Tag: jey uso

WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event World title match official

Posted on by Ethan Renner

A new World Heavyweight Champion will be crowned at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event on November 1.

Jey Uso won a number one contender’s battle royal on Monday’s WWE Raw to advance to the title match at SNME on Saturday, November 1. Uso will take on CM Punk, who won the number one contendership on last week’s Raw, for the vacant World Heavyweight title.

Raw GM Adam Pearce announced on Monday’s show that Seth Rollins would be out of action due to a shoulder injury and had been stripped of the World title. With Punk already in line for a title shot, he then announced a battle royal for Raw to determine Punk’s opponent.

Jey, brother Jimmy Uso, LA Knight, and Dominik Mysterio were the final four competitors in the battle royal on Raw, with Jey dumping both his brother and Knight out of the ring for a double elimination. Jey then avoided a 619 attempt from Mysterio to win the match. A staredown with Punk closed Raw.

Salt Lake City will host the next episode of SNME on November 1, the second of two consecutive nights in the city, as Delta Center will also host the Halloween SmackDown the day before.

Our full report from Monday’s Raw which also featured a World Tag Team title change is available here.

Roman Reigns returns, confronts The Vision on WWE Raw

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The OTC is back once again.

The Usos were wrestling Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed in a tornado tag match on Raw when Reigns returned for the first time since Clash in Paris. He picked up where he left off, attacking both Reed, who was eventually sent into the crowd, and Breakker, who Reigns hit with several steel chair shots. The Usos picked up the win after hitting a double Samoan splash for the victory.

After the match, Reigns greeted Jey and shook his hand, seemingly approving of his recent actions all while ignoring Jimmy, who looked on in the background confused as the show went off the air.

Recent weeks have shown Jey Uso express a more aggressive side, taking out LA Knight despite The Usos and Knight both feuding with The Vision. In a backstage segment earlier on Raw, Jimmy asked Jey why he didn’t help him or LA last week when The Vision attacked them. Jey responded by asking Jimmy why he helped LA, as Jey got the win over him in their match and that was that. He said that if he won more matches he could be World Champion again, something Jimmy didn’t get. Jey eventually cooled down and told Jimmy to forget about Knight so they could take care of the Brons, shaking hands.

Wrestling Weekly: What’s next after AEW All Out & WWE Wrestlepalooza?

Posted on by Victor Sosa

Image: AEW

The Friday Wrestling Weekly with Vic Sosa and Les Thatcher has arrived.

Coming off a well received AEW All Out and Wrestlepalooza that didn’t get WWE the greatest review from their new PLE partner, we look at what’s on the horizon for both companies.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

Click here to listen (sub needed)

WOL: Updates on Tiffany and Jey, weekend show news, more!

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Filthy Tom Lawlor is back with tons to talk about including multiple injury updates, backstage notes from AEW All Out and WrestlePalooza, full reviews of both shows, and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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Injury updates on WWE’s Jey Uso, Tiffany Stratton, Piper Niven

Posted on by Ian Carey

Several WWE injury updates are now available.

Bryan Alvarez addressed the status of Jey Uso, Tiffany Stratton, and Piper Niven on today’s episode of Wrestling Observer Live.

Regarding Uso, he took a chair to the face on Saturday during the Usos vs. Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed match, which busted him open. He was placed in concussion protocol, which is standard procedure when a performer appears to suffer a head injury, even if a concussion hasn’t been diagnosed. Uso later posted on social media that he is “good” following the match.

“As of this morning, WWE claims that he’s fine, which sounds to me like he’s been cleared,” Alvarez said on the show.

Tiffany Stratton was injured on the September 12 episode of WWE SmackDown in a match against Jade Cargill, hitting her head on the ringside floor after a moonsault attempt. NXT General Manager Ava would later announce that Stratton was not medically cleared for NXT Homecoming and would be replaced by Lyra Valkyria on the show. WWE claims this was all storyline and Stratton was never injured.

“Now they’re claiming she was never hurt,” Alvarez said regarding Stratton.

It was believed that Stratton was to wrestle Jade Cargill and Nia Jax in a three-way bout at Wrestlepalooza. However, the match is now scheduled for Friday’s SmackDown.

“The three-way scheduled for next week’s SmackDown was supposed to be on this ESPN show,” Alvarez continued.

“I think Nick Khan claimed that it was pulled because they ran out of time.”

“Listen everybody, Tiffany was hurt. I presume she’s going to wrestle on Friday. It was not pulled because they ran out of time. It was pulled because she was not cleared. So color me skeptical whenever they talk about anyone’s injury status or anything like that.”

Alvarez also provided an update on Piper Niven, who has been out of action since the August 22 SmackDown in Dublin, Ireland. He noted that Fightful Select reported earlier this week that Niven was injured, though further details were not revealed. Alvarez added that there is concern the injury could be career-threatening.

“There’s concern that it could be career ending, so whatever it is, I mean, it’s serious. Hopefully she can come back but she is out due to injury,” Alvarez said.

The full episode of today’s Wrestling Observer Live is avaialble below.

Jey Uso provides injury update following WWE Wrestlepalooza

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Jey Uso has an update after being busted open at Wrestlepalooza.

On his Instagram Stories, he posted a picture of himself recovering backstage with a bloody towel on his lap. The caption simply reads “I’m good,” followed by a blood emoji.

Bryan Alvarez reported on Saturday that Jey was placed in concussion protocol over a spot that went wrong towards the end of his match at Wrestlepalooza. He went to use a steel chair on Bron Breakker, but when he landed the chairshot it bounced back at his face, causing him to start bleeding very quickly. The match went to the finish right after the spot, with Breakker spearing both Usos with a spear through a table. Bronson Reed then scored the victory for his team with the tsunami.

LA Knight was added to the match at the last minute as a special guest referee. He continued to show animosity towards Jey and both argued at one another during the match, but he did allow weapons to be used when they were introduced by the Usos.

WWE star in concussion protocol following Wrestlepalooza

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Jey Uso is banged up following Wrestlepalooza.

Bryan Alvarez is reporting that Uso was placed in concussion protocol during his tag match against Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed at Saturday’s Wrestlepalooza pay-per-view.

“Jey busted himself open, he hit Bron with the chair and it bounced off Bron’s back and split him six ways from Sunday,” he writes. “He’s in concussion protocol, which is a requirement after any injury like this.”

Chairs were allowed during the match thanks to LA Knight, who at the last minute was named the special guest referee for the bout between The Usos and the Brons. The dissension between Knight and Jey, who have been feuding for the last several weeks, was clearly on display all throughout the match. The finish came shortly after the injury spot, with Breakker spearing both Usos through a table. Reed then finished Jey with a tsunami, picking up the win.

Bronson & Bron’s stablemate, Seth Rollins, wasn’t so lucky during his match. He and wife Becky Lynch ultimately lost to AJ Lee and CM Punk, the latter of whom returned to the ring for the first time in over ten years.

Jey Uso discusses the biggest obstacle he faced during WWE singles run

Posted on by Ian Carey

Jey Uso says the hardest part of his run as a singles star has been traveling without his brothers.

He will not have that problem this weekend at WWE Wrestlepalooza when he teams with Jimmy Uso against Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. However, during a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Jey noted that when his singles run first started on Raw, the biggest obstacle he faced was having to travel alone.

“For me it was moving to Raw away from my brothers,” Jey said. “It was never the in-ring stuff, you know what I’m saying? It was just, all the miles alone. All the plane rides and rental cars alone. That was my biggest obstacle to try to [overcome], man. Other than that, the ‘Yeet!’ movement just caught on by itself. That part was never hard.”

Jimmy Uso also spoke with Sports Illustrated about the brothers going their separate ways and Jimmy watching Jey’s success from afar.

“I embrace it… I got to be a fan and sit at home and watch him for a little bit. He was real busy, my schedule kind of slowed down, ’cause you know, there wasn’t nothing for me. So, I was able to sit and watch and observe and be like, ‘S—, my little brother’s a Superstar.'”

Jey Uso continued to say that they take pride in tag team wrestling and feel like WWE’s tag divisions have a lot of up-and-coming teams.

“We take pride in tag team wrestling, you know what I’m saying?” Jey said. “I feel like we built that up ’cause it was a lost art in 2010 when we were coming in. There were no tag teams together, man. I feel like, to see all the young tag teams coming in the game together, it’s very motivating to try to get back and mix it up.”

Jey and Jimmy Uso’s full interview with Sports Illustrated is available here.

Roman Reigns & Jey Uso win WWE SummerSlam tag match

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The OTC emerged victorious at SummerSlam, with help from his cousin.

Roman Reigns and Jey Uso got the victory at SummerSlam, defeating Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker in the opening match of Saturday’s show. The finish had Roman Reigns take the bullet for Uso, shoving him out of the way at the last second and taking a spear by Breakker. Uso recovered and superkicked Breakker out of the ring then speared Reed for the victory. Reigns and Uso shook hands after the match and celebrated in the ring.

As Heyman’s men attacked Jey Uso last month on Raw, Reigns made the save, seeking revenge after Paul Heyman’s new group took him out on the Raw following WrestleMania 41. After he took out Breakker and Bronson Reed, the duo retaliated on this past Monday’s Raw, taking out both Uso and Reigns with spears and tsunamis. After Breakker speared both into a barricade, Reed stole Reigns’ sneakers to add insult to injury.

One of Heyman’s men, Money in the Bank winner Seth Rollins, is currently out of action with a knee injury, though his status isn’t 100 percent confirmed.

Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed decimate Roman Reigns & Jey Uso on WWE Raw

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Image: WWE

The main event angle of Monday’s Raw saw nothing but pure decimation, and it wasn’t by the OTC.

Originally, the main event had Jey Uso wrestling Bronson Reed. However the match quickly ended when Bron Breakker appeared and speared Jey Uso for the DQ. Roman Reigns came out for the save, but was also taken out as well, sending a clear message to the Bloodline ahead of their tag team match at SummerSlam this Saturday.

Reigns came out as he and Jey originally got the better of the two. But it was Breakker that cast the deciding blow, laying out Reigns with a spear on the outside. That allowed Reed and Breakker to take out Jey with a spear and a tsunami, then it was Reigns’ turn for a tsunami. The assault ended after Breakker speared both men into a barricade on the outside.

Reed added insult to injury by taking Reigns’ shoes off his feet, saying they were his now. The two, along with Heyman, stood tall to end the show.

The tag team match for SummerSlam was set up when Reigns made his return to Raw two weeks ago, seeking revenge for being attacked on the post-WrestleMania episode of Raw. After last week’s show, Reigns issued the challenge on social media, and it was later made official.

Tag team challenge issued for WWE SummerSlam

Posted on by Josh Nason

Former undisputed WWE Champion Roman Reigns has issued a challenge for next month’s SummerSlam if his former Bloodline mate Jey Uso accepts.

In a video posted to social media, Reigns said he wanted to “extend the offer” to Uso to team one last time against “The Bron Brons” in Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed.

Reigns said he loved standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Uso once again on Raw and then challenged Breakker, Reed and the “dumbass” in their corner, Paul Heyman.

On Monday, Reigns addressed Heyman in the main event segment, saying he wanted everyone to know that it was Heyman who ruined the Bloodline. The focus shifted to Breakker and as a brawl broke out between Breakker, Reed and Reigns, Uso ran out to make the save to end the show.

The last time Reigns and Uso were on the same team was at last November’s men’s WarGames match at Survivor Series.

Current WWE SummerSlam lineup | Saturday, August 2 & Sunday, August 3 from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ

  • Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena defends against Cody Rhodes in a street fight
  • WWE World Heavyweight Champion Gunther defends against CM Punk
  • Randy Orton & Jelly Roll vs. Drew McIntyre & Logan Paul
  • WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton defends against Jade Cargill
  • WWE Women’s World Champion Naomi defends against IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley in a triple threat
  • WWE Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio defends against AJ Styles
  • WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch defends against Lyra Valkyria in a no DQ, no countout match in Valkyria’s last chance to challenge Lynch for the title
  • WWWE United States Champion Solo Sikoa defends against Jacob Fatu in a steel cage match
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez defend against Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss

WWE Raw live results: Number one contender’s gauntlet

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: July 14, 2025
Location: Legacy Arena in Birmingham, AL 

The Big Takeaway —

CM Punk won a gauntlet match to earn a world title match against Gunther at SummerSlam. Bron Breakker ran the full gauntlet—beating Penta, LA Knight and Jey Uso—for 42 minutes before ultimately losing to Punk. 

Roman Reigns returned following the main event to take out Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, and it appears he may have a date with Breakker at SummerSlam. It was clear they’ve decided to start pushing Breakker following Seth Rollins’ apparent injury. (There was no update on Rollins tonight.) 

A night after Evolution, women dominated Raw up until the gauntlet match. Naomi will defend her world title in a triple-threat match at SummerSlam against Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley. Lyra Valkyria beat Bayley in a 2-out-of-3 falls match and will face Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental title at SummerSlam. 

**********

Show Recap — 

A big video package highlighted Saturday Night’s Main Event and Evolution. Gunther, Jey Uso, CM Punk (wearing a Bret Hart hat), Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and Paul Heyman arrived at the arena. 

Michael Cole and Corey Graves are tonight’s announcers. (Pat McAfee is at the Home Run Derby, which is on right now.)

Naomi segment

Naomi entered with her new Women’s World Championship belt. The crowd, of course, chanted, “You deserve it.” Naomi cut them off because she didn’t want to hear that now. They weren’t feeling the glow before, but they were feeling her now. They all thought she would cash in on Tiffany Stratton, but she warned them that nobody knew her next move, and that’s why she stood there as the champion. The crowd cheered. 

Naomi was done with the foolishness of SmackDown. She didn’t betray Bianca Belair—she outgrew her. She said Belair and Jade Cargill didn’t really want her to succeed. She was their flunky as long as it was convenient for them. She cut off some “What” chants and said she had the upper hand now, bitches. 

Cargill got a win at Evolution, but Naomi is the one who made history. Naomi was new on Raw again, but she advised the raggedy women in the back to proceed with caution. 

Rhea Ripley interrupted to a big reaction. Ripley informed Naomi that she wasn’t cautious. She was relentless and pissed. She had two goals at Evolution: to finally beat Iyo Sky and regain the title, but because of Naomi, she still had those goals. Now Naomi was on her list. 

Iyo Sky interrupted next, also to a good reaction. She told Ripley, with respect, to get in line because she planned on taking her title back. 

Naomi, making fun of Sky’s English, responded, “I don’t know what you just said,” and people laughed. Naomi called them entitled and told them to get to the back of the line. 

They began arguing until Adam Pearce interrupted. Pearce officially welcomed Naomi to Raw and told her she did deserve to be champion. Pearce understood why Ripley and Sky were pissed. He said their match was magic. 

SummerSlam was soon, and he wanted to blow the roof off MetLife Stadium. (There is no roof at that stadium.) He announced a triple-threat match for the title. All three women were content with this, and the fans cheered. 

********

Judgment Day met backstage. Dominik said he couldn’t relax with AJ Styles stalking him. Finn BĂĄlor said he had nothing to worry about as long as he had his doctor’s note. 

Bálor put over Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez for their big win last night. Bálor suggested Dom accompany them to ringside for their match tonight, but Dom wasn’t sure about that. Bálor said Liv Morgan loved those titles, so they should do it for her. Everyone left, and Bálor was pleased. 

********

They posted some stat claiming that all three events this past weekend drew 277 million views across all social platforms. They could have said 500 million, and it would’ve been just as meaningful. 

******** 

Asuka and Kairi Sane entered ahead of a commercial break. Since moving to Netflix, they’ll often cut away during break to a backstage interview or something, but they didn’t do that here, so the two women just danced to their music for two straight minutes. 

Non-title match: Women’s Tag Team Champions Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez (w/Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio) vs. Asuka & Kairi Sane 

Like last night, Asuka and Sane were all over Perez until Rodriguez came in to get the momentum on their side. Asuka made a hot tag after a break, but the crowd seemed more focused on telling Dom that he sucked. 

Dom tried to distract the referee, but it made no difference. Asuka posted Rodriguez and hit Perez with a missile dropkick, strikes, and a German suplex. 

Dom got on the apron again, so Asuka knocked him off with a back fist. Perez used the distraction to put her in a schoolboy for the pinfall win (Rodriguez used her boot to assist Perez). 

Match result: Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez defeated Asuka & Kairi Sane (10:24)

This was pretty much a nothing match. It felt like they just wanted to get the champs a cheap win with Dom’s help, and Asuka and Sane were on the wrong side of it. 

********

Jackie Redmond asked Heyman for an update on Seth Rollins. Heyman didn’t have that information, but reminded her that Rollins had until next June to cash in his MITB briefcase (which Heyman held). Heyman said it was Bron Breakker’s night to go through everyone in the gauntlet, punch his ticket at SummerSlam, and beat Gunther for the world title. 

********

Byron Saxton interviewed LA Knight during a break. Knight said he came out of SNME with a win. It was unfortunate Rollins was injured, and Knight wished him a speedy recovery. Knight wanted Rollins to recover because he wanted to hurt him. Rollins hurt himself before he had a chance. Knight wanted Rollins to return so he could hurt him the right way. Knight admitted he wasn’t 100%, but he planned on running the gauntlet with a world title shot on the line. 

They aired a clip of George Kittle laying out The Miz (Mike Mizanin, not Jacob Misiorowski) at a celebrity golf event over the weekend. 

********

Redmond interviewed Lyra Valkyria about her 2-out-of-3 falls match against Bayley tonight (with a title shot on the line). Valkyria didn’t like the question. She didn’t want to talk about Bayley. It was all about her and Becky Lynch. After she won tonight, Redmond could ask her about her title match against Lynch at SummerSlam. 

Bayley interrupted. Bayley told Valkyria she needed this more than she did and told her to stay out of her way. 

2-out-of-3 falls match: Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria

Valkyria got the better of an early exchange and dismissively patted Bayley on the head. Bayley slapped Valkyria in the face and rolled her up for the first pinfall, just 1 minute and 25 seconds into the match. It was good timing by Bayley because they went to break moments later. 

After the break, Valkyria went hard into the turnbuckle, and Bayley noticed she might be hurt. Bayley hesitated for a moment but began targeting her back. Bayley hit a back suplex onto the apron, followed by a spinning back suplex in the ring for two. Bayley tried a la magistral cradle, but Valkyria caught her in a rollup for a pinfall at 9:32. It’s tied at one. 

Bayley responded quickly with a running knee strike ahead of another break. Valkyria drove Bayley’s leg against the post and began working over her knee. Bayley fought back after the break after dropping Valkyria over the middle rope. Valkyria fought back and went for a diving leg drop, but Bayley caught her and hit a Bayley-to-belly for a nearfall. 

Valkyria suplexed Bayley out of the corner and hit a gutwrench sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall. (Cole thought it was Valkyria’s finisher.) Valkyria followed later with a fisherman’s suplex on the apron. They traded cradles as Bayley sold her leg. 

They found their way to the outside, and Bayley gave Valkyria a sunset flip powerbomb into the steel steps. Bayley shoved her in the ring and hit a flying elbow drop onto Valkyria’s back for a nearfall. 

Bayley immediately applied a crossface. Valkyria crawled to the ropes, but Bayley pushed off. Valkyria used the momentum to get to her feet while hoisting Bayley on her shoulders, and she hit Nightwing for the pinfall win. 

— Lynch marched out to the ring and held her belt up high as she faced off with Valkyria. 

(Cole made some comment about Bayley’s losing streak continuing. She has now lost two in a row, but isn’t on some significant losing streak.) 

Match result: Lyra Valkyria defeated Bayley to earn a Women’s Intercontinental Championship match (19:57) 

This was a good match, and the crowd got into it more as it went. It felt like a big win for Valkyria. 

********

Redmond interviewed Stephanie Vaquer backstage. Vaquer said she came to WWE to be champion, and after Clash in Paris, she will be. Chelsea Green and the Secret Hervice interrupted. Green thought she would represent them better in Paris than Vaquer. Vaquer dared her to take a shot. Green hid behind her cronies and said she was busy with Nikki Bella tonight. 

There was a pre-taped promo by Karrion Kross and Scarlett. Kross basically accused Sami Zayn of ducking him and didn’t think he was injured. Kross told Zayn to stay home until he was ready to tell the world that Kross told the truth. 

******** 

Nikki Bella vs. Chelsea Green (w/Piper Niven & Alba Fyre)

Bella was all over Green, so Green bailed outside and hid behind Niven and Fyre. When they returned to the ring, Bella went to the ropes, but Green kicked her leg out of her leg and hit a backstabber to take over. 

There were duelling chants, and this may have been the most definitive example of the men chanting for one wrestler (Green), and the women chanting for the other (Bella). 

Nikki came back with clotheslines and a springboard kick for two. Green followed with a neckbreaker for two. Green went for an Unprettier, but Nikki hit a “Bella Buster” (X-factor). Niven distracted the referee while Fyre tried to attack Bella, but Bella posted her. 

This led to the finish, which was a struggle. After a lengthy attempt, Bella eventually got Green on her shoulders and hit a “Rack Attack 2.0” (which didn’t look good at all) for the pinfall win. 

— Niven and Fyre attacked Bella after the match, but Vaquer ran out to make the save. She cleared the ring and posed with Bella. 

Match result: Nikki Bella defeated Chelsea Green (6:23) 

This was no good at all. 

********

(It should be noted that Raw started with a women’s talking segment and three consecutive women’s matches, the night after an all-women’s PPV.) 

Backstage, New Day were dressed in all-black, mourning their tag title loss. They had a gift for Pearce, presented by Grayon Waller. He offered Pearce a wig on a silver platter. Kofi Kingston figured this gift was enough to get a title rematch. Pearce said they don’t just “get” a rematch, but they would get a chance to earn one next week. He told them not to flip their wig and flipped the plate over. 

Pearce left upon seeing Judgment Day nearby. He didn’t buy Dom’s injury after seeing him get involved earlier. He said he spoke to WWE medical, who would reevaluate Dom next week. If cleared, he would defend the title against AJ Styles at SummerSlam. 

Styles was nearby, literally praying to God that Dom get cleared. Dom didn’t like this, so he pleaded with God, too. 

********

Gunther got in Penta’s face as he walked through the back. Gunther is up next. 

Saxton interviewed American Made backstage. He asked about El Grande Americano. They said it was clearly Ludwig Kaiser. Saxton asked about the earlier Chad Gable rumours, but Ivy Nile ignored him. Nile said everyone was on notice. 

********

Redmond asked Rusev what he planned on doing next after beating Sheamus. Rusev said people called him a God, but maybe he was a saint fending off Irish snakes. Now the world knew what he always knew, that he was better than Sheamus. 

Sheamus interrupted. He said he spoke to Pearce, who agreed that Rusev was a dirty, cheating bastard, so he issued a rematch. (This didn’t get much of a reaction.) Rusev said he was here to dominate gold, not gingers. He left. 

********

Gunther segment 

Gunther entered, and he was in a good mood after retiring Goldberg. Some fans chanted for Goldberg. Gunther said the fans weren’t very bright because Goldberg obviously wasn’t there. (The fans chanted, “You tapped out,” instead, and for some reason, they began censoring it, maybe thinking it was something else.) 

Gunther said he fulfilled every promise. He bullied, humiliated, blew up, and choked out Goldberg—and ended his myth. There was only one question to ask: “Who’s next?” 

He knew the answer would come soon. He would watch from a suite as five of the finest competitors would compete for his amusement—and to identify his SummerSlam challenger. He didn’t care who it was. Before he could finish his thought, Breakker and Heyman interrupted. 

Heyman shook Gunther’s hand. He began introducing himself as usual, but Gunther cut him off. Gunther simply wasn’t interested, so he began leaving the ring—until Breakker cut him off. Breakker faced off with Gunther as Heyman cut a promo. 

Heyman said Breakker would run the gauntlet and beat Gunther for the title. Heyman knew that was no easy task. He saw how Gunther beat Goldberg. But you haven’t been speared until you’ve been speared by Bron Breakker. 

Breakker was “the next big thing” and “the big dog.” This was his “yard,” and he was a Steiner. He would break through the glass ceiling and break Gunther’s ass at SummerSlam. There’s going to be a new World Heavyweight Champion at SummerSlam, and his name is Bron Breakker. 

Bron stepped aside, and Gunther left.

******** 

World Heavyweight Championship number one contender’s gauntlet match

– Bron Breakker vs. Penta 

Bron had control for a while (and through a break), and the crowd seemed to be getting restless until Penta made his comeback. Penta tried a springboard move, but Bron speared him out of the air for the pinfall win. That got a good reaction. (This went just under 10 minutes.) 

Penta has lost five matches in a row. His last singles win was against Chad Gable in May.

– Bron Breakker vs. LA Knight

Knight was in complete control early on, but they needed to go to another break, so Bron dropped him over the announce table to take over. A double clothesline spot led to a double-down, so the previously quiet crowd chanted, “This is awesome.” They did get into it from here. 

Knight fought back with jabs, a neckbreaker, DDT and a step-up flying elbow drop for two. Knight went for a BFT (Cole thought he was going for a neckbreaker), but Bron pushed him off. Bron tried a dropkick, but Knight hit a powerbomb. 

Knight tried the BFT again, but Bron raked his eyes and hit a lung blower. Bron followed with a spear for the pinfall win. (This also went about 10 minutes, and it was more entertaining than the previous match.) 

– Bron Breakker vs. Jey Uso

Jey immediately wiped out Bron with a suicide dive. They were headed to break, so Jey had them play his music again, and he Yeeted while Bron sold outside the ring. 

Jey was in control after the break and hit a running hip attack for two. Bron came back later with a Frankensteiner for two. Jey responded with superkicks and a spear for a nearfall. 

Jey went to the top, but Bronson Reed yanked him off the top. Cole said there were no DQs in a gauntlet match. I have no idea why that would be. No DQs meant the match continued, so Bron followed with a spear for the pinfall win. (This only went about 7 minutes.) 

– Bron Breakker vs. CM Punk 

Knowing Bron was exhausted, Punk immediately attacked him with his jacket still on. Punk sent Bron out of the ring and removed his jacket during a break. Punk held control through a break, but Bron caught him off the ropes and hit an overhead suplex. Bron stood over Punk and mocked his “It’s clobbering time” catchphrase. 

After Bron hit a vertical suplex, it sounded like Punk told him to take it easy, but I could be wrong. (Bron’s been in the ring for 35 minutes at this point.) 

Bron tried a Frankensteiner, but Punk countered into a cradle for a nearfall. Punk made his usual comeback and fended off some potential Reed interference before hitting a flying elbow drop for two. 

Punk applied an Anaconda Vice, so Reed attacked Punk. Again, no DQs. (That feels like such a cheat.) Jey Uso ran back out (to his music) to take out Reed. 

Bron went for a spear, but Punk booted him and hit GTS for the pinfall win. 

CM Punk will face Gunther at SummerSlam for the title. 

(This went about 10 minutes. Bron wrestled the full gauntlet match for about 42 minutes.)

— Reed attacked Punk as he celebrated. Jey tried to make the save, but Bron speared him. Bron speared Punk, too. They stacked up Punk and Jey so Reed could go for a double Tsunami, but Roman Reigns entered to a monster pop. 

Reigns hoisted Reed on his shoulders and hit a big Samoan drop. He gave Bron a Superman punch, and he speared Reed. 

Reigns helped Jey to his feet. Punk put his hands up for Reigns to help him up, too, likely knowing Reigns would never actually do that. Punk got to his feet, and they gave each other a knowing look before Reigns turned his attention to the heels on the stage. 

The crowd loudly chanted “OTC” and sang Roman’s name. Reigns stared at the heels as Punk embraced Jey, and the show ended. 

Match result: CM Punk won a gauntlet match to become the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship (42:18)

**********

Official for SummerSlam so far: 

  • John Cena (c) vs. Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship 
  • Naomi (c) vs. Iyo Sky vs. Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World Championship 
  • Becky Lynch (c) vs. Lyra Valkyria for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship 
  • Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship 
  • Randy Orton & Jelly Roll vs. Drew McIntyre & Logan Paul 
  • Gunther (c) vs. CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship

WWE Raw live results: Seth Rollins vs. Penta

Posted on by Marc Quill

Tonight’s WWE Raw from the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island, kicks off a big week of pro wrestling including one WWE PLE, Saturday Night’s Main Event, and an NXT PLE.

After the events of last Monday, the Paul Heyman stable will be in full effect over three singles matches as former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins takes on Penta in one, Bronson Reed battles former champion Jey Uso in another, and Sami Zayn takes on Bron Breakker to round them out.

After her three-way Women’s Intercontinental title defense against Bayley and Lyra Valkyria was announced Sunday, reigning champion Becky Lynch will give her thoughts.

One half of the new Women’s Tag Team Champions Roxanne Perez will take on Kairi Sane.

The mysterious El Grande Americano will also be in action.

*********

– After a live drone flyby through the Amica Mutual Pavilion, we got shots of Sami Zayn, Jey Uso, Penta, and the Judgment Day entering the arena.

Seth Rollins and his faction open Raw

“BURN IT DOWN!” signaled the arrival of Seth Rollins and his still-nameless entourage of Paul Heyman, Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker. The commentators discussed Rollins’ upcoming bout with LA Knight on this Saturday’s edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event while the group walked down to the ring.

As Rollins and his faction stood inside the ring, the crowd serenaded them with a singalong of Rollins’ theme music for a bit. When Rollins asked for a microphone, Bron Breakker took it from him and said that he stood in the ring because Rollins and Heyman had a vision for Breakker which has him as the face of WWE for the next two decades. Breakker said that he also had a vision for a WWE without Sami Zayn because he doesn’t like him, his “stupid” beaard or his entrance music.

Breakker couldn’t understand why the fans rooted for someone that has the athleticism of a dead fish and hangs on for dear life for the last five years, because he was going to put an end to Zayn tonight. That is because Breakker was going to “maul” Zayn and ensure he’d be looking up at the lights when all is said and done. Heyman then took the microphone and gave it to Rollins so he could start speaking… but Bronson Reed now asked for his turn.

Reed said that Breakker was a tough act to follow, but so was he. He boasted about nailing Rollins with six consecutive Tsunamis last year, an act which made Rollins respect Reed enough to bring him into his faction. Reed said that Jey Uso didn’t respect him, and that would change tonight because he’d Tsunami the respect into Uso, just like he did with Rollins.

Rollins grabbed the microphone, but he refused to speak due to the fans chanting for CM Punk. So, it was time for Paul Heyman to speak. Heyman said that the Empire would strike first tonight. He said that tonight, Breakker would strike first. Heyman said that Roman Reigns didn’t have the “balls” to come back and step against the Rollins faction. There’s also the “big news” that we haven’t heard, that being Seth Rollins donning the tights against Penta tonight. Heyman mocked Penta’s “stupid freakin’ hand signals”, and said that Rollins would leave him unable to do them ever again because he’d be stomped so hard later on tonight.

When it came time for Rollins to speak, the fans continued to chant for CM Punk. Rollins concluded the promo by welcoming everyone to “Monday Night Rollins”.

Standard opening segment for the Rollins faction to set the stage for their matches later tonight, and the strange divide of presenting this group as heels, but still having Rollins and Heyman urge the crowd on to say their catchphrases is still odd, to say the least.

*********

– At the Judgment Day’s clubhouse, the men were admiring their championship gold, as Raquel Rodriguez spotted Roxanne Perez putting a photo of Liv Morgan, much to the former’s dismay. Rodriguez and Perez discussed how to best deal with Kairi Sane, who was facing Perez in a match up next. Dominik Mysterio thanked JD McDonagh and Finn Balor for the ‘Get Well Soon’ cake, but it turns out, they didn’t gift it to him. Mysterio had a closer look and saw that it was from AJ Styles, as he turned to see Styles watching him from behind a wall.

Roxanne Perez vs. Kairi Sane

The match got under way with Perez and Sane sizing each other up as the former started hammering away at the latter with fists. Perez threw Sane in the corner and tried to maintain the momentum as she applied a headlock. An attempted spear by Perez got turned into a unique pin attempt that wasn’t enough. We got a series of dueling pin attempts from Perez and Sane, as the newest member of the judgment Day hit Sane with an elbow to the face.

Sane battled back with a backfist to the face of Perez, followed by a flying forearm and a dive to the outside. With the advantage in her midst, Raquel Rodriguez got on the apron and allowed Perez to capitalize on a distraction with a stomp to the arm across the bottom ropes, as the U.S. feed of Raw headed to a commercial break.

During the break, Sane got momentum back with the Interceptor, and we returned from break with Sane continuing the attack, as she blasted Perez with the Sliding D in the corner. Perez avoided the Insane Elbow and kicked Sane in the face. Perez headed up to the top with a springboard moonsault from the second rope for a near-fall.

Perez dragged Sane and continued to target the injured arm, but missed on a corner charge and got hit with a boot from Sane. Perez blocked an Alabama Slam attempt from Sane and once again slammed her foe’s injured arm on the mat. Perez set Sane up on the top rope, but got knocked down to the mat. Sane connected with a diving forearm strike, followed by the Alabama Slam. Sane headed up top and looked to finish things off with the Insane Elbow, but Raquel Rodriguez dragged Perez out of the ring. Sane took Rodriguez out with a dive to the outside.

Back in the ring, Perez’s attempt at Pop Rox was countered into a pin by Sane for the one, two, three.

Post-match, the Women’s Tag Team Champions attacked Sane in a two-on-one beatdown until Asuka ran in for the save. Rodriguez clotheslined Asuka and had her set up for her powerbomb, but Sane made the save. Sane and Asuka took Rodriguez out of the ring before they turned their attention to Perez with an Insane Elbow.

Kairi Sane def. Roxanne Perez

A good enough match to open up Raw, but it’s nice to see Asuka and Kairi Sane joining forces once more. The next step is likely the Kabuki Warriors being the Raw representatives for the four-way tag match at Evolution II on Sunday.

*********

– Jackie Redmond interviewed Sami Zayn about everything he’s been going through as of late. Zayn said that he has too much on his plate, and that he couldn’t focus on his ribs or Karrion Kross because he has Bron Breakker to deal with later tonight. Scarlett walked into frame and looked on as Zayn walked off.

Commercial Break Exclusive Promo

The New Day appeared during the commercial dressed in black clothing. They talked about how the Raw tag team division died last week because they lost the WWE Tag Team Championships against the Judgment Day. The two said that the wrong will be righted when they find Adam Pearce later tonight and demand the rematch for their tag titles that they so deserved.

*********

– Adam Pearce spoke with American Made regarding El Grande Americano competing tonight. Julius Creed said this was impossible because Chad Gable was still out injured, but got shouted down as by Brutus Creed and Ivy Nile. Pearce then put Nile in the women’s battle royal at Evolution. Asuka and Kairi Sane soon talked with Pearce and got included in the fatal four-way tag match for the Women’s Tag Team Championships.

– Nikki Bella announced that she’d be in the women’s battle royal at Evolution for a championship opportunity at Clash in Paris next month.

– As Sami Zayn was making his entrance for his match, Karrion Kross attacked him from behind and smashed the lead pipe across the injured ribs of Zayn. Referees led by Adam Pearce got Kross to back off from the fight. During the break, Zayn refused to back out of his upcoming match against Bron Breakker, despite Pearce’s protestations.

Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker

With Zayn very much not in any condition to fight, Breakker seemed to relish what appeared to be an easy match ahead of him. Breakker backed Zayn into the corner and targeted his injured ribs with shoulder thrusts that crumpled him to the mat. He ripped away the tape around Zayn’s ribs and drove both knees into the exposed ribs.

Breakker lifted Zayn up and threw him across the ring with a suplex, as he targeted him for a Spear. Zayn intercepted Breakker’s attempt with a clothesline, which created some needed separation for him. Zayn, with adrenaline running in his veins, headed up top for a high-risk maneuver, but got met by a particularly vicious Spear from Breakker.

As Zayn rolled to the outside, Breakker saw red in his eyes and headed out to hit his super Spear on the badly-injured Zayn. Breakker rolled his foe back into the ring and pulled down the straps. Breakker ran the ropes and put an end to this with his super Spear for the victory.

Bron Breakker def. Sami Zayn

More of an angle than an actual competitive match, it did the job in establishing Breakker as a dangerous threat and selling the dire situation of Zayn at the hands of Kross and the Rollins band.

*********

– As Adam Pearce chatted with the War Raiders, he was confronted by the New Day, who accused Pearce of helping “kill” the tag division. Becky Lynch walked past the scene and told New Day that getting rid of Big E was a “good idea”.

Becky Lynch addresses her Evolution triple threat match

Lynch wanted an explanation on how two “losers” got a title match in a scenario where her chances of losing the Women’s Intercontinental Championship were far greater. She said that she got why Adam Pearce put her in this match, but not why she had to face Bayley or Lyra Valkyria again. Lynch claimed that Bayley and Valkyria were working together to get this shot, but before she could elaborate further, Bayley interrupted and walked down to the ring. Bayley, however, found herself interrupted by Lyra Valkyria, who marched down to the ring with a purpose.

In the ring, Valkyria said that her title was wrapped around a “bucket full of crazy” and it was about time to take it back. Bayley entered the ring and said she could’ve been the Women’s Intercontinental Champion if it wasn’t for Valkyria’s intervention.

Bayley said that if she learned anything from WrestleMania, it’s that she didn’t need friendships or heartbreak, but she did need the Women’s Intercontinental Championship.

Valkyria said that Bayley was just as bad as Lynch because of what she just admitted, and she was out to rescue the Women’s Intercontinental Championship from “two massive disappointments” at Evolution II.

Bayley talked about how she watched Valkyria from all her moments of glory, and that seeing her raise Lynch’s hand made Bayley see her as a “little bitch”. Valkyria took exception and tried to punch at Bayley, but she ended up hitting Lynch instead. A brawl ensued, which ended with Valkyria nailing both Bayley and Lynch with the Night Wing. Valkyria walked over to the fallen Lynch and mockingly raised her hand, stating that it would be the last time her hand would be raised.

Just a nice segment between these three women ahead of a big match at Evolution II on Sunday. I enjoyed it a lot.

*********

– Backstage, Seth Rollins and his band strategized their next move, as Paul Heyman revealed that Sami Zayn would be out of action indefinitely. Rollins told Bronson Reed to deal with Jey Uso next.

Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed

Uso was on the offensive to start as he rocked Reed in the corner with a kick. An attempted Irish Whip was countered as Reed crushed Uso with a thump, which gave the big man an advantage early on. Uso dodged a senton from Reed and kept up the attack with punches and a kick that sent Reed to the outside.

With a Yeet, Uso hit a suicide dive that send Reed over the announce table. Uso cleared the commentary table, but got met by a recovering Reed. A superkick by Uso caused Reed to be seated onto one of the chairs, long enough for another Jey Uso superkick. Inside the ring, Uso looked for another suicide dive, but got the chair thrown at him, to cause the disqualification.

Post-match, Reed went on a Tsunami rampage, hitting two fierce dives onto Uso before Adam Pearce and his personnel stopped.

Jey Uso def. Bronson Reed

Again, not so much an actual match, but more storytelling to sell the nameless Rollins band’s threat. I suppose it did the job in the regard.

*********

– LA Knight spoke about his upcoming match with Seth Rollins at Saturday Night’s Main Event in five days time on NBC.

– Michael Cole and Corey Graves tossed over to a video package for the Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky Women’s World Championship match at Evolution II on Sunday, with the underlying theme of Ripley’s inability to defeat Sky in past encounters.

El Grande Americano vs. Dragon Lee

As the match started, Cole pointed out how this El Grande Americano was a foot taller than the “other one”. We got some back and forth lucha libre action between Lee and El Grande to start, but things turned to Lee’s advantage with a diving crossbody for an early near-fall.

El Grande got Lee with a nice arm drag, as he showed off after landing on his feet off a Lee monkey flip. This opened him up for a kick from Lee, who attempted to take flight. El Grande intercepted with a kick to the face, as he continued the attack by throwing Lee over the timekeeper’s area, which took Raw to a commercial break on the U.S. feed.

The action resumed with El Grande and Lee fighting on the top rope. Lee caught El Grande with a sitdown powerbomb that got a near-fall. As El Grande was down and out, Lee tried to rip away at the mask, but to no avail. Lee took advantage with a vaulting kick over the top rope, which rocked El Grande. Lee followed that with a running dropkick, but couldn’t get the win from that.

El Grande chopped Lee and connected with a springboard Blockbuster for a near-fall of his own. Lee fought out of El Grande’s grasp and trapped him in a Tree of Woe position, as he then came down with a double stomp on El Grande. Lee then took flight with a dive to the outside that connected. As El Grande got hack into the ring, he appeared to slip something in his mask, as he hit Lee with a steel-plate assisted headbutt for the win.

El Grande Americano def. Dragon Lee

A fine little match, even though I’m not high on the El Grande Americano character like others. The in-ring action was at least enjoyable to watch.

*********

– As Penta was preparing for his match with Seth Rollins later, he was confronted by Paul Heyman and Bron Breakker. Penta remained fearless and told the two “Cero Miedo” before he walked off.

Commercial Break Exclusive Promo

Karrion Kross was interviewed and got a huge reaction from the Providence crowd, who chanted “We Want Kross”. Kross aid that every time Sami Zayn shows up every week, he was going to blast him with a steel pipe. All he wanted for Zayn to say was “Kross Told The Truth”, and if he didn’t do so, he’d continue to make Zayn suffer.

*********

Gunther addresses Goldberg

The World Heavyweight Champion took the mic and started by saying that he was going to defend his title this Saturday at Goldberg, and for the last two weeks, he had been verbally abusing Goldberg in the ring, and he has not done anything about it. That meant, Gunther can only assume that Goldberg was afraid of him and the pressure, but he was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a car arriving to the arena.

On the Titantron, we saw the car park as Goldberg stepped out of it and immediately made a beeline to the ring. The soon-to-be-retiring WCW legend marched to the ring and met Gunther face to face, in a mood for a fight. Goldberg dared Gunther to hit him, as he blocked a punch and knocked the champ down. Goldberg had Gunther in position for a Spear, but Gunther rolled out of the ring and avoided a potentially grisly fate.

Given how Goldberg looked a bit blown up in just the little bit of work he did tonight, Gunther will have to do a lot of the heavy lifting on Saturday to ensure that this match is at the very least presentable.

Saturday Night’s Main Event Card

  • LA Knight vs. Seth Rollins
  • Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton
  • World Heavyweight Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Goldberg

Evolution II Card

  • WWE Women’s Championship: Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Trish Stratus
  • NXT Women’s Championship: Jacy Jayne (c) vs. Jordynne Grace
  • Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria
  • Women’s World Championship: Iyo Sky (c) vs. Rhea Ripley
  • Women’s Tag Team Championship Fatal Four-Way: Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez (c) vs. Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka & Kairi Sane vs. Zaria & Sol Ruca
  • Naomi vs. Jade Cargill
  • Evolution Battle Royal (Winner gets a Championship Match at Clash in Paris)

*********

Penta vs. Seth Rollins

Penta surprised Rollins with a superkick just as the bell rang, which sent him just outside of the ring. At ringside, Penta chopped away at Rollins and maintained an attack by bouncing his head over the announce table. Another attempt at a chop by Penta, was dodged by Rollins, which caused Penta to hit the LED ringpost covering instead. Penta roared back with a diving hurricanrana on Rollins.

As Penta got back in the ring, Rollins took advantage with stomps, but couldn’t maintain a clear advantage for long as Penta fought back. Rollins attempted a Pedigree, but Penta countered and sent Rollins to the outside with a clothesline. Penta followed that up with a tope con hilo that felled Rollins just as Raw went to one final commercial break on the U.S. feed.

Rollins sustained a cut above his right eye during the break, but he had the upper hand as Raw returned from commercial in the United States. Penta fought out of Rollins’ grip successfully and hit him with a modified Slingblade. He then followed that up with his dropkick in the corner on Rollins.

Penta looked for the Penta Driver, but Rollins countered and escaped. The former architect of the Shield, however, couldn’t escape the Backstabber from Penta that soon followed. As both men recovered, Rollins showed impressive strength and lifted Penta on his shoulders before he dropped him with a gutbuster. Rollins headed up top and mocked Penta’s signature taunt before hitting the frog splash. One, two… this one’s not done yet.

Rollins had Penta in position for the Stomp, but couldn’t connect. Rollins was placed on the top rope by Penta as the two began to duke it out up top. Penta landed on the apron and connected with the hurricanrana. In the ring, Penta managed to hit the Penta Driver on Rollins. One, two… Rollins just managed to kick out at 2.999999999.

Penta placed Rollins in position for the Sacrifice, but Mr. Money in the Bank escaped and hit the Buckle Bomb. Penta recovered right away and hit the Mexican Destroyer. He went for the cover, but Rollins grabbed the bottom rope at the last possible second. Penta dragged Rollins’ lifeless body in the middle of the ring, but Rollins recovered and went low with a headbutt. This gave Rollins the opening for the Stomp and the win.

After the match, Paul Heyman called for Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker to continue the punishment on Penta, but LA Knight snuck into the ring and blindsided Rollins with the B.F.T. Breakker and Reed made a run for it, but couldn’t catch up to Knight, who made his getaway in the crowd to end Raw for tonight.

Seth Rollins def. Penta

A solid main event on Raw tonight. Just some tremendous stuff between Rollins and Penta. The Knight appearance at the end was a decent way to set up the Saturday Night’s Main Event match in five days.

All in all, an okay edition of Raw that did as best as it could to sell viewers on the big WWE weekend of action coming in a few days. Whether it was successful or not is up remains to be seen. The throughline of the Rollins band’s dominance was at least a good angle to go with all night long, I will say.

WWE Raw live results: King & Queen of the Ring semifinals

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: June 23, 2025
Location: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio 

The Big Takeaway —

Cody Rhodes beat Jey Uso to advance in King of the Ring, while Jade Cargill beat Roxanne Perez to advance in Queen of the Ring. The finals will take place on Saturday at Night of Champions. Rhodes faces Randy Orton, and Cargill faces Asuka. 

As the show went on tonight, they repeatedly plugged Night of Champions (and SmackDown) as happening in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (It seemed like they avoided mentioning the location when the show began, but it was business as usual as the show continued.) 

Next week’s Raw in Pittsburgh starts at 6 pm ET/3 pm PT. 

**********

Show Recap — 

Jey Uso, Cody Rhodes, Roxanne Perez and Finn BĂĄlor, Jade Cargill, Becky Lynch, and Bayley were shown arriving as Michael Cole ran down tonight’s show. 

Corey Graves is filling in for Pat McAfee once again. 

They announced that LA Knight is out indefinitely due to a bruised sternum and separated rib cartilage, thanks to Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker. 

Seth Rollins segment

Rollins entered with Reed, Breakker, and Paul Heyman. He waited as the crowd sang his song (not loudly) and did his usual spiel. He asked what the crowd wanted because he was receiving mixed messages. They chanted for CM Punk. 

Rollins said they chanted for Punk, for Roman Reigns, for him, and they barked for Breakker. They didn’t know what they wanted, so he didn’t care. They needed people like him to tell them what was good for them. 

Even the things they thought they wanted were because of him. Reigns existed because of him. Punk claimed he was back for the fans, but it was really because the company could cash in on how much he hated Punk. There was no second coming of Cody Rhodes without Rollins to put him back on the map. 

Rollins was the first world champion and NXT Champion, and he built those things in his image. He was the prime mover. He was the past, present, and future. He and Heyman knew a thing or two about revolutions. Every revolution had opposition, but he would deal with them. 

Reed dealt with LA Knight, and Breakker was about to deal with Penta. There were a lot of people who thought they could exist at the very top: John Cena, Gunther, Punk, Goldberg, Uso, Rhodes, Randy Orton. But they all failed to understand that they were running a race for second place. He was the end game and always would be. 

Rollins was finally done speaking, so Penta entered for his match. (Rollins and Reed went to the back.) 

Bron Breakker (w/ Paul Heyman) vs. Penta

The match began during a break, but Breakker left the ring to stall so the action could start once they returned. 

Graves claimed that Breakker was still effectively a rookie, which isn’t even close to being true. 

Breakker was in control until Penta hit a dive ahead of a break. Breakker regained control after dropping Penta on top of the ring post and a flying clothesline off the apron over the announce table. They messed up a spot but recovered well enough, and Penta hit a vertical suplex into a pin for two. Breakker recovered and hit a Frankensteiner for two. Penta responded with a Canadian Destroyer for a nearfall. 

Penta went for a springboard move, but Breakker obliterated him with a mid-air spear for the pinfall win. The crowd popped big for that. 

Match result: Bron Breakker defeated Penta (15:00) 

This wasn’t exactly a smooth wrestling match, but the last few minutes were entertaining. 

— After the match, Rollins warned Penta to stay out of his way. 

********

There was a replay of Liv Morgan’s injury. Backstage, Adam Pearce informed AJ Styles that Dominik Mysterio was also injured. Styles didn’t believe it and asked if Dom strained his mustache. Pearce said it was legitimate, so their IC title match at Night of Champions was off. Pearce said Styles will get the match as soon as Dom is ready. 

New Day and Grayson Waller entered Pearce’s office after Styles left. Pearce put New Day in a tag title match against Finn BĂĄlor and JD McDonagh next week. New Day were pissed. As they left, Kofi Kingston yelled, “You’re so bald!” at Pearce. Waller didn’t appreciate this treatment of his new friends. 

******** 

So far, they’re advertising Night of Champions as happening on Saturday, but they’re not mentioning the location. Last week, the graphics included the event’s location, but tonight, they don’t. 

Update: A few minutes later, Cole mentioned Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the special start time.

*******

Goldberg interview 

Cole sat down earlier today with Goldberg. He asked Goldberg why he targeted Gunther. Goldberg said nobody should be surprised. Gunther embarrassed him in front of his wife, his son, his fans, and in his adopted hometown of Atlanta. Goldberg didn’t know when, but knew he would go after Gunther. 

Goldberg was already thinking about his retirement match, so it was serendipitous that Gunther put himself in this position. As long as Goldberg was breathing, he was going to make Gunther pay. 

Goldberg ended with: “Michael, I am going to beat the f—k out of Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event.” 

When they returned from break, Cole confirmed that this would be Goldberg’s final match. 

********

Judgment Day met in the back. They were not in a good mood (because of Morgan’s injury), so BĂĄlor tried to fire everybody up. He gave them all encouraging words, but Raquel Rodriguez was still worried about the status of the tag titles. 

Bålor muttered something under his breath, which pissed off Rodriguez. Bålor was glad to see her pissed off. They wanted Rodriguez to be the enforcer, and she should make Rhea Ripley pay for what she did to her last week. Rodriguez agreed. 

Dom said he missed Morgan (so they don’t speak outside of Raw). BĂĄlor reminded him that Perez had a match, so Dom dismissively wished her luck. 

********

Lyra Valkyria met with Bayley backstage. Valkyria was trying to be friendly, but Bayley seemed offended. Bayley realized she overreacted and settled down, explaining that she’s been focused only on Lynch and the title all week. Bayley told Valkyria she would be first in line if she won tonight. (Lynch could be seen lurking in the background.) 

Queen of the Ring semi-final match: Jade Cargill vs. Roxanne Perez 

Cargill was in control and showed off by doing push-ups. Perez managed to trap Cargill’s leg between the steel steps and the ring. Perez dropkicked the steps and worked over her leg during a break. 

Cargill tried fighting back after the break, but Perez chop-blocked her. The crowd was really quiet until Cargill effortlessly caught Perez out of mid-air as she attempted a crossbody. Cargill hit a spinebuster and chokeslam for two. Perez countered a Jaded and applied a cradle for two, followed by a double knee drop for two. 

Cargill avoided Pop Rox and hit (missed) a pump kick. Cargill hit a powerbomb and, I think, tried deadlifting her up. She couldn’t do it, so she just put Perez down before picking her back up to hit Jaded for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Jade Cargill defeated Roxanne Perez to advance in Queen of the Ring (11:47)

This wasn’t particularly good. Perez did her best, but Cargill was out of place a lot toward the end, and she didn’t come across like someone who should be winning this tournament. 

— After the match, Asuka entered to face off with Cargill on the stage. 

********

They announced that Raw in Pittsburgh next week starts at 6 pm ET/3 pm PT. 

There was a video package for Jey Uso/Cody Rhodes.

******** 

There was a clip of Goldberg’s debut on WCW Nitro (with Tony Schiavone on commentary). 

Cole reiterated that this would be Goldberg’s last match at SNME, but then added, “we’ll see” what happens if he were to win the world title. 

*******

Cole announced SmackDown’s start time in Riyadh on Friday, “the night before Night of Champions. Who knows what’s going to happen on that show?” 

Jackie Redmond tried interviewing Dom during a break, but the fans kept booing. Redmond cut him off because they ran out of time. 

******* 

Sheamus again told Natalya and Maxxine Dupri that they could be tag champs one day. (It’s like they’ve been standing backstage having this same conversation for a week.) Natalya and Dupri were upset he didn’t win last week. Sheamus said he at least put Rusev in his place for a moment. 

Rusev confronted Sheamus. He said this place was full of people like Sheamus: providing smiles to the face, and knives to the back. Sheamus called Rusev the most embarrassing and most egotistical member of the League of Nations. Sheamus was tired of talking and wanted to fight. Rusev smiled and said he would make Sheamus remember this. 

********

Gunther segment 

Gunther entered. He was pissed about Goldberg interrupting what should have been his championship celebration last week. He called Goldberg the most destructive man of his generation, but it wasn’t 1999 anymore. (Some fans cheered.) It was 2025, and Gunther was the guy. He was the best professional wrestler in the company, and the title around his waist proved it. 

Gunther heard Goldberg’s intense comments, but that wouldn’t change Gunther’s perception of him. Goldberg was a 58-year-old one-trick pony who couldn’t lace his boots. Gunther apologized to Goldberg’s wife and son for everything he’s about to do. Gunther would embarrass Goldberg at SNME. 

“It’s my personal responsibility to make sure that the legacy and the myth of Bill Goldberg forever dies.” 

This was a great promo. 

********

Redmond tried interviewing Lynch backstage, but she was flustered after having just seen Valkyria and Bayley conspiring against her. She left. 

Redmond saw Sami Zayn nearby and tried interviewing him, but they were interrupted by Karrion Kross and Scarlett. (Kross did get a good pop this week.) Kross enjoyed Zayn’s fiery speech last week, but he lost to Orton anyway. Kross said Zayn would never be champion. 

Zayn calmly stepped back before knocking him to the ground with a great-looking right hand. Zayn told Kross he already spoke to Pearce and their match was official. Zayn left. Scarlett and Kross laughed. 

********

Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bayley for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship

Bayley was in control until Lynch yanked her by the arm over the top rope. Lynch targeted the arm through the break, but Bayley mounted her comeback following the break. Lynch cut her off with a back suplex, but Bayley responded with a Bayley-to-belly for a nearfall. Bayley slammed Lynch into the corner and hit a sunset flip powerbomb into the turnbuckles for two. 

Lynch hit a superplex, and they traded counters until Bayley applied a single-leg Boston crab, but Lynch got a rope break. Bayley blocked a Man-handle Slam and hit one of her own, but Lynch rolled out of the ring. 

Bayley went after Lynch, but Lynch chucked her over the announce table. Lynch buried Bayley under a bunch of chairs in an attempt to take a count-out win, but Valkyria showed up right on time to pull the chairs off. 

Lynch hit Valkyria and invited Valkyria to hit her back (to cause a DQ), but Valkyria wouldn’t do it. Lynch tried a baseball slide on Bayley, but nailed Valkyria by mistake. 

Bayley shoved Lynch into the ring post and the barricade. Bayley went to the top, but Valkyria attacked Lynch for the DQ. 

— Bayley argued with Valkyria, who somehow tried to defend herself. Lynch smirked as she backed away up the aisle with her belt. 

Match result: Becky Lynch defeated Bayley via disqualification (13:30)

This was a good match until the finish. It never felt like this would have a conclusive winner when they announced it, but the finishing sequence with Valkyria was still very annoying. She has to be turning heel at this point, because she’s becoming increasingly unlikable. 

*******

Chad Gable told Ivy Nile that she was her favourite student (and didn’t want her to tell that to the Creed Brothers). However, she should have won MITB and QOTR. Stephanie Vaquer got in her way, but she should wipe her out completely like he did to Alpha Academy and others. 

Gable saw Penta nearby and took great pleasure in seeing him lose to Bron. Penta tried being reasonable, but Gable kept yapping and threatened to take his mask off. Penta superkicked Gable and snapped his arm. Officials chased Penta away as the Creeds checked on Gable. 

(Ludwig Kaiser was randomly watching nearby.)

********

Raquel Rodriguez and Rhea Ripley segment 

A pissed-off Rodriguez was in the ring, and she called out Ripley. Ripley stormed out, and they brawled. Ripley was about to give Rodriguez a Rip-tide through a table, but Perez ran out to make the save. Ripley got rid of Perez, but Rodriguez laid out Ripley with a Tejana Bomb through the table. Rodriguez embraced Perez. 

This was a good little segment to get some heat behind Rodriguez (and align her with Perez). 

********

There were photos of the Florida Panthers celebrating with their custom WWE title belt. 

Cathy Kelley interviewed Asuka during a break. Iyo Sky joined and was excited for Asuka, because they may finally get to meet in the ring like they talked about in Damage CTRL. Asuka said they weren’t in Damage CTRL anymore, and she would see her at SummerSlam. Sky said she would be ready. 

Ripley barged into Pearce’s office. He offered a street fight against Rodriguez, and she accepted. (It was hard to hear, but it sounded like he said it would be at Night of Champions.) 

******** 

There was a big-time video package for John Cena vs. CM Punk. They’ve added the location of Night of Champions back on the graphics, and they showed exterior shots of the city as the announcers ran down the card for Saturday. 

********

King of the Ring semi-final match: Jey Uso vs. Cody Rhodes 

They both got big reactions and faced off for about 30 seconds before shaking hands. This was a first-ever singles match, and it felt like a big deal given the stakes. 

Jey blocked a Cross Rhodes just three minutes into the match and went for a superkick, but Rhodes avoided it. Jey missed a running hip attack during a break, and Rhodes applied a figure four until Jey got a rope break. They exchanged strikes until Jey hit a Samoan drop for two. 

Jey hit a running hip attack and went for an Uso Splash. Rhodes got his knees up and caught Jey in a version of the kimura lock. Jey slipped out and applied a sleeper. Rhodes began fading but got to his feet and dumped Jey over the top rope. Jey blocked Rhodes’ suicide dive and went to the top, but Rhodes scaled the ropes and hit a superplex. This led to a second commercial break. 

Jey tossed Rhodes shoulder-first into the ring post, and followed with a flying crossbody for two. They exchanged strikes as we returned from break. Rhodes hit jabs, but Jey avoided a bionic elbow. Rhodes fired up, but Jey hit a Randy Orton-esque powerslam. 

Jey set up for Cross Rhodes, but Rhodes blocked it and hit a Cody Cutter for two. Jey ducked a Disaster Kick and hit a spear for two. Rhodes hit a super Cody Cutter for two. 

Jey countered a Cross Rhodes and hit one of his own for a nearfall. People were on their feet for that. Jey superkicked Rhodes repeatedly, pulled him to his feet, and hit a spear. 

Instead of going for a cover, Jey went up for a splash. Rhodes scaled the ropes again and hit a super cutter/RKO. Rhodes followed with Cross Rhodes for the pinfall win. Rhodes advances to the KOTR finals against Orton. 

Rhodes and Jey embraced after the match. 

Match result: Cody Rhodes defeated Jey Uso to advance in King of the Ring (20:05) 

This was a very enjoyable Raw main event, and it helped that there were real stakes on the line.

WWE Raw live results: King & Queen of the Ring first round concludes

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: June 16, 2025
Location: Resch Center in Green Bay, WI 

The Big Takeaway —

Liv Morgan injured her shoulder just moments into her match, and the match was stopped. Hopefully, it’s not a serious injury. It’s particularly poor timing with Morgan being set up for multiple programs. 

Jey Uso and Asuka advanced in the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments. On next week’s Raw, Jey Uso faces Cody Rhodes, while Jade Cargill faces Roxanne Perez. On Friday’s SmackDown, Asuka faces Alexa Bliss, while Sami Zayn faces Randy Orton. 

Next week’s Raw will also see Becky Lynch defending her Intercontinental Championship against Bayley. 

Goldberg returned as expected to set up a World Championship match against Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Atlanta. 

**********

Show Recap — 

Gunther (holding the world title belt and wearing a smile), Bayley, Stephanie Vaquer, and Jey Uso were shown arriving earlier today. 

Corey Graves is filling in for Pat McAfee alongside Michael Cole on commentary. Graves said he couldn’t be more excited to be on Raw.

Liv Morgan and Iyo Sky segment 

Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio entered holding their respective belts. Liv welcomed us to Monday Night Morgan and wanted to hear some noise for the most gorgeous man in WWE, Dominik Mysterio. The fans booed, but they didn’t boo over his promo like they used to. Dom said tonight wasn’t about him and turned things back over to Morgan. 

Morgan said Nikki Bella learned the hard way that this division was about her, and now Nikki was sitting hurt at home. Morgan mocked Iyo Sky’s comment that Bella paved the way for them. Morgan said nobody paved the way for her. She was a four-time tag team champion and the greatest women’s tag champion ever. Now, she demanded the rematch she never got for the world title. 

Just as Morgan was about to call her out, Sky interrupted. The crowd chanted for Iyo. She told Morgan to do everyone a favour and shut her mouth. She said Morgan disrespected her and disrespected Nikki. Sky was ready to fight her, but Morgan only wanted to do it for the title. 

Morgan accused Sky of being scared and invited her to just hand over the belt. Sky told Morgan she had to earn a shot. Morgan couldn’t just steal it the way she stole Dirty Dom. Dom said Sky should give Morgan whatever she wanted, just like he did. 

They again suggested that Sky hand over the belt, so she did, but then dropkicked Morgan out of the ring. She also kicked Dom, and he left with Morgan. 

******** 

Stephanie Vaquer entered ahead of a commercial break. Chad Gable cut a promo on Ivy Nile’s behalf during a break (while also taking a shot at the Green Bay Packers). He returned to the back for the match. 

Backstage, Morgan told Rodriguez to win her match, then they would take care of Sky and Kairi Sane. (It was difficult to hear Morgan, but the closed caption helped.)

Queen of the Ring first round fatal four-way: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Asuka vs. Ivy Nile vs. Women’s Tag Team Champion Raquel Rodriguez

Asuka entered to her singles theme. She had full face paint and wore mostly black gear along with a knee brace. The crowd chanted, “Welcome back.” 

Asuka and Vaquer had a very brief exchange that was interrupted by the heels. Rodriguez powerbombed Asuka into Vaquer and Nile, which led to break 80 seconds into the match. (Nothing else has happened since the previous commercial break.) 

The crowd was quiet through the break until they returned and Vaquer did Devil’s Kiss to Nile. Rodriguez blocked a Devil’s Kiss, but Vaquer managed to do it to her on the apron. (The crowd counted along instead of yelling like Booker T.) 

Vaquer blocked an Asuka lock, and Nile kicked her in the face. Nile gave Asuka a German suplex for two. This led to the match’s second commercial break—just eight minutes into it. 

As they returned from break, Rodriguez hoisted both Nile and Vaquer on her shoulders, which was impressive, and Asuka knocked everyone down with a flying dropkick. Asuka handed out kicks, but her pinfall attempt on Nile was interrupted by Vaquer. 

Vaquer invited Asuka to her feet so they could go at it again. Asuka no-sold Vaquer’s strikes, so Vaquer responded with repeated headbutts and a vertical suplex. Vaquer hit a facebuster, but Nile broke up the cover. Nile gave Asuka a uranage, but Vaquer broke up her cover. 

Rodriguez booted Vaquer and gave her a Tejana Bomb. You could tell she was about to get yanked out of the ring because of how she made the cover. Rhea Ripley pulled Rodriguez out and gave her a Rip-tide on the floor. 

Asuka followed with a running hip attack on Rodriguez for the pinfall win. 

Asuka faces Alexa Bliss on SmackDown in the semi-finals. (Cole reminded us that Asuka and Bliss were once tag champions.) The crowd was up and down during the match, but popped big for the closing sequence. 

(I thought Vaquer might’ve won this one, but they probably don’t want to pin her in the tournament, so Asuka advances. Also, Asuka pinning Rodriguez can set up a future tag title match with Sane.) 

— After the match, Asuka told Cathy Kelley that she would become Queen of the Ring. 

Match result: Asuka defeated Raquel Rodriguez, Ivy Nile and Stephanie Vaquer to advance in Queen of the Ring (15:49)

******** 

There was a Gunther/Jey Uso video package. Gunther is up next. 

New Day cut a normal heel promo during the break.

******** 

Morgan approached Rodriguez in the Judgment Day locker room and wanted them to go somewhere. I’m not sure what she actually said, but Rodriguez wasn’t up for whatever it was because she wasn’t cleared by medical after just wrestling. Morgan left to deal with it alone. 

There was another disagreement between Dom and Finn Bálor, where Bálor brushed it off. The crowd repeatedly yelled, “What?” throughout the segment because it was hard to hear. Bálor told Rodriguez not to worry about Morgan, and he left with Roxanne Perez. 

******** 

Gunther and Goldberg segment 

Gunther entered and received a big fireworks display as he held up the World title. 

Gunther said he was man enough to admit that Jey Uso was the better man at WrestleMania. Jey was better than him—for one night. But on every other night, Gunther was untouchable. (The crowd booed as he spoke.) 

Gunther heard the rumours about what was next for him. Some fans chanted for Goldberg. Gunther said it wasn’t Goldberg, because he already cussed out Goldberg in front of his family. 

Gunther spoke about Seth Rollins. He heard Rollins say the champion would be a target, so he told Rollins he was right there. 

Goldberg entered. He wore a “Goldberg’s Last Ride” t-shirt. The fans chanted for him, and he thanked them. 

Goldberg told Gunther not to worry because tonight was his night. Goldberg congratulated him on winning the title. 

Goldberg got in his face and recalled what happened between them last time. Gunther started something with him and his family in Atlanta, so Goldberg wanted to end it in Atlanta. At Saturday Night’s Main event on July 12th, “You’re mine because you’re next!” 

Gunther was perturbed and left the ring.

(Goldberg was good enough here, but this title match isn’t the most exciting direction.) 

This title match was made official after a break. 

********

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

This match was sponsored by an app. 

Dom helped McDonagh get a rope break as Styles held a calf crusher, so Styles chased Dom around the ring. When Styles got to the timekeeper’s area, McDonagh flew over the barricade to wipe him out. It was a cool-looking spot and got a good reaction. 

Styles fought back after a break, but McDonagh cut him off with a headbutt and brainbuster for two. Styles knocked McDonagh off the ropes but was distracted by Dom, who hopped onto the apron in front of the referee. 

McDonagh tried to use the distraction, but Styles hit him with a Styles Clash anyway for the pinfall win. 

— Dom tried attacking Styles after the match, but Styles fought him off until BĂĄlor pulled him to safety. Styles held up Dom’s IC title belt. Judgment Day tried swarming Styles, but Styles bailed with the belt. 

Match result: AJ Styles defeated JD McDonagh (10:34)

******** 

Maxxine Dupri and Natalya gave Sheamus words of encouragement backstage. They want him to take care of Rusev. Akira Tozawa fired up and told Sheamus to kick his ass. 

Bayley walked through the back. She’s up next. (Grayson Waller and Austin Theory argued as they hung out with New Day nearby.) 

Packers player Evan Williams was at ringside. 

******** 

Bayley and Becky Lynch segment 

Bayley entered. She missed the fans and was happy to be back. She waited as she heard some fans trying to sing, but it didn’t pick up. The fans instead chanted, “Let’s go, Bayley.” 

Bayley revelled in every opportunity she had to perform for the fans because it’s what she was born for. She put her heart and soul into it every single night. Two months ago, she was stripped and robbed of a WrestleMania match and an opportunity to go after the tag titles. That division was near and dear to her heart. 

She didn’t just perform for WrestleMania, though. She would do it any night and would do it on nights like this one. If Becky Lynch thought she broke her by costing her WrestleMania, she was wrong. It healed her and made her stronger. 

Bayley said Lynch was always two steps ahead of her on the ladder, and she admitted that it did eat at her. But Bayley planned on climbing the ladder, knocking Lynch down and taking everything from her. 

Lynch entered wearing Chicago Bears gear. (A rival team of the Packers, and Seth Rollins’ favourite team.) The fans chanted, “Bears still suck.” 

Lynch said she and Bayley were the same. They were never meant to be on top of the division. But Bayley accepted playing second fiddle, while Lynch didn’t. Bayley would much rather have friends over her legacy. Lynch would rather have her legacy over some fake-ass friends. 

Bayley said she’s built her own legacy and is a future Hall of Famer, that’s why she didn’t mind bringing others in the locker room along with her. Lynch said she used to fight for the people, but they stopped fighting for her, so she stopped fighting for them. 

Lynch said the fans also stopped fighting for Bayley. Nobody gave a damn about Bayley when Lynch repaced her at Mania. 

Bayley called her an insecure idiot. Lynch was so worried about how the fans would react to her return that she took out Bayley so her return could be a big surprise. She followed that by taking out Lyra Valkyria as well. (Lynch noted the fans cheered that, too.) 

Bayley wondered if Lynch forgot what it was like to fight for opportunities, or if her head was too far up her ass. Lynch smiled and said she didn’t remember what that was like. She wondered if Bayley remembered what gold felt like. 

Bayley challenged her to a match. Lynch was ok with that—but not in Green Bay and not for the title. Lynch said, “See you in Columbus.” Lynch tried a cheap shot, but Bayley avoided it and knocked Lynch down. Lynch bailed with her title. 

********

Kelley interviewed Jey Uso backstage. Jey had his eyes set on a rematch with Gunther, and he was fine going through King of the Ring to get it. Yeet. 

********

Styles returned the Intercontinental title to Nick Aldis. (Aldis was filling in for the vacationing Adam Pearce, which they did not explain.) Aldis informed Styles he was getting an IC title match against Dom at Night of Champions. 

Bayley approached Aldis next, and he put her in an IC title match against Lynch next week. Bayley was happy. (I guess Aldis has full control.) 

Valkyria approached Bayley. Bayley apologized for not returning her texts and calls over the past few months. Valkyria was annoyed but understood that Bayley was simply doing what was best for her. Valkyria said she would do what was best for her, too. 

********

Kairi Sane vs. Women’s Tag Team Champion Liv Morgan 

The match was stopped due to an injury. The first spot of the match was Sane going for a takedown, and Morgan came up injured. She rolled out of the ring, and officials checked on her as she grabbed her arm/shoulder. 

They showed a bunch of replays, and it wouldn’t have looked like much if you didn’t know Morgan was hurt. She appeared to land hard on her right arm/elbow, and the reaction on her face said it all. 

During a break, they announced Morgan couldn’t continue, and Sane was declared the winner. Sane celebrated. 

Match result: Kairi Sane defeated Liv Morgan via injury stoppage 

Cole announced that Morgan suffered a dislocated shoulder.

********

There was a John Cena/CM Punk video package. They didn’t shy away from Cena’s hypocrite line. 

********

Sami Zayn did an interview backstage until he was interrupted by Karrion Kross. Kross thought Zayn was insane for doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result. (That’s not the definition of insanity.) Kross said Randy Orton would beat Zayn, go on to win his 15th title, and Zayn would stay at zero. 

Zayn called Kross a coward for lurking in the shadows. Zayn wondered if Kross had the courage to back up his words. Zayn has talked a big game, lost and had the courage to pick himself up and go back out there again. Kross couldn’t say the same. 

Zayn was tired of hearing from Kross. Zayn’s focus was KOTR, but the second that was done, he would get Pearce to put them in a match. Kross said it was about time. 

********

Next week on Raw in Columbus, OH: 

  • Becky Lynch vs. Bayley for the Women’s Intercontinental title 
  • Queen of the Ring semi-final match: Jade Cargill vs. Roxanne Perez 
  • King of the Ring semi-final match: Cody Rhodes vs. Jey Uso  

********

King of the Ring first round fatal four-way: Jey Uso vs. Rusev vs. Sheamus vs. Bronson Reed (w/ Paul Heyman) 

They went to break 90 seconds in after Jey hit Rusev with a suicide dive. Jey’s ribs were taped, and Reed targeted his midsection during the break. Jey handed out superkicks to everyone after the break. Rusev didn’t go down, so Jey tried another, but Rusev clotheslined him. 

Reed tossed Sheamus over the barricade, but Sheamus emerged to give him ten (or twenty) beats of the BodhrĂĄn. Jey superkicked Sheamus and went for a running hip attack on Reed, but Rusev knocked down Jey again. 

Rusev and Sheamus finally went at it in the ring. They each hit big moves before exchanging right hands until Reed squished them in the corner. Reed also gave Jey a world’s strongest slam ahead of another break. 

Jey and Sheamus went back and forth until Sheamus hit a backbreaker. The crowd cheered as Sheamus got big Bronson on his shoulders to hit a White Noise, but Rusev broke up the cover. Rusev slammed Sheamus onto Reed. 

Jey handed out superkicks again, but Rusev blocked a superkick and applied the Accolade. Sheamus flew in with a knee strike, but Reed broke up the cover with a senton. Reed followed with a Tsunami on Sheamus, but Jey broke up the cover. 

Jey speared Reed, but surprise, surprise: there was interference. Bron Breakker shoved Jey off the top rope, so Sami Zayn ran in and posted Breakker. Zayn went for a Helluva Kick, but Breakker grabbed him by the throat and tossed him over the announce table. Penta flew in and wiped out Breakker with a dive. 

Reed hit Jey with a DVD, but there was more interference. This time, LA Knight shoved Reed off the top. Jey speared Reed again and consecutive Uso splashes for the pinfall win. 

Jey Uso advances to face Cody Rhodes on Raw next week. 

— Seth Rollins marched down to go after Jey, but he stopped as Cody Rhodes’ music hit. Rhodes entered to a huge reaction to face off with Rollins. They stared each other down until Rollins left the ring. 

Rhodes and Jey faced off before shaking hands. 

Match result: Jey Uso defeated Bronson Reed, Sheamus and Rusev to advance in King of the Ring (17:24)

(This was a fun match, but with tons of interference. You’ll often wonder where the hell all the good guys are when the heel group is running roughshod, so at least we got a satisfying ending here.)Â