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WWE RAW REPORT
DECEMBER 30, 2024
HOUSTON, TEX. AT TOYOTA CENTER
AIRED ON USA NETWORK
BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett
Ring Announcer: Lilian Garcia
Attendance: WrestleTix reports that 14,506 tickets were distributed. The arena has a capacity of 20,000 spectators when configured for concerts.
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[HOUR ONE]
– The commentary team introduced the show and said that they would kick off with Jey Uso. The New Day interrupted and tried to speak, but the crowd’s boos were too loud. Jey Uso showed up in the crowd and made his whole entrance to the ring. Xavier Woods tried to speak with Jey, but the crowd refused to let them speak. Jey simply told the New Day that they suck before they walked away from the ring. Jey called Drew McIntyre out, only for The Bloodline to show up on screen.
– Solo Sikoa said that the Ula Fala wouldn’t go anywhere and he would remain the Tribal Chief. Drew appeared behind Jey and nailed him with a forearm shot to the back of the head. Jey blocked the Claymore kick with a superkick, but Drew shut him down with a Glasgow Kiss. Numerous referees showed up to force Drew to leave, but he ran back to the ring to hit Jey with the Claymore kick.
(Pomares’ Analysis: A decent opening with the interactions between New Day and Jey Uso as highlights. There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with the bit with The Bloodline and Drew McIntyre, but it felt like WWE just spinning the plate until they actually do meaningful stuff next week.)
– Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviewed Chad Gable about finally facing Otis one-on-one. Gable said that tonight he would start checking stuff out of his bucket list by giving Otis his final lesson.
(1) OTIS (w/Akira Tozawa & Maxxine Dupri) vs. CHAD GABLE (w/Julius Creed & Brutus Creed & Ivy Nile)
Gable attacked Otis with chops to the chest, until Otis turned him inside out with a shoulder tackle. Otis dropped Gable with a military press slam and smashed his head into the announce table and the steel steps. Gable tried to pummel Otis down, only for Otis to drive him into the corner with an Irish-whip. Gable made Otis crash into the ring post and dropped him with a dragon screw using the ropes. Otis was able to break a leg lock and kick Gable away, but missed the follow-up falling headbutt.
Gable missed a diving headbutt, allowing Otis to throw him across the ring and put him down with shoulder tackles. Otis clobbered Gable with a lariat, setting him up for a Spear. Otis crushed Gable with the Caterpillar, but he managed to put his foot on the ropes. The Creeds beat Akira Tozawa down before Otis tossed them over the barricade. Dupri took Nile down with a Thesz Press while Gable caught Otis with a dropkick to the knee. Gable put Otis in an ankle lock, until he was able to kick him away.
The Creeds tried to interfere, but Otis tossed Gable onto them with a belly-to-belly suplex. Otis dropped Gable with a bodyslam and trapped him in an ankle lock. Gable managed to trip Otis into the ropes and floor him with a German suplex. Otis blocked a diving axe handle with a backfist, but Nile grabbed his foot to distract him. Gable tripped Otis and trapped him in a deep Ankle Lock to get the submission win.
WINNER: Chad Gable at 9:30
(Pomares’ Analysis: This was a pretty fun match and an actually decent showcase of Otis as a singles star. Unfortunately, this encounter came way too late and this feels less like a strong move for Gable and Otis, and more like a loose end to finish before the move to Netflix.)
– A lengthy video package was shown, recapping the rivalry between Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley.
– Backstage, the Judgment Day discussed Liv Morgan’s title match and how she was preparing for it. Finn Bálor mockingly said that Liv had a plan to win just like he had a plan to deal with Damian Priest and the War Raiders.
– R-Truth started making his way to the ring, only for Pete Dunne to attack him from behind. Referees and agents showed up to separate them and force Dunne to walk away.
(Pomares’ Analysis: Nothing to see here. Just a feud that should already be over, but isn’t.)
– Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviewed Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai about the possibility of facing off in the finals. Sky said that she respected Lyra Valkyria, but tonight wouldn’t be that night.
– A recap of Pure Fusion Collective injuring Kairi Sane and forcing her out of the tournament was shown.
(2) DAKOTA KAI vs. ZOEY STARK – Women’s Intercontinental Championship Tournament Semifinals Match
Kai blasted Stark with a pump kick, only for Stark to drive her into the corner. Stark landed on her feet off a monkey flip before Kai swept her off her feet and hit her with a pump kick. Stark caught Kai with a hook kick, but Kai responded with an enzuigiri. Kai tried to go for a running strike, only for Stark to shut her down with a springboard dropkick, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Kai knocked Stark down with a couple of clotheslines and cracked her with a sunset flip backstabber. Kai clobbered Stark with a pair of running boots to the face for a nearfall. Stark dropped Kai with a half-and-half suplex and a knee to the face for a close two count. Kai countered a power move with a sunset flip for another nearfall. Stark laid Kai out with a cartwheel Death Valley Driver and a thrust kick, but she kicked out at two. Stark pummeled Kai down and smashed her into the turnbuckle, only for Kai to block a springboard move with a thrust kick. Kai nailed Stark with a Detonation Kick to pick up the win.
WINNER: Dakota Kai at 8:15
(Pomares’ Analysis: Solid encounter with a result that makes me very happy. Dakota Kai has been a good hand throughout her entire run in WWE, so I’m happy to see her in another title picture. I don’t think her chances of winning are very high, but I won’t complain in the slightless if she does.)
– A video package was shown, featuring numerous highlights of Monday Night Raw throughout its entire duration.
– The Judgment Day made their way to the ring, ahead of their match against Damian Priest and the War Raiders.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR TWO]
(3) DAMIAN PRIEST & WAR RAIDERS (Erik & Ivar) vs. JUDGMENT DAY (Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh & Dominik Mysterio w/Carlito)
Priest clocked Dominik with a forearm strike and threw Finn into the corner, forcing him to roll out of the ring. Priest cornered JD, setting him up for a clothesline from Erik. JD blocked a German suplex, only for Erik to lay him out with an uranage. Erik took Dominik down and Finn down with body slams before dropping Ivar on top of JD. Ivar pummeled JD with a load of right hands, followed by a corner Irish-whip from Erik. War Raiders shoved Judgment Day off the apron and onto the announce table, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Finn knocked Priest off the apron with a dropkick, only for Ivar to lay him out with a sidewalk slam and a running splash. Ivar caught Finn with a seated senton and blasted JD with a leg lariat. Ivar missed a corner strike after interference from Carlito, forcing him to tag Priest in. Priest threw Dominik into the ring and took him and JD down with clotheslines and a flatliner.
Priest knocked Dominik down with a shoulder tackle and nailed Finn with a forearm strike before turning Dominik inside out with a lariat. Carlito distracted Priest, allowing Dominik to hit him with a chop block. Erik clobbered Carlito with a forearm strike before receiving a Penalty kick and an Aai moonsault from JD. Ivar crushed JD with a running crossbody into the barricade. Dominik countered the Razor’s Edge with a hurracarrana, but Priest finished him with the South of Heaven.
WINNERS: Damian Priest & War Raiders at 9:13
– After the match, Finn Bálor tried to attack Damian Priest, but was quickly overpowered and forced to retreat.
(Pomares’ Analysis: Decent match with the same stuff we have seen from Judgment Day over and over again since SummerSlam. The only thing of note coming out of this match is that Judgment Day’s theme now is much worse.)
– Backstage, Adam Pearce told Jey Uso that he escorted Drew McIntyre out of the arena before booking him in a singles match against next week.
– Another ∅ vignette was shown, featuring the face of a luchador mask.
(Pomares’ Analysis: Once again, this is most likely former AEW wrestler Penta El Zero Miedo.)
[Commercial Break]
– Ludwig Kaiser stood in the middle of the ring and said that he belonged at the top of WWE. Kaiser demanded that Bron Breakker brought out his Intercontinental title, only for a returning Sheamus to show up instead. Sheamus pummeled Kaiser down, until Kaiser gouged his eyes. Sheamus caught Kaiser with a pump knee and nearly hit him with a Brogue Kick.
(Pomares’ Analysis: This was an alright segment, but as great as the matches between Kaiser and Sheamus are, I wish they got to move on to different feuds.)
– Backstage, Rey Mysterio gave Otis some support and told him that he would beat Chad Gable next time. New Day interrupted to mock Rey, only for Rey to tell them that he would show them respect and challenged them to a tag team match.
– Iyo Sky made her way to the ring, ahead of her match against Lyra Valkyria.
[Commercial Break]
(4) IYO SKY vs. LYRA VALKYRIA – Women’s Intercontinental Championship Tournament Semifinals Match
They traded quick pinning combinations, until Lyra caught Sky with a roll-through. Lyra nailed Sky with a dropkick to the knee and put her in a Pendulum Lock. Lyra stomped Sky’s knees and blasted her with a dropkick through the ropes. Sky kicked Lyra away, only for Lyra to pull her off the turnbuckle with a dragon screw, as WWE Raw went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Sky nailed Lyra with a series of strikes and blasted her away with a missile dropkick for a two count. Sky blocked a superplex, only for Lyra to hit her with a shotgun dropkick into the corner. Lyra put Sky down with a Tornado DDT and a suplex, but she kicked out at two. Sky surprised Lyra with an O’Connor Roll into a bridging German suplex for a close two count.
Lyra clocked Sky with a spinning heel kick, setting her up for a swinging neckbreaker and a two count. Sky stopped Lyra atop the turnbuckle and dropped her with an avalanche roll-through for a nearfall. Sky crashed into Lyra with a top turnbuckle moonsault, followed by a double knee strike in the corner. Lyra avoided a moonsault and blocked a German suplex before countering an O’Connor Roll with a successful pinning combination.
WINNER: Lyra Valkyria at 11:47
(Pomares’ Analysis: A really good match to really elevate the importance of this tournament and once again establish Lyra Valkyria as a possible top star in the women’s division. Having Iyo Sky give the tournament some much needed star power and make Lyra into a major threat ahead of next week was a smart decision. Now the finals actually seem tough to predict and Iyo is free to go back to the top of the card.)
– A video package was shown, hyping up the encounter between Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa.
– Seth Rollins made his way to the ring, ahead of his face-off against CM Punk.
[Commercial Break]
– Seth Rollins stood in the middle of the ring to hype up his match against CM Punk next week. Rollins said that regardless of what happened he would keep on fighting every week afterwards. Rollins said that after Punk lost, he would probably go cry home and miss another 10 years. Punk showed up to claim that he didn’t drop the ball and walk way; and compared himself to Becky Lynch and Steve Austin who also walked away. Punk asked Rollins how his back, knee and guts were doing after the last year of injuries.
– Rollins said that Austin claimed that it was the biggest mistake of his life and Becky was raising a child, unlike Punk who went on to cry and complain for the past decade. Punk said that he loved WWE, but hated the guy in charge. Punk said that Rollins shot arrows on his back when he could have supported him and he spent the past decade taking those arrows out of his back. Rollins told Punk that he may have been a pioneer, but he had become a cancer to this business and he would cut him out for good.
(Pomares’ Analysis: Some of the lines didn’t work for me, but everything else was an incredibly strong go-home angle before the Netflix debut. Based on how much finality some of these angles have had, it really feels like Punk vs. Rollins is completely out of the picture as a possible WrestleMania match which means next week will likely be the end of the feud.)
Advertised Matches & Appearances
- C.M. Punk and Seth Rollins go face-to-face
- Damian Priest & The War Raiders vs. Judgment Day – 6-Man Tag Team match
- Iyo Sky vs. Lyra Valkyria – Women’s Intercontinental Title Tournament Semifinals match
- Dakota Kai vs. Zoey Stark – Women’s Intercontinental Title Tournament Semifinals match
- Chad Gable vs. Otis
- R-Truth vs. Pete Dunne
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