The penultimate "WWE Raw" before the show shifts to Netflix wasn't the most eventful episode in the long-running show's history, but it did feature some significant character development and continued the build toward one of the biggest matches in recent WWE memory between CM Punk and Seth Rollins.

Let's get right into it, shall we?

McIntyre's mayhem continues

"Raw" opened with Drew McIntyre essentially cutting a television version of his "Busted Open Radio" promo from earlier this month. McIntyre claimed that the WWE locker room and fans don't care about him and showed it after he returned home to Scotland for a funeral following his brutal Hell in a Cell match against CM Punk in October.

As McIntyre's intensity ratcheted up, Sami Zayn came out and matched it with a passionate promo defending the fans and delivering the...

👑 Uncrowned Gem of the Night 👑

Yes, it's early for this and it was a relatively subtle line in the opening segment, but Zayn referring to McIntyre as "the chosen one" was ::chef's kiss::.

For those unaware, McIntyre was essentially tabbed to be the next big thing in WWE 15 years ago. It didn't work out then, but certainly has since his return to the company in the late 2010s. This promo was pure 🔥.

Anyhow, back to the regularly scheduled recap.

Zayn sold that he hasn't been 100% since the two battled on Saturday Night's Main Event, but wanted a fight on Monday anyway. After eating an initial slap, McIntyre gained the advantage before Jey Uso's music hit and he made the save. A match between Zayn and McIntyre was made official for the night's main event, with Uso saying he wanted next if his OG Bloodline comrade failed (foreshadowing?).

Zayn and McIntyre put on a banger in the main event, with the violence and intensity of McIntyre shining through in a way that is befitting his current character. These two have excellent chemistry in the ring and you'll never hear me complain about them getting 15-20 minutes of TV time to close a show. McIntyre won — as he usually does against Zayn — and again began to beat him down before Uso made the save. This time, Uso was thwarted by Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga as their loose affiliation with McIntyre from "SmackDown" carried over here.

As I wrote in last week's "SmackDown" recap, McIntyre is one of the best things going in WWE right now. Monday progressed his story further and in a direction toward a potential showdown with Cody Rhodes in the not-so-distant future.

Hart-broken

The final spot in the semifinals of the Women's Intercontinental Championship tournament was the first in-ring action we saw on Monday night.

Considering the history of the Hart family and the Intercontinental Championship, it would have been a storybook ending for Natalya, who is a future WWE Hall of Famer and one of the greatest — and dare I say, underrated — female stars in wrestling history.

Natalya got her chance on Monday, facing off against Alba Fyre and Iyo Sky (more on her later) in a triple-threat match. There was just one problem.

She touched the belt.

The second Natalya laid her fingers on the displayed championship ringside before the match, it was clear that she wasn't going to advance in the tournament. It's like the Stanley Cup — you don't touch it until you win it. Superstition is a powerful thing, my friends.

That being said, if the Women's IC championship is going to carry the same reputation as the men's — aka the "worker's" championship — Sky was the right choice to win this match and probably the whole tournament. Natalya's time will come, but Sky is more than deserving of being the inaugural champion.

Clock's ticking on the Judgment Day

I can understand if the bickering between Finn Balor and Liv Morgan was a little too corny for some — I loved it, personally — but it's getting to a point where we need to break up the stable sooner rather than later.

Dominik Mysterio — who gets just about more heat from the fans than anyone in recent memory — essentially got squashed by Damian Priest before his "plan" was revealed and JD McDonagh, Carlito and Balor assaulted their former comrade. Eventually, the War Raiders came in for the save and the babyfaces stood tall, but this whole segment did no one any favors.

If Balor is feuding with Morgan, why would he come to the aid of her kayfabe boyfriend? Make it make sense. McDonagh and Carlito are essentially comedy acts at this point and Balor — a legitimate, main-event-level talent — is getting quasi-buried here. That'll continue with a six-man tag match next week on Raw.

So, here's my proposal.

Balor HAS to cost Morgan the Women's World Championship on the Netflix "Raw" debut on Jan. 6. It doesn't mean the Judgment Day reunites with Rhea Ripley — she's more than capable on her own — but it does create the possibility for a Balor-vs.-Mysterio match and the de facto end of this stable and storyline. (Balor should win here and go back to his roots.)

Unlike the Bloodline saga, where most everyone involved is elevated by association, the Judgment Day storyline is overstaying its welcome and doing little to benefit those in the mix.

The mother of all heel turns

I purposefully mentioned Mysterio gets "just about more heat" than anyone else in the previous segment because Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods have received jeers so loud you can barely hear what they are saying during promos.

Arguably the most shocking heel turn of 2024 continued on Monday, with Kingston discussing about how his Boston homecoming was ruined and how his mother — who he said he flew in from Ghana on a middle seat — didn't deserve to see this.

Well, even Mama Kingston turned on her son, refusing to hug him and leaving her ringside seat. It'll be interesting to see who the first big feud is for Kingston and Woods, especially after being confronted by Rey Mysterio backstage — again.

Punk vs. Rollins

This is being built up to be a potential Match of the Year candidate for 2025.

Seth Rollins appeared in a pre-taped interview with Jackie Redmond and explained that he needed to cut out the cancer that he considers to be CM Punk from his mind and from the company. It wasn't a particularly impactful promo, but the two men squared off at a WWE/Netflix promotional event last week and it's being billed as the main event for the Jan. 6 "Raw" debut on the streaming platform.

On a card that has Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa and likely multiple title matches on it, Rollins vs. Punk getting that slot is a big deal.

We'll see how much tension builds next week as both will be "under one roof," per the "Raw" promo graphics.

👍 MONDAY NIGHT MONEY 👍

1. WWE continues to tease Pentagon Jr.'s arrival. I cannot wait for this — and neither should you.

2. Damian Priest broke out a torture rack on Dominik Mysterio in the early stages of that match. I cannot remember the last time I saw this used in a match and it's subjectively awesome.

3. Alba Fyre may not have advanced in her IC title match against Natalya and Iyo Sky, but she was impressive nonetheless, particularly when she landed a Swanton off the top rope and a pretty unique submission move.

👎 RAW DEAL 👎

1. Drake was right last week when he wanted the Final Testament/Miz/Wyatt Sicks feud to be over. We got another DQ finish and chaotic brawl between the factions Monday. The crowd still pops for the Sicks' entrances and theatrics, but there's little substance beyond those few minutes each week.

2. Speaking of feuds that should end — Chad Gable beat his former friend/protege Akira Tozawa on Monday and will get Otis next week. It feels like both stables — American Made and Alpha Academy — are stuck in neutral.

👑 I give this show a Crown score of: 7/10. 👑