WWE RAW RESULTS (12/23): Pomares’s alt-perspective report on Priest vs. Dominik, Gable vs. Tozawa, Sky vs. Natalya in IC Tournament match, plus Drew, New Day, Seth

By Mauricio Pomarez, PWTorch contributor

Full analysis and results of this week's episode of WWE Raw

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...

WWE RAW REPORT
DECEMBER 23, 2024 (Taped 12/16)
BOSTON, MASS. AT TD GARDEN ARENA
AIRED ON USA NETWORK
BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

Ring Announcer: Lilian Garcia

Attendance: WrestleTix reports that 10,711 tickets were distributed. The arena has a capacity of 20,000 spectators when configured for concerts.


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[HOUR ONE]

– The show opened with Drew McIntyre making his way to the ring, as a recap of him and Sami Zayn brawling last week; and him endorsing Solo Sikoa on SmackDown was shown. Drew talked about missing time after Hell in a Cell because of the passing of a close family member. Drew said that if people in the back actually cared, they would have asked him and only one did. He said that people like Sami and the Usos would stab him on the back. Drew said that he would stop giving to the fans and that the real villains in WWE were Roman Reigns and CM Punk.

– Sami interrupted to tell Drew that everyone had gone through loss and the sacrifices that came with being a WWE superstar. Sami said that Drew had no reason to blame the fans when they made him. He told Drew that not everything revolves around him and that he should stop blaming everyone else. Drew said that unlike everyone in this arena, he didn’t have the luxury of seeing his family with ease.

– Drew warned Sami that he shouldn’t pick this fight because he had already lost it every other time before. He told Sami to go to the back, meet his family and leave the arena because he was the least of his issues. Sami attacked Drew with the mic, but was quickly overpowered. Jey Uso saved Sami from the Claymore kick, forcing him to retreat.

(Pomares’s Analysis: A strong opening segment to continue Drew McIntyre’s journey of somewhat justified self-righteousness. Drew is once again the most compelling character on TV and should be a centerpiece of WWE programming going into the Road to WrestleMania.)

– Backstage, Pure Fusion Collective met Adam Pearce to ask for the open spot in the tournament. Pearce told them that he already filled the vacant spot with Iyo Sky.

[Commercial Break]

(1) NATALYA vs. ALBA FYRE vs. IYO SKY – Women’s Intercontinental Championship Tournament 1st Round Match

Natalya threw Fyre out of the ring and dropped Sky on the mat. Fyre pulled Natalya out of the ring and drover her into the steel steps, only for Sky to blast her with a suicide dive, as WWE Raw went to commercials.

[Commercial Break]

Back from break, Sky took Fyre down with a springboard dropkick before receiving a Tornado DDT from Fyre. Fyre dropped Sky on top of Natalya and crushed both of them with a Swanton Bomb for a two count. Natalya trapped both Sky and Fyre in the Sharpshooter at the same time, until they were able to reach the ropes. Sky avoided a sliding dropkick and blasted Natalya with a Penalty kick off the apron. Sky crashed into Natalya and Fyre with an Asai moonsault. Fyre stopped Sky atop the turnbuckle, only for Natalya to take her down with a German suplex. Sky immediately hit Natalya with Over the Moonsault to pick up the win.

WINNER: Iyo Sky at 7:50

(Pomares’s Analysis: Decent match while it lasted with an incredibly obvious result. The addition of Iyo Sky to this tournament is a much needed injection of star power. I’m not sure what the long term plan for the belt is, but giving it to Sky will always be a strong option.)

– A recap of the War Raiders beating the Judgment Day 

– Backstage, Finn Bálor and Liv Morgan argued about what happened last week. Dominik Mysterio told them to stop and said that he would step up and get himself a match against Damian Priest, claiming that he had a plan.

[Commercial Break]

– Backstage, Sami Zayn thanked Jey Uso for having his back. Sami told Jey that he wanted to handle Drew McIntyre tonight before him because he was the one that started this.

– A video package was shown, showcasing highlights from the Raw on Netflix Kickoff party.

– Chad Gable made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Akira Tozawa.

[Commercial Break]

(2) AKIRA TOZAWA (w/Otis & Maxxine Dupri) vs. CHAD GABLE (w/Julius Creed, Brutus Creed & Ivy Nile)

Gable immediately took Tozawa down with a series of chops, followed by a shoulder tackle. Tozawa caught Gable with a cyclone kick, only for Gable to put him on an armbar using the top rope. Gable slapped Otis and ran back into the ring immediately. Tozawa surprised Gable with a roll-through and a thrust kick, but Gable blocked his diving senton with his knees. Gable swiftly laid Tozawa out with a load of German suplexes, followed by a powerbomb and the ankle lock for the submission win.

WINNER: Chad Gable at 2:10

– After the match, Chad Gable refused to let go of Akira Tozawa, until Otis made the save. Otis tossed Gable across the ring before the Creeds entered the ring to protect him. 

(Pomares’s Analysis: This was okay for a short match. My main issue is that this storyline was among the hottest things in all of wrestling earlier this year and it was put to the side for months. Chad Gable was fed to the Wyatt Sicks and had a feud with the LWO that never really had a proper ending. Meanwhile, Otis and the rest of Alpha Academy were treated essentially as enhancement talent. The crowd will probably still be hot, but this feels like a big letdown for both men.)

– Backstage, Dominik Mysterio told the New Day that what they did to Big E was crazy while on his way to the ring.

[Commercial Break]

(3) DAMIAN PRIEST vs. DOMINIK MYSTERIO

Dominik immediately rolled out of the ring, only for Priest to take him down with clotheslines and a facebuster upon his return. Dominik caught Priest with a rising kick and a thrust kick, followed by a dropkick to the back. Priest blocked a suicide dive and put Dominik down with a flatliner onto the announce table. Priest smashed Dominik’s head into the ring post before revealing JD McDonagh dressed as Santa Claus in the crowd and beating him down. Before returning to the ring, Priest found Carlito underneath the ring and took care of him. Finn Bálor showed up to attack Priest and end the match.

WINNER: Damian Priest at 2:51 via DQ

– After the match, the Judgment Day assaulted Damian Priest, until the War Raiders ran down to make the save. Priest blasted Finn with a thrust kick while the Raiders clobbered Carlito with a knee strike. Priest turned JD inside out with a lariat and the Raiders finished Dominik with the War Machine. Finn walked right into the South of Heaven from Priest to stand tall.

(Pomares’s Analysis: This was such a nothing segment that only tells me that it’s time to move on from the Judgment Day. This breakup started at SummerSlam and I’m going to be very annoyed if this isn’t resolved on the Netflix debut of Raw.)

[HOUR TWO]

– This past weekend, Jackie Redmond had a sit-down interview with Seth Rollins to discuss his match and his issues with CM Punk. Rollins said that he tried to explain how he felt about Punk over the years. Rollins said that Punk’s level of hypocrisy is what gets to him. He said that this was a fight and that seeing him and Roman Reigns stand tall made him want to throw the remote. Rollins said that they would see a side of him that is raw, visceral and violent. Rollins said that Punk was a cancer that he needed to remove and he would get the chance to do it on the Netflix debut.

(Pomares’s Analysis: A well-done backstage segment to follow the interview with CM Punk and properly set up the final angle before the Netflix debut.)

– The Miz made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Dexter Lumis.

[Commercial Break]

– A recap of The Miz and Final Testament defeating the Wyatt Sicks was shown.

(4) DEXTER LUMIS vs. THE MIZ

Miz attacked Lumis with a right hand and ran away around the ring, until Lumis drove him into the barricade. Lumis crushed Miz with a cannonball off the apron and tossed him back in the ring. Miz caught Lumis with a big boot, only for Lumis to retaliate with a Thesz Press. Lumis dropped Miz with an uranage, but was distracted by the arrival of AOP. Lumis immediately chose to dive off the top turnbuckle onto AOP before Karrion Kross showed up to attack him.

WINNER: Dexter Lumis at 2:24 via DQ

– After the match, the entire Final Testament surrounded Dexter Lumis, until the lights turned off. The rest of the Wyatt Sicks showed around the ring and took the Final Testament and Miz out. Erick Rowan powerbombed Nikki Cross on top of everyone to stand tall.

(Pomares’s Analysis: This was mostly an angle to keep this feud going and possibly set up a future match, likely with a stipulation. There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with it, but it’s a bit of a shame that the Wyatt Sicks don’t feel that special anymore.)

– Backstage, War Raiders said that Damian Priest had their back last week. Priest told them that he would go to war with them.

[Commercial Break]

– A vignette with the ∅ symbol was shown once again, alongside a pentagram.

– A recap of the New Day getting booed and turned by everyone was shown.

– The New Day showed up next to the commentary table to call out Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett for being unbiased. They told Joe that his job wasn’t to have an opinion and that Wade wasn’t man enough to lace up his boots again. They entered the ring to claim that they could have left Big E in a stretcher. Kofi Kingston said that this was supposed to be a homecoming for him and his mother, and the fans were ruining her experience. Kofi apologized to his mother and asked for a hug, only for her mom to refuse to do it. His mom walked away, leaving Kofi hanging.

(Pomares’s Analysis: Yet another great follow-up to the New Day turning on Big E. The New Day are getting a ludicrous amount of heat and are most definitely set the win some gold come 2025.)

– It was announced that Damian Priest and the War Raiders would face the Judgment Day; the semifinals of the Women’s Intercontinental title would take place; Otis would battle Chad Gable; and CM Punk and Seth Rollins would be under the same roof next week.

– Drew McIntyre made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Sami Zayn.

[Commercial Break]

– Backstage, Rey Mysterio told the New Day that he should have handled things better last week. Rey said that they could start making things better by apologizing. The New Day claimed that they didn’t do anything wrong and wouldn’t apologize. Rey said that he tried and told them to get used to hearing ‘New Day sucks’.

(5) DREW MCINTYRE vs. SAMI ZAYN

Drew cornered Sami with right hands and chops, only for Sami to fire up with a barrage of blows. Drew caught Sami with a rising kick to the chest and put him down with a suplex. Sami hit Drew with a rising kick and threw him out of the ring and teased going for a Tope con Hilo, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.

[Commercial Break]

Back from break, Drew planted Sami with a belly-to-belly suplex, followed by a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a two count. Sami surprised Drew with a Tornado DDT and smashed his head into the announce table. Drew drove Sami into the steps and dropped him with a sidewalk slam onto the apron, as WWE Raw went to its final commercial break.

[Commercial Break]

Back from break, Sami surprised Drew with a Victory Roll before making him crash into the ring post. Drew blasted Sami with a chop to the chest atop the turnbuckle and flattened him with an avalanche White Noise for a nearfall. Sami surprised Drew with an inside cradle, only for Drew to retaliate with a Glasgow Kiss. Sami blocked the Claymore kick with a clothesline and dropped Drew into the corner with a Xploder. He tried to go for the Helluva Kick, but was too hurt to run, allowing Drew to take the win with a Claymore kick.

WINNER: Drew McIntyre at 14:42

– After the match, Drew McIntyre assaulted Sami Zayn, until Jey Uso showed up to make the save. The Bloodline attacked Jey from behind and shoved him off the top turnbuckle, allowing Drew to escape. Jey tried to beat Tama, Fatu and Solo down, but Solo shut him down with a lariat. The Bloodline hit Jey and Sami with a moonsault and a Samoan Spike to stand tall.

(Pomares’s Analysis: Solid main event to maintain Drew McIntyre strong and keep on pushing his storyline. The involvement of the returning Jey Uso and the Bloodline was a much needed angle for a show that has been lacking in meaningful story advancements.)


ADVERTISED MATCHES AND SEGMENTS

  • Iyo Sky vs. Alba Fyre vs. Natalya – Women’s Intercontinental Championship match
  • Chad Gable vs. Akira Tozawa
  • Damian Priest vs. Dominik Mysterio
  • Dexter Lumis vs. The Miz
  • Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods to appear
  • Drew McIntyre to appear
  • Jackie Redmond to interview Seth Rollins

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