3 Ups And 1 Down

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 20: Paul Heyman addresses the crowd with Bron Breakker make their entrance during Monday Night RAW at Golden 1 Center on October 20, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Craig Melvin/WWE via Getty Images)

WWE via Getty Images

Following an up-and-down Survivor Series: WarGames, WWE Raw rolled into Glendale, Arizona with plenty of fallout and the early foundation for what December will look like, a month that’s usually quiet, but already stacking up with storyline movement.

The semifinals to determine John Cena’s final opponent took place, with LA Knight vs. Jey Uso and Gunther vs. Solo Sikoa. A star-loaded tag team main event rounded out the card. And with both WarGames matches now behind us, the question heading into this episode was simple: which feuds would splinter off and which ones would carry forward?

Here’s what went down on the show:

Up: Breakker Cuts the Promo of His Life on Punk

Paul Heyman wasted zero time. He walked into Adam Pearce’s office and secured Bron Breakker a World Heavyweight Title match after Breakker pinned CM Punk at WarGames. The match is set for Monday, Jan. 5, the first Raw of the new year.

Breakker followed up with the most intense promo of his career. He tore into Punk—throwing jabs about his status, referencing AJ Lee being a bigger star, and calling back to Punk questioning whether Breakker could “cut a promo with the big boys.” Not every line needed to hit, but the delivery absolutely did. Breakker sold every second with real fire. Their match should be huge.

Down: Tag Division Limps to Another DQ Finish

This story had momentum earlier in the fall before Rhea Ripley’s broken nose paused everything. Now WWE seems to be revisiting the Ripley/Iyo Sky vs. Asuka/Kairi Sane route, though the pieces feel a bit scattered after the Kabuki Warriors shifted into a feud with Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss and took their titles.

Flair and Bliss claimed they deserve a rematch, but Ripley pointed out they already lost and should head to the back of the line. Rh-yo still won to justify their contender status, even though WWE hasn’t used rematch logic in years. With a thin tag division, new challengers are inevitable whether the booking fully lines up or not.

These teams closed Raw, but the match ended with Kabuki Warriors interference and yet another DQ finish. No No. 1 contender, no major development, and another flat ending to the show. Bayley and Lyra Valkyria hit the ring after a backstage issue with Asuka and Sane, but it didn’t do much to lift the moment. With WWE entering a quieter month, more of these placeholder segments could be coming.

Up: Liv Morgan Reclaims Judgment Day With Authority

Liv Morgan has quietly been the heartbeat of Judgment Day for months, even before her shoulder injury. Her return at Survivor Series and the chaos she brought to Raw only reaffirmed that.

Morgan opened with a fiery promo about Judgment Day needing more gold, then backed it up by confronting Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer backstage. Later, after the main event ended in a DQ, Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez jumped in to thicken the tag title picture. Morgan is talking the talk and walking the walk, instantly giving Judgment Day more direction, urgency, and importance.

Up: Natalya Finally Gets the Edge She’s Needed

Natalya hasn’t been featured much since re-signing, but the edgier, no-nonsense Nattie character she showed in Bloodsport and AAA is something fans have wanted on WWE TV for a long time.

We got the first glimpse of that here. Nattie popped up in a short training montage with Maxxine Dupri, helping the still-green but steadily improving Women’s Intercontinental Champion sharpen her skills. It was quick, but promising, a teaser of the version of Natalya that could have real momentum if WWE commits to it.