WWE Raw Review – January 15, 2024
Kicking off this week’s Raw with a video paying tribute to MLK for MLK Day.
We see World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, his daughter & Jinder Mahal pull up to the arena.
Cody Rhodes asks North Little Rock what they want to talk about, then says they could talk about him beating Shinsuke Nakamura last week or the reason he came back to WWE for.
Drew McIntyre’s music hits and he makes his way down to the ring. He says that he & Rhodes go way back, are the same age and have had similar career paths. He tells Rhodes that he’s proud of him and reminisces over holding the WWE Tag Team Titles together. He says they didn’t get far together back then because they didn’t embrace their opportunity and gain some perspective. He says that they laid the blueprint outside WWE and became undeniable then recalls Rhodes telling him that he’ll be a future World Champion after his final match on the indies with him. He says he’s done that twice now and says Rhodes will finish his story but not before he finishes his own.
Rhodes points out that they’ve both entered the Royal Rumble and he could win but so could Jey Uso or CM Punk. He says they’ve both won the Royal Rumble before and you can’t count anyone out. McIntyre says that this is between the 2 of them now and gives Rhodes some advice on how to present himself. Rhodes admits that they have had similar career paths then says he smiles because he’s doing what he loves and the difference between him & McIntyre is that he’s grateful for his 2nd chance while McIntyre is complaining about his. McIntyre questions why Rhodes has endorsed Jey & Punk and if you step in his way, you’ll get taken out. He says that the story belongs to him at WrestleMania.
Rhodes says that McIntyre wants him to be like him & he looks to his heart and the fans when he looks to finish his story unlike McIntyre. He says he will give McIntyre another thing to complain about in the Rumble then asks McIntyre who won their final match on the indies.
Backstage Damian Priest confronted R Truth & said he thinks Truth is a funny guy but he took issue with him selling Judgment Day merchandise in the parking lot. Truth handed him a wad of cash and said it was Priest’s cut.
Priest told Truth to go ahead and sell the merch without being too loud about it because the rest of the crew is bothered by it. Priest also told Truth not to tag in during the Tag Team match. Truth told him the got what he was saying and then gave him one of the t shirts he was selling.
Tag Team Match
Judgement Day (JD McDonagh & Dominik Mysterio) vs. DIY (Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano)
JD McDonagh & Johnny Gargano lock up then they take turns locking one another in submission holds before Gargano delivers a hurricanrana and McDonagh ends up on the outside.
Gargano looks to run the ropes but Dominik Mysterio sends him crashing to the floor on the other side.
Tommaso Ciampa levels him before Gargano does the same to McDonagh with a tope suicida that sends him crashing over the announce table as we go to a break.
After the break McDonagh & Ciampa exchange forearm strikes then Gargano tags in and double teams on McDonagh with Ciampa but Mysterio clocks him from behind while the referee is distracted.
McDonagh then fires off stomps on Gargano before Mysterio becomes legal and wears him down with a submission hold. Gargano connects with a boot on Mysterio’s jaw then hits a kick to his head and tags in Ciampa.
The referee doesn’t see Gargano tag him in and sends him back onto the apron as Judgement Day take advantage by firing off stomps on Gargano.
Gargano sends McDonagh crashing to the outside then hits a spear to Mysterio through the middle rope. Gargano looks to tag in Ciampa but McDonagh pulls him off the apron.
Mysterio then hits a dropkick to Gargano as we go to a 2nd break.
After the 2nd break Ciampa hits clotheslines in the corner to Dominik & McDonagh then hits a double clothesline to both of them then follows it up with a back body drop and a reverse DDT.
Mysterio tags in and looks to land a double suplex on Ciampa with McDonagh.
Gargano provides Ciampa with a hand then tags in and #DIY double team on Mysterio.
Gargano goes for a pin but McDonagh breaks the fall then both teams begin brawling with one another in the center of the ring before Ciampa & McDonagh tag back in.
McDonagh delivers a standing Spanish Fly to Ciampa then ascends to the top rope and hits a moonsault then goes for a pin but Gargano breaks the fall.
Mysterio dropkicks him into the middle rope and dials it up for 619 but Gargano catches it and sends him crashing out of the ring.
McDonagh tries taking advantage and rolling up Ciampa but Ciampa kicks out and hits a DDT. Gargano tags back in and DIY hits Meet In The Middle for the win.
Winners: DIY
Footage aired from earlier in the day of Indi Hartwell & Candice LeRae telling Adam Pearce that they are ready and 2024 will be their year. He said he knows they believe that and tried to say he would take it into consideration before he was interrupted.
Chelsea Green & Piper Niven entered the office. Green complained that she pinned Kayden Carter last week and then complained the referee for making a slow count. Pearce shot her down and booked the two teams in a match.
A brief video aired on Hartwell & LeRae & they claimed they will be the new Women’s Tag Team Champions in 2024. They said they were Women’s Tag Team Champions in NXT and while it’s been a different story on the main roster that ends now.
Tag Team Match
Chelsea Green & Piper Niven vs. Indi Hartwell & Candice LeRae
Chelsea Green blindsides Candice LeRae on the apron as Piper Niven hits a piledriver to Indi Hartwell in the center of the ring then knocks LeRae off the apron and tags in Green.
Green hits a right hand to Hartwell’s spine but Hartwell responds with a boot to the side of her head.
Green sends Hartwell crashing onto the floor but Hartwell gets her onto the apron and delivers a 2nd boot to the side of her head.
Niven tags in and stomps on Hartwell’s midsection then looks for a Vader Bomb but Hartwell rolls out of the way and tags in LeRae.
LeRae delivers a pair of step up sentons to Niven then tags Hartwell back in.
Hartwell & LeRae double team on Niven but Niven delivers a bodyslam to Hartwell.
Green & LeRae tag in and LeRae hits a moonsault to Green as Hartwell holds her in place for the win.
Winners: Indi Hartwell & Candice LeRae
Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser were shown walking backstage as we go to a break.
After the break we see a Nia Jax video package showed her looking dominant over various opponents. Jax said no one will beat her in the Women’s Royal Rumble Match.
Rhea Ripley was shown watching the video while Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor & JD McDonagh stood by. Mysterio asked Ripley who she thought Jax was talking about. Ripley said she had to go address her division. Damian Priest showed up and crossed paths with Ripley.
Balor asked Priest where he’d been. Priest said he was the only one who had an issue with Drew McIntyre running his mouth. Priest said he spoke with Adam Pearce about it. McDonagh brought up R Truth & Priest yells back at him.
Balor asked if Priest was defending Truth. Priest pulled out the stack of cash that Truth gave him and said it was just his cut. McDonagh asked if he would get a cut. Priest points out that McDonagh’s name wasn’t on the shirt and said probably not. Priest & Balor agreed to focus on their match.
Intercontienetal Champion Gunther says the Royal Rumble is 2 weeks away and he can literally feel and smell the desperation around the locker room. He says while he was on his break all he observed is everyone arguing about who’s going to win the Royal Rumble and go on to WrestleMania. He says he’s here to remind everyone that he entered the Royal Rumble last year as the 1st entrant and made it to the end. He says he was only one elimination away from winning the match and he lasted longer than anyone in history. He announces that he will be entering the 2024 Royal Rumble Match to go on to WrestleMania.
Gunther then looks over at Kaiser and says he wants to focus on him now. He throws it to a video of Kaiser’s match with Kofi Kingston last week and his attack after the match then tells Kaiser he loved what he saw. He says he showed a side of himself he’s always wanted to see then tells him well done and embraces him.
New Day’s music hits and Xavier Woods makes his way down to the ring with a mic in hand. He tells Kaiser that they have a problem after what he did to Kingston last week and says that he’s the reason Kingston is nowhere to be found tonight. He says that while Kingston may not be in the arena, he is and he’s looking for some retribution. He challenges Kaiser to a match and Kaiser accepts.
Xavier Woods vs. Ludwig Kaiser
Ludwig Kaiser rains down right hands on Xavier Woods as he fires off stomps on him in the corner then rains down more right hands and headbutts.
Woods hits Kaiser with a crossbody then delivers a kick to his spine then Woods rains down right hands on Kaiser in the corner, but Kaiser continues wearing him down.
Woods lands a series of chops and an enzuigiri, but Kaiser sends him crashing into the ring post shoulder first and follows it up with a dropkick to his midsection as he hangs from the top rope.
After the break Woods delivers another enzuigiri to Kaiser from the apron then follows it up with a DDT before they exchange chops with one another.
Woods gains the upper hand and fires off several then fires off stomps in the corner and clotheslines Kaiser out of the ring.
He sends him crashing over the announce table as the referee begins a 10 count.
Woods delivers a kick to Kaiser’s midsection then strikes him with one of the announce chairs & the ref calls for the bell.
Winner By DQ: Ludwig Kaiser
After the match Woods grabs a chair from the timekeeper’s area. Kaiser catches him with an enzuigiri. He drapes him on top of the ring steps and charges at him but Woods catches him with a stomp. He looks to toss the ring steps on Kaiser but Kaiser ducks out of the way and escapes through the crowd as the referee holds back Woods.
Backstage Bronson Reed cuts a promo and said there’s a man in WWE who holds a championship and does not realize that sooner or later it will belong to him as we go to a break.
After the break we go where backstage Byron Saxton asked Xavier Woods about his emotions then Ludwig Kaiser attacks Woods before Jey Uso shows up pulls Kaiser off Woods. Kaiser backs off and a group of referees arrived. Jey stares down Kaiser then checks on Woods.
We then head over to a video recapping the confrontation between Seth Rollins & Jinder Mahal last week.
Akira Tozawa vs. Ivar
Ivar delivers a boot to Akira Tozawa before Tozawa slaps him and lands a few kicks on Ivar then sends him crashing into the mat and rips off his shirt.
Ivar turns him inside out with a powerslam and a crossbody then ascends to the top rope.
Maxxine Dupri captures his attention allowing Tozawa to deliver an enzuigiri and pull him down with a sunset flip for the win.
Winner: Akira Tozawa
After the match Valhalla attacks Dupri and dumps her inside the ring. Tozawa looks to provide her with a hand but Ivar levels him with a spinning back heel kick. Valhalla hits Dupri with a pop up headbutt and dropkicks her out of the ring before Ivar ascends to the top and hits a moonsault to Tozawa.
Footage aired of the Cody Rhodes & Drew McIntyre opening segment.
A graphic listed CM Punk stating on Instagram that it’s time for him & Cody Rhodes to talk and lay all of their cards on the table next week on Raw.
Backstage Alpha Academy & Creed Brothers checks on Tozawa & Dupri as Ivy Nile shows up and said that she will talk to Adam Pearce and make sure Valhalla pays for what she did. Gable said he would teach Ivar the difference between being a coward and an alpha.
Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley says she’s sick and tired of people like Nia Jax claiming that the women’s division is theirs. She says she runs the division then puts the winner of the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble winner on notice. She tells them to choose her if they want to waste their opportunity and says Mami is always on top.
Becky Lynch’s music hits and she makes her way down to the ring. She says her & Ripley are 2 different people with similar journeys as 2 people who dreamed of coming to America to follow their dreams. She says they both went from afterthoughts of the industry to becoming big names the next year but only one of them was successful at WrestleMania and the heart of a lion. She admits that she thinks Ripley might be better than her but she needs to prove she isn’t. She says in order to do that, she needs to dethrone Ripley as Women’s World Champion by winning the Royal Rumble and going on to face her at WrestleMania 40. Ripley says that she wants Lynch to win the Royal Rumble more than she does and says she’ll see her at WrestleMania.
Backstage Jackie Redmond introduced Seth Rollins & said it’s freezing cold then welcomed everyone to Monday Night Rollins. Redmond noted that she could see Rollins’ breath. Rollins turned his focus to Jinder Mahal and built him up as the best version of Mahal and a deserving Jinder Mahal. Rollins said he wouldn’t have it any other way.
R Truth drops a wad of cash and picked it up before giving some to Finn Balor & Dominik Mysterio. JD McDonagh wanted a cut but Truth told him that he needed to be a member. Miz questioned Truth about what was happening.
Non Title Match
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Judgement Day (Mr Money In The Bank Damian Priest & Finn Balor) vs. Awesome Truth (The Miz & R Truth)
Finn Balor whips R Truth into the corner before Truth levels Balor but apologizes profusely to him. Balor takes advantage and fires off stomps on him but Truth rolls out of the ring as we go to a break.
After the break Damian Priest tags in and Truth hits a jawbreaker to him then Balor tags back in and prevents Truth from making the tag but Truth delivers an enzuigiri and tags in Miz.
Miz clotheslines Priest out of the ring then sends him crashing into the announce table face first and dumps him over it.
He hits a codebreaker to Balor back in the ring as he hangs from the middle rope before Truth tags himself in and delivers a kick to Balor.
He lands a Scissor Kick then hits Miz once more after hesitating to take down Priest.
Priest hits him with South Of Heaven while the referee is distracted and Balor pins him for the win.
Winners: Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Judgement Day
Jinder Mahal was meditating backstage when Jackie Redmond asked him for his thoughts on the main event. Mahal said he had absolute clarity. He said he had a 7 year drought but now the whispers are pouring in and he’s the most talked about star in 2024. He said it’s 12 years in the making narrowed down to 1 night. He said everyone would be unified when he beats Rollins to become the World Heavyweight Champion.
A subtitled Shinsuke Nakamura promo aired. He said he didn’t cause the damage he desired last week which made him angry and hungry. Nakamura said Cody Rhodes should keep an eye open because their story does not end until he says it does. Nakamura said he was turning his hunger toward the Royal Rumble. He said a hungry Shinsuke is a dangerous Shinsuke. Nakamura said he will feast on the dreams of 29 other men.
Footage aired from earlier in the day of Women’s Tag Team Champions Kayden Carter & Katana Chance telling Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark that they would see how dangerous they really are after they retain their titles on Friday. Natalya and Tegan Nox showed up after the Women’s Tag Team Champions left & they challenged Baszler & Stark to a match.
Tag Team Match
Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark vs. Tegan Nox & Natalya
Zoey Stark lands a superkick on Tegan Nox then hits an enzuigiri to her spine then tags in Shayna Baszler & she stomps on Nox’s chest and jams her knee into her throat before tagging Stark back in.
Stark continues wearing Nox down then tags Baszler back in & Baszler sits Nox on the top rope and joins her up there but Nox pushes her off and hits a crossbody.
She follows it up with an uppercut and tags in Natalya. Stark tags in and Natalya fires off right hands on her then follows it up with a suplex and a dropkick then hits a German suplex.
Stark looks to land Z360 but Natalya avoids it as Baszler makes the blind tag in and looks to deliver a German suplex to Baszler.
Natalya prevents Baszler from doing so then tags in and looks to double team with Nox.
Stark trips Nox as she runs the ropes opening the door for Baszler to lock in a Sleeper Hold for the win.
Winners By Submission: Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark
World Heavyweight Title Match
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Jinder Mahal
Jinder Mahal delivers a bodyslam to Seth Rollins then dumps him out of the ring but Rollins manages to send him crashing into the ring post and lands a running knee off the apron.
He dumps Mahal back in the ring and begins arguing with Indus Sher then Damian Priest appears at ringside with his Money In The Bank briefcase in hand as we go to a break.
After the break Rollins hits a crossbody off the top rope and follows it up with a superkick. He then hits a springboard moonsault and a Falcon Arrow but Mahal catches him with a kick.
Rollins responds with one of his own then connects with a Pedigree and goes for a pin.
Sanga gets Mahal’s foot on the bottom rope to break the fall before Rollins ascends to the top and goes flying out of the ring to level him.
He climbs back up to the top rope and looks to land a crossbody on Mahal but Mahal rolls out of the way. Drew McIntyre appears at ringside and begins brawling with Priest.
Priest sends him crashing into the ring post and they brawl up the ramp then back in the ring Mahal gets Rollins up on his shoulders and lands a gutbuster then goes for a pin but Rollins kicks out.
He fires off right hands and Sanga hands him a chair as Veer Mahaan distracts the referee.
The referee sees the chair and slides it out of the ring allowing Mahaan to hit Rollins with the Money In The Bank briefcase.
The referee then ejects Indus Sher from ringside and Rollins hits Curb Stomp on Mahal for the win.
Winner & Still World Heavyweight Champion: Seth Rollins (STILL CHAMPION!!!!!)
Next Week’s Raw
Ivy Nile vs. Valhalla
Chad Gable vs. Ivar
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champion Mr Money In The Bank Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre
