Monday night raw mountain range WWE take another leap toward Survivor Series with a second show taped at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The five-on-five match for Women’s WarGames has been confirmed as Rhea Ripley made a shocking return to action after an injury was expected to keep her away from TV for the rest of the year. The Wyatt Sicks and The Final Testament had video messages for each other, and the Judgment Day problems continued with another loss to the War Raiders.
Ludwig Kaiser caused a double disqualification by attacking Sheamus and Bron Breakker in their Intercontinental Championship match, with Damian Priest again having the advantage over Gunther. LWO defeated American Made in a mixed gender match and Bronson Reed defeated Seth Rollins after a distraction from Solo Sikoa to keep your hot streak glowing.
Great Bronson Reed
It’s the era of monsters on Raw
Bronson Reed took Seth Rollins out of the game for the first time in August with an unexpected attack and Tsunami avalanche. Since that moment, Reed has been one of WWE’s highlights in the second half of 2024. Whether it’s breaking walls with Braun Strowman in his Last Monster Standing match or playing Bebop And Rocksteady with Jacob Fatu, everything Bronson Reed is touching is turning to gold.
This win over Seth Rollins is the latest sign that the company believes in the Australian monster in the biggest way possible. Bronson Reed has earned a place in WWE history. No one has tried this year in WWE, and possibly pro wrestling, like Bronson Reed has. As we head into one of the biggest years in WWE history, Bronson Reed is starting to feel like a modern-day Vader and is positioned to make a real name for himself as one of the most believable brutes in the game.
Rhea Ripley
A shocking and quick return for the Eradicator
With The Bloodline showing no regard for the brand split, the men’s WarGames match at Survivor Series is 90% locked. Opening the show, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez invited Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton and Candice LeRae to form a neat quintet. Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill and Naomi arrived on Raw and called out Iyo Sky. Math fans will know that five versus four isn’t a great odds, but then Rhea Ripley had one of the most surprising returns of the year at the start of Monday Night Raw.
The orbital bone injury she suffered just a few weeks ago came with an ominous “indefinite” timeline, and fans didn’t expect her to return until the new year. Now that she’s back, the big question is Will Rhea Ripley end this year with the WWE Women’s Championship? Liv Morgan won’t go quietly into the night, but it appears 2024’s final chapter hasn’t yet been written.
The Miz and Karrion Kross point to the future of promotions
Last week’s Monday Night Raw was arguably the main roster’s highest moment of Karrion Kross’ career and The Miz’s finest moment in some time too, as the duo turned the tables on The Wyatt Sicks. This same column noted that momentum would be key to making this more than a glitch in the matrix. This week saw the dastardly duo embark on a cinematic promo that feels like a new way to present a rivalry.
Fluttering between black and white and color and with a high standard production, this promo had the pomp of an Attitude Era montage and highlighted how strange this union is. Miz’s adaptability continues to be ignored by the masses. That was an innovative advertisement that worked to create intrigue for The Final Testamentand audiences can expect to see more of this sort of thing when Raw hits Netflix in January.
Ludwig Kaiser
Making an impact on Gunther’s insistence
When stepping forward to defend the honor of the World Heavyweight Champion last week, Ludwig Kaiser was shut down by Gunther to avoid further angering Damien Priest. This week, Gunther was emphatic in telling Ludwig Kaiser to go his own way. Following the advice of The Ring General, Kaiser fought with two of the most violent men on Raw.
It takes grapefruits to lessen the intensity of an Intercontinental Championship match, but as Sheamus and Bron Breakker were in the middle of their bruising fight, Kaiser dropped the champion with his trademark spear outside the ring. Not content to end there, Sheamus also suffered at the hands of Kaiser’s wrath. If it’s difficult to see where he fits in the Raw hierarchy, Ludwig Kaiser is doing a lot to get people’s attention.
War Invaders
For another week, Raw Is War
The Tag Team division has been the topic of a lot of talk this year. One of the few complaints from fans in one of the most creative and satisfying years in the company’s history centered on the fact that the Tag Team Titles were little more than trinkets for the dominant factions to hold rather than defend. SmackDown has been enjoying a huge turnaround in its Tag Team scene, and The War Raiders are trying to change the game on Monday Night Raw.
Since Erik returned from injury and he and Ivar became active for the first time in over a year, The War Raiders won five consecutive matches on Raw to become the new contenders for the Tag Team Championship. There may not be depth on the SmackDown tag team roster, but Erik and Ivar are doing their part to continue WWE’s current tag team revolution.
Made in America
What’s going on with this stable?
Did Chad Gable spit in the creative team’s coffee? Did he break all the mirrors and go under all the stairs? After a stellar rivalry with Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Champion and a surprisingly exciting division program with Otis and Alpha Academy, Chad Gable is in terrible shape this shows absolutely no sign of slowing down, following his and Ivy Nile’s last loss to LWO’s Rey Mysterio and Zelina Vega.
In theory, the wrestling team of Gable, The Creed Brothers and Ivy Nile should have momentum with the side of the WWE audience that craves mat-based technical excellence. After being on everyone’s lips for the first half of 2024, public and online reaction to Chad Gable and his group has stagnated. American Made’s silly post-match antics made them look stupid at worst, and at best, without any teamwork. An optimist would hope that Otis and Gable’s reaction would be something that carried over into WrestleMania season, but the chances of that happening seem slim at best.
Gunther
The champion shows vulnerability for the first time
Formidable in all situations, Gunther has proven himself to be a man who rises to every occasion and will live in the upper echelons of every card he is on for the foreseeable future (and by merit). However, fighting his second rivalry this year with Damian Priest, Gunther is currently being shown as weak As we head into a Survivor Series match, it’s hard to believe he will lose. It’s a bizarre thing to comprehend, given the available evidence.
​​​​​​​This is a man who has spent 773 of the last 891 days as the Intercontinental or World Heavyweight Champion. In the 118 days between losing the IC belt at Wrestlemania and winning the world title at SummerSlam, he won this year’s King Of The Ring. Gunther is not a man accustomed to appearing weakbut Damian Priest defeating him backstage after belittling him last week is an interesting angle for one of wrestling’s most dominant forces. Just don’t get used to it.
-
Rhea Ripley is giving William Regal a run for her money when it comes to shouting “WAR GAMES!”
-
Travis Scott has been confirmed for the January 6, 2025 Raw debut on Monday Night Raw.
-
Who made The Miz call out Timothee Chalamet on his Monday Night Raw bingo card?
-
Chad Gable has two wins since May 25th of this year. Unless he wins on next week’s Raw, that will be two wins in exactly six months.
-
Sheamus first challenged for the Intercontinental on the September 27, 2011 episode of SmackDown against champion Cody Rhodes.
-
Bianca Belair vs Nia Jax for the WarGames advantage and Alpha Academy vs The New Day has been announced for next week’s Raw.
-
Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, Naomi, Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley vs Liv Morgan, Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton, Raquel Rodriguez and Candice LeRae is now official for Survivor Series WarGames.