WWE Raw Sets 2026 Off Right, Bron Breakker, CM Punk & Stranger Things

Skye Washington contributed to this report.

The first “WWE Raw” of 2026 came into Brooklyn’s Barclays Center with big new year, new me energy. WWE clearly tried to smash the reset button on Monday night, rolling out a loaded card packed with title implications, star power, and January-sized ambition as the road to the Royal Rumble officially began. After Friday’s marathon three-hour SmackDown, Raw showed up like, “Relax, we got this.”

Before we get into the full recap, we have to shoutout Netflix for hosting our time at RAW. Check below for a brief video recap of AllHipHop’s experience.

RAW gave us all the new year fireworks, but left space as the Royal Rumble looms.

CM Punk closed the show with a high-stakes World Heavyweight Championship defense against The Vision’s Bron Breakker, marking Punk’s first title defense since winning the belt at Saturday Night’s Main Event. And for a while, it looked like Breakker might be cashing in on that “new year, new champion” vibe. He bulldozed Punk through most of the first half, tossing him around like luggage at JFK.

Naturally, chaos followed. The Vision got involved, Rey Mysterio, Penta, and Dragon Lee chased them off, and suddenly Raw hit the “maximum drama” button. From there, the match took off, delivering slick submission exchanges, nerve-racking near-falls, and a genuinely gripping finish. Punk finally sidestepped a Breakker Spear and landed the GTS to retain, heading toward the Royal Rumble with gold still snug around his waist.

A Breakker win would’ve been a bold way to kick off Raw’s 2026 era. Instead, he’ll have to rebuild momentum…likely starting in the Rumble…because the coronation feels delayed. That does not mean he’ll be denied.

The Women’s World Championship wasn’t defended, but champion Stephanie Vaquer still had a rough night. Raquel Rodriguez laid her out with a vicious post-match attack, putting Vaquer’s status in question thanks to a legitimate ankle injury. It was just one chapter in a show that leaned heavily into the women’s division.

Raw opened with a Women’s Tag Team Championship clash, as the Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) dropped the titles to Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky. As expected, all four women delivered, adding another strong entry to their ongoing rivalry. “RhIyo” feels like money as champions, and they proved it with a fast, polished opener.

In the Women’s Intercontinental Championship trilogy match, Maxxine Dupri lost her title back to Becky Lynch. Lynch reclaimed the belt after a fun counter-heavy sequence—plus a not-so-legal assist from the ropes. Dupri’s reign now feels frustratingly short, especially after how strongly she was positioned post-coronation. Hopefully, this is just a temporary detour to elevate Dupri further, because Lynch, post-Seth Rollins, feels like she’s spinning her wheels a bit.

Liv Morgan defeated Lyra Valkyria in the final women’s match of the night, thanks to some wonderfully goofy outside interference from Bayley and Roxanne Perez. Outside of Rodriguez’s beatdown, this was also the only Judgment Day appearance on the show—a surprisingly low-profile night for the faction.

Overall, the first Raw of 2026 felt like a PLE-lite: smooth pacing, lots of wrestling, and a strong main event—but it didn’t quite deliver on surprises or consistently high peaks.

Match of the Night: CM Punk vs. Bron Breakker
No debate here. WWE clearly centered the show around making this main event hit. While their chemistry isn’t flawless yet, the final stretch was electric, delivering a rare clean Raw main event finish after the overbooking chaos cleared out.

Raw laid a solid foundation for a great 2026. Now, we just have to wait for the true magic.

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