‘WWE Raw’ Review (Jan 6th 2025)
Welcome to this review of this past Monday’s episode of WWE Raw, right here on Nerdly – the first episode of Raw to air on the show’s new home, Netflix!
Match #1: Tribal Combat – Roman Reigns def. Solo Sikoa
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The Ula Fala is headed back to The Island of Relevancy as Roman Reigns defeated his former enforcer Solo Sikoa to reassert himself as The Tribal Chief. Sikoa thrived early with the Tribal Combat rules, thrashing his cousin with a Spinning Solo on the announce table before cracking him with the steel steps. Reigns found himself in even more trouble when Sikoa wrapped a steel chair around his head, but The OTC preserved himself and wailed on the new leader of The Bloodline. The battle led to the two Superstars meeting in the corner, with Sikoa emotionally berating Reigns about his lack of empathy, but The OTC countered the attack into a Last Ride through a table. Unfortunately for Reigns, The Bloodline arrived as Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu hit the scene, but they were met by Sami Zayn and Jimmy Uso, leading to an all-out brawl between the two warring factions. A fired-up Reigns lined up Sikoa for a Spear, but Kevin Owens appeared out of nowhere and hit his former rival with a Stunner. His presence summoned Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes to brawl with and chase away his future Royal Rumble challenger. With the bout finally back to one-on-one, Reigns countered a Samoan Spike into a Spear, and with the WWE Universe roaring in approval, he hit a second Spear to defeat Sikoa and reclaim his status as Tribal Chief. After the match, The Rock came down to the ring and bestowed the Ula Fala onto his cousin, leading to an embrace between the two Superstars.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: Women’s World Championship – Rhea Ripley def. Liv Morgan
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Rhea Ripley finally reclaimed the Women’s World Championship by defeating her bitter enemy Liv Morgan in an incredible clash between two of Monday Night Raw’s best. A determined Ripley came out firing by tossing the champion to the outside and powerbombing her onto the announce table, but Morgan rallied thanks to a huge codebreaker that sent Ripley tumbling to the outside. With some help from Raquel Rodriguez, Morgan unleashed an assault on the challenger that gave her full control. The sheer power of Ripley put The Eradicator back into the matchup as she punctuated a thrilling exchange with an innovative dragon suplex.Ripley hit a Riptide, but it wasn’t enough to win the match. Second later, a panicked “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio threw the Women’s World Title into the ring, which distracted the official and allowed Morgan to hit Oblivion. Unable to put the challenger away, Morgan went for another Oblivion, but it was countered into a second and third Riptide, which allowed The Eradicator to once again become Women’s World Champion.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #3: Jey Uso def. Drew McIntyre
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Jey Uso conquered Drew McIntyre in a gutsy performance by The YEET Man of WWE. Before the match began, Uso launched himself over the top rope and kicked off a huge fight on the outside. Once the two Superstars got into the ring and the bell rang, they traded several big strikes, including a Future Shock DDT by McIntyre and a Superkick by Uso. The Scottish Warrior set up for a Claymore, but it was countered with a crunching Spear, which was not enough to put away McIntyre. The battle continued with McIntyre nailing a Claymore, only for Uso to somehow kick out. McIntyre set up for another devastating Claymore, but Uso collapsed in exhaustion. After McIntyre mocked his opponent, Uso capitalized on his overzealousness and rolled him up to secure the pinfall victory, much to the disbelief of The Scottish Warrior.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #4: CM Punk def. Seth “Freakin” Rollins
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
CM Punk ended the Raw on Netflix premiere with a bang as he defeated his rival Seth “Freakin” Rollins in the main event. The official lost control in the blink of an eye as the two heated rivals brawled into the crowd before finally making their way back to the ring to continue their fight. Rollins mocked Punk the best way he knew how, and that was by hitting The Second City Saint’s signature GTS, but Punk rolled out of the ring before he could be pinned. The Visionary continued to berate his opponent, but Punk returned the favor and hit a huge Stomp, which wasn’t enough to end the war. The two found themselves on the outside where Rollins nailed a Pedigree on the announce table, injuring his own knee in the process. Rollins battled through the pain and landed a Stomp, but Punk got his foot on the middle rope to break up the count and electrify the WWE Universe. Punk and Rollins continued to trade blows, and after a superplex from Rollins, Punk rolled through and hit two Go to Sleeps to finally put The Visionary down on the mat for good.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3/5
I think my final score might be a little too generous given how little wrestling we got on this debut episode of Raw on Netflix but what we did get was, for the most part, okay. But it was the pomp and circumstance of this show that carried it over the line for me, even if we really didn’t need to see Hulk Hogan on our screens again… I get it though, Hogan and the Undertaker (here in his American Badass getup) were around to attract, or maybe trigger memories in, the casual audience, Me though? I’m excited for the teased possible debut of Penta next week in a match against Chad Gable!
