Momentum is somewhat vague when it comes to a big match like Survivor Series, but there’s certainly no disputing that Raw and Seth Rollins have a lot more wind in their sails following the Eight-Man Tag Team victory over NXT UK’s Imperium in Manchester.

For one, you can basically count collective defeats of WALTER, Alexander Wolfe, Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner on one hand, so beating them is always a big deal. But, more importantly, the victory was a true team effort on behalf of Rollins and his partners and a sign of what teamwork can accomplish in the face of an enemy that believes wholeheartedly in the cause.

It took a long time to get that way. The Beastslayer insisted on shouldering the majority of the burden against Imperium and was summarily brutalized by WALTER, who made a concerted effort to cave in Rollins’ chest cavity with chops and clubbing blows from behind. Some last-minute saves by Kevin Owens and The Street Profits threw Imperium’s plan into chaos and allowed Raw to rally. WALTER was finally downed by a suicide-dive and plancha one-two from Rollins and Montez Ford, Barthel was sent tumbling out of the ring with a Stunner from Owens, and Rollins finished things off with a Stomp to Wolfe.

In the grand scheme of things, it was a minor skirmish, as NXT UK isn’t yet involved in Survivor Series. But the win was a key blueprint nonetheless that the rest of the locker room would be wise to follow. If Raw is going to survive NXT — foreign or domestic — they’ll have to do it together.

Imperium accept Seth Rollins’ challenge to an Eight-Man Tag Team Match against Rollins, Kevin Owens & The Street Profits.