SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE RAW TV REPORT
DECEMBER 18, 2023
DES MOINES, IOWA AT WELLS FARGO ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON USA
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett
Ring Announcer: Samantha Irvin
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
[HOUR ONE]
– The Judgment Day made their way to the ring to talk about the Creed Brothers. Finn Bálor said that for them this would be the biggest night of their life, but to them it would be another day in the office. Rhea Ripley threatened Ivy Nile if she dared to run her mouth again. R-Truth interrupted to claim that last week’s beat-down was his initiation to the Judgment Day.
– Truth told Damian Priest that they crossed a line and hurt him physically and emotionally. JD McDonagh demanded Truth to leave the ring, only for Truth to challenge him to a Miracle on 34th Street Fight. JD told Truth that the match was already booked and that he wasn’t a part of the Judgment Day. Truth said that they would make this a Loser Leaves Judgment Day, only for Priest to jokingly agree to the stipulation.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Pretty standard Judgment Day opening promo with R-Truth spicing things up with his delusional gimmick. It is a clear step down from their past feud, but is a fine filler feud before the Royal Rumble.)
(1) R-TRUTH vs. J.D. MCDONAGH (w/Dominik Mysterio) – Miracle on 34th Street Fight
Truth took JD down with a Thesz Press, but missed a follow-up scissor kick. JD knocked Truth down with a back elbow, only to miss two kendo stick shots. Truth hit JD with a scissor kick before whipping him with his belt. Truth smashed JD’s head into a tray of cookies and nailed him with a big boot through a present. Dominik rammed Truth’s head into the ring post, as WWE RAW went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Truth crushed JD with a corner splash, followed by a hip toss for a two count. Truth introduced a table to the ring before receiving a dropkick through the ropes. Truth caught JD with a boot, only for Dominik to sweep him off his feet, accidentally making him crash into JD’s crotch. At ringside, Truth tossed Dominik into a Christmas tree and blinded JD with a fire extinguisher. Truth knocked JD down with shoulder tackles, a back suplex and the Five Knuckle Shuffle. JD blocked an Attitude Adjustment, but Truth quickly retaliated with a Christmas Tree shot. Truth laid JD on the table and climbed the top turnbuckle. Truth blocked a superplex and collapsed onto JD through the table for the three count.
WINNER: R-Truth at 9:54
(Pomares’s Analysis: A fun gimmick match to give Truth a win in his return against the weakest member of the Judgment Day. I doubt this will have any major repercussions, but fits well enough in the slow break-up of the Judgment Day story.)
– Backstage, Katana Chance & Kayden Carter claimed that tonight they would become champions while Chelse Green & Piper Niven’s time was up.
– Nia Jax made her way to the ring, ahead of the next segment.
[Commercial Break]
– Nia Jax stood in the middle of the ring to speak, only for Becky Lynch to interrupt her. Jax immediately rolled out of the ring and started walking away before Lynch told her to say what she had to say to her face. Jax simply said that she would enter the Royal Rumble before being challenged to a fight tonight. She said that she didn’t want to break the face of one of the company’s biggest moneymakers.
– Lynch said that Jax is scared because being the one to break her face would be her biggest claim to fame. Jax teased accepting the match, only to tell Lynch that they would do this in her hometown of San Diego at Day 1. Jax said that she would send Lynch to the hospital where her daughter would ask why she looks uglier. Lynch attacked Jax from behind, but was knocked out with a shot to the back of the head after security guards tried to separate them.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Solid promos to set up the marquee match at Day 1. Becky will likely win the whole feud, but I get the feeling that they’ll extend the feud and give Nia the first fall.)
– Backstage, Kofi Kingston walked dressed as Santa Claus and gifted DIY a shirt before walking away. DIY met The Miz and put over how well they performed together last week. Jackie Redmond showed up to interview Miz about his title opportunity tonight. Miz claimed that Imperium is crumbling and Gunther was the one feeling the pressure.
– The Miz made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Gunther.
[Commercial Break]
(2) GUNTHER vs. THE MIZ – WWE Intercontinental Championship Last Chance Match
Gunther knocked Miz off his feet for a Boston Crab, but he immediately grabbed the ropes. Miz caught Gunther with a chop and a couple of kicks, only for Gunther to shut him down with a single chop. Miz caught Gunther off-guard with a sideways Deathlock, following it with a series of forearm strikes. Gunther reached the ropes to break the hold and avoided a dropkick through the ropes. Gunther laid Miz out with a chop to the chest and a powerbomb on the apron, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Gunther blasted Miz with a big boot, followed by kicks to the chest. Miz caught Gunther with a couple of clotheslines, but Gunther responded with a chop to the chest and a kick to the back. They started trading chops to the chest, until Gunther clocked Miz with an uppercut. Miz hit Gunther with a couple of boots to the face and a corner clothesline. Gunther blocked a springboard crossbody and blasted Miz with a huge chop to the chest. Gunther missed a chop into the ring post, as WWE Raw went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Miz blocked a Boston Crab by targeting Gunther’s damaged hand. Gunther put Miz in a deep modified crossface, until Miz was able to break it and hit him with a basement DDT. Miz took Gunther down with another DDT, setting him up for a Satellite DDT and a nearfall. Miz pulled Gunther’s damaged hand into the ropes, only for Gunther to shut him down with a shotgun dropkick and a powerbomb. After a kick-out, Gunther immediately trapped Miz in a Boston Crab, but had to let go due to his hurt arm.
Miz countered a sleeper hold with a pinning combination, blocked a powerbomb and dropped Gunther with the Skull Crushing Finale for a close nearfall. Gunther withstood Miz’s chops and knocked him off his feet with a chop to the chest. Miz stopped Gunther atop the turnbuckle and took him down with an avalanche Skull Crushing Finale, but Gunther rolled out of the ring before a pinfall. Back in the ring, Gunther surprised Miz with a powerbomb, a ripcord lariat and another powerbomb for the win.
WINNER. Gunther at 21:14 (Still WWE Intercontinental Champion)
(Pomares’s Analysis: An outstanding match to continue Gunther’s run as champions and streak of brilliant in-ring performances. This was an improvement over their match at Survivor Series and arguably The Miz’s greatest singles match. Gunther’s selling of the hand was impeccable, making everyone in attendance genuinely think Miz could pull off the upset.)
[HOUR TWO]
– A video package was shown, recapping the history of the Creed Brothers.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Imperium congratulated Gunther for his victory over The Miz. Gunther told Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser that they have no rights to be celebrating after the year they have had. Gunther said that he would take a break and he expected Vinci and Kaiser to start grinding. As Gunther walked away, Kofi Kingston interrupted to gift Kaiser a piece of carbon.
– Shinsuke Nakamura stood next to a Christmas tree to read a book called the “The American Nightmare Before Christmas”. Nakamura retold the tale of how he blinded Cody Rhodes and assaulted him last week. Nakamura finished by wishing Cody a Merry Christmas and telling him that it would be his last fight. Cody attacked Nakamura from out-of-nowhere, taking the brawl away from backstage and into the crowd. Cody tossed Nakamura over the barricade into ringside before clearing the announce table. Before security guards could take Nakamura away, Cody knocked all of them down with a suicide dive. A security guard saved Nakamura from a Cross Rhodes onto the announce table, allowing him to escape.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Cool storytime presentation for the first-half, followed by an intense brawl that slightly makes up for last week’s deflating end.)
– Backstage, Adam Pearce begrudgingly agreed to give Akira Tozawa a match. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven showed up to ask Pearce to cancel their match, only for Pearce to refuse to do so. Bronson Reed showed up to talk about the plans for Gunther’s next title contender.
– Katana Chance & Kayden Carter made their way to the ring, ahead of their match against Chelsea Green & Piper Niven.
[Commercial Break]
(3) CHELSEA GREEN & PIPER NIVEN vs. KATANA CHANCE & KAYDEN CARTER – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
Carter knocked Green off her feet and took her down with an arm drag, followed by a dropkick. Chance and Carter hit Green with an elbow drop and a slingshot senton for a two count. Niven knocked Carter off the apron and nailed Chance with a shoulder tackle. Chance put Niven down with a bulldog, setting her up for a dropkick from Carter. Niven distracted Chance and Carter, allowing Niven to crush both of them with a Vader Bomb, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Carter got the hot tag to blast Chance with a series of thrust kicks and a splash. Niven accidentally crushed Green with a splash before receiving a thrust kick. Carter nailed Green with a running boot into the ropes, setting her up for a springboard leg drop and a two count. Green knocked Carter off the top turnbuckle and took her down with a leaping leg drop for a nearfall.
Green and Niven crushed Carter with a Lung blower and senton combination, but Chance broke the pinfall. Carter knocked Niven off her feet with a thrust kick, setting her up for an assisted splash from Chance. Green broke the pinfall and launched Carter away with a German suplex. Chance caught Green with a Codebreaker, followed by the Afterparty for the victory.
WINNERS: Katana Chance & Kayden Carter at 9:37 to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships.
(Pomares’s Analysis: One of the best women’s tag title matches all year long to end the year. I’m shocked the end of Chelsea Green’s run as champion didn’t have a bigger story attached to it. Chance & Carter’s title win came a bit out-of-nowhere, but I won’t complain to finally see a well-established tag team win tag gold.)
– Backstage, Ivy Nile talked with Alpha Academy about getting Adam Pearce to book her against Rhea Ripley. Akira Tozawa showed up to inform the rest of Alpha Academy that he got Pearce to book him against Ivar.
– Ivar made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Akira Tozawa.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, the rest of the tag division and Kofi Kingston congratulated Katana Chance & Kayden Carter for their title win. Chance & Carter left with Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell to party. Tegan Nox, Natalya, Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark agreed that with new champions, they would need new challengers.
(4) IVAR (w/Valhalla) vs. AKIRA TOZAWA (w/Maxxine Dupri)
Tozawa tried to pummel Ivar down, but Ivar easily sent him out of the ring. Tozawa caught Ivar with a cyclone kick and a hurracarrana into the turnbuckle. Ivar blocked an O’Connor Roll before receiving an elevated DDT. Ivar shut Tozawa down with a seated senton, but missed a follow-up diving splash. Dupri pulled Valhall off the apron before she could interfere and drove her into the barricade. Tozawa crushed Ivar with a diving senton, but he managed to kick out at two. Ivar knocked Tozawa down with a leg lariat, only for Tozawa to trip him atop the turnbuckle. Tozawa hit Ivar with an enzuigiri before Ivar countered a hurracarrana with an avalanche powerslam for the win.
WINNER: Ivar at 4:09
(Pomares’s Analysis: Pretty fun extended squash match that gave Tozawa a real nearfall. I like how Tozawa is having progressively more competitive matches and I hope it leads to a meaningful payoff down the line.)
– A recap aired of the C.M. Punk-Seth Rollins confrontation from last week.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR THREE]
– Seth Rollins made his way to the ring to tell the fans that he was more motivated to continue being the best world champion in WWE. Rollins said that he would start by defending the title against Drew McIntyre at Day 1 before being interrupted by Drew. Drew told Rollins that he is not here to fight and that he was proud of him for telling CM Punk the truth. Drew put over how good Rollins has been doing as world champion and in his hometown.
– He talked about seeing his family getting older and asking himself if this was worth it. Drew compared how Rollins’ wife is in the same situation as he is, making things work across the pond. Drew talked about wanting to be for his family during sickness, but they told him to keep on chasing his dream. He told Rollins that he needed his title to validate his dream and make all the sacrifices worth it. Rollins told Drew that he respected how he climbed back to the title picture like he said.
– Rollins said that he didn’t know if Drew was a different person, or if he would take shortcuts. He told Drew that he should take responsibility for his actions to be a world champion. Rollins finished by telling Drew that unlike CM Punk, he doesn’t hate him, he pities him. Drew started a brawl with Rollins and laid him out with an inverted Alabama Slam onto the steel steps.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Another outstanding promo from Drew McIntyre who has comfortably become one of the most consistently great members of the roster over the past couple of months. Drew’s reasoning for everything he does feels logical enough for you to want to cheer for him, but flawed enough to discourage you from doing so. He probably won’t win the title, but this run has been so good, I actually wouldn’t mind him winning the belt.)
– Backstage, Cody Rhodes wished the Creed Brothers good luck ahead of their title match.
– Kofi Kingston showed up at ringside to give presents to the fans, only for Imperium to attack him from behind. Jey Uso ran down to make the save and launch Kaiser and Vinci out of the ring. Jey told Vinci and Kaiser that he wanted to fight, as the show went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
(5) JEY USO vs. LUDWIG KAISER (w/Giovanni Vinci)
Back from break, Kaiser knocked Jey down with a shoulder tackle before receiving a leaping clothesline. Jey clocked Kaiser with an uppercut, but Kaiser shut him down with a lariat. Kaiser nailed Jey with an elbow strike to the head before receiving a series of right hands. Vinci took Jey down with an illegal blow to the head for a close two count. Jey missed an enzuigiri, allowing Kaiser to send him out of the ring with a clothesline. Kaiser knocked Jey down with a running uppercut, as WWE Raw went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Jey took Kaiser down with a series of right hands, followed by an enzuigiri and a hip attack. Kaiser put Jey down with a rolling Death Valley Driver, but he kicked out at two. Jey blasted Kaiser with a thrust kick, only for Vinci to shove him off the top turnbuckle behind the referee’s back. Kaiser cracked Jey with a jumping enzuigiri for a nearfall. Kofi Kingston returned to ringside to take Vinci out with Trouble in Paradise. Jey hit Kaiser with a Spear and an Uso Splash for the three count.
WINNER: Jey Uso at 10:21
(Pomares’s Analysis: Solid match that felt mostly like an excuse to include Jey Uso on the show and prolong the downfall of Imperium.)
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, the rest of Judgment Day poked fun at JD McDonagh for losing to R-Truth. Priest teased actually kicking JD out of the group, but confirmed that he was still in Judgment Day. Rhea Ripley confirmed that she would accept Ivy Nile’s challenge and put her title on the line at Day 1.
– It was announced that in two weeks Becky Lynch would face Nia Jax, Tegan Nox & Natalya would take on Shayna Baszler & Zoey Starks, Ivy Nile would challenge Rhea Ripley for her title and Seth Rollins would defend his world title against Drew Mcintyre at Day 1.
(6) JUDGMENT DAY (Damian Priest & Finn Bálor w/Rhea Ripley) vs. CREED BROTHERS (Julius Creed & Brutus Creed) – Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship
Julius knocked Finn off his feet with a waist lock takeover and a hpi toss. The Creeds sent Finn and Priest out of the ring with a dropkick and a clothesline over the ropes, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, the Creeds knocked Finn off his feet with a double fireman’s carry takeover. The Creeds hit Finn with a pair of knee strikes and a double gutbuster. Priest low-bridged Julius out of the ring and knocked him down with a lariat. Priest drove Julius into the steel steps with an Irish-whip, followed by chops from Finn. Julius kicked Finn away, reaching Brutus for the hot tag. Brutus put Finn down with clotheslines, a barrage of forearm strikes and a gutwrench suplex. Brutus nailed Finn with a corner splash and a Samoan drop for a close two count. Priest cracked Brutus with a kick to the head before pouncing him over the announce table, as WWE Raw went to its final commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Brutus and Priest traded numerous forearm strikes, until Brutus laid Priest out with a delayed back suplex. Julius got the hot tag to launch Finn and Priest away with belly-to-belly suplexes. Julius crushed Finn with a running Shooting Star Press, but he managed to kick out at two. Priest knocked Brutus off the top turnbuckle while Finn got a nearfall with a sunset flip. Julius and Finn took each other down with clotheslines at the same time. Ripley attacked Nile from behind, only for Nile to drop her face-first onto the apron.
The Creeds crushed Finn with the Brutus Bomb, but Priest broke the pinfall. Julius landed on his feet off of South of Heaven and took Priest out with a top turnbuckle cannonball. Finn clocked Brutus with a shotgun dropkick, only for Julius to stop him atop the turnbuckle. Priest pulled Julius off the top turnbuckle while Brutus tripped Finn atop the turnbuckle. The Creeds dropped Priest with the Brutus Bomb, but Finn broke the pinfall with a Coup de Grace. Finn and Brutus crashed into the floor while Priest managed to hit Julius with South of Heaven for the win.
WINNERS: Judgment Day at 16:12 (Still Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions)
(Pomares’s Analysis: Top-notch way to close the show and give the Creed Brothers their first main roster main event. Aside from a bit of a flat ending, this was a strong final title defense to end 2023. I would be shocked if by this time next year, the Creeds haven’t won the tag titles yet.)
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