WWE Raw delivered a night full of surprises and twists ahead of the Royal Rumble, including a potential heel turn from Cody Rhodes, a serious injury to JD McDonagh, and the return of Logan Paul. The show also saw intense rivalries escalate and unexpected alliances form.
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.
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.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. 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. 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 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.
WWE Raw Royal Rumble Cody Rhodes Heel Turn JD Mcdonagh Injury Logan Paul CM Punk Seth Rollins Gunther
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