This was a sensational night for WWE as Monday Night Raw accelerated the road to their Netflix debut from the TD Garden in Boston, MA. CM Punk vs Seth Rollins is now confirmed for January 6th’s first Netflix show, the men exchanging lethal blows physically and verbally. Bron Breakker successfully defended his Intercontinental title against Ludwig Kaiser, and Chad Gable and American Made signaled their intention to dismantle The Alpha Academy.

The War Raiders are Raw’s new Tag Team Champions, after soundly beating The Judgment Day in the night’s Main Event. Zoey Stark is the latest semi-finalist in the Women’s Intercontinental Championship tournament, and Karrion Kross will not let The Miz escape the clutches of The Final Testament and their war with The Wyatt Sicks. Sami Zayn attacked Drew McIntyre backstage, and Rhea Ripley is now confirmed as the Number One Contender for Liv Morgan’s WWE Championship.

1 CM Punk & Seth Rollins

These Two Men Continue To Make Magic

“There won’t be enough staples to put you back together again once I’m done with you” was among CM Punk’s promises to Seth freakin’ Rollins. “This CM Punk fan has more WrestleMania Main Events than you ever will have, and that’s a fact, PHIL”, was Seth’s ruthless rebuttal. After 12 months of tension and countless Seth Rollins interruptions, Seth Rollins and CM Punk’s rivalry exploded in the most physical way so far. Literally sprinting to get away from security and fighting all over the arena, this was authentic hostility. It was incredible.

As was largely rumored online last week, Seth Rollins vs CM Punk is now set for WWE’s Netflix debut. It is a WrestleMania Main Event level match for one of the biggest nights in WWE history, and arguably the most hotly anticipated match that the company can book for the occasion. It is the perfect reintroduction for anyone who wants to rejoin the WWE fanbase; two men who cannot stand one another in a fight for dominance on the road to WrestleMania.

2 Liv Morgan

The Women’s Champion Is Ending the Year In Style

Boston has a reputation for rowdy crowds, but the boos for Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio broke the decibel meter on Monday Night Raw. The argument that no WWE superstar’s star has risen more drastically in 2024 than Liv Morgan goes into overdrive when she pulls out a megaphone to deliver the message that it’s been her year and everybody can choke on it. In control of her character, versatile, and finding a level of antagonism that seems impossible, this was a Liv Morgan masterclass.

Even Liv and Dom’s “THIS guy” reaction to Rhea Ripley’s music inevitably interrupting the party was fantastic. Ripley’s demeanor, aesthetic, and mic ability make her easy to root for in any situation, but Liv’s devilish obnoxiousness makes Rhea a bigger babyface. Adam Pearce has confirmed Rhea as the number one contender for Morgan’s championship and, for the first time, the build for this match feels worthy of the star power of those involved. May the best woman win.

3 The New Day

Epitomizing A Positive Change In WWE’s Booking

There is a superb shift happening in the world of WWE’s heels. For far too long, heels were cooler than faces. It was easier to buy into and get behind the bad guys in Vince McMahon’s WWE. One look at Kevin Owens, the obnoxious Liv and Dom, and The New Day at present, and it becomes apparent that the philosophy behind the company’s booking of bad guys has taken a satisfying turn for the better.

Woods and Kofi were banned from the men’s locker room, by Rey Mysterio of all people. It was designed to make fans think “even the nicest man in the world thinks these two are buttholes”. It’s great.

After complaining about Cathy Kelly’s biased journalism, The New Day was cut off before speaking in favor of showing a backstage attack. Kofi and Woods both let out an eye-roll of doom as they were disrespected again. They will no doubt use this as fuel for their righteous ignorance about why everybody has turned their back on them. Look for The New Day’s attitude to get worse sooner rather than later.

4 Zoey Stark & Pure Fusion Collective

A Big Few Weeks For The Toughest Ladies In WWE

Overcoming both Raquel Rodriguez and Katana Chance, Zoey Starks booked her place in the next round of the women’s Intercontinental Championship tournament. She won’t be happy with the finish of the match, but this was a very entertaining 6-legged ass-kicking contest outside of that. It is a big show of faith for Zoey to advance and for Pure Fusion Collective to be represented at the business end of the tournament.

With Zoey having qualified and Sonya Deville already declaring her intentions to challenge for the IC championship as soon as she is able, this could be the best week in PFC’s story so far. Their work wasn’t done for the night either, as they then went on to orchestrate a group attack on Kairi Sane. This could jeopardize her involvement in the bracket, as she will be involved in next week’s triple threat match-up. Another big contender down is only more good news for Zoey and PFC. A very good week indeed.

5 Bron Breakker

Another Win For Raw’s Rookie Of The Year

The more WWE showcases Bron Breakker, the more he looks like an unstoppable machine set to dominate this landscape for decades to come. Ludwig Kaiser is a very good and impressive member of the roster, but this successful Intercontinental Championship title defense was Bron at his devastating best. The spear he won this match with looked like it could shatter a bear’s ribcage. With Bron’s first road to WrestleMania due to start in a few short weeks, this is a perfect way to get warmed up for the challenges ahead.

6 The Judgment Day

Gold Is Lost And Everything Is Falling Apart For Finn And Co.

Make no mistake about it, The War Raiders were incredible for their championship victory, as The Judgment Day lost their grip on the Tag Team gold. Erik and Ivar wowed the crowd with a dazzling, powerful display, but the real story is that this feels like it could be the beginning of the end for the Judgment Day as we know it. Damian Priest appearing out of nowhere to halt Finn from taking a chair from ringside was adding insult to injury. How do they, and especially Finn Balor, come back from this earth-shattering last few days?

This is the second time that The Prince has appeared in this column in a matter of days, but The Judgment Day is slipping through Finn Balor’s fingers. Asking where the rest of The Judgment Day were when he was being double-teamed by Gunther and Damian Priest, Liv Morgan adopted a patronizing tone about Finn’s recent boasts of leadership. Nobody spoke up in his defense. The silence in that moment was deafening.

• Raw has officially a new logo for the Netflix Era.
• Dominik Mysterio’s heat is the only thing that is hotter than the surface of the sun. Wade Barrett’s “cry more” assist was superb too.
• John Cena has been officially confirmed for Elimination Chamber in Toronto. It begins.
• This is The War Raiders’ 2nd Raw Tag Team Championship reign. Their first lasted 98 days.
• CM Punk vs Seth Rollins has happened once before, on 30th December 2013. It ended in a CM Punk victory.
• The Miz vs Dexter Lumis is set for next week’s episode of Raw.
• That Bron Breakker shoulder tackle.
• He threatened it, but Chad Gable vs Akira Tozawa has never happened before.
• Katana Chance was superb in the women’s triple-threat match.
• Drew McIntyre had a verbal interaction with Seth Rollins, before being taken out by Sami Zayn in a backstage brawl later in the evening.