Tag: Raw

WWE Raw live results: CM Punk & Jey Uso face-to-face

Posted on by Joseph Collins

With their title match at Saturday Night’s Main Event approaching, CM Punk and Jey Uso will meet on WWE Raw tonight for a face-to-face confrontation.

A new World Heavyweight Champion will be crowned this Saturday when Punk and Uso face off at SNME. The championship — which Punk had already earned a shot at — was vacated by Seth Rollins due to a shoulder injury. Uso claimed the spot opposite Punk at SNME by winning a battle royal last week.

The next challenger for Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio will be determined tonight in a matchup between Penta and Rusev. The past few weeks have seen Penta and Rusev interfere in each other’s title bouts looking to get their hands on Dominik.

WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella is set for action tonight, taking on Roxanne Perez after recently saving Stephanie Vaquer from a Judgment Day attack.

Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern.

**********

Live in front of a sell-out crowd in Anaheim, California. 

CM Punk & Jey Uso Face to Face.

The vacant World Championship belt was on a podium in the ring. Can I make the bold suggestion that while the crowd really digs the entrance, it’s kind of death for the viewer at home with nothing happening. As I typed that, Jey “ran it back” so between the recaps to start the show and Jey’s entrance, nothing really happened for almost ten minutes. Jey finally welcomed us to “Mon-Jey Night Raw.” Jey complained about having “everybody in my ear:” Jimmy, Roman, his mama, your mama. But he’s only listening to himself now and focused on winning the World Title. 

Cue “Cult of Personality” and CM Punk came out to talk.  Punk and Uso circled the ring with the World Championship belt between them. Punk asked the fans if they wanted him to run his music back, and it actually started to, but was cut off after only a few bars. “Sorry for stealing your stuff… four letters, one word, PUNK.” Punk’s happy that Jey is finally listening to himself. It’s no secret Punk and Jey are friends (I literally did not know that) and that makes it harder for Punk to face Jey. 

When Punk mentioned Jey tossing Jimmy out of the battle royal, the crowd boos and Punk admonished them for booing since that was well within the rules. Punk asked Uso how far he’s willing to go to be champion, because Punk needs to be champion “like he needs air in his lungs.” How far is Uso willing to go, Punk asks, when Punk has knocked Uso’s grill out of his mouth and he’s “in a situation [he] can’t Yeet [his] way out of?” 

“Screw you, Punk!” Punk is trying to turn things around to make Uso the bad guy, but Uso will show Punk who the best in the world is on Saturday Night. Uso left, and Punk looked longingly at the championship belt.

— In the back, Dominik Mysterio complained about Adam Pearce setting up a contender’s match for his Intercontinental title. Dom wanted some help, but Finn Balor and JD McDonough were going to try and get their tag team titles back. Roxanne Perez wanted to help, but Raquel Rodriguez wanted her to focus on Nikki Bella. Dom walked off talking on his phone, alluding to getting help from someone else. 

— O’Shea Jackson and members of the LA Galaxy were shown in the Anaheim crowd.

Penta v. Rusev in a #1 Contender’s Match for the Intercontinental Championship 

Winner gets a title match with Dominik at Saturday Night’s Main event. I feel like the chances of a disputed finishes leading to a three-way are quite high. Penta knocked Rusev to the floor and hit a tope con hilo. Back in the ring, Penta hit a springboard tornado DDT for a near fall. Rusev dropped to the floor to regroup, and caught Penta with a right hand when he followed him out. 

Back in the ring, Rusev squashed Penta in the corner with an avalanche. Penta came back with a back stabber for another near fall. A sliding dropkick sent Rusev to the floor. Penta followed again, but this time Rusev flap-jacked him into the post. 

After a commercial, Rusev went after Penta’s mask. Penta jumped into a bearhug, but fought his way out of it. Penta dodged a charge in the corner and caught him with the “corner handstand kick” for a third near fall. Penta kicked at Rusev who was out on his knees. The crowd was solidly behind Penta. 

Penta dove into a superkick from Rusev for a near fall. Rusev went for the Accolade, but Penta  countered with the Penta Diver for a near fall. The crowd screamed “ref you suck!” As Rusev and Penta fought, Rayo and Bravo Americano, along with El Grande Americano, ran in and attacked both Rusev and Penta. The match ended in a no-contest. After the match, Rusev dumped Rayo and Bravo. Penta went after El Grande, but he got away. 

Match Result: Rusev and Penta ends in a no-contest (10:01). 

— Jackie Redmond interviewed LA Knight in the back, and he wants whoever wins the world title belt on Saturday. 

— Bron Breakker still doesn’t understand why he and Bronson Reed didn’t just go destroy everyone in the battle royal, since that’s the clearest path to the world title. Paul Heyman’s answer was that 20 is less than one. If Bron takes out the one guy who is in the way of getting the next title shot, Bron’s path to the world title is clear. And so tonight, it’s LA Knight and Bron Breakker, YEAH. 

— A video package on a decade of Asuka in WWE. Highlights of Asuka tearing through NXT and WWE, highlighting her undefeated streak, Royal Rumble win, Money in the Bank win, Elimination Chamber win and other wins were shown. 

— JD McDonough and Finn Balor went to Adam Pearce looking for their tag team title rematch. Instead, JD got a match with Sheamus. Pearce also had some news for Dominik Mysterio, but that’s a plot thread to be resolved later. 

Nikki Bella v. Roxanne Perez (w/ Raquel Rodriguez)

Perez mock-worshipped Bella, which earned her a slap. Perez then got caught with a shot that might have legit stunned her for a bit. Perez dropped to the floor after a face buster and Bella tossed her about the ringside area. 

Back in the ring, Rodriguez snapped Bella’s neck against the ring rope while Perez distracted the ref. Bella gave Perez nothing during the opening few minutes. 

After a break, Perez hit a running uppercut on Bella while she was against the ropes. Perez hit a double jump moonsault off the middle rope for a near fall. Perez cranked away at Bella’s neck with a neck vice. Perez went after the back of Bella’s neck with forearms, then did push-ups to taunt the former Diva’s champion. 

Bella double-legged Perez and caught her with a running boot. Bella drove Perez’s face into the mat, which Perez sold liked crazy. After both women struggled back to the their feet, Bella hit a series of clotheslines and a dropkick. Bella hit a version of the Disaster Kick for a near fall. 

Bella went for the Rack Attack 2.0, but Perez countered with a sleeper. Bella escaped, but Perez tripped her up into the ropes. Bella hit a spinebuster for a near fall. Rodriguez jumped up on the apron, so Bella knocked her down. Perez caught Bella with a cradle for two, Bella caught Perez with a cradle for two. Bella went for charge in the corner, but Perez ducked and Bella hit the middle buckle, jarring her neck. Perez hit the Pop Rocks out of the corner for the victory.

After the match, Rodriguez hit Bella, and Stephanie Vaquer ran in to make the save. Vaquer and Rodriguez had a bit of a stare down. Bella tried to interject herself into the stare down, but it didn’t really work. I think the message was supposed to be Nikki and Steph standing up to Rodriguez, but it came off more like Nikki seeking attention, literally sticking herself in where she didn’t belong.

Match Result: Roxanne Perez defeated Nikki Bella (11:16)

— In the back, Bayley and Lyra Valkyria psyched each other up for their title match. But the Kabuki Warriors think they’re the ones that deserve a title shot. 

— Jimmy Uso yelled at Jey Uso for following the rules of the battle royal last week. Jimmy also suggested that Jey was afraid to find out what would happen if they went one-on-one again. The crowd will be bored again like at WrestleMania 41?

Bron Breakker (w/ Bronson Reed & Paul Heyman)  v. LA Knight

Knight held up a fan’s sign: “We Want LA Knight not Jey.” Wade Barrett laid out the stakes for the match: “whoever loses will not be in line for a title shot.” 

After giving Knight a little bit of offense, Bron ran through Knight with a clothesline. Bron legitimately looked like a blur while he ran the ropes. Knight came back with a crossbody, but Breakker buried a knee in his midsection. Knight caught Bron with some left handed jabs and stomped him in the corner. Knight caught Bron with a running knee and Breakker dropped down to the floor to regroup. 

Knight hit Bron with a dropkick to the floor heading into a break. During the break, Reed distracted Knight which allowed Bron to press-slam Knight onto the table. 

Bron was back in control after the break, hitting an avalanche knee in the corner and suplexing Knight over the ropes to the floor. Bron ran halfway around the ring and hit Knight on the floor with a flying tackle. 

Back in the ring, Knight fought his way out of a chinlock and hit a flying clothesline of his own. Knight caught Breakker with a jumping neckbreaker, pop-up powerslam and a jumping elbow. Knight went for the BFT, but Breakker escaped and hit Knight with a knee. Breakker went for the top-rope Frankensteiner, but Knight slipped off the buckles and sent Breakker tumbling down to the mat in an ugly way. 

Knight set up Breakker for a superplex. Bron pushed him down, so Knight ran up the ropes and superplexed Bron off the top rope for a near fall! Knight went for the BFT again, but Breakker escaped. Bronson Reed distracted Knight, giving Bron the opening for the spear. But Knight ducked and Bron went to the floor. Knight went after Reed on the floor, then sent Breakker headfirst into the commentator’s table. 

Back in the ring, Breakker tried for a gorilla press, but Knight escaped and hit a reverse DDT. Knight went up top for an elbow, but Breakker kipped up as Knight jumped. Knight rolled through, jumped up and ran into a spear from Breakker, who got the pinfall. Honestly it felt like Bron gave Knight too much. 

Math Result: Bron Breakker pinned LA Knight (13:32) 

— Backstage, Adam Pearce found Dominik Mysterio talking to the Americano Familia. Pearce made Dom v. Rusev v. Penta for the Intercontinental title at Saturday Night’s Main Event. 

— Jey confronted Jimmy about him winning about the battle royal, and they seemingly made amends.

JD McDonough (w/ Finn Balor) v. Sheamus  

Sheamus brutalized McDonough in the opening. Sheamus backdropped JD so high I think his ears popped. McDonough clipped Sheamus’ leg and got a brief advantage, but JD turned his back on Sheamus and got clotheslined to the floor. On the floor, Sheamus and Balor had a staredown. Back in the ring, McDonough hit a slingshot spinning splash but barely got a one count. Sheamus set up McDonough for the forearms against the ropes, but Finn pulled JD to the floor. So Sheamus hit both Finn and JD with a clothesline off the apron to the floor. 

After a commercial, McDonough was in control with a chinlock. Sheamus got to his feet and managed to send both him and JD to the floor. McDonough caught Sheamus with an Asai Moonsault on the floor. Back in the ring, McDonough hit a 450 splash for a near fall. 

McDonough tried kicking and slapping Sheamus, which only fired Sheamus back up. Sheamus floored JD with a pair of clotheslines and the Irish Curse backbreaker. McDonough escaped the Ten Beats again and caught Sheamus with a cradle for two. Sheamus finally gut JD tied up in the ropes and mauled him with multiple forearms. 

Sheamus went for the Brougue Kick, but McDonough caught him with knee. Sheamus gave McDonough a crucifix powerbomb, but Finn put McDonough’s foot on the ropes to break the count. Sheamus dropped to the floor and gave Finn the big boot.  McDonough dove through the ropes for the save, but Sheamus cut him off. 

Back in the ring, Sheamus went to the top, but Balor hit Sheamus with his shillelagh, and Sheamus fell on the turnbuckles. McDonough then took Sheamus down to the mat with a Spanish Fly off the top rope, and got the pinfall! Wade Barrett sold this as the biggest singles win of McDonough’s career.

Match Result: JD McDonough pinned Sheamus (13:39)

— Adam Pearce offered Maxine Dupri a third match with Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship. Dupri isn’t ready for the match yet. “So it’s official, eventually.” 

— Jackie Redmond interviewed the Women’s Tag Team Champions, Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair. Bliss said if you want a title shot, all you have to do is ask.  Flair and Bliss are two successful title defenses away from having the most defenses in history! The Kabuki Warriors interrupted to say they’re the only ones who deserve to be tag team champions. Charlotte replied she would be honored to defend the titles against them. 

— AJ Styles and Dragon Lee were asking Adam Pearce for worthy opponents for their tag team titles. Finn Balor and JD McDonough interrupted looking for their title rematch, and Dragon Lee agreed to the title match for next week. 

Next week on Raw (so far): 

  • Nikki Bella & Stephanie Vaquer v. Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez 
  • AJ Styles & Dragon Lee v. JD McDonough & Finn Balor for the WWE World Tag Team Championship

Lyra Valkyria & Bayley vs. Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship

This is the fifth defense for Flair and Bliss. Bliss and Bayley started out. Charlotte got a blind tag and caught Bayley with a clothesline. Bliss got the tag again and took Bayley down with a head scissors. Lyra and Charlotte tagged in. They exchanged arm-ringers and creative escapes from arm-ringers. The crowd did the fireflies thing with their phones. Valkyria sent Flair to the floor and followed her out with a dropkick through the ropes. 

After a commercial, Valkyria was tying up Bliss with a submission hold, then transitioned into the seatbelt cradle for a near fall. Bayley got the tag and Bayley held Bliss up in a fireman’s carry so Lyra could hit a running blockbuster. Bliss came back with a double DDT on both Bayley and Lyra.

Flair got the hot tag and came off the top with a crossbody. Flair chopped away at Bayley and Valkyria. Flair hit a cartwheel clothesline. Flair dumped both Lyra and Bayley with fallaway slams, then hit them both with a moonsault. Charlotte went for the cover on Lyra, but she got a shoulder up at two. 

Charlotte sent Bayley to the floor with a big boot, and Valkyria caught her with a leg lariat. Bayley fired up demanding a tag, got it, and ran in to give Charlotte a knee. Bayley hit an elbow off the middle ropes on Charlotte, dropkicked Bliss, and hit Charlotte with the belly to belly suplex for a near fall. 

Charlotte caught Bayley with a boot, and Bliss got the blind tag. Lyra got the tag, and (not realizing who was legal) ran right into the Sister Abigail DDT from Bliss for two, but Bayley made the save. Bayley and Charlotte fought on the floor. Bliss came off the top with a crossbody on Lyra, but she caught her and turned it into the Night Wing for another near fall with Charlotte making the save. 

Charlotte and Bayley got tagged in, and Bayley hit a Thez Press. Bayley and Charlotte brawled until Charlotte floored Bayley with a boot. Charlotte locked in the Figure Eight. Lyra kept Bayley from tapping out, and Bliss came off the top with a Twisted Bliss. Charlotte and Bliss gave each other a nod, then hit twin Natural Selections on their opponents. Charlotte then pinned Bayley to retain the titles. This was a fantastic TV match.

Match Result: Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss beat Bayley & Lyra Valkyria to retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles when Flair pinned Bayley (14:13)

After the match, the Kabuki Warriors ran in and attacked the tag champs. Asuka held Flair open for an Insane Elbow. The Warriors went after Lyra as well, but Bayley stood them down. The Kabuki Warriors backed away while Bayley tended to Lyra and the tag champs sold on the floor to end the show.

WOL: Many health updates, WrestleDream, Smackdown, news!

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Filthy Tom Lawlor is back with tons to talk about including some tragic passings, best wishes to currently hospitalized people, a look at AEW WrestleDream and Smackdown, Mercedes wins another title, RAW tonight, and tons more! A packed show as always so check it out~!

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WWE announces new Raw, SmackDown, Holiday Tour dates

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has announced more than a dozen new show dates ranging from the start of December into 2026.

In total, there are 17 new events announced with three being Raw episodes, four being SmackDowns, and 10 being house shows. All of the house shows are part of WWE’s annual Holiday Tour that takes place in the weeks surrounding Christmas.

Here is the full list of dates:

  • Friday, December 5: SmackDown at Moody Center in Austin, Texas
  • Friday, December 12: SmackDown at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania
  • Monday, December 15: Raw at GIANT Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania
  • Friday, December 19: SmackDown at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan
  • Friday, December 26: WWE Live Holiday Tour at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, Maryland
  • Saturday, December 27: WWE Live Holiday Tour at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida
  • Saturday, December 27: WWE Live Holiday Tour at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Sunday, December 28: WWE Live Holiday Tour at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida
  • Sunday, December 28: WWE Live Holiday Tour at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York
  • Monday, December 29: Raw at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida
  • Tuesday, December 30: WWE Live Holiday Tour at Hertz Arena in Ft. Myers, Florida
  • Tuesday, December 30: WWE Live Holiday Tour at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan
  • Thursday, January 1, 2026: WWE Live Holiday Tour at Upstate Medical Arena in Syracuse, New York
  • Friday, January 2, 2026: SmackDown at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
  • Saturday, January 3, 2026: WWE Live Holiday Tour at DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts
  • Sunday, January 4, 2026: WWE Live Holiday Tour at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut
  • Monday, January 5, 2026: Raw at Keybank Center in Buffalo, New York

The general public on-sale date for all events is next Friday (October 24) at 10 a.m. local time. A pre-sale (with “WWETIX” as the access code) will begin next Wednesday.

On the schedule, Raw and SmackDown do not have live episodes on December 22 and December 26 during Christmas week. Both shows will likely air pre-taped episodes that night. WWE does have a December 26 house show date in Baltimore but is not running its usual post-Christmas event at Madison Square Garden.

Update on Seth Rollins after WWE Raw angle

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The wrestling world is back on Seth Rollins injury watch after the big angle that closed Monday’s Crown Jewel fallout edition of WWE Raw.

At the end of the episode, the rest of The Vision betrayed its leader, attacking Rollins and kicking him out of the group. The turn started with Bron Breakker laying out Rollins with a spear. Bronson Reed then decided to join in on the attack as well, with Paul Heyman looking shocked at what went down. The final shot of the episode was Breakker, Reed, and Heyman posing over a fallen Rollins.

Now, a photo posted to social media has fans questioning if Rollins is dealing with an injury that contributed to WWE’s decision to have this angle happen now. The photo — which was posted by a fan and was taken between Crown Jewel: Perth and Raw — shows Rollins with his arm in a sling.

Rollins defeated Cody Rhodes at Saturday’s PLE to become the men’s Crown Jewel Champion for 2025. There was a coast-to-coast spot during the match where Rollins looked like he could have been hurt. On the PLE post-show, Rollins called it a rough landing and said there could be long-term ramifications.

Of course, any injury to Rollins will have fans questioning whether it’s actually legitimate after the ruse he and WWE attempted to pull off at SummerSlam, where Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase to win the World Heavyweight Championship after weeks of faking a knee injury.

CM Punk is the new number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship after winning a triple threat match in the main event of Raw today. WWE hasn’t announced a date for when he’ll challenge Rollins, but the match has been expected to headline Saturday Night’s Main Event on November 1.

Breakker also has his eyes on the World Heavyweight Championship, posing with the belt as Raw ended and then taking it with him after the show went off the air.

Three title matches announced for WWE Raw next week

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has booked a slate of title matches for next week’s episode of Raw.

– After impressing last week with a countout victory over Becky Lynch, Maxxine Dupri will face off against Lynch once again — this time with the Women’s Intercontinental Championship on the line. Dupri did an interview on Raw today thanking the fans for how much they’ve supported her. She called last week the biggest win of her career, then revealed the news that she’s getting a title shot against Lynch in her hometown of Sacramento, California.

– The men’s Intercontinental title will also be defended in a rematch next week with Dominik Mysterio taking on Rusev. In their title match two weeks ago, Dominik cheated by hitting a low blow behind the referee’s back. Dominik then cheated again in his successful defense against Penta today, using the ring bell hammer as a weapon.

– The third championship bout for next week is a World Tag Team title match with AJ Styles & Dragon Lee challenging Finn Balor & JD McDonagh. Dominik accidentally set up the title defense for his Judgment Day stablemates when, in a backstage segment, he complained that he’s the only champion on Raw who has to defend their title every week.

– Along with all that, Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer will be in non-title action against Roxanne Perez.

WWE Raw (Monday, October 20) —

  • Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch defends against Maxxine Dupri
  • Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio defends against Rusev
  • World Tag Team Champions Finn Balor & JD McDonagh defend against AJ Styles & Dragon Lee
  • Non-title match: Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer vs. Roxanne Perez

Huge betrayal takes place on WWE Raw

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A huge angle closed Monday’s Crown Jewel fallout edition of WWE Raw.

The Raw roster has been shaken up with The Vision splitting away from its former leader Seth Rollins. The final shot of the episode was Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and a shocked Paul Heyman standing over a decimated Rollins as Breakker held Rollins’ World Heavyweight Championship belt in the air.

It was Breakker who started the betrayal, taking out Rollins with a spear after The Vision laid out CM Punk following the main event. After a brief discussion with Breakker, Reed then opted to join in on the attack, giving Rollins a Tsunami from the top rope. It didn’t seem like Heyman knew any of this was going to happen, but he went along with it while posing with Breakker and Reed.

The Vision first formed when Heyman aligned with Rollins at WrestleMania 41 this April. Breakker was an immediate addition to the group with Reed being added later.

While the timing of the betrayal was shocking, there were seeds planted that this was coming — including Rollins saying in a promo on Raw that he did not need Breakker, Reed, or Heyman. Rollins said he was capable of doing everything on his own and his alliance with The Vision was by choice, not necessity.

Rollins is coming off a victory over Cody Rhodes at Crown Jewel: Perth over the weekend where he was celebrated as the men’s Crown Jewel Champion for 2025.Though Breakker has his eyes on the World Heavyweight Championship, Punk has earned a one-on-one shot against Rollins for the belt. A date for the Rollins vs. Punk title match has not been announced yet. It looks to be planned for WWE’s next Saturday Night’s Main Event special on November 1.

WWE crowns new number one contender to World Heavyweight title

Posted on by Joseph Currier

CM Punk is getting a one-on-one-shot against Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship.

In the main event of Monday’s WWE Raw episode from Australia, Punk defeated Jey Uso and LA Knight in a triple threat match to earn the next shot at Rollins’ title. A date for the championship bout has not been officially announced yet, but it looks likely to headline WWE’s Saturday Night’s Main Event episode in Salt Lake City, Utah on November 1.

Punk will be his next challenger, but Rollins has a lot more to worry about than just that. Raw ended with an angle where Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed both betrayed Rollins after The Vision had laid out Punk. The final shot of the episode was Breakker, Reed, and a shocked Paul Heyman standing over Rollins as Breakker held the World Heavyweight Championship belt.

The World Heavyweight Championship has been in Rollins’ possession since he won it at SummerSlam. Rollins used his Money in the Bank briefcase to cash in on Punk and win the title — ending Punk’s reign before it had a chance to even really begin. Punk had defeated Gunther for the title right before having it stolen by Rollins.

Rollins and Punk have been rivals since Punk returned to WWE in 2023. At Clash in Paris at the end of August, Rollins was able to retain the World Heavyweight Championship over Punk in a fatal four-way match. Punk and his wife AJ Lee then got some revenge by beating Rollins & Becky Lynch at Wrestlepalooza.

WWE Raw live results: Crown Jewel go-home show

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: October 6, 2025
Location: American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX 

The Big Takeaway —

The same three men who lost to Seth Rollins at Clash in Paris are still vying for the next world title shot. Three straight matches tonight ended thanks to a distraction, and another ended because one person just stopped paying attention. 

Crown Jewel is Saturday.

**********

Show Recap — 

(There’s an updated Raw thumbnail on Netflix. The old one had Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, and Bianca Belair, three people who are frequently not on Raw. The new one has Rhea Ripley, Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins, CM Punk, Jey Uso, Dominik Mysterio and Penta.) 

Roman Reigns opens Raw 

Reigns entered after a recap of his return last week. The crowd sang his name and chanted “OTC.” He told the Dallas crowd to acknowledge him, and they did, but he was quickly interrupted by Bronson Reed and Paul Heyman. 

Nothing happened for a while (because they stood around waiting for crowd chants), so Reigns asked them if they were just there to stare or to say something. Heyman told the crowd to acknowledge their Tribal Thief. They booed. Heyman wanted Reigns to acknowledge the one man he feared in his heart—Bronson Reed. 

Heyman said Reigns has never been beaten so badly that he needed to be taken out on a stretcher. Reed (who was booed as he spoke) said Afa and Sika never got stretchered out in their careers. Reed wondered how they would feel looking down at Reigns getting stretchered out at his hands. 

Reigns said Reed didn’t know his dad or his uncle, but the dumbass Heyman did, so Heyman knew what they would tell Reigns: fight him now. Reigns challenged Reed to a fight right now. Reed was ready, but Heyman talked him down. Reigns knew Heyman was delaying it, so he said he would be ready whenever they were. 

Heyman issued the challenge for Crown Jewel on Saturday in Australia in a match Reed has never lost, an Australian street fight. (This got a lukewarm reaction.) Reigns accepted. 

As Heyman began to leave, Reigns said they had shown up ready to fight, but now they were leaving like a couple of bitches. Reed marched to the ring to brawl with Reigns. 

Reigns got the better of Reed until security and officials got between them. Reigns broke through and gave Reed a second Superman punch. Reigns posed for the crowd as Reed looked on from the stands.

(The crowd had an understandably underwhelming reaction to the announcement of a street fight between these two. We just saw Reigns wrestle Reed, and Heyman teased the match type like it would be something big, but it’s something we see all the time, including on Raw.) 

********

CM Punk (wearing a Chicago Cubs cap), Lyra Valkyria, and Iyo Sky were shown arriving. 

Backstage, Asuka demanded that Adam Pearce make a match between Kairi Sane and Sky tonight. Pearce said he had to make sure there was enough room in the show first. (He also mentioned that Rhea Ripley was already in Australia doing media.) 

Pearce left as Sane arrived. Asuka was riled up while speaking to Pearce, but she wore a smile upon seeing Sane. Asuka told her that she’d be facing Sky tonight. Sane wasn’t happy about fighting her friend, but Asuka slapped her in the face and told her the match was happening. 

******** 

Non-title match: Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch vs. Maxxine Dupri

Dupri went for a simple dropkick but missed the target and dropkicked Lynch in the knee. It was meant to hit Lynch up high. Lynch reacted by hunching over, but because the spot was meant to hit her in the head and send her out of the ring, Lynch went from being hunched over to doing a back bump and rolling out of the ring. 

Dupri hit a cannonball off the apron, but Lynch suplexed her into the barricade to take over ahead of a break. Dupri fired back after the break and applied an ankle lock (after dropping her straps like Chad Gable or Kurt Angle). Lynch broke out of it, but Dupri hit a sit-out powerbomb (which didn’t look great) for two. 

Lynch hit a superplex for two and applied a Disarmer, but Dupri countered into a cradle for a nearfall. Dupri countered a Man-handle Slam and hit a German suplex. 

Dupri followed with a roundhouse kick for a very close nearfall that had the crowd going. (It was one of those nearfalls that probably should have been three, as Lynch barely kicked out at the absolute last millisecond.) They traded a few more cradles, and Dupri even tried a schoolboy with her feet on the ropes, but they all ended in nearfalls. 

Lynch was frustrated, so she tossed Dupri around ringside, driving her into the announce table and barricade. 

Lynch taunted the crowd while standing on the announce table, but she stopped paying attention to Dupri, who rolled back into the ring to beat the ten-count. The ref counted out Lynch, and Dupri was declared the winner. 

Dupri celebrated while quickly scampering up the ramp away from Lynch. 

Match result: Maxxine Dupri defeated Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch via count-out in a non-title match (13:34) 

This was the biggest mixed bag of a match. It started poorly, and Dupri’s offence didn’t look good, but the counters and nearfalls were laid out well, so the crowd really got into Dupri almost pinning Lynch. Wade Barrett was too over-the-top trying to emphasize Dupri’s supposed improvements, and even called the match a banger before all the nearfalls happened. 

********

Reigns met with Jimmy and Jey Uso backstage. Jimmy was about to tell Reigns that they had his back at Crown Jewel, but Jey cut him off to say, “I got you.” Reigns didn’t want their help, especially not Jey. Reigns already told Jey to focus on himself. Reigns mentioned that it was CM Punk—not Jey Uso—speaking at the top of the hour. Jey didn’t like that, so he left. 

Reigns told Jimmy that he knew everything that was going on around here. He asked Jimmy why there would be a problem with Jey seeking his advice. (Referring to Jimmy’s obvious discontent.) Reigns left. 

********

Lyra Valkyria (w/ Bayley) vs. Roxanne Perez (w/ Raquel Rodriguez)

(The opening match was a rematch from August 11th, and this was a rematch from September 15th.)

Perez worked over Valkyria’s arm through a break, enough that Valkyria had trouble hitting her finisher. 

It was time for a distraction, so Rodriguez distracted the referee, which also distracted Valkyria as she went to the top rope. Valkyria stopped what she was doing upon seeing Rodriguez on the apron, so Perez tried a move off the ropes, but Bayley held Valkyria’s arm down to prevent that from happening. Valkyria gave Bayley a thumbs up before hitting Perez with a moonsault for two. 

Rodriguez booted Bayley, so Valkyria dropkicked Rodriguez. Perez threw through the ropes and laid out Valkyria with a tornado DDT. Perez followed with Pop Rox in the ring for the pinfall win. 

— Bayley was not happy, so she encouraged Valkyria to storm to the back with her.

Match result: Roxanne Perez defeated Lyra Valkyria (9:24) 

********

There was a video package for John Cena vs. AJ Styles. They really want you to think this match is happening because of the fans. 

Jackie Redmond tried to interview Styles about his upcoming match against Cena, but he was interrupted by the male members of Judgment Day. Dominik wondered why Styles thought he could beat Cena when Styles couldn’t even beat him. (Dom wore a t-shirt with the picture of himself as a kid playing PSP.) 

Finn Bálor heard a rumour that Styles and Dragon Lee wanted to challenge for the tag titles. Bálor warned Styles that would be a mistake. 

Styles said they were acting tough because it was three on one. Styles said he would find Dragon Lee and a partner, and they would have a six-man match tonight. (Hopefully, there’s enough room on the show.) 

After a break, Styles and Dragon Lee met with Penta. The meeting ended before Penta could answer their request because Bayley and Valkyria were beating the crap out of Perez and Rodriguez nearby. Pearce and officials stormed in to break it up.

******** 

Some professional bull riders and Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders were in the crowd.  

CM Punk, LA Knight and Jey Uso segment

(Long story short, the three guys who most recently wrestled for the world title still want to be world champion.) 

Punk was glad to be back after being gone for two weeks. He thanked the fans for their warm welcome back of AJ Lee. 

Punk spoke about the upcoming match between Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. He called it title vs. title, but quickly noted no titles were on the line and didn’t want anyone in the back getting mad at him (for calling it title vs. title). 

Punk hasn’t been around because he didn’t want to get involved in their match. But he noted that he kicked off the year by beating Rollins on the Netflix premiere. He wanted to end the year by beating Rollins for the title. He had Rollins’ number. He always won when it was one-on-one and man-to-man. Punk was better than Rollins, and Rollins knew it. 

LA Knight interrupted. Knight said he deserved and earned a reign as world champion. Knight said Punk was known for his pipe bomb, but lately, he’s been known for being a husband. That wasn’t meant to be an insult. Everybody needed love—it was a beautiful thing. But as good a husband Punk seemed to be, he was a trash champion. 

Knight said Punk was champion for five minutes before Rollins pinned him in the ring. Rollins pinned him again at Clash in Paris. Knight called himself the guy who had never been pinned by Rollins. Punk said he’s also the guy who has never been world champion. 

Knight called Punk a two-time loser against Rollins, while Knight was the last to pin Rollins. Knight would be the next to pin Rollins and become champion. 

Jey Uso interrupted. Jey was finally thinking clearly. He was the one. The one who never got his singles rematch for the world title. He was up next. 

Knight said this was déjà vu. It was the three of them again (after they wrestled Rollins in Paris). Knight said Jey’s time came and went. Knight knew Jey thought he lost because he wasn’t quite Roman enough. Knight said that was a good thing, but Jey should probably focus on being a tag champion right now. But given The Usos’ recent history, Jey should probably stop sucking at being a tag team first. 

Jimmy marched out after hearing that comment. Knight kept rambling, so thankfully, Jey superkicked him to shut him up. 

Punk (whose hair now looks like Beavis or Butt-head) told Jey that Knight had a point. Maybe Jey should focus on being a tag team. Punk liked Jey Uso—but he didn’t like Little Roman. 

Punk and Jey argued, but Jimmy got between them. Jey was about to superkick Punk, but Jimmy pulled him away. Punk saw the attempt, so he decked Jey. Jimmy didn’t like that, so he superkicked Punk. 

********

There was an Iyo Sky video package outlining her recent history with Asuka. 

A tag match was made official for tonight with CM Punk and LA Knight facing The Usos. There will also be a six-man match with AJ Styles, Dragon Lee and Penta facing Judgment Day. (It’s hilarious that Pearce even suggested there may not be room on the show for one impromptu match, given that there are now three of them.) 

IYO SKY vs. Kairi Sane (w/ Asuka)

Sky wiped out Asuka with a dive before the match officially began, although it didn’t really matter. There was a terrifying spot moments later. 

Sky went after Sane while outside the ring, but a distraction by Asuka allowed Sane to shove her into the side of the ring. Sane followed by giving Sky an Alabama Slam onto the edge of the ring, and boy did it look like Sky’s head slammed right against the ring. Her arms were up, too, so hopefully they caught the brunt of it. (Even worse, this happened during commercials.) Sky continued the match. 

Later on, Sane went for an Insane Elbow, but Sky got her feet up and followed with a corner meteora. 

As in the previous match, the heel outside the ring jumped on the apron, which distracted the babyface. This allowed Sane to cradle Sky—as Asuka held down Sane’s arms for leverage—for the pinfall win.

— After the match, Asuka held down Sky while Sane hit an Insane Elbow. (Ripley is in Australia, so there was no save.) 

Match result: Kairi Sane defeated IYO SKY (9:51) 

********

They aired part two of the three-part video package for Rhodes vs. Rollins. 

Lynch ranted to Rollins backstage about losing to Dupri. She was pissed at the way she was treated and left to tell Pearce she wasn’t going to Australia until they got better referees. 

After she left, Rollins repeated to Heyman that he had to beat Rhodes on Saturday. Rollins asked him what would happen if he lost to Rhodes. Heyman didn’t take that possibility seriously, but Rollins wanted him to consider it. 

Heyman said Rollins would lose the locker room if he lost. He would lose the faith of Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. He would throw away the fact that the entire Netflix era has been built around him. Rollins would become a de facto secondary champion. Heyman told him not to lose. 

Rollins wondered what Heyman would do if he lost. Heyman would have to ask himself why he picked Rollins, and why he picked him over Reigns. Heyman left. 

********

Jey wasn’t happy about Jimmy getting involved and having to wrestle a tag match while he was focused on getting the world title. Jey wondered if Jimmy was protecting Punk earlier, and told him to know what side he’s on tonight. Jey left. 

Jimmy told Reigns that he and Jey were nothing like him. Reigns told Jimmy that if he wanted to help Jey, he should just get out of his way. 

********

Styles “tried” cutting a promo before the match, and seemed like he had something to get off his chest, but he was interrupted by Judgment Day’s music, so he stopped out of frustration. (I think having a microphone allows people to hear you despite music being played.) 

Six-man tag team match: AJ Styles, Dragon Lee & Penta vs. Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio & World Tag Team Champions Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh

They went to break twice in the first 7.5 minutes of the match, so the first 10 minutes included 5 minutes of commercials. 

Absolutely nothing happened during the second break, and Dragon Lee made a hot tag to Penta as soon as they returned. Penta ran wild and went for a Canadian Destroyer, but McDonagh reversed into a Spanish Fly (Joe Tessitore thought it was Penta who hit the offensive move). 

Styles tagged in next and hit a Dom with a spinning rack bomb, but McDonagh broke up the cover. Dragon Lee got rid of McDonagh, and Penta wiped out Bálor with a flip dive. 

Dom went for a 619 on Styles, but stopped in his tracks upon seeing Rusev. Yes, another distraction. 

Rusev marched out, and Dom bailed from the ring. Dom grabbed his belts and tried to escape, but Rusev caught him. Penta went to superkick Dom, but Dom ducked, and Penta superkicked Rusev by mistake. Dom bailed through the crowd. 

Styles grabbed McDonagh and hit a Styles Clash for the pinfall win. 

— Styles grabbed a mic after the match. He said his match against Cena didn’t need a story because it wrote itself. Two men will dance for the last time. They would leave it all in the ring, and it will kick ass. Styles did Cena’s salute. 

Match result: AJ Styles, Dragon Lee & Penta defeated Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio & World Tag Team Champions Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh (14:05) 

********

Crown Jewel card (8 am ET start time, with a 6 am pre-show): 

  • John Cena vs. AJ Styles 
  • Roman Reigns vs. Bronson Reed – Australian Street Fight 
  • IYO SKY & Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka & Kairi Sane 
  • Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer vs. WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton 
  • World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins vs. Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes 

Raw next week (also an 8 am ET start time): 

  • Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. Penta for the Intercontinental Championship 
  • Bayley & Lyra Valkyria vs. Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez 

The announcers said Penta earned the IC title shot with tonight’s win (Styles pinned McDonagh in the match). We can probably guess how the match will end, considering what happened with Penta and Rusev tonight.

********

Punk and Knight agreed that neither of them wanted this match tonight. Knight had one thing to ask of Punk: don’t get pinned. 

Knight’s entrance was cut short by Punk, who stormed out to get things started against The Usos. 

CM Punk & LA Knight vs. Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso

Punk and Knight weren’t getting along, and Punk chopped Knight’s chest to tag him in. Jey aggressively launched Knight into the steel steps as the Usos held control through an early break. 

Punk made a hot tag and hit Jimmy with a flying elbow drop. Jimmy slipped out of a GTS attempt and tagged in Jey, who hit an Uso splash, but Knight broke up the cover. Knight gave Jimmy a BFT, then Jey superkicked Knight. Jey speared Punk and went back to the top, but leaped down to knock Knight off the apron. 

Punk gave Jey a GTS, but Knight tagged himself and pinned Jey for the win. 

Match result: LA Knight & CM Punk defeated Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso (9:30) 

A weak finish and match to end a weak show.

WOL: Cena’s last opponent, new Perth matches, TONS of news!

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Filthy Tom Lawlor is back with tons to talk about including a full look at all the major shows coming up this week, and there are a ton of them, John Cena’s final opponent, a new big match for Perth that has yet to be announced, all the news and weekend show notes, and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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WWE Raw live results: The Usos vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: September 29, 2025
Location: Lenovo Center in Raleigh, NC 

The Big Takeaway —

Not much happened on Raw until the very end, when Roman Reigns returned to help The Usos beat Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. It was good timing by Reigns because the Usos were getting obliterated. Jimmy Uso has been worried about Jey turning into Reigns, and the closing shot saw Reigns imparting more words of encouragement on Jey, as Jimmy looked on disapprovingly. 

Plus, Iyo Sky will team with Rhea Ripley to face Asuka and Kairi Sane at Crown Jewel.

**********

Show Recap — 

The Usos, Judgment Day, Los Americanos (all three of them), and Rusev arrived at the arena in Raleigh. 

Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett are tonight’s announcers. 

Tessitore welcomed us to Raleigh, NC, and said the city was “That unique mix of cutting-edge business savvy and rah-rah spirit that mirrors modern-day WWE.” 

There was a recap of Asuka and Kairi Sane attacking Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley. 

Rhea Ripley kicks off Raw

A pissed off Rhea Ripley entered to a big reaction. She said Asuka and Kairi Sane crossed the line with what they did to Iyo Sky, whom they claimed was family. Ripley wanted to settle things in the ring and called them out, but Sky entered instead. 

Sky admitted Ripley was right about Asuka and Sane, and it broke her heart to say that. But they were her family, and she still loved them. 

Asuka and Sane appeared on the screen. Asuka addressed Ripley and Sky. (It was a pre-taped promo, so there were subtitles.) Asuka said she taught Sky everything she knew and paved the way for her, but now Sky acted as if none of that mattered. Sky became champion because of her, but now Sky calls Ripley family and tries to forget about her (Asuka). 

Asuka was willing to forgive Sky, but wanted an apology. “Be like Kairi. You can both be my students.” Sane (still a hesitant participant in this) told Sky they can still be a family. Asuka said it was too late for Ripley. 

Ripley tried talking sense into Sky. Ripley said she knew what it was like for family to turn on you (Judgment Day), and there was no way Sky could go back to Asuka and Sane. Sky was upset. She needed time. She apologized to Ripley and left. 

Asuka and Sane attacked Ripley from behind. Sky wasn’t sure what to do, but she ran into the ring and pulled Asuka away from Ripley. Sane pleaded with Sky until Asuka spat mist in Sky’s face. 

Ripley attacked, but Asuka and Sane fought her off. Asuka held Ripley down in the Asuka Lock while Sane hit an Insane elbow. Officials entered to check on the babyfaces as the segment ended.

******** 

Dom entered with his Intercontinental and AAA Mega Championship belts. Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh initially entered with Dom, but they returned to the back for the match. 

Intercontinental Championship: Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. Rusev

Rusev was all over Dom early on, sending him over the announce table with a fallaway slam, which sent us to break less than two minutes into the match. Not much happened until Dom made his comeback following a break, leading to a springboard senton for just a one count. Dom went for a 619, but Rusev clotheslined him. 

Rusev set up for the Machka Kick, but Dom spilled out of the ring. Dom shoved Rusev into the steel steps and hit a 619 to the gut back in the ring. Dom hit a normal 619 and went for a frog splash, but Rusev moved and hit a Machka Kick for a nearfall. 

Rusev applied the Accolade, but Dom quickly wriggled out of it and escaped the ring. Dom grabbed his two belts and started to leave, but Rusev pulled him back in the ring. 

Dom tried to pull an Eddie Guerrero trick by feigning that Rusev hit him with a belt, but the referee caught him. As the ref put the belt away, Dom low-blowed Rusev and applied a schoolboy for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Dominik Mysterio defeated Rusev to retain the Intercontinental Championship (8:56)

This was ok. It followed the same pattern as most WWE TV matches, so the crowd only got into it toward the end with Dom’s antics, and they popped big for his win. 

********

Earlier today, LA Knight told Adam Pearce he wanted a world title shot because he was the last person to beat Seth Rollins. 

New Day interrupted them because they wanted a tag title shot. Pearce told them to earn it. Knight tried to dismiss them, so Kofi Kingston told him that only one of them had actually been a world champion. Knight said he would be world champ very soon, and told Pearce to make a match between him and Kingston. Pearce agreed. 

********

There was a shot of Cody Rhodes’ tour bus, followed by part one of a video package exploring the history of Rhodes and Seth Rollins since Rhodes’ return. 

Happy Bayley approached Lyra Valkyria, who wasn’t buying what Bayley was saying. Bayley wanted Valkyria’s help tonight (in her match with Raquel Rodriguez). Valkyria didn’t want to give her any more chances and told her she was on her own. 

******** 

They announced the launch of Zuffa Boxing with a picture of Turki Al-Sheikh and Dana White.

Bayley vs. Raquel Rodriguez (w/Roxanne Perez)

Bayley went for a hurricanrana off the apron (like Kelani Jordan tried in her recent TNA match with Lei Ying Lee), but Rodriguez successfully caught her and drove her into the barricade. 

Bayley fought back after a break and hit a senton bomb for two. They were in North Carolina, so Bayley did the Hardy Boyz pose before the spot. Rodriguez and Bayley messed up a spot, so they moved on, and Rodriguez clotheslined her. 

Bayley responded with a figure four (to pay tribute to Ric Flair in NC), but Rodriguez called the ref for help to distract her. This allowed Perez to rake Bayley’s eyes and break up the hold, and the ref didn’t see it because she has no peripheral vision. Rodriguez followed with a big boot and Tejana Bomb for the pinfall win. 

— The heels attacked Bayley after the match, so Valkyria ran out to make the save. The heels got the better of her, but Bayley suddenly snapped. She popped out of the corner and cleared the ring by herself. Bayley cackled like heel Bayley and helped Valkyria to her feet. 

Match result: Raquel Rodriguez defeated Bayley (10:24) 

********

The Usos met backstage. Jimmy wanted to know why Jey walked away from him and LA Knight last week. Jey said helping Knight got them nowhere, and he was the reason they lost at Wrestlepalooza. Jey wanted to know why Jimmy helped Knight. 

Jey basically reiterated what Roman Reigns told him (without mentioning him), that they shouldn’t be helping anyone. 

Jey did what he had to do. He beat Knight. Mission accomplished. If he did more of that, maybe he’d be world champion. That was something Jimmy didn’t understand. Jey told him to forget about Knight so they could take care of the Brons. They shook hands. 

*******

The useless medical staff was still tending to Sky, who was still covered in blue mist and having trouble seeing almost an hour after the opening segment. Sane approached Sky and tried reasoning with her. 

Sane wanted Sky to apologize to Asuka so they could be a family again. Sky told Sane to leave her alone. A very sad Kairi left, but not before leaving a photo of the three of them together. (The camera zoomed in on the picture in case you were having trouble understanding.) 

******** 

LA Knight vs. Kofi Kingston (w/Xavier Woods)

Knight had control until a Woods distraction allowed Kingston to take over ahead of a break. Woods also took a cheap shot during a break. Knight made his post-commercial break comeback, hitting a slingshot shoulder tackle and neckbreaker. 

Woods distracted Knight again, this time by jumping on the apron in front of the referee. Knight knocked him off, but Kingston applied a rollup with his feet on the ropes for two. Knight ducked a Trouble in Paradise and hit a BFT for the pinfall win. 

Match result: LA Knight defeated Kofi Kingston (10:22) 

Another ordinary, patterned match. 

******** 

Becky Lynch approached Maxxine Dupri and Akira Tozawa. She mocked Dupri for being a loser. Lynch called herself the greatest of all time and reminded us that everyone was saying it. Durpi said not everyone, certainly not AJ Lee. 

Tozawa, playing a total caricature, giggled at the comment. Lynch punched Tozawa, and he dropped to the floor. Dupri stood up for Tozawa, so Lynch backed off. Durpi checked on Tozawa, but Lynch attacked her from behind and hammered away until officials broke it up. Lynch found Rollins nearby. Rollins left to head to the ring. 

******** 

Byron Saxton interviewed Dom during a break. Dom bragged about his win before being confronted by Penta. Saxton asked Dom for comment, but Dom dismissed Penta as a challenger because he’s already beaten him so many times. 

Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes segment 

(Long story short, Rhodes isn’t buying that their Crown Jewel match will determine the future. Rollins wanted to make it clear that any perceived allegiance between them in the past meant nothing. The match was meaningful because Rollins would win and write a new story.) 

Rollins entered. The crowd sang his song, chanted for CM Punk and “OTC.” The fans remembered he isn’t currently feuding with those guys, so they eventually started singing for Cody Rhodes. 

Rollins finally spoke when they did. Rollins acknowledged that he had lost all three matches against Rhodes. It didn’t bother Rollins because it didn’t matter. Those were in the past. Those versions of Rhodes and Rollins were in the past. They were both men trying to reach the top, but now, headed into Crown Jewel, they were on top. 

The winner of the match wouldn’t just be the Crown Jewel champion—the winner may just decide the next 10-20 years of the entire industry. Rollins didn’t understand why anyone would want Rhodes to win that match and lead this company into the future. 

Rollins said he has done everything right. He stayed with this company when times were tough, brought the company into its golden age, and took two young men—Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed—and took them under his wing so they could reach the top. Rollins has tried to rid this place of cancers like Reigns and Punk, yet people still chanted for Rhodes (instead of him). 

Rhodes entered to a big reception. Rhodes wanted to know what Rollins was even talking about, as if either of them had any control over the future of the industry. Rhodes looked at the fans and said they were the ones who controlled the future. 

Rhodes mentioned that Breakker and Reed appeared on SmackDown, but it wasn’t Rollins who sent them, it was Paul Heyman. Rhodes wondered who was really in charge. Rollins claimed it was him who sent them because every decision ran through him. 

Rhodes wondered if it was also Rollins’ idea for Heyman to introduce Brock Lesnar. Rollins reiterated that every decision ran through him. 

Rhodes said Crown Jewel should be about best versus best. Rhodes wondered where they would be in twenty years. Would they be sitting in the back, reminiscing about the past? Rhodes recalled Rollins being his shield at WrestleMania 40. He thought Rollins was his friend. 

Rollins told him to shut up. Rollins said he was never Rhodes’ friend. That act at WrestleMania was a means to an end. Rhodes was the lesser of two evils. They would never be friends reminiscing about the past. They would never shake hands. That would never happen. 

Rollins planned on cleansing the timeline at Crown Jewel. Everything that happened between them before was dead. Rollins would write a new future at Crown Jewel. 

********

Ripley approached Sky, still covered in blue mist. Sky told Ripley she was right about Asuka. She spoke to Pearce and got them a tag match against Asuka and Sane at Crown Jewel. Ripley earnestly asked Sky if she could trust her. Sky said she could. Sane was lost, and she could not go back to them. 

********

Dragon Lee cut a pre-match promo. The crowd was quiet for it. He was honoured to team with Styles and said he was coming for Dom’s Mega Championship. 

Styles spoke about his upcoming match against John Cena. Styles said it was thanks to the fans that this match was happening, and now he got to do something that he loved: “I get to beat up John Cena.” 

AJ Styles & Dragon Lee vs. Los Americanos

The two Americanos who aren’t Ludwig Kaiser have new fake names, Rio and Bravo. 

They went to break 40 seconds into the match, and the Americanos had the heat on Dragon Lee as the fans watched quietly. The crowd woke up when Styles made the hot tag. He ran wild and wiped out Kaiser with a springboard forearm to the outside. 

Lee hoisted an Americano into the air and into the arms of Styles. Lee wiped out the other Americano with a dive while AJ hit a Styles Clash for the pinfall win. 

Match result: AJ Styles & Dragon Lee defeated Los Americanos (7:02) 

Another match where you only need to see the last minute or so. 

********

Next week on Raw in Dallas, TX (start time 8 pm ET/5 pm PT): 

  • CM Punk appears 
  • Becky Lynch vs. Maxxine Dupri (non-title) 
  • Lyra Valkyria vs. Roxanne Perez 

********

Jackie Redmond interviewed Stephanie Vaquer about her upcoming match against Tiffany Stratton. Vaquer respected Stratton, but Stratton would learn why nobody could stop her. 

Stratton suddenly showed up. Stratton said she’s proven herself as champion against some of the best over the past 268 days. Vaquer has only been on top for a few weeks, and she would learn that it was still Tiffy Time. Vaquer said Tiffany’s time was over. 

********

In the back, a very serious Rollins told Heyman that he needs to beat Rhodes. Heyman was upbeat and confident that he would, but Rollins cut him off and said, “I have to beat him. I have to.” 

Tornado Tag Team Match: Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed (w/Paul Heyman)

The Usos attacked the Brons with dives during their entrance, so the referee chose that moment to start the match, which hardly seems fair. The Brons fought them off and eventually took control anyway. The highlight was Breakker putting Jimmy through the announce table with a leaping clothesline off the barricade. 

This left Jey on his own for a while. Jey tried fighting back, but Reed cut him off with a world’s strongest slam. The Brons followed with a Steinerizer. 

Reed went up for a Tsunami, but Jimmy woke up and shoved him off the top. Jimmy hit Breakker with a superkick and a pop-up Samoan drop. However, Reed gave Jimmy a Jagged Edge (DVD), and Breakker speared Jey. 

Breakker stacked up the Usos, who were getting decimated in a fair fight, and Reed set up for a Tsunami, but Roman Reigns’ music hit. 

Reigns entered with a chair in hand to a gigantic pop. Reigns dumped Breakker from the ring and hit Reed repeatedly with a chair, eventually sending him over the barricade. Breakker tried to attack from behind, but Reigns hit him with the chair and sent him into the ring. 

Jimmy superkicked Breakker, and Jey followed with a spear. Jimmy and Jey hit Breakker with simultaneous Uso splashes for the pinfall win. 

— Reigns attacked Breakker again with a chair after the match. 

Reigns shook hands with Jey. They stood face-to-face as Reigns gave Jey words of encouragement (telling Jey that this was his show and to take everything). Jimmy had a skeptical look on his face and didn’t like what he was seeing. 

Match result: The Usos defeated Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed in a tornado tag team match (12:38)

WWE Raw live results: Wrestlepalooza fallout

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: September 22, 2025
Location: Ford Center in Evansville, IN

The Big Takeaway —

Asuka and Rhea Ripley wrestled for the first time in almost three years, and the show’s closing angle saw Asuka turn heel on Iyo Sky. (See more below.) 

Jey Uso beat LA Knight, and a heel turn may be around the corner for Jey, too. (It could be leading to something else, but the teases are increasingly less subtle.)

As expected, WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and World Champion Seth Rollins will wrestle at Crown Jewel, while Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer will wrestle the winner of SmackDown’s triple threat title match between WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill and Nia Jax. While it ultimately doesn’t matter who the Crown Jewel Champion is, Rhodes and Rollins had a long talking segment to add some intrigue to their match.

**********

Show Recap — 

A new signature video opens the show (as it did at Wrestlepalooza), and the clips focus on the company’s more recent history. 

There was a Wrestlepalooza video recap, in which they also spliced in clips from wrestlers and personalities making the rounds on ESPN leading up to the show. 

The Vision, Stephanie Vaquer (and her father), The New Day and Grayson Waller, Bayley, and LA Knight arrived at the arena. As Knight arrived, Rusev confronted Dominik Mysterio and shoved him into some equipment boxes. 

Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett are tonight’s announcers. They announced that Cody Rhodes would face Seth Rollins for the Men’s Crown Jewel Championship in Perth, Australia. 

Cody Rhodes kicks off Raw

Rhodes showed off his inaugural Crown Jewel championship ring and said he would love to win another. 

Rollins and the Vision (minus Becky Lynch) interrupted. Rollins told his partners to remain in the aisle as he entered the ring alone. The crowd sang Rollins’ song before switching back to chants for Cody. 

Rollins said he had Crown Jewel circled on his calendar since they both walked out of SummerSlam as champions. Two of the best in the world in their primes would go one-on-one, and may the best man win. At least it should be that simple, but it wasn’t. It was deeper than that and bigger than that. 

Rollins knew what everyone (the fans, wrestlers, and “the internet”) thought about him, but he didn’t give a damn. The fans didn’t know what was good for them. (The fans chanted for CM Punk, and Rollins shut them down by saying Punk didn’t matter here because he didn’t have a championship.) Rollins wanted to know what Rhodes thought of him. 

Rhodes said Rollins has recently made some questionable choices, including aligning with Paul Heyman. But Rollins also changed his life. Rollins changed his life because Rhodes wouldn’t have known what he was capable of if not for their Hell in a Cell match. Rollins changed his career by being his shield at WrestleMania and helping him bring the world title to the Rhodes family. 

Rhodes knew it was pro wrestling 101 to run Rollins down right now to hype up their match, but Rhodes wanted to know what Rollins thought of himself. Rhodes said Rollins could be the absolute best in the business. But that version of Rollins wouldn’t be hiding behind the three Vision goons. 

Rollins pointed out his wristwatch, the one Rhodes gifted him after WrestleMania 40. Rollins hadn’t worn it until tonight. Rollins wondered if that was a real gift or a token gesture because Rhodes was fantastic about saying all the ring things about him, but only when it suited Rhodes. Rhodes undermined everything Rollins stood for. 

Rollins didn’t appreciate Rhodes going on interviews and saying he was the guy to take this business into the future. Rhodes called himself QB1, so Rollins wondered what that meant for him. Either Rhodes thought Rollins wasn’t good enough, or just not as good as him. 

Rollins said the Vision weren’t goons, they were the future of the business, and he was the tip of the spear, not Rhodes. Rhodes could be the quarterback if he wanted to, but he would be Rollins’ quarterback. It didn’t matter what Rhodes thought, because they would get the answer at Crown Jewel. This wasn’t a two-man show. Rollins stated, “I’m the alpha.” 

Rhodes reminded Rollins that they’ve had three matches, and they’ve all been one-on-one. Rhodes peered over at the Vision and asked if it would be the case again in Perth. Rhodes concluded with a question: “In the three matches that we’ve had, Seth Rollins, how many of those have you won?” 

Rhodes left the ring, and the Vision cleared a path for him to leave. 

********

Jimmy Uso met with Jey Uso backstage. (Jey had tape over stitches on his forehead.) Jimmy said their loss was trash because he knew they could beat the Brons. Jimmy went to Adam Pearce to request a rematch, only to learn that Jey was already busy tonight because he had asked for a match against Knight. 

Jey was red-hot and said they would have won if not for Knight being the referee. Jey was also pissed about Jimmy tagging with Knight last week (and losing). Jimmy asked if he was being blamed for their loss. Jey settled down (realizing he didn’t want to upset Jimmy) and said no, but he planned on beating up Knight tonight. 

******** 

Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods cut their usual ad-break promo. 

No disqualification six-man tag match: The New Day & Grayson Waller vs. The War Raiders & Penta

Woods wore a gigantic black hat a few weeks ago, so all three heels had a hat this week. They put the hats on during the break, so the babyfaces stole the hats and posed with them. The heels attacked them from behind to gain the heat. 

Kingston hit Penta with a diving leg drop off the top turnbuckle through a table outside the ring. The camera missed it because Woods blocked the cameraperson, so they immediately showed a replay. Erik brought both members of New Day by himself off the ropes, and Ivar went for a moonsault, but New Day dodged it. 

Penta avoided going through a corner table and instead suplexed Kingston through it. Waller cracked a kendo stick over Penta’s back, but Penta fought him off and hit an avalanche Canadian Destroyer for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Penta & The War Raiders defeated Grayson Waller & The New Day (10:15) 

This was pretty fun for the time they had, and the crowd was super into it. They popped huge for Penta’s finish. 

********

Dominik approached Judgment Day backstage. He wanted their help with Rusev, but Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh weren’t interested. Bálor wondered why El Grande Americano didn’t help Dom, but Dom said he was back in Mexico. Bálor claimed he was busy and began doing something on a tablet. 

Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez talked McDonagh into helping Dom. McDonagh only agreed because it would be best for Judgment Day. McDonagh said he would speak with Peace, but Dom told him he already got McDonagh a match against Rusev. McDongh (and Bálor) weren’t thrilled to hear this, but Dom was sure pleased with himself. 

********

Bayley met with Lyra Valkyria backstage. Bayley had selective memory, and Valkyria was surprised to learn that Bayley wasn’t mad at her after calling her an idiot last week. Bayley was all smiles and said she didn’t know what Valkyria was talking about. Bayley asked her to be at ringside for her match tonight. Valkyria wasn’t sure, but she eventually agreed. (Bayley wore Punk’s “AJ’s husband” jacket.) 

********

During a break, Byron Saxton asked Heyman about seemingly being Brock Lesnar’s advocate again. Heyman ignored the question and instead said Rollins would beat Rhodes at Crown Jewel. 

Heyman cut the promo on behalf of Rollins, but did so as if he was talking about Lesnar (using a lot of the lines he normally uses for Lesnar promos). Heyman said Rollins winning wasn’t a prediction or even a spoiler—it was a prophecy. 

********

Stephanie Vaquer promo 

Vaquer entered to a good reaction. Pearce congratulated her on winning the Women’s World Championship. Vaquer called this a dream come true. At times, it seemed impossible, but she worked hard for it and accomplished it. She beat one of the best in Iyo Sky and had her dad as inspiration. She pointed out her dad in the crowd.

Vaquer said this championship represented the motivation and support the fans gave her. They celebrated with her at Wrestlepalooza. She thanked them. Vaquer said her fire would keep making history, and nobody could stop her. 

Pearce told Vaquer that Tiffany Stratton was defending her title against Jade Cargill and Nia Jax in a triple threat on SmackDown, and the winner would face Vaquer at Crown Jewel. Vaquer looked forward to being there. 

Fireworks went off as Vaquer posed with her title belt. 

— Nikki Bella and Rhea Ripley approached Vaquer backstage to congratulate her. Ripley gave her a friendly reminder that she was coming for the title. 

Asuka (with Kairi Sane) confronted Vaquer. Asuka said Sky deserved to be champion, not Vaquer. Vaquer said she would fight Asuka any time she wanted. Vaquer left (with Bella). 

Ripley was tired of Asuka. Asuka told her to stay away from Sky, or else. Ripley challenged her to a match tonight, and Asuka accepted. The crowd popped for that. (The match was made official later on.) 

********

Bayley (w/Lyra Valkyria) vs. Roxanne Perez (w/Raquel Rodriguez) 

Barrett noted that Perez was tied with Knight for most matches in WWE in 2025, and they spoke about how the experience was helping Perez get better and better. (Perhaps a lesson to be learned there.)

Bayley was in control and went to the middle rope, but she distracted herself by watching Rodriguez at ringside. Perez kicked her leg out of her leg and took control ahead of a break. Rodriguez also took a cheap shot at Bayley during a break. 

Bayley fought back after a break, but Perez cut her off. Perez went for a suicide dive, but Bayley blocked it with a forearm. Perez fought her off and hit a Pop Rox outside the ring, and Bayley just barely beat the ten count. 

Rodriguez booted Bayley as Perez distracted the referee, so Valkyria attacked Rodriguez and drove her into the ring post. Perez then wiped out Valkyria with a suicide dive. 

This caused Bayley to snap into another personality, I guess, and she nailed Perez with a Bayley-to-belly, a running boot, and Rose Plant for the pinfall win. 

(Tesstitore tried to convince us that this was a violent attack, but it was really just one wrestler hitting another wrestler with their big moves for the win.) 

— Valkyria was pumped up for Bayley and gave her a hug. Bayley suddenly had no interest in Valkyria being there and shoved her down. Valkyria was shocked as Bayley screamed at her and told her to stay out of it. 

The crowd was into Bayley during the match, but they booed her in the post-match (which was the idea). 

Match result: Bayley defeated Roxanne Perez (10:46) 

********

Jimmy congratulated Rhodes on his Wrestlepalooza win. Rhodes asked how Jey was doing. Jimmy said Jey was in his own head and wouldn’t listen to him. Jimmy asked Rhodes if he would talk to him, so Rhodes agreed. 

Rhodes approached Jey after a break. Rhodes said Jimmy was worried about him. Jey said Big Jim was always tripping and told Rhodes not to worry. Rhodes said he knew what Jey felt like. There were highs and lows, wins and losses. People in their position isolate themselves, but Rhodes reminded Jey that he has his family, friends and fans. Rhodes told him, “We believe in you.” 

Jey told him not to worry. “Imma find my way back to the top, Cody.” Rhodes left, and Jey stared at him as he did. 

******** 

Rusev’s entrance happened during a break. 

Rusev vs. JD McDonagh (w/Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio)

Rusev was in complete control until McDonagh kicked the steel steps into his legs. McDonagh followed with an Asai moonsault ahead of a break. McDonagh continued to shine with a few spots after a break, including a moonsault for two. 

McDonagh hit Rusev with multiple clotheslines, but couldn’t knock him down. Rusev nailed him with a body slam and Matcka Kick. Rusev applied the Accolade, and Dom hopped on the apron. Dom considered breaking it up, but was too afraid to get involved, so McDonagh taped out. 

— Rusev wouldn’t let go of the hold after the match as Dom just stood there, so Bálor ran out and gave Rusev a reverse DDT (which got a modest pop). Before Rusev could get up, Judgment Day escaped while Bálor admonished Dom. 

Match result: Rusev defeated JD McDonagh (10:12)

This match was between two heels, so the crowd wasn’t super into it, but they did get into McDonagh a bit thanks to his offence. 

********

Sky approached Asuka and Sane backstage, but Asuka didn’t want advice from someone who lost. Asuka left. Sane was in agony over all of this, but told Sky that Asuka was the reason they were there, so they had to listen to her. 

********

Jackie Redmond interviewed Knight. Redmond’s question was taking too long to get out, so Knight cut her off. Knight said Jey should be worried more about his own health. Knight was only checking on Jey’s well-being during the Wrestlepalooza match before he got speared through the table. 

Knight wasn’t trying to hurt Jey before—but he would tonight. Jey might’ve brain’ed himself on Saturday, but if he hadn’t, Knight would do it for him with a BFT. 

Jey Uso vs. LA Knight

Jey wore all black (with white sneakers) and did his full entrance. Knight did his entrance, but as he jumped down from the middle rope, Jey punched him before the match officially began. The ref called for the bell to begin. 

Jey was all over Knight until Knight cut him off with a neckbreaker. Jey avoided a baseball slide and clotheslined Knight to regain control during a break. After the break, Knight scaled the ropes to bring Jey down with a superplex. 

They traded strikes until Knight ducked one and hit a reverse DVD for two. Jey followed later with a suicide dive and superkick for two. Knight responded with a DDT and flying elbow drop for two. 

Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed ran out, so Knight attacked them both before they could enter the ring. The referee just watched this all transpire. 

Knight re-entered the ring but ran into an Uso spear. Jey followed with an Uso Splash for the pinfall win.  

— Jimmy joined Jey on stage after the match. Jimmy thought they should help Knight because he was about to be attacked by the Brons. Jey didn’t care, so he left. 

Jimmy grabbed a chair and sprinted to the ring. Jimmy invited the Brons into the ring, but Heyman talked them down, and they left. 

Match result: Jey Uso defeated LA Knight (8:36)

This was good, although I hate these distraction finishes. The referee looked like an idiot, letting things just continue normally after the Brons got involved. The match itself went at a fast pace, with the crowd into it all the way, and it felt like a fight between two guys with building animosity.

********

Becky Lynch ranted backstage while Rollins was in deep thought as he looked at his wristwatch. Lynch ranted about Rhodes, the Usos, and the fans. Lynch said the fans were thieves trying to steal the things they built. Lynch wanted to make an example. She left. (Rollins didn’t say a word.) 

********

Sky approached Ripley. Ripley, a grown adult, asked if they were allowed to be around each other. Sky wanted Ripley to cancel her match against Asuka. Ripley said she was sick of Asuka’s disrespect. Ripley hoped they could beat the respect into each other like she did with Sky. Sky said, “Fine.” 

Before Sky could leave, Ripley told her to be careful around Asuka. Sky was offended by this comment. Sky said Asuka was family and was the reason she was there. Sky said she could trust Asuka, but didn’t know if she could trust Ripley. Sky left, and Ripley was upset.  

******** 

Raw next week (7 pm ET/4 pm PT start time): 

  • Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. Rusev for the Intercontinental Championship 
  • Bayley vs. Raquel Rodriguez 
  • The Usos vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed in a tornado tag match 

********

There was a video package for Los Americanos, trying to make it seem like they were a deeply rooted part of lucha libre history. Of course, they used gross-looking AI for the video. 

Maxxine Dupri asked Pearce for a match because she wanted to prove herself. Pearce told her to keep working until he finds someone. 

AJ Styles and Dragon Lee approached Pearce next. Styles said the Americanos were pissing him off and admitted to being a petty man. Dragon Lee wanted them in a tag match next week. Pearce said he would talk to them. (So he knows who they are?) Styles told Pearce not to sign any more Americanos for a while. 

******** 

Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka (w/Kairi Sane)

This was their first match since December 2022, and the announcers built this up as a PLE-level match. They went to commercial break a minute into it. 

Asuka was in control while targeting the leg, but Ripley came back with clotheslines, a thrust kick, a dropkick, and a Northern Lights suplex for two. Asuka avoided a Razor’s Edge, dropkicked her leg, and hit a sliding kick for two. Ripley responded with a boot and cannonball off the apron, leading to a second break. 

Ripley maintained control through a break and hit a superplex when they returned. They traded strikes until Asuka applied a jackknife cover for two. Ripley followed with a thrust kick, Razor’s Edge, and shining wizard for two. Asuka went for an armbar, but Ripley managed to escape. 

Ripley missed a charge and collided with the turnbuckle, and Asuka followed with a kick to the head for two. (The crowd chanted for Ripley.) Asuka knocked Ripley out of the ring and bounced her head off the table. Asuka said something to Sane before getting back in the ring. 

Ripley tried another kick, but Asuka caught her in a leg lock. Ripley tried getting to her feet, so Asuka nailed a German suplex. Asuka came off the top, but Ripley nailed her mid-air with a dropkick. (The crowd chanted, “This is awesome.”) 

Asuka shouted orders to Sane, so she reluctantly jumped on the apron with her fist clenched. Sane went for a back fist, but Ripley blocked it. Asuka went for a running hip attack, but Ripley moved, and Asuka knocked Sane off the apron by mistake. 

Ripley grabbed Asuka in a small package for the pinfall win. 

— Asuka blew mist in Ripley’s face immediately after the match. Asuka commanded Sane to attack, so she did hesitantly. They attacked Ripley until Sky quickly ran out to make the save. 

Sky settled Asuka down. Asuka was in tears, and they hugged. Asuka suddenly dropped Sky with a spinning back fist, and the crowd booed. 

Asuka commanded Sane to attack Sky. Again, Sane didn’t want to, but she did. Asuka saw Ripley getting to her feet, so she knocked her down with a spinning heel kick. Asuka held Sky as Sane (still in anguish over all of this), hit an Insane Elbow. 

The crowd booed as Asuka stood tall (while holding Sane), with Sky and Ripley laid out. 

Match result: Rhea Ripley defeated Asuka (17:15) 

This was excellent, although they relied yet again on an interference/distraction spot. Given the story being told, this was an appropriate spot for it, but it was hindered by the fact that they do this in 80% of TV matches. 

The match and the post-match were great, and they have built well to Asuka finally turning heel. Asuka and Lynch have both turned heel before to their detriment, but this one felt more purposeful. Asuka has looked awesome since returning, and her inevitable match with Sky feels like a big one. 

Cody Rhodes set for WWE Raw appearance

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE Champion Cody Rhodes is set to appear on Raw as the build to Crown Jewel: Perth begins.

In the main event of Wrestlepalooza this past weekend, Rhodes defeated Drew McIntyre to remain WWE Champion. It has now been announced that Rhodes will appear on Raw tonight (September 22). WWE hasn’t confirmed what Rhodes will be doing on the show, but he’s likely set for an interaction with World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. A face-to-face between the two took place on the WWE post-show after Wrestlepalooza.

Rhodes vs. Rollins is set to take place at Crown Jewel: Perth on October 11. They are the respective top men’s champions on SmackDown and Raw currently. Neither of their belts will be on the line at the PLE, but the winner will become the men’s Crown Jewel Champion for 2025. The ceremonial Crown Jewel titles were first established in 2024 with Rhodes being the men’s winner and Liv Morgan being the women’s winner.

WWE is at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana for tonight’s Wrestlepalooza fallout edition of Raw. No other announcements for the show have been made yet. The episode will stream live on Netflix at 7 p.m. Eastern time.

WWE Raw live results: Wrestlepalooza go-home show

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: September 15, 2025
Location: MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA 

The Big Takeaway —

Wrestlepalooza is Saturday. 

**********

Show Recap — 

Penta (wearing his mask but no makeup underneath), Stephanie Vaquer, El Grande Americano, and Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed were shown arriving. (It’s a little weird that they show Penta without his face paint for the sake of this gimmick of showing people arriving at the arena.) 

There was a recap of Jey Uso spearing LA Knight as Raw concluded last week. 

Back to the live show, Knight shoved Jey Uso as he arrived with Jimmy Uso. Adam Pearce and some officials quickly broke it up, and he demanded they see him in his office or their paychecks would be missing zeros. 

Despite some stars actively on the screen, the crowd was already chanting for John Cena, who is scheduled to open the show. 

Joe Tessitore and Corey Graves are tonight’s announcers.

John Cena kicks off Raw

Cena was happy to be back on Raw and in Springfield, Massachusetts. Cena informed the younger fans in the crowd that he played football up the street at Springfield College. He told the older fans he was an offensive lineman, which is why they probably didn’t know this. 

Being an OL meant you never got your name in the paper, you got your ass kicked, and you showed up the next day prepared to get your ass kicked again. Springfield College prepared him for life in WWE. 

Cena said he had friends and family in the building tonight, and he wished his niece a happy birthday because she couldn’t be here tonight. He acknowledged that there was no stage because the arena was packed. 

He enjoyed these moments with the fans and wanted to while he could, because he had a tall hill to climb. His intro called him the last real champion, but Brock Lesnar wanted to end the last real champion. 

He called Lesnar intimidating, “controversial,” and nearly invisible. Fans chanted, “F—k you, Lesnar.” 

Cena said Lesnar returned to WWE once again and again targeted him. Cena could have used his influence to turn down a match with Lesnar. Saying ‘no’ was safe, especially with only six appearances left. The crowd chanted, “Whoop his ass,” and “Thank you, Cena.”

As the fans chanted, Cena said they were the reason he said ‘yes’. He was the last real champion. He didn’t fight his battles backstage, he fought them in the ring. Being the last real champion wasn’t about holding a belt or fighting in the main event. The last real champion didn’t take their ball and go home. They fought with hustle, loyalty and respect. 

Cena admitted he was afraid of Lesnar and could fail—but he would never back down. We would take the fight to the beast because that’s what we did. On the history-making Wrestlepalooza on ESPN, it would be the final showdown between two generational titans. 

Cena didn’t care how many suplexes Lesnar had in Suplex City. He has taken Lesnar’s best shot for 20 years. His jorts were stronger than Lesnar’s jeans. On Saturday, Cena was ready for war. 

*********

Pearce met with Jey and Knight. After some arguing, Pearce agreed to Knight’s request to fight the Brons tonight, but said he needed to pick a partner. Knight looked Jey in the eye and said his partner would be Jimmy. Jey didn’t like that, but there was nothing he could do. 

Lyra Valkyria vs. Roxanne Perez (w/Raquel Rodriguez)

Rodriguez tripped Valkyria from outside the ring, so the referee tossed her from ringside. Perez applied a cradle, but the referee missed it because she was still arguing with Rodriguez. After she left, Perez yanked Valkyria off the top turnbuckle to take control. 

(The match started as soon as they returned from a break, so they were actually able to wrestle for about four minutes instead of the usual 90 seconds before going to break.) 

There were chants for both women during the break. Perez cut off Valkyria’s comeback and hit a double knee drop for two. Perez applied a crossface, but Valkyria powered to her feet and hit Nightwing for the pinfall win. 

— Rodriguez attacked Valkyria from behind after the match, and Perez gave her a Pop Rox. Bayley ran out to make the save. She wiped out Rodriguez and gave Perez a Bayley-to-belly. 

The crowd was happy to see Bayley, who was full babyface—at least at first. She suddenly had a stern demeanour as she stared at Valkyria, but she snapped out of it and turned into hugger Bayley. She smiled and excitedly hugged Tessitore, Graves, Alicia Taylor, and a bunch of fans. (So, Bayley will indeed be doing a split-personality gimmick.) 

Valkyria was nonplussed. 

Match result: Lyra Valkyria defeated Roxanne Perez (9:06)

This match was just there to get Valkyria a win after losing to Rodriguez last week and set up Bayley’s return. 

********

Pearce met with Iyo Sky and Stephanie Vaquer backstage. He made their world title match official for Wrestlepalooza. They wished each other luck. 

Asuka and Kairi Sane barged in. Asuka got in Vaquer’s face and told her she wasn’t ready for Sky. Vaquer told her to get out of her face, so Asuka told Vaquer she would face Sane tonight. Sane was surprised to hear this, but she was ready. Pearce made it official. Asuka giggled as she left, before calling for Sane to join her. (Asuka is so good in this role.) 

******** 

Knight met with Jimmy Uso. Jimmy didn’t think it was a good idea for them to team up. Knight said he could trust Jimmy after he helped him last week. Jimmy said Knight put him in a tough spot and politely declined being his partner. Knight left. 

********

They’ve removed the commercial break countdown timer, at least for this week. I wasn’t sure if they were in a commercial break or not, but I realized they were because New Day cut a promo. 

Xavier Woods and Grayson Waller wanted the Mexican Destroyer banned. Kofi Kingston said his home state should be cheering him, but he understood because his part of the state had much more money than this piss-hole city. Kingston called Pearce a tyrant and told the fans they should thank God for him. 

Penta vs. Kofi Kingston (w/Xavier Woods & Grayson Waller)

Kingston took control thanks to a distraction about a minute into the match, and they went to break. Kingston cut off Penta’s comeback attempt after the break with an SOS. They traded strikes until Penta hit an enziguri. (Woods made cracks to the fans about Shelbyville because they were in Springfield.)

Penta set up for the Canadian Destroyer, but Woods distracted the referee. Penta superkicked Waller before he could interfere and chased Woods off the apron. Penta then hit Kingston with a springboard Destroyer for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Penta defeated Kofi Kingston (7:30) 

This was an ordinary match until the finish, which looked awesome. Penta gets his win back over Kingston, who beat him three weeks ago. 

This was the second straight match with a distraction, and this is now seven straight going back to last week. 

********

Jimmy approached Jey as Jey was leaving a voicemail for someone on the phone. Jey didn’t tell him who it was. They had a disagreement after Jey told Jimmy he had to turn down Knight tonight. Jimmy said he already turned down Knight, but he also didn’t like the way Jey was bossing him around as if he had the Ula Fala around his neck. Jimmy stormed off. 

After a break, Jimmy told Knight he would be his partner tonight. Knight was glad to hear it. 

There was a clip of Jey Uso throwing out the first pitch at yesterday’s Boston Red Sox game. 

******** 

AJ Lee & CM Punk go face-to-face with Becky Lynch & Seth Rollins 

Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch entered first (Rollins’ music played first, followed by Lynch’s). Rollins took his time introducing himself and Lynch. Rollins introduced her the way he introduces himself, including calling her “Becky freakin’ Lynch.” 

AJ Lee and CM Punk entered to Lee’s music. Punk introduced himself as Lee’s husband. He didn’t plan on wasting time (like Rollins) with a long-winded introduction explaining who she was. (The fans chanted for Punk at first, so he made sure to feed them a line to get them to chant for Lee as well.) 

Punk referred to Lynch and Rollins as goofs (based on their matching leather outfits) and said they must share the same closet. They also came out to two annoying songs, but Punk gladly put Cult of Personality on the shelf so they could enter to Lee’s Let’s Light it Up (patting himself on the back). 

Rollins actually wanted to give Punk some credit because Lee was the best decision he ever made—in his personal life. (After some “Shut the f—k up” chants, the crowd chanted, “No one likes you.”) However, inserting Lee into this was something he would regret for the rest of his days. 

Lee said the regret would be Rollins’. She wouldn’t even be here if he hadn’t used his wife as a human shield. 

Lynch said nobody expected Lee to come back, and she couldn’t believe how irresponsible Punk was. She said Punk only cared about three things: himself, Rollins’ title, and AJ. 

Lynch read Lee’s book and said she might have healed mentally, but she wondered how she felt physically. Lynch asked how her neck was doing and asked how Punk would feel when she pummeled Lee’s face in. Lynch called Lee a liability, not an asset. 

Lee thanked Lynch for reading her book and said she didn’t read Lynch’s. (The crowd sang Lee’s name.) Lee admitted she didn’t know how her neck would hold up on Saturday. Lee also said she won two titles on that same neck. (Lee made a comment about Lynch looking constipated, so the fans chanted for that, too.) 

She didn’t know what she was going to do on Saturday. She’s been known to make rash decisions. She was a Puerto Rican girl from New Jersey—sometimes you had to shank a chick. Rollins liked to have a plan, but Lee warned them that they can’t plan for what they can’t predict. 

Rollins laughed at the idea that he couldn’t handle Lee. He called her a little girl. He may not be able to predict her, but he could read Punk like a book. Rollins warned Lee that Punk had a habit of leaving things when he was let down. Lee better hope to God that Punk doesn’t leave her, too. 

Lee slapped Rollins. Rollins said he wouldn’t put his hands on a lady, but knew someone who would. Lynch was not on board with this right now, so they argued. Punk and Lee looked on, amused. Lynch and Rollins argued until Lynch stormed off. 

It was all part of the plan, of course, and Punk fell for it. Punk went after Rollins, who escaped the ring. That left Lee alone, so Lynch caught her from behind and hit a Man-handle Slam. 

Punk tended to Lee as he stared down Lynch. Lynch slapped him and left with Rollins. The heels held their belts up high as Punk checked on Lee. 

********

There was a recap of Dominik Mysterio winning the AAA Mega Championship. Byron Saxton interviewed Dom and asked him about El Grande Americano. Dom responded, “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart,” and called himself the Mega Intercontinental Champion. 

The interview was cut short by a nearby commotion. New Day laid out Penta, and the War Raiders chased them off. 

El Grande Americano (Ludwig Kaiser) vs. Dragon Lee

There was a cool sequence early on where Dragon Lee used a leaping hurricanrana over the top rope to send El Grande Americano off the apron. Dragon Lee followed with a flip dive, sending both men into the announce table. 

Americano took over during a break. (He tied Dragon Lee’s mask to the rope during the break, which Kingston also did to Penta during the earlier match.) Lee hit Liger Bomb for two and a double foot stomp off the top rope for two. 

The distraction/interference streak continued because a mystery masked man attacked Lee. Americano hit a leaping blockbuster for a nearfall. 

AJ Styles marched out to even the odds. The masked man (Pete Dunne) tried to hide under the ring, but Tessitore pointed him out. Styles chucked him over the barricade. 

Styles stood by the timekeeper’s area but was attacked by a third masked person. The third person distracted the referee while masked Dunne shoved Dragon Lee off the top rope. Kaiser applied a deep submission, and Lee tapped out. 

— The three masked men did the Spider-Man meme pose outside the ring. 

Match result: El Grande Americano defeated Dragon Lee (10:12) 

Three matches on Raw, three distractions. That’s eight straight going back to last week. 

********

Valkyria approached Bayley’s locker room door but stopped upon hearing an argument. Bayley’s personalities were arguing with each other until there was a loud bang against the door. Valkyria hesitantly entered the room, and Bayley sat calmly on a sofa. Bayley told her off for entering without knocking and called her an idiot. Bayley stormed off. 

********

Rhea Ripley (who got a huge pop) approached Vaquer to wish her luck and tell her that she’d be ready for the winner. 

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Kairi Sane (w/Asuka)

The crowd was relatively quiet until Vaquer set up for Devil’s Kiss, but Sane countered it into a roll up for two. Sane followed with a DDT and went to the top, but Vaquer followed her there. A battle on the ropes led to Sane hitting a double foot stomp (the same one we saw in the last match) for two. Sane hit consecutive spinning back fists, but Vaquer came back with a headbutt and a dragon screw. 

Sane rolled outside the ring into the arms of Asuka, so Vaquer wiped them out with a dive off the top. Back in the ring, Vaquer hit Sane with Devil’s Kiss and SVB for a nice, clean pinfall win.

— Asuka hit the apron and got in Vaquer’s face, but Sky ran out to get between them before anything could happen. Sky settled Asuka down until she left. 

Sky and Vaquer faced off and shook hands ahead of their title match on Saturday. 

Match result: Stephanie Vaquer defeated Kairi Sane (11:57)

******** 

There was a video package for Breakker and Reed. 

A red-hot Asuka confronted Sky as Sane tried holding her back. Asuka wanted to ensure Sky became champion, but Sky wanted to do it on her own. Asuka continued screaming in Japanese. She seemed to agree to Sky’s request, but she was pissed. 

******* 

The announcers ran down the Wrestlepalooza card and let us know how we can watch. 

  • John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar 
  • CM Punk & AJ Lee vs. World Champion Seth Rollins & Women’s IC Champion Becky Lynch (mixed tag match) 
  • IYO SKY vs. Stephanie Vaquer for the vacant Women’s World Championship 
  • Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship 
  • The Usos vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed 

******** 

The Judgment Day met backstage. They toasted champagne to congratulate Dom on his title win. (Finn Bálor’s glass was all head, poured poorly by JD McDonagh. Bálor didn’t seem to appreciate that.) 

Bálor was still unhappy with Dom about the El Grande Americano situation. He fired up at Dom until McDonagh calmed him down. McDonagh asked Dom what Americano wanted from him. 

Dom didn’t think it was a big deal that Americano would simply want the respect of the greatest Mysterio ever. Bálor told him that he shouldn’t expect their help next time. Bálor and McDonagh left together. 

Rusev approached Dom. Rusev got in his face and told him he was the next IC champion. Rusev smiled and told him to enjoy his party. 

********

LA Knight & Jimmy Uso vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed 

Knight and Jimmy worked well together early on and had control until Reed headbutting Jimmy gave the heels control during a break. The crowd chanted for Jimmy, who was cut down by a Breakker suplex. Jimmy avoided Reed’s senton and made the hot tag to Knight. 

Knight gave Breakker a neckbreaker, but turning his attention to Reed allowed Breakker to cut him off with a knee strike. Reed tagged in, but Knight avoided a Jagged Edge (DVD) and hit a reverse DDT and elbow drop. Jimmy tagged himself in and hit an Uso splash, but Breakker broke up the cover. 

Knight clotheslined Breakker out of the ring, and Jimmy hit Reed with a suicide dive. Jimmy went for another, but Reed caught him with a forearm. Knight attacked Reed and sent him back into the ring. Jimmy hit Reed with a superkick and spear. As Jimmy went to the top, Breakker ran over Knight with a leaping shoulder tackle. 

Breakker went after Jimmy, but Jimmy kicked him off the apron. The distraction allowed Reed to hit Jimmy with Jagged Edge for the pinfall win. 

— Breakker speared Jimmy after the match, so Jey ran out to make the save. Jey attacked both Brons with a chair as the fans Yeeted. 

The crowd gasped as Knight grabbed a steel chair with Jey’s back turned. Jey turned around and went face-to-face with Knight. Knight dropped the chair, and Jey offered a handshake. 

Knight shook his hand—then dropped him with a BFT (as payback for last week). 

Match result: Bronson Reed & Bron Breakker defeated Jimmy Uso & LA Knight (12:02)

WWE Raw live results: AJ Lee appears

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: September 8, 2025
Location: Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI 

The Big Takeaway —

AJ Lee and CM Punk will team against Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins at Wrestlepalooza because Lee wouldn’t give back Lynch’s IC title belt. The setup for the match was silly, but Lee’s return promo was worth watching. 

The rest of Raw was not. All five matches tonight had some sort of distraction or interference, and outside of maybe one match, the in-ring action didn’t exactly make up for it. 

**********

Show Recap — 

There was a video package of AJ Lee’s return on SmackDown. Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins were shown arriving at the arena in Milwaukee. Lynch was without her Intercontinental title belt after AJ Lee retrieved it. 

Tonight’s announcers are Joe Tessitore and Corey Graves. They said Wade Barrett was on vacation. Graves joked that the internet said Barrett was exiled. 

Jimmy & Jey Uso kick off Raw

Jey and Jimmy Uso entered together through the crowd to Jey’s music. The fans asked them to run it back as usual, so they did. 

Jey spoke briefly about Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed before they quickly interrupted. Breakker told Jimmy (a SmackDown wrestler) he must be lost because the Vision ran Raw. Breakker got flustered in his promo, so he suddenly snapped like he wanted to hit the ring, but Reed held him back. 

All Reed wanted was for Roman Reigns’ family to acknowledge their Tribal Thief. (The crowd sang for Reigns.) Reed said they dealt with Reigns already, and Jimmy would be next. 

Jimmy told him to watch his mouth. Jimmy made some crack comparing them to J&J Security. The Usos also made quips about Paul Heyman, calling him an orca (instead of an oracle, because he looks like a whale) and quoted Hangman Page Reigns by calling him a dumbass. 

The Usos challenged them to a tag match and were ready to do it right now. Reed said they can wait until Wrestlepalooza. 

They were suddenly interrupted by LA Knight, who attacked the Brons from behind. The Usos helped him out, but some miscommunication between Knight and Jey led to Jey getting squashed by Reed in the corner. Jimmy got rid of Reed with a superkick. Jey and Knight argued as the segment ended. 

********

They announced that Raw will start at 7 pm ET/4 pm ET next week (they did not mention anything about the following weeks). 

AJ Styles and LA Knight promos 

AJ Styles cut a promo during a break, and they tried to make it more interesting than the usual off-screen promo. Styles said he didn’t have anyone at his side for the first time in his career. He put up the Too Sweet sign before putting it down. 

He said Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson weren’t there. Michin was on SmackDown. It almost felt like someone orchestrated a way for him not to get help. He would take things out on El Grande Americano tonight so the person who didn’t want him there could feel his pain. 

After a break, Knight said he didn’t care about The Usos’ reunion or their match at Wrestlepalooza. If Jey Uso had a problem with him, they could deal with it face-to-face. Knight wanted one of the Brons in a match tonight. It could be Bronson Reed, Bron Breakker, LeBron James, Little Bronny, or Charles Bronson. He just wanted to beat the piss out of someone named Bron. 

********

AJ Styles vs. El Grande Americano (Ludwig Kaiser) 

Styles attacked Kaiser during his entrance and beat the crap out of him until the referee decided to start the match after Styles clotheslined him out of the ring. Styles continued to beat him up and seemed on the verge of a quick win, but as he set up for the Phenomenal Forearm, a second man dressed like El Grande Americano (in a track suit) ran out to grab him by the leg (while Kaiser distracted the referee). 

Kaiser took control, so it was time for commercials. Styles made his comeback when they returned and hit a rack bomb for two. Kaiser begged off as he backed into the corner. Styles fell for it, so Kaiser dropped him over the top turnbuckle and hit a blockbuster for two. 

Styles was about to go for a Styles Clash, but stopped what he was doing as the other masked man jumped on the apron. Dragon Lee ran out to take him out, and Styles gave Americano/Kaiser a Styles Clash for the pinfall win. 

The crowd certainly liked Styles, and they popped big for his win. 

Match result: AJ Styles defeated El Grande Americano (9:00) 

********

Adam Pearce informed Iyo Sky that Stephanie Vaquer couldn’t make it to Raw, so the contract signing was off. However, he still anticipated her being ready for their title match at Wrestlepalooza. Sky was relieved. Nikki Bella approached Sky and put her over, but Asuka and Kairi Sane barged in. 

Asuka told Nikki to leave. Nikki told Asuka to show some respect. Asuka laughed at that and offered to beat some respect into her tonight. Nikki accepted. 

Sane tried to apologize to Sky, but Asuka called her away. 

(Asuka is great in this role.) 

********

They claimed that the clip of AJ Lee’s return received 178 million “social views.” They aired a video package for her, highlighting her career and run as a multi-time Divas Champion. 

Lyra Valkyria vs. Raquel Rodriguez (w/Roxanne Perez)

Rodriguez took control after catching Valkyria’s flying crossbody attempt and hitting a fallaway slam. Rodriguez wrenched Valkyria back-first against the ring post before hitting consecutive corkscrew elbow drops to the back. 

Rodriguez continued to work over her back during a break, but Valkyria made a comeback with a spinning heel kick, some sort of bulldog/jawbreaker, and tornado DDT. Rodriguez followed with a rope-assisted vertical suplex for two. 

Valkyria went for a sunset flip powerbomb, but Rodriguez held onto the ropes. Valkyria hung on to Rodriguez, sat up, powered her down, hitting the powerbomb for a nearfall. (Graves put over Rodriguez’s strength here, but it was really Valkyria with the impressive showing.) 

Valkyria tried going for Nightwing but dropped Rodriguez, partially because her back was hurt and because Perez hopped on the apron (which we also saw in the last match). 

Valkyria and Rodriguez traded counters until Valkyria applied a deep cradle for two. Valkyria went to the top, but Rodriguez brought her down with a Tejana Bomb for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Raquel Rodriguez defeated Lyra Valkyria (12:41) 

This was a pretty good match despite some weak spots. The crowd seemed more into Valkyria than they had been in recent weeks or months. 

********

The War Raiders met with Penta backstage before Penta met with Pearce. Penta said everybody loved Penta when he got to WWE, but he wondered why Pearce didn’t love him. Pearce wondered what he meant, so Penta told him that his Intercontinental Champion was a pendejo. Penta wanted a title match. 

Rusev interrupted them. He reminded Pearce that his plan was for him to return, crush Sheamus, and get a title match. Penta got in his face, so Pearce made a match between the two for tonight. (They had so little planned for tonight that we’ve had two impromptu matches.)

******** 

New Day (with Grayson Waller) cut a promo during commercials, the only time they seem to talk. 

AJ Styles thanked Dragon Lee for having his back. Jimmy Uso approached them to say hi and ask where Jey was. 

Jimmy saw Jey nearby. Jey had his bag and was leaving. Jimmy said they had a play to run by helping Knight against Reed. Jey didn’t care about that. Jey didn’t appreciate what happened earlier. Helping Knight wasn’t going to help the Usos or help him get the world title back. Jey was pissed and said they should all acknowledge the Usos, or they would smash them all. Jimmy said Jey was starting to sound like Reigns. 

******** 

AJ Lee segment

AJ Lee entered to a big reaction, wearing Lynch’s Intercontinental title belt. She wanted to introduce herself to the fans who weren’t around ten years ago and explain why their millennial parents were so excited on Friday. She was your favourite wrestler’s favourite wrestler. 

She retired ten years ago because she thought she had accomplished everything she wanted in wrestling. She didn’t plan on getting in the ring again wearing jean shorts that were two sizes too small. So she went on another journey to accomplish other dreams she had in life. And she did it. 

She also went on a mental health journey. She wasn’t healthy and needed to take care of herself and get right. She went for therapy (and was happy to hear the fans cheer therapy). She took all the mental chaos and turned it into her superpower. Every day was a fight, but that fight was worth it. You are worth it. 

She felt really good for a long time. And then she watched Raw. Healing wasn’t linear. It was one thing to watch your husband face Drew McIntyre or Seth Rollins or John Cena, but it was another seeing him in there with Becky Lynch. 

AJ Lee wanted to like Lynch. They had so much in common. Lynch was a leader, a rebel, and a New York Times best-selling author. (Lee added that she did that first.) Then she saw Lynch motorboat her husband. She put her hands on him and defamed him. 

Lynch interrupted. She said this was not about AJ’s stank-ass husband. She thought everyone was insane and pointed out Lee wearing her title. Lynch informed Lee that they were nothing alike. Lynch got in a fan’s face before telling everyone was the greatest women’s wrestler of all time. 

The crowd told Lynch that she sucked, and Lynch said she’ll need to go to therapy after this. The crowd chanted, “Therapy.” Lee told her that therapy worked. 

Lee claimed she forgot she was even wearing the IC title belt. She’s been skipping around the house with it, and she slept with it. Things even got a little awkward with it this morning. Before she explained further, she noted Lynch’s black eye (hidden by Lynch’s large sunglasses). 

Lee said Lynch was the greatest of all time, so if she wanted her belt, she should come get it. 

Lynch wondered where CM Punk was and wondered what kind of man hid behind his wife. This had nothing to do with AJ Lee. She stuck her neck where it didn’t belong. Lynch called out Rollins so Lee could see what a real man and champion looked like. Rollins entered and told Lee to give back the title so they could leave this dump of a city. 

Lee offered Lynch a chance to get her belt right now so she could give her another black eye. Or, they could agree to a tag match: AJ Lee and CM Punk against Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins. 

Rollins explained that he was the champion, and he called the shots. He was going to get in the ring and get the title back for his wife. Lee thanked him for mansplaining. Rollins stepped into the ring, but Lee stepped between him and the title and got in his face.

CM Punk appeared and was about to hit Rollins with a GTS, but Rollins escaped. Rollins was pissed, so he accepted the tag match challenge for Wrestlepalooza. Lynch didn’t like that. 

Because the deal was made, Lee tossed the IC title belt out of the ring so Lynch could have it back.

(This was a very long segment. AJ Lee was great with her re-introduction promo. But it’s silly that this big tag match being made came down to who had possession of the physical IC title belt.) 

********

Bayley is still talking to herself. 

Rusev vs. Penta 

Rusev held control until Penta fought back after a break, but of course, we need a distraction, so New Day ran out with Waller. Penta wiped them out with a dive. He was about to hit another dive, but Rusev blocked it. Back in the ring, Penta caught Rusev with a Code Red for a nearfall. (Tessitore called it a Mexican Destroyer, and Graves corrected him.) 

For the third match in a row, somebody hopped on the apron. Penta kicked Xavier Woods off the apron before flying off the top rope, but Rusev caught him with a mid-air Machka kick for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Rusev defeated Penta (8:33) 

********

During a break, Vic Joseph interviewed Dominik Mysterio about his AAA Mega Championship match against El Hijo del Vikingo. The fans sang Dom’s name and cheered him as he left. 

Brock Lesnar will be on Friday’s SmackDown. 

Jimmy Uso approached LA Knight. Jimmy said they should be on the same page against the Vision. Knight wasn’t interested in anyone’s help anymore. He tried to play nice and got superkicked in the mouth instead. Knight also recalled being cost the world title by both Jey and Jimmy on separate occasions. If Jimmy wanted to help, he should stay out of it because Knight planned on doing it alone. 

******** 

Nikki Bella vs. Asuka (w/Kairi Sane)

This was a first-time ever match. There were deuling chants as the match began. 

Asuka dodged a baseball slide and hid behind Sane. Nikki shoved Sane aside (another match with a distraction), allowing Asuka to kick her in the face and take over ahead of a break. Asuka held a rest hold as the commercial counter ran down. 

Asuka hit a German suplex following the break, but Nikki avoided a missile dropkick and fought back with strikes and a springboard kick for two. Asuka hit strikes of her own, but Nikki blocked an Asuka Lock and hit an Alabama Slam for two. 

Asuka hit a roundhouse kick, spinning heel kick, and applied the Asuka Lock for the submission win after Nikki tapped out. 

Match result: Asuka defeated Nikki Bella (10:29) 

It was a pleasant surprise that Asuka won, especially because Nikki just doesn’t look that good in the ring. This was an uninteresting match, and Nikki seemed hesitant to take any strikes. 

********

Next week on Raw (7 pm ET/4 pm ET start time): 

  • AJ Lee & CM Punk go face-to-face with Becky Lynch & Seth Rollins 
  • Lyra Valkyria vs. Roxanne Perez 
  • John Cena appears 

******** 

Judgment Day met backstage. For at least the third week in a row, Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh wondered where Dom was all night. Bálor didn’t like Dom hanging out with El Grande Americano. Dom said it was a lucha thing, and they didn’t understand. Dom was upset they got tossed from ringside last week, and he stormed off. Perez left to go talk to him. 

********

Asuka confronted Nikki backstage. Asuka said she did to Nikki what Sky would do to Vaquer. Nikki, who just tapped out, acted tough and asked if she was ready for round two. They argued until Nikki shoved Asuka. 

The camera panned out to show Rhea Ripley, who magically appeared beside Nikki. Ripley asked if there was a problem, and Asuka said she had two (while pointing at them). Asuka called herself the top woman in WWE, so Ripley reminded Asuka that Sky, not her, was going for the world title. Asuka told her to zip it and left. (Sane stood there awkwardly until Asuka called her away again.) 

******** 

LA Knight vs. Bronson Reed (w/Bron Breakker)

About ten minutes into the match, Knight avoided a charge outside the ring, and Reed fell into the timekeeper’s area. Back in the ring, Reed blocked a neckbreaker, but Knight dodged a senton and hit a diving elbow drop for two. 

Knight went for a BFT, but Reed shoved him off, and Knight bumped Breakker off the apron (so four of five matches tonight had an outside party hit the apron). 

Knight stumbled back into Reed, who hit a DVD for the surprise pinfall win. The crowd seemed caught off guard by the DVD being the finish. The move is now called the “Jagged Edge,” and we know this because Tessitore screamed it repeatedly. 

— The Brons attacked Knight until Jimmy Uso ran out for the save, but Breakker cut him down with a spear. Jey ran down next, but Breakker speared him too. 

Knight attacked the Brons with a chair and ran them off. Knight helped Jimmy to his feet. 

Jey suddenly speared Knight, which got a mixed reaction. Jey told him they were even. 

Match result: Bronson Reed defeated LA Knight (11:43)

Since “beating” Seth Rollins at SNME, LA Knight has won one of his last seven matches, and that one win was by DQ in a tag match.

WOR: RAW, AJ Lee, UFC and Paramount, more!

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including RAW from Monday night, what’s going on with AJ Lee, the UFC on Paramount deal, Dave’s thoughts on the CMLL Grand Prix match this weekend, plus some mailbag questions and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

Timestamps:
Start: ‘The Smashing Machine’ premieres at Venice Film Festival, The Rock’s slimmed-down new look
4:58: More on UFC/Paramount deal
12:24: Dave’s CMLL Grand Prix thoughts, ROH Death Before Dishonor streaming problems
23:53: AEW Dynamite & NXT lineups, more on Buford Pusser
29:20: AJ Lee possibly returning, WWE Raw recap
52:36: Q&A

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