Jey that they go way back and looks to continue speaking but fans continue booing him and Kingston. Jey says Woods is right and he goes way back with him & Kingston then says he only has one thing to tell them: New Day sucks. Kingston and Woods then step out of the ring as Jey leads fans in a New Day sucks chant.
-Jey then calls Drew McIntyre out of the ring due to their recent animosity but Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu & Tama Tonga appear on the Titan Tron instead. Sikoa tells Jey he did what he had to in order to get Roman Reigns’ attention and says he and Jimmy Uso made a mistake siding with Reigns rather than him. He expresses his confidence in winning his Tribal Combat match against Reigns next week before McIntyre runs to the ring through the crowd and clocks Jey from behind. He continues beating down Jey and sets up for a Claymore Kick but Jey intercepts him with a superkick. McIntyre hits Jey with Glasgow Kiss and sets up for Claymore but officials run down to the ring to check on Jey prevent him from landing the move. He retreats up the ramp but runs back into the ring to take a few more shots on Jey.
-Backstage Cathy Kelley interviewed American Made. Chad Gable said he’s sick of the talk that he can’t win a title and he has trouble with luchadores. He said he would cross one off his list by beating Otis to show that the master remains the master. The others chimed in with a weak catchphrase about how they weren’t just born there, they were made here.
Otis vs. Chad Gable
Chad Gable ascends to the top rope and looks to fly but Otis levels him.
Ivy Nile grabs Otis’ ankle from the outside opening the door for Gable to cinch in the Ankle Lock on Otis for the win.
Winner: Chad Gable
-A Rhea Ripley & Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan promo video aired. Ripley said 2024 was supposed to be Mami’s year. She said that after a year long reign, she walked into and out of WrestleMania as Women’s World Champion. Ripley said she took her eyes off the ball and has paid for it ever since. Ripley said that after all of the backstabbing and games with Liv Morgan, it has to end.
-Morgan spoke about taking the Women’s World Title, Judgment Day & Dominik Mysterio from Ripley. Morgan said she’s been having so much fun that she’s sad that it has to end.
-Ripley said Morgan cleared her of all the dead weight that was holding her down. Ripley said it’s time to return the favor by unburdening Morgan of the Women’s World Title.
-Morgan said she’s always been one step ahead of Ripley and this time will be no different. Ripley said Morgan is all out of moves and Raquel Rodriguez & Dominik Mysterio can’t save her from the beating she has coming. Both women were shown separately saying This has to end.
-Judgment Day were shown talking. Dominik Mysterio told them that Morgan has to have something up her sleeve. The camera pulled back and showed Raquel Rodriguez & Finn Balor. Rodriguez said Morgan has been so busy preparing for her match with Ripley that she hadn’t spoke with her. Balor said Lady Liv knows exactly how to handle Ripley because she has a plan for everything. Balor pumped up the men about taking care of Damian Priest. Once they left Balor insincerely told Rodriguez to tell Morgan that he wishes her the best of luck.
Backstage shots aired of CM Punk speaking with Adam Pearce.
-Zoey Stark warming up in a locker room while Sonya Deville & Shayna Baszler stood by, and then of Dakota Kai warming up while Iyo Sky was with her.
Pete Dunne vs. R Truth
R Truth made his entrance for his match against Pete Dunne. Truth was singing his theme in the entrance aisle when Dunne attacked him from behind. Producers and referees ran out and pulled Dunne off of Truth. I’m nobody’s Butch Dunne said a few times
Winner: No One (Match Never Got Started)
-Cathy Kelley interviewed Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai about the possibility of the 2 of them meeting in the finals of the Women’s Intercontinental Title tournament. Kai spoke about taking out Stark then said it would be an honor to face Sky if it comes to that. She said the thing that matters is that a member of Damage CTRL wins the title. Sky said the night belongs to Damage CTRL.
Semi Final Match Of The Womens Intercontinental Title Tournament
Dakota Kai vs. Zoey Stark
Zoey Stark flies off the top rope but Dakota Kai intercepts her with a superkick and gets her up on her shoulders.
Kai then sends Stark crashing into the mat with a Pele Kick for the win.
Winner: Dakota Kai (8:15)
-A video package aired on Raw’s run on USA Network
-Backstage Seth Rollins was shown talking with Adam Pearce.
6 Man Tag Team Match
World Tag Team Champions War Raiders (Erik & Ivar) & Damian Priest vs. Judgement Day (JD McDonagh, Dominik Mysterio & Finn Balor)
Erik hits Carlito as Ivar takes down JD McDonagh with a crossbody into the barricade.
Dominik Mysterio sends Damian Priest crashing into the mat with a hurricanrana but Priest responds with South Of Heaven for the win.
Winners: World Tag Team Champions War Raiders & Damian Priest
-After the match Judgment Day gets in a few extra shots on Priest before War Raiders come to his aid.
-Jey Uso was walking backstage when Adam Pearce stopped him and informed him that he escorted Drew McIntyre out of the arena. Pearce offered Jey a match against McIntyre for next week’s debut on Netflix.
-The latest teaser graphic for what appears to be the debuting Pentagon Jr.
-After the break Ludwig Kaiser demands that fans give their gratitude for himself then says that he knows that everyone knows he belongs at the top of the food chain. He calls Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker out to the ring but Sheamus’ music instead hits and he begins brawling with Kaiser. Kaiser rakes Sheamus’ eyes but Sheamus levels Kaiser with a knee to his midsection and follows it up with a Brogue Kick.
-Backstage, Rey Mysterio stood with the rest of the LWO and praised Otis as he was with Alpha Academy, for standing up to his mentor. Mysterio said he knew he would whoop Chad Gable’s ass next time. Alpha Academy made their exit.
-New Day entered the picture while mockingly applauding Rey for being a locker room leader. Rey said he and one of his allies would face them in a match. New Day pondered whether it would be Speed Champion Dragon Lee, Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro or even Zelina Vega before accepting the challenge and making their exit.
Semi Final Match Of The Women’s Intercontinental Title Tournament
Lyra Valkyria vs. Iyo Sky
Iyo Sky hits a moonsault off the top rope to Lyra Valkyria on the outside then dumps her back in the ring and hits a Meteora on Valkyria.
She sets up for Over The Moonsault but Valkyria avoids it and Sky rolls her up.
Valkyria counters into a pinfall of her own for the win.
Winner: Lyra Valkyria (11:46) (She will face Dakota Kai in the Finals)
-A video package aired for next week’s Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa in a Tribal Combat match for the Ula Fala.
-Seth Rollins welcomes fans to Monday Night Rollins and introduces himself, then addresses his match against CM Punk next week. He says Punk turned his back on fans and took his ball home but Punk’s music hits and he makes his way out.
-Punk clarifies to Rollins that he left WWE because he was sick and tired and Rollins is only upset because he abandoned him rather than the fan. He says if Rollins wants to talk about the last 10 years then they can talk about all the injuries Rollins has sustained within that time. He says he came back to WWE in order to make money, but Rollins reminds Punk of everything he publicly said after he left WWE and the fact that he went to work for the competition in AEW. Rollins says Punk can’t pick and choose sides as he pleases and come back to WWE when they’re on the winning side of things.
-Punk says the guy who was in charge of AEW hated Rollins then says he’s trying to play the victim in a situation that he created. He warns Rollins that he’ll bring the beating to him next week but Rollins calls Punk a cancer to the locker room and the professional wrestling business. He says the only way to defeat cancer is to cut it out and warns Punk that he’ll burn him to the ground. They then stare each other down to close out Raw.
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