The first “Raw” season began after Survivor Series which would lead us to WrestleMania in April. With the Royal Rumble still two months away, an announcement was already made that Braun Breaker will challenge CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship on the first “Raw” of 2026. Liv Morgan made a powerful statement in her first Monday appearance since June. No, the identity of the masked man who interfered at the end of the men’s WarGames match on Saturday was no closer to being revealed, nor was the next challenger for the women’s tag team titles, which was the focus of the main event — a pleasant surprise in itself.
1 December ‘raw’ results
• LA Knight def. Jey Uso in the semi-finals of “The Last Time Is Now” tournament
• AJ Styles and Dragon Lee def. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) to retain the WWE World Tag Team Championship
• Gunther defeated. Solo Sequoia in the semi-finals of “The Last Time Is Now” tournament
• Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss vs. Rhea Ripley and Io Sky ended in a no contest
The star of the show was Liv Morgan
Since returning to WWE to help Dominic Mysterio win the Intercontinental Championship from John Cena at Survivor Series last weekend, Morgan has been establishing himself as the leader of The Judgment Day, announcing that he will once again run “Raw”.
After slapping “Dirty Dom” again before leaping into his arms, Morgan led an absolutely chaotic scene to end the show. Several women’s tag teams came running into the ring and a big brawl broke out between Flair and Bliss vs. Ripley and Sky, with The Judgment Day’s Raquel Rodriquez and Roxanne Perez holding the tag titles. Morgan was offered one, but she gave it back, centering herself between Rodriguez and Pérez and raising her arms in the show’s closing shot.
This was a “Raw” statement for Morgan and established The Judgment Day as the favorites to challenge The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) for the Tag Team Titles. I wouldn’t be surprised if a No. 1 contender’s match – perhaps involving The Judgment Day, Ryo, Flair and Bliss and Lyra Valkyria and Bayley – is in the works to determine who will face Asuka and Sane.
more takeaway
• The last 30 minutes of “Raw” were a great spotlight on the women’s tag team division, which featured several talented WWE stars whose focus was not on the Women’s World Championship but on the tag team titles, which added additional value and prestige.
Not only that, but tag team wrestling as a whole is thriving. This week’s “Raw” featured a men’s tag team title match and a women’s tag team main event. There have been times in history when tag team wrestling was an afterthought rather than an important part of the show. That certainly wasn’t the case Monday night.
• After Manager Paul Heyman announced that Breaker would challenge Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship on the January 5 edition of “Raw”, Braun Breaker delivered an emotional promo addressed to CM Punk. Braun presented it with a lot of emotion and packed a lot of information (and threats) into a very short amount of time. He made his point, but the inevitable back-and-forth with Punk on the mic will likely really determine whether Breaker can sink or swim with the best of the best.
I have mixed feelings about the title match. On one hand, I think the year will start with a bang. Punk vs. Breaker will definitely do that. This is a new opponent for Punk and the biggest match of Breaker’s young career. On the other hand, I don’t think Punk will lose this match. Can Breaker win and keep Punk chasing the title until WrestleMania? Possibly. But I’d be more in favor of Punk winning and introducing a new opponent on the road to WrestleMania. This isn’t necessarily a terrible thing for Breaker, who could return to the title picture at some point in the future.
• LA Knight and Gunther won “The Last Time Is Now” Semifinal Match and will meet on Friday’s “SmackDown” to determine who will face Cena in his final match on December 13. Gunther has been the heavy favorite to win and move into the main event of Saturday Night, but some are plotting to see a surprise opponent instead of Cena. I wouldn’t mind LA Knight defeating Gunther, as I would like to see how he performs as a world champion and it would definitely motivate him. Gunther, a former world champion, does not need a victory over Cena to regain championship status.
• Jey Uso broke down after losing to Knight. I like these wrinkles in her character, because she needs something to stay fresh. His entrance into WWE shows will always be a highlight that fans (especially kids) wait for. But there need to be more layers to Uso’s next chapter for fans to see her range. He has to fight to overcome his character and maybe someday earn a world championship. No one wants to see him suffer the fate that we have seen other talented wrestlers in the past win the title at WrestleMania, retain the title for a short period of time, lose and never regain that spot.
