Another episode of Monday Night Raw is in the books, meaning it’s time to look back at the show to identify the highs and lows of an episode that featured Rey Mysterio Jr. challenging for the Intercontinental Championship
The Good
Rey Mysterio Jr.
As someone that has lived north of San Diego for most of my life, I thought it was really cool to see Mysterio be involved in the match with Chad Gable and Dragon Lee. Mysterio revolutionized aerial wrestling when he was breaking into the sport, and it’s amazing that he can still deliver at his age. The match with Gable and Lee was excellent, elevated by a hometown crowd that wanted to see Mysterio win the belt. Personally, I would’ve liked it if he had been given that moment, but putting people in their hometown is more of an AEW thing than a WWE thing. Anyone who remembers Jim Ross’ booking any time WWE went to Oklahoma could tell you that.
Other Highlights
- Roman Reigns’ involvement on the show lifted everything he was involved in. His back-and-forth with Sami Zayn was effective, touching on their shared history while also drumming up interest their match at Crown Jewel. Him coming out at the end to join the rest of the Bloodline to face off with 946 moved that storyline from midcard to main event. It’s the dichotomy of Reigns as Raw revolves around him, which is why it struggles so much when he’s not there.
- He was already referenced, but let’s spotlight Gable for his continued work as IC champ. It’s been one excellent match after another. I’m guessing Ethan Page is next. I’ve always liked Page, but he’s been nothing for months. We’ll see what Gable can do with him.
- Bayley and Lyra Valkyria are set for their big blowoff match next week. Here’s hoping it brings some real violence to the No DQ stipulation as this is a long-running feud that deserves it. It’s also possible this will be Bayley’s last match in WWE. The finish should tell us. If Lyra goes over strong, I’d imagine it’s time to start the countdown until we get the “Bayley is All Elite” tweet from Tony Khan.
The Bad
Dominik Mysterio
On the same show his 51-year-old father got to shine, Dominik was left to engage in ringside shenanigans with a little person wearing an oversized Funko Pop head. There have been so many chances for WWE to get behind Dominik, and instead it just continues to book him in the exact same way. WWE’s “we’ve got time” approach to the roster is why almost everyone in the main event scene is on the wrong side of 40.
Other Lowlights
- So, Joe Hendry engaged in one of the most unfunny running gags of recent memory by making fun of JD McDonagh, which was bizarrely cheered on by Joe Tessitore because reasons, only to lose via pinfall to a guy that never wins. This main-roster run is going great for Hendry. Maybe if this garbage is mercifully over, we can hit the reset button on Hendry and try something else.
- It was demoralizing to see Iyo Sky reduced to a pointless tag-team partner for someone else’s feud. She was one of the most popular female wrestlers on the roster at one point. WWE has massively cooled her off.
The Ugly
Bron Breakker
After electing not to give Breakker the briefcase at Money in the Bank, WWE had him lose to Penta on Raw. Yes, there was interference from Je’Von Evans to set up Penta’s win, but before that even happened, Penta kicked out of Breakker’s spear. Breakker also needed help from Austin Theory, who does nothing but take bumps these days, and Maxxine Dupri. And where was Bronson Reed? I’m mystified by what WWE is doing with Breakker. Even if he ends up dominating Evans in the feud, and I doubt he will, he’s still in a lower spot than he was with Oba Femi. A lot of people thought Breakker was winning the title on the first Raw of 2026. Now, he’s just another midcarder.
Related: WWE SmackDown Review for Oct. 16: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
