This week Monday Night Raw To kick off this show, the brand's top women shared the ring. The segment ended with a huge return. From there, Chad Gable surrendered to the Creed Brothers after a loss, Sheamus fought Bron Breakker for the Intercontinental Championship, and the War Raiders secured a win but ended up paying for it. Finally, the Men's War Games teams have been determined, with The Original Bloodline possibly finding the fifth member of their team.
Here are your winners and losers for Monday Night Raw, November 18, 2024:
Winner: Rhea Ripley returns to the Women's War Games Match
The Women's War Games match is full of talent
The opening segment with Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez set the stage for an exciting showdown as they invited the rest of their War Games team into the ring. After a bit of trash talk from Nia Jax, the other teams showed up, eventually joined by the returning Rhea Ripley to finalize the Women's War Games teams. Ripley has not been seen on the show since the parking lot segment in NXT where Morgan and Rodriguez incapacitated her.
This Survivor Series match is packed with talent. The addition of top stars like Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, Iyo Sky and Naomi against the likes of Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton and Candice LeRae balanced the heel side and made for an intense rivalry. There are so many storylines underlying the game that this could go in any direction.
It was smart to end the segment with the babyfaces standing tall. Overall, the women's division emerged victorious here, with the return of Ripley adding another star to an already crowded field.
Winner: Chad Gable Pumps Up American Made
Tough Love seems to work for the Creed Brothers
The LWO's victory over Chad Gable and Ivy Nile in a mixed tag team match on Monday night gave victory to Rey Mysterio and Zelina Vega. The game result was not the big takeaway from this segment. After the match, Chad Gable took out his frustration on the Creed Brothers. While the crowd seemed to think there would be a split, the opposite happened. The team rallied behind Gable's direct style and seemed to appreciate the tough love.
It will be interesting to see where this goes. The idea that the Creed Brothers respond well to aggressive motivational tactics is something WWE tried with Imperium but didn't implement. If Gable's tireless leadership style leads them to the Tag Team Championships, that would be ideal. The opposite could happen and potential tensions could overwhelm the group.
Loser: Sheamus fails to regain the Intercontinental Title
Ludwig Kaiser sent a message to Sheamus
Although Ludwig Kaiser could be considered the winner, the real loser of the match between Bron Breakker and Sheamus was The Celtic Warrior. Sheamus' relentless pursuit of the elusive Intercontinental Championship resulted in another failed attempt on Monday night. He had a solid match against Breakker that included several near falls, but the match didn't end cleanly.
It was unlikely that WWE would take the IC Title away from Breakker so quickly, so the match ending in a disqualification was probably the only way. But when will Sheamus finally win this championship? At this point it starts to feel like never before.
The positive thing about this section was Ludwig Kaiser's intensity. He was brutal in his attack and threatened not to stop until Sheamus was finally finished.
Loser: The War Raiders are missing something
Judgment Day has softened the War Raiders
En route to a title shot against Finn Balor and JD McDonagh, the War Raiders picked up a victory over Carlito and Dominik Mysterio on Monday. It was a pretty decisive win and the right creative decision to set up future title contention. However, the tag team seems to be missing something since abandoning their Viking gimmicks.
The War Raiders are huge and athletic, but now that they've lost any sense of originality, they're also kind of boring. Balor and McDonagh attacked after the match was over and Judgment Day defeated the Raid, with all four members standing over their fallen opponents.
Fans don't seem to accept this new version of Erik and Ivar. WWE needs to find something to make the team stand out. They need a certain personality to match their solid performances in the ring.
Winner: WWE prepares Seth Rollins to join the original bloodline
Rollins is attacked by Bronson Reed and the new bloodline
Backstage, Jey and Jimmy Uso, along with Sami Zayn, tried to convince Seth Rollins to stand by their side at the War Games. Rollins said he would do it with any of them, but he would never, under any circumstances, stand at Roman Reigns' side. Rollins had a one-on-one match with Bronson Reed in the main event.
The New Bloodline showed up, leading to The Usos and Zayn coming to the ring to fight them off. Once the New Bloodline was neutralized, a one-on-one match could resume. It wasn't until later in the game that Rollins began to find his rhythm. Rollins worked to knock Reed off his feet. Rollins performed some high-flying maneuvers. Solo Sikoa appeared. Reed is a Death Valley rider and two sentons. He then resorts to Psunami to secure victory in the rematch.
It was a solid game with a lot going on. After the fight, Sikoa came into the ring to celebrate with Reed. Rollins hasn't officially joined the original bloodline, but it seems inevitable that he will. How Rollins will handle things with Reigns will be the big storyline of Survivor Series.
