RAW on Netflix: The Judgement Day Collects Tag Team Gold

While the John Cena retirement run has had inconceivable moments, the record-breaking world titlist is currently enjoying the best storyline in WWE right now. Sure, the stakes and consequences of Cena’s plan to ‘ruin wrestling’ are far greater a threat to the company, but the simplicity of the story and the ability of fans to follow is a point that cannot be overlooked, especially considering the alternative ‘major storylines’ currently occupying WWE TV.

The biggest issue with Seth Rollins and RAW right now is the lack of direction, stemming from too much direction. Without going into the entire timeline and current landscape of this program, simply put, the Heyman-led faction is struggling with too many unrelated variables. The whole faction was built on the idea of a ‘grand scheme’ with multilevel planning and execution, yet pissing off Sami Zayn , Penta, LA Knight , CM Punk, Roman Reigns , Jey Uso , Cody Rhodes, and unintentionally aligning Cena as an ally to your enemies cannot be ‘part of the blueprint.’

Gunther, Just A Place Holder?

So, when Gunther came out to cut his promo on Goldberg ahead of their match at SNME, you just knew that everyone EXCEPT Goldberg was coming out to muddy the waters. Aside from the lack of genuine build, Creative did not even attempt to answer the question of “what’s next” should Goldberg successfully win the heavyweight title from Gunther in his ‘adopted hometown’ of Atlanta.

Seth Rollins came out to let Gunther know that he did not go to Saudi to ‘cash-in’ because more importantly than the briefcase was ‘standing on the business’ of not allowing CM Punk to become the WWE world champion. Rollins pressed upon Gunther the importance of keeping Punk from his goal, but that only prompted Punk to join the in-ring party. Punk did not come with a mic in hand, and instead, he delivered a beating to Seth before pushing Gunther to the ground with a warning to ‘stay out of his business.’

Punk beat Rollins out of the ring, and Rollins regained his composure around the same time as he did his bravery, noting that he was deep into the fans’ section and far away from Punk. That is when LA Knight ‘returned’ to confront Seth, and the two brawled in front of the merch stands and concession. The may lay comes nearly two weeks after Knight was taken out by Rollins and co.

It is impossible to predict where this will lead and who will present the biggest challenge to whatever plans Rollins has in store for the upcoming slate of events. That said, it is strange to see Punk and Rollins continuing a feud that felt concluded—not to mention one that has not really moved the needle for the fans nor presents any new layers.

For now, we know that Rollins and Knight will face off at SNME, which was made official due to Punk’s contention.

Main Event: Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed vs. Sami Zayn & Penta

As for the remaining cast members, a tag match featuring the ‘featured players’ in NOC’s finale was booked, but the faces would have to go into the match at a disadvantage. Aside from Penta’s beatdown last week, Zayn was attacked by Karrion Kross earlier in the night. Kross, who lost to Zayn at NOC, continued his own side story with Zayn as he continues the ‘good fight’ as a face.

The crossover of this story makes sense and adds to the stakes for a potential Zayn turn, but not meshing Kross into the main event madness is the way to go, and it has a greater impact away from the overall story being told at the top of the roster.

Breakker and Reed took the win over the faces, and they were ordered to ‘take them off the board,’ but before they could start the post-match beatdown, Jey Uso came out with a chair and took out Breakker in the entryway. That left Reed in the ring, where Jey managed to take the big man out with the chair and superkick for good measure.

With Jey and Reed paired and Breakker-Penta also in the mix, this leaves Punk out, now joining Knight-Rollins.

Rhea’s Days Of Judgement Behind Her?

Iyo Sky might be the longest transitional champion in company history. After successfully winning the WWE women’s world title just before WrestleMania 41(lifting it from Rhea Ripley just weeks before she was to defend it against Bianca Belair), Sky was able to retain the title against some hefty odds. Yet, she has been an afterthought since Mania, without a single program or title defense of note.

Rhea, on the other hand, has remained a vital player in the company’s post-Mania booking, although her ‘feud’ with The Judgement Day has long been played out with the most interesting aspects of the story wrapped up, and the most interesting person (Liv) on the shelf. Still, she went out on Saturday and delivered arguably the best match of the card in a winning effort against Raquel Rodriguez. The Street Fight was one of the brightest spots on the card, and soon after the win, speculation began that Iyo Sky would be her reward.

Sure enough, Sky came out during Rhea’s opening segment promo and confirmed the title match. Sky has been without any title challengers, and now her first of the summer will be running it back with Rhea. There is no doubt that Rhea’s stock is high right now, and her popularity continues to test the theoretical ceiling placed on every superstar’s potential.

Sky, though, deserves more in this spot. It will seem like a wasted effort if Rhea fails to capture the title after the run she has been on (not to mention the hit that both the women’s roster and Evolution’s booking took after Liv’s injury), but it also feels like a wasted title run if this is how Iyo’s reign comes to an end.

New Day(c) vs. Finn Balor & JD McDonagh (Judgement Day)

The New Day heel run started with a bang and ended with a transitional title exchange. Xavier and Kofi rode a hot program as long as they could without being given any tangible creativity. For Judgement Day, though, they have ridden a wave of popularity around Dom Mysterio’s accession as IC champ, and JD McDonagh’s return from injury met with a baby face response from the fans.

For Finn’s part, he has masterfully kept TJD’s storyline relevant despite losing Liv Morgan, and Finn continues to forcibly insert Perez deeper into the faction, especially where it concerns Dom.

The match was a banger, and the idea that we could have gotten a full PLE length match out of this was the match’s only downer. In the end, JD and Finn came out with the win and brought more gold to TJD. For a faction that was on the verge of implosion, they are now one of the most dominant groups in pro wrestling (again).

Triple Threat Incoming

Bayley and Lyra Valkyria continued to feud over the right to feud with current women’s intercontinental champion Becky Lynch. After Bayley was unsuccessful in her challenge for the title, it became clear that Lyra would not go away unless she was added to the feud. Sure enough, Lyra inserted herself into the equation and, eventually, the actual match.

Tonight, GM Adam Pearce had enough of the back and forth between Bayley and Lyra and decided to book them both in a number one contender’s match for the IC title. Of course, the match ended in a controversial draw, leading to the inevitable announcement of a triple threat match for the IC title, which is likely to be booked for July’s Evolution.