Veteran NFL writer and Pat McAfee Show contributor Mark Kaboly breaks down SmackDown and Raw with 10 takeaways.

03:02

After Seth “Freakin” Rollins picks up a win in an explosive match against Drew McIntyre, Sami Zayn attempts to help The Visionary survive McIntyre's post-match attack, but accidentally blasts him with a Helluva Kick. Catch WWE action on Netflix, Peacock, USA Network, CW Network, Sony India and more. #WWERAW

Another layer: As if the rivalry between Seth "Freakin" Rollins and Drew McIntyre needed any more hype heading into Royal Rumble and potentially a rematch at WrestleMania 41, the two competed in an incredible bout on Raw. I have to admit, I was a little puzzled to see the two main-eventers battling during a mid-January Raw, especially with how much history Rollins and McIntyre have, but it all makes sense now. With Rollins stealing the victory despite The Scottish Psychopath dominating most of the match, it gave The Visionary a much-needed win without ending matters between them for good. Sami Zayn coming to the rescue and delivering an accidental Helluva Kick (how many times have his Helluva kicks gone awry?) to his friend that he seemed to make amends with early in the show, it left us with a cliffhanger and many unanswered questions. Was it on purpose? Did Zayn take offense to Rollins saying he would toss him over the top rope at the Rumble? Was Zayn upset that CM Punk said that he wasn’t on his level? 

02:59

For the second week in a round, the explosive Penta makes a statement, this time against Pete Dunne. Catch WWE action on Netflix, Peacock, USA Network, The CW, Sony India and more. #WWERAW

Penta's era: Penta's much-anticipated WWE debut against a technical wrestler like Chad Gable definitely highlighted the luchador’s strengths. Penta’s second match on Raw on Monday against Pete Dunne, with his Indie roots and previous history having faced Penta before albeit nearly eight years ago, made him a logical second opponent. Penta’s second match was crisper than his debut as he opened up his crazy arsenal of moves a little more in defeating The BruiserWeight. Dunne’s style matched Penta’s style and made for a truly solid match. After a couple of “warm-up” matches for Penta, now he has to find a rival. Speaking of that, was it a coincidence that a video of Logan Paul returning to Raw next week in Atlanta after five months off followed Penta’s win?

02:51

Kofi Kingston looks to make a statement at the expense of locker room leader Rey Mysterio, as WWE Hall of Famer JBL provides guest commentary. Catch WWE action on Netflix, Peacock, USA Network, The CW, Sony India and more. #WWERAW

New Day back in the ring: It’s been nearly two months since Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods turned on Big E, and the two have done a fabulous job of turning everybody in the company, and the fans, against them. This week on Raw, they finally took that heat to the ring when Kofi opposed the “locker room leader” Rey Mysterio. It was the first televised match involving either member of The New Day since the Big E verbal attack. Maybe I was just expecting more out of the match considering the six-week leadup to the in-ring return, but I am not sure if a Mysterio rollup win followed by a New Day beatdown wasn’t what I expected but I get it. 

02:58

The Monster of All Monsters Braun Strowman saves The Megastar LA Knight from a beatdown at the hands of Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga. Catch WWE action on Netflix, Peacock, USA Network, CW Network, Sony India and more.

Just getting started: Another week and another massive leap in Jacob Fatu’s meteoric rise to become a main-eventer. Fatu’s impromptu promo after Solo Sikoa was booed out of the building during SmackDown made Sikoa look weak and, more importantly, Fatu more of a threat moving forward than the former Tribal Chief. Fatu paired with Tama Tonga has all the makings of something that will work moving forward. Now, Fatu has to have a good match at Saturday Night's Main Event against easily the biggest competitor he’s ever faced in Braun Strowman. It may be the last hurdle to get the attention he deserves and, seriously, do you think that will be a problem for The Samoan Werewolf?

02:31

After Nia Jax defeats Bayley, Rhea Ripley charges the ring and gets into a melee with The Irresistible Force before demanding a match between them at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Catch WWE action on Netflix, Peacock,, USA Network, The CW, Sony India and more. #WWERAW

Bayley is Raw, but what about Nia?: Bayley announced she is now a full-time member of the Raw roster, while Nia Jax keeps bouncing back and forth between SmackDown and Raw. The Irresistable Force seems like a perfect full-time addition to Raw. Jax and Bayley had a solid match on Raw where their rivalry history came through loud and clear. With Rhea Ripley, a logical next rival for Jax considering those two have had their differences recently, could provide for some epic matches. With Tiffany Stratton, Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, Naomi, Michin, Chelsea Green and likely Charlotte Flair all on the SmackDown roster, Nia’s permanent move to Raw seems right with Superstars there being Liv Morgan, IYO SKY, Ripley, and now Bayley. 

Return of Charlotte Flair: Many thought that after a year of rehabbing her surgically repaired knee that Charlotte Flair would make some kind of shocking return, maybe at Royal Rumble or potentially at WrestleMania, even though the latter would be wasting a monumental opportunity for arguably the most talented female competitor for taking part in the match at The Showcase of the Immortals. Instead, we got a minute pre-packaged video that didn’t provide much insight into when and where Charlotte returns. The muted response from the announcers made it even more curious, and to me, low-key means something big is about to happen. Sure, we would all like to see the surprise run-in from Charlotte but when you have a Superstar like her, you want to let everybody know when, where, and how she’s returning if nothing more than to capitalize on getting more eyeballs on the product.

02:51

WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio addresses his hometown crowd in San Diego before being interrupted by Kevin Owens. Catch WWE action on Netflix, Peacock, USA Network, CW Network, Sony India and more. #SmackDown

Ultimate troll: Kevin Owens mocking Dusty Rhodes, Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero in one program without saying a word was utter brilliance and added yet another layer to his complex persona. You have to admit, the “Canadian Son of a Security System Technician” shirt may have been low-key trolling, but trolling Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes nonetheless. That followed by the wearing of a WWE Hall of Fame Rey Mysterio shirt while battling Mysterio and then doing the Guerrero shimmy shake before a frog splash was subtle, but subtlety is entertaining. Owens is hitting a stride in this Rhodes rivalry, taking him to the next level. Owens is trying (and failing) to manipulate Mysterio on SmackDown and manipulating Zayn (which may end up working) on Raw a few days later to try to assure himself a title shot WrestleMania has created layers to an already complex man.

03:01

Jimmy Uso and Carmelo Hayes take their beef to the ring in an incredible singles match. Catch WWE action on Netflix, Peacock, USA Network, CW Network, Sony India and more. #SmackDown

Is The Bloodline done? Joe Tessitore casually mentioned that Jimmy Uso’s match on SmackDown against Carmelo Hayes was the first time Jimmy has competed against somebody not involved with The Bloodline in 13 months. This got me thinking that in Zayn’s most recent match was against The Miz and on Raw on Monday, he wore a plain green button-down shirt. Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga's ring attire had nothing even suggesting they were part of The Bloodline. Jey Uso has a match for the World Heavyweight Championship, and Solo Sikoa showed up by himself and then left by himself during SmackDown. The Rock embraced Roman Reigns at Raw’s debut on Netflix, and Reigns sent Paul Heyman last week to declare him for the Royal Rumble Match. Do you see what I am getting at? Is the Bloodline not-so-slowly being phased out after what has been a long and successful run? I’d lean more toward just taking a little break before WrestleMania.

Who’s next: SmackDown did provide something highly entertaining but likely was glossed over by many watching. SmackDown had a 30-minute block of action that was ingenious, seven people involved in different situations that led to setting up a pair of future matches and advancing other situations. It started with Jimmy Uso’s backstage segment as he walked to the ring to take on Carmelo Hayes. Fatu and Tonga interfered to make it a no-contest, which still kept Jimmy's rivalry with Hayes unsettled. That allowed Sikoa to come to the ring to talk, which never happened. That led to Fatu on the mic that led to LA Knight jumping the two from behind, which led to Strowman’s arrival. Later we found out that Fatu and Strowman will fight at Saturday Night's Main Event and Tama and Knight on SmackDown next week. A very well-done thing that sure didn’t feel like it took up nearly 20 percent of the show.

02:51

An impassioned Second City Saint makes it clear that no one will stop him from making history in the Royal Rumble Match on The Road to WrestleMania. Catch WWE action on Netflix, Peacock, USA Network, The CW, Sony India and more. #WWERAW

Odds and ends: Bayley was a good first title defense for Tiffany Stratton. It was a solid match with some nice moments … Michael Cole put some heart into his latest “YEET” frenzy. … Karrion Kross lurking (and smirking) in the background following a backstage talk between Zayn and Rollins made me pause the broadcast to take a second look to see if it was him, and it was. It was a very subtle move. … KO vs. Sami Zayn at WrestleMania? It is a definite possibility after Raw. … JBL’s return to the table was brief but effective. His quick whit and bad-guy mentality was as entertaining as ever. … CM Punk teasing cashing in his favor with Paul Heyman in regards to Roman Reigns was the highlight of The Second City Saint’s interview. … Bron Breakker shouldn’t lose to Sheamus at Saturday Night Main Event, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he did. Breakker’s confidence/arrogance in the face of Sheamus on Raw came across well.