This week Monday Night Raw was the fallout from Survivor Series. And it was one of the best episodes of 2024. CM Punk, fresh off an electrifying premium live event win alongside Roman Reigns, kicked off Monday Night Raw with a fiery promo that featured Seth Rolins, Sami Zayn and Jey Uso took part.
From then on, WWE began the Women's Intercontinental Championship tournament. A major twist occurred during The New Day's 10th anniversary celebration: Gunther faced Domink while Seth Rollins battled Sami Zayn. The show ended with a big return.
Here are your winners and losers for Raw on December 2, 2024:
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So many stories in one
Monday Night Raw started off with a bang as CM Punk announced that he was back on track to win a championship in WWE. He was quickly interrupted by Seth Rollins. The heated exchange escalated and the two began to argue. When officials couldn't break them up, Jey Uso and Sami Zayn arrived to help. Jey walked CM Punk out and Rollins called Jey out, frustrating Zayn. Rollins apologized, recognizing that Jey was related to Roman Reigns, and said he understood why Jey would be loyal. He then asked Sami what his excuse was. These two related to history and who was responsible for the creation of the monster that was the tribal chief. They challenged each other to a match in the main event.
This opening segment masterfully tied together WWE's deep storylines, weaving together threads from past rivalries and ongoing narratives. Rollins' continued disdain for Reigns keeps him consistent. His clash with Punk reminded fans that there was unfinished business. His fight with Zayn was deeply personal. The segment skillfully combined historical context, character motivations and title implications, laying the foundation for a compelling WrestleMania build.
Loser: Damage CTRL
More Rhea Ripley injury drama
Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez bounced back from their loss at Survivor Series with a big win over Damage CTRL's Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane. This match was meant to show Rodriguez being the difference as her Tejana Bomb secured the victory. After the match, when Judgment Day began defeating Sky and Sane, Rhea Ripley intervened. Morgan ran, but Rodriguez stayed to fight. Eventually it became a two-on-one situation and Ripley was thrown face first onto the announce table. Not great considering her eye socket injury.
Backstage, Rhea told Ripley that she was after Liv and Raquel, then reminded Sky that she would go for the title regardless of who held it after Saturday night's main event. Sky said she was ready.
Winner: Dakota Kai
The first triple threat match of the Women's Intercontinental Championship tournament took place on Monday night. Dakota Kai got a big win over Shayna Baszler and Katana Chance. This was a solid game and it's a big victory for Kai to win here. She hasn't been challenged consistently since her return, and injuries have derailed her good run as a member of Damage CTRL. Still, she is talented and the chance to win the first-ever women's IC title is huge.
Winner: New Day Turns Back on Big E
Nobody saw this coming
“The New Day” delivered one of the most shocking and emotional segments in recent WWE history as Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods turned their backs on Big E. The crowd rushed for Big E surprising return and when he intended to bring his brothers together again, he did so, but not in the way he expected.
Big E said he wanted to come back every week to be their manager. Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston rejected the idea and turned against him, saying it was too late and he had given up on it. They blamed Big E for putting himself above their brotherhood, said some of the worst things imaginable, and called Big E weak for not being able to return from a broken neck sooner. Kofi said, “Yeah, you broke your neck. So what!”
They accused him of prioritizing his “desk job”, new projects and his new girlfriend and could have come back much sooner. They told him to go for a hike, and Woods said, “We'll call you if we need you.”
This unexpected heel turn was shocking. Almost everyone assumed that one of Kofi or Control. Big E begged them not to break up the group, but Woods and Kingston cemented their bond with a handshake, saying, “It's just you and me.”
This was incredibly entertaining and difficult to watch at the same time.
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Winner: Gunther vs. Dominik
Next up is Gunther vs. Finn Balor
Gunther decided to ask Adam Pearce for a favor and have a match with Dominik Mysterio approved for Raw. In an attempt to teach Dom and Finn Balor a lesson, Dom performed well for a while, but Gunther overpowered the smaller heel and won the match. He hit a huge powerbomb for the win. The celebrations were short-lived, however, as Finn Bálor ambushed The Ring General, leaving the World Heavyweight Champion in the lurch after several coup de gras.
This segment not only set up the match between Gunther and Finn Balor for Saturday night's main event, but also all but confirmed that WWE is making Gunther a babyface.
Loser: R-Truth defeated Pete Dunne
Another butch storyline?
For every step forward Pete Dunn takes, he seems to take two steps back. This week he lost to R-Truth with a roll-up pin because he was too distracted when the live audience called him “Butch.” The sad thing was that this wasn't an organic chant from the WWE Universe. WWE started this by talking about his previous nickname and they wanted that reaction.
This was a short match that made Dunne look stupid.
Winner: Drew McIntyre returns
Targets Sami Zayn
In the main event, Seth Rollins defeated Sami Zayn in a hard-fought battle. The win came after Zayn was angry that Rollins had previously attacked Jey Uso backstage and was hesitant to use a steel chair against him. Rollins took advantage of the moment and convinced Zayn to drop the chair before quickly rolling it up for the pin. After the match, a frustrated Zayn received a goodbye lesson from Rollins, who praised his heart but urged him to start using his head.
Rollins left the ring and as Zayn got up, he was hit with a Claymore Kick out of nowhere. Drew McIntyre was back and set his sights on Zayn.
Why? McIntyre had his goal in mind on Zayn? It's likely we'll get an explanation next week.