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WWE Raw At MSG Had Celebrities, Returns, & Set The Stage For Wargames

James Boutros Written by Sports EditorJames Boutros
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Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns at the 2021 edition of WWE Crown Jewel

WWE Raw was in New York at Madison Square Garden for the November 17th episode.

It was a jam-packed show, which kicked off with John Cena.

Cena kicked it off to a rowdy New York crowd.

He would be interrupted by Dominik Mysterio, who wanted a rematch for his Intercontinental Championship.

Cena agreed to the match and wanted it on Raw. However, Mysterio said no, he wants it at Survivor Series. The two agreed to battle for the IC title at Survivor Series. However, Finn Balor and JD McDonagh came to attack Cena with Mysterio. Cena had backup in the likes of Sheamus and Rey Mysterio. This set up a six-man tag to open Raw.

Cena, Sheamus, and Rey Mysterio would win the match.

That was not the only thing that occurred on Raw. Celebrity appearances and surprise returns also happened on a jam-packed Raw.

Celebrities Appeared On Raw

WWE Raw at Madison Square Garden featured celebrities in the house.

Comedian Andrew Schulz, New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo, and several other members of the New York Giants got involved on Raw.

Here is the video:

Other celebrities were also in the house.

  • Lil Yachty: He was shown in the crowd during key segments, and hyped the Wargames build
  • Lin-Manuel Miranda: the Broadway icon was shown next to Stephanie McMahon in the crowd
  • Eric Andre: the comedian/TV host, was shown in the crowd
  • Aljamain Sterling: the MMA star was spotted cheering front row
  • Cooper DeJean: The Philadelphia Eagle did not get the warmest welcome in New York when he was shown on camera
  • Ashley Cooke: the country music singer was spotted in the crowd
  • Elyse Dudzinski: the artist was also spotted at Raw

Returns Took Place At Raw

A bunch of returns happened at Raw.

Dolph Ziggler

The first was the return of Dolph Ziggler. Solo Sikoa had a mystery opponent in the “Last Time Is Now” tournament. It turned out his opponent was none other than Dolph Ziggler.

Ziggler returned to a loud ovation, as he has not been in WWE since September 2023. Here is a video of his return.

Unfortunately for Ziggler, he came up short in the match and lost to Solo Sikoa.

AJ Lee

Another return was AJ Lee. She has not been seen on WWE TV since Wrestlepalooza. Lee would return to cost Becky Lynch her Intercontinental title and help Maxxine Dupri win the championship.

Lee was later shown backstage, and Rhea Ripley was with her, and Ripley said she wanted to talk to Lee about something.

This is shaping up for Lee to be the fifth member of the Wargames team, which will feature Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, Iyo Sky, and Rhea Ripley.

Gunther

Gunter returned after a lengthy absence due to an injury. He returned to a match in the “Last Time Is Now” tournament.

Gunther would defeat Je’Von Evans in a very good match. Credit to both competitors for an excellent match.

Brock Lesnar & Roman Reigns

The ending of Raw was chaotic and very well done.

It was a brawl that featured Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, and Drew McIntyre fighting CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, and Jimmy and Jey Uso.

Each Men’s Wargames team had four already, but they each need one more for a complete team.

Turns out that Paul Heyman’s fifth guy to join Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, and Drew McIntyre was none other than Brock Lesnar.

Well, shortly after Lesnar returned, the OTC, Roman Reigns returned to help his cousins, the Usos, Rhodes, and Punk.

Here is the video of the returns of Lesnar and Reigns, and the chaotic ending to a very good Raw.

The Stage Is Set For Survivor Series Wargames

WWE Survivor Series Wargames will take place on Saturday, November 29, at 7 PM EST. In the United States, the PLE can be seen on ESPN. Outside of the United States, it will be broadcast live on Netflix.

Four matches have been confirmed for Survivor Series Wargames.

    • WWE Intercontinental Championship: John Cena (c) vs Dominik Mysterio
    • WWE Women’s World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs Nikki Bella
    • Women’s Wargames: Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, Iyo Sky, Rhea Ripley, and TBA vs Asuka, Kairi Sane, Lash Legend, Nia Jax, and TBA
    • Men’s Wargames: Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre, and Brock Lesnar vs CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, and Roman Reigns

For the Women’s Wargames match, it is expected that AJ Lee teams with Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, Iyo Sky, and Rhea Ripley.

This also means that there is a very good chance that the fifth member joining Asuka, Kairi Sane, Lash Legend, and Nia Jax will be Becky Lynch.

It remains to be seen if WWE will add another match to the match card or if they will have four matches for Survivor Series Wargames.

Wargame matches take very long, so WWE cannot have a lot of matches for the night.

WWE Survivor Series Wargames Prediction

This will be a very good PLE.

WWE Intercontinental Championship: John Cena (c) vs Dominik Mysterio

This will be an interesting match. Will John Cena enter his final match, which is set for December 13 at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, DC, as the IC Champion?

Survivor Series is in San Diego, which is the hometown of Dominik Mysterio, although he will unlikely get a warm reception against Cena.

This feels like WWE wanted to put the title on Cena to make him a grand slam champion.

As great as Cena is, Dominik Mysterio winning this match paves his future, which is what Cena has been championing. Cena has repeatedly said he wants his final run to help build the future, and there is no better way to do that than to lose the title back to Dominik Mysterio.

Prediction: Dominik Mysterio wins the IC title

WWE Women’s World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs Nikki Bella

Nikki Bella turned on Stephanie Vaquer on the November 10 episode of Raw.

However, there is little chance WWE takes the title off Vaquer so quickly.

She is the future of the women’s division and will have the title for a longer period.

Prediction: Stephanie Vaquer retains her WWE Women’s World Championship

Women’s Wargames: Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, Iyo Sky, Rhea Ripley, and TBA vs Asuka, Kairi Sane, Lash Legend, Nia Jax, and TBA

For the Women’s Wargames match, it is expected that AJ Lee teams with Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, Iyo Sky, and Rhea Ripley.

This also means that there is a very good chance that the fifth member joining Asuka, Kairi Sane, Lash Legend, and Nia Jax will be Becky Lynch.

This is a very good mix of talent and will be a great match.

WWE rarely has Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley lose, which means their team will come out on top.

Prediction: Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, Iyo Sky, Rhea Ripley, and TBA(AJ Lee) will win

Men’s Wargames: Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre, and Brock Lesnar vs CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, and Roman Reigns

This will also be a great match.

Many top talents will be in this contest.

A possible twist could occur with either Jimmy or Jey turning heel.

There have been rumors of Jey turning heel, and this may be the spot he does.

Jey will screw over Punk, Rhodes, his brother, and his cousin.

Prediction: Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre, and Brock Lesnar will win

James Boutros Written by Sports EditorJames Boutros
Growing up, James was fascinated with watching sports. This led to an interest in research and stats and writing betting analysis for a variety of sports. James has graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business.
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