Tag: Raw

Cam Skattebo WWE controversy featured on New York newspaper cover

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A WWE Raw angle from Monday night continues to draw significant attention in the New York media.

The back cover of the Wednesday, November 19 edition of the New York Daily News features a photo of NFL player Cam Skattebo and The Judgment Day from their confrontation on Raw. Accompanying the back page is a story about Skattebo — who is injured and will miss the rest of the football season — defending his decision to appear on Raw and get physically involved.

In his rookie season, Skattebo became a star and fan favorite for the New York Giants with his aggressive running style. But the running back had his season cut short on October 26 when he suffered a dislocated ankle, fractured fibula, and deltoid ligament rupture against the Philadelphia Eagles. He is recovering from surgery but played a somewhat physical role on Monday’s Raw at Madison Square Garden, appearing with some of his teammates from the New York Giants and defending comedian Andrew Schulz from The Judgment Day. Skattebo was shoved multiple times during the segment.

After the segment became a talking point in sports media, Skattebo posted a tweet yesterday responding to those who have criticized how he’s spending his time. He was also in the crowd at UFC 322 last weekend before attending the Giants game on Sunday.

“Aye, honestly if you don’t like that I’m having a good time while dealing with a tough time, then just go ahead and unfollow and casually move on,” he wrote. “I’m not able to play football and have the fun I’ve been having my whole life so I am doing things outside the box trying to find stuff to keep me happy. Enjoy the rest of y’all’s week and just don’t talk about me if you ain’t got nothing nice to say.”

Spotlighting athletes and other celebrities in the crowd is something that WWE has done more often in the TKO and Netflix eras. Along with Skattebo being at Raw, WWE released a few official T-shirts featuring him.

The Daily News story featured some quotes from Skattebo’s teammates regarding the appearance.

“I wasn’t there last night,” running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. said. “Best believe I was fighting at home, though, telling him to duck and sit down. But Cam’s a wild man, and everybody knows that, so he’s gonna go out there and do what he do.”

NFL player Cam Skattebo responds to criticism of WWE Raw appearance

Posted on by Joseph Currier

NFL player Cam Skattebo is firing back at criticism of his WWE Raw appearance.

The phenom rookie running back suffered an injury during week eight of the NFL season and is expected to miss the rest of the season. At Madison Square Garden last night, Skattebo was among the New York Giants players who were in attendance for Raw. He got involved in an angle where he defended comedian Andrew Schulz from The Judgment Day — and Skattebo did play a somewhat physical role in the segment when he was shoved multiple times.

Skattebo’s WWE cameo has become a topic of discussion on New York radio and other sports media, with the 23-year-old rookie receiving criticism for getting involved physically while recovering from surgery for a dislocated ankle. Skattebo responded to those critics — and those who were critical of him being at UFC 322 last weekend — by tweeting that he’s just trying to have fun while unable to play football.

“Aye, honestly if you don’t like that I’m having a good time while dealing with a tough time, then just go ahead and unfollow and casually move on,” he wrote. “I’m not able to play football and have the fun I’ve been having my whole life so I am doing things outside the box trying to find stuff to keep me happy. Enjoy the rest of y’all’s week and just don’t talk about me if you ain’t got nothing nice to say.”

Along with the dislocated ankle, Skattebo suffered a fibula fracture and deltoid ligament rupture during the Giants’ game against the Philadelphia Eagles on October 26. He was selected by the Giants in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft after starring for Arizona State.

WWE Shop released three official Skattebo T-shirts in conjunction with his appearance last night.

Shane McMahon attends John Cena’s final WWE Raw appearance at MSG

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

John Cena’s farewell tour is bringing all the big names out of the woodwork. The latest star from the past to show up: Shane McMahon.

McMahon—whose father, grandfather, and great-grandfather laid the groundwork for the promotion now known as WWE—was not part of the show when Monday Night Raw aired from Manhattan, but he did take to social media to make his presence known, sharing a photo of himself with his son Rogan at the event on Instagram.

“So good to be back home [at Madison Square Garden] to watch [John Cena’s] final show at The Garden,” he wrote. 

McMahon, a former executive and wrestler for the company, was reportedly seated near his sister Stephanie, but was not shown on camera. 

Per Cagematch, McMahon has wrestled once in Madison Square Garden himself, facing Chad Gable in a best-of-three-falls King of the Ring semifinal in 2019. 

McMahon’s last appearance with WWE was at WrestleMania 39 in 2023. He made a surprise appearance on that show and challenged The Miz to a match, but promptly tore his quad. Snoop Dogg took his place in the match and came away with the victory. 

AJ Lee helps Maxxine Dupri win Women’s Intercontinental title on WWE Raw

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

AJ Lee made her return to WWE on Monday Night Raw, helping Maxxine Dupri defeat Becky Lynch to win the women’s Intercontinental championship.

On Monday night, Lynch was defending her women’s Intercontinental championship against Maxxine Dupri when she was distracted by Lee’s entrance.  Dupri then pinned a distracted Lynch with a crossbody to win the title shortly thereafter. 

It was the first pro wrestling championship for Dupri (real name: Sydney Zmrzel). The former cheerleader and dancer signed with WWE after a tryout in 2021. She debuted on the main roster in July of 2022 as the sister of Max Dupri (now known as L.A. Knight), serving as Director of Talent for Maximum Male Models (now performing in AEW as MxM Collection).  In 2023, she joined Alpha Academy alongside Chad Gable, Akira Tozawa, and Otis. Most of her matches this year have come on Main Event or on NXT house shows, though this was her fourth Raw match against Lynch since August. 

Lee returned to WWE after a decade away last September. She teamed with her husband CM Punk to defeat Lynch and her husband Seth Rollins at Wrestlapalooza that month, but had not been seen since. 

WWE Raw live results: John Cena’s final Raw

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: November 17, 2025
Location: Madison Square Garden in New York City 

The Big Takeaway —

John Cena was victorious in a six-man tag match in his supposed final Raw match ever. There was no post-match angle, but Cena will be defending his Intercontinental Championship at Survivor Series in a rematch against Dominik Mysterio. (Read more below.) 

Gunther and Solo Sikoa advanced in the Last Time is Now tournament with wins over Je’Von Evans and Dolph Ziggler, respectively. 

AJ Lee returned and cost Becky Lynch the Women’s Intercontinental Championship to Maxxine Dupri. 

The main event angle saw Brock Lesnar return to join The Vision’s team at WarGames, while Roman Reigns returned to join the team of CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. 

**********

Show Recap — 

Becky Lynch, The Vision (with Logan Paul and Drew McIntyre), Solo Sikoa & Talla Tonga, and Gunther arrived at Madison Square Garden. Lynch complained to a staff member that her picture wasn’t on the hallway walls alongside other wrestlers. She stuck a photo of herself over a CM Punk poster. 

It’s a packed house, so the stage just consists of a relatively small screen. 

John Cena kicks off Raw for the final time

Cena entered to a massive ovation. Chants of his name, “Thank you, Cena,” and loud applause. His gear was in the colours of the New York Yankees, and he carried his newly won Intercontinental Championship title belt. 

Alicia Taylor introduced him as “the greatest of all time” and called this his last Monday Night Raw appearance in Madison Square Garden. More chants of “Thank you, Cena.” 

Cena welcomed the enthusiasm. He said New York City makes and breaks careers. And now, at the end of his career, he looked around and saw people as far as the eye could see. He thanked them. 

Madison Square Garden allowed him to step on the stage in these hallowed halls for 23 years. There was some extra enthusiasm in the air because it was the last time they could talk together—at MSG and on Raw. It was a bittersweet moment for some, but a very important one to him. 

Dominik Mysterio interrupted (carrying the AAA Mega Championship). He was booed as he spoke. Dom said Cena was handed a title shot last week, just as he was handed everything else. Dom fought for everything he had. He wanted an IC title rematch. 

Cena was up for it and polled the crowd. They cheered, but Dom said no. Dom said they already did it Cena’s way. Cena had management and his hometown by his side, so now they would do it Dom’s way. The crowd loudly chanted, “Shut the f—k up.” 

Dom wanted the match in his hometown of San Diego at Survivor Series. Cena had no problem with that, so he accepted (and made sure to mention it was on ESPN). 

Cena did have a problem: he told the fans he would have his final Raw match tonight. Cena offered Dom a non-title match and a chance to make history. Cena asked, “Do you feel lucky, punk?” 

Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh entered. Dom said Cena wouldn’t be getting his last match, but a beating instead. 

Judgment Day attacked Cena until Sheamus ran out to make the save, but Judgment Day overwhelmed him, too. 

Dominik Mysterio ran out next and immediately attacked his son. Mysterio, Sheamus and Cena cleared the ring. Cena made a six-man match and called out a referee. 

A referee ran out and called for the bell to start the match—which led to commercial break. 

Six-man tag team match: Intercontinental Champion John Cena, Sheamus & Rey Mysterio vs. Finn Bálor, JD McDonagh & Dominik Mysterio

During the break, Judgment Day tried to bail as the match began, but the babyfaces went after them. Sheamus gave Dom a Claudio big swing during the break, but Judgment Day used a double-team to get the heat as they returned from break. 

Rey got a hot tag and ran wild as Wade Barrett mentioned this was his first match in seven months. Rey went for a 619 but was tripped by Dom from outside. Rey gave Dom a dropkick, but Bálor attacked Rey from behind, allowing Judgment Day to take over ahead of another break. 

The first 10 minutes of Cena’s final Raw match included 6 minutes of commercials. 

During the break, fans chanted, “Who’s your daddy?” right on time for Dom to give Rey the three amigos (the last suplex was a brainbuster). Rey fought back and fought off a double-team by Bálor and McDonagh.

Cena made the much-anticipated hot tag and hit McDonagh with shoulder tackles, a side slam, and five knuckle shuffle. McDonagh landed on his feet off an AA attempt and followed with a headbutt. 

Everyone traded moves, which left Cena alone in the ring. McDonagh hit Cena with a moonsault, Bálor hit a Coup de Grace, and Dom hit a frog splash. The heels covered Cena, but Rey and Sheamus leaped in to break it up. 

Sheamus, Rey and Cena each grabbed members of Judgment Day and hit ten beats of the Bodhrán (Rey did it to his own son). With the heels down, Cena, Rey and Sheamus all did the five knuckle shuffle. 

Rey gave Bálor and McDonagh a double 619, Sheamus gave Bálor a Brogue Kick, and Cena hit McDonagh with an AA for the pinfall win.

The crowd went nuts as Sheamus and Rey hugged Cena. The babyfaces left together and posed on the stage. 

Cena looked into the camera and stated, “Monday Night Raw. That’s all she wrote. Love you. Thank you.” 

Match result: Intercontinental Champion John Cena, Sheamus & Rey Mysterio defeated JD McDonagh, Finn Bálor & Dominik Mysterio (14:42) 

********

Nick Aldis met with Adam Pearce. Pearce wasn’t surprised to see Drew McIntyre game the system on SmackDown. Paul Heyman sauntered in and could tell they were heated. Heyman said what he did was within the rules and regulations (Aldis and Pearce didn’t disagree). 

Heyman said if they were pissed about him picking McIntyre, they should see who he picked next. Heyman handed them a clipboard, and they were not happy to see the name. 

*******

Jackie Redmond introduced Andrew Schulz during a break. Fans weren’t thrilled to see him. Schulz introduced injured New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo (who was also at UFC on Saturday). Skattebo wore a New York Rangers Matt Rempe jersey. 

Schulz referred to Dom as a bitch, but Dom and Judgment Day were still at ringside, so Dom got in his face. Skattebo stood up for Schulz and shoved Dom to the ground. Bálor, McDonagh, and Dom attacked Schulz, Skattebo, and other members of the NY Giants until it was broken up. 

After the break, Eric Andre, Ashley Cooke, and members of the Philadelphia Eagles (they were booed) were shown at ringside, as were the Giants whom we saw moments ago. 

********

Stephanie Vaquer and Nikki Bella segment 

Redmond was in the ring to interview Stephanie Vaquer, but Nikki Bella attacked Vaquer from behind during her entrance. Bella said she didn’t come back to be Vaquer’s sidekick. She returned to take back her division. She told Vaquer she would be giving her a shot at the Women’s title, and Vaquer would bow down to the woman who changed this entire industry. Bella posed with the belt. 

(This was a fairly standard angle, but Vaquer had to stay down selling for way too long after Bella’s attack. All Bella did was shove Vaquer once into the video screen.) 

********

Asuka and Kairi Sane approached Bayley and Lyra Valkyria backstage. Asuka said she was feeling kind. They needed five people for WarGames, so she would forgive Bayley for the past if she teamed with her. Bayley laughed maniacally at the idea, considering everything they had done to her. She said no. Asuka and Sane left. 

Valkyria was proud of Bayley for that. She wanted a high five, but Bayley was suddenly in no mood and asked Valkyria if she was five years old (for offering a high five). Bayley walked away while saying, “Let’s go, you idiot.” 

********

The Last Time Is Now Tournament Round One: Solo Sikoa (w/ Talla Tonga) vs. Dolph Ziggler 

Dolph Ziggler was the mystery opponent, and he received a big pop and chants of “Welcome back.” Ziggler started with his usual offence: a dropkick, Stinger splash, neckbreaker, and an elbow drop. Ziggler hit a flying elbow drop moments later for just a one count. 

Sikoa took control during a break and hit a Samoan drop when they returned. Ziggler fought back with a leaping DDT and Fameasser for two. Sikoa responded with a Spinning Solo for two. 

Ziggler ducked a spike and applied a schoolboy for two. Ziggler followed with a Zig-Zag for a close nearfall. The fans went nuts for that and told the ref that he sucked. 

Ziggler tuned up the band for a superkick, but Sikoa blocked it. Ziggler managed to hit a superkick anyway, but Sikoa shoved him off and hit a Samoan spike for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Solo Sikoa defeated Dolph Ziggler to advance in The Last Time is Now Tournament (8:53) 

A returning mid-carder who was never taken seriously as a world champion wasn’t the most exciting mystery participant, but it came across well enough thanks to these fans giving him the biggest reaction he was going to get anywhere. 

********

There was a quick video package for Je’Von Evans. 

New Day did their usual commercial break promo alongside Grayson Waller, who wore a Tyrese Haliburton jersey for heat. 

Lil Yachty, Aljamain Sterling, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Stephanie McMahon & Elyse Dudzinski were shown in the crowd. 

Alexa Bliss promo and WarGames angle 

Alexa Bliss entered. She said she hasn’t heard back from Charlotte Flair all weekend. Since Charlotte wasn’t responding, Bliss looked into the camera to address her instead. Bliss knew Charlotte was upset they lost the tag titles, but they could get those back. It would be harder to get back trust. 

Everyone warned her not to trust Charlotte, but she ignored them because she knew who Charlotte was on the inside. But maybe now Charlotte was proving her wrong. Bliss got her ass beat simply because Charlotte didn’t like Rhea Ripley. Charlotte wasn’t there when Bliss needed her best friend. (Bliss was getting ‘What’ chants, but she did a great job dealing with it by incorporating it into her promo.) 

She was interrupted by Asuka, Sane, Nia Jax, and Lash Legend. Jax, as Bliss’ former friend, said she understood why Charlotte left her. The heels surrounded Bliss on the apron, but Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky ran out to join her. 

Ripley and Sky brawled with Asuka and Sane outside the ring, but that left Bliss alone in the ring for Jax and Legend. 

Charlotte ran out with a kendo stick and attacked Jax and Legend until they left the ring. Charlotte helped Bliss to her feet and hugged her. Ripley and Sky were in the other corner of the ring, and upon seeing them hug, Sky quickly hugged Ripley in response. The crowd laughed at the amusing visual, and Charlotte broke out laughing, too. 

********

Women’s Intercontinental Championship match: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Maxxine Dupri

Jessika Carr was the referee. Lynch wasn’t happy with this because she blamed Carr for her previous losses. Lynch got in Dupri’s face during her introduction, and she aggressively handed Carr the title belt. 

Lynch was still arguing with Carr as Carr called for the match to start, so Dupri booted Lynch for a quick nearfall. Lynch took over quickly by knocking Dupri off the top rope, and they went to break 90 seconds into this title match. 

Dupri fought back as soon as they returned from break with clotheslines and a roundhouse kick for two. Dupri hit a fisherman’s suplex, dropped her straps, and hit (missed) a leg drop for two. Lynch booted Dupri’s arm and tried targeting it, but Dupri fought back again. Lynch lifted her out of the corner and hit a powerbomb. 

Lynch tried applying an arm bar, but Dupri bridged out of it. She countered it a second time and applied a cradle for two. Dupri applied an ankle lock and grapevined the legs to avoid a rope break. Lynch still managed to slip out of it, and she kicked Dupri in the arm again. Lynch hit a Man-handle Slam right next to the ropes, so Dupri got a predictable rope break. 

Lynch got in Carr’s face and poked her in the chest. Carr knocked her hand down and told her to get back to the match. 

Lynch chucked Dupri out of the ring and, as Carr checked on Dupri, Lynch tried to expose the top turnbuckle. 

AJ Lee then skipped out to her music, which distracted Lynch, so Dupri caught her with a flying crossbody for the pinfall win. Dupri is the new Women’s Intercontinental Champion. 

Dupri sprinted out of the ring and embraced AJ. Fireworks went off as Dupri posed with her new title belt. Lynch was pissed. 

Match result: Maxxine Dupri defeated Becky Lynch to win the Women’s Intercontinental Championship (9:50)

This match was not good. They tried to manufacture a moment while also getting heat behind a Lynch/AJ Lee singles match. But now Maxxine Dupri is the IC champion. The crowd was not really into Dupri here, and they only popped for the finish. Perhaps they will get behind her more now, but she won’t improve fast enough, and fans can see she isn’t ready. 

********

Byron Saxton interviewed Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez during a break. The most notable thing here was Perez correctly complaining that Bella was getting a title shot despite Perez beating her twice in a row. 

Brandon Marshall, Chuck Zito, and Gabriel Iglesias were in the crowd.  

The Last Time Is Now Tournament Round One: Je’Von Evans vs. Gunther

Gunther dismissively patted Evans on the head, so Evans smacked him. Evans chopped Gunther and countered a few spots until Gunther simply booted him to take over. 

Gunther maintained control through a commercial break, and there was a “Y2J” chant as he did. 

Evans countered a powerbomb into a hurricanrana. It might’ve been a nice nearfall, but the referee stopped counting because Gunther’s shoulders weren’t flush against the mat. Evans followed with a somersault kick, and the crowd started to get into him. He tried a suicide dive, but Gunther caught him and chucked him hard into the side of the ring. 

During a break, Gunther tried a German suplex, but Evans landed on his feet. Gunther cut him off again, this time with a dropkick. Evans countered him again, this time into a sunset flip cradle for two as they returned from break. 

They traded strikes until Evans tried springing off the ropes, but Gunther booted him. Evans countered Gunther once again, this time into a cutter, and he hit a dive over the top rope. Evans followed with a great-looking frog splash for two. (The crowd is fully into this now.) 

Gunther hit an uppercut to the back of Evans’ neck as he came off the top. Gunther followed with a suplex and powerbomb, but Evans kicked out. Gunther applied a sleeper, and Evans tried fighting through it, but Gunther cinched it in, and Evans tapped out. 

— Gunther left the ring, and you could hear the crowd starting to give Evans an ovation, but they cut to the back. 

Match result: Gunther defeated Je’Von Evans to advance in The Last Time is Now Tournament (15:04)

This was really good. Evans and the match would’ve benefited from an extra minute or two, but Evans still came across great. Unlike the previous match, the crowd really got into the underdog as it went along, and it seemed like the fans were ready to give him a big ovation despite the loss. 

*******

Backstage, Dupri (with AJ Lee) told Redmond that this title win meant everything because all the hard work paid off. She beat one of the best of all time, and that meant she finally belonged here. It was all thanks to AJ Lee. 

AJ said the credit belonged to Dupri. AJ hated a bully and just wanted to put Lynch in her place. Otis and Akira Tozawa showed up to celebrate with Dupri, and they left together. 

Redmond asked AJ if she was sticking around. AJ said she initially came back to help her husband, but Lynch lit a fire under her, so we’ll see. Ripley approached AJ and asked if they could chat. AJ left with Ripley. The fans cheered. 

*******

Somebody named Gangster Granny was shown ringside during a break.

Main event WarGames angle 

Paul Heyman, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and Logan Paul entered together. Drew McIntyre entered separately to join them. Heyman said he walked with the Samoan Swat Team & The Freebirds, with the Dangerous Alliance, and with The Bloodline to the ring for WarGames, but this was the greatest assembly of talent for WarGames ever. 

CM Punk interrupted to his music. He waited ringside as Jey and Jimmy Uso entered to Jey’s music through the crowd. They all waited for Cody Rhodes to come out next to his music. (Rhodes stood side-by-side with Punk and went for a fist bump, but Punk legitimately didn’t see it, so Rhodes forcibly bumped his fist so it didn’t look like he got left hanging.) The babyfaces cleared the ring, and Punk dropped Paul with a bulldog. 

Brock Lesnar entered. Punk went after him, but Lesnar laid him out with a couple of suplexes. Rhodes went after Lesnar, but Lesnar laid him out with suplexes, too. Lesnar stood tall, and they displayed the trademark graphic to fake that the show was over, but it wasn’t. 

Roman Reigns entered and faced off with Lesnar. Lesnar tried to attack, but Reigns ducked a clothesline and knocked Lesnar out of the ring with a Superman punch. 

Security stepped in front of Reigns, so Reed attacked Reigns from behind. Reed went for a Tsunami, but Reigns popped up and gave Reed a Superman punch. 

“NYPD” appeared at ringside as Punk choked out Paul with a kendo stick. NYPD and security tried settling things down, but Reigns speared Reed through the barricade as the show abruptly ended at 10:25 pm ET.

WOL: Full weekend news recap & WWE Raw preview

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez returns to catch you up on ALL the news since Friday. The death of Bob Caudle, health updates on a variety of performers, WWE news including RAW tonight and John Cena’s future, AEW news including ratings notes and future events, TNA notes including Santana losing the TNA Title, and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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John Cena to compete on his final WWE Raw

Posted on by Joseph Currier

John Cena will be competing in the ring on his final episode of WWE Raw.

This coming Monday at Madison Square Garden, Cena will be on Raw for one last time as an active wrestler. He only has three WWE appearances left on his retirement tour — with Cena also set for Survivor Series on November 29 and Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13.

Netflix indicated that Cena would be competing on the November 17 Raw at MSG, and Cena has now officially confirmed that as well. His opponent for the show is not known yet.

“Over 23 years you’ve allowed me to have 544 matches on #WWERaw. The most in WWE history. My favorite match.. is my next one!,” Cena tweeted this morning. “Which will be our LAST ONE! Don’t miss our last chance to grace @TheGarden ring as we say farewell to RAW live, Monday night on @netflix at 8pm ET!”

Cena is the new Intercontinental Champion after winning the title from Dominik Mysterio earlier this week. It’s the first time Cena has ever held the IC title in his career, making him a Grand Slam Champion.

The MSG Raw will also feature the continuation of The Last Time is Now tournament, which will decide Cena’s final opponent for SNME. Gunther — considered the tournament favorite — will be in action against NXT’s Je’Von Evans.

WWE Raw (Monday, November 17) —

  • Intercontinental Champion John Cena makes his final Raw appearance
  • Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch defends against Maxxine Dupri
  • The Last Time is Now tournament first round: Gunther vs. Je’Von Evans
  • The Last Time is Now tournament first round: Solo Sikoa vs. mystery opponent

AJ Styles explains strange WWE Raw off-air promo

Posted on by Joseph Currier

AJ Styles has now explained a strange off-air promo that he cut back in September.

On the September 8 episode of WWE Raw, there was a commercial break segment where Styles cut a worked-shoot promo claiming that an unnamed “somebody” did not want him in WWE anymore. Styles said it seemed like things were being engineered so he could not win his matches. The promo was publicized by WWE on its social media accounts and uploaded to the WWE YouTube channel.

Styles told the No-Contest Wrestling podcast that the promo was him setting up something for a storyline, but he does not believe the idea will be happening anymore. He clarified that Paul “Triple H” Levesque was not the “somebody” that he was alluding to.

“It was something I was trying to set up that I don’t think is going to happen,” Styles said. “And it’s not necessarily not true, but I’m not talking about Triple H. So, I want to clear that. But, yeah, that’s about all I can say about it.”

Styles, 48, will be retiring from in-ring competition in 2026 at a yet-to-be-determined date. He’s currently one-half of the World Tag Team Champions on WWE Raw with Dragon Lee.

Netflix hypes John Cena’s final WWE Raw appearance

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Netflix has released a new trailer hyping John Cena’s last-ever appearance on WWE Raw.

At Madison Square Garden next Monday, Cena will appear on Raw for the final time. It’s one of only three WWE shows he has left before retirement. He’ll be on Raw next Monday, Survivor Series: WarGames on November 29, and then have his last match at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13.

Netflix’s description for the trailer appears to confirm that Cena will be wrestling on the Raw episode. He became the new Intercontinental Champion last night, defeating Dominik Mysterio in Boston.

“This Monday night, witness the end of an era. John Cena takes center stage for his FINAL appearance ever on Monday Night RAW,” Netflix wrote. “One last match. One unforgettable farewell. Celebrate the legacy of a true WWE legend!”

We know that Madison Square Garden will host two first-round matches in WWE’s ongoing tournament to decide Cena’s final opponent for SNME. Gunther vs. Je’Von Evans and Solo Sikoa vs. a mystery opponent have been announced for the Raw episode.

Rusev and Sheamus are the first two competitors to have advanced to the next round of the tournament.

WWE Raw (Monday, November 17) —

  • Intercontinental Champion John Cena makes his final Raw appearance
  • Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch defends against Maxxine Dupri
  • The Last Time is Now tournament first round: Gunther vs. Je’Von Evans
  • The Last Time is Now tournament first round: Solo Sikoa vs. mystery opponent

WWE Raw live results: John Cena’s last Boston appearance

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: November 10, 2025
Location: TD Garden in Boston, MA 

The Big Takeaway —

John Cena won the Intercontinental Championship for the first time in his career by beating Dominik Mysterio. 

In the Last Time is Now tournament, Sheamus and Rusev advanced in their matches. The tournament continues next week with Gunther returning to face Je’Von Evans, and Solo Sikoa will face a mystery opponent. 

Asuka and Kairi Sane beat Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss to win the tag titles—with help from Nia Jax and Lash Legend. The post-match angle set up a Women’s WarGames match, and an angle earlier in the show set up the beginnings of a Men’s WarGames match. 

Plus, Nikki Bella turned heel on Stephanie Vaquer.

**********

Show Recap — 

Shinsuke Nakamura, Damian Priest (selling a damaged left eye), Asuka & Kairi Sane, and Stephanie Vaquer & Nikki Bella arrived at TD Garden in Boston. 

In addition to the usual establishing shot of the city, they aired footage of West Newbury, Massachusetts, as fans chanted for John Cena. 

John Cena kicks off Raw

The crowd continued chanting for Cena, but they were instead greeted with Paul “Triple H” Levesque, already in the ring. His music played for a while as he soaked up his own crowd reaction. He waited a full minute after the ring announcer said his name before he began speaking. 

He said everyone had an opinion, and there weren’t many agreements. Everyone had an opinion on who the greatest of all time was. You can measure it by in-ring performance, charisma, ability to tear down your opponent on the mic, etc. It was all subjective. However, Levesque was in the position to see it from all sides (he began getting ‘What’ chants here), and he knew that tonight, we’d all be able to agree on one thing. 

From an objective measure, there was one person at the top of that list. As a box office attraction, someone who gave it all in the ring, ruthless on the mic, and did it all with a smile on his face because he loved the business and wanted to see it elevated to the highest level possible. He was the single greatest asset the business has ever seen. He was, without a doubt, the greatest of all time. (Imagine that being a great asset to a company is the reason you’re considered the greatest wrestler ever.) 

Finally, Levesque introduced John Cena. 

Cena entered to a huge reaction, and he shook Levesque’s hand. Fans chanted, “Thank you, Cena.” Cena has been asked a lot about who he wanted to face. But only one person asked him what he wanted to do with this exercise. (He pointed at Levesque.) 

Cena’s goal was to leave the business better than he found it. To pay back all the opportunities that the company gave him, and that the fans were gracious enough to put up with. The Last Time is Now tournament would determine who could retire John Cena, and that started tonight. 

Cena also had an announcement about December 13th at Saturday Night’s Main Event. It would close one chapter, but it would open an opportunity. It would be an opportunity for main roster wrestlers to host exhibition matches against the best from NXT. (That’s what he wants?) That night would close one chapter but would pave the road ahead.

Cena didn’t make the schedule, but he did want to come to Boston one last time. It meant everything to be in TD Garden again and feel the atmosphere, surrounded by family and friends. 

Dominik Mysterio interrupted. He was booed and greeted with obscenities. Dom confronted Levesque and wanted to know what he would do about last week, when he was interrupted by a deadbeat. Dom was the one who should be interrupting old men. 

Cena interrupted and welcomed him to Boston. Dom said this wasn’t about him and told Cena to go to the corner—or else he’d put him down. Cena reminded Dom of who he was. 

Cena said Dom might have a chance on any other night, but tonight, Cena felt invincible. If Dom wanted to pick a fight, Cena promised that he would lose. However, Cena respected Dom’s father, so he offered Dom a chance to leave. 

Dom was amused because he wasn’t even at his peak yet, but was already better than Cena in his prime. Dom said he would’ve whooped Cena in any era. (The fans told Dom that he f—cked up.) 

Levesque interjected to make an announcement: Dom would defend his Intercontinental Championship right now against Cena (who, fortunately, is always dressed in his gear). The crowd went nuts.

(It’s always nice to see Cena at this point, but this was an odd segment until Dom came out. Cena’s SNME announcement aside, Levesque’s opening promo felt out of place, and it couldn’t have been more obvious that he wanted to be the one to make the announcement that would obviously get a big pop.)

Intercontinental Championship match: Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. John Cena

Cena’s final match in his hometown started during a commercial break. They did the in-ring introductions during the break, and Dom attacked Cena when they were done, so the referee started the match. 

Cena had the better of it until Dom tossed him into the ring post. Dom countered an AA and hit a DDT. Dom hit a slingshot senton, but Cena got his knees up on another attempt as they returned from a second break (two breaks before the match was ten minutes old). 

Cena did his usual comeback and five knuckle shuffle. Dom slipped out of the AA again and shoved Cena shoulder-first into the ring post. Dom exposed the metal turnbuckle to distract the referee while he grabbed a steel chair. Dom tried the Eddie Guerrero trick of faking a chair shot and tossing the chair to Cena, but Cena dropped the chair and lay down on the mat. The crowd chanted for Eddie while Cena winked at Dom. 

Cena hoisted Dom up for the AA again, but they bumped the referee. Cena applied an STF, and Dom tapped out. Cena, who has been doing this for more than 20 years, leaped to his feet to celebrate as if it was over, but there was no referee. 

Dom tried a belt shot, but Cena ducked it and hit an AA. A new referee ran out to make the cover, but Dom kicked out. The fans were on their feet. 

Dom tripped Cena on the ropes and hit a 619, followed by a frog splash. However, Cena rolled through and hit an emphatic AA for the pinfall win. The crowd exploded. 

Cena celebrated with the Intercontinental title, a belt he has now won for the first time. Cena is now a grand slam champion. He thanked Boston and said the champ was here. 

Match result: John Cena defeated Dominik Mysterio to win the Intercontinental Championship (13:30)

******** 

During a break, Byron Saxton interviewed LA Knight, who is in the Cena tournament. Knight congratulated Cena, but he never cared about having a ‘dream match’ with anyone. But now Cena had something he wanted. Knight kept going, and his promo was actually cut off mid-sentence as they returned from break. 

Babyface members of the roster greeted Cena backstage and congratulated him. Rey Mysterio shook his hand, and the crowd cheered. They popped even bigger when Cena bumped into Cody Rhodes. They shook hands. 

********

There was a Veterans Day video. 

A SmackDown clip showed that Aleister Black was to blame for Priest having a bad eye.

The Last Time Is Now Tournament Round One: Damian Priest vs. Rusev

The crowd came right down for this match, and they were dead silent for Rusev getting the heat on Priest during a break. Priest eventually came back with kicks and a crossbody off the ropes, but Rusev targeted his eye (as he did earlier). Rusev raked Priest’s eye and hit a Matchka Kick for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Rusev defeated Damian Priest (8:51) 

Extraordinarily dull match and weak finish. 

*******

AJ Styles and Dragon Lee met with Adam Pearce backstage. Dragon Lee suggested their team name be Dragones Con Estilo (Dragons with Style), but Styles didn’t like that. Styles said they’d work on it. 

Maxxine Dupri approached Pearce. He asked her if she was ready for Becky Lynch. She said yes… and no. She knew she could train forever, but there was nothing that would make her feel “ready.” She wanted the match. Pearce made it official for Madison Square Garden next week. 

Pearce left, and Lynch appeared out of thin air to punch Dupri in the face. Lynch told Dupri she didn’t stand a chance. 

********

CM Punk segment

Punk entered, and he made his way to the ring as they went to break. During the break, Punk went to the announce table and saw they had some action figures of Dusty Rhodes, John Cena, Hulk Hogan, and Logan Paul. Punk put down the Paul figurine and put Dusty to stand over him. 

Punk was pissed off and wasn’t about to wait for a douchebag to interrupt him. Punk was calling him out. Punk was in Boston, and he was dressed for a street fight. He knew Logan Paul was a piece of garbage, but didn’t quite know how big a piece of garbage he was. Punk said Paul wasn’t about to get a title shot, but Punk would still fight him. Paul had his eyes on Punk’s belt, but Punk would put his boot up Paul’s broccoli-headed millennial ass. 

Paul sauntered out and remained on the stage. He wondered why Punk was so mad, and Punk told him to stop wasting time. Paul told Punk that he once got punched by the greatest boxer of all time, Floyd Mayweather, but that was nothing compared to getting flattened by Bronson Reed last week. After dropping  Seth “deadweight” Rollins, The Vision would crack anyone who didn’t conform to them. Paul didn’t want to get cracked every week. 

Paul thought he knew it all, but after getting hit with that Tsunami, his eyes were opened to a whole new vision. Paul Heyman, Reed, and Bron Breakker entered to join Logan. 

Heyman led his men to the ring as he called Punk the single most unlikable person in the world. Punk had no friends. His friends didn’t betray him; he betrayed his friendships. Punk was a miserable, rotten bastard, and he couldn’t be more unlikable unless his name was AJ Lee. 

Punk said Lee would leave the four of them in a pool of their own piss and blood. She wasn’t there, so Punk would do it instead. He invited them to the ring. 

Jey Uso joined Punk in the ring from the crowd (without his music). They were still outnumbered, so Cody Rhodes ran out to his music to even the odds. 

The two sides brawled as Punk grabbed Heyman by the shirt. Logan saved Heyman, but Punk chucked him into the barricade. Reed wound up alone in the ring, so the babyfaces took shots at him before tossing him from the ring. 

The heels bailed as the babyfaces stood tall in the ring (with the fans loudly singing Rhodes’ name). 

********

Women’s World Championship match: Stephanie Vaquer (c) (w/ Nikki Bella) vs. Raquel Rodriguez (w/ Roxanne Perez)

Vaquer set up for Devil’s Kiss early on, but Rodriguez blocked it, hoisted Vaquer up on her shoulders in an electric chair drop position and dropped her face-first on the turnbuckle. 

As with the opening match, the crowd was dead quiet for the heel’s heat during the break. A smattering of applause greeted Vaquer’s comeback. She tried SVB, but like last week, Rodriguez was too damn big. Vaquer tried a tornado DDT, but Rodriguez blocked that too and transitioned into a vertical suplex, followed by a big boot for two. 

Vaquer tried a running corner meteora (for the second time), but Rodriguez blocked that too and hit a powerbomb for two. Vaquer caught Rodriguez in a submission between the ropes, and the ref checked on Rodriguez after she let go. Perez tried to attack Vaquer, but Nikki tossed her into the barricade. 

Vaquer tried a flying crossbody, but Rodriguez caught her and hit a fallaway slam. Vaquer dodged an elbow drop and hit Devil’s Kiss, a thrust kick, and a corkscrew moonsault for the pinfall win. 

— Nikki turned heel after the match. 

Perez tried to attack Vaquer, so Nikki made the save. She stood tall with Vaquer before nailing her with the world title belt. The crowd booed her. 

Nikki posed with the belt. She also ripped off her red top that read “Fearless,” to reveal a black top that also read “Fearless.” 

Match result: Stephanie Vaquer defeated Raquel Rodriguez to retain the Women’s World Championship (10:38)

The match itself was pretty good despite the crowd. I thought they might wait until Perez got a title shot before doing this turn. Perez has two wins over Nikki in recent weeks, so we’ll see how she plays into this, if at all. 

********

Men’s WarGames announcement 

Pearce approached Punk, Rhodes and Jey backstage. Punk said he was pissed. He had a team and wanted Heyman to get a team because he was tired of the ‘games.’ Pearce asked Punk if he meant what he was thinking. Punk yelled, “Regal!” and William Regal suddenly appeared (to a nice pop). He yelled, “War Games!” and people cheered. 

******** 

The Last Time Is Now Tournament Round One: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sheamus

Sheamus was mostly in control through a break, in between some offence by Nakamura. After the break, Nakamura hit a superplex for two. Sheamus no-sold some kicks and hit ten beats of the Bodhrán. Sheamus went for a Brogue Kick, but Nakamura cut him off with a slingblade. 

Nakamura came off the top, but Sheamus hit a lifting knee strike for two after Nakamura grabbed the bottom rope. Sheamus went for an avalanche White Noise, but Nakamura blocked it and hit a powerbomb for two. Nakamura hit an enziguri, but Sheamus came right back with a Brogue Kick for the pinfall win. 

— Nakamura hugged Sheamus after the match and raised his hand. 

Match result: Sheamus defeated Shinsuke Nakamura (10:52) 

This was a nice TV match that didn’t follow the usual pattern. The crowd was more into it than the previous two, and they popped for Sheamus’ win. 

******** 

The Last Time Is Now Tournament continues next week with: 

  • Je’Von Evans vs. Gunther 
  • Solo Sikoa vs. mystery opponent 

Yes, they did the mystery gimmick again. 

Also next week on Raw at Madison Square Garden in New York City: 

  • Becky Lynch (c) vs. Maxxine Dupri for the Women’s IC title 
  • John Cena appears 

********

Women’s Tag Team Championship match: Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Asuka & Kairi Sane 

They followed the usual pattern here with the heels getting the heat over Bliss ahead of an early break. Charlotte was previously getting the better of her opponents, but Asuka and Sane outsmarted Bliss to take control. 

Bliss hit both opponents with a double DDT as soon as they returned from break. Charlotte made the hot tag and hit a double flying crossbody. Charlotte hit each of them with a fallaway slam, and with Asuka and Sane lying next to each other, Charlotte hit a moonsault on both for a two count (on Asuka). 

Bliss hit Sane with a Natural Selection, but Asuka blocked Charlotte’s attempt and applied an Asuka Lock. Charlotte got out of it and went for a tag, but Sane yanked Bliss off the apron. Asuka hit Charlotte with a knee strike and applied an arm bar, but Charlotte countered into a Walls of Jericho. Asuka countered that into a cradle for two, followed by a kick to the head. 

Charlotte responded with a big boot and Figure Four. Sane tried to break it up with an Insane Elbow, but Bliss caught her and hit Sister Abigail. (Bliss’ Sister Abigail got the only significant crowd reaction all match.) 

Charlotte had Asuka in a Figure Eight, but as the referee was distracted, Nia Jax and Lash Legend broke up the submission. Bliss confronted Jax and Legend, so Sane shoved her into the announce desk. 

Asuka attacked Charlotte from behind and held her in position so Sane could hit the Insane Elbow for the pinfall win. New champs. 

— Bliss chased Asuka and Sane out of the ring. Bliss stood up to Legend and Jax, but they laid her out. Asuka and Sane returned to the ring and joined the attack. 

Iyo Sky ran out to her music. She dropped the rope on Legend to get her out of the ring, and laid out Asuka and Sane with a double springboard dropkick. Sky went after Jax, but Legend absolutely clobbered Sky with a forearm. 

The five heels continued the beat down until Rhea Ripley ran out next (wearing a face mask to cover her broken nose). Ripley attempted to clear the ring, but Jax punched her. However, the babyfaces now had the edge, so they got rid of Jax after Charlotte booted her right in the face. Sane was alone in the ring, so Ripley gave her a Razor’s Edge over the top rope and into the other heels. 

Ripley grabbed a mic and yelled, “War Games!”

Match result: Asuka & Kairi Sane defeated Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss to win the Women’s World Championships (10:12)

The crowd didn’t seem that into this match, either. It seemed like they were waiting for the finish, but they didn’t even pop for the title change. Perhaps the Jax and Legend run-in didn’t help. They did cheer for people running out to their music, though. 

John Cena hypes final WWE Boston appearance: ‘Definitely one to see’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

John Cena is hyping that it will be a big night in Boston tonight when he makes his final WWE appearance in his home state.

Cena only has four more stops on his retirement tour — and one of those will come tonight when he appears on WWE Raw at the TD Garden in Boston. There are rumors flying around that Cena will be challenging Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental title on the episode. As of now, all that WWE has confirmed regarding Cena’s plans is that he’ll be opening the show.

“RAW. BOSTON. ONE LAST TIME,” Cena tweeted this afternoon. “If you can be @TDGarden tonight… GO. If you’re watching at home… do not miss one moment of it on @netflix. THIS IS DEFINITELY ONE TO SEE!”

Cena has tonight, next week’s Raw at Madison Square Garden, Survivor Series: WarGames on November 29, and Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13 remaining on his WWE calendar. WWE is running a tournament to decide who his final opponent will be, with Sheamus vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Damian Priest vs. Rusev set to take place tonight.

On Instagram, CM Punk shared a video showing a TD Garden display dedicated to Cena that’s set up backstage for tonight:

Here is everything that has been announced for tonight’s show, which streams live on Netflix starting at 8 p.m. Eastern:

WWE Raw (Monday, November 10) —

  • John Cena to kick off the show
  • Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer defends against Raquel Rodriguez
  • Women’s Tag Team Champions Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss defend against The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane)
  • The Last Time is Now tournament first round: Sheamus vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
  • The Last Time is Now tournament first round: Damian Priest vs. Rusev
  • CM Punk appears

WWE announces new slate of Raw & SmackDown dates

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has announced a slate of new Raw and SmackDown dates taking place on the road to WrestleMania 42.

Of the 11 new dates that were confirmed, five are Raw episodes and six are SmackDowns. They range from early February until the start of April, with WWE branding them as part of the 2026 Road to WrestleMania Tour.

The ticket on-sale date for each event is Friday, November 14 at 10 a.m. local time. Here is the complete list:

  • Monday, February 2: Raw at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Friday, February 6: SmackDown at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Monday, February 9: Raw at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio
  • Friday, February 13: SmackDown at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas
  • Monday, February 16: Raw at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee
  • Friday, February 20: SmackDown at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida
  • Monday, February 23: Raw at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia
  • Friday, Feb. 27: SmackDown at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky
  • Monday, March 2: Raw at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Friday, March 20: SmackDown at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina
  • Friday, April 3: SmackDown at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri

WrestleMania 42 is being held in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19, making this the second consecutive year that Vegas has hosted WWE’s marquee event and surrounding WrestleMania week festivities.

WWE Raw live results: New World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk appears

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: November 3, 2025
Location: Rio Ranch Event Center in Rio Ranch, NM 

The Big Takeaway —

The Vision are clearly coming for CM Punk, but it appears his first title defence as World Champion will be against Logan Paul. Paul laid out Punk with brass knuckles following the main event. 

The tournament to determine John Cena’s final opponent begins next week in Boston. The first two matches will see Rusev against Damian Priest, and Shinsuke Nakamura against Sheamus. Two more matches will be announced on SmackDown. Announcing matches in parts will allow them to keep some names a mystery for now, but tonight’s announcement wasn’t the most exciting start.

Also, Rey Mysterio returned to confront Dominik Mysterio, and next week’s Raw will also feature two title matches. 

**********

Show Recap — 

New Mexico hosts Raw for the first time tonight, according to Joe Tessitore. 

CM Punk kicks off Raw

There was a recap of CM Punk beating Jey Uso to win the world title (including reaction shots of fans live-watching the event at home). 

Punk entered the arena with the World Heavyweight Championship belt on his shoulder, and the camera followed as he made his way through the stage. Punk posed with fans as he walked down the long aisleway toward the ring, where he soaked in the crowd reaction. 

Punk started with: “Is it great to be champ on a Monday night in the great state of New Mexico or what?!” Punk felt good to be there as champ, and he had a long list of people to thank for helping him get there. Fans chanted, “You deserve it.” 

The first person he wanted to thank was his smart, funny, intelligent, tough, and mean when she wants to be wife, AJ Lee. She stuck with him through the bad times so they could stand together, chests puffed out, in the good times. 

Second, he wanted to thank the fans. Some called them the WWE Universe, but to him, they were CM Punk fans. He doesn’t get there without them, and they should give themselves a hand. They chanted for Punk. 

The third person he wanted to thank was Jey Uso. Punk thanked him for the hard fight and said Jey was truly ‘main event.’ He wanted to remain friends, but he wouldn’t cry about it if they couldn’t be. When he returned, he said he didn’t come back to make friends, he came back to make money and be champion—and now he was. 

Punk didn’t know how much time he had left, and SummerSlam taught him he had to hold on to the strap as tight as he could. The good news was that there was no snake in the grass like Seth Rollins with MITB waiting to cash in. Punk then paused his promo to swing the belt around over his head to mock Rollins’ usual celebration. Punk warned Rollins he would put him back on the couch if he came after him. 

Punk knew the crown meant there was a target on his back. The locker room was filled with badass talent. He had to be the best in the world to keep the title. He knew Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed were coming for his gold. 

Punk wanted to be a fighting champion, and there were a lot of people he wanted to punch in the face, The Vision included. He wanted to test himself against the best in the business, including guys like AJ Styles. Unlike Styles, Dominik Mysterio didn’t deserve a shot, but Punk would still love to punch him in the face. 

Punk put over JD McDonagh (who he called an exceptional pro wrestler) and Finn Bálor, and said he’d love to have a banger with Sheamus. He also would love to face John Cena one more time. Punk ended with, “The champ is here.” 

Logan Paul interrupted. Punk interrupted his entrance because he didn’t want to hear from Paul. Punk suggested he go back to SmackDown and answer Ilja Dragunov’s open challenge. 

Paul said he was a Ferrari, while Punk was a used Honda Civic with 250,000 miles on it. Paul has already faced the best, and beat Styles at WrestleMania. 

Paul Heyman and the Vision interrupted. Heyman called Logan a bitch who should go to the back of the line, because the front of the line belonged to Reed and Breakker. Heyman warned the men in the ring and told them to leave, but they didn’t budge. Logan said he got to the ring first and should get the title shot. 

Breakker said Heyman bought everyone two weeks to live (by keeping them out of the battle royal). They had to sit in the back for two weeks after they dropped Rollins in the dirt. Breakker said Punk’s had his moment, but he wasn’t waiting anymore. Breakker warned them to get out of his ring before he whipped them like a dog. 

Punk knew a fight was coming, so he told Paul to fight with him or get out of the ring. Paul was about to leave, but Breakker shoved him on his ass. 

The Brons swarmed Punk and beat him down. Paul decided to help, but they beat him up too, and Reed laid him out with a Tsunami. That allowed Punk enough time to recover, so he attacked the Brons with a chair, and they bailed.

(The show was 26 minutes old by the time this ended.) 

******** 

Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer & Nikki Bella vs. Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez 

Judgment Day got the heat over Bella using a distraction during a break. Perez crunched Bella with a springboard moonsault, but Bella fought off Rodriguez moments later and hit a tornado DDT before making a hot tag to Vaquer. 

Vaquer ran wild on Rodriguez, but couldn’t hit SVB because Rodriguez was too big. Vaquer hit a flying crossbody instead for two. Vaquer gave Perez the Devil’s Kiss to the delight of the crowd. Bella tagged in and hit Perez with “Rack Attack 2.0,” but Rodriguez broke up the cover (barely). 

Vaquer sent Rodriguez over the top and tried Devil’s Kiss on the apron, but Rodriguez blocked it and slammed her face-first on the apron. 

Bella tried a cradle, but Perez shoved her into the ropes. Rodriguez gave her a cheap shot (with the referee’s back turned), and Perez followed with Pop Rox for the pinfall win. 

That’s two straight pinfall wins over Nikki Bella for Roxanne Perez. 

Match result: Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez defeated Nikki Bella & Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer (12:47)

******** 

They aired John Cena’s announcement regarding the tournament to determine his final opponent. Adam Pearce was backstage with a tumbler of balls, drawing names for the tournament. That’s one way to determine the final opponent for one of the company’s all-time greats. 

Jey Uso approached Punk backstage. Punk wondered if he was talking to Jey Uso or little Roman. Jey said he was talking to Main Event Jey Uso. Jey warned Punk they wouldn’t stop coming after him as long as he was champion and offered to help him against The Vision tonight. Punk gladly accepted. 

(It seems like Jey is getting his usual babyface reaction so far. If anyone is booing, it’s hard to hear because people are also Yeeting.) 

******** 

Penta vs. El Grande Americano (w/ Bravo & Rayo Americano)

Penta went for a Canadian Destroyer on the apron, but El Grande blocked it and dropkicked him off the apron. El Grande tied Penta’s mask to the bottom rope during a break, which always seems to happen to Penta (and always during the break). 

Penta made his comeback as soon as they returned from break, but El Grande cut him off with a Finlay Roll. Penta came back with kicks, a tornado DDT, and a big flip dive. (The crowd chanted, “Holy sh-t” at the big dive.) 

Bravo tried to interfere, so the referee tossed him from ringside. As she argued with Bravo, Rayo gave El Grande the metal plate to put in his mask. Penta avoided the loaded headbutt and went to the top. Rayo tried to interfere, so the ref tossed him too. 

Penta decided to give Rayo a dive before he could leave. El Grande went for a running headbutt, but Penta superkicked him. (It was a silly but amusing visual because of how far away Penta was from actually getting headbutted.) 

Penta followed with a Canadian Destroyer for the pinfall win. 

— Rayo and Bravo tried to attack Penta, but he escaped. 

Match result: Penta defeated El Grande Americano (10:26) 

********

There was a pre-taped interview by Asuka and Kairi Sane. They issued a warning to Bayey and Lyra Valkyria. Asuka said her kindness would not last forever, and they were coming for the tag titles. 

Rusev had an interview during a break. He complained about losing to Dom and Penta before stating he wanted to win the tournament and face John Cena. 

********

Dominik Mysterio segment, Rey Mysterio returns 

Dom called himself the king of the luchadors. He proved he was the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time and the greatest AAA Mega Champion of all time. 

Rey Mysterio interrupted to a big reaction and “Holy sh-t,” chants. The announcers discussed rumours that Rey had been cleared. Rey said Dom crossed the line when he called himself king of the luchadors. (Some fans chanted, “Dirty Dom,” so others booed the chant because Rey was standing right there.)  

Rey mentioned all-time greats El Santo, Blue Demon, and Eddie Guerrero. Dom responded, “You keep my father’s name out of your mouth,” which also got a huge pop. Dom said he was better than all of those men, including Guerrero. Dom said he was also better than Rey. 

Rey said Dom could disrespect him if he wanted to, but he wouldn’t let Dom disrespect lucha libre. The crowd chanted, “Whoop his ass.” 

Dom said he made the Mysterio name relevant. Dom has already surpassed everything Rey has ever done and threatened to kick his ass unless he got out of the ring. 

Rey agreed to leave the ring but wanted Dom to understand three things: As long as Rey was around, Dom would never be king of the luchadors; this would never be Dom’s ring; and Dom would never be the greatest Mysterio. 

Dom tried a cheap shot, but Rey saw it coming and hit him with a 619. Rey went up for a splash, but Dom bailed. 

This was a fun segment, and the crowd was hot for it. 

********

Bayley and Valkyria met backstage. They weren’t exactly on the same page, but Bayley convinced Valkyria that everything was good between them. They did their special handshake, but Valkyria didn’t know what to make of this. 

Becky Lynch segment 

As the announcers were talking, Becky Lynch suddenly appeared, and she climbed on the announce table. She said she has been going through a lot. Her hot husband was laid up at home. The Vision ruined everything. A crooked referee seems hellbent on holding her down, and Pearce sent her (Lynch) home to cool down—even though she was the definition of cool. 

Lynch told the crowd that the only thing cool to come out of New Mexico was a TV show about how much meth they did. Maxxine Dupri wasn’t cool either. Dupri was lucky to survive a match against her, but now she wouldn’t shut up about it because the idiot fans made her feel like she belonged. (I think a young fan yelled, “We’re not idiots!”) 

Lynch called herself the greatest of all time. A match against her was not a test Dupri could cram for. Dupri would make one wrong move in their next match, and it would be her last. 

As Lynch marched to the back, she came face-to-face with Asuka as she entered with Sane for their match. 

******** 

Asuka & Kairi Sane vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria

Asuka and Sane had the heat on Valkyria until she gave Sane a gut-wrench powerbomb. Bayley tagged in and ran wild on Asuka, hitting a diving elbow drop to the back of her neck for two. Sane cut off Bayley after making a blind tag, but Bayley responded with a Bayley-to-belly for two. 

Bayley gave Sane a sunset flip powerbomb into the turnbuckle, and Valkyria followed with a diving leg drop for a nearfall. (Sane barely kicked out before three.) Sane gave Valkyria a double footstomp (as Valkyria held herself up using the ropes), but Bayley broke up the cover. 

Valkyria and Bayley hit Sane with a backbreaker/elbow drop combo, but Asuka broke up the cover. Bayley broke up a double-team attempt by Asuka and Sane, so Asuka shoved Valkyria into Bayley, knocking her off the apron. 

Valkyria tried a move off the ropes, but Asuka caught her in the Asuka Lock, and Valkyria tapped out. 

— Asuka and Sane cornered Valkyria after the match, but Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair ran out (to Bliss’ music) to chase them away. Asuka and Sane were all smiles as Bliss and Charlotte posed with their title belts. 

Match result: Asuka & Kairi Sane defeated Lyra Valkyria & Bayley (13:28) 

********

Perez and Rodriguez entered the Judgment Day locker room with some good news: Rodriguez was getting a world title shot against Vaquer. Bálor and McDonagh were happy to hear it. 

Dom barged in, upset about what happened with Rey earlier. Dom wondered why they didn’t help him. Bálor said they weren’t invited to his little celebration. Bálor told Dom that he and McDonagh were about to win back the tag titles. After they left, Perez talked Dom into being at ringside for their match. 

World Tag Team Championship match: AJ Styles & Dragon Lee (c) vs. Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh

Judgment Day got the heat right away by attacking the champs as soon as the bell rang. Dragon Lee gave Bálor a sit-out powerbomb and tagged in Styles, who laid out both guys with a slingshot dive. 

A double-down spot led to Dom sauntering out during a break, holding a shillelagh. Styles gave McDonagh a Pelé kick as they returned from break. Dragon Lee tagged in and went on offence until Bálor cut him off with a slingblade and running dropkick. Dragon avoided the Coup de Grace and applied a cradle for two. 

Styles took a swipe at Dom, so Dom jumped on the apron to distract the referee. McDonagh held down Styles while Bálor went for a Coup de Grace, but Styles moved and Bálor hit McDonagh with the stomp by mistake. Styles hit McDonagh with a Phenomenal forearm, but Bálor broke up the cover. 

Bálor told Dom to hit Styles with the IC title belt. Dom was about to do it, but the referee saw him. Sheamus showed up and attacked Dom. The ref was distracted again, this time arguing with Sheamus, so Bálor hit Styles with the shillelagh. McDonagh crawled into a cover, but Dragon Lee broke it up. 

Dragon Lee wiped out Bálor with a dive, and Styles gave McDonagh a Styles Clash for the pinfall win. 

Match result: AJ Styles & Dragon Lee defeated JD McDonagh & Finn Bálor to retain the World Tag Team Championships (10:30) 

*********

Bella apologized to Vaquer for tonight’s loss, and as a result, Vaquer having to defend her title against Rodriguez. Vaquer told her not to worry about it. Bella was doubting herself because she wasn’t sure she could hang with the rest of them anymore. Vaquer told Bella to be herself because she was one of the greats who paved the way for this division. That meant a lot to Bella, who wished her luck next week. 

********

Heyman met with Jey in his locker room. Heyman wondered why Jey would team with Punk, who prevented him from becoming champion. Jey appreciated that Punk faced him man-to-man with no tricks. Heyman was about to mention Roman Reigns, but Jey said he didn’t care what Reigns, Jimmy Uso, or anyone else thought about him. 

Heyman warned him that the leash was off with the Brons after he asked them to stay out of it two weeks ago. The Vision would go after anyone who didn’t conform. However, that didn’t apply to Jey because Jey had a vision of his own. Heyman wished him luck. 

********

John Cena tournament bracket announcement (part one) 

Pearce announced the first two matches in the first round of The Last is Now tournament to determine John Cena’s final opponent (chosen by “random” draw): 

  • Rusev vs. Damian Priest 
  • Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sheamus 

Both matches will happen on Raw next week, and Cena will be in attendance. Nick Aldis will announce two more matches on SmackDown. 

Also on Raw next week: 

  • Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez for the Women’s World Championship 
  • Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Asuka & Kairi Sane for the Women’s Tag Team Championships 

******** 

World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk & Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed (w/ Paul Heyman)

During a break, Punk hit a clothesline off the ropes, but Breakker went down awkwardly. Breakker likely missed the planned spot because Punk shook his head when Bron went down. Punk said something to the ref, and they went back to the spot. Bron countered Punk’s Irish whip, so Punk booted Bron. As the ref checked on Bron, Reed decked Punk to get the heat. 

The Brons worked over Punk as fans chanted for Jey Uso. The Brons gave Punk a Shatter Machine, but Jey broke up the cover. Jey (who was over as a babyface) got the hot tag and he hit Reed with strikes, enziguris, a running hip attack and a spear, but Breakker broke up the cover. Punk wiped out Breakker with a dive, and Jey hit Reed with a suicide dive. 

The four men awkwardly brawled outside the ring as the referee counted to ten for a double count-out. The crowd booed. 

— The babyfaces were getting the better of the brawl until Breakker speared Jey. Reed knocked down Punk, and Breakker sent him over the barricade. Reed held up Jey in the ring so Breakker could hit another spear, and Reed followed with a Tsunami. 

Punk chased the Brons from the ring with a chair, but the Brons grabbed chairs of their own. 

Punk stood tall against the Brons as Logan Paul ran out to seemingly even the odds with brass knuckles in hand, but he turned around and knocked out Punk. Heyman held back the Brons from going after Paul, who handed the knux to Heyman as the crowd chanted, “F—k you, Logan.” 

Match result: World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk & Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed ended in a double count-out (10:17)

I think this match is an example of why the company isn’t quite ready to put a world title on Bron Breakker. I don’t agree with it necessarily, but the missed spot with Punk and a few other awkward moments during the match and post-match are hard to ignore. More experience (house shows) would’ve helped him work that out by now, so we’ll have to wait a little longer, as Logan Paul is up next for Punk. 

Paul was an early title challenger for both Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes during their reigns, so he’ll slide in again and be an easy (and obvious) first successful title defence for Punk whenever it happens.

Triple H hypes ‘new landscape in WWE’ starting on Raw

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Tonight marks the beginning of a new landscape in WWE, according to Paul “Triple H” Levesque.

Promoting tonight’s episode of Raw, Levesque sent out a tweet hyping that “a new landscape in WWE” will begin on the show. It’s the first episode since Saturday Night’s Main Event, which saw CM Punk crowned the new World Heavyweight Champion. Punk will make his first appearance as champ tonight.

“A lot can happen on a Saturday night in @WWE,” Levesque wrote. “Four high-stakes matches…Two NEW world champions crowned…And a history-making announcement for December 13th…There’s a new landscape in WWE, starting tonight on #WWERaw.”

The other title change at SNME was SmackDown’s Jade Cargill defeating Tiffany Stratton to become the new WWE Women’s Champion. The history-making announcement Levesque is referring to is WWE’s upcoming tournament to determine John Cena’s final opponent.

WWE’s attention will turn toward Survivor Series: WarGames tonight ahead of the November 29 event. The official poster for the PLE — featuring Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed & Paul Heyman — was revealed this afternoon.

The Rio Rancho Event Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico is hosting Raw tonight. Here’s everything that’s been announced:

WWE Raw (Monday, November 3) —

  • New World Champion CM Punk appears
  • Stephanie Vaquer & Nikki Bella vs. Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez
  • World Tag Team Champions AJ Styles & Dragon Lee defend against Finn Balor & JD McDonagh
  • Stephanie Vaquer and Nikki Bella vs. Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez
  • Bayley & Lyra Valkyria vs. The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane)
  • Penta vs. El Grande Americano