SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…
Fresh off their team winning the womenâ€s WarGames match at Survivor Series, Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky opened the show this week. As the two of them still have unsettled issues with the Womenâ€s Tag Team Champions Asuka & Kairi Sane, Rhea & Iyo demanded a shot at their titles. They were soon interrupted by the former champions and their WarGames teammates Charlotte & Alexa Bliss. As they never received their rematch after losing the titles three weeks ago, Charlotte & Alexa claimed they were the ones more deserving of a title shot. The arguing between both teams led to a match at the end of the show to decide who will get the next shot at the Womenâ€s Tag Team Titles.
As both teams put on a great match, the outcome would leave things unsettled as it became an afterthought to everything that happened after. In addition to that, we had both semi final matches in the My Last Time is Now Tournament, Liv Morgan staking her claim as the leader of Judgment Day, and a fiery promo from Bron Breakker directed at C.M. Punk.
L.A. Knight vs. Jey Uso
Latest developments:
On the November 1 Saturday Nightâ€s Main Event, it was announced that there would be a My Last Time is Now Tournament taking place to decide who John Cenaâ€s last opponent will be. In a first round match on the November 14 Smackdown, Jey Uso defeated The Miz to advance in the tournament. On the same night, LA Knight advanced to the next round as he defeated a returning Zach Ryder. Last Friday on Smackdown, Jey defeated Rusev to punch his ticket to the semi finals. Later that same night, LA Knight defeated The Miz (who was a late substitute for Sheamus) to advance to the semi finals.
This week, Knight and Jey went one on one in the semi finals of the tournament in a match where both men took turns hitting each other on the top rope until they fell off of it. After making it back in the ring to avoid being counted out, Jey hit a Spear for a close near fall. Knight soon recovered and hit Jey with a Megaplex, but it still wasnâ€t enough. Jey hit another Spear and followed it with an Uso Splash but as he went for the pin, Knight pulled his arms back into a pinning position to get the win and advance to the finals. After the match, an upset Jey pushed over the display of Prime bottles sitting at ringside and walked away in anger.
Analysis:
Solid match between these two that produced the right outcome. Considering the bad blood these two had a few months ago that was never really resolved, at least we got a match between them here with a clean finish. As weâ€ve seen Jey vs. Gunther countless times this year, Knight vs. Gunther is a fresh match. While the outcome to it may be predictable, itâ€s still the better route to go as the crowd reaction alone will make it stand out. While Knight may not win marquee matches as often as many would like him to, heâ€s still someone that belongs in that main event mix.
Another reason why this was the right outcome is because of the story now being told with Jey. Jey crashing out the way he did after the match made perfect sense for his character considering all the huge losses heâ€s had lately. As it was being teased initially during his feud with Knight a few months ago, it now feels like the time for Jey to turn heel. As popular as he is, a heel turn feels like it would be the best thing for his character. From the way he acted after the match combined with all the great stories they could tell with him going into next year, choosing not to pull the trigger on a heel turn for him would be a huge mistake.
Grade: B+
Liv Morgan Promo
Latest developments:
On the June 16 Raw, Liv Morgan injured her shoulder during a match with Kairi Sane and it was later revealed that she would be out of action until early 2026. At Survivor Series, Dominik Mysterio challenged John Cena for the Intercontinental Championship that he lost to Cena three weeks earlier. As the match progressed, a returning Liv came out to get involved in the match. Liv initially slapped Dominik and jumped into Cenaâ€s arms to hug him as the expression on her face slowly changed. She then kicked Cena below the belt and that led to Dominik hitting him with a Frog Splash to regain his title.
Dominik along with Judgment Dayâ€s Finn Balor, JD McDonagh, Raquel Rodriguez, & Roxanne Perez were in the ring as he introduced Liv. Liv shouted out the words “Iâ€m back†and said that no one saw her coming, especially John Cena. She went on to say she missed everyone but that sheâ€s been hearing things since sheâ€s been gone. Some of those things she said sheâ€d been hearing is that the group is falling apart, but that it all ends now because sheâ€s back. Liv said theyâ€re coming for everything thatâ€s theirs and they officially run Raw as she then slapped Dominik before jumping in his arms.
Analysis:
From this segment combined with what happened later in the show, itâ€s clear that Liv is the leader of Judgment Day. Itâ€s funny that Liv first debuted on the main roster eight years ago as a part of a group and now sheâ€s the leader of her own. This all felt like a reset for the group as the tension Liv had with Finn as well as Perez before she got hurt looks like itâ€s been pushed to the side. Livâ€s return has breathed new life into Judgment Day and a clear sign that theyâ€re going to continue to be the dominant faction on the show. While everything seems cool between everyone in the group right now, their tension will likely brew up again as we get into WrestleMania season.
With the momentum Liv has right now combined with the brief confrontation she had with Stephanie Vaquer later in the show, itâ€s clear that sheâ€s going to be back in the title picture soon. While she is already a heavy favorite to win the womenâ€s Royal Rumble, thereâ€s also a chance she could become the champion again before that. As thereâ€s already been a major title match made for the January 5 Raw, a title match between these two is another one they could potentially add to that show. Itâ€s clear from how she was presented on the show this week thatâ€s sheâ€s going to be a focal point of the show going forward, more so than Vaquer. Regardless of whenever it happens, this new version of Liv is tailor made for another title reign.
Grade: B
Bron Breakker vs. C.M. Punk
Latest developments:
On the October 13 Raw, Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed turned on World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. As Rollins had to forfeit the title due to injury immediately after, C.M. won the vacated championship by defeating Jey Uso on the November 1 Saturday Nightâ€s Main Event. At Survivor Series, Punk teamed with WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Jimmy, & Jey Uso to face Breakker, Reed, Brock Lesnar, Logan Paul, & Drew McIntyre in WarGames. As Punk and Breakker started the match, both men brutalized each other throughout it, including a Doomsday Device Punk & Cody hit on Breakker that caused him to land on his neck. After interference from a mystery man under a black hoodie that attacked Punk, Breakker hit Punk with a Spear to win the match for his team.
Breakker was in the ring this week along with Reed, Paul, & Paul Heyman where Heyman revealed that Breakker will get a shot at Punkâ€s title on the January 5 Raw. Breakker went on to say that Punk is no different than any other veteran living off past glory, and no different than Rollins sitting at the top while holding everyone else down when he should be more concerned about his wife being a bigger star than him. He brought up how Punk tried to break his neck during WarGames and said heâ€s coming for Punkâ€s career and every single good memory the people remember him for. Breakker then brought up Punk coming up to him backstage at WrestleMania last year and Punkâ€s saying, “letâ€s see if you can cut a promo with the big dawgs†and he said to now consider the promo cut. Breakker ended the promo by saying on January 5 when they announce him as the new champion, Punk will look into his eyes and realize that heâ€s not even close to the badass Bron Breakker, the real best in the world as he aggressively dropped the mic.
Analysis:
This was by far the best promo that Breakker has ever cut in his career. He was intense, believable, and sold himself as someone whoâ€s ready to be the champion. While itâ€s unfair to compare this promo to other great ones like Punkâ€s pipe-bomb from 2011, it still delivered and accomplished what it needed to. Breakker had a lot of steam after he turned on Rollins, and he seemed to have cooled off over the last month. From defeating Punk to win WarGames to the promo he had here, itâ€s clear that everything is back on track for him.
With the match between him and Punk set to take place on the first Raw of the new year, it feels like the right time to do a title change. If Breakker is the man that they wanna strap the rocket on, having him win the title on that show would set the tone for 2026. If it ends up not happening there, then it should definitely happen at the Royal Rumble. As tempting as it would be to wait until WrestleMania to have him win the title, this doesnâ€t have the same story that Cody had two years ago to stretch out that long. If thereâ€s one thing anyone walked away from this promo feeling, itâ€s that Punkâ€s days as champion are numbered.
Grade: B+
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Gunther vs. Solo Sikoa
Latest developments:
On the November 17 Raw from Madison Square Garden, Gunther made his return as he defeated Jeâ€Von Evans in a thrilling match to advance in the My Last Time is Now Tournament. On the same night, Solo Sikoa defeated a returning Dolph Ziggler to also advance in the tournament. Last week, Gunther defeated Carmelo Hayes in another competitive match to advance to the semifinals. Later that night, Solo faced Penta in another tournament match where Penta suffered a shoulder injury several minutes into the match. Penta was unable to continue the match due to the injury, so Solo was awarded the match by forfeit and advanced to the semifinals to face Gunther.
As the match took place, Solo blocked a Powerbomb attempt and despite Gunther stopping his Samoan Drop attempt by pulling on his thumb, Solo succeeded with the second attempt for a near fall. Solo went for the Samoan Spike, but Gunther hit him with a hard chop to the chest followed by several more as he backed him into the corner. Solo rebounded with a Spinning Solo Slam and followed that with a Splash from the top rope, but Gunther kicked out. Solo went for another Spike, but Gunther trapped him in the Sleeper until Solo grabbed the rope to escape, and Gunther hit him with a German Suplex as Solo ripped off the top turnbuckle. While the referee was distracted, Talla Tonga hit Gunther with a big boot outside the ring and held him up for Solo to do the Spike before the referee stopped them and Gunther escaped. Gunther later hit Solo with a low blow followed by a Powerbomb to advance to the finals.
Analysis:
For the third straight week, Gunther showed why heâ€s been the MVP of this tournament. Without him, this tournament would be looked down upon a lot more than it has been. As weird of a dynamic as it looked like on paper with Gunther and Solo both being heels, they still put on a great match here. Even though heâ€s worked with people like Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns, this was the best match Solo has ever had on the main roster. While Gunther deserves a lot of the credit for why this match was so good, Solo more than held up his end of it.
With Gunther set to face LA Knight in the finals, that match should be no less good than the ones weâ€ve seen with him so far. Itâ€s a fresh match we havenâ€t seen before with very high stakes, and one thatâ€ll have the crowd invested from start to finish. While this tournament has been underwhelming for the most part, it looks like itâ€s going to have a satisfying conclusion. As great as it would be to see Knight win this tournament considering that he usually doesnâ€t win big matches, a match with him and Cena doesnâ€t have the same appeal as one between Cena and Gunther does. That combined with how great his matches have been throughout the tournament and the fact heâ€s never faced Cena before; Gunther is just too perfect of a final opponent for Cena to let that spot go to someone else.
Grade: A
Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky vs. Charlotte & Alexa Bliss:
Latest developments:
At Survivor Series, Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, AJ Lee, Charlotte, & Alexa Bliss defeated Asuka, Kairi Sane, Becky Lynch, Nia Jax, & Lash Legend in WarGames. Rhea & Iyo came out to open the show this week and challenged Asuka & Kairi for the Womenâ€s Tag Team Championship. The two of them were soon interrupted by Charlotte & Alexa, who claimed they deserved a title shot first since they held the titles last and never got a rematch. Rhea said she respected them, but that they needed to respectfully get to the back of the line since they couldnâ€t beat Asuka & Kairi. Alexa then challenged them to a match for later in the night to decide who would get the next shot at the titles, and Iyo accepted on behalf of her & Rhea.
In the main event of the show, Rhea hit a Riptide onto Alexa as Iyo tagged in and hit the Over the Moonsault, but Charlotte tackled Rhea onto Iyo to interrupt the count. As all four women were down, Asuka & Kairi came into the ring and attacked everyone to end the match on a double disqualification. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria then ran to the ring to fight them off and as Lyra was about to jump off the announce table onto Asuka, Liv Morgan tripped her on top of it. Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez then appeared to attack all the women in the ring and as they held the titles up, Perez handed one of them to Liv. Liv then immediately handed the title back to Perez and she raised up the hands of Raquel & Perez as they held up the titles to end the show.
Analysis:
Before the finish, this was one incredible Tag Team match. With a match as good as this one, having it end with no clear winner was disappointing. While the angle they did after the match didnâ€t fully make up for that, it was still a strong angle that made for a good ending to the show. If it wasnâ€t obvious in the segment earlier in the show, it became very obvious here that Liv is the real leader of Judgment Day. Liv, Raquel, & Perez standing tall together at the end of the show is something weâ€re going to be seeing a lot of on the show in the next few months.
This ending also showed how stacked the womenâ€s tag division is right now compared to the menâ€s. From Asuka/Kairi, Rhea/Iyo, Charlotte/Alexa, Bayley/Lyra, and Raquel/Perez, that division feels more competitive and unpredictable than it ever has since those belts were first introduced. While thereâ€s a case for all these teams to have a run with the titles, the way the show ended makes it seem like Raquel & Perez are going to get them while Liv eventually gets back the Womenâ€s World Title. As great as the post match angle was here and all that it gave us to look forward to, it couldâ€ve still been done while giving us a clear winner to the match. If the match we got here before the finish is any indication, weâ€re going to have an endless amount of great Tag matches involving these women going into 2026.
Grade: B+
A.J. Styles & Dragon Lee vs. New Day
Latest developments:
After being granted a World Tag Team Championship match by Adam Pearce last week, the New Day challenged the champions AJ Styles & Dragon Lee this week. Despite Styles getting the hot tag, New Day would get the better of him as Kofi hit him with a Scissors Kick while Xavier held him up for a near fall. Styles later rebounded and trapped Kofi in the Calf Crusher before Xavier interrupted the hold. As Lee moved out of the way when Kofi attempted the Trouble in Paradise, Lee hit him with a clothesline that knocked him inside out and he then tagged in Styles. Lee then hit Kofi with a double stomp as he hung from the top rope and Kofi fell right into the arms of Styles, who hit him with the Styles Clash to get the win and retain the titles.
Analysis:
The highlight of this match was the finish when Lee stomped onto Kofiâ€s back from the top rope and then Kofi fell into the arms of Styles for the Styles Clash. While a solid match overall, itâ€s hard to get too excited about the Tag Team Division for the men on either show these days. Styles & Lee are a fun team to watch, but itâ€s clear that theyâ€re not a team destined to have the titles long term. With this week being the year anniversary of that great segment when Kofi & Xavier turned on Big E, seeing where they are now is both confusing and sad. The more time goes by, the decision to split both Tag Titles last year looks worse and worse.
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