Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! It’s one of the final editions of Raw of the year, and it will see the Women’s Tag Team Champions Chelsea Green and Piper Niven defend against Katana Chance and Kayden Carter. Can the champs retain against a duo who have more than paid their dues to get this title shot? And what’s next between Becky Lynch and Nia Jax? Let’s get into it, and find out…
RHEA RIPLEY and The Judgement Day went to the ring to kick off Raw. Ripley warned Ivy Nile about messing with her, threatening to do the same to her as she did to Maxxine Dupri last week. Ripley lost control of the group when against her wishes, the other men agreed that a Street Fight between R-Truth and JD McDonagh became a ‘Loser Leaves Judgement Day’ match (despite Truth not being in the group). Even worse when McDonagh lost.
KATANA CHANCE and KAYDEN CARTER had a brief promo video from backstage.
NIA JAX went to the ring for a promo. But before she could get a word out BECKY LYNCH interrupted and when Lynch stepped into the ring, Jax left. Lynch mocked Jax for not saying something to her face, and Jax again reminded Lynch she broke her face years ago before saying she was entering the Royal Rumble. After more remarks about face breaking, Lynch claimed Jax was only here because of other peoples’ fame like her cousins and then of being the one who broke the face of the greatest of all time.
Lynch tried to lure Jax into a fight and Jax faked that she wanted it, even calling out a referee but she again backed away, saying she’d only fight on her terms. The match would happen at the Day 1 edition of Raw to kick off 2024. After more insults Lynch attacked Jax, but when security pulled Lynch off Jax decked Lynch with a cheap shot to the back of the head to drop Lynch.
JACKIE REDMOND handled interview duties.
CHELSEA GREEN and PIPER NIVEN complained to Adam Pearce to try and get their tag title match cancelled match, but it didn’t work.
Women’s Tag Team Championship Match
KATANA CHANCE & KAYDEN CARTER defeated CHELSEA GREEN & PIPER NIVEN to become the NEW Tag Team Champions.
Carter and Green started off, trading headlock and counters before Green just clubbed away into Carter’s back. Later, Carter got the advantage to counter a Hiptoss attempt into an Arm Drag then hit a Dropkick. Chance was tagged in but she first tripped up Green to set up a Basement Dropkick by Carter, before Chance vaulted in with a Senton for a near fall.
Niven was tagged in and decked Carter from the apron, and Chance used her quickness to avoid some shots before being grabbed and sent to a corner. Chance again used her speed to avoid being hit only to be bulldozed with a body check. Chance would escape a Viper Driver attempt, allowing her to tag to Carter and then hit a Wheelbarrow Bulldog to Niven. Carter hit a Springboard Dropkick off the lower ropes.
Another tag to make Chance legal and the challengers went for The After Party but Green grabbed Chance on the ropes to block it. That allowed Niven to send the faces into one another to drop them, then she hit a Double Vader Bomb on them but Chance kicked out at two. After a commercial break, Niven missed a Cannonball to Chance but Green was able to tag in. Green tried to knock Carter from the apron but she ducked the shot and got the tag.
Carter hit Running Forearms to Green, a corner Splash to Niven then a duo of Superkicks to Green first to the knee and then to the head when Green was dropped. Carter hit a Dropkick to Niven that allowed Carter to land a Splash onto Green, and smartly Carter went for a pin and watched for Niven, rolling away so Niven’s attempt to break up with a Splash instead squashed Green. Niven got hit with a low Superkick before Carter hit a Facewash boot to Green on the ropes.
A Springboard Legdrop got Carter a near fall. Moments later, Green borrowed her real-life husband’s Rough Ryder move to get a near fall. Niven was tagged in, and the champs tried for a Double Team Suplex on Carter only for her to escape. Just for Green to hit a Codebreaker and hold Carter down for a Senton by Niven. Chance broke the pin attempt up. Moments later Carter decked Niven with a Superkick, and a tag out to Chance then led to The Cake Stand but this time Green broke up the pin.
Green hit a German Suplex on Carter then dragged Niven closer to her team’s corner so she could tag in and be legal. Green went for I’m Prettier but Chance escaped and hit a Codebreaker. A tag to Carter then led to The After Party combo and Carter got the pin to crown NEW Tag Team Champions!
Backstage IVY NILE and MAXXINE DUPRI were part of a skit with Alpha Academy where Nile said she’d asked for a match against Rhea Ripley in the future. That segment set up a match as Ivar (accompanied by VALHALLA) defeated Akira Tozawa (accompanied by Dupri). During the match, Dupri and Valhalla got into it when Dupri yanked Valhalla from the apron to prevent interference then dodged a charge to send Valhalla into the barricade.
Backstage the new tag champs Carter and Chance gushed about their win and wanted to party. CANDICE LERAE and INDI HARTWELL were down for it, but the same wasn’t true for SHAYNA BASZLER and ZOEY STARK or NATALYA and TEGAN NOX. A face-off between those two teams who both remarked that new champs meant new challengers were needed.
Backstage Rhea Ripley laid down the law and made sure that despite McDonagh’s loss earlier he was still in The Judgement Day. Ripley also said she’d put her Women’s title on the line against Nile in their future match.
It was announced that for the Day 1 special of Raw not only would Becky Lynch face Nia Jax, but a tag team match was made to put Natalya and Tegan Nox against Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark.
Ivy Nile and Rhea Ripley were in their teams’ respective corners for the men’s Tag Team Championship Match as The Judgement Day retained over The Creed Brothers.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
A fantastic tag team match for the tag titles and a well-deserved win for Carter and Chance who have taken a very long road to the gold. Green and Niven had been very entertaining as a duo but it was the right time for new champs. Hopefully, the WWE will keep a focus on the tag division and the announcement of a future tag match to possibly boost a team as the next challengers is promising. Elsewhere the Nax and Lynch segment was passable. They’re running the ‘I broke your face’ story into the ground so it won’t be any bad thing to nip the feud in the bud at the Day 1 show and put a focus instead on the the upcoming Royal Rumble.
That’s your lot for this week! Next week the WWE will take the week off for the holiday season with most likely a recap episode of Raw to cover the year, so in turn the Raw Recap will take a break until live action returns. With that being said, on behalf of the team here at the RevELLEution we wish everyone a great festive season and a Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it! See you all again soon!