WWE Raw is in chaos as everyone looks to rise to the top.

The December 2 edition included the return of Drew McIntyre after an attack on Jey Uso as well as an explosive confrontation between CM Punk and Seth Rollins.

Gunther made a statement at the expense of Dominik Mysterio, but he wasn't ready for the attack of Finn Bálor, who will challenge The Ring General at Saturday Night's Main Event on December 14.

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez not only managed to defeat Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane, but they also potentially injured Rhea Ripley again in a post-match brawl.

The New Day held a 10th-anniversary celebration including the return of Big E. Shockingly, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods turned their backs on their former teammate and walked out together.

It was an engaging night of action that kept the excitement from Survivor Series rising and began to build toward WrestleMania 41.

Raw Main Event Scene as Good as it Gets With Punk-Rollins and McIntyre Return

It was clear Raw missed Drew McIntyre and CM Punk in recent weeks, especially after the return of both men this past week.

The variety in the men's main event scene is so much stronger with these two involved, so it was a welcome surprise to see The Scottish Warrior return on Monday in such impressive fashion.

McIntyre vs. Jey Uso and Sami Zayn seems to be the immediate direction, which would likely extend to the Royal Rumble on February 1.

With Seth Rollins and Punk also back to feuding, the top of the card includes plenty of exciting challengers for Gunther.

The world heavyweight champion just needs to deal with Finn Bálor first.

Judgment Day Drama Holding Raw Back

Gunther vs. The Judgment Day could be an interesting angle on its own. Finn Bálor has a story left to tell against The Ring General after their first great match together.

However, The Prince is involved with Gunther to spite Damian Priest, which means everything leads right back to Bálor vs. Priest, a story that lacks spark.

More importantly for the overall roster, the Irishman still holds the World Tag Team Championship with JD McDonagh while focusing his efforts on the world heavyweight crown.

If the goal is to ultimately set Bálor in the main event scene for the next year, he needs to drop the tag titles quickly, so teams such as The War Raiders, LWO and The New Day can get regular TV time fighting for the gold.

The situation is even worse with Liv Morgan, who cannot escape the shadow of Rhea Ripley. Mami is Morgan's one clear rival, even though Iyo Sky is the No. 1 contender to the Women's World Championship.

Sky and Kairi Sane lost a quick tag team match to Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez as an afterthought to the post-match drama with the Australian.

Unless the goal is for Sky to pull off a shocking title win with the help of Ripley, WWE is missing crucial time to set up The Genius of the Sky as a worthy title contender on the road to WrestleMania.

WrestleMania 41 Season Starts Now

WrestleMania 41 officially airs on April 19-20, 2025, but WWE is already ready to start charting a path to the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

CM Punk made clear he will stop at nothing to fight for a world championship at The Show of Shows, even pointing at a 'Mania sign that has not been set yet.

Seth Rollins stepped up as an obstacle to his goal. This could mean the match will be Punk vs. Rollins at WrestleMania, or The Best in the World needs to beat The Visionary to get his shot at Gunther or Cody Rhodes on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Either way, Punk set his course for 'Mania four months out and should be encouraging the rest of the roster to do the same.

It's time to start deciding who will be battling for every championship at WrestleMania and begin forging stories that will feel meaningful and consequential with months of build.

In the Triple H era, long-term stories are the key to WWE's success, and that is most clearly true for The Show of Shows.

The New Day Sets Stage for Special Big E In-Ring Return

Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston had built up this week's moment for months. All the dissension between the two seemed to indicate a dramatic break-up for The New Day.

Instead, it seems they have found a common cause: Hating Big E for abandoning them.

This was a hard segment to watch but a rewarding one, allowing all three men to stretch their acting chops.

While this could be a final goodbye to E if he cannot return to in-ring action, it is more likely all the taunts about The Power of Positivity's neck injury will set the stage for his return.

As Kingston and Woods called out, many wrestlers have found a way to return to action after serious neck injuries.

Each injury is different, but if Big E is cleared, hopefully he can follow the successful journey of wrestlers such as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Kurt Angle and Edge.

Perhaps it's too optimistic to hope this is pointing toward a New Day Triple Threat match at WrestleMania 41, but that clash should happen as long as all three men can compete.