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

Seth Rollins Promo [Intermission Segment]

Result: Seth Rollins Exposed CM Punk. Sami Zayn Challenged Drew McIntyre for SNME.

Seth Rollins conceded that he was trained by CM Punk, but he revealed why he was so angry at CM Punk. When Punk left the WWE in 2014, he ghosted Seth Rollins even though they were the closest of friends. On top of that, Rollins did not like the fact that Punk spoke so disparagingly about WWE to the point that he wanted to take them down. Sami Zayn interrupted to apologize for accusing Seth of attacking Jey Uso since Drew McIntyre revealed that he did. Rollins accepted the apology and left the floor for Zayn to handle his business with McIntyre, challenging him to a match at SNME.

Final Analysis/Takeaway: 4.5 Stars (A-), Seth Rollins did a good job retorting CM Punk's interview, and the transition to Sami Zayn in this segment was absolutely stellar since he and Rollins did have to tie up some loose strings from their confrontation last week. The fact that Zayn told Rollins that Punk was bringing out the worst in Rollins was a fruitful seed planted for the feud between Punk and Rollins on the road to Mania. This segment also killed two birds with one stone because it also booked a big match between McIntyre and Zayn for Saturday Night Main Event, which should be exciting to watch.

Ivy Nile vs. Zelina Vega vs. Lyra Valkyria [IC Title Tournament]

Result: Lyra Valkyria (via pinfall)

Zelina Vega delivered a 619 to Lyra Valkyria inside the ring and a Sunset Flip Powerbomb to Ivy Nile outside the ring. Zelina Vega was the star of the show in this match. Zelina then scaled the top rope and delivered the Meteora to Lyra Valkyria for the near fall. Zelina scaled the top rope again to deliver the Flying Crossbody, but Ivy Nile caught Zelina mid-flight and delivered the STO for the near fall. Zelina rallied back with a Code Red to Ivy Nile for the near fall. Lyra broke up the pinfall by dropkicking Zelina outside the ring and delivering the Night Wing to Ivy Nile for the 3-count and the victory.

Final Analysis/Takeaway: 3.5 Stars (B-), This was a very solid match between these two women. A lot of the daring spots in this match were executed smoothly. Zelina was the most impressive superstar in this match and was the glue that kept this match going strong, but Lyra and Ivy held their own and fulfilled their roles as the underdog and powerhouse respectively. This tournament has been awesome in terms of showcasing women who do not usually get that spotlight in the main event scene. Lyra successfully advanced to the semifinals and has a good chance of winning it all.

New Day Promo [Intermission Segment]

Result: New Day garnered heel heat from the WWE Universe for their betrayal of Big E.

New Day was interviewed backstage and was asked why they betrayed Big E. They turned things around to say that Big E betrayed them because his neck did not even need surgery and he did not come out to support them at ringside in their matches as he healed from his injury. They saw Big E as selfish, especially since legends like Edge and Kurt Angle fought through neck injuries. Kofi and Woods ignored the interviewer, took the camera, and went out to the ring to address the WWE Universe. They were not even able to speak much because the fans booed them out of the arena.

Final Analysis/Takeaway: 3.5 Stars (B-), This was merely a means for New Day to garner some heel heart after betraying Big E last week on Raw. While the segment was unnecessary in a way and just bought time, it did convey how impactful their heel turn was last week and should be a strong indicator of their trajectory toward tag gold on the road to WrestleMania. There were even chants for Big E. Not only are Kofi and Woods getting heel heat but Big E is also getting over as a babyface due to the sympathy the fans now have for him after he was betrayed by his closest friends.

Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez [Anything Goes Match]

Result: Rhea Ripley (via pinfall)

Rhea Ripley and Raquel Rodriguez, who were big rivals in NXT and best friends in real life, tore the house down and committed pure carnage with steel chairs, kendo sticks, and tables. As soon as Ripley was about to finish off Raquel, and Liv Morgan ran in to distract Rhea. Liv Morgan delivered the Oblivion to Ripley. Iyo Sky, the top contender for the World Title, ran in for the save and delivered the Suicide Dive to Liv. Raquel set up a table and picked up Ripley for the Tejana Bomb, but Ripley wiggled out of it and countered with the Riptide to Raquel through the table for the 3-count and the victory.

Final Analysis/Takeaway: 4.0 Stars (B+), Rhea Ripley and Raquel Rodriguez delivered in this main event. They took this match to the extreme and told stories while doing it. There's not much more anyone can ask for at this point. Ripley gained some major momentum on her road to dethroning Liv for the World Title. However, WWE made sure not to count Iyo Sky out, as she has dibs on her title shot with Liv, and they teased tension between Rhea and Iyo as they grabbed the World Title simultaneously and stared off into each other's eyes to close the show. Solid go-home show!

December 9, 2024, Raw Results:

• Judgment Day ambushed Gunther. Damian Priest got added to the World Title Match.
• Final Testament defeated Wyatt Sicks in their Faction War.
• CM Punk revealed that he trained Seth Rollins and saved him from getting fired. Seth Rollins responded that CM Punk ghosted him when he left WWE and tried to end WWE. Sami Zayn apologized to Seth for accusing him of attacking Jey and then challenged Drew McIntyre to a match at Saturday Night Main Event.
• Liv Morgan defeated Dakota Kai in their non-title match. New Day garnered heel heat from the WWE Universe for their betrayal of Big E.
• Lyra Valkyria defeated Zelina Vega and Ivy Nile to advance to IC Title Tournament SemiFinals.
• Rhea Ripley defeated Raquel Rodriguez in their Anything Goes Match.

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