Hey-yo Straight Shoot fam, Happy Friday.

While Triple H is out here cutting Netflix trailers about “new eras,” “fresh directions,” and “epic Monday nights” (insert collective eye roll here), we figured somebody had to actually walk through what is really happening on Raw and NXT right now. So we loaded this drop up with everything you need to know, minus the corporate buzzwords.

Today’s newsletter is a big one. We are breaking down why this week’s Raw was far from epic but absolutely better than Survivor Series, why NXT’s go home show quietly set Deadline up to over deliver, and then we are finishing with the real main event at the bottom. That is right, Darrion’s Drop is asking the only question that matters right now.

Who should retire John Cena.
Gunther. LA Knight. Heart versus logic. Business versus feelings. The whole debate is waiting for you at the end, and we want your take.

And yes, Darrion is technically on vacation, allegedly relaxing, but in reality he found some very suspicious internet just so he could get this issue out to all the Straight Shooters. Sunburnt, very dehydrated, and still grinding.

So grab a coffee, pretend you are working, and dive in. Raw, NXT, and the future of John Cena’s last match are all on the table this morning.

P.S. Want to listen instead? Hit Listen Online at the top right of your email.

Far From Epic, But Absolutely Better Than Survivor Series
Glendale, Arizona

🔥 OPENING THOUGHTS

Raw rolled into Glendale with one job: stabilize the product after a Survivor Series that left fans divided, confused, and asking a lot more questions than WWE answered. Tonight’s show did not live up to the hype of the so called EPIC program WWE pushed all week, but it was undeniably a step forward.

We got meaningful character development, a high voltage return from Liv Morgan, a career defining promo from Bron Breakker, and Solo Sikoa finally wrestling like the Samoan tank WWE has always advertised. The Royal Rumble is still two months away, but this episode laid down the early bricks for WrestleMania season.

Not iconic.
Not unforgettable.
But promising.

💥 RHEA RIPLEY AND IYO SKY OPEN THE SHOW
Segment Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky walked out bruised but triumphant after their WarGames victory, establishing the tone immediately. Rhea calling the night Monday Night Ryo landed well, and both women made it clear that their story with the Kabuki Warriors is far from finished.

Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss cut them off to demand the Tag Team Title rematch they never received, creating real tension between the only teams on Raw who feel like they belong at the top of the division. Pearce made the match official for the main event, and Raw was off to a strong start.

📌 BACKSTAGE CHECK IN
Segment Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

The backstage scenes moved a lot of pieces at once. Adam Pearce confirmed the main event before being drowned in new fires. Ivy Nile demanded Maxxine Dupri. Paul Heyman hunted for answers about the masked WarGames attacker. LA Knight prepped for his semifinal. Jey Uso wandered the halls like a man spiraling.

The Judgment Day, The Vision, and Solo Sikoa all arrived separately, each group moving like they had unfinished business. Tension everywhere.

Solid connective tissue.

🔥 LA KNIGHT VS JEY USO
Match Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

A hard hitting semifinal that saw LA Knight defeat Jey Uso to advance to the finals of The Last Time Is Now Tournament. The action was rugged and fun, with Knight outsmarting Jey on a crucial crucifix counter.

The bigger story was Jey’s mental collapse afterward. He snapped, throwing equipment, tossing steps, and storming off in frustration. This was not just a loss. This was the crack before something breaks.

Knight moves on to face the winner of Gunther vs Solo Sikoa on Friday.

💜 LIV MORGAN RETURNS TO THE JUDGMENT DAY
Segment Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

Dominik Mysterio strutted out to celebrate defeating John Cena, but the real moment was the return of Liv Morgan. She came back with presence. She came back with venom. And she delivered one of her best promos to date.

Liv declared that critics believed Judgment Day was finished. With her return, she promised they were rebuilt, refocused, and ready to dominate Raw again.

Her arrival instantly elevated the entire division. This was one of Raw’s strongest segments of the night.

🔥 AJ STYLES AND DRAGON LEE RETAIN THE TAG TITLES
Match Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Styles and Dragon Lee defeated The New Day in a clean, fast paced, extremely satisfying match. Their chemistry continues to shine. Their teamwork gets tighter every week. They feel like a genuine cornerstone act.

Post match they requested a title defense next week against the War Raiders. Fighting champions. Clear identity.

💀 BRON BREAKKER CUTS THE PROMO OF HIS LIFE
Segment Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was the crown jewel of the episode.

Paul Heyman announced that CM Punk will defend and lose the World Heavyweight Championship to Bron Breakker on January 5. Then Bron delivered the most vicious, intense, career defining promo we have ever heard from him.

He tore Punk apart verbally.
He promised to ruin Punk’s life.
He spoke like a future world champion.

This was the moment WWE has been waiting for. And Bron delivered.

🥊 GUNTHER VS SOLO SIKOA
Match Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Solo Sikoa finally wrestled like the destructive Samoan juggernaut WWE has teased for years. And it took Gunther to drag it out of him.

Hard shots.
Real urgency.
A level of intensity Solo has been missing.

Gunther won through veteran strategy and timely cheating, setting up the tournament finals. But the real story was Solo’s evolution. This felt like a breakthrough performance.

🔥 WOMEN’S TAG TEAM MAIN EVENT ERUPTS INTO CHAOS
Match Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss vs Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky was the best wrestling on the show. Fluid work. Strong pacing. Legitimate near falls across the board.

Then the division exploded.

The Kabuki Warriors hit the ring.
Bayley followed.
Lyra Valkyria joined.
Liv Morgan entered.
Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez finished the pile on.

The final shot of Raquel and Roxanne holding the Tag Titles above the chaos was a fantastic closing image. Raw has a real women's tag division for the first time in years.

🔥 OVERALL THOUGHTS
Straight Shoot Rating: 7 out of 10

Raw needed to rebound from a messy Survivor Series, and it did. Not an epic show, nowhere near perfect, but filled with strong narrative choices and important character beats.

The positives were easy to spot:

Liv Morgan added real electricity
Bron Breakker delivered a star making promo
Gunther and Solo tore the house down
AJ Styles and Dragon Lee continue to shine

But pacing issues, over reliance on tropes, and too many dangling mysteries kept this from reaching elite status.

A good step forward. Not a great one.

⭐ TOP 5 MOST IMPRESSIVE

⭐ Gunther
⭐ Solo Sikoa
⭐ Liv Morgan
⭐ Bron Breakker
⭐ AJ Styles and Dragon Lee

❌ THE 3 MISSES

Lack of clarity on the masked attacker
Another interference heavy non finish
Jey Uso’s story risks losing steam

🌟 THREE STARS OF THE SHOW

🌟 Gunther
🌟 Bron Breakker
🌟 Liv Morgan

A Strong Go Home Show With Real Momentum, But Big Questions Linger

🔥 OPENING THOUGHTS

NXT returned to the familiar chaos of the Performance Center for its final stop before Deadline. After two weeks of big arena energy at Madison Square Garden, this was a reset back to Orlando. And honestly, it worked.

The women carried the show again. Deadline’s card tightened into focus. Myles Borne stepped up when it mattered. Je’Von Evans did Je’Von Evans things. But there are still real creative questions floating around the brand. Where is Blake Monroe. Why does Josh Briggs continue to generate go away heat. And why do several acts feel like they are drifting without a real creative compass.

Even with the concerns, this was a solid go home episode with strong promos, explosive six woman action, and a much needed statement win in the main event.

🔥 WOMEN’S IRON SURVIVOR SUMMIT
Segment Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ava moderated the summit featuring Sol Ruca, Jordynne Grace, Lola Vice, Kendal Grey, and Kelani Jordan. This was exactly what a go home segment should be. Personalities clashing. Confidence everywhere. Tension building.

Sol Ruca spoke with heart, acknowledging the highs and lows and her search for peace through championship gold. Jordynne Grace radiated quiet dominance. Lola brought her natural swagger. Kendal reminded everyone she is the only champion in the ring. Kelani Jordan leaned into her new heel arrogance, drawing loud boos.

Fatal Influence stormed out to talk down to everyone, with Jacy Jayne taking shots at the entire division. A full brawl broke out and closed the segment on the correct note.

This division is stacked. The Deadline match feels big.

🔥 THEA HAIL VS ARIANNA GRACE
Match Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Quick and clean. Thea Hail grabbed a much needed win heading into Deadline with Joe Hendry in her corner and Stacks providing timely distractions. The Kimura finish was sharp, and the crowd is fully with Hail as one of NXT’s most lovable babyfaces.

Short. Simple. Effective.

🔥 JOSH BRIGGS VS TAVION HEIGHTS
Match Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Big man wrestling with real grit. Tavion Heights continues to impress with raw athleticism, but Briggs’ veteran nastiness carried the match. The lariat finish was strong, but the bigger question remains.

What is the long term direction for Briggs.

He does not have heel heat. He has the wrong kind. Until his character is refined, his ceiling remains capped.

And yes. Blake Monroe has now missed two weeks without explanation. Not great.

🔥 THE CULLING ADDRESS TATUM PAXLEY
Segment Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Izzi Dame delivered one of the strongest promos of her NXT career. Cold. Calculated. Cruel. This was the exact tone the feud needed.

Tatum Paxley followed with a vulnerable response, overwhelmed with anxiety about wrestling without Izzi. The emotional weight behind this story makes their Deadline match feel deeply personal.

The Culling story continues to be one of the best slow burn angles in NXT.

🔥 FATAL INFLUENCE VS SOL RUCA, LOLA VICE AND KENDAL GREY
Match Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A high energy, fast paced six woman trios match where everyone looked strong. Sol Ruca once again stole the show, hitting the Soul Snatcher and pinning Jacy Jayne clean.

This was the kind of multi woman action that main roster television wishes they produced weekly.

Post match, Zaria speared Kendal Grey and made her intentions very clear. A heel turn is coming.

The NXT women’s division is carrying the brand.

🔥 OTM VS CHASE U
Match Rating: ⭐⭐½

OTM smashed through Chase U with predictable dominance. Chase U showed some fire, but the result was never in doubt.

OTM continue to look intimidating, but the crowd remains lukewarm. They need a hook beyond squash matches.

🔥 DARKSTATE VS HENDRY, SLATER, EVANS AND BORNE
Match Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This eight man tag had the signature NXT chaos fans expect before a PLE.

Je’Von Evans was a human highlight reel. Leon Slater was smooth and sharp. Joe Hendry was massively over, as always. The match had pace, energy, and personality.

But the star was Myles Borne.

He tagged himself in at the exact right moment, hit Borne Again, and secured the win. He now walks into Deadline with serious momentum.

Smart booking. Strong main event.

🔥 OBA FEMI AND RICKY SAINTS CONTRACT SIGNING
Segment Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Short, focused, and effective. Oba promised destruction. Ricky Saints promised defiance. Ava announced the Deadlock opener: the NXT Championship will open the PLE for the first time ever.

No wasted motion. This will hit hard on Saturday.

🔥 OVERALL THOUGHTS
Straight Shoot Rating: 7 out of 10

This was a good go home show with real momentum heading into Deadline. The women’s division carried the night. The Iron Survivor field looks stacked. Myles Borne got a spotlight win. Je’Von Evans continues to elevate every main event he touches.

But concerns remain.

Briggs does not have the right kind of heat.
Blake Monroe missing two straight weeks is a red flag.
Some acts in the midcard feel directionless.

Even with those issues, the show did exactly what a Deadline go home episode should do.

Clear stakes.
Strong energy.
Good wrestling.
Momentum building.

NXT feels ready for Saturday.

⭐ TOP 5 MOST IMPRESSIVE

⭐ Sol Ruca
⭐ Myles Borne
⭐ Je’Von Evans
⭐ Izzi Dame
⭐ Lola Vice

❌ THE 3 MISSES

Briggs’ heat continues to feel like rejection, not heel work
Blake Monroe missing without explanation
OTM and Chase U remain stagnant with no narrative progress

🌟 THREE STARS OF THE SHOW

🌟 Sol Ruca
🌟 Izzi Dame
🌟 Je’Von Evans

Every time the wrestling world thinks it has figured out the path to John Cena’s final match, a voice pops up and flips the conversation on its head. This time, the voice belongs to someone who knows John better than anyone alive.

John Cena Sr. says LA Knight, not Gunther, should be the man to retire his son.

And the internet lit up instantly.

Fans laughed at first, but then the argument started to grow teeth. The more you unpack his reasoning, the more the idea takes shape. Because if there is one thing the IWC agrees on right now, it is that LA Knight has been criminally bottled for years. A career filled with stop and start pushes, bad timing, and corporate hesitation. Yet he survived it all and came out a megastar anyway.

Suddenly, the idea of LA Knight being the man to close the book on John Cena does not feel crazy. It feels earned.

Think about it.

LA Knight is the guy who made himself valuable without being handed anything. He became a phenomenon through grit, charisma, and pure fan demand. He took every scrap WWE gave him and still forced his way into the main event conversation. He did the media rounds. He showed up early. He stayed late. He carried live crowds on his back. He waited for his moment. And maybe, just maybe, the company is finally ready to give him what everyone knows he deserves.

Retiring John Cena would be the biggest moment of his career. It would validate the entire journey of a man who had to claw for every inch of respect. It would be poetic. It would be deserved. It would be a rare case of the wrestling gods saying, “Here you go kid, you earned this.”

But then comes the other side.

Gunther is the future of WWE’s main event scene. He is the Ring General. He is the man who represents the next decade. Retiring Cena would be the ultimate coronation for a generational wrestler. A statement that WWE is betting the house on serious, physical, main event craft. A match with Cena would not just elevate Gunther. It would sanctify him.

Cena vs Gunther is the match that makes sense on paper.
Cena vs LA Knight is the match that makes sense in the heart.

This debate is not just about booking. It is about what kind of exit WWE wants for the man who defined an era. Does Cena go out against the unstoppable final boss who embodies the next chapter of the industry? Or does he go out helping elevate a guy who clawed his way up from the bottom and refused to be denied?

And here is the twist.

For the first time in years, the IWC might actually be getting what it wants. Fans have begged for LA Knight to get a true marquee moment. A moment that solidifies him as more than a catchphrase and more than a pop machine. A moment that says he belongs at the top.

This could be that moment.

If Cena Sr. is pushing for it, and the fans are behind it, and LA Knight has the steam, then suddenly the conversation becomes real. Not fantasy booking. Not wishful thinking. A real possibility.

So what do we make of all this?

LA Knight retiring John Cena would be the most emotionally satisfying choice. Gunther retiring Cena would be the most logical and legacy driven choice.

But sometimes wrestling is at its best when it gives the people what they want.

And right now, the people want LA Knight to finally get the moment he has earned one long year at a time.

So the question is simple:

Is WWE ready to give LA Knight the biggest W of his career… or will they choose the Ring General and keep the story strictly business?

Your move, Triple H.

Be Good People🤘
mr.teshk

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