Raw airs tonight (Jan. 5) with a live show from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. This is the sixth episode of Raw during the nine week build to Royal Rumble, which takes place on January 31 in Saudi
Arabia.
WWE makes sure you will never forget the first Raw of 2026
Tonight is the first Raw of 2026, and WWE is loading the card to make sure fans never forget its one year anniversary on Netflix.
There are three championship matches on the slate, with a very good chance that at least one of these belts is changing hands.
The headlining match is World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk vs. Bron Breakker. This looked like a potential WrestleMania world title match after Bron took over the de facto top guy position of The Vision following Seth Rollins’ injury. The promos from both men have been great leading up to this bout. Bron is seen by so many people as the future face of WWE, but he’s ready to prove that the future is now.
Breakker has the numbers game on his side, with stablemates Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, and Austin Theory all lurking in the shadows and prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure Bron is the new champion tonight. Rey Mysterio and Penta might be able to counteract some of those names, but it will probably take a surprise return from LA Knight to tip the scale back in CM’s favor. Knight was Tsunami splashed on a car by Reed last month, so it would be a sweet measure of revenge for the megastar to screw over The Vision in such a high stakes fight.
The first Raw of the year also features Becky Lynch’s first match since she gave up at War Games in November. Lynch’s boycott of Raw is over, and she’s back in the ring challenging Maxxine Dupri for the women’s Intercontinental championship. Dupri is confident that she will make The Man tap out like a little bitch and prove her title win over Becky was no fluke. This looks like the match with the highest chance of a title change on tonight’s show, in my view.
The third title match on the lineup is IYO SKY teaming up with Rhea Ripley to take on WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Kairi Sane and Asuka. RHIYO has momentum on their side after getting the better of the Kabuki Warriors last week, but does momentum make a lick of difference in pro wrestling? There is potential for a smoz finish here, with other teams like Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair and Lash Legend & Nia Jax each thinking this should be their title shot.
WWE’s first Raw of 2026 also features Liv Morgan’s long-awaited return to the ring on Netflix. She’s set to take on Lyra Valkyria, who I don’t think stands much of a chance to win. Can Morgan get The Judgment Day back on track after Dominik Mysterio’s injury news and Raquel Rodriguez failing to win championship gold last week? If she wins tonight, does Liv plan to be the first wrestler in WWE to declare for the Royal Rumble match?
There is also GM Adam Pearce’s tease that Chris Jericho’s return to WWE could possibly happen tonight on the first Raw of 2026. A star of this magnitude returning to WWE would certainly make for an unforgettable moment, for obvious reasons.
Finally, this is Stranger Things Night on Raw. We still don’t have a great sense for how that will affect WWE’s plans for Raw, aside from encouraging fans in New York City to dress up accordingly.
When you put it all together, it looks like WWE is putting its best foot forward to kick off the new year and make sure fans won’t forget the first Raw of 2026. Which of these title matches and segments will deliver in that regard? Tune into WWE on Netflix tonight to find out.
Other stuff to keep an eye on
– GUNTHER made quick work of R-Truth last week, as WWE is taking its time to figure out what’s next for the Ring General after he made John Cena give up in his retirement match last month. Is WWE taking too long to move GUNTHER along to his next program?
– Speaking of someone’s next feud, what’s next for Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer after she retained the belt last week against Raquel Rodriguez and WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella?
– The Usos defeated AJ Styles and Dragon Lee to become the new world tag team champions last week. Is Jey in a much better head space now that he is once again holding championship gold in WWE?
– There is a rumor that Chad Gable is ready to return to WWE and may show up tonight in Brooklyn. If so, what does this mean for the future of El Grande Americano?
– Which main roster star is putting over Je’Von Evans tonight?
– Will any more NXT stars show up backstage tonight as free agents who are looking to sign with either Raw or SmackDown?
– Where the f*** is Rusev?
What will you be looking for on the first Raw of 2026?
