The Creed Brothers Ace Debut, Don't Break Up Imperium and More WWE Raw Takes

Ahead of Crown Jewel on Saturday, WWE Raw featured some of the top names on the red brand as well as new rising stars.

Diamond Mine debuted on the main roster as The Creed Brothers challenged Alpha Academy. Julius and Brutus Creed defeated Chad Gable and Otis in a memorable match.

The Miz continued to push at the rifts forming in Imperium. The A-Lister taunted Giovanni Vinci, who looks ready to walk out on Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser.

Xia Li returned to the ring and beat down Candice LeRae in a one-sided contest. She then confronted Becky Lynch.

JD McDonagh helped "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio defeat Ricochet and then challenged Seth Rollins in his most impressive match on Raw to date.

It was a good Raw that set the stage for WWE beyond Crown Jewel.

The Creed Brothers Will Be Tag Team Champions in 2024

Diamond Mine has arrived on Raw, and the future is bright for all three members. Immediately, The Creed Brothers become one of the most exciting tag teams on Raw.

Julius and Brutus Creed delivered a memorable performance against Alpha Academy, and more great contests are certain with The New Day, The Viking Raiders, Imperium and DIY.

Most importantly, The Judgment Day will present a unique challenge to the Creeds. While the top names in the business have tried and failed to topple Damian Priest and Finn Bálor, Julius and Brutus are the future of the business.

It would be a statement win at the right moment for the brothers to end the reign of The Judgment Day with the tag titles. The Creeds can set a new standard for the rest of the division.

Ivy Nile may not be quite as ready for a big moment, but she is one to watch. Few women in WWE are as athletically gifted as her, and she has steadily improved in NXT.

Imperium Still Needs Giovanni Vinci

While Gunther remains the most dominant man in wrestling, Imperium barely registers as a serious stable in WWE.

This has been unfortunately true throughout the run of a group that cannot pick up big wins beyond The Ring General himself. This has hurt the credibility of Ludwig Kaiser and especially Giovanni Vinci.

For months, Vinci has looked like the odd man out. He has been treated as lesser by his tag team partner and belittled by Gunther. It's a disappointing story that is repeating from 2022.

When Gunther and Kaiser were called up together in April last year, the Italian was left behind and delivered great performances with a new character in NXT. It took until September for him to rejoin the group.

Imperium is better together. Its members just need to be treated as stronger individuals. The problem is not that Vinci is failing to live up to his potential, though; it's that WWE is not using his potential.

Turning Gunther and Kaiser against Vinci could be a good story, but it is not the right time. Imperium must rise together before falling.

At least give fans one title run for Kaiser and Vinci together.

Becky Lynch Needs a Better Rival Than Xia Li

Becky Lynch delivered one of the best NXT Women's Championship reigns in bite-sized form.

In 42 days, she successfully defended the gold eight times and produced some of the best women's matches of the year with Tiffany Stratton and Lyra Valkyria.

The follow-up needs to continue The Man's momentum. She cannot go back to playing it safe with the Raw women's division in desperate need of a spotlight.

Immediately, it seems Xia Li is not done with Lynch, but this is not the story for The Man. The Chinese star, 35, is still too green to tell a tale that will invest the WWE Universe.

The better story would be a rivalry with Jade Cargill on her debut, using her rebuilt aura to elevate WWE's top female prospect.

In the long term, Rhea Ripley vs. Lynch has to be the goal. That is the money program that could stretch throughout 2024. Nothing should distract from that big-time story.

JD McDonagh Has Earned His Place in The Judgment Day

JD McDonagh has teased joining The Judgment Day since he was drafted to Raw in April. Working with the man who trained him, Finn Bálor, was inevitable.

However, The Necessary Evil came in without much fanfare and has rebuilt himself separate from his NXT work. He has shown he can hang with top names both in and out of the ring.

His matches with Sami Zayn and Seth Rollins have solidified his status on top of his growing work, playing off of "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio and Damian Priest.

It's time to make the Irishman a full member of the top stable on the red brand. Fully establishing him in the group will raise his stock and maybe allow him to finally start getting some wins.

The Necessary Evil deserves that kind of opportunity after six months on the sidelines behind the bigger names.