WWE RAW 1/5/2026: 3 Things We Hated And 3 Things We Loved

Welcome to Wrestlinc Inc's weekly review of "WWE Raw," the one-year anniversary of the show's debut on Netflix that did not, as it turned out, feature the return of Chris Jericho! More importantly, the show had three title matches — both the women's tag titles and the women's Intercontinental title changed hands, while CM Punk was able to stave off the challenge from Bron Breakker in the main event. We'll touch on all those matches here in the column, as well as the episode's "Stranger Things" branding, Je'Von Evans signing a "Raw" contract during a commercial break, and more!

Of course, we can't usually discuss everything — sorry, Stephanie Vaquer's possibly worked injury — but you can read all about the entire show on our "Raw" results page, if you missed it. If you want to know what the WINC staff thought about the parts of the show that made us feel feelings, you're in luck, because these are three things we hated and three things we loved about the first "WWE Raw" of 2026!

I will happily admit to being a fan of "Stranger Things" and of course a longtime fan of WWE. In theory, I should've liked a major crossover event between the two but unfortunately, that didn't quite end up being the case.

Now credit where credit is due: WWE went all in on their promise of a "Stranger Things" themed "Raw" and I always appreciate full commitment to the bit. Props to the graphics team for coming up with some pretty cool looking graphics prior to and throughout the show and to those who decorated the entrance ramp with the pizza van, WSQK radio van, vines, and everything else.

With all of that said, the "Stranger Things" theming throughout the show got to the point where it was just too much and felt like it was past the point of overkill. It became distracting at certain points of the show, whether it was the Demogorgon that appeared every time a graphic in the corner showed up for a match, the chapter titles for every single segment on the show, or using it as a transition into a promotion for a Netflix pop-up event in Philadelphia. It also could've benefitted from having at least a couple of cast members appear in the crowd or something along those lines, as it all felt a little one-sided and could've used some interest with the simple addition of those who appear on one of Netflix's biggest shows. It was basically just a very prolonged two-and-a-half hour long advertisement for Season 5 of "Stranger Things" that came at the expense of an episode of "Raw" that otherwise fell somewhere between okay and good.

If WWE had chosen to scale back the promotion at certain points in the show rather than pushing "Stranger Things" hardcore throughout this entire episode of "Raw", then I think that it could've been a cool crossover that WWE hasn't really done before. The concept ultimately ended up being better than the execution, and could've used a little bit of scaling back.

Written by Olivia Quinlan

New Women's Tag Team Champions were crowned to kick off a very ordinary "Stranger Things X WWE Raw" special episode, with Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky finally getting their hands on the gold against the Kabuki Warriors. It's not great that this was the first title defense for the Kabuki Warriors since November, and it's hard to ignore the fact that the feud has been drawn on for the purpose of having this title change happen this week. But the match finally came on Monday and it was a really great match at that. 

At this stage in time it cannot be said that Asuka is anything but a legend in the ring, and her IQ was on full display throughout the affair, calling the plays for Kairi Sane as they isolated one of Ripley or Sky. That worked, as it really always does when done right, to set the starter fuse for the babyfaces to come back and eventually win the titles. Which they did, getting the cathartic pin on Asuka herself following a Riptide and an Over The Moonsault. 

The match being a great is one thing, a huge thing, certainly an important thing. But the most important thing is Rhiyo, by far the best and most popular women's – maybe even men's – tag teams on the roster, are now Women's Tag Team Champions. One doesn't expect the Kabuki Warriors to accept their tag titles loss as final, but heading into WrestleMania season having the titles on two major names with a lot of steam behind them just makes sense. 

It can be a device for them to tell their own story between them; as popular as they are, tag teams in WWE are hardly known to stay together forever. But also it puts people who have a lot of pre-existing history and rivalry with the other top names on the roster. Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, and Roxanne Perez; Lash Legend and Nia Jax; Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss. There are a number of directions the story can go from here with them as the North Star of the division, and that's all you can really ask for from a title change.

Written by Max Everett

I'll say this first, I absolutely believe that Becky Lynch should be Women's Intercontinental Champion as much as I absolutely cannot stand her current gimmick. I really like Maxxine Dupri's character and as a person who follows the real Sydney Zmrzel-Luke on social media, you can tell how hard she's working to get better at this. Tonight's match, however, didn't do her any good when it came to showcasing that.

I feel kind of bad, because Dupri just got married last week, but maybe WWE shouldn't have put someone they know is so green on a major show like the Netflix anniversary/"Stranger Things" crossover when they know that person is going to be pretty worn down. I'm not saying Dupri deserves any special treatment, but if you want to put on a good show, you should probably consider the fact that big moments in talent's lives, especially if they're coming back from a pretty quick turnaround, are going to impact them, especially when their skill level may not be as high as some of the other talent on the brand who may be able to handle that situation better. 

Maybe that doesn't make much sense to anyone but me, but I thought that this match could have easily been done next week or at some point during the international tour, as I'm sure Dupri is making some of those dates. On a show that had a solid match for the Women's Tag Team Championships, as well as another huge match for the World Heavyweight Championship, I'm not sure that this match fit in well. There were quite a few points that Dupri just looked very sloppy, and overall, the match just wasn't good. 

I'm also confused as to what this feud even accomplished overall outside of giving Dupri a short little title reign. Sure, AJ Lee initially helped her win the belt, but she hasn't been seen since. I thought maybe she'd show up tonight to set something up going in to WrestleMania season with Lynch, but maybe WWE deemed it too soon. Even if Lynch was always going to win back the title, Lee showing her face after the match still would have made sense, and she could have even comforted a distraught Dupri. 

I also thought maybe we'd see Natalya's Nattie character actually involved on TV with Dupri, and I'm pretty disappointed we didn't. I don't think it makes a lot of sense to introduce her now to further beat down poor Dupri after her loss. I don't know where Dupri goes from here — probably back to "NXT" live events alongside her now-husband to get some more reps — and I also don't know what this accomplished for Lynch.

Written by Daisy Ruth

What a welcome back for Liv Morgan!

Morgan and Lyra Valkyria faced off in singles action on Monday's episode of "WWE Raw," and this is no strange thing: they showed up and showed out! Out of Monday's two women's singles matches, this one was definitely a stand-out of the night. Whether you're a Judgement Day truther, a Liv Morgan fan, or just a fan of quality in-ring work, Morgan versus Valkyria will be a match you want to rewatch.

Morgan has been out of action for seven months, but if Monday's match is anything to go by, the former two-time WWE Women's World Champion has not missed a step. Monday's match was a great showing from the returned Morgan, who hardly pulled her punches on the offensive front while braving some nasty bumps on the defensive front. She might not have a title on her, but she fought like a champion, with her forearm strikes cruelly rocking Valkyria's body at every turn. Do you remember when Morgan was the up-and-comer on the roster, when she was the girl who had heart, but couldn't wrestle? We talk about wrestlers who have improved drastically in the ring, especially with up-and-comer Maxxine Dupri on the card, but I think Morgan, even in this improved state of performance, still takes the cake for the most improved female Superstar. Confidence oozed from her Monday night — confidence that comes from knowing exactly what the hell you're doing. She has no title, but she has a champion's aura! Morgan was phenomenal (and if she can do it, then maybe Dupri can too).

Valkyria is one of the best female wrestlers on "Raw" right now, full stop. She was the perfect opponent to go against Morgan. She is tried-and-true, incredibly consistent, and yet still manages to dazzle every time she's in the ring. Morgan has more aura than her, sure, but where Valkyria lacks in that department, she makes up for in pure wrestling skill. Morgan brought out some innovative offense Monday — see her Nightwing counter into a Codebreaker — and Valkyria took it on the chin like an absolute champ. Have you ever seen the Ob-Liv-ion, a finisher that only makes sense in wrestling physics, look so deadly? Valkyria was the glue that held this match together, and while I'm happy for a Morgan win, Valkyria is just so good, you can't help but root for her.

I'm sure Valkyria will get her lick back. At least, I hope she does, so we can see Valkyria and Morgan lock up once more! These two have some great in-ring chemistry, and if given the opportunity, Valkyria and Morgan can tear the house down, just as they did Monday night.

Written by Angeline Phu

Last week, Je'Von Evans won "NXT" Male Superstar of the Year after having a breakout 2025. He has competed for several titles multiple times, although he's come up empty. He answered Sami Zayn's open challenge when he was the U.S. Champion. Evans had an impressive showing against GUNTHER in the "Last Time Is Now" tournament. He's had matches for both shows and wrestled on "Saturday Night's Main Event." In fact, I wrote in this very column that I loved that he was being courted by both "Raw" and "SmackDown".

So with all this well-earned attention, why in the world did Evans sign his "Raw" contract DURING A COMMERCIAL BREAK?! This was a huge episode of "Raw" as the show not only celebrated one year on Netflix, but had a massive crossover with the "Stranger Things" TV show. The episode also featured three title matches. Showing Evans choosing the red brand and signing a contract to officially become a member of the roster would make him seem like a big deal. Instead, it makes it seem as though the signing is insignificant. I didn't even know it happened until a fellow writer told me. I didn't believe it at first because it was so ridiculous, and then another writer confirmed she saw it as well.

WWE posted the clip to their social media. Pearce said that no one is "more exciting than this young man." A highlight reel aired featuring praise from commentary. Pearce brought him out and told him he was "one of the most exciting prospects to ever come through WWE." The words and actions don't match. They told us why he's special, but then relegated his contract signing to a commercial break. Even a backstage segment would've been better than this. Please don't fumble one of the best young talents you've had in a long time.

Written by Samantha Schipman

Let's get it out of the way and say that the winner of the main event, in this humble writer's opinion, was not the correct one. No slight against CM Punk but this seemed like the right time to crown Bron Breakker and he wound up looking like a main event choke-artist. However ... the match was really fun. And that should be celebrated in itself, I guess.

Breakker entered the match flanked by just Paul Heyman (though the dialed-in viewer might have surmised that wouldn't last long) wearing a really dope black-and-red singlet adorned with "The Future," which just screamed crowning moment. Punk entered in a Michigan-style varsity jacket a la the Steiner Brothers. Because what is wrestling without mind games? 

The bell rung, and thus Breakker started to beat the ever-loving s*** out of Punk. And that is not said lightly. Punk's offense in this match was almost exclusively a counter and then a move he is known to use, ducking and dodging and then hitting Breakker with whatever he could and trying to put him away. Obviously that whole deal about Breakker doing this alone turned out to be a dastardly ruse – because of course it was, that's all what The Vision does – and The Vision came out. They didn't really have the chance to do much, aside from a curb stomp from Austin Theory, because the trio of Rey Mysterio, Penta, and Dragon Lee emerged to fight Bronson Reed, Theory, and Logan Paul. And realistically, maybe they didn't need to come out but it popped the crowd and hardly hurt the affair. 

Punk hit Breakker with a GTS and Breakker kicked out, because he would not be denied – until he was denied, of course. Breakker then continued to just abuse Punk, letting him fall flat-chested on the floor from a tope suicida and following that up with a splash from the top rope and through the announcer's desk. Then Breakker went for a spear. Punk responded with a knee to the face, and got a third GTS to finally get the win. 

There was, obviously, quite a bit more to the match than can be written here. That is what the live coverage is for. But it should demonstrate that there was a lot going for the main event this week. It's a bit rubbish that Punk continued his reign when everything was really pointing to Breakker getting cemented as the monster heel "Next Big Thing" he has been promised as. Breakker threw everything he had and Punk sponged it. That made the match fun, but it hardly makes Breakker look good.

Written by Max Everett