Mami vs The Man: The highly anticipated main event fight on this week’s broadcast of Monday Night Raw was between Seth Rollins and, as AEW’s Tony Khan contended, an unworthy Jinder Mahal. Rollins gave a backstage promo explanation of why he still accepts challenges from everyone. Would Mahal, the underdog, be able to overcome his inclination to fight so frequently?
Additionally, there were two tag team matches between The Judgement Day and Xavier Woods; the return of Intercontinental Champion Gunther; an unexpected victory by Akira Tozawa; a match between Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley (Mami vs The Man); and a match between Ludwig Kaiser and Xavier Woods.
Your Raw results for January 15, 2024 are as follows:
Winner: Cody Rhodes Meets Drew McIntyre Face-to-Face
In the run-up to the Royal Rumble, WWE presented fans with yet another plot. In a gripping opening segment, Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre engaged in a verbal sparring match, drawing attention to their previous altercation. According to the legend, both wrestlers won the Rumble after departing from WWE to refine their craft. Two championship wins under his belt, McIntyre challenged Rhodes, voicing his displeasure that The American Dream ended his narrative at McIntyre’s expense. McIntyre expressed his displeasure that Cody had brought Jey Uso to Raw and claimed that this was his tale to conclude.
Rhodes approached McIntyre over resentment. He said, “I am thankful for my second chances, and you are just complaining about yours,” Then, to McIntyre’s dismay, he brought up the result of their previous encounter on the independent circuit some years prior. Many WWE fans undoubtedly were unaware of their history until this interesting segment revealed it.
You might also be interested in reading this: Ranking the Top 5 All-Time Greatest Wrestling Commentators
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa were the winners.
On Monday night, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa defeated Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh of The Judgement Day, bringing them one step closer to a chance to defend the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship. The heels dominated the fast-paced bout at first, but Ciampa’s hot tag helped the babyfaces come back. DIY finished McDonagh off after taking out Mysterio. It is intriguing to think that Ciampa and Gargano will challenge Finn Balor and Damian Priest for the tag belts. Fans can’t wait to see how the plot develops if this is the route that is selected.
Loser: Women’s Tag Team Action
The women’s tag team category appeared to regress on Monday night after making progress in recent weeks. The quick victory by Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell against Chelsea Green and Piper Niven didn’t reveal anything about the work rates of these two teams. The sentiment was echoed in a subsequent match pitting Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark against Natalya and Tegan Nox.
Both bouts were hurried and gave their all throughout the allotted time. LeRae pulled off the shocking upset victory, but the narrative revolved around the conflict between Chelsea Green and Adam Pearce. Green grumbled about having an official once more, whom she believes is trying to harm her. Stark and Baszler prevailed in their match rather comfortably.
Winner: Ludwig Kaiser vs. Xavier Woods
As he announced his return to Raw, intercontinental champion Gunther stated his goal to win the Royal Rumble. He acknowledged Ludwig Kaiser’s vicious attack on Kofi Kingston and thanked him for his intensity during Gunther’s absence after announcing his availability for the bout. In reaction, Xavier Woods entered the arena and immediately issued Kaiser a challenge to a fight. Gunther moved aside so Kaiser could accept, and the two engaged in combat for over half an hour.
The game was really good. In the end, their rage got the better of them, and Woods lost when he used the announcer’s chair to confront Kaiser. The brawl became more intense after the fight, but Kaiser continued to pick apart Woods backstage. Jey Uso broke up the beatdown. The eventual game may pit Uso against Gunther, but this section suggests a rivalry between Uso and Kaiser.
Winner/Loser: Ivar is upset by Akira Tozawa
This week in the ongoing war between Alpha Academy and Ivar, it was Akira Tozawa who entered as the clear underdog and sought revenge on Otis. On paper, Tozowa didn’t really have a chance, and it looked like Ivar would win the match early on. Though Tozawa had to contend with Ivar’s greater bulk and strength, he took advantage of a brief diversion from his opponent provided by Maxxine Dupri. With a sunset flip powerbomb from the middle rope, Tozawa sealed the victory.
Regretfully, after the game, Ivar attacked Tozawa and Valhalla attacked Dupri. The two members of Alpha Academy were destroyed by the heels. Backstage, Chad Gable declared his intention to teach Ivar the fundamentals of being an alpha, while Ivy Nile promised to exact retribution for Valhalla’s acts. Officially, both had games scheduled for the next week.
Winner: Mami vs The Man WrestleMania Tease
On Monday night, Becky Lynch suddenly said that she thought Rhea Ripley would be a superior rival, interrupting Mami’s in-ring commercial. This revealed the creative direction for Rhea Ripley and the Women’s World Championship. Lynch promised to defeat Ripley in the Women’s Royal Rumble match and challenge her at WrestleMania 40 in order to disprove her. The fans adored her request for Mami vs The Man.
Ripley said she wanted to win the match and the title to show she was the greatest. The thought of a WrestleMania match appeals to me because of their instant connection. Although Lynch is still expected to win the Rumble, a Lynch vs. Ripley fight is expected to be a major event if that is the case.
Loser: Judgement Day vs. Awesome Truth
Even though R-Truth is a funny guy, this piece wasn’t his greatest work. He lost all the money he had made earlier in the evening while attempting to sell Judgement Day items. After that, he was uncertain about his opponent for the duration of the battle. He lost a duel against Damian Priest and Finn Balor because of this ambiguity.
Winner/Loser: Jinder Mahal vs. Seth Rollins
The last game of the evening on Monday night was highly anticipated and garnered a lot of interest on social media. It was a smart move to schedule the match to give the impression that The Modern Day Maharaja had a chance, as few people probably thought Mahal would prevail. Simultaneously, the tired cliché of Rollins appearing to be losing and then winning in the closing seconds is beginning to get stale.
Outside of the ring, Damian Priest and Drew McIntyre engaged in several additional action-packed moments during the bout. The tension was increased by Indus Sher’s constant meddling, and even though The Visionary won with a stomp, this was really quite well executed. What was worrying was that Rollins could have a legitimate knee problem. Hopefully, it’s nothing major and Rollins was just trying to sell it.
