WWE Raw aired from Atlanta, Georgia last night in the final episode of Raw before Saturday’s Royal Rumble, and it sure felt like some seeds were being planted for stories down the road. It also gave us the tease of the WrestleMania main event we didn’t realize we wanted until right now. From Cody Rhodes potentially setting the stage for a shocking heel turn to a terrifying injury suffered during a match, the night was full of twists and turns. Here’s some of what went down.
Cody Rhodes’ Heel Turn?

The main event of the evening featured a brilliant promo exchange between Cody Rhodes and CM Punk that teased significant tension. Cody, now starting to outwardly look visibly fatigued from the pressures of being WWE Champion, admitted to feeling isolated and overburdened. CM Punk, who has been at the top of his game the last few weeks, hit the bullseye with another epic delivery on the mic as he declared his intention to win the Royal Rumble and face Cody at WrestleMania, stating, “I’m going to stab you in the front.”
Cody fired back, asserting that Punk was no longer “the best in the world,” and issued a bold challenge for Punk to catch up to him. Cody’s demeanor, the way he grabbed Punk, combined with his pointed remarks, left fans speculating that a heel turn may be in the works for the American Nightmare—a direction that could shake up WWE’s storytelling heading into WrestleMania, and without a doubt give us something juicy in the aftermath.
JD McDonagh Suffers a Serious Injury

During the World Tag Team Championship match, JD McDonagh of The Judgment Day suffered a terrifying injury. McDonagh landed awkwardly on the broadcast table following an Asai moonsault, striking his head and neck, causing commentator Michael Cole to actually break character from outwardly criticizing the heel team and call for help while commending McDonagh’s gutsy performance.
Despite appearing woozy, McDonagh somehow continued the match, showcasing incredible resilience and even pulling off an unbelievable moonsault, made all the more impressive by the fact he couldn’t breathe. However, it was later revealed that McDonagh had broken ribs and punctured a lung in the incident. The War Raiders retained their titles in a hard-fought battle, but McDonagh’s injury overshadowed the outcome, highlighting the risks these wrestlers take every time they step into the ring. It’s still real, folks.

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Roman Reigns and John Cena Are Absent

Surprisingly, two of WWE’s biggest stars—Roman Reigns and John Cena—were absent from Raw’s go-home show. This left fans wondering why neither made an appearance ahead of one of WWE’s marquee events. Paul Heyman carried the torch for Reigns, cutting his usual stellar promo hyping his Tribal Chief’s dominance and the Royal Rumble, while Drew McIntyre interrupted him to promise he would eliminate both of Heyman’s guys — Reigns and CM Punk. Meanwhile, Cena’s absence was less explained on-screen, although it’s believed he’s currently overseas shooting his new movie Matchbox. While both are expected to play significant roles at WrestleMania, their absence from such a pivotal show did not go unnoticed.
The New Day Drama

Adding to the night’s drama was Xavier Woods’ humiliating defeat to Rey Mysterio. In a great twist, Woods’ own family—seated ringside—revealed anti-New Day “New Day Sucks” shirts, which was genuinely hilarious. Woods’ family even cut a promo on him during the commercial break, criticizing his behavior. Rey celebrated with Woods’ family after the match, adding insult to injury.
Logan Paul Shakes Up Raw

We also saw the return of the most hateable man in WWE as Logan Paul returned to Raw, interrupting an electric promo exchange between Seth Rollins and Gunther, and declaring his entry into the Royal Rumble in typically over-the-top fashion, drawing immense boos from the crowd. Even the heel Gunther drew cheers when he said he wanted Paul to win the Rumble just so he could beat him afterward. We knew he was funny!
Sami Zayn Keeps Getting in Trouble With His Friends

Sami Zayn and Drew McIntyre had a huge back-and-forth battle that had the Atlanta crowd fired up but, per usual, Zayn fell short as McIntyre used the ropes for leverage to pin Zayn in just under 15 minutes. However, it was the post-match where things got messy, as Lola Young might say. McIntyre, ever the gracious victor, attacked Zayn again, which prompted Cody Rhodes to run down to help out. Kevin Owens, Rhodes’ opponent at the Rumble, then blindsided Cody, and in the confusion, Zayn accidentally hit Cody with a Helluva Kick, the second time in a week that he’s taken out one of his friends having done the same to Seth Rollins last week. Now, either he’s a really clumsy guy or he’s playing a very clever game. This one also sowed the seeds of doubt after Owens told Zayn he knew Zayn would have his back against Rhodes at the Rumble. I wonder…
All in all, it was a pretty newsworthy show that set up some tantalizing story threads for the Rumble and beyond. This time next week, we’ll have two WrestleMania main events locked in. WWE Royal Rumble streams this Saturday on Peacock, starting at 6 PM ET.

WWE Raw

Release Date

January 11, 1993

Directors

Kevin Dunn

Writers

Daniel Truly, Paul Heyman, Patrice O’Neal, Virgil Runnels, Stephanie McMahon

Cast

Chris Mordetzky

Chris Masters

Maria Kanellis-Bennett

Maria