Raw recap & reactions: Drew McIntyre’s grievances (2025)

Good Grief

Ordinarily, I’d roll my eyes at a heel being mad at the fans for “forgetting” them or “turning on” them or not kissing their butt enough. Yes the tactic is tried and true but it’s also tired. Tried, true, and tired don’t usually equate to compelling television. However, but, although (insert your own conjunction) Drew McIntyre makes it work because scapegoating is embedded in his character.

Sami Zayn pointed out the insane amount of entitlement baked in his character too, which is another reason him complaining that no one reached out to console him during his sabbatical comes off as scummy instead of endearing. It’s hard giving sympathy to a guy who doesn’t have even an ounce of humility. While he’s right about cats being incredibly hypocritical with how they’re handling Roman Reigns, a broken clock has the same batting average. And being “right” in this moment doesn’t help considering Drew is still one of WWE’s biggest hypocrites, if not the biggest.

Case in point? Look no further than the main event. Drew defeated Sami, who went in admitting he’s not 100 percent. He even rebuffed Jey Uso, who got his “welcome back moment” this week:

Jey wanted his shot at Drew and wanted to help his friend, who wasn’t ready for this fight. So this loss wasn’t a big deal for him. And then came the end where Drew’s hypocrisy shined brighter than at the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

Even with his quasi truce in place with the New Bloodline and Solo Sikoa, this is a guy who refuses to go after someone he says is on his hit list simply because they can handle his light work. It makes complete sense strategically but it shows Drew’s true colors. He talks a fantastic game but plays a very different one. And therein lies the issue with him airing his grievances like Frank Costanza on Festivus. He’s not the person he believes he is; his hands are equally dirty if not more tarnished than the names on his hit list. That’s what makes all of this interesting, even on a pre-taped episode.

Rarities

• IYO SKY advanced in the women’s Intercontinental championship tournament. Yup, I said IYO SKY. She was the mystery competitor after Kairi Sane’s injury put her on the shelf. Pure Fusion Collective didn’t like that one bit but this serves as the kind of story fodder I like. That said, I was pulling for Nattie. For a woman WWE constantly calls one of the greatest ever, this feels like a fitting “first” for her resume. Alas.
• Sigh. We’re one step closer to Otis vs. Chad Gable after Chad defeated Akira Tozawa. I’m sighing because this still feels like too little too late. We went from a story steeped in personal animosity, betrayal, manipulation, and slow realizations to one where Chad is simply picking on Alpha Academy because he think they sullied what he built. Meh.
• Damian Priest defeated Dirty Dom because of course he did. But as usual, this isn’t over. This is building to a one-on-one between Damian and Finn Balor, a move of which I approve. And I hope it gets here fast because as much as I love Judgment Day and Damian, I’m ready for them to separate from each other. Because of the history, I can’t logically have them occupying the same space without getting physical. And with no championship in Damian’s vision, all he sees is black and purple. Or in this case, red. JD McDonagh donned the requisite Santa Claus costume this year. Good for him! But he got a beatdown. Bad for him! I’m sure that man has nothing but coal in his stocking anyway, so he had it coming.
• New Day continue getting insane heat, even in Kofi Kingston’s backyard! His moms even disavowed him, during Christmas no less! That’s an effective way to use family as it helps show how far the New Day fell when they emotionally slaughtered Big E. Good stuff and a great follow-up on everything from the last two weeks. Rey Mysterio telling them to apologize but with a hint of foreboding was also perfect. I love everything happening with this story and I look forward to seeing it unfold every week.
• Not burying the lede here: Seth Rollins is right. That is all.

Not bad for a pre-taped show airing a few days before Christmas. I remained entertained for two hours.

What say you, ladies and gents?