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WWE RAW REPORT
DECEMBER 9, 2024
WICHITA, KS. AT INTRUST BANK ARENA
AIRED ON USA NETWORK
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett
Ring Announcer: Lilian Garcia
Attendance: WrestleTix reported tonight that 6,301 tickets had been distributed heading into showtime. The arena has a capacity of 15,750 spectators when configured for concerts.
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PWTorch editor Wade Keller is joined by PWTorch’s Tej Narayanan to review WWE Raw LIVE tonight right after the show ends. Join us and let us know your thoughts on Raw during the show.
Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Raw. We’ll read your emails live during the post-show.
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[HOUR ONE]
-Joe Tessitore introduced the show as they showed an aerial view of Wichita, Ks. Then they showed arrivals to the arena of Seth Rollins, Rhea Ripley, Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan & Dominik Mysterio, and The New Day. Xavier Woods tried to fist bump some workers, but they turned away. Kofi Kingston tried to fist bump Otis and Natalya, but they rejected him too.
-Gunther made his ring entrance, wearing blue jeans and a navy blue long sleeve pullover shirt. They showed clips of Finn Balor attacking Gunther last week. When Gunther’s music stopped, boos rang out. He smiled. He said Balor has made a grave mistake and he now has his undivided attention. He assured everyone that Saturday Night’s Main Event would not end up like Survivor Series did for him. He was interrupted by The Judgment Day’s Balor, Dom, Carlito, and J.D. McDonagh.
On his way to the ring, he told Gunther he could have given him the title match like he deserved, but he messed with him by giving it to someone who didn’t deserve it, “like Dirty Dom.” Dom glared at him. Balor said he’s right that SNME will be different than Survivor Series because he’s going to lose his title to him.
Gunther told Balor he didn’t earn that title match on Saturday. He said it was his audacity in claiming it was because of him that he was champion that got him a title shot. Gunther said eight years ago, Balor became the first WWE Universal Champion and back then he looked up to him. He said it faded away over time, “not because I chose to, but because you chose to start cutting corners and you chose to start taking shortcuts and you chose to align yourself with The Judgment Day and you chose to hang out with a bunch of weirdos in the club house and you chose to play second fiddle to Damien Priest.” He said he now looks down to him. “Eight years ago you were the best in the world for one night,” he said. Gunther drew some cheers as he said he is champion and will be for years to come. He said Balor is not on his level and never will be.
Carlito suggested they enter the ring and The Judgment Day stepped onto the ring apron. Then Damien Priest’s music played and he charged out. He knocked over Carlito and McDonagh, then beat up Dom and Balor. When Balor entered the ring, Gunther hit him. Gunther then hit Priest with a clothesline and punched away at him. Gunther cleared the announce desk and set up a move on Priest, but Balor attacked Gunther first. Balor then threw Priest into the ring. He leaped off the ring apron with a Coup de Gras on Gunther. Priest fought back against McDonagh, Dom, and Carlito in the ring. Balor attacked Priest from behind, though. A four-on-one attack ensued. Balor leaped off the top rope and landed a Coup de Gras and followed up with a second and a third. Balor kneeled to look closely at Gunther’s title belt. He picked it up as Tessitore plugged the SNME title match.
(Keller’s Analysis: Gunther’s character continues to be intriguing, as fans are booing him by default, then cheering him a bit as he verbally sparred with Balor, then he attacked Priest which drew boos again, but then was left lying at ringside by The Judgment Day. Are they laying the groundwork for an official babyface turn or is it just circumstantial that he’s being temporarily cheered because he’s the lesser of two unlikable wrestlers opposite Balor? The reactions of McDonagh, Carlito, and Dom is such a blast during these segments.)
-They showed Final Testament and The Miz walking backstage.
-A generic Netflix Raw commercial aired with the awful tagline, “You can’t fake this.” [c]
-Tessitore hyped Jesse Ventura returning to commentary on SNME this Saturday.
-G.M. Adam Pearce told Balor that he spoke to Gunther and as a result of all of his actions, the World Title match for SNME has changed to a triple threat match. Balor said that’s fine because he’ll beat both Gunther and Priest to become World Hvt. Champion. Pearce told Balor next week he and McDonagh would face The War Raiders again with the WWE Tag Team Titles on the line. He banned the rest of The Judgment Day from ringside. They threw a fit. Pearce left. Liv asked Balor for advice. Balor seemed shaken up and he walked off.
-They showed Coltin Hevalow at ringside, a 5-6, 138 pound 21 year old PBR Professional Bull Rider.
(1) THE FINAL TESTAMENT (Karrion Kross & AOP w/Scarlett) & THE MIZ vs. THE WYATT SICKS (Uncle Howdy & Erick Rowan & Dexter Lumis & Gacy)
The bell rang 24 minutes into the hour. Bo went for a Sister Abigail immediately. They cut to a very early break as Kross regrouped at ringside. [c]
Tessitore said right after this match, they’d air an interview Jackie Redmond conducted with C.M. Punk. Gacy was taking a beating, but got cheers when he nailed Rezar with a clothesline. Miz and Rowan tagged. Rowan went on a flurry and tossed Miz out of the ring. Chaos broke out. Lumis leaped off the top rope onto a crowd below at ringside.
Back in the ring, Rowan hot-tagged in Howdy to a crowd pop. He went on the attack against Miz including a slingshot twisting neckbreaker. Miz back-elbowed and tagged in Kross. Howdy knocked him to ringside. Scarlett tripped him as he ran the ropes. Nikki Cross then showed up behind her and scared her. Scarlett “escaped” into the ring, but came face to face with Howdy, so she bailed out. Nikki then leaped off the ringside steps onto Scarlett. Fans cheered.
Miz blocked Howdy’s attempt to give Kross a Sister Abigail. He applied a Mandible Claw on Miz, but Paul Ellering returned and threw powder in Howdy’s eyes. Kross then gave Howdy a Final Prayer for the win. Tessitore said they hadn’t seen Ellering since he was given the Mandible Claw. Final Testament celebrated at ringside.
WINNERS: Final Testament & Miz in 9:00.
-Redmond held a sitdown interview with Punk in a locker room. She asked him about the “favor.” Punk said now isn’t the time to talk about it. He said he and Paul Heyman go back many years, so it’s private. She shifted to asking about Seth Rollins. Punk said he’s not going to shy away from a fight, but when it comes to Seth’s hatred of him, he’s more confused than anything. He said he doesn’t hate Seth at all.
He said their history goes back quite a bit, including a 16 year old Seth asking him to train him to be a pro wrestler for free. “That’s the key part of the story everybody leaves out,” he said. He said that entitlement has carried over into the adult Seth who wants to be on everybody’s top ten list of the greatest of all time. He said he remembers when he was on the top ten list of someone who was going to get fired, “and shielded him from that.” He added: “If I had to live in my shadow, I’d hate me too.” He said everything Seth did, he did better before him. He said in his absence, Seth did a fantastic job filling the vacuum, “but the starter’s back; second string’s got to sit back down on the bench.” Redmond thanked Punk for his honesty.
(Keller’s Analysis: I could see some people who weren’t sure whose side they were on siding both with Punk and against Punk based on that. I think it more leaned toward Punk being unapologetic to a fault in his blunt assessment of himself being better than Seth. I’m not sure I can tell if WWE is trying to tilt the scales either way.)
(2) LIV MORGAN vs. DAKOTA KAI
Liv made her entrance. Dakota was already in the ring, so her entrance didn’t air. The bell rang 44 minutes into the hour. They cut to a break seconds into the match after Liv backdropped Dakota over the top rope to ringside. [c]
Back from the break, Pure Fusion Collective strolled to ringside. A woman in the front row held up a sign that said: “Sonya, I will leave my husband for you.” Dakota rallied, but eventually turned her attention to PFC. Liv gave her a lung blower followed by a running knee in the corner. Dakota made a comeback with a powerbomb, but Liv ducked her running boot and then quickly hit Oblivion for the win.
WINNER: Morgan in 7:00.
-After the match, Sonya Deville attacked Dakota. Kairi Sane and Iyo Sky ran out for the save. Sky dropkicked Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler. Kairi leaped onto all three PFC members at ringside. Liv caught a celebrating Sky with Oblivion.
-A vignette aired with Drew McIntyre who spoke about the Hell in a Cell match. “In the end, I succumbed to massive blood loss.” He said he could have been on the next Raw, but instead he had to return to Scotland because his family needed him. He said he kept getting screwed over at the finish line. He asked what if his gut was wrong and people could change. He said he saw Roman Reigns standing side-by-side with C.M. Punk along with Sami Zayn, Jey Uso, and Jimmy Uso. “After everything they know, Roman just snaps his fingers and they put their tail between their legs and ran right by his side.” He said at least Punk “took a bribe.” He said the rest sold out for nothing. He said that’s when it became clear he had to come back and take out Sami and Jey. He said he realized that he can’t change the past, but he can change the present and he will change the future.
(Keller’s Analysis: Great delivery from Drew. I love him creating a story about how he was away for a while not because of the beating Punk gave him, but because his family needed him back in Scotland.)
-They went to Barrett and Tessitore at ringside. Barrett called Drew “self-righteous.” Tessitore said Jey wasn’t medically cleared to return to Raw this week after Drew attacked him from behind. They pivoted to Seth who was shown backstage. Tessitore said he’d speak next. [c]
[HOUR TWO]
-They showed an aerial view of downtown Wichita. He said Barry Sanders and Mr. Beast are from there. Tessitore and Barrett spoke about some fan signs including “Justice for Big E” and “Dom believes in the Tooth Fairy.” Another fan sign said: “Wade Barrett stole my lunch money.” Barrett fiercely denied he ever did that and said it was libel.
-A video recap aired of the New Day segment last week.
-They went backstage to Cody Rhodes leaving Adam Pearce’s office. Kofi and Xavier walked up to Cody. Cody told them he’s known them since they were kids “and you both should be ashamed of yourselves.” Xavier smiled and shook his head. As Xavier and Kofi walked away, Xavier told Kofi, “That’s good, that good coming from that guy.” Tessitore said they’d hear from New Day later in the show.
-Seth made his ring entrance. Tessitore said he’d have a chance to respond to Redmond. Tessitore touted a graphic that listed Seth’s accomplishments in WWE. Barrett said he is one of the best of this generation, perhaps no. 1. He asked Wichita to “give it up for my man C.M. Punk.” He told fans to chant his name and let it out. A “C.M. Punk!” chant rang out. He said when Punk’s days as a wrestler are over, he has a career in politics. He said Punk’s interview earlier was a masterclass in how to spin the truth. “You take a little bit of truth and spin it and play the victim,” he said. He said Punk has been doing that his entire life. “He’s a fraud, he’s a conman.” He said he’d give the fans the full truth.
He said he did go to Punk to get trained. He said he looked up to him and idolized him. He said Punk helped him get his foot in the door in WWE. He said he respected Punk and they were friends. He said if the story ended there, you’d wonder why he hates Punk so much. He said the part Punk left out of the story explains why. He said when Punk left WWE, he texted and called him and he got no response. “I got ghosted by C.M. Punk,” he said. He said that happened to him and everybody else who considered Punk a friend. He said Punk saw you as evil if you still worked for WWE and didn’t quit.
He said for the next ten years, all Punk did was try to tear down WWE. He said he took every potshot he could. He said he walked back in the doors to WWE “because he failed at everything else, he burned every single bridge that would lead him to water, and the money was right,” he said. A loud “C.M. Punk!” chant rang out. Seth shook his head and waited it out. He said once a upon a time, he chanted his name too and he used to respect him too. He said somewhere along the way, he realized he was a fraud and he wanted to be better than him. He said everything Punk did in the ring, he did it twice. He said he main evented WrestleMania, the one thing Punk couldn’t do. He was interrupted by Sami Zayn’s music.
Sami walked to the ring, staring at Seth the whole way. Fans sang his song and then chanted “Sami! Sami!” Seth told Sami if he was out there to defend Punk again, “then we’re going to be fighting again.” He said he didn’t want to hear it and didn’t have time with it. Sami said week they got into it, and it’s bound to happen every now and then, “but it was wrong of me to assume you dropped Jey Uso backstage.” He apologized.
Seth said he’s glad he brought that up because the thing that’s been eating him up inside this past week is that they’ve known each other twenty years and their kids play together, so he said doesn’t understand why his name was the first to come to mind as the attacker. Sami said last week Seth was talking like the kind of person who points his finger at everyone else for their actions and is the only person with any moral clarity. “You sounded less like Seth Rollins and more like Drew McIntyre.” Fans ooooh’d.
Seth pointed at Sami and said he isn’t Drew. Sami agreed he’s better than him, but he said Punk brings out the worst in him. Sami said he got involved last week and maybe he shouldn’t have. He said the thing with him and Punk is clearly worse than he realized, so from now on it’s his business and he can deal with it however he wants. Seth said he appreciated that. Sami asked if they’re good. Seth paused and looked away. Fans chanted, “Hug it out!” Seth said they are good. Fans cheered. Seth said he appreciated letting him handle his business with Punk, and said it seems Sami has business to deal with regarding Drew. Seth left the ring.
Sami talked about Drew and said he plans to end it as soon as possible. He said he’s already spoken to Pearce and he’ll be facing Drew at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Barrett said a stacked card just got deeper. Drew attacked Sami as he made his way to the entrance area. WWE referees and agents ran out and pulled Drew off of Sami. Drew stood and smiled proudly. Barrett wondered if the damage was done. [c]
(3) ZELINA VEGA vs. IVY NILE vs. LYRA VALKYRIA – Women’s Intercontinental Title Tournament match
Zelina’s ring entrance took place. Then Valkyria’s entrance took place. Nile was already in the ring. The bell rang 23 minutes into the hour. They cut to a very early break. [c]
Zelina leaped onto Valkyria for a two count, broken up by Nile. Nile caught Zelina mid-air and drove her to the mat hard. Valkyria broke up her cover. Nile double German suplexed both opponents. Valkyria landed Knight Wing on Nile for the win. She’ll face the winner of Alba Fyre vs. Kairi Sane vs. Natalya.
WINNER: Valkyria in 9:00 to advance in the tournament.
-They showed Priest giving words of encouragement to Ripley backstage. [c]
-Cathy Kelley asked Kofi and Xavier, “What was the intention of publicly berating your friend, Big E.” Kofi didn’t like the framing of the question. Xavier said this clearly isn’t going to be an unbiased interview. He insisted on the camera man handing over the camera. Xavier yelled and grabbed it, and the followed Kofi to the ring. Fans booed as they came out without any music. Fans chanted, “New… Day Sucks!” Barrett said the fans are fickle. Xavier set the camera down and asked, “What did we do!?” Barrett said he reassessed his thoughts from last week and saw things through their lens.
Kofi asked the fans if they were really that mad after all the years of positivity they’ve given them over just one day. The boos got louder. Xavier tried to talk, but paused when the boos got louder. “We Want Big E!” rang out. This went on a while. Xavier and Kofi grew so frustrated, they just dropped the mic and left. Fans roared with cheers. Kofi and Xavier insisted they didn’t do anything.
-Tessitore and Barrett hyped SNME’s line-up: Gunther vs. Priest vs. Balor for the World Title, Sami vs. Drew, Liv Morgan vs. Sky for the Women’s Title, the Women’s U.S. Title Tournament final, and Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens.
-Ripley’s ring entrance took place. [c]
(4) RHEA RIPLEY vs. RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ (w/Liv Morgan) – Anything Goes
After the break, Ripley charged at Raquel as she began her entrance. They fought near the hockey boards. When they returned to the ring, the bell rang 51 minutes into the hour. Ripley used a kendo stick as a weapon. Ripley landed a top rope flying dropkick. Ripley landed a wrecking ball dropkick and then pulled a table out from under the ring. Fans cheered. Raquel shoved Ripley into the ringpost and then overhead-tossed Ripley onto the announce desk. They cut to a break at 1:00. [c]
As Ripley set up a Rip Tide, Liv ran out. Barrett said the ref couldn’t do anything about it because there are no rules. Raquel slammed Ripley onto a chair in the ring. Ripley set up a Rip Tide a minute later, but Liv leaped onto her back. Ripley tossed her off of her. She kicked Raquel, but Liv then caught her with an Oblivion. Iyo Sky gave Liv a missile dropkick and then leaped through the ropes onto her at ringside. Raquel covered Ripley for a near fall. She then set up a table mid-ring. Ripley countered and shoved Raquel into a chair wedged in the corner. She then landed Rip Tide through the table for the win.
WINNER: Ripley in 8:00.
-Sky and Ripley each held the Women’s Title belt and stood and stared at each other as the show ended.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
PWTorch editor Wade Keller is joined by PWTorch’s Tej Narayanan to review WWE Raw LIVE tonight right after the show ends. Join us and let us know your thoughts on Raw during the show.
Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Raw. We’ll read your emails live during the post-show.
VIP MEMBER EXCLUSIVE VIDEO CALLER CODE: CLICK HERE
LIVE ON YOUTUBE RIGHT AFTER WWE RAW TONIGHT: LIVE ON YOUTUBE RIGHT AFTER WWE RAW TONIGHT: CLICK HERE TO WATCH
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