The January 5 edition of WWE RAW is already stacked with two championship matches, but the chaos started weeks earlyright after the announcement aired.
Shortly after WWE confirmed that Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY will challenge the Kabuki Warriors for the WWE Womens Tag Team Titles on RAWs first Netflix-streamed episode of 2026, tensions boiled over. Coming back from commercial on the December 15 show, Ripley and SKY made their way to the ringonly to be met with a vicious preemptive strike.
The Kabuki Warriors didnt wait for the bell. Asuka unleashed a blast of mist directly into Ripleys face, temporarily blinding the Eradicator. Meanwhile, Kairi Sane leaped off the ringside barrier to deliver a stiff forearm to IYO. What followed was a full-on assault: IYO was launched into the steel steps while Asuka connected with a sliding kick to Ripley against the apron.
Asuka and Kairi then rolled Ripley into the ring, ignoring the referees trying to intervene. In a desperate effort to protect her teammate, IYO threw her body over Ripleybut Kairi launched off the top rope and landed a brutal elbow drop on both women.
The attack left both challengers laid out, forcing officials to help them out of the ring. The message was crystal clear: the Kabuki Warriors are not entering 2026 quietly. With this kind of violence happening weeks ahead of the scheduled match, the RAW womens tag division could erupt even before the new year kicks off.
Do you think Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY can recover in time to challenge for the titles? Or did the Kabuki Warriors just secure their first win before the match even begins? Sound off below.
