Tonight’s Monday Night Raw had a sense of urgency to it that hasn’t always been as prevalent over the past year, with WWE delivering genuine surprises throughout the night. Even if those twists and turns didn’t outright surprise you, most of them felt like big steps to move a feud or storyline forward. That said, not everything was a success, especially when it comes to those final 20 minutes, and we are breaking down the 5 biggest hits and misses of tonight’s November 10th edition of Monday Night Raw right here, starting with the first segment of the night.
5. Hit – John Cena’s Grand Slam
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Raw actually got things started with Triple H, but soon it was all about John Cena, who delivered a heartfelt promo to the city of Boston before being interrupted by everyone’s favorite heel, Dominik Mysterio. That set in motion a match that many had thought we’d see before the end of Cena’s run, but the way WWE executed this was perfect, and it delivered another monumental moment for the G.O.A.T.
Mysterio was made to look pretty strong against Cena, and after a delightful spot honoring Eddie Guerrero, Cena would ultimately defeat Mysterio to complete pretty much the only thing left on his WWE bucket list in becoming a Grand Slam Champion. It was a great moment for Cena, but it was a huge moment for the crowd, and if you were going to make this special, this was a rather brilliant way to do it. No notes.
4. Miss – Men’s WarGames Build
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Before the end of the night, both the men’s and women’s WarGames matches would become much clearer in terms of their lineups, and the men’s match didn’t exactly start all that strongly. Granted, this build has been substantially affected by the big creative changes that were needed due to Seth Rollins’ injury, so while at one point this almost wrote itself, all that had to be changed.
That’s why this all feels disjointed and without much connective tissue. To the team’s credit, Paul fits in just fine, even if his previous clash with Punk felt forced, and they only need one more person to complete their quartet. The dream team of Jey Uso, CM Punk, and Cody Rhodes is great on paper, but when the fourth person gets worked in (who is likely Roman Reigns), it’s going to be tricky to explain why all of these guys are working together without the Seth Rollins hate of it all that previously would have tied them together.
3. Hit – Nikki Bella’s Betrayal
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One of the most welcome changes WWE made during tonight’s Raw had to do with Nikki Bella, who made her return to WWE at the Royal Rumble. Since then, she’s popped up quite a bit on WWE TV, but she’s not had many wins in the ring. Bella had recently befriended Stephanie Vaquer, and while she appeared to be her biggest supporter, tonight she revealed that’s absolutely not the case, and it’s the first big step in fixing Bella’s return run and making it even better.
Bella celebrated with Vaquer after her Title defense against Raquel Rodriguez, but then Bella attacked Vaquer with her own Championship and knocked her to the mat. Bella holding up the Title made her stance clear, and now not only does Bella get to show a more vicious side and potentially score some wins, but she gives Vaquer her best adversary yet in her early Championship reign.
2. Miss – Crushing Title Change
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This one will be subjective, but for me, this was the miss of the night. The miss I’m referring to is the dethroning of Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair as the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, as after getting help and cheating, Asuka and Kairi Sane would emerge as the new Champions.
Bliss and Flair were one of the best stories of 2025 WWE, and from a number of perspectives. Not only had they given a new relevance and prestige to the Women’s Tag Team Championships, but they had pretty much become the most over WWE Tag Team on the roster, and endeared fans both in the ring and in delightful backstage segments. It had also been nothing but positive for both Superstars in terms of increased presence on TV and how they were received by fans, so to break them up now is puzzling to say the least, and extremely disappointing overall.
That said, Asuka and Kairi will be great Champions and have their own compelling storyline to move forward, but it’s just a shame that the era of Bliss and Flair seems like it may have already ended when it was really just getting started.
1. Hit – A Major Return and WarGames Potential
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WWE had one more surprise to deliver before the credits rolled, and that was to bring back arguably its most popular Superstar and reveal a big-time WarGames match-up. After Asuka and Kairi were helped out by Nia Jax and Lash Legend, Iyo Sky would run out to lend some assistance to Flair and Bliss, but that still wasn’t enough to turn the tide. That’s when Rhea Ripley made her welcome return to TV, and she has now made the WarGames lineup official.
Unlike the men’s match, this lineup feels pretty organic overall, as it’s just the natural extension of several ongoing stories that have now clashed. Bringing Ripley back is a big win, and the fact that she’s going to team up with Sky, Bliss, and Flair is a dream team type of scenario. On the other side, you have Jax, Legend, Asuka, and Sane, which is a dream team in itself and one that should help to deliver a stellar battle at Survivor Series.
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