WWE Raw 11-27-23 - Punk Returns

 

I don't think I've watched Raw live since the first post-pandemic show with Cena and crowds returning, but tonight has Punk's first promo back, Cody's announcement, DIXIE BACKSTAGE and QT has announce he's leaving AEW - so it's a big news day. War Games recap starts things off with a ton of Orton clips and he starts the show by soaking in the crowd and wearing a somewhat odd all-black getup with no branded gear on. Orton is on a different level with this promo because he just feels like a human being - and he says he's never done thing and that's be in War Games. He had to answer Cody's call and got to make a moment.

He's got receipts for every member of the Bloodline - in the form of the RKO. Rhea's out and says the Judgment Day has taken over the Bloodline and they took Randy out. She says they'll make his life a nightmare and he's spent 18 years hearing about mami - but daddy's back and that gets a massive chant alongside "who's your daddy?!" Judgment Day attacks and Dom escapes before JD eats an RKO. Orton says he wants Dom TONIGHT! Tag team turmoil is coming up later...for some reason. Wacky tag team promos ensue and we get Tozawa dancing with Jelly Roll. 

DIY vs. Otis and Tozawa starts off the turmoil. Otis rolls through a double clothesline attempt and lands a pair of Judas Effects before a coffin splash and corner avalanche. Goofy double worm leads to Tozawa being on the shoulders of Otis and Ciampa hitting a falling knee and their knee/superkick takes out Tozawa. Indus Sheer is out and gets eliminated quickly after a cradle - which is good because they killed the crowd in mere minutes. Creed Brothers are out and Julias hits a massive deadlift powerbomb to Johnny before the Brutus Ball ends it!

New Day's out and Cole uses history to point out that the Creed Brothers could have a game-changing win here. DEADLIFT SLAM FROM JULIAS TO KOFI! The Creeds definitely give off VERY EARLY Mid-South Dr. Death vibes. Brutus hits a standing moonsault and Julius does a standing SSP. Julius catches Kofi on a dive and boots Woods down. BRUTUS BALL TAKES OUT KOFI! IMPERIUM IS HERE! Brutus and Kaiser go at it and Kaiser is in some of the best shape in WWE. Julius murks them with overhead belly to belly suplexes and then kips up! A NORTHERN LIGHTS SUPLEX TO BOTH GUYS AT ONCE. 

DOCTOR BOMB BY JULIUS! This is as close to a star-making performance as you can get today for the Creeds. Brutus ball ends it! Backstage, the Judgment Day comforts Priest about their loss at War Games - they're all a family and love each other. Oh boy that turn is going to be something else. Good stuff here - you can see the tag titles mean something in WWE and they're setting up Priest as the fall guy nicely. Cody's out and they've mastered the tron being an artistic device. 

He thanks his team and especially Randy for setting him up to win in HIS DAD'S MATCH War Games.  He puts his name in the hat for the Rumble before Nakamura THREATENS CHAOS! Nakamura busts out the Muta mist! Okay this is good-ish already - Nakamura is so great at everything but having fantastic matches now. They thank Living Colour for the new version of "Cult of Personality". 

BIG BRONSON is here to battle THE VIKING IVAR in a battle of big clubbering dudes! Corner sitout senton by Ivar leads to A BRONSON SUPLEX! SPINKICK BY IVAR LEADS TO A BASEMENT CROSSBODY AGAINST THE LED APRON! The break is used for a long chinlock and nerve pinch. Tour of the Islands by Ivar gets 2! Doomsault misses and it's time for SPLASHVILLE IN NASHVILLE but Valhalla saves. She gets ejected before the guys brawl on the floor and Bronson hits a DVD into the barricade! Ivar cannonballs onto Pearce and the pile! 

And then they just TO THE BACK it for Zoey and Shayna and an argument with Nia. Nia vs. Zoey - joy! Nia's out and in the ring. They play a ton of live reactions to CM Punk's return and come off as a hot company with it. More wacky stuff with Truth and the Judgment Day...wasn't there a Nia vs. Zoey match that was supposed to happen? Okay, Zoey comes out and gets world's strongest slammed after a flip into the ring. Nia has her locked in a torture rack after I listen to Zoey's theme during the break and determine it would have been perfect on a Myspace page. Swinging powerbomb into the buckle by Nia! 

Superkick by Zoey! ANOTHER! Nia goes up for a Vader bomb and gets kicked down and then QUESTION MARK KICKED TO THE FACE FOR 2 - okay that was great. Nia hits a Samoan drop and Banzai drop and wins it...okay then. Well that sure doesn't do much for Zoey's momentum - but they're setting up a formal face turn for Zoey I guess. 

Miz vs. Gunther recap showcases MIZ'S STRIKING POWER and really sets Miz up as somewhat of a physical threat to a degree. This sets up GUNTHER demanding they go to Pearce and solve the DIY issue. Miz shows up right behind him and mocks him for the troubles with Imperium. THE REAL SETH ROLLINS is here in goofy white and black gear looking less ridiculous than usual.

He gets a big CM Punk chant and looks a bit like The Brian Kendrick. Seth calls Punk a hypocrite and then Drew comes out and says it's been a crazy 48 hours and everyone talks about what they've done outside the ring - but in it is what matters most and he congratulates him on the War Games victory. I love Drew always wanting the title and Drew says that he remembers what Seth said, than losing the match would be his fault for losing and it would be better for him to lose and Drew agrees. He had SYMPATHY for Seth and he lost! 

Seth went to Pearce and got a title match made for next week - he'll face Jey Uso and that gets a YEET chant. Drew sends him down with a headbutt and cuts his head open. He attacks Seth more before MAIN EVENT JEY saves and gets a massive YEET chant. Nattie and Tegan come out, but before their match, we get Sami and Drew arguing because Sami doesn't approve of Drew's actions. Drew takes responsibility and Drew says you're right - and now I want a match with you. 

A bit of nothing before a break in this Nattie/Nox vs. Chelsea and Piper match. Cole calls Tegan SPEEDY AND AGILE. Chelsea holds Tegan down during a codebreaker for a Piper senton for 2. Faces double suplex Chelsea into the barricade before Piper, who is legal, cannonballs them. Crossbody to Nox ends it. They hype up next week having Sami vs. Drew and Jey vs. Seth for the title. Jey thanks Orton for War Games and Orton forgives him for the past with the Bloodline and him. 

Orton is hyped up as a 14-time World Champion with HHH while only Cena and Flair have held more. Dom is out with fringe on his entrance jacket and it's fantastic! Orton isn't doing much movement, but he is doing "a lot" like Nash where you do things without moving your feet. DOM LOCKS RANDY IN A CHINLOCK for more non-movement. Orton gets the draping DDT. Jelly Roll shoves JD down and shoves Dom into the LED apron before a back suplex toss into the announce table. JD eats a DDT and Dom gets the 619, the frog splash misses and the RKO DOESN'T! 

Punk comes out looking refreshed and happy for the first time in a long time. He says he's changed and an American Dream told him to speak from the heart because you can't go wrong. It's the truth - he's home. He says that he wasn't forgotten by the fans even when he wanted to forget about himself. He says he wished he said he didn't have to leave - but a wise man (in Heyman most likely) told him he had to leave everything he needs out of this place and he has to do that and he needs to be here for us, the fans. 

He says AJ's doing great and sends her regards. Some say they're the best in the world in the ring and on the mic and even on commentary and it's a lie! THE BEST IN THE WORLD IS CM PUNK and that's it - other than him saying he's not here to make friends, he's here to make money. This wasn't " the first dance" and it wasn't even the first Collision promo, but it was okay. It wasn't worth tuning into the full show for and Drew actually outshined him on the mic. Punk doing a Big Money Phil run as a heel World Champion would be a riot. But I don't know if he'll last through a whole Summer of Punk. So far, this feels like Phil's out to play the Greatest Hits in a TNA 401K run.