It’s the last Monday Night Raw of 2021 and it may also be a wild one. A full card has been announced over the week. However, last night, at WWE’s annual Boxing Day Madison Square Garden house show, many changes had to be made as talent was out, likely due to the reported COVID-19 outbreak within the company. Both Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins already confirmed to have tested positive over the weekend, putting into question the two main title matches of the brand for the Day 1 pay-per-view this Saturday. For now, here’s what’s on deck for the Day 1 go-home edition of WWE Raw.
WWE Raw, Day 1 Go-Home Show – Card and Preview
- The Miz and Maryse Renew Their Wedding Vows
- Street Profits vs The Mysterios
- Finn Balor vs Austin Theory
- United States Championship: Damian Priest (c) vs Dolph Ziggler
- Randy Orton vs Otis
Finn Balor vs Austin Theory
It feels like 2011 all over again as a constant parade of rematches are littered through the show. Having failed to defeat first-ever Universal Champion Finn Balor due to his own hubris, Austin Theory attacked him backstage, which was needed to get a proverbial do-over. Despite Vince McMahon not being too impressed by EVOLVE’s last big project, it seems he granted him the rematch.
Expect a 50/50 result here. Otherwise, what’s even the point of doing this back to back with Theory seeming to be such a big project by working first Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, and now Balor, all former world champions?
TONIGHT on the final #WWERaw of 2021 ⤵️
💍 @mikethemiz and @MaryseMizanin renew their wedding vows! 🤵👰
📺: 8/7c on @USA_Network pic.twitter.com/AIgpFtvdRp
— WWE (@WWE) December 27, 2021
Wedding Vows Set to Renew
They’re REALLY hitting fans over the head with the impending mixed tag team match to come. The Miz and Maryse are being advertised for tonight’s episode of Raw as “set to renew their wedding vows”. Nothing draws like a wedding, I suppose. Though, I doubt there are fake pregnancies and a videotape with an actor’s voice-over involved here like what happened almost 19 years to the day on this show with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
Edge was one of the replacements used for the MSG show so if anything, we have confirmation that Edge drew a negative on his COVID test.
United States Championship: Damian Priest (c) vs Dolph Ziggler
Well, I was close on last week’s preview. Damian Priest did lose, though by count-out. Thus, Dolph Ziggler will receive a United States title match. However, it will be on tonight’s WWE Raw and not Day 1. I don’t expect much from this. I doubt a title change is coming. Unless they saw AEW Rampage and feel Ziggler winning will garner the same heat Cody Rhodes can. I wouldn’t even entertain the idea.
But at the least, we can get a good match out of these two.
Tonight Otis gets the privilege of receiving the last RKO of 2021 on #WWERaw… let’s see who gets the first one of 2022 at #WWEDay1 #RKBronament pic.twitter.com/FpxcrB5TED
— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) December 27, 2021
Randy Orton vs Otis
This could be interesting. As Randy Orton continues this detour with Alpha Academy, waiting for that Street Profits vs Mysterios match (and Riddle to come back from COVID), we get this. For months, Otis has been having face-offs with big names. Remember the face-off for two weeks straight he had with Big E in early November and we never got the match? I do. But now Otis gets the match with Randy Orton.
The match continues the pattern with Orton since pairing with Riddle of having the opportunity to play off with this series of unconventional (for him) opponents now that he’s a solid part of the tag team division.
The Final Push For Day 1
Understandably, there isn’t much promoted regarding the WWE & Raw Women’s Championship matches given COVID-19. WWE will likely be hopeful that everyone can throw negatives in their testing before Day 1. Other than that, this is what’s on deck for Raw tonight.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the WWE Network and Peacock.
