WWE Raw results, recap, grades: New Day turn their backs on Big E, Drew McIntyre returns and attacks Sami Zayn

Big E's long overdue return to Monday Night Raw wasn't warmly received by Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods

The power of positivity is painfully absent from the New Day. Big E returned to WWE Raw for the first time in four years to reunite Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. Big E managed to get them on the same page but not in the way he intended.

Kingston and Woods have been at odds for weeks. Their growing tension awkwardly coincided with New Day's 10th anniversary. Former WWE champion Big E, who hasn't wrestled since breaking his neck in March 2022, promised to get his friends on the same page. Big E's words of encouragement were not reciprocated but met with shocking vitriol.

WWE Raw also featured a lot of movement in the main event scene. CM Punk and Seth Rollins reignited their rivalry, which also saw Sami Zayn, Jey Uso and Drew McIntyre thrown into the mix.

CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Angels of the Wind Arena in Everett, Washington.

Big E's best friends snuff out his love with hatred

Kingston and Woods joined in the ring for the New Day's uncomfortable 10th-anniversary celebration. Their body language suggested the team's days were over, but Big E wasn't about to let that happen. Big E's surprise return was met with a standing ovation from the audience. Big E expressed how much New Day meant to him. He remembered how Kingston, his wife and their newborn daughter visited Big E's home shortly after he broke his neck. Big E also recalled how Woods wept in his arms after accomplishing his childhood dream of winning King of the Ring. Big E promised he'd be here for his best friends moving forward. Until Big E is medically cleared to wrestle again, he'd be on television weekly as New Day's manager. The fans cheered for Big E, who has mostly worked as a pre-show analyst for WWE's pay-per-views since suffering his potential career-ending injury. Kingston and Woods weren't sold.

Kingston and Woods shockingly berated Big E for abandoning them. Kingston shunned Big E, noting how "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Kurt Angle and Edge recovered from neck breaks. Unlike them, Big E didn't require surgery, Kingston added. Woods blamed Big E for holding them back as they painstakingly awaited his return. Woods said Big E shouldn't lie to himself or anyone else about ever being medically cleared. Kingston and Woods demanded that Big E leave the ring as the two active New Day members seemingly fortified their friendship over their anger toward Big E.

New Day's segment will likely be remembered as one of the year's best promos. All three men spoke with conviction, blending elements of reality and fiction into their promo. The promise of Big E's return to TV was a moral victory, one unexpectedly and expertly crushed by his best friends. The New Day is suddenly more interesting than they've been in years, and Big E has an intriguing storyline to work with despite not wrestling. Grade: A+

What else happened on WWE Raw?

• CM Punk and Seth Rollins got into a shoving match. Sami Zayn and Jey Uso intervened, leading to Zayn challenging Rollins.
• Liv Morgan and Finn Balor argued about Balor's involvement in the Gunther vs. Damian Priest match at Survivor Series.
• Judgment Day (Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez) def. Damage CTRL (Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane) via pinfall after Rodiguez landed a Texana Bomb on Sane. Judgment Day attacked Rhea Ripley post-match.
• A world heavyweight title match between Gunther and Balor was booked for Saturday Night's Main Event.
• Dakota Kai def. Katana Chance and Shayna Baszler via pinfall after hitting Chance with a Benedryller. Kai advances in the inaugural women's intercontinental title tournament.
• World Heavyweight Championship -- Gunther (c) def. Dominik Mysterio via pinfall after a powerbomb to retain the title in a short match. Post-match, Balor hit Gunther with three Coup de Graces.
  
• Uso was assaulted backstage by an unseen assailant.
• R-Truth def. Pete Dunne via pinfall with a schoolboy pin.
  
• Intercontinental champion Bron Breakker and Ludwig Kaiser had a verbal confrontation backstage.
• Rollins def. Zayn via pinfall with a small package after convincing Zayn, who was wielding a steel chair, that Rollins didn't attack Uso. Post-match, Drew McIntyre returned and laid out Zayn with a Claymore Kick.