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The WWE RAW after Survivor Series was packed with fire and emotion. If you saw the episode, you know exactly which part was the most emotional. We'll get to that.
But the rest of it was pretty big, too, with lots of seeds being planted. This feels like the start of an extended road to WrestleMania 41. Things are only going to pick up from here and we didn't even mention Gunther's beef with The Judgment Day!
So, with that in mind, here are the biggest positives and negatives from tonight's episode of WWE RAW.
#3. Best: Drew McIntyre is back on WWE RAW
WWE RAW ended with the return of Drew McIntyre, who hadn't been seen since his Hell in a Cell Match with CM Punk two months ago. The Scottish Warrior hit a Claymore on Sami Zayn after he seemingly attacked Jey Uso backstage. One less mystery to be solved.
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Anyway, McIntyre's presence was sorely missed on the show. His in-ring and character work will make WWE RAW even better than it is, especially after having the greatest match of the year in his last appearance. Welcome back, Drew McIntyre!
#2. Worst: Butch Pete loses
Well, this was a waste of time. Not only did R-Truth vs. Pete Dunne take minutes away from Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn's main event on WWE RAW, but the wrong man won.
After mistakenly being called Butch by Truth for so long, you'd think Dunne would finally get some revenge. That wasn't the case. Instead, The Bruiserweight lost via roll-up. It's unfortunate to see how far he's fallen after what seemed to be a career-changing feud with Sheamus.
#2. Best: Seth Rollins teases a turn
While we touched on Drew McIntyre's return and the main event of WWE RAW, the promo that set it up was excellent. What started as CM Punk implying he wanted to main event WrestleMania 41 led to a brawl between him and Seth Rollins before Jey Uso and Sami Zayn broke them up.
The Visionary then criticized The Honorary Uce for teaming with Roman Reigns in WarGames, even calling him stupid. Zayn is always great as the babyface who fights from underneath, especially when he has enough fire within him.
The unseen backstage attack on Uso got that out of him, even if it wasn't Rollins who did it. Regardless, this feels like the start of a slow-burning heel turn ahead of his potential rivalry with Punk.
#1. Best/Worst: 10 years and it's over
The only reason The New Day segment can be considered a 'Worst' is because of how they broke our hearts. No matter what happens, they will never be the same again.
This was masterfully done, with Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston initially being set to part ways amicably before Big E returned. He declared that he would be their managers until he was cleared to return to the ring. Everything seemed positive, until it wasn't.
Woods and Kingston completely tore into Big E, with the common theme being he abandoned them. He did not return to their side after breaking his neck in March 2022. And while The Powerhouse of Positivity moved on, The New Day suffered from it.
They turned heel on their brother in the most heartbreaking way possible on WWE RAW, bringing up his projects, desk job, and even his girlfriend. Big E couldn't even do anything about it, at least until he is cleared. However, this now means Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods are more strongly bonded than ever.
At least the two active members of The New Day are still together. That's still something, right? Right?!
