Tag: penta

Penta names next two goals for WWE career

Posted on by Joseph Currier

At the moment, Penta is focused on two big goals that he has for his WWE career.

The overarching aim for Penta is to “conquer everything” in WWE. But he told the Battleground Podcast he’s narrowed that down to two things he’s focusing on in the present. First, he wants to win the Intercontinental Championship from Dominik Mysterio. Penta then wants to make his mark on WrestleMania history in April 2026.

“I have two goals. The first one is the most important, is the Intercontinental Championship against Dominik Mysterio,” Penta said. “He is a fake luchador. He is a fake son. He is a fake friend. He is, basically, a fake man.

“And the second one is the WrestleMania 42. Because in 2026, Penta will be one of the best matches in all history of the WrestleManias. These are my two goals in my present. So I’m excited. My preparation now — I push the limit in my mind and my body for this kind of stuff. So I’m ready for everything.”

Penta made his WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania 41, taking part in a four-way match where Dominik won the Intercontinental Championship. Dominik has held the title since then, along with adding the AAA Mega Championship to his collection.

When asked about potentially reuniting his Lucha Brothers tag team with Rey Fenix, Penta said he’s enjoying his singles run but would also like to join forces with his brother again and conquer WWE. Teaming up with Fenix against The Usos is one of Penta’s dream matches.

Penta and Fenix are currently on opposite WWE brands with Penta on Raw and Fenix on SmackDown.

WWE Raw lineup: Two new matches added

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Two new matches have been added to the card for today’s WWE Raw in Paris, France.

Following Clash in Paris, WWE is back at Paris La Defense Arena this afternoon for the final stop on its European tour. It was already known that an Intercontinental Championship bout between Dominik Mysterio and AJ Styles would be taking place on the episode. Now, two more matches have been confirmed.

The Kabuki Warriors will team up against Judgment Day’s Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez. Plus, there will be a six-man tag match pitting New Day and their new ally Grayson Waller against The War Raiders & Penta.

Today’s show has a special start time of 2 p.m. Eastern, streaming live on Netflix worldwide. Here is everything that has been announced:

WWE Raw (Monday, September 1) —

  • Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio defends against AJ Styles
  • The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane) vs. Judgment Day (Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez)
  • The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) & Grayson Waller vs. War Raiders (Erik & Ivar) & Penta
  • We’ll get an update on Roman Reigns following the stretcher angle at Clash in Paris
  • There will be an update on the vacant Women’s World Championship

Grudge match set for next WWE Raw

Posted on by Ethan Renner

A grudge involving a $12,000 hat will be settled on next week’s WWE Raw.

WWE revealed during this week’s episode that Penta and Xavier Woods will go one-on-one on the Monday, August 18 episode, a match stemming from a memorable hat theft on the August 4 show.

Penta took on the New Day-adjacent Grayson Waller on the August 4 Raw, while Kofi Kingston and Woods looked on. Woods was wearing a gigantic hat. The hat came off in a post-match brawl between Penta and Woods, with Penta then hitting his Smooth Operator taunt while wearing the hat in question.

On this week’s show, Woods said that the hat was valued at $12,000 and that Penta had made a mockery of it. Raw GM Adam Pearce then made Woods vs. Penta official for next week’s show.

Next Monday’s Raw will also continue the build to the Clash in Paris PLE set for August 31.

WWE Raw, Monday, August 18 —

  • Penta vs. Xavier Woods

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 Bálor 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: Night of Champions fallout

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: June 30, 2025
Location: PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA 

The Big Takeaway —

WWE began announcing matches for Evolution, but it wasn’t exactly a hard push, as they also plugged matches for Saturday Night’s Main Event, in addition to plugging event details for SummerSlam and Clash in Paris. 

At Evolution, Iyo Sky will defend her title against Rhea Ripley, Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez will defend the tag titles against teams from Raw, SmackDown and NXT in a four-way, and there will be a battle royal to determine a new number one contender for either brand’s belt. Perez is officially one-half of the Women’s Tag Team Champions and officially a member of Judgment Day. 

Judgment Day is now also in possession of the World Tag Team titles after Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh beat New Day. 

CM Punk attacked Seth Rollins but will have to wait to get his hands on him in the ring, as Rollins will first fight LA Knight at SNME. 

Rusev beat Sheamus, and Ludwig Kaiser may be the new El Grande Americano. 

Read more below. 

**********

Show Recap — 

There was a recap of Night of Champions from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It began with them talking about how great the city and the country are. The recap included ‘headlines’ from various news/sports outlets, one of which claimed that Sam Zayn pulled off a “miracle win” over Karrion Kross. That was from CBS, where someone just repeated what Michael Cole said in the commentary. 

Sami Zayn (impressed by a picture of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin hoisting the Stanley Cup), Penta, New Day, and Sheamus were shown arriving at the arena in Pittsburgh. 

Corey Graves is once again on commentary with Cole, in place of Pat McAfee. 

Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY segment 

Ripley entered to a big reaction and welcomed us to “Monday Night Mami.” (Must everyone do this?) Ripley said Judgment Day was finally behind her, and she wanted to get her priorities straight ahead of Evolution. 

Iyo Sky quickly interrupted. Sky said you could not have Evolution without her, but Ripley was wrong about one thing. Ripley was not on top—not without the title. Adam Pearce told Sky that she could defend her title against the opponent of her choice at Evolution. Sky wanted to defend against the best, and that meant defending against Ripley. 

Ripley said she had nothing but respect for Sky, but warned her that she would stop at nothing to get the title back. Ripley accepted the match at Evolution.

******** 

Backstage, Dominik Mysterio wished luck to Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh in their title match. After they left, Dom was confronted by AJ Styles. 

Dom presented a doctor’s note proving he was not medically cleared. Dom wondered if Styles needed glasses to read the note. Styles, in fact, put glasses on to read the note—and the note said Dom was a punk ass. That got a good laugh from the crowd. Styles warned Dom he would do a lot worse to him once he got his hands on him. 

******** 

This is only the second time Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods have wrestled since winning the tag titles at WrestleMania over two months ago.

World Tag Team Championships: The New Day vs. Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh 

The match started with Kingston offering Bálor a piece of bread so he could have some carbs, but Bálor pushed it away. 

New Day worked over McDonagh throughout a commercial break. Bálor made a hot tag, which got a nice pop, and he ran wild on New Day. Bálor hit a slingblade and went for a dropkick, but Kingston cut him off with a leaping double foot stomp. 

They tagged out, and McDonagh hit Woods with an Asai moonsault, but Woods got his boots up on a moonsault in the ring. Bálor made a blind tag and went for a Coup de Grâce on Woods, but Woods moved, and Bálor hit McDonagh by mistake. 

Woods rolled up Bálor for a nearfall. New Day hit Bálor with Midnight Hour next for a close nearfall.  Each team took turns cheating behind the referee’s back, leading to Woods hitting Bálor with a title belt from behind, but Bálor kicked out yet again. McDonagh got back in and hit Woods with an avalanche Spanish Fly, but Kingston broke up the cover. 

Bálor gave Kingston a slingblade outside the ring, McDonagh hit Woods with a moonsault, and Bálor hit Woods with a Coup de Grâce for the pinfall win. Judgment Day are the new tag champs.

Dom joined Bálor and McDonagh in the aisle to celebrate as fireworks went off. 

The notoriously quiet Pittsburgh crowd was really into this, and they popped huge for Judgment Day winning.

Match result: Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh defeated The New Day to win the World Tag Team Championships (12:24)

This was really good on all fronts. The match was fun, and the crowd was into the heel team that happened to be playing babyfaces tonight. 

It may be premature to take the titles off New Day, but they’ve done next to nothing since turning heel, and even less since winning the titles. That’s not all their fault, but that’s where we are. 

********

Jackie Redmond interviewed Bayley. Bayley said she should be the current IC champion, but Lyra Valkyria got in her way. Bayley’s goal has not changed. 

Valkyria interrupted. Valkyria was offended because Bayley wouldn’t return her messages, but would talk about her behind her back. They had a heated argument, basically over who hated Becky Lynch more. 

They screamed at each other until Pearce interrupted and screamed even louder for them to stop. He made a match between the two tonight, and the winner would face Lynch for the title. 

********

Maxxine Dupri, Natalya, and Akira Tozawa greeted Sheamus as he warmed up backstage. 

There was a Grayson Waller interview during a break. He was inspired by New Day cutting the dead weight and turning on Big E, and thought he could learn something. (That was seven months ago.) 

There was a Goldberg video package set to “Dominate” by Three Days Grace. 

********

Chad Gable spoke to American Made backstage. Pearce joined to say he was sorry to hear about Gable’s injury and wished him luck. Gable said he made his own luck. Pearce figured we wouldn’t be seeing El Grande Americano for a while. Gable said he was a busy man, “but you never know.” 

After Pearce left, Gable gave his teammates their marching orders. Brutus Creed said they would be lost without him. Gable told them to listen to Ivy Nile. Gable left. (Ludwig Kaiser was eavesdropping in the background.) 

********

Bálor and McDonagh approached Pearce and Nick Aldis backstage. Bálor said Raquel Rodriguez has worked very hard to be the tag champ, and it would be mean to strip her of the titles (because of Liv Morgan’s injury). Bálor suggested they give her a new partner: Roxanne Perez. 

Pearce and Aldis huddled over the idea and agreed to it. However, they wanted Rodriguez and Perez to prove themselves as a team, so they would have to defend the belts at Evolution against a team from Raw, SmackDown and NXT. Bálor and McDonagh were initially caught off guard by this but agreed. 

******** 

Rusev entered and waited in the ring for almost ten minutes before the match began (thanks to a break and the above segment). 

Cole screeched, “It’s fight niiiight, baby!” as Sheamus entered. He should not do that again. 

Rusev vs. Sheamus 

They’ve been in multi-man matches since, but this was their first singles match since 2014. 

They clobbered each other until Sheamus brought Rusev off the apron with a powerslam to the outside. Rusev took over during a break after Sheamus went shoulder-first into the ring post. 

Sheamus began no-selling Rusev’s kicks and kept inviting him to do more. Sheamus got to his feet and fired up. He hit a backbreaker, followed by a diving knee drop, but Rusev kicked out at one. Rusev came back with a spinning heel kick for two, and a fallaway slam for two. Rusev hit a superplex ahead of another break. 

Rusev held control during the break, and not much happened until Sheamus hit a White Noise right on time for them to return from break. They took turns clobbering each other some more until Sheamus hit a powerslam. Sheamus hit ten fifteen beats of the Bodhrán and went for a Brogue, but Rusev ducked it (sort of). Sheamus fought him off again and hit consecutive running knee strikes for a nearfall. 

Rusev responded with a uranage and a jumping kick. He applied the Accolade, but Sheamus managed to get to his feet while hoisting Rusev on his back. They spilled out of the ring, and Sheamus hit Rusev with a Brogue Kick, and Rusev just barely avoided a count-out. 

They battled on the apron until Rusev thumbed Sheamus in the eye. He exposed the inanimate metal rod (off the top turnbuckle) and rammed Sheamus into it. Both of these things happened right in front of the referee. Rusev followed with a  Machka Kick for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Rusev defeated Sheamus (20:22)

This was pretty good until the finish. However, it did drag at times, particularly during the commercials, and the finish was stupid. Graves tried to claim that the referee didn’t see Rusev poke Sheamus in the eye, but you could hear the ref screaming at him for doing that. 

********

Pearce and Aldis announced a battle royal at Evolution, and the winner would earn a title match at Clash in Paris. (This was not the most inspiring announcement.) 

Redmond interviewed American Made. Nile spoke about the battle royal until El Grande Americano suddenly appeared. He nodded at them and left. (It was Ludwig Kaiser.) Redmond asked them for comment. An excited Brutus was about to say something, but Nile cut him off. They left. 

Redmond was about to interview Sami Zayn nearby, but he was attacked by Karrion Kross. Kross attacked Zayn with a pipe until officials broke it up.

********

Byron Saxton interviewed Stephanie Vaquer during a break. Vaquer was excited for the battle royal. (It sounds like whoever wins will get to pick which champion they face.) She didn’t come to Raw to be second place, and if she won the battle royal. She planned on facing the Raw champion. Vaquer has traveled the world and would not stop until she was the world champion. 

(Perhaps she’ll win, but a battle royal doesn’t seem to be the best use of Vaquer on an all-women PPV.) 

********

Members of the Pittsburgh Steelers, including Cam Heyward, were shown at ringside. 

Gunther segment (Seth Rollins, CM Punk, LA Knight get involved) 

Gunther spoke about the impressive Goldberg video package. Goldberg was violent, brutal and destructive. But just like his matches, all of his highlights were summed up in three minutes. 

Gunther was not afraid of what was left of Goldberg. He was a 58-year-old man, riding out his career at Gunther’s expense. That was not going to happen because Goldberg was not capable of taking the title from him. Gunther knew he could beat Goldberg in three minutes, but that was not his goal. 

Gunther would take his time, blow him up, and embarrass him in front of everyone who loved him. Goldberg said he didn’t like bullies, “but too bad you bumped into the biggest bully around here.” Gunther planned on bullying him and treating him like trash, and there was nothing he could do about it. 

Goldberg wanted to prove he still had it, but Gunther would prove he never had it. Once it was over, it would be Gunther’s turn to ask, “Who’s next?” 

Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman entered. Gunther made fun of Rollins for travelling very far (NOC) to accomplish nothing. Rollins laughed at the statement. Rollins informed him they did not go to NOC to cash in on John Cena. 

Rollins made it clear that as long as he was alive, CM Punk would not be a champion in WWE. They flew across the world to stand on that business. (Fans chanted for Punk.) Rollins told Gunther that winning MITB meant an all-out assault on both championships. 

Punk’s music hit, and he sprinted to the ring to attack Rollins. Rollins bailed through the crowd as Punk called him a coward. (The crowd chanted for Punk again.) 

Punk was about to leave until Gunther grabbed him by the arm. Punk shoved Gunther, and Gunther actually fell to the mat. (Gunther looked nonplussed about being shoved down by Punk.) A pissed-off Punk marched to the back. 

Rollins was amused as he stood in the stands, but was attacked from behind by LA Knight. They fought into the concourse (which was conveniently blocked off from the fans). Rollins tossed a drink in Knight’s face and ran away. 

********

Judgment Day celebrated backstage. Perez happily held her new tag title belt. Rodriguez was upset that they were replacing Morgan so quickly and said she’s been rehabbing hard. Bálor knew from experience how hard it was to come back from a shoulder injury, and he just wanted to see Rodriguez stay champion. Rodriguez reluctantly agreed. 

Bálor called for a vote to declare Perez an official member of Judgment Day. They all voted ‘yes’ (Dom and Rodriguez were reluctant). Bálor was very happy. 

******** 

There was a Kairi Sane video package.

Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria

Bayley targeted Valkyria’s back and applied a Boston Crab until Valkyria got a rope break. They collided with a dueling crossbody attempts ahead of a break. Valkyria took over, but you would’ve missed all her offence because it happened entirely within a commercial break. 

Bayley fought back when they returned and hit a superplex. They tried dueling cradles, but both kicked out. Valkyria spilled out of the ring after a Bayley back suplex, and Bayley followed with a leaping elbow drop off the steps. Valkyria responded with a swinging neckbreaker, but Bayley hit a sunset flip powerbomb into the corner for two. Valkyria hit a gutwrench sit-out powerbomb for two. 

They traded cradles, which led to a double pinfall spot with both women’s shoulders down. The referee called the match a draw. 

You knew we would get a finish like this as soon as the match was announced. (Or a DQ.) The match itself was pretty good until the flat finish. 

— Bayley grabbed Valkyria, but Valkyria turned around and hit a clothesline. They wound up brawling into the crowd until officials broke it up. 

Match result: Bayley and Lyra Valkyria wrestled to a draw (10:19) 

********

Seth Rollins will face LA Knight at SNME. 

Redmond caught up to Punk backstage. Punk said he had receipts for Rollins, Heyman, Bron-Bron, Gunther and anyone else who got in his way. 

Punk confronted Knight nearby. He told Knight that Rollins belonged to him and to get to the back of the line. Knight said he has Rollins at SNME, so he was the line. Knight yelled, “Yeah!” in Punk’s face and left. 

********

Penta checked with Zayn to see if he still wanted to wrestle. Zayn, who was tapped up, was ready to go. 

******** 

Heyman was on the phone with Rollins, and Bronson Reed asked him, “Where’s the Visionary?” (A normal question.) Heyman said Rollins was already on a jet, perfecting plan B. Reed wanted to know what that was. Before Heyman could answer, Bron Breakker interrupted and said the plan was for him to smash whoever got in their way. Heyman wasn’t sure that was the plan, but Breakker didn’t care and told some guy to hit his music. (I liked this bit from Bron.) 

Sami Zayn & Penta vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed (w/Paul Heyman)

Penta and Zayn did Penta’s little walk before wiping out their opponents with dives. It didn’t matter because Reed caught Penta out of mid-air during a break and hit a World’s Strongest Slam. 

Penta made a comeback following the break and tagged in Zayn, who wiped out both guys with an Arabian Press. A battle in the corner led to Zayn hitting Reed with a sunset flip powerbomb for two. Reed came right back with a DVD for two. Bron knocked Zayn over the announce table with a leaping clothesline ahead of another break. The heels took over again. 

As you know, there’s a timer in the corner letting people know when the commercial break is over. Well, it’s also telling you when the babyface will make their comeback. Zayn fought back the moment they returned from break and made a hot tag to Penta. 

Penta hit Bron with a flying crossbody, kicked his leg out of his leg, and hit a slingblade. Penta hit a dropkick in the corner and snapped Bron’s arm. Arm snapping appears to do nothing, because Bron got him up next in a military press, but Penta countered into a DDT. 

Heyman distracted the ref, which allowed Reed to knock Penta down on the top rope. Bron followed with a Frankensteiner, and Reed hit a sit-out powerbomb, but Zayn broke up the cover. 

Penta avoided a Tsunami and tagged in Zayn, who hit Bron with an exploder in the corner. Zayn went for a Helluva Kick, but Bron clotheslined him. Bron went for a spear, but Zayn booted him (Cole completely undersold that spot), and Reed broke up the cover. 

Zayn tried a vertical suplex on Reed but couldn’t get him up. Penta attacked Reed from the apron, and Zayn managed to hit Reed with the suplex. The crowd popped, but it didn’t matter because Reed wasn’t the legal man. Bron speared Zayn for the pinfall win. 

— Penta checked on Zayn after the match, but Bron speared him. Reed went up for a Tsunami, but Jey Uso entered with a steel chair. Jey beat up Bron and Bronson with the chair and stood tall with Zayn and Penta. 

Match result: Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed defeated Sami Zayn & Penta (18:24)

Rhea Ripley segment, Sami Zayn & Penta vs. Breakker & Reed set for WWE Raw

Posted on by Ian Carey

Raw General Manager Adam Pearce has announced several additions to the lineup for Monday’s show.

Penta and Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed is now scheduled after all four got involved in the Night of Champions main event on Saturday.

Gunther will appear live with a message for Goldberg. Nick Aldis and Pearce will also deliver a message that will “bring things into focus” for Evolution 2, and Rhea Ripley will open the show.

“After what happened at Night of Champions, Sami Zayn teams with Penta to take on Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed,” Pearce says in the video.

“And the World Heavyweight Champion Gunther is in the house with a message for Goldberg.”

“Rhea Ripley opens the show. Nick Aldis and I will also be there with a message to bring things into focus for Evolution. And that is official.”

This week’s edition of Raw takes place at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. The July 4 edition of SmackDown will also be taped on Monday. Raw will start two hours earlier than usual this week, beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern.

WWE Raw, Monday, June 30, 6 p.m. Eastern time on Netflix —

  • Rhea Ripley opens the show
  • Sami Zayn & Penta vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed
  • World Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) defend against The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & JD McDonagh)
  • Sheamus vs. Rusev
  • Gunther has a message for Goldberg
  • Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce have a message that will “bring Evolution into focus”

Bron Breakker vs. Penta, Goldberg interview added to WWE Raw

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Bron Breakker and Penta will square off on Raw.

Adam Pearce made the announcement in a video posted on social media. The two will face off after Penta attacked Breakker at the end of last week’s show, preventing Breakker from interfering in Bronson Reed’s King of the Ring qualifying match. Jey Uso emerged as the winner, moving on to face Cody Rhodes in the King of the Ring semifinal already announced for Monday.

Seth Rollins, the leader of the new group that features Breakker, Reed, and Paul Heyman, is also set to speak.

Pearce additionally announced that Goldberg will sit down for an interview to talk about his upcoming World Championship match against Gunther. The former WCW Champion returned on last week’s Raw and confronted Gunther, setting up what is being advertised as his last match.

WWE Raw lineup for June 23, 2025:

  • Women’s Intercontinental title: Becky Lynch defends against Bayley
  • King of the Ring semifinals: Cody Rhodes vs. Jey Uso
  • Queen of the Ring semifinals: Jade Cargill vs. Roxanne Perez
  • We will hear from Seth Rollins
  • Bron Breakker vs. Penta
  • Goldberg sit-down interview

Seth Rollins, Penta qualify for WWE Money in the Bank

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Two more wrestlers have qualified for the men’s WWE Money in the Bank ladder match.

Seth Rollins and Penta won their respective qualifying matches on Monday’s Raw to qualify for the men’s ladder match for a future title shot at the Money in the Bank PLE set for Saturday, June 7.

Rollins was victorious in the main event triple threat qualifier over Sami Zayn and Finn Balor, while PEnta defeated Dragon Lee and Chad Gable in a three-way qualifying match earlier in the show.

Four men and four women have qualified for the Money in the Bank ladder matches. One of the final two spots in the women’s ladder match will be filled on this Friday’s SmackDown when Nia Jax, Naomi, and Jade Cargill square off in a three-way. Another men’s qualifier will be decided on SmackDown with Jacob Fatu vs. Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes.

It would stand to reason, though not officially announced yet, that the final men’s and women’s qualifying matches will take place on next Monday’s Raw.

The update WWE Money in the Bank lineup:

WWE Money in the Bank, Saturday, June 7 —

  • Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match: Seth Rollins vs. Penta vs. LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa vs. 2 TBD
  • Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match: Rhea Ripley vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Giulia vs. 2 TBD
  • John Cena and Logan Paul vs. Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso
  • Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria defends against Becky Lynch

Penta vs. Chad Gable, Jey Uso appearance set for WWE Raw

Posted on by Ian Carey

Adam Pearce has announced two new additions to the lineup for Monday’s episode of WWE Raw.

In a video posted to social media on Sunday, Pearce revealed that Penta will face Chad Gable on the show. Gable, as El Grande Americano, interfered and cost Penta his Intercontinental title match against Dominik Mysterio at Backlash on Saturday.

“After falling short in his quest to become the Intercontinental Champion, tomorrow night Penta goes one-on-one with El Grande Americano’s acquaintance, I guess you could call him that, it’s Penta vs. Chad Gable,” Pearce said in the video.

The Raw General Manager also announced that Jey Uso will be live on Raw to address being sucker punched by Logan Paul on last week’s show.

Monday’s episode of Raw will take place at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Four matches have been made official for the show.

WWE Raw lineup for Monday, May 12:

  • Penta vs. Chad Gable
  • AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor
  • The War Raiders (Erik and Ivar) vs. American Made (Julius Creed and Brutus Creed)
  • IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley vs. Roxanne Perez and Giulia
  • CM Punk will appear
  • Jey Uso to speak

Intercontinental title match added to WWE Backlash

Posted on by Ethan Renner

A new match has been added to Saturday’s WWE Backlash event, and the Intercontinental Championship will be on the line.

IC Champion Dominik Mysterio will defend his title against Penta at Backlash on Saturday, May 10 in St. Louis. The new match for Saturday was announced during Monday’s WWE Raw.

Mysterio won the title in a four-way match at WrestleMania 41 also involving Penta. Mysterio retained the title in his first defense against Penta on the Raw after WrestleMania after interference from JD McDonagh. Penta then defeated McDonagh on this week’s Raw to set up the title bout.

Five matches are official for Backlash. The two-hour pre-show begins at 5 p.m. Eastern time, with the main card kicking off at 7 p.m. Eastern.

WWE Backlash, Saturday, May 10 —

  • Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena defends against Randy Orton
  • Gunther vs. Pat McAfee
  • Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria defends against Becky Lynch
  • Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio defends against Penta
  • United States Champion Jacob Fatu defends against Drew McIntyre, LA Knight, and Damian Priest in a four-way

Rusev in-ring return booked for next week’s WWE Raw

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Rusev’s first match back in WWE is set for next week.

During this week’s Raw, it was announced that the former United States Champion will be in action next week, taking on Otis. On the Raw following WrestleMania 41 Rusev made his return to the company, taking out both Akira Tozawa and Otis of Alpha Academy and even put Otis in the accolade.

In a vignette that aired on Monday, Rusev talked about how he had it all at one time, but he had lost himself and left the WWE. On his way home to Bulgaria he fell into the abyss. But in the abyss was where he found and fixed himself. He will take out those wasting their talent and will hunt them, forgive them, then fixed them like he fixed himself.

Another match was announced for next week pitting Penta against JD McDonagh. Penta appeared during a Judgment Day/War Raiders match on Monday and prevented Carlito from interfering. He then dropped McDonagh as he was on the top rope, allowing The War Raiders to get the win.

After he was fined backstage for his interference, Chad Gable mocked Penta and said his favorite part of WrestleMania was seeing Rey Fenix lose to El Grande Americano. Penta attacked him before eventually leaving.

WWE Raw, Monday, May 5 —

  • Rusev vs. Otis
  • JD McDonagh vs. Penta

WWE WrestleMania night two notes: More celebrities, announced attendance

Posted on by Josh Nason

Here are some news and notes from Sunday’s second night of WWE WrestleMania 41 action from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Celebrities in the house

Much like during night one, a large amount of celebrities and luminaries were shown on-screen for the second night.

The list included comedian Tony Hinchcliffe who will host The Roast of WrestleMania Sunday night; musicians Flavor Flav, Ava Max, Quavo, and Rich The Kid; music producer Metro Boomin; Jahmyr Gibbs of the NFL’s Detroit Lions; former UFC two-division champion Daniel Cormier, current UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili and UFC fighter Colby Covington; boxer Terence Crawford, and actors Dean Norris, Vanessa Hudgens (also at night one), and Rana Daggubati.

Additionally, Slayer guitarist Kerry King played Damian Priest down to the ring. King plays the guitar for Priest’s entrance theme with his South of Heaven finisher named for a Slayer song.

Attendance

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin was the legend designated to give the attendance for the evening: a sold-out 63,226 and a two-night attendance of 124,693. As of 4 PM EST, WrestleTix reported just over 60,000 distributed with a setup of just over 60,000.

Much like night one, the announced number is shy of the 63,969 for the 2024 Vegas Kickoff Classic between USC and LSU but more than the 61,629 announced for that same year’s Super Bowl. Night one’s attendance was announced as 61,467.

Before he did that, he managed to drive his four-wheeler into a barricade which appeared to knock a woman down. After Austin did his business, WWE head Nick Khan was seen checking on the woman.

WrestleMania Debuts

After Jacob Fatu, Tiffany Stratton and Rey Fenix made their official WrestleMania debuts Saturday, even more made their first in-ring appearance on the big stage Sunday.

TNA World Champion Joe Hendry answered the open challenge to take on Randy Orton following Kevin Owens’ neck injury. Even though he isn’t under WWE contract, it’s the second major PLE Hendry has appeared at in 2025 following his debut at the Royal Rumble.

After Fenix debuted Saturday, Penta made his debut Sunday, failing to win the WWE Intercontinental title in a four-way. That match featured Bron Breakker, who also made his WrestleMania debut in losing the belt to Dominik Mysterio.

Reigning Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria made her WrestleMania debut memorable by winning the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles with the returning Becky Lynch.

Penta vs. Dominik Mysterio, World Tag Team title match announced for WWE Raw

Posted on by Ian Carey

A new match has been added to the lineup for Monday’s episode of WWE Raw.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Penta is now scheduled for the show. Penta first announced the match on his Facebook page yesterday, noting that he plans on giving Mysterio a belated birthday gift (Mysterio turned 28 on Saturday). WWE later confirmed the bout.

Penta is coming off his first pinfall loss in WWE, which happened last week on Raw when he and Bron Breakker lost a tag match to Judgment Day’s Finn Balor and Mysterio. Balor scored the pin on Penta following a Coup de Grace.

Additionally, a World Tag Team title match has been added. Champions the War Raiders will face off against The New Day, who defeated the reunited New Catch Republic during last week’s Raw.

Paul Heyman will also be at Raw following the events that took place on SmackDown. On Friday, he officially revealed that he will be cornering CM Punk at WrestleMania, fufilling the favor he owed Punk. Roman Reigns told him to drop the idea, but Heyman refused.

WWE Raw this week is set for Monday, April 7, at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The updated lineup is as follows:

WWE Raw advertised lineup for Monday, April 7, 2025:

  • WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria defends against Bayley
  • Seth Rollins returns
  • El Grande Americano returns to action
  • Penta vs. Dominik Mysterio
  • World Tag Team titles: War Raiders defend against The New Day
  • Paul Heyman will appear

Penta reacts to Fenix joining WWE, names dream match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Penta is excited to have his brother Fenix joining him in WWE.

Fenix will make his WWE debut on tonight’s SmackDown from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. While it seems inevitable that they’ll reunite their Lucha Brothers tag team at some point, the two are starting off on opposite brands with Penta currently on the Raw roster.

During an interview with WWE Deutschland, Penta called Fenix the best wrestler in the world.

“Yeah, man. Finally,” Penta responded when asked how proud he is of Fenix ahead of his WWE debut. “It’s very simple — the best wrestler in the world comes for the best company in the world, man. This is my brother.”

Penta told WWE Deutschland that, while he doesn’t know if it will ever happen, he dreams of facing Fenix in a mask vs. mask match in the distant future.

“This is my dream match: Penta vs. Fenix mask vs. mask,” Penta said. “I don’t know when, maybe only in my mind happens that. But maybe in 10 years… maybe it’s possible, I don’t know.”

Videos building up Fenix’s arrival began airing on SmackDown last month following his departure from AEW. Dave Meltzer confirmed in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Fenix’s first WWE program is planned to be against Andrade. In advance of his debut, WWE Shop has released its first Fenix merchandise with two T-shirt designs and a mask available.

On Raw, Penta has been featured in the Intercontinental title mix with a multi-man match expected to take place at WrestleMania 41. Bron Breakker is the current champion.