WWE Raw Review, Dec 9, 2024: Rhea Ripley DESTROYED Raquel Rodriguez

WWE Raw was on the go-home week to Saturday Night Main Event, where Liv Morgan will defend her World Title against Iyo Sky and Gunther will defend his World Title against Finn Balor. Since Saturday Night Main Event is a throwback nostalgic show, there's always a chance that legends like Goldberg show up to stake their claim for the World Title after his confrontation with Gunther at Bad Blood in October. Last week on Raw, Drew McIntyre notably made a surprise return from his HIAC Match with CM Punk to Claymore Sami Zayn into oblivion after a suspicious Jey Uso backstage attack.

This week on Raw, three matches had been officially scheduled: Ivy Nile vs. Zelina Vega vs. Lyra Valkyria in an IC Title Tournament Match, Wyatt Sicks vs. Final Testament in a Faction War, and Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez in an Anything Goes Match. In other news regarding WWE Raw, there was a rumored WWE "Transfer Window" Shakeup set to occur. This shakeup will apparently trade Raw superstars to SmackDown and SmackDown Superstars to Raw in what seems to be the halfway point in the WWE calendar as the WWE approaches the road to WrestleMania 41 in April.

Gunther, the World Champion, opened the show tonight, and the WWE Raw Review for December 9, 2024 will begin with just that.

Gunther Promo [Opening Segment]

Result: Judgment Day ambushed Gunther. Damian Priest got added to the World Title Match.

Gunther respected Finn Balor for years but he lost respect for Finn Balor when he was only successful for 24 hours and relegated his individuality in the main event scene to becoming a hot tag in the Judgment Day. Finn Balor thinks Gunther should not be the one to talk since Gunther would not be standing here as the World Champion if it wasn't for Finn Balor screwing Damian Priest at both SummerSlam and Survivor Series. Judgment Day surrounded the ring and attacked Gunther.

Finn Balor delivered a Coup De Grace to Gunther outside the ring. Damian Priest ran in for the save since he still had beef with Judgment Day. Damian Priest delivered a Chokeslam and had control of Judgment Day for a bit until the numbers game was too much. Dirty Dom, JD McDonagh, and Carlito hold Priest down as Finn Balor scaled the top rope. Finn Balor delivered a hat trick of three Coup De Graces to Damian Priest. Finn Balor then held both his tag title and the World Title up high.

Final Analysis/Takeaway: 2.5 Stars (C-), This opening segment was not anything special or jaw-dropping. However, it was not a complete waste of time, as it showed how good of an idea it would be to make this Gunther vs. Finn Balor World Title Match at Saturday Night Main Event a Triple Threat with Damian Priest included since Balor did nothing to deserve this title shot in the first place. As soon as this segment was over, Adam Pearce rightfully added Priest to the match, which was a good call since he was screwed at Survivor Series and was evidently intertwined in this storyline.

Wyatt Sicks vs. Final Testament [Faction War]

Result: FInal Testament (via pinfall)

Erick Rowan delivered a beautiful Cutter in this match, whilst Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy played supportive roles. Uncle Howdy delivered a Perfect Cross to AOP. Nikki Cross jumped on Scarlett with a Lou Thesz Press outside the ring. Uncle Howdy was ready to finish off the match by grabbing Kross in the Sister Abigail, but The Miz stopped him in his tracks. Uncle Howdy grabbed Miz in the Mandible Claw, but Paul Ellering blew a fire extinguisher into Uncle Howdy's face. Karrion Kross then capitalized with the Final Prayer to Uncle Howdy and covered him with the 3-count and the victory.

Final Analysis/Takeaway: 3.0 Stars (C+), This was an average match that was pretty standard for a weekly show like Raw. It was surprising that Final Testament actually won this match, as it seems that this feud will continue on the road to WrestleMania, which is likely when fans would have to await the babyface payoff for the Wyatt Sicks. Usually, supernatural characters like Wyatt Sicks do not usually lose on random weekly shows. Nonetheless, on the bright side, Wyatt Sicks was protected in defeat due to that unexpected distraction from Paul Ellering and will still have a reason for vengeance.

CM Punk Interview [Intermission Segment]

Result: CM Punk revealed that he trained Seth Rollins and saved him from getting fired.

CM Punk was interviewed by Jackie Redmond. He was asked about the favor between him and Paul Heyman. He did not reveal that favor, as that is something being kept secret for now. Punk was then asked about his interaction with Seth Rollins last week on Raw. Punk let the WWE Universe know that he trained Seth Rollins for free. Rollins was the closest to being fired from the WWE, and Punk "shielded him" from that. Punk commended Rollins for being a multi-time champ during his absence from the WWE for 10 years, but he posited that Rollins' anger at Punk is baseless and miscalculated.

Final Analysis/Takeaway: 4.5 Stars (A-), This was a really good interview and cinema at its finest. It was short, sweet, to the point, and did not need a full fledged promo in the ring. The fact that Punk added layers to this feud by revealing that he was a mentor to Rollins back when he created The Shield was important for the fans of today to know. It was also smart for Punk to not reveal the favor just yet. Allowing that to linger is strategically anticipatory. It is later revealed that McIntyre attacked Jey Uso and Sami Zayn last week because they hypocritically teamed with Roman at Survivor Series.

Liv Morgan (c) vs. Dakota Kai [Non-Title Match]

Result: Liv Morgan (via pinfall)

Dakota Kai had a ton of offense and control in this match until she realized that Pure Fusion Collective was out there to distract her. Dakota Kai went for the Kaio Kick on Liv Morgan in the corner to finish off this match. However, Liv Morgan sidestepped Dakota Kai and delivered the Oblivion to Dakota Kai for the 3-count and the pinfall. Pure Fusion Collective then attacked Dakota Kai after the match, and Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane of Damage Control made the save. Kairi Sane delivers a Flying Crossbody to PFC. Meanwhile, in the ring, Liv Morgan delivered the Oblivion to Iyo Sky to stand tall.

Final Analysis/Takeaway: 3.5 Stars (B-), These two women have a ton of chemistry in the ring. This was a good showcase for Dakota Kai since returning to the ring. It shows that she has what it takes to compete at a main event level for a world title even though she is currently competing in a mid-card title tournament. As world champion, Liv Morgan also really needed a victory for momentum purposes after taking a plethora of pinfall losses in the past few months. Also, the post-match attacks were purposeful and conveyed to the audience what rivalries were being focused on.