The December 23 edition of WWE Raw continued a strong showing from the red brand talent at the TD Garden in Boston.

Drew McIntyre has declared his intention to take out everyone who has associated themselves with Roman Reigns and CM Punk. He again focused his ire on Sami Zayn, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso.

Seth Rollins sat down with interviewer Jackie Redmond to discuss his upcoming match with CM Punk at the Raw on Netflix premiere on January 6.

An injury to Kairi Sane has left her place in the Women's Intercontinental Championship tournament open. Who would step up to fight Natalya and Alba Fyre?

Damian Priest looked to continue making life terrible for The Judgment Day after costing Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh the World Tag Team Championships.

Dexter Lumis represented The Wyatt Sicks in a one-on-one contest against The Miz. The Final Testament were sure to be watching The A-Lister's back.

Monday's show began a holiday-themed week of great wrestling.

Jey Uso Returns after Drew McIntyre and Sami Zayn Agree to Rematch

Drew McIntyre explained why he targeted Sami Zayn, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso, blaming them for isolating him.

Zayn interrupted to say everyone was struggling and not everyone blames someone else for their issues. He challenged The Scottish Warrior to a match later in the night.

McIntyre called out that Zayn is hurting and should not fight Monday, but the babyface started a brawl anyway.

Jey Uso returned to help Zayn and clear out McIntyre.

McIntyre regularly cuts promos that rival the best in the business, and this still may be one of the best he has ever done.

The way he framed his own pain as the motivation for his violent actions gives him a depth few other heels can match. He is the loneliest man in WWE, desperately in need of support.

Zayn also explained so well why he could be a friend to McIntyre if it wasn't for the bad blood between The Scottish Warrior and Jey.

McIntyre gave Zayn an out of their match while also selling that he is too hurt to beat The Scottish Warrior. It was masterful work from two of the best in the world right now.

Jey Uso remains McIntyre's best established rival in WWE right now, and the match between them should get a major premium live event spotlight or a Raw on Netflix main event spot.

Grade

A+

Notable Moments

• Before McIntyre started talking, WWE showed highlights from his recent attack on Jimmy Uso on SmackDown.
  
• The Scot explained that he lost a close family member after Hell in a Cell, and only one wrestler checked on him either mentally or physically during that time.
• The Scottish Warrior said CM Punk and Roman Reigns are the "real villains of WWE," and he will hurt anyone who props them up.
• Zayn was particularly angry at McIntyre turning on the fans because they "made" him.
• The Scottish Warrior warned Zayn to leave rather than fight because he considered him the "least of [his] worries".
  

Women's Intercontinental Championship Tournament: Iyo Sky vs. Natalya vs. Alba Fyre

Iyo Sky was one step ahead of her competitors, catching Natalya after a German suplex to Alba Fyre with the Over the Moonsault for the victory.

While Sky was not going to lose to two women currently struggling for TV time, she does not need to be the first women's intercontinental champion.

The Japanese star is a former WWE women's champion and should be a future world champion as well. Damage CTRL is already represented in the semifinals with Dakota Kai.

Natalya could have filled the veteran role and put over Lyra Valkyria next week, while Fyre would have benefited from more spotlight.

Still, Sky was the glue in this match and will do great work with The Valkyrie in the semifinals. The pace of this contest was rushed, but The Genius of the Sky kept it on track.

Hopefully, this does not cost Valkyria her run as she remains the perfect first women's intercontinental champion given her pedigree and lack of main roster accolades.

Result

Sky def. Natalya and Fyre by pinfall to advance in the Women's Intercontinental Championship tournament.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments

• Just before the match, Pure Fusion Collective tried to get Sonya Deville in the tournament in Sane's place, but Raw general manager Adam Pearce refused to reward their behavior.
• Natalya trapped Sky and Fyre in a double Sharpshooter, and they both had to get to the ropes to pull free of the submission.
  

Chad Gable vs. Akira Tozawa

Chad Gable threw around Akira Tozawa and easily countered his opponent's comeback. He made Tozawa tap to the ankle lock.

Gable refused to let the submission go afterward until Otis stepped up to him. The Olympian and The Creed Brothers backed down from the big man.

American Made has fallen off a cliff in terms of relevance in WWE since losing definitively to The Wyatt Sicks. The losses themselves were not the problem as much as aftermath.

The entire stable can only beat Alpha Academy, and that played out once again in this match. Gable squashed Tozawa and mean-mugged Otis, as he has for months.

Gable vs. Otis was once a hot-ticket match, and the TD Garden still reacted strongly to Otis standing up to his former tormentor. But it didn't have the same strong energy as months back.

American Alpha cannot just stay in this same story forever. This group needs to look dangerous again. The Creed Brothers and Gable should not backing down from Otis on his own.

Result

Gable def. Tozawa by pinfall.

Grade

D

Notable Moments

• In the highlights from the Raw on Netflix press conference, the talent hyped three big matches for the premiere: Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley, Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa and CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins.
• Gable kept talking trash to Otis throughout this match and even slapped him.
• Gable vs. Otis was announced for next week's Raw.
  

Damian Priest vs. Dominik Mysterio

Dominik Mysterio had help all around the ring, but Damian Priest stopped it all early.

Finn Bálor gave up on the plan and attacked The Punishment, causing a disqualification.

The Judgment Day jumped on Priest to beat him down until The War Raiders came in to clear the ring.

This was about lame as The Judgment Day has ever looked. Priest single-handedly foiled every trick the group could pull, including evening the odds with Erik and Ivar at his side.

There was no real match between these two as the interference started quickly. Hopefully, a real contest is planned between Priest and Dirty Dom for the new year that can begin to end this Judgment Day feud.

At least this match tied in some holiday fun with JD McDonagh as Santa, but it was hardly memorable.

Result

Priest def. Mysterio by disqualification.

Grade

D+

Notable Moments

• Liv Morgan and Bálor argued in The Judgment Day's personal room until Dirty Dom said he would deal with Priest.
  
• Even Dom told The New Day backstage what they did to Big E was "crazy."
• Mysterio tried to lure Priest outside, but The Archer of Infamy did not move. Dom bailed on his "plan," which Wade Barrett questioned on commentary.
• Priest found McDonagh in the crowd dressed as Santa. The Punishment also pulled Carlito out from under the ring.
• Erik and Ivar from The War Raiders agreed to go to war alongside Priest next week.
  

The Miz vs. Dexter Lumis

Dexter Lumis had The Miz running until The Final Testament arrived to attack The Buzzard, causing a disqualification.

Karrion Kross, Scarlett and The Authors of Pain surrounded Lumis, who struck a familiar Wyatt pose before his reinforcements arrived to clear the ring.

Booking two short matches with DQ finishes back-to-back is sloppy, but this one at least felt more warranted. The Final Testament cares less about wins and more about hurting The Wyatt Sicks.

However, Kross found himself outmatched this week by the group, even without Uncle Howdy at the helm.

While WWE needs to keep this feud more present on television each week, this is a feud that can still be a major part of Raw in 2025.

Result

Lumis def. Miz by disqualification.

Grade

C-

Notable Moments

• The lights went out before Lumis came out. He lifted his Mercy the Buzzard mask and charged the ring.
• Authors of Pain arrived, only for Lumis to dive onto both men.
• Erick Rowan powerbombed Nikki Cross onto The Final Testament outside.
• In a sit-down interview with Jackie Redmond, Seth Rollins promised a fight when he got his hands on CM Punk at the Raw on Netflix premiere.

• Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods interrupted the commentators talking about their recent actions. They struggled to talk against the boos. Even Kingston's mother denied him at ringside and walked out.
• Rey Mysterio tried to get Kingston and Woods to apologize backstage, but they still refused.
  

Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn's back gave out on him time and again in this match. When he could not run for the Helluva Kick, Drew McIntyre blasted him with a Claymore to win.

Afterward, The Scottish Warrior kept beating down Zayn until Jey Uso came out again to make the save.

The Bloodline arrived to take out Jey and Zayn to stand tall at the end of the night. McIntyre just walked away.

This was a match on a different level to the rest of the night for obvious reasons.

Playing off everything McIntyre and Zayn had said in the opening segment, this was a brawl between an injured man and a dangerous hunter.

While The Ultimate Underdog kept the pace up to stay in the action for a while, it was clear The Scottish Warrior was too much for him.

McIntyre made clear that Zayn had never beaten him, giving extra motivation for the audience to root for The Ultimate Underdog, but this was not the right time for that to change.

The Scot has set the stage for a match with Jey Uso that could be brutal and allow him to elevate his game against one of the best in the business right now in McIntyre.

Result

McIntyre def. Zayn by pinfall.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments

• In the locker room, Jey tried to convince Zayn to let him fight McIntyre, but The Ultimate Underdog said he needed to stand by his word.
• Zayn considered diving onto McIntyre outside, but he bounced back and held his back, selling his health struggles.
• McIntyre hit a devastating Sidewalk Slam on the apron from the steel steps, causing an injured Zayn to yell out in pain.
• The Scot gave Zayn a running Glasgow Kiss and then went for the Claymore. Instead, Zayn caught him an Exploder.
  

Overall Show

This was about as flat a holiday episode as WWE could have delivered. Lacking any holiday-themed action, this was instead a basic episode of Raw lacking most top names.

Drew McIntyre and Sami Zayn carried the show from the opening promo to the main event, and everything else felt superfluous.

The best moments of the night outside of those two were The New Day's continued struggles with the crowd and Seth Rollins' pre-taped interview.

The energy in TD Garden was low for this second show taping, and the action did little to help the crowd wake up again. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods got more noise than anything else by a wide margin.

The Judgment Day and American Made angles are about as stale as WWE stories can get and need an immediate refresher.

The Wyatt Sicks deserve more than a five-minute spotlight per week to make this Final Testament rivalry work.

The women's division needs a stronger direction beyond a never-ending Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley rivalry and a slow-moving women's Intercontinental Championship tournament.

This will all likely get better on Netflix, but it does not excuse WWE putting in a half-hearted booking effort as it starts to bring an end to the USA Network era of Raw.

Overall Grade: D+