Livescore
Being the final episode of WWE RAW on the USA Network ahead of the move to Netflix set a high bar. Everyone involved in the final episode made the best of their screen time in one way or another.
Nearly every match, especially both women’s contests, delivered. Another big fight was added to the huge debut after Drew McIntyre blindsided Jey Uso again.
Seth Rollins and CM Punk closed the show with one of the best promo exchanges of the last 10 years. Aspiring wrestlers, especially collegiate athletes, should study and learn from it.
With so much on the line heading to a new platform in 2025, RAW got a proper sendoff. Here’s the best and worst of the final RAW on the USA Network.
#3. Best – Dakota Kai and Zoey Stark pull out the stops to advance
Dakota Kai and Zoey Stark are two women who have had trouble sustaining momentum on the main roster. Kai did well with Damage CTRL but it took time for the crowd to warm up to her outside of Bayley and IYO SKY.
The same goes for Stark. She’s among the top in-ring technicians in WWE but is held back by her alliance with the Pure Fusion Collective. Neither of those factors mattered as they battled for a spot in the finals of the Women’s Intercontinental title tournament.
Kai advanced after an even, back-and-forth showdown that popped the crowd at several intervals. Kai relied on her kicks, while Stark used high-flying offense to stand out. It was a great semifinal match, and it was nice to see the RAW crowd invested in the match.
#3. Best/Worst – Drew McIntyre saves a mediocre opening segment
RAW was supposed to open with Jey Uso in the ring, but the New Day cut off Wade Barrett and Joe Tessitore. They tried to speak but were relentlessly booed again by the crowd.
The fans then cheered when Jey finally came out, but the segment didn’t do much. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods couldn’t get a word in. Jey did but said nothing of note other than, “We have a history.”
Jey also addressed Solo Sikoa on the big screen until a sneak attack from Drew McIntyre. The fact that Jey didn’t see it coming was hilarious after the constant blindsides. He got the upper hand for a minute, but The Scottish Warrior overpowered Uso.
Officials broke things up, but Drew only left after blasting his foe with a Claymore kick. The fans may have loved the segment because they eat up anything Jey does. In terms of effectiveness, it missed the mark until McIntyre came out.
#2. Best – IYO SKY and Lyra Valkyria renew their rivalry
IYO SKY and Lyra Valkyria faced each other twice in matches in 2024 before their semifinal match in the Women’s Intercontinental title tournament. Valkyria beat SKY to make it to the finals of the Queen of the Ring tournament.
SKY won their second meeting on RAW. The rubber match saw Valkyrie notch a second victory over her rival with a bridging pin. The two were even for much of the contest, especially since Valkyria worked on the former Champ’s leg.
The women have great chemistry and certainly put forth better matches than in the Women’s US title tournament. Having an all Damage CTRL final would have been nice, but it will hopefully lead to bigger things for SKY in early 2025.
#2. Best/Worst – Telegraphing a huge debut for RAW on Netflix?
The New Day and LWO had an exchange backstage on RAW. Mysterio claimed locker room leaders step up and fix things to set the tone. Xavier Woods then had some great lines after Rey challenged them to a tag team match.
He asked if it would be the guy in the mask (Dragon Lee), the guy with the hat (Joaquin Wilde), the guy without the hat (Cruz Del Toro), or the lady in 12-inch shoes (Zelina Vega).
WWE aired another teaser for Pentagon Jr. a few segments earlier and pointed to next week as a debut. If he is Rey’s partner, it would give him a foot in the door on RAW. The problem, again, is that it immediately pairs any Latin star or luchador with the LWO.
That hasn’t led to much advancement. Pentagon can stand alone and has more charisma than everyone in the LWO combined. Another issue is the LWO has a tag team with Del Toro and Wilde. However, Rey and Lee have represented the group in most of their recent matches.
#1. Worst – The same old thing between Chad Gable and Otis/Alpha Academy
The match between pupil and teacher was fine, as Otis almost picked up the victory on RAW by using Gable’s ankle lock submission.
The main issue with the showdown is that every match featuring these two groups uses outside interference. There’s no variation, and neither faction gains anything.
Gable won after every other member of American Made stuck their noses in the match. Otis’ win would have had more of an impact. Instead, he looked like the fool Gable thinks he truly is.
#1. Best – Seth Rollins and CM Punk set each other on fire
Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk was one of the best rivalries of all time. His feud with Rollins could top that in 2025. The Architect claimed he’d be on RAW even after the big match on RAW’s debut on Netflix. However, The Best in the World might take off another 10 years if he loses.
This immediately caused Punk to take exception to the “take his ball and go home” comment. Punk retorted that Steve Austin and even Rollins’ wife (Becky Lynch) did the same. Rollins said his wife took time off to raise a kid, which is something his foe wouldn’t know.
The Visionary also made references to how Punk trashed WWE on his friend’s (Colt Cabana) podcast and even went to the competition but couldn’t cut it here. While Punk was gone, he stayed and fought in the trenches because that’s how revolutions are made.
Punk claimed to love WWE, but he hated “the boss” before claiming that Rollins was “corporate” for sticking around. The use of the arrow and cancer metaphors landed brilliantly for each star.
#1. Best/Worst – The Curious Case of The Judgment Day
The first segment featuring The Judgment Day was another clubhouse conversation. Liv Morgan cut a pre-taped promo ahead of her title match with Rhea Ripley next week but wasn’t at the show. Rhea did the same, but both women promised that things would end next week.
Everyone in the clubhouse seemed confused about Liv’s “plan” for next week. Even Dominik Mysterio and Raquel Rodriguez were befuddled. One big issue with the match was that WWE changed The Judgment Day’s theme.
It was hard to tell they were coming out because the new theme sounded like 90% of the other new themes. “The Other Side” by Alterbridge set the group apart, but this new song sounds generic and hard to understand.
Damian Priest and the War Raiders won after The Judgment Day tried to use their usual interference to win. The match was good. The other stuff was from the same old playbook.
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