WWE Raw Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From Dec. 22

The December 22 edition of Raw on Netflix from the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan promised big moments during this holiday season.

Austin Theory made a wild return to WWE, revealing himself to be the masked man that has helped The Vision in recent weeks.

It was unclear yet if he was joining Paul Heyman's group, but The Vision would be in attendance, fighting CM Punk and Rey Mysterio in the main event.

Asuka and Rhea Ripley collided ahead of their Women's Tag Team Championships clash on the Netflix anniversary show on January 5.

Gunther promised to appear again, likely to further mock John Cena and his fans after retiring The GOAT.

Women's intercontinental champion Maxxine Dupri would be in attendance. Who would step up next to the underdog champion?

This was a good chance for Raw to truly hype up the new year and the upcoming road to WrestleMania.

Asuka (w/ Kairi Sane) vs. Rhea Ripley

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Rhea Ripley got her hands on Asuka this week after The Empress of Tomorrow misted her last week.

Last Time in Action: Asuka alongside Kairi Sane lost to Lash Legend and Nia Jax (SmackDown, December 19); Rhea Ripley alongside Damian Priest defeated Aleister Black and Zelina Vega (SmackDown, December 12).

Ripley asked an injured Iyo Sky to stay in the back during her match, but Sane came out with Asuka and got involved multiple times.

The Genius of the Sky finally came out to contest Sane, but The Pirate Princess sent her injured back into the apron. As The Eradicator checked on Sky, Asuka rolled her up for three.

Ripley and Asuka fought hard to make the most of their time in this one. It was hard-hitting and engaging, even with the overuse of interference.

The distraction into the roll-up finish was a forgettable end to a good match though. The Empress of Tomorrow could have won more definitively.

It was a good choice for Asuka to win. WWE has booked The Kabuki Warriors inconsistently in the past few weeks, and this gave The Empress of Tomorrow a win over a big name.

Ripley and Sky are in perfect position to dethrone The Kabuki Warriors at the Netflix anniversary show, and any result that puts that in questions leads to more drama on the night of the title match.

Result

Asuka def. Ripley by pinfall.

Grade

B

Notable Moments and Observations

The show started with Austin Theory explaining to Paul Heyman that he "saw the vision" and wanted to represent The Vision in the main event.

Later, Heyman told Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker that they would test Theory. Both men were skeptical of the possible new member.

In celebration of the holiday season, the stage was decorated with Christmas tree and the screens around the arena included "Happy Holidays".

Ripley teased the Razor's Edge in honor of Priest, but Asuka slipped free.

The Empress of Tomorrow hit the most vicious move of the match with a harsh German suplex on the apron.

Maxxine Dupri Embarrasses Becky Lynch Again

Becky Lynch made a surprise appearance to interrupt the schedule Maxxine Dupri segment, saying that she had spoken to Netflix officials that had asked her to appear.

The Women's intercontinental champion arrived to call out The Man's bad behavior. Lynch took offense and punched out Dupri, only to get locked into an Ankle Lock and forced to tap out.

Dupri did her best here to sell herself as a star on equal footing to Lynch, though she still has work to do to sell fans on her stardom.

She is a work in progress on the mic and in the ring, and spots like this in front of a live crowd are the perfect way to test her.

Lynch put her over big again, tapping out to the woman that has already defeated her the past three times they fought.

It was not a great segment, but Dupri had the crowd behind her throughout.

The Man and the champion will fight again on the Netflix anniversary, and if Lynch loses again, it will be difficult for Lynch to build her reputation back up.

On the other side though, Dupri cannot afford to lose this early in her title reign if WWE wants to sell her as a big deal. It is a difficult booking spot.

Grade

C

Notable Moments and Observations

Lynch did not ingratiate herself to the fans by calling the state "Miserable Michigan", even if she clarified that Netflix officials said it not her.

Dupri struck a chord when she said Lynch looked like someone whose "best years are behind her".

Je'Von Evans vs. Rayo Americano (w/ Los Americanos)

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Je'Von Evans has burst onto the scene from his early NXT success and looking to make a full move to Raw or SmackDown soon.

Last Time in Action: Je'Von Evans lost to Ricky Saints (NXT, December 17); Rayo Americano alongside Bravo Americano lost to AJ Styles and Dragon Lee (Raw, September 29).

Rayo took advantage of the help of both Bravo and El Grande Americano's help at ringside to stay in this fight, but Evans sealed the win with an OG Cutter.

Afterward, he fought off all The Americanos with confidence.

This was a fine match, but it was not the best showcase of what Evans can do. Rayo got more offense than he should have in a match that was supposed to sell The Young OG.

He is an exciting high flier that was almost entirely grounded in a contest with an opponent that has almost no in-ring credibility at present.

The former Pete Dunne is not doing much in this current luchador role. The crowd does not seem to have a strong connection to him or Bravo in any way.

At least El Grande Americano has a strong clear role in WWE and AAA that has gotten him especially over in AAA.

Evans and Leon Slater are likely a packaged deal long term, and this match sets them up to further feud with the Americanos going forward.

Result

Evans def. Rayo by pinfall.

Grade

D+

Notable Moments and Observations

Adam Pearce wished Evans good luck backstage before he headed to the ring.

Pearce also agreed to let Stephanie Vaquer defend the Women's World Championship against both Nikki Bella and Raquel Rodriguez next week.

Michael Cole explained that Evans is a free agent looking to impress Raw and SmackDown to get a contract.

Cole and Corey Graves argued over Rayo's mysterious lucha history.

Bravo tripped Evans off the top rope to set up a Michinoku Driver by Rayo for a near-fall.

Nikki Bella Questions Why Everyone is Disrespecting Her

Nikki Bella interrupted the show to stand on the announce table and mock everyone that would not give her respect.

She promised to make Stephanie Vaquer and Raquel Rodriguez respect her next week when she won the Women's World Championship.

This was a fairly nothing segment for Nikki with no one interrupting Bella throughout her rant. She mainly built heat through basic sports team taunting.

Nikki is a decent heel talker but could have dug in much more on Raquel and Vaquer, selling her personal dislike of both women.

This has been a problem in this whole feud between Nikki and Vaquer though. It is too generic and lacking a strong personal hook.

It is just about a veteran that feels the next generation is disrespecting here, which is also the story that Becky Lynch is telling with more nuance with Maxxine Dupri.

Grade

D

Notable Moments and Observations

Nikki mocked the fans by talking down their love of the Lions including a mention of the Philadelphia Eagles, which may have been a small hint of her rumored relationship with Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean.

The Usos delivered a dramatic promo hyping themselves up for their title match next week against AJ Styles and Dragon Lee.

Styles and Dragon promised to deliver a classic against The Usos, competing as hard as they could against one of WWE's best teams.

Bron Breakker delivered a warning to CM Punk that he was going to end the legend of The Best in the World at the Netflix anniversary show.

Bayley (w/ Lyra Valkyria) vs. Roxanne Perez (w/ Liv Morgan)

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Bayley picked up a big win over Roxanne Perez to get some revenge against The Judgment Day.

Last Time in Action: Bayley lost to Sol Ruca (Saturday Night's Main Event, December 13); Roxanne Perez won against Lyra Valkyria (Raw, December 8).

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez played a key role in giving Roxanne Perez an opening to win, but Big Mami Cool got too involved when it mattered most.

Valkyria slapped Bayley back to focus, and in her crazed glee, she turned the match around and hit a diving elbow to win.

Bayley and Perez started strong in this match, but this was another match on the night with distracting interference playing a regular role in the action.

It hurt the pace of the two great wrestlers and never quite allowed them to hit their stride.

The Role Model does seem to be figuring out her new character in the ring, leading to strong bursts of action down the stretch when The Valkyrie helps her lock in.

Valkyria and Bayley are a fun pairing and continue to raise their stock in the tag team division. Perez losing due to Judgment Day miscommunication protected her well.

Result

Bayley def. Perez by pinfall.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments and Observations

The Role Model went for a Bayley-to-Belly early, nearly picking up an early win.

Liv came out with Perez, but Raquel also arrived later, laying out Valkyria.

Liv helped distract the referee for Perez to use an exposed turnbuckle, but Raquel distracted the ref for too long, missing a pinfall.

After the result, Perez argued with Raquel backstage while Liv tried to calm things down, but Big Mami Cool walked out frustrated.

Gunther Makes More Enemies

Gunther lived in the crowd heat, laughing at their boos and chants. The Ring General ended up only saying:

"You shouldn't mad at me. You should be mad at the man that tapped out like a little b-."

Both CM Punk and Rey Mysterio got in the face of Gunther on his way to the back, not happy with his comments about John Cena.

This was exactly what it needed to be in front of this crowd. It wasn't big and flashy. It was a bit repetitive, but Gunther made his point. He mocked Cena, his fans and his friends with only two sentences.

The strong running story is that The Ring General has way more enemies than friends after what he did to The GOAT.

This heat will not last forever, so WWE should keep milking it. Gunther vs. AJ Styles is a match the company can tease for a while before delivering.

The tease of Gunther vs. Punk should not be the immediate goal, especially since Punk should be losing the gold to Bron Breakker not back to The Ring General.

Still, it is an intriguing option in the future, allowing Gunther to get his win back.

Grade

A

Notable Moments and Observations

Gunther happily gave Punk the "You Can't See Me" taunt on his way out.

Backstage, Styles confronted Gunther again. The Ring General refused to "shut up".

CM Punk and Rey Mysterio vs. Bronson Reed and Austin Theory (w/ Paul Heyman)

Last Time in Action: This is the first time Austin Theory and Bronson Reed have teamed up. This was the first time CM Punk and Rey Mysterio have teamed up since SmackDown November 26, 2013 where they won alongside Cody Rhodes, Goldust and The Usos against The Shield and Wyatt Family.

After a chaotic back-and-forth match, Theory caught Mysterio with a Stomp to win the match for his team.

Afterward, Punk tried to get back at Theory, but Bron Breakker laid him out with a Spear to end the show standing tall.

The story of this match was clear, but it did not make for an exciting main event. Theory wanted to prove himself to The Vision. He did so by winning this match.

However, this should have been the spot for Punk and Breakker to keep building their own heat with a title match in two weeks between them.

Instead, this came off as the same basic Vision match of the week, even with a fresh face in Theory.

Theory's offense did not suddenly evolve to make him more flashy. He is a capable athlete that can compete with anyone but not blow anyone away.

He did just that with the only difference being the result. This was Theory's first win on Raw in over a year.

Punk and Mysterio have plenty of history but worked this like two individual stars, not looking to sell their own possible tag team dynamic.

The right result ended this show to sell Theory and give The Vision momentum. Will it mean anything long term? That is down to whether Theory can level up in this story over time.

Result

Theory and Reed def. Mysterio and Punk by pinfall.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments and Observations

Theory's explanation for wearing the mask was that he wanted his actions to speak for him first.

Theory met Reed backstage before their match and told the big man that he would take the early lead in this match.

Commentary sold that Reed was watching Theory with curiosity throughout this match, impressed and intrigued with his in-ring aggression.

Theory saved Reed from a 619 then took one himself. The Vision monster saved his tag partner in response after he took a 619.

Overall Show

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Austin Theory picked up his first win on Raw since Agust 5, 2024 in the main event for The Vision.

Typically, Raw is two-and-half hours of action including commercials, but due to the pre-tape for the week, it was just an hour-and-a-half without commercials for this holiday episode.

On paper, this is an improvement as it was a show that never slowed down and delivered its stories succinctly, but the actual content was lackluster.

Almost nothing from this week's Raw will be remembered in a few weeks. The matches blurred together with frequent interference and choppy editing of the action.

The best work of the night was Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka, which was a good sign for the Kabuki Warriors vs. Ripley and Iyo Sky match on the Netflix anniversary.

Gunther continues to be the most interesting part of Raw, even when he has to do very little to get heat.

It was nice to see Becky Lynch back, but she is still in the same position she was when she left: getting embarrassed by the still-developing Maxxine Dupri.

The Vision remains the story that WWE cares about the most, main eventing the show again, but the follow-up for Austin Theory's arrival was fairly basic when he needed something more flashy.

As a whole, there was not much to complain about but far less still to rave about, leading to a show fans can skip with confidence.

Overall Grade: D+