SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE RAW TV REPORT
JANUARY 8, 2024
PORTLAND, ORE. AT MODA CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON USA
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMAREZ, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett
Ring Announcer: Samantha Irvin
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
[HOUR ONE]
– Drew McIntyre stood in the middle of the ring to talk about his loss to Seth Rollins from last week. Drew said that he has been thinking about the result all week and maybe Rollins and Sami Zayn were right. He said that if that were the case, he would have to step away from WWE for a while. Drew moved on to focus on Damian Priest for screwing up his match and his cash-in. Drew listed some of the stuff that has happened recently, including CM Punk’s return. He said that maybe he should leave the company for 9 years and he would get a better reception upon his return.
– CM Punk interrupted, immediately putting over how they are in Piper country. Punk called Drew out for just talking before telling Drew to say whatever he has to say to his face. Drew congratulated for still being with the company after one month, not crashing and burning. Drew said that he has traveled the world with Punk and knew the real him. He talked about Punk calling himself a locker room leader back when he was champion, but Punk only saw him as a threat. Drew called Punk a narcissist that had no demons because he was a demon.
– Drew said that he figured things out and stepped up after returning and was now Punk’s leader. Punk told Drew that when pushed, he is Satan himself and that he was only a nice guy until it was time not to be one. Drew said that his title win at WrestleMania was for the world when it was shut down, but this time he would eliminate Punk, win the Rumble and get the title for himself. Punk said that the only person on his way is himself and because he was a nice guy, he would throw Drew out last.
(Pomares’s Analysis: A strong opening segment to the shot with two of the best promos on the roster. Punk might be best known for his mic work, but it was Drew who had the strongest lines and arguments. Regardless of who wins the Rumble, Drew vs. Punk seems like a future encounter for the Road to WrestleMania.)
[Commercial Break]
– Last Monday, R-Truth convinced Finn Bálor to accept a singles match against Tommaso Ciampa.
(1) FINN BÁLOR (w/Damian Priest) vs. TOMMASO CIAMPA (w/Johnny Gargano)
Ciampa took control over Finn with a couple of chops to the chest, only for Finn to shut him down with a basement dropkick. Ciampa put Finn down with a Thesz Press, forcing him to roll out of the ring. Priest distracted Ciampa, but he was still able to smash Finn’s head into the turnbuckle. Finn knocked Ciampa off the apron into the announce table, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Ciampa knocked Finn down with a leaping clothesline, followed by a reverse DDT. Finn blocked a powerbomb and stomped Ciampa’s chest. Ciampa caught Finn with a jumping knee, setting him up for Project Ciampa and a two count. Finn knocked Ciampa down with a sling blade and a shotgun dropkick, but missed the Coup de Grace. Priest got on the apron, but Gargano immediately pulled him down. Gargano blocked the Razor’s Edge, allowing Ciampa to hit him with a knee strike off the apron. Finn tried to suplex Ciampa
WINNER: Tommaso Ciampa at 8:16
(Pomares’s Analysis: A fine encounter that never really reached its full potential. With both Gargano and Priest involved in the finish, this will likely set up the next tag title match.)
– A recap of Nia Jax defeating Becky Lynch last week was shown.
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Becky Lynch about her loss to Nia Jax from last week. Lynch admitted that she lost, only to walk to the back and declare herself for the Royal Rumble. Lynch said that she didn’t win, but Jax didn’t beat her either, so maybe they weren’t done.
– Kofi Kingston made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Ludwig Kaiser.
[Commercial Break]
(2) KOFI KINGSTON vs. LUDWIG KAISER
Kaiser quickly shut Kofi down with a back elbow and a clothesline. Kaiser blasted Kofi with a chop to the chest, only for Kofi to respond with chops of his own. Kofi pummeled Kaiser atop the turnbuckle, but Kaiser immediately dropped him face-first onto the turnbuckle pad. Kaiser nailed Kofi with a basement dropkick before receiving an enzuigiri and a high crossbody. Kaiser avoided Trouble in Paradise and a suicide dive with an uppercut. At ringside, Kaiser cracked Kofi with a Penalty Kick, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Kofi caught Kaiser with boots to the face, setting him up for a thrust fall at ringside. Kofi knocked Kaiser off his feet with a leaping clothesline before receiving a shot into the ring post. Kaiser missed an uppercut into the barricade, but neither man was able to return to the ring in time.
WINNER: Draw via Double Count Out at 8:45
– After the match, Kofi Kingston hit Ludwig Kaiser with a thrust kick and a suicide dive. Kaiser gouged Kofi’s eyes, only for Kofi to drop him with a back body drop onto the announce table. Kaiser tossed an office chair into Kofi’s head and laid his body on the steel steps. Referees tried to take Kaiser away, but he was able to get away and nail Kofi with a dropkick to the head into the steel steps.
(Pomares’s Analysis: The match itself was decent, but is obviously not the main talking point after the non-finish. The post-match assault was well-executed and was probably the most serious Ludwig Kaiser has looked since joining the main roster. It kind of came out-of-nowhere, but at least accomplished its goal of making Kaiser look vicious.)
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR TWO]
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Ludwig Kaiser about his attack on Kofi Kingston. Kaiser yelled that he was the only one in Imperium carrying things here because of Kofi. Kaiser told Kofi that he took Giovanni Vinci last week, so he did the same to him.
– Nia Jax made her way to the ring for an in-ring interview with Michael Cole. Jax said that people shouldn’t be shocked that she broke Becky Lynch’s face. Jax said that there was no one that could stop her from winning the Royal Rumble. Rhea Ripley interrupted to remind Jax that she threw her out of the Rumble last year. Ripley told Jax to stop walking like she owns the division because she doesn’t. Ripley told Jax to keep her name out of her mouth if she won the Rumble. Jax told Ripley that the only reason she doesn’t have the title is because Ripley is scared of facing her one-on-one.
(Pomares’s Analysis: Just an alright segment to remind the fans that the fans that we’ll eventually see Nia Jax vs. Rhea Ripley at some point. Not bad, but not memorable either.)
– Chelsea Green & Piper Niven made their way to the ring, ahead of their title rematch.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Cody Rhodes about his match against Shinsuke Nakamura, only for Nakamura to attack him from behind. Adam Pearce and other agents showed up to break them apart.
(3) KATANA CHANCE & KAYDEN CARTER vs. CHELSEA GREEN & PIPER NIVEN – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
Carter caught Green with a dropkick and a forearm strike, setting her up for a double knee drop from Chance. Carter blasted Green with a thrust kick and tripped Niven throat-first into the ropes. Niven pulled Carter out of the ring while Green hit Chance with a flatliner into the corner. Niven crushed Chance with a cannonball into the corner, but she kicked out at two.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Niven missed a cannonball into the corner, forcing Green to tag in. Chance kicked Green away, reaching Carter for the hot tag. Carter knocked Niven off the apron and blasted Green with a pair of thrust kicks for a two count. Carter blasted Green with a running boot to the face, followed by a springboard leg drop. Chance knocked Niven off the apron while Carter clocked Green with an uppercut atop the turnbuckle. Chance launched Green away with an avalanche hurracarrana for a nearfall.
Green blocked a splash from Chance with her knees, but couldn’t follow up with the Unprettier. Green dropped Carter with a leaping leg drop for a close two count. Niven and Green put Carter down with a Lung Blower and senton combination for a close nearfall. Carter kicked Green out of the ring and blasted Niven with a thrust kick. Niven laid Carter out with a uranage while Green tagged herself in. Niven accidentally hit Green with a Vader Bomb before receiving a Codebreaker from Chance. Carter dropped Chance on top of Green with an assisted splash for the victory.
WINNERS: Katana Chance & Kayden Carter at 9:49 (Still WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions)
(Pomares’s Analysis: A pretty good tag match to start this division’s 2024 on the right foot. Kayden & Katana are arguably the strongest team in the division and I fully expect them to reach WrestleMania as champions.)
– It was announced that Cody Rhodes and Shinsuke Nakamura would now face each other in a Street Fight.
– R-Truth had a video package where he talked about being with The Judgment Day throughout every major moment. Numerous edited video clips and photos of Truth with the Judgment Day were shown, ending with the message ‘Live, Laugh, Love’ from Truth.
– Backstage, The Judgment Day discussed R-Truth’s video package. Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest argued about their issues with Nia Jax and DIY. Ripley told JD McDonagh to deal with The Miz.
– The Miz made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against JD McDonagh.
[Commercial Break]
(4) THE MIZ vs. JD MCDONAGH (w/Dominik Mysterio)
R-Truth immediately showed up to join Dominik Mysterio, distracting JD in the process. Miz took JD down with a hip toss, forcing him to roll out of the ring before a Penalty kick. Miz blasted JD with a barrage of kicks to the chest, but missed a corner clothesline. JD blocked the Figure 4, only for Miz to drop him with a neckbreaker. JD caught Miz with a rising kick before receiving a back body drop. Miz nailed JD with a boot to the face, but Dominik shut him down with a strike behind the referee’s back, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Miz clocked JD with a back elbow and a jawbreaker to block a sleeper hold. JD swept Miz off his feet, setting him up for a slingshot Tornillo for a two count. JD nailed Miz with an enzuigiri and a snap suplex, but he kicked out at two. Miz pummeled JD with numerous right hands before crushing him with a corner clothesline.
Miz blasted JD with a barrage of kicks to the chest and put him down with a knee drop to the knee.JD tried to get up, but Miz turned him inside out with a pair of kicks to the legs. Miz put JD in the Figure 4, until he was able to reach the ropes. JD pulled Miz’s head into the ropes, but got distracted with Truth at ringside. Miz knocked JD and Dominik down with a dropkick through the ropes before finishing JD with the Skull Crushing Finale.
WINNER: The Miz at 12:02
(Pomares’s Analysis: There was nothing particularly wrong with the in-ring work and the R-Truth story is very over, but this didn’t need to go 12 whole minutes to get its point across.)
– Backstage, The Judgment Day agreed that they had to deal with their situation next week.
[Commercial Break]
– Seth Rollins made his way to the ring to talk about the start of the Road to WrestleMania. Rollins said that he has never taken a world title into WrestleMania, but now he was really close. Rollins put over how he put the hard work and was a workhorse champion like he promised. He asked the crowd who he would beat at the Grandest Stage of Them All. Before Rollins could continue talking about the roster, Jinder Mahal interrupted him. Mahal called Rollins out for simply entertaining the clowns in the crowd and feeding their degeneracy.
– Mahal said that he was overlooked and that he saw through Rollins’ facade. Rollins agreed that they have been overlooking Mahal, but it was on purpose. Rollins dared Mahal to take a swing at him, only for Mahal to attack him from behind. Mahal took Rollins down with a clothesline, but Rollins knocked him down with a thrust kick. Mahal evaded a Curb Stomp and retreated.
(Pomares’s Analysis: With nearly every major star in the Rumble, someone like Jinder Mahal makes sense as a throwaway opponent for Seth Rollins. Having said that, I’m not interested in a Rollins vs. Mahal program even if it is short-term. )
– Otis made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Ivar.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR THREE]
– Earlier today, Otis protected Akira Tozawa from Ivar to set up a single match.
(5) OTIS (w/Akira Tozawa & Maxxine Dupri) vs. IVAR (w/Valhalla)
Otis knocked Ivar down with a body block and a clothesline, but Ivar shut him down with a seated senton. Otis countered a springboard crossbody with a powerslam for a close two count. Ivar managed to plant Otis with a sitout powerbomb, but he kicked out at two. Otis took Ivar down with a lariat, setting him up for the Caterpillar and a nearfall. Ivar knocked Otis down with a leg lariat before knocking him out with a moonsault.
WINNER: Ivar at 3:46
(Pomares’s Analysis: Fun while it lasted, giving both Otis and Ivar a couple of great-looking spots. I could see Ivar getting a bit of a singles push, but it doesn’t feel like there are any clear plans for the entire Alpha Academy.)
– After the match, Ivar shoved Akira Tozawa out of the ring.
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Jey Uso about his resolutions for 2024. Jey said that he planned to win singles gold this year before being interrupted by Bronson Reed. Reed simply advised Jey to not get in on his way.
[Commercial Break]
– It was announced that Seth Rollins would take on Jinder Mahal in a world title match, R-Truth & The Miz would face Finn Bálor & Damian Priest, DIY would battle Dominik Mysterio & JD McDonagh and that Gunther would return.
– A video package recapping the rivalry between Cody Rhodes and Shinsuke Nakamura was shown.
– Shinsuke Nakamura made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Cody Rhodes.
[Commercial Break]
(6) CODY RHODES vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA – Street Fight
Cody clocked Nakamura with a drop-down punch, forcing him to roll out of the ring. Cody nailed Nakamura with a sliding dropkick before ramming him into the barricades. Before Nakamura could react, Cody whacked him with a water bottle. Nakamura surprised Cody with a broom shot, setting him up for a series of kendo stick shots to the back, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Nakamura hit Cody with a rising knee strike to the abdomen. Nakamura maintained control over Cody with an axe kick, setting him up for a half Boston Crab. Cody blocked a kick to the chest, only for Nakamura to clock him with an enzuigiri. Cody managed to put Nakamura down with a leaping forearm strike and a snap powerslam, setting him up for a Disaster Kick and a two count.
Nakamura stopped Cody from setting up a table by clobbering him with a pair of nunchucks. Nakamura clotheslined Cody over the barricade, but Cody caught him mid-air with a strike to the abdomen. Nakamura accidentally blinded the timekeeper with red mist. Cody tried to check on the timekeeper, until Nakamura attacked him with chair shots to the back, as WWE Raw went to its final commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Cody pummeled Nakamura with a series of chair shots to the back, only for Cody to smash his head into a chair in the corner. They started exchanging forearm strikes, until Cody caught Nakamura with two elbows to the head. Cody set up a table, but Nakamura shut him down with a headbutt. Nakamura put Cody through the table with a diving double knee drop for a two count. Nakamura laid a table on the corner before catching Cody with an enzuigiri and a sliding German suplex.
Before Cody could react, Nakamura cracked him with a diving knee strike for a nearfall. Cody caught Nakamura with a thrust kick and a Pedigree for a close two count. Cody hit Nakamura with the Cody Cutter, but he managed to kick out at two. Nakamura blocked the Cross Rhodes and hit Cody with an enzuigiri. Cody evaded another Kinshasa and drove Nakamura through the table in the corner, setting him up for Cross Rhodes and the win.
WINNER: Cody Rhodes at 24:04
(Pomares’s Analysis: That was a bog-standard TV main event Street Fight. It was well-executed and the crowd were very hot for most of it, but it felt very much like a small diversion for Cody between Survivor Series and the Rumble.)
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