The longest running weekly episodic television show in history, WWE Monday Night RAW. WWE’s flagship show celebrated its 30th anniversary on January 23rd, 2023. Here are some quick thoughts on the show:

Sami Zayn Stays in The Bloodline… For Now.

There was a lot of speculation about this segment. Fans have been waiting for months for the Bloodline to turn on Sami, and we will have to continue to wait. WWE teased Solo Sikoa, spiking Sami, but Jey Uso saved him, to the fans’ delight. What a moment that continued to play with the fan’s emotions even more.

The storytelling between Reigns and Zayn was expectational. I mean both guys could have a career in Hollywood after WWE. Week after week, it becomes more believable that Sami Zayn could be a world champion in WWE someday. Hopefully.

The Tribal Chief declares @SamiZayn not guilty … for now.@WWERomanReigns @HeymanHustle @WWESoloSIkoa @WWEUsos#RawXXX pic.twitter.com/2upsmoIZpn

— WWE (@WWE) January 24, 2023

The Usos & Judgement Day Put on an Absolute Classic

What a match, I mean WHAT A MATCH!!!

The run the Usos have been on has been legendary, and tonight segmented that. You could make the argument this was their best match in their historic reign.

When the match seemed to near its conclusion, WWE did an injury angle with Jimmy Uso hurting his knee and being taken backstage. WWE had Sami Zayn step up and come in clutch to help the Usos retain.

The drama was impeccable, and the false finishes made you believe the Judgement Day was going to win. Really, really great stuff here.

SAMI DID IT!!!#AndStill @WWEUsos @SamiZayn #RawXXX pic.twitter.com/BtLUJWWVTP

— WWE (@WWE) January 24, 2023

Bray Wyatt & The Undertaker?!

It finally happened. The Undertaker and Bray Wyatt in the same ring. In 2023. What a special moment.

LA Knight was in the ring cutting a promo on his match with Bray Wyatt this Saturday. He called out the WWE Legends backstage, and out came the Undertaker. Bray Wyatt would follow.

Undertaker had Knight set up for a choke slam before serving him up to Wyatt for the “Sister Abigal.” Undertaker and Wyatt acknowledged each other in an amazing moment.

Bray Wyatt AND @undertaker at #RAWXXX!

What a moment. pic.twitter.com/lLkpKWLU5B

— WWE (@WWE) January 24, 2023

Rollins & The Street Profits Take Down Imperium

Next up we had a DX segment, which was very good. Gone are the days of WWE putting over old stars over younger talent and we saw that here. We even had a fun Kurt Angle appearance as well as Teddy Long. Who doesn’t love Teddy Long?

Imperium would interrupt the legendary group, leading to Seth Rollins and The Street Profits coming out to set up a six-man tag match. It was a fun match, especially the teases between Rollins and Gunther. In the end Rollins gets the pin in a fun match.

“I always wanted to be in DX” – @RealKurtAngle

🎥 @WWE | #RawXXX
pic.twitter.com/ttVIKMWhxn

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) January 24, 2023

Belair Silences Sonya Deville

This was probably the weakest segment of the show, with the weird inclusion of Charlotte Flair.

WWE had Ric Flair introduce his daughter, current SmackDown Women’s Champion, Charlotte Flair. She cut a fairly basic promo, saying RAW has always been her home. Out came Bianca Belair.

The two bickered for a bit before Sonya Deville interrupted. A match was made between Belair and Deville, where Bianca Belair picked up the win. The Raw Women’s Champion cut a promo on her Royal Rumble challenger, Alexa Bliss, to close out the segment.

#WWERaw Women’s Champion @BiancaBelairWWE gets a message from @AlexaBliss_WWE just days before #RoyalRumble.#RAWXXX pic.twitter.com/KNUjy9mNgW

— WWE (@WWE) January 24, 2023

A harmless segment that built feuds in both the Raw and SmackDown women’s division. Also, this was a nice tease to Bianca versus Charlotte a feud we have yet to see in the women’s division.

Owens Stuns the Miz

It was good to see Kevin Owens on this show. I feel like he has become a bit of an afterthought because of what is going on with Sami and the Bloodline. I hope we get a promo between Owens and Reigns on Friday, because these two have so much history together.

Also interested to see what they do with the Miz, who was made to look pretty week in this segment. I think it’s safe to say his booking hasn’t been the strongest since Triple H has taken over.

STUNNER!@FightOwensFight has a message for @mikethemiz, @SamiZayn AND @WWERomanReigns at #RAWXXX! pic.twitter.com/EJskFSwjNc

— WWE (@WWE) January 24, 2023

Theory Wins in a Disappointing Main Event?

There was a lot of interest, and potential angles WWE could have done with Lashley and Theory. Unfortunately, they didn’t really do much with this.

Fans were teased with The Hurt Business interfering, shocking enough, it did not happen. Brock Lesnar would come out, hitting both men with an F-5, with Theory landing on Bobby. Theory would keep, and the show would abruptly end.

It wasn’t per say a bad match, but I think fans expectations were high for this match. I think Lashley will reunite with the Hurt Business, probably before Mania. Lesnar will likely be in the Royal Rumble match this Sunday, making things very interesting.

THE BEAST IS BACK!@BrockLesnar just crashed #RAWXXX with a message for @fightbobby! pic.twitter.com/vBe3Tda4ni

— WWE (@WWE) January 24, 2023

Final Thoughts

This was a good show. A very-very good show. Most weeks, RAW’s three-hour runtime can make the show a drag to watch, but this week flew-by. WWE did not put too much spotlight on the legends returning, which was refreshing to see for once. If this is how Triple H will handle milestone shows, I think we are in good hands. This built towards the Royal Rumble and made fans want to see more. Can’t complain about that. I think it’s safe to say this will be an exciting weekend!

Photo Credit © Photo/Dylan Azari / USA TODAY NETWORK

 

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