Wow is on the way to the upcoming Bad Blood PLE on October 5th and this week’s episode of Monday night raw Hailing from Calgary, AB in Canada, The home of Brett ‘The Hitman’ Hart. A few weeks after the 30th anniversary of his historic Summerslam Cage Match against his brother Owen, Bret would make his first WWE appearance since being seen at Clash At The Castle in 2022, verbally assaulted by Gunther before Sami Zayn saved the day.
Elsewhere, it was announced that CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre Part 3 will take place inside Hell in a Cell and Finn Balor had a night to remember, putting Damien Priest in the hospital before their match at Bad Blood. Jey Uso became the number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship, and Bronson Reed returned to flatten Braun Strowman.
6
Finn Balor
A breakout week for the Prince
Finn Balor was excellent for every moment on this week’s Monday Night Raw. Calling Damien Priest for a match in Bad Blood, he then jumped his opponent along the Judgment Day and put him in the hospital. Balor may have lost his first singles match to Rey Mysterio via DQ, but he destroyed the Hall of Famer in the process and in the aftermath.
Balor vs. Priest at Bad Blood is one of those rare moments where it feels like the outcome actually matters. Finn needs it for the new look Judgment Day to feel legit. Damien Priest still has a point to prove when it comes to reaching the next level. It’s a tough matchup to predict and it’s an underdog candidate to steal the entire card in Atlanta, GA.
5
You can
A date with destiny awaits for Main Event Jey Uso
Before discussing Use the Fatal Four way to earn an Intercontinental Championship match against Bron BreakerA word for his crowd reactions. This is future world champion material. See how many “yeet” signs go up upon his appearance. See his shirts by the dozen in the audience. He is over with the old, young and people of all pronouns. Jey Uso is red hot And feels undeniable in both the short and the long term.
Raw’s main event was unmissable fun. Braun Strowman’s impressive showing was done by Bronson Reed coming out of nowhere, launching himself from the barricade like Batman to flatten Strowman through a table. Pete Dunne scored as close to a two count as it is possible to score without winning. Ilja Dragunov was as majestic as ever, but it was USO that prevailed. Judgment Day has a target painted on its back but USO vs. Breaker for the Intercontinental Championship feels huge.
4
Drew McIntyre
The Scottish Warrior crosses the line. Again.
When there is no line a person will not cross in the name of anger, he is very dangerous indeed. Drew McIntyre threatened to fight his friend, Wade Barrett, felt like a masterstroke. They feel like real-life friends, not just because of their shared heritage, but because you can’t fake that level of natural affection. Drew promising to drop Barrett if he ever gets involved in his business again, showed up McIntyre will cross any line to hurt CM Punk.
This column paid tribute to Adam Pierce a few weeks ago. His interaction with Drew here felt deep and his delivery of the news that Punk and Drew’s rubber match will be Hell In A Cell was perfect. Win or lose in Atlanta, Drew continues to be one of WWE’s biggest winners in 2024.
3
Bad blood
WWE got the memo about resurrecting the PLE
It has been twenty years since Bad Blood was last on the list of upcoming WWE PLE events. The logo is unchanged blood-laden for a WWE event. The Metro Boomin promo with Cody Rhodes feels cool and culturally relevant. Most importantly, WWE is delivering on the premise of ​​the PLE. Some of the most bitter feeds of the year are about to be resolved on October 5.
Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan will rematch their SummerSlam Championship match, only this time the victor will feel definitive. Finn Balor and Damien Priest spent most of the last 12 months vying for control of Judgment Day, and we’re about to find out who the better man is. CM Punk vs Drew McIntyre have been pulling no punches all year and now they’re going to take their feud all the way to Hell in a Cell. as it says, Bad Blood is delivering exactly what it’s advertising.
2
Gunther
No one speaks ill of the hitman in Canada
There isn’t much in wrestling that is quite as loud as Canada welcoming an appearance from Brett ‘The Hitman’ Hart. Gunther cut off Brett Hart in his home country It is enough to put him in the loser’s column, just because he was taken out of the building, but praise has already been given for the Austrian’s makeup work recently. Whether it’s calling Priest “street trash”, challenging the legacy of Randy Orton’s family lineage, or Use Bill Goldberg to antagonize Bret HartGunther has been putting in the work on his verbal skills with impressive results.
The need for big promos is necessary for any superstar, but he will especially need verbal skills Now CM Punk has him in his sights. There have been some light interactions so far, but the storm is approaching quickly. Gunther again denied Sammy’s challenge, but he can’t run forever.
1
Pure Fusion Team
A big loss for the previously strong trio
Natalya Neidhart returned to Monday Night Raw in Calgary, AB. It’s great to see her on Raw for the first time since signing a new WWE contract this summer, but this was her first win on the main roster since November of last year. Great for you, Lyra Valkyria and Zelina Vega, though This feels like a bad loss for Pure Fusion Collective.
On the surface, it’s a harmless defeat to a returning hometown hero. However, that doesn’t help Stark, Deville and Bayszler look like a credible threat to the likes of Damage CTRL and WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Bel Air and Jade Cargill.
-
Bret Hart’s last appearance on Monday Night Raw was on July 4, 2016.
-
Making the Wyatt Sicks vs American Made feel like a PLE match with the opening montage is something to get behind.
-
Brett must have been proud as punch when American Made came out of the building during their entrance.
-
Gunther pulling out the Bill Goldberg card was one of the most hilarious moments on WWE television this year.
-
Bad Blood 2024 will be FINn Balor’s first singles match on a PLE since SummerSlam 2023.
-
Natalya returned for her first match on Raw since losing to Kiana James on June 3.
-
USO’s “Yeeet!” is getting out of control.
-
It is not a bird. It is not a plane. It’s Bronson Reed.
-
Rey Mysterio has just one win since May.
-
Joe Tessitore is a natural.