WWE RAW: Uncle Howdy’s Entrance, Seth Rollins Returns & Drew McIntyre Quits (2024)

With the fallout of Clash at the Castle in Glasgow, Scotland, this week’s RAW had plenty of storylines to keep us watching throughout the three-hour show. CM Punk interfered in the main event to cost his rival, Drew McIntyre, his opportunity to reclaim the title he won and lost at WrestleMania40 in Philadelphia.

This week’s episode of Monday Night RAW took place in Corpus Christi, Texas, at the American Bank Center. The buzz all week in Corpus (my hometown) focused around a couple of things stemming from certain events taking place pre-Clash at the Castle as well as during.

First, many fans were convinced they were buying a ticket to see the premier of the new Wyatt Family, potentially led by Bo Dallas, the brother of the late, great Bray Wyatt. Corpus Christi was where WWE decided to debut Finn Balor’s ‘Demon’ persona on an episode of RAW years ago, so there certainly is precedent. There were also many who felt like CM Punk would certainly be on the program, and after such a high-profile spot at the PLE, you cannot blame them. However, some were expecting the anticipated debut of The New Bloodline’s newest member. Instead, the live fans in the ‘home of Selena’ got a night of big returns.

Uncle Howdy Returns

Off of the Jey Uso victory celebration, and as commentary promoted MITB qualifiers, the lights cut to black, and a single piano note played over the speakers. Something creepy began crawling out of the set pieces set up on stage. This creature crawled towards a lit lantern and, behind her, a rocking chair.

The camera went to the back, and a house of horrors awaited. The “Guerilla” area had been taken over and decimated with bodies sprawled out all over the floor. Blood stained the walls, and different pieces of the Wyatt lore were seen staged amongst the massacres that included Chad Gable.

That is when a camera showed a figure with his hands in crossed positioning… It was Uncle Howdy, and he had the entire world of wrestling in his hands. Two other figures walked by his side as they made their way to the arena. It felt magical and real. Uncle Howdy grabbed the lantern and lifted it to ‘shine the light’ on the entire five members of this new faction. Howdy simply said, “We’re here,” before blowing out the electric lantern (you have to find some way to criticize because this was executed near perfection). There was no storyline, no feud created, and no real promo, but this will be the most talked-about moment of RAW for the rest of the week… THEY’RE HERE.

Seth Rollins With The Punches

Seth Rollins returned and was given the night’s opening segment in ‘hot as hell Corpus Christi.’ He hinted at his potential participation in the Money in the Bank, but that is something he can only earn through qualifying matches.

That is when Damian Priest, the face version, came out to confront Seth live in the ring for the first time since Priest cashed in on the man who took Rollins’s title from him. Priest said he had hoped to cash in against Seth; it was what he wanted, but he had to take advantage of the moment regardless. Priest offered Seth the MITB pass in front of the sold-out RAW crowd, allowing him a title shot at the PLE in Toronto. But before Seth jumped at the title shot, he needed to know this was not a setup.

It was strange to see Priest essentially plead with Seth to receive his title shot offering while Seth took direct shots at Priest. For example, Seth poked at Priest’s botch from this weekend, where he got his let hung up in the ropes. The cross-up was so bad that it took McIntyre to release Priest, and the heavyweight champ was lucky to escape the situation without serious injury. Seth eventually accepted, but the segment only highlighted the fact that Seth is coming in as the “A-side” of the match despite not holding the title.

McIntyre Quits?

Drew McIntyre came out with his emotions on his face. He said nothing except that he “quit” just before saying, “screw the company.” It’s a storyline, of course, and it adds nicely to the “IG EXCLUSIVE” we saw tonight on just how Punk got his hands on an official’s shirt. Upon returning from the break, WWE officials scrambled to make it right with Drew. The story is clearly developing.

Dom’s New Mami/Liv’s NEW Dommy?

Commentary went over last week’s installment of the Dom-Liv ‘love affair’ and the ‘mystery of the missing hotel key.’ This is a very strange program, but the interest of fans and the intrigue woven into the story cannot be denied. Aside from the storyline having a specific kind of ‘attitude’ injected into the theme, there is a boyish feel from Dom playing the naïve kid attempting to stay loyal to his girl during a time in men’s lives when commitment can be difficult.

While the essence of this story can be appreciated, WWE and its creative arm will have to tread lightly or risk overshadowing a strong reign from a female superstar with cheap and played “Jerry Springer” esc plot points. After this program spanned several different segments, it ended with Priest catching Dom unzipping his vest off of Liv. Priest asks Liv to leave Dom alone, but Liv clearly has other plans.

Money In The Bank Qualifiers

Kiana James vs. Zelina Vega vs. Iyo Sky

Liv Morgan, RAW’s women’s world champion, made her presence felt in a big way during this triple-threat match. The match was a bit sluggish early on, but the three superstars worked together in the last half of the match to produce some of the best action of the night to that point.

Zelina Vega was on a roll and controlled the match when Liv decided to come to ringside wearing Dom’s purple vest—the same vest that was ‘missing’ from Judgement Day’s hangout earlier in the night. Vega was distracted and taken out by James, and that is when Iyo Sky hit the moonsault from the top turnbuckle for the win. Sky is now the first of six superstars to qualify for the unscrupulous ladder match.

Finn Balor vs. Jey Uso vs. Rey Mysterio

There was a case to be made for all three to win and qualify for the MITB match, but Jey Uso made more sense than most. His run has really just begun, and he has the ability to steal the show in Toronto. Rey Mysterio played his greatest hits, and Dom did what he does best and ruined everything. The Judgement Day got involved in this match, which prompted Stroman to chase them away while Balor and Jey were left in the ring. By the time Rey involved himself again in the match, Jey had taken the momentum and used it to pin Balor off a splash that only came after Rey was hit with Balor’s Coup De Grace.

Breakker of Zayne’s IC Title Reign?

Sami came out tonight on the heels of his successful title defense in Glasgow, and he acknowledged that he believes Otis and co. are on the verge of leaving Gable, but it will happen when they’re ready. As Zayn received his flowers, Bron Breakker came out to challenge for his first WWE title. That is when Sheamus came out to send Breakker behind him in the line.

Breakker and Sheamus later faced off, and Breakker hit some huge spots, including a massive clothesline to the outside. It was a great match with close near falls, but just as Sheamus was lining up Breakker, Kaiser came out to continue his feud with Sheamus. The segment ended with Breakker standing strong over Sheamus.

Tidbits/Other In-Ring Action

Gable demanded another IC title match after coming up short against Zayn once again at Clash at the Castle, and, of course, he blamed the Alpha Academy Faction. Commentary said Gable has had 5 IC title shots in the past few months against both Zayn and Gunther. RAW GM Adam Pierce suggested Gable go to the back of the line and then put him in a match with Braun Stroman. Stroman beat Gable, and that is when the actual segment started. Gable, reeling from his loss, took away Maxine’s crutch and then slapped Tozawa to the mat. Otis finally stepped in and made a declarative statement against Gable by shoving him to the floor and walking away from their disgraced leader.

Dragon Lee received some face time in consecutive weeks, and this time in front of a majority Hispanic crowd—a terrific way to put over a superstar by taking advantage of the territory. The South Texas crowd grew up on Lucha Libre, and including this match against Carlito was smart booking. It was a fun TV match but only highlighted the need for a high-stake Dragon Lee match with prime placement on a PLE. Carlito would end up winning the match with the typical helping hand of TJD, but the match was used to further the Dom-Liv storyline, and it was a terrific example of long-form storytelling within a single episode.