Tag: raw live results

WWE Raw live results: Royal Rumble fallout

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: February 2, 2026
Location: Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, PA 

The Big Takeaway —

Roman Reigns will face CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 42.

**********

Show Recap — 

Instead of the usual start, Raw kicked off immediately with a shot of Bron Breakker marching around ringside. He tore up the announce table and confronted the announcers, who begged off. Breakker tossed the announce table over and demanded a mic. 

Breakker entered the ring as his Vision teammates frantically made their way down. Breakker called out Adam Pearce as the Vision and Paul Heyman urged him to calm down. Breakker accused Pearce of ruining his Rumble appearance, and he threatened to ruin Raw. 

Heyman took the mic as the Vision continued to talk down Breakker. Heyman said this was all Pearce’s fault. Pearce has to approve every Visa for the trip, so he had to know who the masked man was. He also accused Pearce again of making Bron the number two entrant. 

Breakker grabbed the mic and demanded that Pearce come out. Pearce entered and was guarded by security. Pearce was in no mood for this. Pearce reminded them that the Rumble drawing was random. He said he would give Breakker a gift and let him keep his job after that piss-poor performance on Saturday. 

Breakker snapped and scrambled out of the ring (tripping over in the process because he was so upset), but he was stopped by Bronson Reed before he could try to get through security. Pearce bailed. 

LA Knight’s music hit. He appeared from the crowd and blindsided Austin Theory and Logan Paul with a steel chair. Reed chased him off. An upset Breakker went to the back.

(This was a good start to the show. The only negative was Theory and Paul got up almost right away and weren’t selling the Knight chair shots.) 

******** 

There was a Royal Rumble recap video. Liv Morgan, Stephanie Vaquer, and Gunther were shown at the arena earlier today. 

They let us know Je’Von Evans lasted the longest in the men’s Rumble match with a time of 40:58.  

Je’Von Evans vs. El Grande Americano (w/ Bravo & Rayo Americano) 

Evans’ shoulder and ribs were taped up. He was off to a good start until he missed a Stinger splash. El Grande took over, and there was a modest, “We want Gable” chant. Evans came right back and hit a crazy leaping dive to the outside, almost flying right over El Grande. 

Evans was distracted by Rayo, so El Grande nailed a dropkick on the apron and lawn-darted him into the ring post. El Grande had control through a break, and it was really dull. (Perhaps they need to be reminded that much of the world can see what they’re doing, or not doing, during commercials.) 

Evans fought back with chops, forearms, kicks, and a satellite DDT. Evans fought out of a submission hold, and with El Grande lying on the other side of the ring, Evans went to the top and hit a senton leg drop all the way to the other side. It was a long way to go, so he didn’t quite nail it. 

Rayo distracted the referee, allowing Bravo to trip Evans off the top rope. Rayo handed El Grande the metal plate while the ref dealt with Bravo. The original El Grande Americano (Chad Gable) entered to his music and posed in the aisle. 

The distraction allowed Evans to hit a running knee strike and OG Cutter for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Je’Von Evans defeated El Grande Americano (Ludwig Kaiser) (12:30)

This match was ok. It was a bit more deliberately paced than I expected, with a lot of striking. The crowd liked Evans, but they were pretty quiet during the bulk of the match.  

********

Michael Cole announced an attendance of 13,746. 

There was a Rumble video package, this time highlighting some of the newer faces from NXT, recent callups, and Royce Keys (Powerhouse Hobbs). 

Jimmy and Jey entered during a break. Jimmy’s back after being gone for a few weeks as the company was out of the country. They issued a warning shot to Alpha Academy, who they would be defending their tag titles against next week. They shouted out Roman Reigns for winning the Royal Rumble, and that was that. 

Cole congratulated Bad Bunny and Jelly Roll on their success at the Grammy Awards. 

******** 

Gunther segment

AJ Styles’ music hit, and the crowd cheered, but Gunther excitedly walked out instead and did Styles’ pose. The crowd booed as Gunther tried to speak. Eventually, he said Styles found out what Goldberg and John Cena did. When you step in the ring with the career killer, your career and legacy die. 

Dragon Lee ran out as Gunther spoke. He attacked Gunther, nailed a great-looking suicide dive, and sent him into the ring post using a hurricanrana. 

Dragon Lee charged at Gunther while he was in the timekeeper’s area, but Gunther popped up and nailed him with the ring bell. Gunther put him in the dreaded sleeper hold until officials quickly broke it up. 

Gunther went into the ring and picked Dragon Lee up by his mask (while Lee was ringside). Gunther put him in the sleeper again, this time with Dragon dangling over the side of the ring. Officials desperately tried to pull Gunther away (including Shawn Daivari, who grabbed Gunther by the hair), but he only let go after Lee passed out. Gunther put his coat on and left. 

********

There was a replay of Reed and Logan trying to kill Knight weeks back when Reed gave him a Tsunami on top of a car. 

Heyman approached Pearce and asked him to make a match between Breakker and Knight. Pearce said no. Pearce didn’t appreciate Breakker interrupting his show. He told Heyman to escort Breakker out of the building and tell Reed he has a match against Penta. 

Heyman asked Pearce if he knew who he was talking to and in which city. (Fans chanted “ECW.”) Pearce told Heyman, “F.A.F.O” (a line Heyman used on Pearce on Saturday). Heyman chuckled, and he left. 

*******

During a break, Maxxine Dupri told Byron Saxton she was still shocked over what Nattie did. But just like there was a new Nattie, there was a new Maxxine. She beat the greatest women’s wrestler of all time to become the IC champion. This Maxxine was breaking ankles and taking names. 

She was sick and tired of being walked over. Nattie didn’t elevate her, she elevated herself. Nattie taught her how to train, but Dupri taught herself how to survive. Dupri would give Nattie a lesson next week: that no one can decimate this Maxxine. 

********

Breakker was still pissed and tossing stuff around backstage. Heyman tried to calm him down by telling him that Pearce had plenty of ammunition against him already. Breakker screamed at Heyman that he didn’t care. Breakker barged through a door and left.

Oba Femi destroys The War Raiders 

Erik and Ivar entered, presumably for a match. They were surprised upon hearing the music of Oba Femi. The announcers were surprised too, as they were expecting a tag match. 

Femi entered the ring and destroyed both guys. He gave Ivar a chokeslam and gave Erik a powerbomb. Femi posed as fans chanted his name. 

(This was a cool segment for Femi. Not so much for the other guys.) 

********

Finn Bálor video promo 

Finn Bálor said this was a business based on respect. He always gave respect in the indies and on the main roster. But he was realizing that the respect was not returned to him. He was taken for granted over and over. What happened in Belfast was not a one-off. 

He’s been showing up and showing off his entire career, but Pearce still tried to tell him the Rumble was full. It turns out, respect only gets you so far. He wanted the world title. He didn’t think of himself as a bad guy, but warned CM Punk he was willing to do bad things. 

******** 

Nikki & Brie Bella segment 

The Bellas entered. The crowd was chanting something that sounded like booing, and Nikki asked if that was for the Eagles not making it to the Super Bowl. Brie said they were probably saying “Coop,” and Nikki bragged that she had good taste. He was a pro bowler, after all. (I guess she’s dating Eagles player Cooper DeJean.) 

Nikki said the Bella twins haven’t appeared on Raw together in over seven years. Nikki shared everyone’s excitement that Brie was back. There were light “Yes” chants. 

Brie was happy to be back home. She joked that she didn’t return because Nikki was getting her butt kicked every week. She returned because they were the “original tag team.” The division was better than ever, and they wanted in. It was time for the Bella twins to go for the tag titles. 

(This was not a good promo, and this segment was a reminder as to why people don’t like the Bellas.) 

********

Otis, Akira Tozawa, and Dupri had a backstage segment with Bret Kreischer. Otis was in a good mood seeing Kreischer, but Dupri was all business. She planned on breaking Nattie’s ankle next week. Dupri left. Otis and Kreischer were excited, and Kreischer took his shirt off. 

******** 

The first hour of the show included just the one 12-minute match. The second match of the evening started a full 40 minutes later… 

Penta vs. Bronson Reed (w/ Paul Heyman, Logan Paul & Austin Theory) 

…and this match went to commercials after 2 minutes. 

Penta hit a dive ahead of the break, but it didn’t matter because Reed got the heat moments later. Like the opening match, not much happened during the break. (I guess all these guys did just fly halfway across the world.) 

Penta came back and hit a springboard tornado DDT for two. Reed hit a powerslam for two, and Penta came back with a backstabber for two. 

Theory jumped on the apron, so Penta kicked him off. Penta also knocked Logan off the apron and wiped out both guys with a dive. Penta accidentally knocked the referee out of the ring when he attacked Logan. 

Penta took too much time dealing with the Vision, so Reed hit him with a Jagged Edge (DVD) and Tsunami, but the referee was still out. 

Reed went outside and grabbed a chair, but was attacked by LA Knight, who gave him a BFT onto the chair. Knight was chased away by Logan and Theory (who quickly recovered again, as they did in the opening segment). 

Reed couldn’t get back in the ring by ten, so Penta won by count-out. 

Match result: Penta defeated Bronson Reed via count-out (12:55)

******** 

The Americanos were interviewed by Saxton during the break. This included Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate doing bad accents. 

********

Liv Morgan, Dominik Mysterio, and Raquel Rodriguez segment 

Dominik Mysterio entered. He’s back after being gone for a few weeks with an injury. His mustache is even thicker than before. The crowd chanted “Dirty Dom.” Dom said the only reason he would come back to a place like Philly was to celebrate the winner of the women’s Rumble. He introduced Liv Morgan. 

Morgan entered and jumped into Dom’s arms. The crowd chanted, “You deserve it,” (not that loud), and she responded, “I know!” Morgan said they were all in the presence of the greatest Royal Rumble winner of all time. 

Morgan wasn’t sure who she wanted to face at WrestleMania yet. She planned to attend SmackDown on Friday to assess her options. What she did know was that we were going to crown a new Women’s World Champion tonight. Morgan introduced her best friend and sister, Big Sexy Raquel Rodriguez. 

Rodriguez entered. She said Judgment Day celebrated Morgan’s big win all weekend, but they never addressed something else that happened during the Rumble. Rodriguez asked Morgan why she eliminated her from the match. 

Morgan said she knew Rodriguez wasn’t a selfish person. Rodriguez had a title opportunity, and now she did too. A win for one Judgment Day member was a win for them all. 

Rodriguez agreed with that sentiment, but told Morgan to stay in the back for her match. Beating Vaquer on her own would make winning the world title that much sweeter. Morgan was on board with this (and relieved Rodriguez didn’t seem upset with her anymore).

Philly Street Fight for the Women’s World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez 

Vaquer has new generic-sounding music, and it seems like an immediate downgrade. She also wore new gear, which included long pants. It is a street fight, after all. (Rodriguez wrestled in ripped jeans.) 

Vaquer grabbed a table early on to the crowd’s delight, but was unable to use it. Rodriguez powerbombed her through the table moments later. During a break, Rodriguez wrapped a chain around Vaquer’s previously injured ankle, dragged her around ringside and slammed her leg into the barricade and into the side of the ring. 

After the break, Rodriguez booted the steel steps into Vaquer’s ankle. Vaquer avoided a steel chair shot and attacked Rodriguez with a kendo stick. Rodriguez attacked Vaquer with the cardboard cover from the announce table, before lawn-darting her into the ring post (second time we’ve seen that spot tonight). 

Vaquer came back with a kendo stick shot and a back suplex. She set up for Devil’s Kiss, but Rodriguez powered up to her feet with Vaquer still on her shoulders and dropped her onto the top rope. Vaquer managed to respond with a thrust kick for two. Rodriguez hit Vaquer on the head with a trash can for a two count. Fans chanted for the Eagles. 

Rodriguez tossed a bunch of chairs into the ring, and Corey Graves gave Terry Funk a shout-out. Rodriguez caught Vaquer’s crossbody attempt and hit a fallaway slam onto the chairs. Vaquer avoided a corkscrew elbow drop and hit Rodriguez with Devil’s Kiss onto a steel chair. Vaquer wasn’t done there. She rolled to the outside and hit Devil’s Kiss on top of the steel steps. The previous quiet crowd chanted, “One more time.” She didn’t do it. 

During a break, Vaquer attacked with the kendo stick and chucked the trash can in Rodriguez’s face. Rodriguez fought back and wedged a chair between the turnbuckles. She also set up a table outside the ring. 

After the break, Rodriguez tried to use the steel steps as a weapon, but Vaquer ducked it and dropped her onto the steps instead. Vaquer placed the trash can over Rodriguez and hit a running meteora in the corner for two. Rodriguez booted the can into Vaquer’s face moments later for two. 

Rodriguez took her time setting up a table while the ref checked on Vaquer, who was favouring her ankle. Rodriguez tried a Tejana Bomb through the table, but Vaquer slipped out. Rodriguez hit a clothesline instead. 

19 minutes into the match, Morgan entered through the crowd and handed Rodriguez the title belt, urging her to use it as a weapon. Vaquer used the distraction to chuck Rodriguez into the wedged chair, and knocked Morgan off the apron. Roxanne Perez tried to interfere too, but Vaquer knocked her off the ropes, through the outside table. 

Vaquer set up Rodriguez for a hurricanrana off the top and through the table, but Rodriguez blocked it and set up for a powerbomb. Vaquer blocked that and hit the hurricanrana anyway. The move sent Rodriguez through the table, but it didn’t look good. 

Vaquer followed with a Spiral Tap (corkscrew splash) for the pinfall win. 

— After some replays, Morgan laid out Vaquer with an Oblivion. She posed with the title belt before dropping it onto Vaquer. 

Match result: Stephanie Vaquer defeated Raquel Rodriguez in a Philly Street Fight to retain the Women’s World Championship (21:55) 

This was mostly a good match, but it dragged at times and felt really long, and the lack of crowd reaction really brought it down. 

******** 

Next week on Raw: 

  • Maxxine Dupri vs. Nattie 
  • The Usos vs. Alpha Academy for the tag team titles 
  • Elimination Chamber qualifying matches begin 

********

Roman Reigns and CM Punk main event segment 

Roman Reigns arrived in a Range Rover (he had a driver), and he immediately made his way to the ring. Reigns said he’s had highs and lows in Philly. He won his first championship here on his daughter’s birthday, but he also lost his last championship here. He won his first Rumble here, too. (He acknowledged the fans booed him at the time.) 

He won his second Rumble on Saturday, and the next city on the schedule was Philly. This was the perfect city to be in, because he had a decision to make. He was about to pose the question of which title he should go after, but stopped as the crowd chanted for CM Punk. Reigns said, “So you don’t want me to go after Drew McIntyre?” Reigns asked if they preferred Punk, and they cheered. 

Punk entered. The crowd chanted for Punk as the two men stared each other down. Punk looked into the camera to address Finn Bálor. Punk said Bálor wasn’t sure if he was a bad guy, but Punk warned him that when he was pushed, he was the baddest guy, and he would get his hands on Bálor soon. 

Reigns was perplexed at Punk interrupting his segment to talk about Bálor. Punk said he wasn’t interrupting anything. Reigns was a visitor on his show. “I’m the champ, CM Punk, and I call the shots.” 

Punk said Reigns had a big decision to make. Punk saw that Reigns was asking for the fans’ help. He mentioned McIntyre, and the fans booed. Punk proposed Reigns vs. McIntyre at WrestleMania, and they booed again. Punk proposed Reigns vs. the best in the world, CM Punk, and they cheered. 

Punk told Reigns to take the easy way out and pick McIntyre. Reigns scoffed at the idea that McIntyre was the easy way out. McIntyre was four times Punk’s size, and the last time they fought, he had Punk crying over a little plastic bracelet. 

Punk told Reigns to be careful. The last time he wrestled McIntyre, they ran out of staples putting his dumb ass back together. Punk knew that Reigns had beaten McIntyre in the past, but Punk beat him in the most dangerous match this company had to offer, Hell in a Cell. 

Reigns said he beat McIntyre for three years straight. Punk said he did, along with all of his cousins. Reigns warned him against talking about his family. They were the only reason this company was where it was today. And the only reason Punk had a company to come back to. 

Punk said Reigns manipulated his family and a great number of people into thinking he was this great messiah who put the company on his shoulders and held it high, but all he really did was hold it hostage. Punk heard what Reigns said on Pat McAfee’s show. He laughed at the idea that Reigns took mini-vacations to give others an opportunity, and he had the audacity to say nobody stepped up during that time. 

Punk reminded Reigns that he was once champion for 434 days with Paul Heyman by his side. That must sound familiar, because Reigns followed in his footsteps and was champion with Heyman for 1300 days. Punk said he may have done it longer, but that doesn’t mean he did it better. 

Punk said Reigns earned the right to call his shot and show up when he wanted. Punk wasn’t mad about it. Reigns chose to be a part-timer. Punk chose to go to ten countries in three weeks. He chose to see the fans worldwide. He chose to go to Poland, Scotland, Denmark, Belgium, London, Toronto, and Philly. 

Punk chose to be a fighting champion, just like he chose to bring Reigns into the company along with the rest of The Shield. Reigns followed in his footsteps, and he learned from the best. 

Punk said Reigns had a decision to make. Reigns could face the guy he thinks he can beat (McIntyre), or the guy who, on Reigns’ best day, he couldn’t touch. He could face McIntyre or climb Mount Everest with no Sherpa and face the best in the world. 

Reigns said Punk made all these towns because he took a ten-year vacation and wanted to get in as much as possible. Reigns laughed at the idea that he learned from Punk. The only thing he learned from Punk was what not to do. Punk wouldn’t be here without him. 

When they re-signed Punk, they asked Reigns first. He made a promise to Paul, and he did the best he could. But he would never forget ten years ago when Punk went on his friend’s podcast and made Reigns’ life way harder than it should’ve been. Punk came back, took his wiseman, and brainwashed his cousins. Punk almost brainwashed him, too. Reigns shook his hand like a man (at Survivor Series), but Punk mocked him behind his back. 

Reigns made his choice. He could pick Punk because he was the biggest star available. He could pick Punk because he was on the “best show.” But no. 

Reigns said, “I’m picking you because I hate you. I’ve always hated you. And WrestleMania is going to be the best day of my life, because in the main event, you will acknowledge me.” 

Reigns dropped the mic and left. Punk smirked as Reigns walked away.

(This was a very good setup for WrestleMania, and they gave us plenty to chew on with the show still more than two months away. The rest of the show mostly felt like filler in front of another quiet, big city crowd.) 

WWE Raw live results: Royal Rumble go-home show in Toronto

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: January 26, 2026
Location: Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON 

The Big Takeaway —

CM Punk and AJ Styles had their first WWE singles match, and it was for the World Heavyweight Championship. It ended in a DQ. Finn Bálor attacked Punk and laid him out, solidifying him as a heel again. 

Bron Breakker’s suspension has been lifted, and he will enter the Men’s Royal Rumble. The entire Vision will join him, and they’ve made it clear their goal is for Breakker to win. Adam Pearce granted them all a spot in the match, which seemed to surprise Paul Heyman. So there’s more to come there. 

This has not been a particularly strong build to the Royal Rumble, particularly the Rumble matches themselves. Nobody came off like a strong contender except Bron Breakker and maybe Rhea Ripley.

**********

Show Recap — 

There were shots of the stadium being built in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ahead of Saturday’s Royal Rumble, followed by a shot of fans lined up outside Scotiabank Arena in my hometown of snowy Toronto for Raw. 

Stephanie Vaquer, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods (getting their hair done), The Vision (including Bron Breakker) were shown at the arena earlier today. 

Michael Cole claimed Scotiabank Arena was sold out with an attendance of 17,853. 

AJ Styles kicks off Raw in Toronto

Styles entered to a big ovation. He said Gunther claimed he would end his career at the Rumble. That was Gunther’s plan, but Styles didn’t plan on going anywhere. (There was a light, “F—k you, Gunther,” chant.)  

Styles acknowledged that 2026 would be the year that he retired. He wasn’t saying that to upset anyone—he was saying it so they could enjoy it together. John Cena showed him how he could say goodbye. 2025 was Cena’s year, and there was no reason 2026 couldn’t be his. 

There were men in locker rooms all over the world that he would love to wrestle one more time. (Interesting phrasing.) He also wanted to be world champion one more time. 

CM Punk entered to a big reaction. Punk said he’s known Styles for more than 20 years. They’ve been friends and enemies, but there was nothing but respect between them now. (Styles agreed.) 

Punk didn’t understand what he was doing by putting his career on the line against Gunther. Guys like them still had a lot left in the tank, and the stakes on Saturday were too high. Styles accused Punk of thinking that he couldn’t beat Gunther. 

Punk wasn’t saying that. He knew Styles could beat Gunther, but the last time they wrestled, Styles did not get his hand raised. And if Styles did retire, that meant the two of them never got to wrestle one-on-one in WWE. (They wrestled in a three-way with Chad Gable last year.)

Styles knew what Punk meant (about facing Gunther), but thought he was being disrespectful. Styles had an idea, and the crowd chanted, “Fight tonight.” Styles told Punk, “I know I can beat Gunther, and I know I can beat you.” Punk said Styles can’t prove that if he loses on Saturday. They both looked around at the crowd. 

Styles said if they did fight tonight, and he won, he should be number one contender for the title after he beats Gunther. Punk said if they were going to wrestle tonight in Toronto, it would be for the belt. Everyone cheered. Punk made the match, and they shook hands.

(Punk vs. Styles for the title was made official during the next match.)

******** 

There was a video package recapping Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Six-woman tag team match: Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer & Women’s Tag Team Champions Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY vs. Raquel Rodriguez, Liv Morgan & Roxanne Perez

The Judgment Day women all wore matching black-and-red gear. Ripley came out to a huge pop, and the crowd sang Iyo Sky’s name as the match began. 

Vaquer entered to a modest applause and went to work on Morgan, but her Devil’s Kiss attempt was broken up by Rodriguez, which upset the fans. Morgan had actually tagged out to Rodriguez moments earlier, but Vaquer didn’t see it because she was distracted by Perez. The referee did see it, but made no attempt to get Morgan out of the ring besides yelling vaguely at her. She remained in the ring for well over 10 seconds before Rodriguez got in. 

Judgment Day maintained control over Vaquer throughout a break. Morgan yanked Sky off the apron, while Rodriguez attacked Ripley from behind. The referee was ok with all of this. 

Vaquer finally did make a hot tag to Sky, who hit Perez with uppercuts, a flying dropkick, and a corner meteora. Morgan saved Perez from a moonsault, but Sky followed with a butterfly backbreaker. Morgan distracted the ref by messing up the ring skirt while Perez raked Sky’s eyes. Perez and Morgan hit a combo Russian leg sweep/Codebreaker for two. 

Sky made the next hot tag to Ripley, who gave Morgan a Razor’s Edge into Rodriguez. Ripley blocked a Pop Rox and clobbered Perez with a clothesline. Ripley followed with a missile dropkick to Rodriguez (who was in the ring a long time despite not being legal, but this referee obviously does not care). 

Morgan fought back with a tornado DDT on Ripley, but Sky broke up the cover. Everyone traded moves until Vaquel wiped out Rodriguez with a diving splash to the outside. 

Morgan went for Oblivion, but Ripley blocked it. Perez had made a blind tag, and they tried their combo move again, but Sky wiped out Morgan with a flying dropkick. Ripley finished off Perez with a Rip-tide for the pinfall win. 

The three winners celebrated. (Corey Graves noted that Vaquer was limping by the end of the match, which was the same injury she’s been selling the past several weeks.) 

Match result: Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY & Stephanie Vaquer defeated Roxanne Perez, Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez (12:54)

A fun TV match despite the dumb referee. Ripley was the most over person in the match, and she got another win ahead of the Rumble, where she’ll be one of the favourites. 

********

There was a dramatic recap of Punk successfully defending his title over Finn Bálor last week in Belfast. 

Bálor approached Punk backstage. Bálor initially seemed in a bad mood after coming up short last week, but said Punk was part of the most memorable night of his career. Punk picked him up after the match and gave him his flowers, but Bálor didn’t return the favour, so he will now. Bálor thanked him. 

Punk thanked him, too. Punk said he couldn’t be the best in the world unless he beat the best. Punk considered Bálor one of the greats, and he earned the shot. Cena was gone, and there weren’t a lot of guys like them left. Punk advised him that he might want to ditch Judgment Day if he really wanted to be champion. Punk told him to win the Rumble, and maybe he’d see him again. Punk left, and Bálor nodded. 

********

There’s a commercial specifically for the special Triple H edition of WWE 2K26. I’m not even sure they’ve advertised the actual game yet. 

Bron Breakker and Adam Pearce face-to-face 

The Vision entered. Paul Heyman did his usual bit, called Toronto a second-rate city, and introduced each member of The Vision. Logan Paul got a lot of heat, of course. Heyman gave special attention to Bron Breakker. 

Heyman noted that Breakker was there because Adam Pearce wanted a face-to-face, but Heyman wanted to examine why this was happening first. Heyman showed a replay of Pearce putting his hands on Breakker first (before Breakker tried to kill him). Heyman said that was not appropriate behaviour for the Raw general manager. Heyman also showed a replay of Rey Mysterio pinning Austin Theory last week, thanks to Pearce planting the brass knuckles on the apron. 

Pearce entered. He admitted that things got out of hand, and he put his hands on Breakker first. He apologized. Breakker laughed. Pearce pledged to them all that it would not happen again. Pearce knew what Heyman was going to say next, and he already made it official: Breakker’s suspension was over, and he was in the Royal Rumble match. 

Heyman was happy and asked for a handshake. Pearce called Heyman a master negotiator, so he willingly entered Logan Paul, Bronson Reed and Austin Theory into the Rumble. Heyman was caught off guard by this. Pearce also knew that Theory felt cheated after last week, so he put him in a match against Rey Mysterio—tonight. 

When the segment was over, all members of The Vision were happy, while Heyman was confused. Cole did not know what to make of Pearce’s decision. 

Austin Theory (w/ The Vision) vs. Rey Mysterio (w/ Penta & Dragon Lee)

Theory held control with a chin lock and tried to get some heat by going for Rey’s mask, but the crowd didn’t bite. The fight spilled to the outside, and Rey sent Theory flying into the ring post. As the outside parties argued, Rey hit Theory with a seated senton off the barricade. Rey smacked Reed’s head before heading back into the ring. 

This led to a second commercial break (the match started during a break), so about 5 of the first 8 and a half minutes of the match happened during commercials. 

Rey went after Theory outside the ring, but Theory dumped him onto the ring steps and placed him in another rest hold in the ring, just long enough to bring us back from break. Rey tried a springboard crossbody, but Theory nailed him with a mid-air forearm and an Ataxia (flatliner variation) for two. 

Dragon Lee checked on Rey outside the ring, so Logan shoved him. Penta superkicked Logan. Dragon Lee tried to take out Reed, but Reed caught him and drove him into the barricade before Logan yanked Penta off the apron. 

Rey kicked Logan, but the distraction allowed Theory to hit the ring with a curb stomp for the pinfall win. 

— Breakker attacked Penta and Dragon Lee after the match, and The Vision laid out the two men. Paul gave Dragon Lee a frog splash, while Breakker speared Penta, and Reed finished off Penta with a Tsunami. 

(Notably, it seemed like they were trying to set up Rey for a spear, but the referee frantically got between them and got Rey out of the ring. So perhaps after taking the curb stomp, they wanted to be safe with Rey.) 

Match result: Logan Paul defeated Rey Mysterio (11:23) 

This was a nothing match just to get Theory a win, finally. 

It turns out Rey may have gotten injured, so hopefully it isn’t serious. He seemed fine all match until they got him out of the ring for the post-match angle. 

*******

There was a Natalya video promo. She said she made Maxxine Dupri, but Dupri failed. Dupri didn’t fail herself, she failed Natalya. Rolling with a legend didn’t mean she could roll like a legend. There was a whole new Natalya, and when she was done with Dupri, was coming for it all (the IC title). “Because Natalya elevates, but Nattie decimates.”

Rodriguez marched around backstage, loudly screaming for Vaquer. Bayley was nearby and called her an idiot because she (Bayley) was on the phone. Lyra Valkyria got between them, so Rodriguez continued on her way until she was attacked by Vaquer. Officials quickly separated them. 

Byron Saxton interviewed Je’Von Evans during a break. Evans made the mistake of wearing a Boston Red Sox toque, so he was greeted with a “Let’s go Blue Jays” chant. Evans’ goal was to main event WrestleMania, which first meant winning the Rumble. He declared himself for the match. 

********

Gunther sit-down interview 

Cole interviewed Gunther in the Toronto Raptors locker room. Gunther said he agreed to Saturday’s match because he had something to gain by ending Styles’ career. He was sick of the old-timers overstaying their welcome, chasing one moment after another. Those moments belonged to him. 

Goldberg chased after a moment, but Gunther took it away. Cena chased moments for a full year, but all anyone would talk about now was that he gave up to him in his last match. Now, Styles had this idea of a long, emotional farewell tour, but Gunther wasn’t interested. 

Gunther noted that Cole was an old-timer, too. He asked Cole how long he planned on sticking around chasing a moment. He could kick the chair out and end Cole’s career right now, but he told Cole not to worry. Gunther wanted Cole at ringside on Saturday so he could say the career of the Phenomenal AJ Styles was over. 

This was really good. 

********

Bálor approached Pearce to declare himself for the Rumble. Pearce said Bálor already had his shot at the title last week, so he filled Bálor’s Rumble spot with someone else. He said the Rumble was full. Bálor said the Rumble couldn’t be full without him. Pearce reiterated that the match was full. Bálor left while contemplating what to do next. 

Morgan confronted Bálor. She accused Punk of giving him a participation trophy, and Bálor thanked him for it. She heard Punk say he should leave Judgment Day, but Punk didn’t really want him to be champion, while his family in Judgment Day did. Bálor said this wasn’t as straightforward as she thought. He said he would take care of it. 

********

Jey Uso entered ahead of a break to watch the next match. (No Jimmy again. They are in Canada, after all. Cole said he was dealing with personal issues.) Jey tried to run back his entrance music, but was cut off by American Made. 

Scottie Barnes was shown in the crowd, and he got a nice ovation.

Fatal four-way to determine tag team title number one contenders: The New Day (w/ Grayson Waller) vs. Alpha Academy vs. American Made (w/ Ivy Nile) vs. Los Americanos 

It doesn’t say much about the tag division (or more specifically, having two sets of tag titles) that this was the field to determine number one contenders. 

During a break, Xavier Woods confronted Cole at the desk and loudly told him, “I am Xavier, and that’s Kofi. Get it right from here on out!” Cole responded, “What was that all about?”  

The crowd didn’t react to anything until Otis got in, and then they were into it. (Amazing Otis can have this effect after all this time of being a background character.) Otis hit a Caterpillar elbow, but the cover was broken up. Everyone attacked Otis, so Akira Tozawa made the stave and hit Bravo Americano with a German suplex. Tozawa then wiped out all three teams with suicide dives. 

Tozawa set up Kingston for a diving senton, but Woods distracted the referee, so Waller tripped Tozawa. The referee admonished Waller until Jey superkicked Waller over the barricade. 

Otis beat up the other teams single-handedly and slammed Julius onto Brutus. Tozawa followed with a diving senton on Julius for the pinfall win. 

Alpha Academy will face The Usos for the tag titles. Jey bumped fists with Otis and Tozawa post-match. 

Match result: Akira Tozawa & Otis defeated American Made, Los Americanos & The New Day (10:53)

******** 

Jackie Redmond, wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs jacket, interviewed Becky Lynch. Lynch called her win last week monumental, but Redmond wouldn’t know anything about monumental wins wearing a jacket like that. 

Lynch noted Natalya went after the match. Lynch understood, because Natalya trained Dupri from nothing, and she remained nothing. She compared it to training loser Lyra. Now Natalya was coming after her title, but Natalya would have to win the Rumble first, and that was laughable. 

Lynch said she was entering the Rumble match. Kairi Sane and Asuka interrupted. Sane said Lynch would not win the Rumble because Asuka would, and Lynch was not ready. Lynch said she was ready because she’s already beaten Asuka. Sane tried to explain this to Asuka, who was standing right there. Asuka cut her off and told Lynch she would see her in the Rumble. 

******* 

Je’Von Evans approached Styles as he warmed up. Evans hoped to see him after Saturday. Styles shook his hand. (Evans turned his hat around to hide the Red Sox logo.) 

Elsewhere, Vaquer told Pearce she didn’t want a match against Rodriguez—she wanted a fight. Pearce made a street fight for the title next week in Philadelphia. 

******** 

Royal Rumble card (start time 2 pm ET/11 am PT): 

  • AJ Styles vs. Gunther with Styles’ career on the line 
  • Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Sami Zayn for the WWE Championship 
  • 30 Woman Royal Rumble match 
  • 30 Man Royal Rumble match 

********

The Vision met backstage to discuss what their plan was now that they were all in the Rumble. Logan got up and said they should go into the match with one goal and one vision. He said they should ensure a victory for one man: Bron Breakker. Reed and Theory were both in full agreement. (Breakker had no discernible reaction to this.) 

******** 

There was an Oba Femi video package. He will be in the Rumble. 

World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. AJ Styles

There were modest duelling chants as they got started, and each man went for their finishers early on, but a series of counters led to Styles applying a cradle for two. Punk got the better of their next exchange and hit Styles with an elbow and chop to the upper back. Styles came back with a dropkick. Punk fell outside, and Styles nailed a sliding knee. 

Styles was in control through a break until Punk whipped him hard into the corner after the break. The crowd chanted for tables. Punk followed with a neckbreaker, a lifting knee strike, a bulldog, and a shining wizard for two. Styles came back with a series of strikes, a running forearm, and a corner splash, but Punk fired right back with a clothesline for two. 

Styles blocked a GTS and followed with a fireman’s carry neckbreaker for two. Punk knocked Styles off the middle turnbuckle and hit a flying elbow drop for two. Punk immediately applied an Anaconda Vice until Styles countered out of it. Styles tried setting up for a Styles Clash, but Punk drove him into the turnbuckles. 

Punk tried a shining wizard again, but Styles caught him and set up a Styles Clash. Punk avoided it again, so Styles dumped him from the ring. Punk blocked a sliding knee and hit a GTS (outside the ring). Punk initially tried getting Styles into the ring, but it was taking too long, so Punk slipped back into the ring at an eight count, while Styles got in at nine. 

Styles was down selling, and Punk wasn’t sure what to do next, so Styles suddenly caught him in a Styles Clash for a nearfall. Styles went for a Phenomenal Forearm, but Punk knocked him off the top rope. They exchanged strikes until Styles hit a Pelé Kick. 

Styles tried setting up the Clash again before Punk got him on his shoulders to try a GTS. Styles held the top rope, and as the two men struggled for position, Finn Bálor suddenly popped in the ring and dropkicked Punk into the corner (knocking Styles out of the ring) for the DQ. 

Bálor dropkicked Punk into the barricade and gave him a Coup de Grace in the ring. Punk rolled to his side, so Bálor hit the Coup de Grace again, this time on his ribs. Bálor hit the move one more time and stood tall as the show ended. 

Match result: CM Punk vs. AJ Styles ended in a disqualification — Punk retains the World Heavyweight Championship (18:11)

WWE Raw live results: CM Punk vs. Finn Balor World Heavyweight title match

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: January 19, 2026
Location: SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland 

The Big Takeaway —

AJ Styles will put his career on the line at the Royal Rumble in a singles match against Gunther. Gunther will be pulling double duty as he declared for the Rumble match. Several other women and men also declared for their respective Rumble matches. 

CM Punk retained the World Championship against Finn Bálor, while Becky Lynch retained the Women’s Intercontinental Championship over Maxxine Dupri after Natalya turned on Dupri. 

Je’Von suffered an injury, and his match with El Grande Americano was cut short due to a medical stoppage. 

Plus, Adam Pearce invited the suspended Bron Breakker to Raw next week to talk things out.

**********

Show Recap — 

Michael Cole announced a sold-out crowd in Belfast, which hosts its first-ever WWE live broadcast. 

CM Punk, Finn Bálor, Maxxine Dupri and Alpha Academy, El Grande Americano and friends, and Penta, Dragon Lee and Rey Mysterio were shown arriving at the arena. Bálor got a big pop. 

The show kicked off with a big fireworks display, which doesn’t often happen. 

Gunther opens Monday Night Raw in Belfast

They showed a replay of Gunther tapping on purpose last week to escape AJ Styles’ submission and ultimately win the match. Cole admitted it was a brilliant move. 

Gunther entered and was booed and greeted with chants of, “You tapped out.” He was in a good mood as usual lately, and he told the fans to calm down. 

Gunther said Styles made a mistake last week by being singularly focused on trying to make him tap out, because he was in the ring with the greatest wrestler in the company, the greatest Intercontinental Champion ever, a two-time World champion, the man who retired Goldberg, and the man who made John Cena tap out. 

His success would lead him straight back to the World title, and he declared himself for the Royal Rumble. 

AJ Styles entered to a huge reaction. Styles knew Gunther wanted to move on, but Styles didn’t. Styles challenged him to a rematch at the Royal Rumble. (The fans actually cheered even though he didn’t make the challenge for tonight.) 

Gunther said he would win the Rumble and didn’t plan on pulling double duty. He said no. 

Styles accused him of being scared. Styles said Gunter didn’t beat him—he beat himself. Styles showed him mercy when he should have ripped his leg off, but remember—Gunther tapped out like a little bitch. Styles accused him of being scared, and the crowd chanted, “Little bitch.” 

Gunther said he proved he was the better and smarter wrestler. There was no incentive to do it again, so his answer was still no. The crowd kept chanting, so Gunther returned to the ring. The fans called him a wanker. 

Gunther had an idea. He would agree to a rematch only if Styles put his career on the line. Gunther told him to think if that was a hill he was willing to die on, but he wanted an answer by the end of tonight. 

********

Natalya approached Maxxine Durpi as she was warming up backstage. Dupri was thrilled to see her. Natalya wanted to be in Dupri’s corner against Becky Lynch, so we didn’t get a replay of what happened last time. Dupri was happy to hear it. 

Becky Lynch entered. She cut a promo during a commercial break. She was happy to be back and be reminded of why she left. The weather and the food were awful. It was fine for the locals, but she was rich and famous. Her stepfather was actually from there, but he was smart enough to move to Dublin. 

She knew they were going through hard times, so she offered to be their hero. Unlike Rory McIlroy, she wouldn’t lose on the final hole. She was the greatest of all time, and everyone was saying it, including America. 

Intercontinental Championship match: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Maxxine Dupri (w/ Natalya)

This was their fifth singles match against one another since October. In fact, Lynch has not wrestled anyone else in a singles match since August. 

All three women (Natalya included) wore predominantly red gear. 

Dupri had the edge early on, but Lynch quickly took control as they went to an early break. Dupri fired back after the break with a clothesline, a boot, a corner splash, boots in the corner, and a fisherman’s suplex. Dupri dropped her straps and hit a big leg drop on Lynch’s back for a two count. 

They traded cradles after Dupri blocked a Man-handle Slam before Lynch applied a Disarmer, but Dupri countered out of it and applied an ankle lock. Lynch countered that into a rollup for two. They battled on the ropes until Lynch hit a superplex, followed by a DDT for two. 

Lynch removed the top turnbuckle cover, but Dupri caught her in a schoolboy for two. Dupri followed with a German suplex and a flying crossbody, but Lynch countered her cover into a cover of her own for two. 

Dupri countered the Man-handle slam and (slowly) countered into an ankle lock. Lynch kicked Dupri toward the corner, but Dupri managed to avoid hitting the exposed buckle. Lynch charged at Dupri, but Dupri moved, and Lynch bounced off the exposed buckle. 

Dupri hit a spinning heel kick (she missed completely, actually) and made the cover, but Natalya placed Lynch’s foot on the bottom rope to break up the cover. Dupri was stunned. 

Dupri went after Lynch, but Lynch caught her with the Man-Handle Slam for the pinfall win. 

— Natalya attacked and attacked and attacked Dupri after the match, and placed her in a Sharpshooter. Dupri tapped before a referee broke it up. They cut back to Cole for a moment before cutting back to the ring because Natalya attacked Dupri again. 

Match result: Becky Lynch defeated Maxxine Dupri to retain the Women’s Intercontinental Championship (11:34)

This match was ok. Dupri looked better than usual, at least until the end. It helps that she’s been wrestling the same person over and over again, but this was presumably the last time, and she’ll have to wrestle someone else eventually. 

The post-match didn’t get a ton of heat. The fans only care somewhat about Dupri, and they cared even less about Natalya. 

********

Backstage, Adam Pearce told Styles to think strongly about Gunther’s challenge. Styles said he would go speak to his wife. 

Paul Heyman approached Pearce, and Pearce reminded him that Bron Breakker was suspended. Pearce told Heyman that The Vision better be on their best behaviour tonight. Pearce also told Heyman he would be out there for their six-man match tonight, and Heyman wasn’t thrilled to hear it. 

********

Cathy Kelley interviewed the Americanos during a break. El Grande said Je’Von Evans’ luck would run out tonight against the greatest luchador of all time. After the interview, Kelley told the audience it was time for more action. She was wrong. 

There was a video package for the Punk vs. Bálor world title match. 

Judgment Day (minus Dominik and JD McDonagh) met backstage, and they were excited about the possibility of them all becoming champions. Liv Morgan admitted to Roxanne Perez that she didn’t like her at first, but now they were friends, and they would become tag team champions. Bálor said they were on his island tonight, and he was not leaving her without the title belt. 

********

Jey Uso entered the crowd (no Jimmy Uso again). He and Jimmy were still focused on the tag titles, but he excitedly declared himself for the Royal Rumble. He planned on becoming a back-to-back Rumble winner. He told Jimmy and Trinity (Naomi) he loved them and issued a warning to the locker room. 

It was time for more talking. New Day and Grayson Waller accosted Pearce backstage. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods said they flew all the way over on MLK Day, their favourite holiday, to challenge The Usos for the tag titles, but instead, Jey was out there declaring himself for the Rumble. 

Pearce told them they would be in a four-way next week to determine the next challengers for the tag titles. Kingston and Woods were pissed. 

*******

The show’s second match started 55 minutes in, and about 20 minutes after the last match ended. 

Six-man tag team match: Rey Mysterio, Penta & Dragon Lee vs. Logan Paul, Bronson Reed & Austin Theory (w/ Paul Heyman) 

Pearce sat ringside to watch the match. 

Logan received a lot of heat. Mysterio got a big reaction when he tagged in (Penta got a nice reaction too). There was a cool dive spot to send us to break. Mysterio hit Paul with an Asai moonsault while Penta and Dragon Lee simultaneously wiped out Reed and Theory with flip dives. However, the Vision took control during the break when Reed clotheslined Dragon from the apron as Theory distracted the referee. 

After a break, Dragon avoided a Reed leg drop, but Reed knocked Mysterio and Penta off the apron before he could even attempt a tag. Reed hit a powerslam, but Mysterio and Penta broke up the cover. Dragon avoided a senton and Theory tagged in, so Dragon gave him a hurricanrana and made a hot tag to Mysterio. 

Mysterio kicked Theory’s leg out of his leg before hitting a hurricanrana and ten punches in the corner, but Theory blocked a 619. Penta made a blind tag and hit a Penta Driver, but Reed broke up the cover. Everyone traded moves, and Mysterio tried a sliding dive to the outside, but Logan caught him and bounced him off the barricade. Dragon and Penta took out Logan with a double baseball slide. 

Penta and Dragon knocked Reed out of the ring with superkicks, and Dragon wiped out Reed with a dive. Theory gave Penta a package neckbreaker for two. 

Heyman went on the apron to distract the referee, so Pearce yelled at him (which also distracted the referee). Pearce showed the ref that Logan handed Theory brass knuckles, and Pearce took them away. Heyman got too close to Pearce, so Pearce backed him up the ramp. 

After all the commotion, the brass knux were left on the apron, so Mysterio grabbed them. Logan tried to warn the ref, but that distraction allowed Mysterio to punch Theory. 

Penta superkicked Logan and gave Theory a Canadian Destroyer for the pinfall win. (So after all those angles, Theory took the loss here.) 

Match result: Penta, Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee defeated Austin Theory, Bronson Reed & Logan Paul (15:02) 

********

CM Punk interview

Jackie Redmond interviewed CM Punk backstage. Punk got a big reaction, even if it may have been a little mixed. Redmond asked how Punk would deal with facing Bálor in Ireland. Punk said he would deal with it by being the best in the world. He was playing an away game, but he wanted the game on his stick in overtime. This pressure is what he wanted to prove he was the best in the world, and not just in the United States. The same pressure that made him the best in the world would break Bálor. 

********

There was a Martin Luther King Jr. Day video set to ‘Ain’t No Better Time’ by Chris Pierce. 

********

Kingston and Woods were interviewed in the crowd during a break. Woods noted that Styles was the former tag champion and wasn’t even trying to win the title back, while Jimmy Uso, the current champion, wasn’t even there. 

Heyman approached Pearce backstage. He said Pearce was the best GM in Raw history, but we’ll miss him when he’s gone. Pearce asked if that was a threat. Heyman said no, and he left as Pearce took a phone call. (Heyman advised him to take the call when he saw the phone.)

******** 

Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY / Liv Morgan & Roxanne Perez segment

Ripley and Sky entered, and Ripley welcomed us to Monday Night Rhiyo. Sky said they would show Morgan and Perez that Rhiyo was always on top. Ripley announced that, after retaining their titles, they would both enter the Royal Rumble. 

Morgan and Perez interrupted. Morgan warned Sky that Ripley would turn on her. Morgan knew this because it happened to her. Ripley would let her selfishness take over. Morgan laughed because that wasn’t really her problem. 

Perez announced that all three Judgment Day women would also enter the Rumble, which meant one of them was headlining WrestleMania. 

Ripley laughed. She wondered how that would work (since they can’t all win it — even though the same could be said about her and Sky). Before she could elaborate, she was blindsided by Raquel Rodriguez. The three Judgment Day women laid out Ripley and Sky. Ripley tried fighting back, but Morgan laid her out with Oblivion. 

********

Bayley was talking to herself backstage when she was approached by Lyra Valkyria. Valkyria said she was having a hard time staying positive lately. She hated losing and felt like she was letting her friend down. (It seemed like Valkyria was being a downer on purpose to get Bayley to fire up. It worked.) 

Bayley got excited and psyched up Valkyria. She said the Rumble was up next, which meant one of them could headline WrestleMania. They were both excited about the possibility of winning the Rumble, and Bayley gave Valkyria a big hug. 

******* 

Je’Von Evans vs. El Grande Americano (w/ Bravo & Rayo Americano)

Je’Von Evans may have gotten injured. 

Evans hit a springboard clothesline ahead of a break. El Grande stalled by posing around ringside. He finally got back in the ring, but referee Jessika Carr held him off. 

Evans wound up outside the ring after the break. He seemed to favour his arm or shoulder, and he was checked by the doctor. They called the match off and declared El Grande the winner because Evans couldn’t continue. The doctor and Carr walked with Evans to the back. 

I went back and re-watched the match. There was a miscommunication where El Grande headbutted Evans by accident up high, seemingly on the shoulder, so that may have been it. Evans continued briefly before the springboard clothesline, which was the last physical spot. 

Match result: El Grande Americano defeated Je’Von Evans via medical stoppage (6:22) 

********

Finn Bálor interview 

Redmond interviewed Bálor backstage. Bálor said the magnitude of tonight was not lost on him, but perhaps it was lost on Punk. He respected that Punk was a fighting champion, but he questioned Punk’s judgment. They were on Bálor’s turf, on his island, in front of his people, and tonight in Belfast, there would be a new Irish World Heavyweight Champion. The crowd popped big for this. 

********

There was a video package for Oba Femi. 

Pearce approached The Vision backstage. Pearce told Heyman he wanted Breakker on Raw next week. Heyman figured he was lifting the suspension. Pearce said he wanted to speak to Breakker face-to-face. Heyman said he would be doing the same thing if he got the same phone call Pearce got earlier. Pearce said it had nothing to do with the call—he just wanted to talk to Breakker man-to-man. Heyman was dismissive and told Pearce to be on his best behaviour. The Vision left. 

Styles approached Pearce next. Styles said his wife told him exactly what he was thinking: kick Gunther’s ass. He accepted Gunther’s challenge. Pearce made it official: Styles vs. Gunther at the Rumble with Styles’ career on the line. 

********

An angry Asuka confronted Kairi Sane in the locker room. Asuka said Sane embarrassed her last week. Sane lost their titles, and she lost last week. This hurt almost as much as Sky turning on her. Sane apologized and promised to ensure Asuka would win the Rumble. Sane would do anything. Asuka called her a good girl and said, “Don’t make me yell at you again.” 

******** 

World Heavyweight Championship match: CM Punk (c) vs. Finn Bálor

Punk entered to a big reaction, and the fans sang his song. They cut to break as he made his full entrance. Once he was in the ring, he smiled while telling a fan to get in the ring after he puts Bálor to sleep. He told the fan he would kick him in the teeth and put him to sleep, too. 

Bálor entered last and entered to his original theme song. He got a huge reaction during the in-ring introductions. Punk was cheered during his entrance but was booed during intros. 

This had a big-match feel to it, despite Bálor not having a televised win since September. 

They wrestled back-and-forth, and there were duelling chants (louder for Bálor) until Punk nailed a suicide dive, sending Bálor over the announce table. Punk posed on the announce table to a chorus of boos as they went to break. Bálor avoided a count-out, but Punk took control. 

Punk hit a lifting knee strike and a bulldog after the break for two. Bálor fought back, and they traded strikes until Bálor hit a Pelé Kick. Bálor continued with chops, shots to the midsection, and a headlock elbow drop for two. 

Bálor set up for Coup de Grace, but Punk met him on the top rope and hit a superplex. Before Punk could make a cover, Bálor caught him in a small package for two. Punk fired right back with a clothesline. 

Bálor dumped Punk from the ring and hit a flip dive. Back in the ring, Bálor hit a shotgun dropkick, but Punk dodged the Coup de Grace. The crowd booed as Punk hit a GTS, but Bálor kicked out, and the fans popped. Punk hit a few elbow drops before applying the Anaconda Vice, but Bálor got a rope break. 

Bálor fought out of a GTS and followed with a slingblade, two shotgun dropkicks, and a Coup de Grace for a nearfall. Punk went for a GTS again, but Bálor countered into a rollup for two. 

Bálor went after Punk, but Punk used a single leg takedown, rolled over to his feet and hit a GTS for the pinfall win. Punk retains. 

— Punk helped Bálor to his feet after the match. He had a few words for Bálor before raising his hand. The fans applauded. Punk hugged Bálor, who nodded at Punk before leaving the ring. 

Punk posed for the cheering fans as Bálor watched from ringside. 

Match result: CM Punk defeated Finn Bálor to retain the World Heavyweight Championship (16:14) 

This was a pretty good TV title match, though nothing you need to go out of your way to see. It was laid out exactly as you’d expect, and it never, ever, felt like Bálor would win despite the crowd’s enthusiasm. It’s fine doing matches like this on TV, but it would’ve been nice if they gave Bálor more steam going into it. It’s not like they didn’t know Belfast was on the calendar. 

WWE Raw live results: Gunther vs. AJ Styles in Germany

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: January 12, 2026
Location: PSD Bank Dome Düsseldorf in Düsseldorf, Germany

The Big Takeaway —

AJ Styles made Gunther “tap out” in the main event, but the referee didn’t see it, so Gunther won after a low blow and powerbomb. 

Adam Pearce suspended Bron Breakker indefinitely after Bron put his hands on him. However, the suspension may not last long because, as Paul Heyman noted, Pearce put his hands on Bron first. 

Next week in Belfast, CM Punk will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Finn Bálor. Also, Becky Lynch and Maxxine Dupri will wrestle for the Women’s Intercontinental Champion. Yes, again.

**********

Show Recap — 

Michael Cole said there would be over 11,000 in attendance today in Düsseldorf, Germany. The country is hosting Raw for the first time in almost 29 years. 

CM Punk, The Vision (minus Bron Breakker), Je’Von Evans, El Grande Americano and friends, AJ Styles, and Gunther arrived at the arena. 

IYO SKY & Rhea Ripley kick off Raw in Germany

Rhea Ripley welcomed Düsseldorf to Monday Night Riyho. She talked about their win over Asuka and Kairi Sane for the tag titles, and the crowd chanted, “You deserve it.” Iyo Sky stole a line from Asuka and stated, “No one is ready for Rhiyo.” 

Ripley was about to issue a challenge to the locker room when they were interrupted by Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez. Morgan sarcastically congratulated them before noting she was a former tag champion who never lost her title. 

Bayley and Lyra Valkyria interrupted next. Bayley paused her promo so the fans could sing for her. Bayley said Morgan may not have lost her title, but Perez did lose them. Plus, Bayley beat Perez a few weeks ago, so if anyone deserved a shot, it was her and Valkyria. 

Sky yelled at everyone in Japanese until Asuka and Sane appeared out of nowhere to attack Sky and Ripley from behind and yank them from the ring. The remaining teams brawled until Ripley and Sky re-entered to clear the ring. 

As standard an opening segment as there ever was. 

********

Jackie Redmond interviewed AJ Styles about Gunther. Styles learned early in his career that this business was about respect. Respect for the ring, your fellow wrestlers, and those who came before. 

He and John Cena weren’t always on the same page, but they bonded over respect. Gunther disrespected Cena week after week, so Styles smacked him because Cena couldn’t. Styles would teach Gunther about respect tonight. Styles ended with: “In fact, I’m going to make you tap out like a little bitch.”

******** 

There will be a number one contender’s triple threat tag match tonight: Morgan & Perez vs. Asuka & Sane vs. Bayley & Valkyria. 

Morgan and Perez approached Finn Bálor backstage. Bálor was playing the WWE video game. Morgan wondered what he was doing, and she didn’t mean the game. She said he claimed he wanted gold but wondered if that was all talk. Judgment Day didn’t wait around for things to happen. Raquel Rodriguez didn’t wait for her title shot, and neither did they. It was time to stop playing games. Perez agreed with Morgan. After they left, Bálor responded, “Just you wait.” 

Je’Von Evans vs. Bravo Americano (w/ El Grande Americano & Rayo Americano) 

El Grande attacked Evans after Rayo distracted him. Evans fought back anyway and hit Bravo with a leaping dive and a nice running knee strike for two. Bravo responded with an airplane spin, which Cole noted looked familiar. 

Bravo went to the top, but Evans brought him down with an avalanche Spanish Fly, followed by an OG Cutter for the pinfall win. 

— El Grande attacked Evans after the match and chucked him over the announce desk. Evans re-emerged atop the barricade. They tried to swarm him, but he leaped right over the desk and escaped through the ring and up the aisle. 

Match result: Je’Von Evans vs. Bravo Americano (6:20)

This was a good little showcase for Evans, and they didn’t overthink it. I could have done without him running away post-match, but I’m sure he’ll be making his way through all three guys in the coming weeks. 

********

Paul Heyman approached Adam Pearce backstage. Pearce told Heyman that if Bron Breakker plans to arrive with bad intentions, he should turn around and go home. Pearce wasn’t in the mood and would not tolerate it. Heyman said he would relay the message (with exactly as much sincerity as you’d expect). 

During a break, Jey Uso entered the crowd to his music to cut pretty much the same promo he and Jimmy cut last week. This was just a bit for the live crowd, really. 

******** 

CM Punk and Finn Bálor segment 

Punk entered. He said he would never grow tired of being their world champion. He planned on being champion forever, but he knew they were on the road to WrestleMania and anything can happen—just ask Cody Rhodes. But with the fans behind him, Punk felt like he could do the impossible. 

Before WrestleMania, there was the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber. Two opportunities for guys to call their shot, and the road to WrestleMania went through him. He survived a battle with Bron Breakker last week, so he and The Vision were behind him. 

With the fans’ support, he looked forward to finding out who his next challenger would be. Punk thanked the fans and was about to leave, but was interrupted by Finn Bálor. 

Bálor said he wasn’t waiting for the Rumble or Chamber. Bálor didn’t want any hand-outs, but did recall Punk mentioning his name as a potential challenger after he won the title. 

Punk said he did mention Bálor’s name among a long list of talented wrestlers, but he wondered where Bálor’s ambition was because that was months ago. Punk saw Bálor playing video games and was preoccupied with helping Dominik and JD McDonagh. Punk wondered if Bálor was too busy shining Liv Morgan’s shoes. 

Punk asked if he would be facing Bálor or Bálor and the Judgment Day. Punk already dealt with the numbers game successfully over Breakker and the Vision. 

Punk acknowledged that he was a fan of Bálor. He also wanted to be a fighting champion, so he would go to the back and put his boots on so they could do this tonight. The crowd cheered and chanted for Punk. 

Bálor smiled when Punk accepted, but he said timing was everything. Bálor wasn’t just jumping into anything with Punk. Anyone who watched Bálor’s career knew that the line started with him. Punk didn’t have to worry about Dom or JD, but he wouldn’t be alone. 

Bálor previously watched as Punk repeatedly utilized home-field advantage in Chicago. But next week, they were in Belfast, Ireland. They would wrestle for the title next week, and there would be a new Irish World Champion. 

Punk accepted. He apologized to the fans in Düsseldorf because they wouldn’t get to see him work. He also apologized to the fans in Belfast because they’d have to watch their countryman go to sleep after a GTS. 

********

There was a video package for Gunther vs. AJ Styles. 

Number one contender’s triple threat tag team match: Asuka & Kairi Sane vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria vs. Liv Morgan & Roxanne Perez

The teams brawled outside until Sane wiped out everyone with an Insane Elbow off the top. The two heel teams took turns on offence during a break until Valkyria made a hot tag following the break. 

Valkyria gave Perez an enziguri for two. Bayley hit Asuka with a back suplex, preventing Asuka from going after Valkyria from behind. Everyone (minus Asuka) then did a big stacked up powerbomb out of the corner, with Sane getting the worst of it. 

Asuka wasn’t pleased, so she hit Perez with a German suplex before hitting Bayley and Valkyria simultaneously with a double German suplex. Asuka held down Valkyria so Sane could hit an Insane Elbow, but the referee did not count the fall because Sane was not legal. 

(This wasn’t the plan because everything stopped for a moment, and Morgan still flew in to break up the cover that wasn’t being counted. Bayley could clearly be seen talking to Asuka and the referee as they reset.) 

Everyone traded moves until Valkyria caught Sane as she attempted a flying crossbody. Valkyria hit a backbreaker, and Bayley followed with a flying elbow drop, but Asuka broke up the cover. Perez hit Bayley with Pop Rox, but Sane broke up that cover. 

Sane chucked Perez from the ring, but Morgan flew in and hit Sane with Oblivion for the pinfall win. 

Morgan and Perez will challenge Ripley and Sky for the tag titles at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Montreal on January 24th. 

Match result: Liv Morgan & Roxanne Perez defeated Kairi Sane & Sane and Bayley & Lyra Valkyria (13:02)

******** 

Becky Lynch cut a pre-taped promo. She wasn’t happy that mediocre Maxxine Durpri was already getting a rematch, while it took her almost two months to get hers. She claimed corruption from power-mad Pearce, but was confident she would retain the title next week in Belfast. Dupri would have to say goodbye to the big time. 

Byron Saxton interviewed Je’Von Evans during a commercial break. He was happy to pick up his first win as an official member of Raw, and was excited to be in Europe for the first time. He came across as being genuinely excited and let everyone know he would not let them down. 

Redmond interviewed Maxxine Durpi (with Alpha Academy). Dupri was disappointed he lost the title, but she proved to everyone that she belonged. She turned to Otis and Akira Tozawa and said she became champion because she believed in herself and wanted to see the same from them, because they were capable of great things. Dupri turned her attention to Lynch, who had to cheat to beat her. Dupri fired up and said she would break Lynch’s ankle. 

******** 

Raquel Rodriguez and Stephanie Vaquer segment 

Cole interviewed Raquel Rodriguez by the stage and asked her why she laid out Stephanie Vaquer last week. Rodriguez remembered when she was the girl who waited politely and patiently for her turn at the title. 

But things change, and people change. She was cheated out of the world title week after week. She would not stop until she had Vaquer in the ring one-on-one. When Big Sexy Raquel Rodriguez stood tall as the new champion, then everyone could go ahead and feel sorry for Vaquer. 

Vaquer entered, wearing a walking boot, as officials surrounded her. Rodriguez mockingly limped to the back as Vaquer stared her down. Vaquer looked at the camera and said this injury would not stop her. She held up the title belt and said, “Come get it.” 

Of course, Rodriguez ran in and attacked Vaquer again. Rodriguez slammed the title belt over Vaquer’s walking boot as the crowd chanted, “You suck.” Officials checked on Vaquer as Rodriguez left. 

(This segment was fine, and Rodriguez did well, but these officials looked so incompetent, being the only ones in the world who did not see this coming again.) 

********

They showed clips of Drew McIntyre’s appearance as the WWE Champion in Glasgow, Scotland, and plugged his upcoming appearance on SmackDown. 

Otis and Tozawa approached Jey Uso backstage. Otis asked Jey for a tag title shot. Jey didn’t seem to be taking it seriously until Otis got in his face. Jey realized he was serious, so he said he would talk to Jimmy. However, he warned them they would be standing in the ring with the best tag team in the game. Tozawa said Yeet. 

Bronson Reed & Austin Theory (w/ Paul Heyman & Logan Paul) vs. Penta & Dragon Lee

Penta was all over Theory, but took too much time posing, so Theory just dropped him with a boot. Reed tagged in, but Penta and Dragon Lee worked together to take him down. Dragon hit a dropkick in the corner, but Reed emphatically kicked out at one. 

Reed caught Dragon’s flying crossbody attempt and slammed him. After Dragon spilled out of the ring, Theory (not the legal man) decked him right in front of the referee. (The babyfaces are always stopped from getting involved when they aren’t legal, but the heels get away with it.) 

Dragon Lee hit Reed with a DDT after a break, and Penta made the hot tag, hitting Theory with a backstabber for two. Dragon and Penta handed out superkicks to everyone, including Logan Paul. Dragon then wiped out Logan and Theory with a flip dive. 

As Dragon Lee posed outside the ring, Bron Breakker ran down and speared him for the DQ. Penta invited Bron into the ring, so Bron jumped in and speared him, too. 

Bron was about to kill Dragon Lee with a running spear outside the ring, but Pearce suddenly got in his face. As Pearce admonished Bron, Reed laid out Penta with a Tsunami in the background (this was shot well by the cameraperson). 

Pearce popped into the ring to get in Reed’s face, but that allowed Bron to spear Dragon Lee. 

Pearce flung Bron around by his shoulder and told him he was sick of this shit. Bron aggressively grabbed Pearce and shoved him into the corner. Bron screamed at Pearce as the rest of the Vision held him back. Pearce yelled at Heyman and Vision to get Bron out of here. 

Match result: Dragon Lee & Penta defeated Bronson Reed & Austin Theory via disqualification (9:27) 

(This match was a waste of time, but Bron came across well in the post-match.) 

Medical staff checked on Penta and Dragon Lee backstage. Je’Von Evans approached and told them to let him know if they needed anything. 

Pearce found Bron backstage and kept screaming at him. Pearce suspended him indefinitely. Bron got in Pearce’s face, but Reed pulled him away. Heyman told Pearce just made a big mistake. Heyman reminded Pearce that he was the one who put his hands on Bron first. 

********

There was a WrestleMania commercial with Triple H. He received video calls from Peyton Manning, Jon Bernthal, Pete Davidson, Eric André, IShowSpeed, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lil Yachty, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton, Tony Hinchcliffe, Cam Skattebo, and Travis Barker. They all tried pitching WrestleMania ideas involving themselves, which stressed out Triple H. 

Among the comedy here was Hinchcliffe suggesting he win the Women’s title, and André calling Triple H a sissy. 

********

Next week on Raw in Belfast (3 pm ET/12 pm PT start time): 

  • Becky Lynch (c) vs. Maxxine Dupri for the Women’s Intercontinental title 
  • CM Punk (c) vs. Finn Bálor for the World Heavyweight title 

There was an Oba Femi video package and a plug for NXT. 

******** 

Redmond interviewed Gunther. He called Styles disrespectful for smacking him in the face over something he had no involvement in. It was disrespectful to do that to the best wrestler in this company, and disrespectful to do that to the man who made Cena tap out like a little bitch. If Gunther could do that to the so-called greatest of all time, Styles should be worried about what happens to him after the bell rings. (If you don’t watch regularly, Gunther gets a lot of heat the second he mentions tapping out Cena.)

Gunther vs. AJ Styles 

Styles was all over Gunther early on, and he targeted Gunther’s leg with a series of kicks. Gunther slammed Styles on the apron, but Styles fought back with a sliding knee strike. Gunther cut off Styles again with a clothesline in the ring, but Styles kept fighting back until Gunther chopped him off the top rope. 

Gunther held control through a break and continued with chops following the break. Styles tried firing back with strikes, but Gunther decked him with a clothesline. There were dueling chants until Gunther did the ‘you can’t see me’ gesture. The hesitation allowed Styles to mount a comeback, and he hit three consecutive dragon screws (again targeting the leg). 

Styles avoided a clothesline and hit a Pelé kick. Styles applied the Calf Crusher, but Gunther got a rope break. Styles went to the apron and hit a forearm, but he ‘slipped’ on whatever he tried next, so Gunther chopped him. Gunther tried applying a sleeper, but Styles wrenched his leg in the ropes. 

Styles hit a springboard somersault leg drop to the leg of Gunther for two. (That was cool, and came completely out of nowhere.) Styles went for a Phenomenal Forearm, but Gunther dodged it, and they traded counters until Gunther hit a clothesline and powerbomb for two. 

They traded strikes and chops until Styles applied the Calf Crusher again, but Gunther escaped by smashing Styles’ head against the mat. Gunther popped up and hit a shotgun dropkick, but Styles again managed to apply the Calf Crusher. 

Styles suddenly let go and told the referee to raise his hand, claiming that Gunther tapped out. Styles motioned as though Gunther submitted by tapping his (Styles’) leg, but the referee had no idea what he was talking about, and he told the ring announcer, Alicia Taylor, that the match would continue. 

Styles was pissed, but went after Gunther. The ref was in the middle of talking to Taylor, so Gunther gave Styles a low blow. Gunther followed with a powerbomb for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Gunther defeated AJ Styles (17:53)

This was an excellent match until the finish. They showed a replay to explain what happened, and Wade Barrett suggested that Gunther tapped on purpose, knowing that the referee wouldn’t see it, and that Styles would let go. Styles looked like a goof for letting go despite a call not being made, so the follow-up will be important. I’m sure the fans will be into the Calf Crusher when they do the inevitable rematch, which was ultimately the point. 

WWE Raw live results: CM Punk vs. Bron Breakker World title match

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: January 5, 2026
Location: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York 

The Big Takeaway —

CM Punk successfully retained his world title over Bron Breakker in an excellent main event, worth checking out if you missed it. There was a bunch of interference at one point, but they got everyone out of the way with enough time. 

Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky won the Women’s tag titles, while Becky Lynch regained the Women’s Intercontinental title. 

Je’Von Evans signed with Raw during a commercial break. 

Chris Jericho was not on the show.

**********

Show Recap — 

Michael Cole and Corey Graves (wearing a Hellfire Club t-shirt) welcomed us to a sold-out Barclays Center for a Stranger Things-themed edition of Raw. The graphics were all Stranger Things-related, and the establishing shot of New York was made to look like the Upside Down. There were also cars and other show gimmicks around the stage. 

Bron Breakker (and The Vision), CM Punk, Liv Morgan and Judgment Day, Becky Lynch, Lyra Valkyria and Bayley were shown arriving as the Stranger Things song played. 

(It was sort of funny—and fitting—seeing Breakker sternly march through the back ready for his first-ever world title while the Stranger Things track played.) 

Tonight’s sold-out crowd is 14,728. 

Women’s Tag Team Championship: Asuka & Kairi Sane (c) vs. Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY

After all the Stranger Things stuff, they went to commercial break 10 minutes into the show and just 39 seconds into the first scheduled match of the night. 

Ripley took control by hitting a cannonball off the apron ahead of the break, but when they returned, Sane pulled Asuka to safety on another attempt, and they drove Ripley into the barricade to take over. 

Ripley fought back and tagged in Sky, whose offence included a slingblade. That prompted Graves to mention Hiroshi Tanahashi and his retirement, which was nice. The heels got the advantage of Sky anyway, and Sane hit a leaping footstomp to Sky’s back while she was draped over the top rope—leading to another break barely 8 minutes in. 

Ripley got the hot tag and hit Sane with a Razor’s Edge, and Sky tagged back in. Sky followed with a flying dropkick for a nearfall. Crowd wanted a title change. 

Ripley gave Sane a Rip-tide as Sky set up for a moonsault, but Asuka shoved Ripley into Sky to knock her off the top, and followed with a Codebreaker on Ripley. Asuka tagged in and gave Ripley a German suplex (as Ripley yelled, “Oh, shit!”). Asuka and Sane double-teamed Ripley until Sky made the save and dumped Sane from the ring. Sky tagged in and hit Asuka with a running meteroa into the bottom rope. 

Ripley tagged in and hit Asuka with a Rip-tide, and Sky followed with a moonsault. Sky wiped out Sane with a dive, and Ripley covered Asuka for the pinfall win. New champs. The fans popped big. 

Match result: Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY defeated Asuka & Kairi Sane to win the Women’s Tag Team Champions (16:27) 

A pretty good, exciting match with a happy finish to kick off the new year. 

********

There was a video package for Punk vs. Breakker set to ‘This Land’ by Des Rocs. 

Adam Pearce congratulated the new tag team champs backstage. After they left, he was confused upon seeing a Demogorgon. 

Gunther approached Pearce next. Pearce advised Gunther that there were a lot of eyes on the show tonight, and a lot of eyes on Gunther, including from those in the locker room. He advised Gunther to mix in a little respect in his promo tonight. Gunther chuckled.

The next segment had a chapter title card like Stranger Things. It was Chapter Two: He who remains. (I assume they did this earlier, but I didn’t see it.) 

Gunther and AJ Styles segment

Gunther entered. He said he was told by management to show some respect, but people should be respecting him, the one man who made John Cena tap out. 

AJ Styles interrupted. The fans chanted for Styles as he got in Gunther’s face. Gunther called himself the greatest wrestler in this company (the crowd booed that), and that included Styles, because he was the man who made Cena tap out like a little bitch. Gunther wondered what “little AJ” was going to do about it. 

Styles smacked Gunther in the face. Gunther got in Styles’ face but didn’t retaliate. Styles wasn’t surprised and said, “That’s what I thought—nothing.” Styles chucked the microphone at Gunther and left the ring.

******** 

There was a video package for the Women’s IC title match. 

Ivy Nile told Pearce she didn’t plan on going to the back of the line and wanted the winner of tonight’s IC title match. Pearce wasn’t in the mood and told her that we’ll see. Nile reiterated that she would not go to the back of the line. (Someone should tell her it’s not a long line.) 

Gunther confronted Pearce and wanted Styles. Styles jumped in and told Gunther they could fight right now and asked if he would just stand there like a bitch. Gunther ignored Styles and demanded a match for next week. Pearce made it official. Styles was glad. 

******** 

The next title card was Chapter Three: It’s Not Just Her Saying It. 

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

Lynch wore gear inspired by her character in the upcoming Star Trek show. 

Lynch tried yanking Dupri off the apron, but Dupri countered by doing a pointless cartwheel. Dupri hit a boot to take control, but Lynch took control during a break by yanking Dupri off the middle rope. 

They returned from break, and there was a modest and brief “Y2J” chant. Dupri fired up and applied an ankle lock, but Lynch got a rope break. They traded come counters until Lynch hit a middle rope superplex and transitioned into a DDT for two. Lynch hit a back suplex, but Dupri came back with one of her own and a flying crossbody for two. 

Lynch set up for a powerbomb out of the corner, but Dupri slipped out and applied an ankle lock (this did not look good). Lynch tried flipping out of it, but Dupri held on while lying on the mat. 

Dupri’s back was down, so Lynch leaned backward, grabbed the bottom rope, and pinned Dupri for the win. Lynch is a two-time IC champion. 

Match result: Becky Lynch defeated Maxxine Dupri to win the Women’s Intercontinental Championship (11:37) 

This was not good at all, but the right person won. Moving on. 

********

Je’Von Evans signs with Monday Night Raw 

Pearce entered and showed a video for Je’Von Evans, who joined Pearce on the stage. Pearce officially signed Evans to a Raw contract, and the fans applauded. 

The good: doing this on the stage made Evans feel special. The bad: this happened during a commercial break. 

After the break, they aired a commercial for season two of WWE: Unreal. 

********

The Usos segment 

Jimmy and Jey Uso entered in the crowd and remained there. Jimmy had them cut Jey’s music, but played it back for the fans before they cut their promo. 

The Usos shouted out Styles and Dragon Lee for their match, but that was last week and last year. 2026 was the year of the Usos. This was a warning shot to every tag team in the game. Standing in front of you was the best tag team in the game. They’d be waiting right here for anyone who wanted to run up on them. 

********

Stephanie Vaquer walked through the back and passed The Creed Brothers, who were hanging out in a Scoops Ahoy boat from Stranger Things. 

Chapter Four: To Kiss a Devil 

Stephanie Vaquer segment 

Vaquer entered in a walking boot for an in-ring interview with Jackie Redmond. Cole said Vaquer suffered an ankle injury during last week’s successful title defence. 

Vaquer spoke about her special year—winning four titles, including the world title. She became emotional as she talked about her accomplishments and thanked everyone for their support. She spoke in Spanish about her title defence last week over Nikki Bella and Raquel Rodriguez. She pointed to her walking boot and said the injury would not stop her. 

She posed with the belt, but was attacked from behind by Rodriguez. Rodriguez repeatedly slammed Vaquer’s injured foot against the mat before hitting a Tejana Bomb. 

Rodriguez grabbed a chair and was about to Pillmanize her leg, but Pearce and other officials ran out to stop it. The crowd booed as Rodriguez confidently walked to the back. 

Officials helped an upset Vaquer to the back during a break. 

After the break, only two medical staff members remained with Vaquer to help her walk. Rodriguez charged right back in and attacked Vaquer again. Pearce, who left Vaquer on her own, ran in and screamed at Rodriguez. He threatened to fine her until she had nothing left. 

******** 

Backstage, Rey Mysterio gave Dragon Lee words of encouragement and said he would be champion again. Dragon Lee appreciated the advice and left to speak with Styles. 

Penta approached Rey to say he was happy to come back early to help him against the Vision (I guess they haven’t talked since that segment ended). Rey thanked him for having his back. Rey said Penta understood the tradition, honour, and respect of lucha libre, everything the Vision wanted to destroy. Penta told Rey he would always be there for him. 

Elle Duncan was ringside. 

Lyra Valkyria (w/ Bayley) vs. Liv Morgan (w/ Roxanne Perez)

This went through a break, and the crowd was relatively quiet until a wild-looking spot about 7 minutes into the match. Valkyria set up for Nightwing, but Morgan countered into what was likely supposed to be a Codebreaker. It basically was, but Valkyria took the move almost like a DDT, so she landed right on her head. It likely sounded and looked worse than it was for Valkyria, fortunately. 

Morgan distracted the ref, so Perez dropped the rope on Valkyria. Bayley went after Perez, but the ref stopped her, so Perez used that distraction to chuck Bayley into the timekeeper’s area. Bayley “snapped,” grabbed a chair, and chased Perez through the ring and to the back. 

Valkyria was not paying attention to her opponent, so Morgan flew in and hit Oblivion for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Liv Morgan defeated Lyra Valkyria (8:56) 

Valkyria has not won a match since October, and she wasn’t presented like she deserved to win this one. 

********

CM Punk interview 

Redmond interviewed CM Punk backstage. Redmond said some thought Breakker could win the title tonight with one spear. 

Punk said everyone had an opinion. They would rather talk about him, because if they talked about themselves, nobody would pay attention. Breakker could claim spear 1-2-3 if he wanted. But if Punk was the underdog, you were underestimating him, and that meant a GTS and a nap. It could happen to anybody, but tonight, it was Bron. 

********

Byron Saxton interviewed Logan Paul and Austin Theory during a break. It doesn’t really matter what they said. Logan got a ton of heat, while the monotonous Theory got none. 

The only thing announced for Raw in Germany next week (2 pm ET/11 am PT start time) is Gunther vs. AJ Styles for the first time ever. 

******** 

Chapter Six: The Best vs. The Badass.

World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. Bron Breakker (w/ Paul Heyman)

Punk wore a Rick Steiner-inspired Varsity Club jacket with “CM” on the front. This was his first official title defence since winning the title back on November 1st.

They wrestled back and forth through an early break until Bron sprinted the ropes and clobbered Punk with a clothesline. Bron held control until Punk tried a desperation GTS, but Bron countered into a back suplex. Bron remained in control until Punk again tried a GTS, but Bron countered into a gutbuster for two. 

Punk spilled out of the ring, and Bron saw his opportunity to hit a running spear, but Punk cut him off with a clothesline ahead of a break. Punk followed with a clothesline off the barricade and a flying crossbody in the ring for two. Punk hit a running lifting knee strike and tried another, but Bron drove him into the middle turnbuckle and hit a standing moonsault for two. 

After a break, Bron went for a Frankensteiner, but Punk did not come down for it, and Bron almost fell on his head. This was not the planned spot, and they did not show a replay (instead, they randomly replayed Bron’s standing moonsault). Punk did know well enough to follow up with a flying elbow drop for two. 

Punk went back to the top, and Bron successfully hit the Frankensteiner. Bron got him up for a press slam, but Punk countered into a DDT. Punk hit a lifting knee strike, a clothesline, and a flying elbow drop. 

Punk called for a GTS, so it was time for interference. Paul Heyman jumped on the apron, so Punk chased him off. Logan Paul, Austin Theory, and Bronson Reed ran out and leaped on the apron, but Punk chased them all off, too (all right in front of the referee). 

Bron shoved Punk into the referee, who fell out of the ring, and Theory took the opportunity to hit Punk with a curb stomp. Bron made the cover for a nearfall. 

Penta, Rey and Dragon Lee all appeared from the crowd (after Penta’s music played) to attack the Vision and chase them away through the arena. 

That left Bron and Punk alone in the ring. Bron went for a spear, but Punk dodged it, and Bron went shoulder-first into the post. Punk followed with a GTS, which for sure felt like the finish, but Bron kicked out. The crowd was super into this sequence. 

Punk followed with a rare piledriver (“didn’t get all of it,” Cole said) for a two count. Punk went for another GTS, but Bron countered into a Fujiwara armbar. Punk slipped into a cover, but Bron reapplied the hold. Punk reversed that into an Anaconda Vice. Bron simply sat up to counter the hold to Punk’s surprise. Bron followed with a gutbuster and clothesline for a nearfall. 

Bron called for a GTS and went for the move, but Punk countered into an STFU. Bron got a rope break, so Punk went to reapply the move but became distracted by Heyman on the apron again. Punk punched Heyman. 

Bron tried to spear Punk, but Punk dodged it, and Bron spilled out of the ring. Punk went for a suicide dive, but Bron punched him in the face, and Punk splatted on the outside. Punk gathered himself by the announce desk, so Bron put him through it with a wild flying clothesline off the apron. 

Bron shoved Punk into the ring, dropped his straps, and went for a spear, but Punk got his knee up to block it. Punk followed with a GTS for the pinfall win. The crowd went nuts. 

Punk posed with his title belt as the show ended. 

Match result: CM Punk defeated Bron Breakker to retain the World Heavyweight Championship (26:34)

This was awesome. Both guys needed a match like this. Bron showed he can have a main event singles match, and Punk looked like a rightful world champion—and he got his first big title defence since returning to the company. 

WWE Raw live results: CM Punk & Rey Mysterio vs. The Vision

Posted on by Steve Khan

Air Date: December 22, 2025 (taped Dec 19, 2025)
Location: Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, MI 

The Big Takeaway —

Austin Theory teamed with Bronson Reed to beat the team of CM Punk and Rey Mysterio, with Theory pinning Rey after a curb stomp. It was an audition for Theory, who is not yet a member of The Vision. 

It was a taped show and easy to get through, with a runtime of about 90 minutes. 

**********

Show Recap — 

This show was taped on Friday, so the announcers were Michael Cole and Corey Graves (instead of Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett). 

I realized during the opening match that the feed isn’t being treated as ‘live’ on Netflix, so you can just skip ahead if you want. 

CM Punk & Rey Mysterio, Judgment Day, Je’Von Evans, Gunther, and The Vision were shown arriving.  Cole said Evans was a soon-to-be free agent. 

Paul Heyman approached Austin Theory and asked him what the hell he was doing. Theory said he wore the mask because he wanted everyone to feel his actions before they saw his face. He made some mistakes in the past. He got comfortable before getting injured. He appreciated that the Vision didn’t wait around. They take. Theory said that was him now. He wanted to take that opportunity and help out. Heyman was skeptical but intrigued. 

********

Rhea Ripley asked Iyo Sky to stay in the back for her match tonight. She wanted Sky to take care of herself after getting laid out last week. 

Rhea Ripley vs. Women’s Tag Team Champion Asuka (w/ Kairi Sane)

Because this show is taped, we’re not getting the usual commercial breaks, but they are still cutting to break as if it were live. Asuka took control thanks to a Kairi Sane distraction, and they acted as if they were heading to break as usual (90 seconds into the match, as usual), but the action picked right back up. 

Ripley tried mounting a comeback but was tripped from the outside by Sane. Ripley mounted a comeback anyway and fended off a flurry of offence by Asuka ahead of another “break.” Ripley applied the standing cloverleaf, but Asuka countered with a German suplex and sliding kick for two. 

Asuka blocked a Razor’s Edge attempt and later hit a German suplex on the apron. Asuka came off the top, but Ripley hit her with a mid-air thrust kick, followed by a cannonball off the apron. (Ripley used more kicks in this match than usual.) 

Ripley went to the top but was tripped by Sane, so Sky ran out (while selling her back) to attack her. Sky jumped on the apron to yell at the referee for allowing Sane to interfere yet again, but Sane used the opportunity to drop her on the apron. 

Asuka used that distraction to catch Ripley in a cradle for the pinfall win. 

As Cole mentioned, Asuka was winless in 8 singles matches against Ripley before this. 

Match result: Asuka defeated Rhea Ripley (approx. 11:30 of TV time) 

********

Backstage, Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker seemed skeptical about Theory. Heyman said they were both much better off today than they were months ago, and that was thanks to him. That all happened thanks to his vision.

He did not pimp that out easily. He was selective, and he had a vision for Theory. Tonight, it would be Theory and Reed against Punk and Mysterio. Either Theory carried out their vision, or the two of them could carry Theory’s ass out of WWE. (This immediately made me think of Steve Austin and Kurt Angle kicking Buff Bagwell out of the arena that one time.) 

********

Becky Lynch and Maxxine Dupri segment 

Lynch stormed out wearing a fur coat. She said we would not be getting a celebration for Maxxine Durpi. There was a corrupt referee in their match, and Lynch was still the rightful Women’s Intercontinental Champion. 

If petty Pearce wouldn’t do anything about it, Lynch knew some powerful people who would. She had the most powerful lawyers in the country, but the bigwigs at Netflix advised her to go to miserable Michigan and take matters into her own hands because she was the greatest of all time. 

Dupri interrupted. She agreed with Sports Illustrated that Lynch was the greatest of all time. Dupri herself was just a rookie—but this rookie just beat the greatest of all time. (Dupri’s first match was in 2023.) Dupri bragged that she beat Lynch three times (the other two were by DQ and count-out), and said she would give Lynch a rematch anytime, anyplace. 

Dupri fired up and said she would stop at nothing to beat her again. She would train until her blood, sweat and tears on the mat. She added, “Not only am I their Intercontinental Champion, I am your Intercontinental Champion.” 

Dupri wanted Lynch to admit that, but she knew Lynch wouldn’t take it on the chin like the Man she said she was. In this moment, Lynch didn’t look like the greatest of all time. Lynch looked like someone who was afraid her best years were behind her. 

Lynch decked Dupri with a suckerpunch and held up the IC title belt. Lynch was about to leave, but went for another attack, so Dupri picked the leg and applied an ankle lock until Lynch tapped out. Dupri let go, and Lynch bailed. 

Dupri was good here. 

******** 

Pearce spoke to Je’Von Evans backstage. Pearce wished him luck in his match tonight and wanted to talk about his future afterward. Evans was in a good mood, and he left for his match. 

Stephanie Vaquer approached Pearce next. She wanted to face both Nikki Bella and Raquel Rodriguez. Pearce was happy with that and made a triple threat match for the world title next week.  

******** 

There was a video package for The Usos, who face AJ Styles and Dragon Lee for the world tag team titles next week. Well, that was a quick road back to title contention.

Je’Von Evans vs. Rayo Americano (w/ El Grande Americano & Bravo Americano) 

Cole said he tried a Wikipedia search on Rayo Americano but couldn’t find anything, even though a Google search for him takes you right to Pete Dunne’s results. 

Evans hit a flip dive ahead of a “break,” but Rayo brought him off the top rope with an arm drag after the break to take control. Evans fought back with a forearm, a vertical suplex (where he pops right back up to his feet), and a springboard clothesline for two. 

El Grande Americano distracted the referee while Bravo and Rayo double-teamed Evans. Rayo followed with a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall. Evans avoided a Rayo moonsault attempt and hit an OG Cutter for the pinfall win. 

El Grande and Bravo tried to attack Evans, but he escaped the ring and smiled back at them. 

Match result: Je’Von Evans defeated Rayo Americano (approx. 7:00 of TV time) 

This was fine. A mostly easy win for Evans, and they really pushed hard that he’s a pending free agent. 

********

Cathy Kelley interviewed Styles and Dragon Lee about facing Jimmy and Jey Uso, who have been a tag team a lot longer than they have. Styles and Lee weren’t worried because they’ve beaten established teams like Judgment Day and New Day. Styles said having the titles meant they were better than the best. 

Bron Breakker promo 

There was a pre-taped Breakker promo package. Breakker said Punk thought they had a personal vendetta because of the barbs he mentioned about his family, but the reality was that Punk didn’t care about his wife. He never cared about anyone other than himself. 

Breakker wondered which version of Punk would show up on January 5th: the watered-down 2025 version, or the best in the world. Either way, the result would be the same. Breakker was the mountain Punk couldn’t climb, and the dog he couldn’t outrun. In Punk’s words, he was only here to make money. Breakker hoped Punk saved his money, because after he beats him, Punk won’t be worth a dollar to anyone. 

This was really good. 

********

Nikki Bella segment 

The announcers were talking when Nikki Bella interrupted. She called herself “the most famous person.” She reminded the fans that she was Nikki Bella, a Hall of Famer and a former champion. 

She said they wouldn’t know what a champion looked like because they cheered for the Detroit Lions. The Lions wished they were the Philadelphia Eagles or, better yet, Ohio State. 

Bella was the star of the division. She destroyed Rodriguez’s face, and she would destroy Vaquer’s reign. Vaquer was a big deal in the ring, but Bella was a big deal everywhere. It was about time the title was around the waist of a true global superstar. 

******** 

Bayley (w/ Lyra Valkyria) vs. Roxxane Perez (w/ Liv Morgan)

Perez worked over Bayley’s knee (through a break) until Bayley made a comeback. Raquel Rodriguez appeared at ringside and was about to slide into the ring, but Valkyria took her out with a spinning kick to stop her from interfering. Morgan responded by chucking Valkyria over the announce desk. 

Perez distracted the referee while Morgan tripped Bayley. (This precise spot happened in the opening match.) Perez used the distraction to drop Bayley face-first into an exposed turnbuckle, but the idiot referee was distracted by Rodriguez on the apron. Valkyria wiped out Rodriguez and Morgan with a dive off the table. 

Valkyria psyched up Bayley and slapped her in the face. This fired up Bayley (and healed her knee), and she hammered away at Perez before hitting a flying elbow drop for the pinfall win. 

Another match filled with interference and distractions. It’s especially exhausting when it happens in multiple matches in a row every single week.

Match result: Bayley defeated Roxanne Perez (approx. 7:00 of TV time) 

********

In the locker room, Reed told Theory he was in the big leagues now and to follow his lead, kid. Theory told him he wasn’t his kid. Theory said he would start the match, and Reed would follow his lead. 

Elsewhere, Rodriguez argued with Morgan and Perez. Rodriguez was pissed because she had a world tile match to prepare for, so she bailed. 

Gunther segment

Gunther entered and was booed heavily again. He took his time basking in the heat. He said the fans shouldn’t be mad at him, they should be mad at the guy who tapped out like a little bitch. (He definitely got a ton of heat, but it also sounded like they manipulated the sound to make it pop louder.) 

CM Punk marched out to his music. He very quickly got into the ring and straight into Gunther’s face. The fans loudly chanted for Punk. Gunther laughed in his face before leaving the ring. Gunther gave him the ‘you can’t see me’ gesture before taking off. 

Gunther was confronted next by Rey Mysterio in the aisle. The disappointed Rey put his hands on his hips and shook his head (like he was looking at his own son). Gunther laughed at him and left. 

After a break, Styles confronted Gunther backstage. Styles said Gunther didn’t know when to shut up. Gunther said, “Guess I don’t,” and he laughed. 

********

World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk & Rey Mysterio vs. Austin Theory & Bronson Reed (w/ Paul Heyman) 

Punk and Rey both wore pink and black gear. 

The Vision got the heat on Punk as Theory used his familiar offence and held Punk in a rest hold after a break. Reed took his turn next until Punk rolled out of the way of a senton and made the hot tag to Rey, who knocked Theory off the apron. Reed tried to squish Rey, but Rey avoided it and hit a running seated senton off the ropes. 

Theory tagged in, but Rey got rid of him with a hurricanrana and a seated senton off the barricade. After a “break,” Theory was suddenly in control. Fortunately, they showed a replay of what happened during the break, which was Reed clubbing Rey from behind. Reed’s offence on Rey included a standing frog splash and a delayed vertical suplex. 

Theory worked over Rey next as Cole asked Graves what looked different about Theory tonight. Graves said he looked more focused, but besides his hair and his pants, the answer is nothing. 

Rey hit Theory with a bulldog and made the hot tag to Punk, who hit Theory with punches, a neckbreaker, corner knee strikes, and a bulldog. Theory avoided a GTS and tagged in Reed, but Punk fended him off and hit a flying clothesline for two. 

Rey tagged in and set up Reed for a 619, but Theory made a blind tag and levelled Rey with a running clothesline. Rey fought him off anyway to hit a 619 and a springboard splash. Rey had it won, but Reed yanked him out of the ring to break up the cover. Punk hit Reed with a suicide dive and clotheslined him over the barricade (taking them both out of the mix). 

Rey went to the top rope, but Theory tripped him and hit a curb stomp for the pinfall win. (Rey looked great all match, and the crowd was into this until Theory won.)

— Punk chased Theory out of the ring post-match. Breakker tried a sneak attack as Punk was distracted, but Punk fought him off. Punk fought off Theory next, but that distraction allowed Breakker to nail a spear as the taped show quickly went off the air. 

Match result: Austin Theory & Bronson Reed defeated Rey Mysterio & World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk (approx. 15:00 of TV time)

WWE Raw live results: Gunther appears after retiring John Cena

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: December 15, 2025
Location: GIANT Center in Hershey, PA 

The Big Takeaway —

Austin Theory is the masked man. 

CM Punk cut a fiery promo on Bron Breakker, repeatedly insulting the intelligence of Bron, as well as Rick and Scott Steiner. Breakker speared him for his efforts at Raw’s conclusion. 

Gunther opened the show and received a ton of heat. He called John Cena a bitch for tapping, and his words were so upsetting that he was kicked out of the arena by Adam Pearce (facing off with AJ Styles as he left). 

**********

Show Recap — 

There was a big video package recapping John Cena’s retirement match and loss to Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event. The video showed Cena’s career flashing before our eyes while he was locked in the sleeper before tapping out. They included the “Thank you, Cena” chants (and only those chants) as the video ended with him walking off. 

Gunther kicks off Monday Night Raw

Gunther walked out to an absolute ton of heat, and he was all smiles. A few fans chanted, “You tapped out,” but it quickly turned into more booing as he tried to speak. 

Gunther stated, “I did what I said I would do. I made John Cena give up! And when he gave up, he tapped out like a little bitch!” 

Gunther dropped the mic and left as the crowd loudly (and I mean loudly) booed. Gunther returned to the ring to pose on the turnbuckle and bask in the heat. He teased leaving again, but instead posed on the announce table with one more statement. 

“I made John Cena tap out like a little bitch! It is my time now. I will forever be the man that made John Cena give up.” 

Gunther continued to smile as he left to a chorus of boos. The camera followed as he walked to the back, where he bumped into Otis and Akira Tozawa. Otis asked if Gunther felt good rubbing it in. Gunther said he did. Gunther then bumped into R-Truth, who called him a piece of trash. Gunther was cool with that. 

Gunther bumped into Adam Pearce next. Pearce was pissed that he was walking all over Cena’s legacy because he knew Cena wasn’t coming back. That didn’t make him the Ring General—that made him an asshole. Pearce told him he was done for the night and to find the exit. 

Gunther gladly left the arena. He bumped into AJ Styles outside. Styles got in his face, but did not say anything. He motioned to Gunther to get in his car. Gunther rolled the window down to give Styles the “You can’t see me” gesture before driving off. 

(It felt like all of these people were overreacting, but Gunther was perfect here.) 

********

Arriving at the arena were The Vision, Stephanie Vaquer, Ivy Nile & The Creed Brothers, and CM Punk. 

The Usos vs. The New Day (w/ Grayson Waller) 

Jimmy and Jey Uso entered and were about to run back their entrance music, but The New Day interrupted.

I believe this was the first time these teams have wrestled each other in three years. 

The New Day took control ahead of an early break, and Jimmy Uso made a comeback as soon as they returned, but a Waller distraction allowed New Day to take over again. 

Jey made a hot tag and missed a Stinger splash, colliding head-first into the ring post. He bounced right back and hit Xavier Woods with a superkick for two. Wade Barrett credited Jey’s “Samoan head” for being able to absorb the damage. Jey followed with a dive and flying crossbody for two, leading to a second commercial break. 

New Day took control again during the break. Jey began his comeback when they returned, but he was tripped by Waller, who was kicked out by the referee. The Usos handed out superkicks to Woods and Kofi Kingston before hitting Woods with a double splash for a nearfall. 

Kingston shoved Jey into the steel steps, and Woods followed with a tornado DDT to Jimmy off the apron. New Day hit their double-team finisher on Jimmy, but Jey broke up the cover. 

Jimmy came back with superkicks before Jey nailed Woods with a spear outside the ring. Jimmy speared Kingston in the ring, and the Usos hit him with 1-D for the pinfall win (Jey pinned Kingston). 

Match result: Jimmy & Jey Uso defeated Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods (17:25) 

This match was pretty boring until the finishing sequence. 

******** 

Confirmed for the January 5th edition of Raw: CM Punk vs. Bron Breakker for the world title, and Asuka & Kairi Sane defend the tag titles against Iyo Sky & Rhea Ripley. 

Asuka and Kairi Sane cut a pre-taped promo in Japanese. They accused Iyo Sky of betraying them, even though they loved her, and choosing Rhea Ripley over them. Asuka said they would retain their tag titles on January 5th. 

Byron Saxton interviewed Dominik Mysterio during commercials. Dom was happy to be the last person to beat Cena in a title match. It made him the greatest Mysterio of all time and the greatest luchador of all time. Dom was excited to see Raquel Rodriguez bring more gold home to Judgment Day tonight. 

The Vision meets backstage 

Logan Paul was gushing with Bronson Reed over what they did to LA Knight. Bron Breakker told them Knight was gone and they should focus on CM Punk. Logan agreed, and he assumed the masked man would show up to help. Paul Heyman didn’t know who the masked man was, but they had a lot on their plate, so he would take the help if the masked man was on the same page. 

Breakker pulled Heyman aside to tell him he would take out Punk if he showed up tonight (they already showed Punk arriving earlier). Heyman urged him to wait for January 5th and do it with the title on the line. Breakker wasn’t thrilled with this. Logan calmed him down and asked for his help getting ready for Rey Mysterio. 

********

Asuka & Kairi Sane attack Iyo Sky & Rhea Ripley 

Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley entered, presumably for an in-ring promo. However, Ripley looked back into the crowd to find Asuka, who misted her in the face. Sane wiped out Sky as she checked on Ripley. 

Officials ran down to try to break things up, but Asuka and Sane continued the assault. Asuka held down Ripley for Sane to do the Insane Elbow, but Sky crawled on top of Ripley to take the brunt of the damage. Sky sold her back, while officials checked on Ripley. 

(A good, simple heat segment that felt more spontaneous than the usual angles.) 

********

The second match of the evening began 1 hour and 5 minutes into the show. 

Maxxine Dupri wore all black (with silver boots). Gunther wore all black earlier, and both the Usos (black and silver) and The New Day (black and gold) wore mostly all black gear as well. Ivy Nile had a lot of black, too, but at least her gear had the American flag incorporated into it. 

Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Maxxine Dupri (c) vs. Ivy Nile 

This was a title match between two wrestlers who have one pinfall win between them in the last year, and that one win was Dupri beating Becky Lynch for the title (thanks to interference). The crowd was understandably quiet for it. 

Dupri applied an armbar trapping Nile between the ropes, but she lost the grip, and Nile slammed her into the apron. Nile followed with a safe-looking German suplex on the outside and maintained control through a break. 

Dupri mounted a comeback, but Nile ducked a spinning kick and hit a powerbomb. Dupri responded with a sit-out powerbomb of her own (dropping Nile on her lower back/rear end) for two. There was a moment where Dupri was stuck upside down in the ropes and fired up by dropping her straps, but even that didn’t get much of a reaction. 

Dupri applied an ankle lock, and Nile kept trying to counter, but Dupri blocked every attempt. Dupri grapevined the leg, and Nile tapped out. 

Match result: Maxxine Dupri defeated Ivy Nile to retain the Women’s Intercontinental Championship (9:57)

******** 

Je’Von Evans met with Pearce backstage. Pearce was impressed with his performance at SNME. They were approached by El Grande Americano and the other two. El Grande spoke ill of NXT and Evans, so Evans basically told him to watch his mouth. Pearce suggested a match for next week, and Rayo stepped up for the challenge. Pearce made it official. 

CM Punk promo

Punk stormed to the ring to his music. He was not in a good mood, and he ripped the logo cover off the microphone before cutting his promo. 

Punk said he missed two consecutive Raws because people smarter than him said he wasn’t cleared to compete or fly. What happened to him at WarGames hurt, but it wasn’t as painful as having to listen to Bron Breakker talk. Punk called him a cross-eyed Neanderthal nepo baby. 

Punk recalled Breakker being mad at him for trying to end his career at WarGames. Punk knew brains didn’t run in Bron’s family, and reminded him that he didn’t sign up to play board games. Punk congratulated him on the win, but said Breakker had the audacity to claim it was easy to beat him. 

Breakker wanted the 2011 version of Punk, but Breakker couldn’t beat the 2025 version of him without a lot of help. Breakker got assists from a Brock Lesnar F5, Bronson Reed Tsunami, and Drew McIntyre spitting his head open. Not to mention the masked man. Breakker earned a title match, but he didn’t do it alone. 

Punk has been here many times before. This wasn’t the first time Heyman gassed up a talent too fast, too soon, only to watch him wilt under the bright lights. If Punk had a dime for every time someone not as smart as him gassed up a wrestler to be a future WrestleMania main eventer, he’d have a pocket full of dimes. 

Punk warned Breakker not to mention his wife again, or this would get personal faster than he could run. This wouldn’t be about the belt anymore. Punk would rip his eyes out of his head and piss on his single-digit IQ brain. 

Punk would challenge Breakker to show up alone to fight him for the title, but he knew he didn’t have the balls. Punk invited Breakker to invite the Vision, his dumb father, and his even dumber brother Scott, because he would need all the help he could get. 

Punk would win, and Heyman would leave Breakker to move on to the next next big thing. Meanwhile, Reed would be forced to do TikToks with the YouTube scammer. All Bron would have left was dumb and dumber—his father and uncle—and even with Steiner math, they would realize GTS equalled 1-2-3.

******** 

Judgment Day met backstage. Dom was excited for the Women’s title main event. Liv Morgan said they’d all have a great Christmas, but she wondered where Finn Bálor was. Dom said he was with JD McDonagh, who would be out a while. 

Morgan approached Raquel Rodriguez and was excited to see her become world champion, before she and Roxanne Perez became tag team champions. Rodriguez was pumped up, and she left for the match. 

Women’s World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez 

This went through a break, and the crowd was quiet until Vaquer hit Devil’s Kiss. Rodriguez came back with a clothesline before the fight spilled to the outside. 

Nikki Bella suddenly appeared to attack Vaquer for the DQ. Bella laid out Vaquer with “Rack Attack 2.0.” 

Match result: Stephanie Vaquer defeated Raquel Rodriguez via disqualification (8:43) 

********

Pearce wanted Heyman to tell him who the masked man was. Heyman said he didn’t know. It could be Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Nick Aldis, or Bruno Sammartino. Heyman left because he wanted to get Logan ready for Rey Mysterio. Pearce wanted to know the masked man’s identity by the end of the night. 

After Heyman left, Ripley approached Pearce and demanded a match with Asuka. Pearce made it official for next week. 

********

Punk approached Rey backstage and told him he’d have his back tonight. Rey appreciated it. 

Jackie Redmond asked AJ Styles and Dragon Lee about the “throwback” match between The Usos and New Day earlier. Styles appreciated their rivalry, but he and Dragon Lee were the team to beat. Dragon Lee said they would face any team, any time. They left to speak to Pearce. 

Bella approached Redmond because she had something to say. She would not apologize for putting people beneath her in their place. She was sick of these women not respecting the road she paved. Vaquer and Rodriguez should be polishing her boots. 

********

Next week on Raw: 

  • Bayley vs. Roxanne Perez 
  • Je’Von Evans vs. Rayo Americano 
  • Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka 

******** 

Bayley congratulated Dupri on retaining the title, and Dupri said it meant the world coming from her. Durpi showed off her bloody finger, perhaps from losing a nail, so she left to take care of it. 

Lyra Valkyria approached Bayley. Bayley admitted she didn’t feel great losing to someone so much less experienced (she didn’t mention Sol Ruca’s name). Bayley wondered if there was truth to what Asuka said about her. 

Valkyria purposely egged her on by shoving her and saying that wasn’t the Bayley she knew, and called her an idiot. It worked because Bayley fired up and said she would destroy Perez next week. Bayley called Valkyria an idiot and left. Valkyria was happy her plan worked. 

******** 

Rey Mysterio vs. Logan Paul (w/ Paul Heyman)

Rey played cat-and-mouse with Logan early on and taunted him while doing so. They went back and forth before Rey hit a seated senton off the apron. However, Logan took over during a break after shoving him into the barricade. I think Logan tried a bronco buster of sorts during the break, but he just kind of sat with his crotch in Rey’s face for a few moments before getting up. 

Logan went to the top rope, but Rey cut him off with ten punches and a hurricanrana for two. Rey tried a springboard moonsault, but Logan caught him and hit a running powerslam for two. 

Rey went for a 619, but Logan hit an ill-timed boot to cut him off, followed by the most deliberate three amigos suplexes. Instead of hitting the third suplex, Logan placed Rey on the top rope. Rey fought him off and hit a sunset flip powerbomb. Logan spilled outside the ring, so Rey hit a sliding splash. 

This brought out the Brons, but Punk immediately ran out behind them with a chair. He attacked them with the chair and chased them to the back. Rey caught Logan in a crucifix pin for a nearfall. Logan blocked a hurricanrana and hit an alley-oop facebuster. 

Heyman handed Logan the brass knuckles as the referee checked on Rey. However, Rey tripped Logan and hit a 619. 

Logan dropped the knux, and Rey considered grabbing them. Rey did grab them and placed them on his hand, but the masked man appeared and hit him with a curb stomp. Logan followed with a frog splash for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Logan Paul defeated Rey Mysterio (14:59) 

— The masked man faced off with Logan Paul, but scampered into the crowd upon seeing Punk run down to the ring. 

Punk stood on the turnbuckle as the camera focused on the masked man, who removed his face mask to reveal it was Austin Theory. (The reveal didn’t get a big reaction, but people did chant his name as he stood in the crowd.) 

Punk dropped down from the ropes and was speared by Breakker. 

Breakker grabbed the world title belt. He told Punk that this was business, but if Punk ever talked about his family like that again, he would never walk on two feet ever again. Breakker held the belt up high as the show ended.

WWE Raw live results: Gunther speaks ahead of John Cena’s final match

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: December 8, 2025
Location: T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO 

The Big Takeaway —

Gunther wants to make John Cena give up, The Usos are back in the tag division (and have a date with The New Day next week), and Raquel Rodriguez is next in line for Stephanie Vaquer’s world title. 

Logan Paul beat LA Knight with help from the masked man before The Vision seemingly wrote Knight off television. Bron Breakker had another message for CM Punk. 

**********

Show Recap — 

Raw started with a video package highlighting the John Cena tournament, culminating with Gunther beating LA Knight in the finals on Friday. 

Gunther kicks off Monday Night Raw

Gunther entered wearing all black and was roundly booed. The boos turned into chants for John Cena as Gunther egged them on. 

Gunther said he would be the final opponent for the greatest sports entertainer of all time, but Cena would be facing the greatest professional wrestler of all time. 

Gunther called Cena the man who never gave up. But beating Cena wasn’t enough. He would break Cena’s spirit, bully him, drop him on his head, wrap his arms around his neck, and squeeze until the last bits of hustle, loyalty, and respect left his body. 

There was only one way out, and Cena would do the one thing he said he never would: give up. 

Gunther dropped the mic and left. 

********

Rey Mysterio, Lyra Valkyria & Bayley, AJ Styles & Dragon Lee, Stephanie Vaquer, and Iyo Sky & Rhea Ripley were shown arriving earlier today. 

Oba Femi was shown in the front row with his NXT Championship belt, and they plugged his (non-title) match against Cody Rhodes on Saturday Night’s Main Event. 

Iyo Sky (w/ Rhea Ripley) vs. Tag Team Champion Kairi Sane (w/ Asuka)

Sky was about to go for a dive, but Asuka leaped on the apron to block it (as Sane distracted the referee). Sky went after Asuka, but Asuka dropped the rope, and Sky spilled out of the ring. Ripley confronted Asuka, and Sane used the distraction to knock down Sky with a leaping forearm off the apron. (There was another distraction spot during the break, and Ripley decided not to do anything about it this time.) 

Sky fought back when they returned from break and hit a springboard missile dropkick and corner meteroa for two. Sky set up for a moonsault, but Sane quickly went up to block it and followed with a double foot stomp for two (as Sky held herself upside down in the corner).  

Sane tried a back drop on the apron, but Sky landed on her feet. Sane didn’t notice, so Sky gave her a German suplex on the apron. Sky followed with an Asai moonsault. 

Sky set up for her moonsault in the ring again, but yet another Sane distraction allowed Asuka to interfere again, this time by knocking Sky off the top rope. Ripley had enough and dumped Asuka into the timekeeper’s area. 

Sane failed to take advantage of the distraction, and Sky hit a moonsault for the pinfall win. Sane leaped into Ripley’s arms to celebrate. 

Match result: Iyo Sky defeated Kairi Sane (11:34) 

A perfectly good TV match, and the crowd was into Sky (and Ripley).

******** 

Logan Paul approached the rest of the Vision backstage. He asked if they didn’t see Rey Mysterio smack him in the face last week. Bronson Reed said he didn’t like it. Bron Breakker seemed unperturbed. Logan wanted something to be done about it. The Brons stood up and said they would handle it tonight. Logan was glad. 

Logan pulled Paul Heyman aside and said he wanted the situation handled tonight. Heyman assured him that, for the first time in his life, he had backup. Logan was cool with that, but wanted them to know he was their backup if needed. Heyman was happy to hear that, but handed him brass knuckles, just in case. 

(Normally, it’s stupid when these stablemates seemingly don’t speak to each other when they’re not on the show, but it’s believable that the Brons don’t talk to Logan in their free time.) 

******** 

Mysterio walked through the back and walked by Adam Pearce, who was off to the side, arguing with The New Day. 

There was a Cena video package about the ‘you can’t see me’ hand gesture. 

There was a War Raiders video package. 

********

Rey Mysterio / Logan Paul / LA Knight segment 

Mysterio made his way to the ring (presumably to face Finn Bálor) but was decked from behind by Logan Paul. Mysterio fought him off and set up for 619, but was attacked from behind by the masked man. The man superkicked Mysterio and hit a curb stomp before being chased away through the crowd by security. 

Mysterio slowly got to his feet, but Logan knocked him out with the brass knuckles. 

LA Knight ran out to his music, and Logan bailed. Knight said he would have an aneurysm if the masked man really was Seth Rollins. Knight wanted to stomp his head in. Knight said he thought the Vision couldn’t suck anymore, but then Logan joined them. 

Knight was pissed off, and it didn’t help watching Logan attack a legend like Mysterio. Knight said Logan would pay, not on Friday or Saturday, but tonight in KC. Knight said “Yeah” over and over as the fans sang along. 

The crowd was really into Knight here. Knight vs. Paul was made official after a break. 

******** 

The announcers congratulated Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on being nominated for a Golden Globe for best male actor. 

Je’Von Evan was shown in the crowd. Evans and Leon Slater will face AJ Styles and Dragon Lee on SNME. 

World Tag Team Championships: AJ Styles & Dragon Lee vs. The War Raiders

Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Grayson Waller watched the match at ringside. 

Erik and Ivar blocked early dive attempts by Styles and Dragon Lee. Erik drove Dragon into the barricade, and Ivar squished Styles into the side of the ring ahead of a break. 

They worked over Styles until Dragon Lee got a hot tag and ran wild after a break. With Erik hanging upside down in the ropes (holding himself up), Dragon Lee hit a double foot stomp—a spot we saw in the opening match. (It’s ok to repeat spots, but not that one.) 

There was an ill-advised spot where Dragon Lee hoisted Ivar up on his shoulders for something, but he collapsed. The crowd cheered as Lee hoisted Ivar up again on his shoulders. He stumbled again, and Ivar tried to make up for it by pretending to counter. Dragon Lee tried it a third time and hit an accidental DVD that didn’t look like much. (The crowd was very forgiving.) 

Lee continued to fight off both men on his own until Ivar powerslammed him outside the ring. Ivar followed with a moonsault, but Styles just barely broke up the cover. Erik got a two count on Styles with a knee strike. 

Moments later, Styles used a hurricanrana to bring Ivar off the top rope, and Ivar collided with Erik on the way down. Dragon Lee wiped out Erik with a dive, and Styles hit Ivar with a Phenomenal Forearm for the pinfall win. 

(This wasn’t the smoothest match you’ll ever see. It certainly wasn’t boring.) 

Match result: AJ Styles & Dragon Lee defeated The War Raiders to retain the World Tag Team Championships (11:22)

The New Day and Waller approached Styles and Lee in the ring when Jey Uso’s music hit. The Usos entered together, and they ran the music back as the other men in the ring patiently waited. 

Jimmy Uso had a big announcement: The Usos were back in the tag division. They’ve been getting hit hard the past few months. They lost at WarGames and Wrestlepalooza. Jey lost his world title and lost in the Cena tournament. Jimmy saw his brother crashing out and knew he had to do something. He called Jey in the middle of the night and asked him what they would do about it. 

Jey said they would get back to us. They would block the noise, body them all, and put the tag team on notice. The best damn tag team was now in your city. “We need gold. We need gold, Uce.” 

The Usos meant no disrespect to the current champs, but said Styles and Lee didn’t know the Usos. But the New Day did. The Usos got in the faces of Kingston and Woods and compared their rivalry to Ali vs. Frazier and The Rock vs. Stone Cold. (This confrontation might’ve meant more if New Day weren’t ice cold.) 

The Usos turned their attention to Styles and Lee until New Day tried to attack them from behind. The Usos decked Kingston and Woods. (Waller bailed.) 

The Usos faced off with Styles and Lee as the segment ended. 

********

There was a Cena video package on his feud with The Rock. 

SNME card (start time 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT): 

  • John Cena vs. Gunther — Cena’s retirement match 
  • Bayley vs. Sol Ruca 
  • World Tag Team Champions AJ Styles & Dragon Lee vs. Je’Von Evans & Leon Slater (non-title) 
  • WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. NXT Champion Oba Femi (non-title) 

********

Stephanie Vaquer segment 

Jackie Redmond interviewed Stephanie Vaquer in the ring, although Vaquer quickly took the mic to speak on her own. Vaquer said she wanted to face everyone. She didn’t talk much, but she spoke with her actions. She was the best—and not because of Devil’s Kiss. 

Vaquer said Nikki Bella was a legend, but the women’s division was different than what it was 15 years ago. They had Ripley, Bayley, Natalya, Iyo Sky, and they were all amazing. Vaquer asked Bella if she knew who was on top. 

Bella interrupted. Bella called herself a legend, a Hall of Famer and a celebrity, and she was not done with Vaquer. Bella demanded a rematch. 

Raquel Rodriguez suddenly hopped the apron, effortlessly yanked Bella off the apron, and lawn darted her into the ring post. (That was a great spot, but Rodriguez didn’t get much of a reaction.) 

Rodriguez confronted Vaquer. She told her to name the time and place so she could kick her ass and take the title. 

******** 

Byron Saxton interviewed Ivy Nile during a break, and she appeared with the Creed Brothers. Nile has an IC title shot against Maxxine Dupri next week. Nile didn’t care that Natayla, her old friend, was training Dupri. She said Dupri would drop the ball just like the KC Chiefs did yesterday (the crowd booed). 

(Nile hasn’t wrestled on Raw since June, and her last televised win was over a year ago.) 

******** 

The Judgment Day met backstage. Bálor was happy he had an easy night after Mysterio got laid out. 

Morgan was surprised that Rodriguez didn’t run her plan by her. Rodriguez said she didn’t realize she needed to. Morgan played it down and said it was cool. She wanted to see Rodriguez become world champion. Rodriguez was content and left to talk with Pearce. 

Morgan turned her attention to Roxanne Perez and said they could be the next tag team champions. 

********

Sol Ruca was shown in the crowd. It’s been almost 30 minutes since the previous match ended.

Lyra Valkyria (w/ Bayley) vs. Roxanne Perez (w/ Liv Morgan)

Morgan distracted the referee so Perez could rake Valkyria’s eyes as she set up for her finisher. Bayley knocked Morgan down, so Perez kicked Bayley down. 

Perez countered a roll-up attempt and shoved Valkyria into the ropes. Morgan was still down on the apron, but alert enough to kick Valkyria in the face (and the ref just simply wasn’t watching). 

Perez took advantage of the interference and hit Pop Rox for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Roxanne Perez defeated Lyra Valkyria (10:15) 

They were having a nice match until the finishing interference sequence, which looked pretty bad. We also saw tons of interference in the first match, but the heel happened to win this time. 

********

Kingston and Woods cut a promo during commercials. Kingston mocked Jey for losing his smile, and Woods said they would bury the Usos under their own penitentiary next week. 

There were clips from a John Cena interview. He spoke about the ‘you can’t wrestle’ chants. They were spawned from him winning matches with the same five moves every night. He seemed to take it to heart and decided to do more stuff. Over time, he worked with the likes of Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and AJ Styles to teach him stuff and do better. He didn’t resist the audience’s chants; he used them to get better. (Full interview is on WWE.com.) 

They aired the Dupri/Natalya training video again. Or maybe it was a new one. Joe Tessitore said he was impressed with Dupri’s level of training based on this dimly lit video. 

******** 

LA Knight vs. Logan Paul (w/ Paul Heyman)

Logan gave Knight a cheap shot as he entered the ring, and the ref decided this was a good time to start the match. Knight fought back anyway and cleared the announce table before bouncing Logan’s head off of it repeatedly. Knight was in control until Logan hit a Zig-Zag for two. 

Logan maintained control through a break and hit an alley-oop facebuster when they returned. Knight fought back with a leaping clothesline, Russian leg sweep, and neckbreaker for two. 

Breakker and Reed marched out as Knight set up on the top rope. Logan used the distraction to knock Knight off the top and hit a clunky-looking flying crossbody for two. Knight countered a gut-wrench slam and hit a reverse DDT, followed by a flying elbow drop. 

Knight knocked Breakker off the apron, but was knocked down instead by Reed. The referee eventually figured out what happened and ejected the Brons from ringside, but they didn’t immediately leave. 

Knight attacked Logan by the announce desk as the referee tried getting rid of the Brons. The distraction allowed the masked man to fly in and give Knight a curb stomp on the announce desk. 

Logan followed with a frog splash in the ring for the pinfall win. 

— The Brons attacked Knight after the match. Breakker speared Knight, and Reed hit consecutive Tsunamis. 

Match result: Logan Paul defeated LA Knight (12:44) 

Officials and medical staff rolled Knight out of the ring as the Vision stood tall. 

Heyman grabbed a mic and started his promo as they went to a commercial break. (Heyman told a stagehand that he would still be talking when they returned, and he was.) 

Heyman put over his guys before stating that Bron Breakker would beat CM Punk for the world title on the anniversary of Raw’s debut on Netflix. The crowd chanted for Punk. 

Breakker grabbed the mic. He wondered where Punk was. He wasn’t wondering where Punk was physically—he wondered where the CM Punk was. He didn’t buy this new, nice guy CM Punk. All of a sudden, Punk returned and was the nicest guy ever. He followed the rules and took pictures with the young talent just to post them on social media for people to see what a nice guy he was. 

Breakker repeated a joke we’ve heard before, saying Punk preached about being straight edge, but still looked like the biggest crackhead anyone has ever seen. 

Breakker didn’t want to face the nice guy because he could beat that guy easily. He wanted the old Punk. The guy from 2011-2013. The guy who walked the halls as a feared man. The guy who beat The Rock. (Punk never beat The Rock.) The guy who held the world title for over 400 days. The guy who was one of the greatest wrestlers to lace up a pair of boots. 

Breakker was on his hands and knees, begging for the old Punk. He wanted to beat the greatest superstar ever to lace up a pair of boots. Otherwise, he would destroy Punk and send him to the hospital. He would break Punk, take his championship, and while he was at it, take his wife, too. 

Breakker wanted to keep it simple for Punk: it would be spear, one-two-three. Spear, one-two-three. Spear, one-two-three. Spear, one-two-three. 

A camera showed Knight in the back getting to his feet, so Logan and Reed ran back to deal with him. Knight fought them off and punched a security guard, too. It was all too much for Knight, so Reed slammed him through a table. 

Reed and Logan were about to leave, but Knight wouldn’t stay down. They slammed Knight into a car and placed him on the roof. Reed climbed atop some stacked-up equipment boxes and gave him a Tsunami onto the roof of the car. Pearce appeared with officials and screamed for medics as the show ended.

WWE Raw live results: Survivor Series fallout

Posted on by Joseph Collins

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WWE Raw is at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona tonight for the fallout from Survivor Series: WarGames.

The main event of Saturday’s PLE saw a mysterious figure help the team of Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre & Brock Lesnar defeat CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns & The Usos. We’ll see if we officially find out the mystery man’s identity tonight — and we’ll also find out what the fallout is of Breakker pinning World Heavyweight Champion Punk.

On the women’s side, AJ Lee tapped out Becky Lynch to secure the WarGames win for Lee, Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY, Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair. Lynch is claiming that she did not actually submit and will be boycotting Raw until all of the supposed injustices against her have been corrected.

A World Tag Team title match is also part of tonight’s lineup with AJ Styles & Dragon Lee defending against The New Day.

In addition to that, we’ll get another step closer to finding out the identity of John Cena’s final opponent. The Last Time is Now Tournament continues with both semifinal matches — Gunther vs. Solo Sikoa and Jey Uso vs. LA Knight — taking place tonight.

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

**********

Live from Glendale, Arizona. Wade Barrett and Joe Tessitore started the show in the crowd surrounded by fans. “It’s like the energy from Survivor Series followed is here!” Boy, I hope not. Tessitore kicked it to a recap of Survivor Series. 

Paul Heyman escorted the Vision through the backstage area. Solo Sikoa walked around the parking lot. Dragon Lee and AJ Styles walked around backstage. The Judgement Day also walked around the parking lot, meting up with Dominic Mysterio & Liv Morgan in a low rider.  So much walking! It’s World Walking Entertainment! 

Iyo Sky & Rhea Ripley Opening Promo. 

Poor Iyo can’t do her head-pointing taunt without aggravating her injured shoulder. So she opts for jumping around the ring and waving to the crowd. Ripley welcomed the crowd to “Monday Night Rh-yo.” I mean I guess that’s how to spell that. Ripley gloated about winning the war at War Games Saturday. But, the fight isn’t over because the Kabuki Warriors betrayed her “best friend Iyo,” and Ripley wants the Women’s Tag Team Championships as revenge. 

While Iyo and Rhea want the tag champs, the former champs Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss come out instead. Bliss wanted Rhea to “pump the breaks” on going after the tag team titles, since Charlotte and Alexa are still owed a rematch for the tag team titles. Rhea invited Charlotte and Alexa to get to the back of the line because they already lost to the Warriors, and of course this leads to Alexa challenging Rhea & Iyo for tonight. Iyo accepts. Joe Tessitore said “didn’t see that coming.” Really? 

— Cut to the back, where Adam Pearce made the women’s tag match official for tonight. Ivy Nile demanded a title shot with Maxxine Dupri, and Pearce will make that match for later, once Maxxine is done training with Natalya. Pearce turned around to find Bron Breakker and Paul Heyman. They pled ignorance as to the identity of the masked man that interfered in War Games. Paul would rather discuss the implications of Breakker pinning the World Champion in War Games. To be continued…

— After a video package on the CM Punk/John Cena feud, Tessitore casually dropped that CM Punk is not cleared to wrestle after War Games. 

Jey Uso v. LA Knight in the Semifinals of The Last Time Is Now Tournament

This match had great heat. The crowd “Yeah’d!” when Knight landed a punch and “Yeet’d!” when Uso landed a punch. After Uso hit a dive onto the floor, the match went to a commercial. 

Uso fought his way out of a superplex attempt, and both guys exchanged punches before tumbling to the floor. The referee started to counted them out, and the crowd counted along with the ref. They made it to the apron, and Uso sent Knight into the ring with a gamengiri. Knight hit a Burning Hammer (called by Barrett!) for a near fall. 

Uso hit a spear, but Knight kicked out at two. There was a crazy drone camera shot of the match that was really cool. Uso went to the top, and Knight popped up, slipped, then popped back up to superplex Uso from the top for a near fall.  Uso escaped Knight’s finisher with a rollup attempt, then hit a spear, a superplex and a splash. Uso went for the cover, but did that cover where he laid on his back. Knight rolled Uso up in a crucifix and got the pinfall. Knights moves to the finals to face Solo Sikoa or Gunther. 

Match Result: LA Knight defeated Jey Uso by pinfall to advance to the finals of The Last Time is Now Tournament (9:39) .

After the match, Jey sat in the corner and looked despondent. The crowd gave him polite applause for his hard fought match. Uso dropped to the floor and started banging his head against the commentator desk before flipping out like Bret Hart at the 1997 Survivor Series, tossing around the Prime Energy Drink stand and flipping over some ringside stairs. 

— Bailey and Lyra Valkyria asked Adam Pearce about getting into the tag title scene. Pearce kind of blew them off, wanting to see the results of the match later tonight. Asuka and Kari Sane came along to blame Bailey for their loss at War Games (since she didn’t team with them). Bailey called them idiots.

The Judgement Day Promo & The Return of Liv Morgan

The Judgement Day came out without Liv Morgan, at first. Dominik Mysterio proclaims himself the greatest Mysterio of all time, the greatest luchador of all time, and the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time by virtue of his win over John Cena. Dom then brought out Liv Morgan. All of this was getting babyface heat. 

Liv is happy to be back and missed everybody in the Judgement. But Live is here to right the ship with the Judgement Day, who have been losing titles (close up on Finn Balor looking disappointed in himself). The Judgement Day are back to run Monday Night Raw and take back everything that belongs to them. Liv slapped, then hugged Dom.

— A video aired of Natalya and Maxxine Dupri sparring. 

— Adam Pearce asked one of the referees IN FRONT OF A CAMERA MAN AND THE ENTIRE RAW AUDIENCE to discretely poke around and see if he can find out if Seth Rollins is faking his injury again. Or, maybe find out the identity of the masked man who interfered at Survivor Series. Because no one will talk to “the boss.”

Dragon Lee & AJ Styles v. The New Day (w/ Grayson Waller) for the World Tag Team Championship

The New Day jumped AJ Styles before the bell and double-teamed him liberally. Dragon Lee got the tag and took Kofi Kingston down with a step up rana. Lee then jumped over the ropes and snagged Xavier Woods with a rana, sending him to the floor as well. 

After a break, AJ Styles got the hot tag (the heat was during the commercial), but he soon fell victim to a double team from the New Day. Woods held Styles open for a legdrop from Kingston for a near fall. Woods went for the Boom Drop, but Styles countered it into a sunset flip for a near fall. Styles locked in the Calf Crusher, but Woods made the save. 

Kofi got a near fall with a roll up while  holding the tights. Styles sent Kingston into a sitout powerbomb from Lee for a near fall. Lee and Kingston had a weird collision in the middle of the ring. Woods hit Styles with a superkick, then hung Lee up in the corner. Kofi then dove in with a dropkick on Lee for a near fall. 

Lee hit Kingston with a back elbow. Styles hung up Kingston in the ropes, and Lee jumped off the top with a double stomp. This sent Kofi into the waiting arms of AJ, in perfect position for a Styles Clash. Lee hit Woods with a dive on the floor, Styles hit the Styles Clash on Kofi, and Styles got the pinfall. 

Match Result: AJ Styles & Dragon Lee retained the tag team titles by pinfall when Styles pinned Kingston (9:03) 

— Jackie Redmond interviewed Stephanie Vaquer. Vaquer said her victory showed that if you betray Vaquer, you get burned. Just as Vaquer wondered who would be coming next for her championship, Liv Morgan appeared to remind Stephanie that she is back. 

The Vision & Bron Breakker Get Promo Time.

Paul Heyman lead the Vision out to the ring. Heyman took the mic and started giving shout outs to every member of the Saturday’s winning team in the War Games main event. Heyman praised Logan Paul for how he will fit into Heyman’s vision of the future. And then Heyman makes the big announcement: on January 5th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the first anniversary of Raw on Netflix, CM Punk will defend and lose the world title to Bron Breakker. 

Breakker took the mic and he’s a little bit upset. He’s not upset about Bat-Man interfering in War Games and trying to steal his moment, or being in Arizona. But no, he was disappointed that it was so easy to beat CM Punk, who is nothing but a “soft a$$ b!tch.” Punk is no different than any veteran who is living off of past accomplishments. Punk is no different than Seth Rollins, who was holding everyone else down. Also, Punk should be worried about how his wife is a bigger star than he is. 

Bron promised a different kind of fight. Bron pivoted to Punk trying to break his neck in the War Games and now he’s really mad. Breakker said he’s coming for every good memory these fans of CM Punk. Breakker recalled Punk big-timing him backstage at WrestleMania, asking if Bron “can cut a promo with the big dogs now.” “Well, la-di-da, consider the promo cut!” Punk will be looking up in the lights on January 5th and realize he’s not even close to the Bad A$$ Bron Breakker, the real best in the world. 

THAT WAS A MONEY PROMO. This was easily the best thing on the show. It had shoot vibes and Breakker did a great job of being “out of control” at the end of the promo. Breakker stormed off without the rest of the Vision, leaving them in awe, applauding, in the middle of the ring.

— Jackie Redmond won’t leave Jey Uso while he’s trying to leave, annoying him with questions about the Masked Man and Bron Breakker being the number one contender. He finally said that the titles look best on Roman Reigns shoulders and left.

Gunther v. Solo Sikoa in the Semifinals of The Last Time Is Now Tournament

Barrett suggested on commentary that beating John Cena in his last match would be the equivalent of ending the Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak. It’s weird it was face/face in one semi-final, and heel/heel in the other. This does not start out with the crowd heat of the other semi-final. Gunther worked a headlock before he and Solo exchanged shoulder blocks. 

Sikoa finally put Gunther down on the mat with a shoulder block. Gunther responded with a big boot that sent Sikoa down to the floor and sent the show into a commercial. 

During the commercial, Talla Tonga tripped up Gunther while he was trying to get back in the ring, allowing Sikoa to get control with a nerve hold. Sikoa sent Gunther into the turnbuckles hard, and both guys were on the mat selling. The ref checked on both of them to see if they could conintue. 

They did continue, and Gunther started chopping away at Sikoa. Gunther blocked a bodyslam attempt. He tried to slam Sikoa. Gunther couldn’t hold him and fell backwards, allowing Sikoa a near fall. Sikoa went to the top rope. Gunther hit Sikoa with a chop, then superplexed Sikoa and both men were down again. 

Both guys got to the feet and started exchanging chops and strikes. Gunther hit a boot, Sikoa hit a superkick but neither guy went down. Finally, Sikoa hit a spike to the throat and both guys were down again. 

After a second commercial, Sikoa hit Gunther with a hip attack in the corner. Sikoa charged for a second one, but Gunther bounced out with a clothesline. Sikoa backdropped out of a powerbomb attempt, but Gunther hit a second clothesline for a near fall.

 Gunther went for the powerbomb again, but Sikoa countered with a Samoan drop for a near fall. Sikoa telegraphed going for the spike again, and Gunther countered with a flurry of chops. Gunther backed Sikoa into the corner and hit more chops, but walked into a uranagi. Sikoa came off the top with a splash for a near fall and now the crowd was really into the match. 

Sikoa went for the spike again, but Gunther spun behind him and locked in a sleeper. Sikoa made it to the corner to force a break, but Gunther dropped down a gave him a German suplex. Talla Tonga lured Gunther to the floor, and Tonga hit him with a boot. The Samonas went to double team, Gunther, but Gunther got out of it and smashed Sikoa’s hand against the ring apron. 

Back in the ring, the ref was still involved with Talla Tonga. Seeing the ref distracted, Gunther gave Sikoa a kick to the giblets. Gunther dropped Sikoa with a powerbomb and the ref turned around to count the pinfall. Started out slow but built really well. Probably the best match on the show.

Match Result: Gunther advanced to the finals of The Last Time is Now Tournament, pinning Solo Sikoa (18:31). 

After the match, LA Knight came out to talk trash to Gunther. Gunther v. LA Knight in the finals this Friday on Smackdown.

— In the back, Adam Pearce’s spy didn’t find out anything. AJ Styles came along and informed Pearce that Seth Rollins was seen running around without his arm in a sling. Which Pearce had already heard. Styles wants to defend the titles against the War Raiders next week, and Pearce made the match official. 

Next Week on Raw: 

  • The winner of The Last Time is Now Tournament! 
  • AJ Styles & Dragon Lee v. The War Raiders 
  • Rey Mysterio v. Finn Balor 

— Jackie Redmond interviewed Rey Mysterio, who called his son Dom a b@st@rd. Rey hasn’t ruled out a challenge to Dom’s Intercontinental Championship. Logan Paul came along to disabuse Rey of that notion, since the IC title belongs to the Vision. Paul promised to to retire Rey, Rey slapped him, and a gaggle of suits came ran in to pull them apart. 

Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss v. Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky

The match started and almost immediately went to a commercial, but not before Charlotte “accidentally” booted Ripley to the floor. After the break, Ripley had Bliss locked in her submission hold. Bliss escaped, but Ripley “accidentally” collided with Flair and sent her to the floor. Sky hit Bliss with a flapjack. 

Ripley and Flair each got tags and squared off. The crowd was into this, chanting for Ripley. Ripley got a go-behind, but Charlotte escaped with an elbow. They started exchanging forearms, and Flair went to chops to get the advantage. Ripley ducked a chop and caught Flair with a headbutt. Flair sent Ripley into the turnbuckles, but Ripley caught Flair with a kick and both women were down. 

After another commercial, Flair sent Ripley to the floor. Iyo caught Ripley with a meteora. Ripley tried to powerbomb Flair, but over-rotated and they both fell down. Ripley picked her up again and gave her a crucifix powerbomb, and Sky followed up with a top rope dropkick. 

Ripley went for a Riptide, but Flair countered with a DDT. Bliss got the tag and hit another DDT for a near fall. Bliss went for Twisted Bliss, but Ripley got her knees up. Flair and Sky got tags, and Flair put Sky down with a boot and hit Natural Selection. Bliss followed up with Sister Abigail, but Ripley broke up the pin attempt. 

Bliss went after Ripley with forearms. Bliss tried for the Sister Abigail, but Ripley escaped and hit a headbutt. Ripley hit the Riptide, and Sky followed up with a moonsault, but Flair broke up the pin attempt. 

With everyone down, the Kabuki Warriors ran and attacked Charlotte Flair, dumping her to the floor. The Warriors then sent Ripley into a ringpost to send her to the floor. No winner was ever announced. 

Match Result: No-Contest? (14:30) 

Lyra Valkyria and Bailey ran in to attack the tag champs. Then the women from Judgement Day ran in and attacked everyone. Valkyria was about to dive off of a table, but Liv Morgan yanked her down. Back in the ring, Raquel Rodriquez gave Asuka the Tahani Bomb, and Roxanne Perez hit Bailey with the Pop Rocks. Rodriquez and Perez grabbed the tag team title belts. Perez tried to hand a belt to Liv Morgan, but Morgan insisted Perez keep the belt.  The Judgement Day stood tall to end the show. 

Bron Breakker’s promo was pretty awesome, but the rest of this was a pretty paint-by-numbers Raw. Certainly not the “great show” that was promised.

WWE Raw live results: Survivor Series WarGames go-home show

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: November 24, 2025
Location: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK 

The Big Takeaway —

Penta was injured very early in his Last Time is Now tournament match and was unable to continue. Solo Sikoa advanced as a result, and he will face Gunther in a semifinal match. 

The heel men’s team will have the advantage in their WarGames match on Saturday. The men’s team brawled to build their match. The women’s team brawled to build their match. 

**********

Show Recap — 

Ozzy Osbourne’s “War Pigs” welcomed us to Raw in Oklahoma City as they displayed footage of the WarGames cages being built at Petco Park in San Diego for Saturday’s Survivor Series. 

The Vision (with Logan Paul and Drew McIntyre), Penta, Carmelo Hayes, and Becky Lynch were shown arriving at Paycom Center. 

Roman Reigns kicks off Monday Night Raw

Reigns entered and was greeted with chants of “OTC,” so he greeted them with, “OKC. Acknowledge me.” They did. That’s all he could say before Cody Rhodes interrupted. 

Rhodes did his full entrance, and it was 8:14 pm by the time they got going. Rhodes wanted to acknowledge that Reigns was a man of his word, but the last time Reigns gave him his word, it was for a match. This time, it was for war. Rhodes wondered what was in it for Reigns. 

Reigns said he’s been involved in this war, whereas Rhodes was just joining now. Reigns said they didn’t know each other well, but they did know something about each other, and that’s that they didn’t play around when it came to family. Half of this team was his family. He’s been invested in The Usos for a long time, and he was there to see that investment through. 

Rhodes was content with that and stated, “Welcome to my team,” before offering a handshake. Reigns didn’t shake his hand, and they were interrupted by CM Punk. 

Punk looked directly in Reigns’ face before starting with his usual line. He then said, “OKC. Acknowledge us.” Punk admitted he was stealing Reigns’ best stuff, but it was for good reason. This was an all-star WarGames. 

Punk didn’t need Reigns’ word because he saved his life at last year’s event. Reigns quickly said Punk ruined his life just four months later. Punk knew that gave Reigns a reason to stab him in the back, but Punk wasn’t worried because that meant Reigns would be stabbing his own family in the back. 

Punk sarcastically stated that Reigns would never be mean to his own family, or put them between a “rock” and a hard place. 

Rhodes tried to settle things down, but Punk asked Rhodes why he referred to them as his (Rhodes’) team. Punk reminded him that this was his show. Reigns quipped that Punk and Rhodes should just whip ‘em out now and start measuring. 

Reigns didn’t care whose team it was. He hated Paul Heyman and hated The Vision. Punk could count on the fact that Reigns hated them more than he hated him. 

Reigns left the ring, but not before stating that the title belt would look better on his shoulder. Punk asked which of them they were referring to. Reigns answered off-mic by saying they could figure it out themselves. 

(Punk was good here, but I’m not sure how much intrigue this really added to WarGames. If Punk and Rhodes are concerned with who the team leader is, they may be the only ones.)

********

The Vision met backstage. Heyman wanted Drew McIntyre to behave tonight. He was only allowed on Raw because Heyman picked him for the advantage match—which is now a tag team match. 

Logan Paul suggested they pick Brock Lesnar to be McIntyre’s partner tonight. Heyman said that wasn’t a good idea and warned Logan not to utter his name. Logan did so anyway, and Heyman said Lesnar was coming to Raw to go after Reigns. 

Logan suggested that Bron Breakker or Bronson Reed team with McIntyre, but Heyman said it would be him. This was not what Logan wanted, but he made it seem he was on board. 

******** 

The Last Time is Now tournament quarterfinal: Gunther vs. Carmelo Hayes

Gunther held control through a break and cut off Hayes’ comeback when they returned. There was a smattering of chants for Hayes as Gunther looked into the camera and questioned why he even had to face Hayes. 

Hayes ducked a chop, which was easy given their height difference. Gunther cut him off again and went for a powerbomb, but Hayes countered into a DDT. This led to a second commercial break, and Gunther took over quickly again. 

Hayes ducked another chop on the apron, and Gunther’s arm hit the ring post. Hayes tried a slingshot DDT onto the apron, but they basically fell straight to the outside. Hayes followed with a flip dive and backdropped Gunther into the timekeeper’s area. 

Gunther wasn’t about to let Hayes attempt a count-out win, so he dumped Hayes into the timekeeper’s area next. Hayes quickly reemerged on top of the barricade and dropped Gunther with a leaping DDT before scampering back in the ring. 

Hayes almost won by count-out, but Gunther slipped back in just in time. The crowd really got into it here, remembering that Hayes won by count-out on SmackDown. 

Hayes went for Nothing But Net, but Gunther dodged it and clobbered him with a clothesline and powerbomb for a nearfall. Gunther applied a sleeper, but Hayes fought to his feet. It wasn’t enough, and Gunther dropped him with another powerbomb for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Gunther defeated Carmelo Hayes to advance in The Last Time is Now tournament (17:20)

The first part was kind of dull, but this wound up being pretty good, particularly once they returned from the last break. 

********

Jey and Jimmy Uso approached Reigns, Rhodes, and Punk. Jey said they should be focusing on what was actually important tonight, and that was the advantage match. Jimmy and Jey said they were on the same page and their partners could count on them. Yeet. 

After the Usos left, Reigns asked Punk and Rhodes who the team leader was. He told them to fix this, and he left. (It’s possible he was just egging them on, but it seemed like, suddenly, he sincerely wanted them to pick a team leader.) 

******** 

Dominik Mysterio segment 

Dom entered. He was booed. He said he would embarrass John Cena in his hometown. He would take back his Intercontinental Championship, and he would continue to be the greatest Mysterio of all time. Dom said it didn’t matter if the fans cheered for Cena or not, because he wasn’t even here tonight. 

Cena’s music hit, and the crowd exploded. It was a swerve. A long time passed with no Cena. Finally, a little person dressed as Cena entered. (Along with a little person dressed as Stu the cameraman.) He had trouble leaping into the ring like Cena, so he ran around and entered using the steps. 

Dom talked to him like he was the real John Cena and threatened to drop him at Survivor Series. The fake Cena called him the worst Mysterio of all time. Dom was caught off guard and whispered something in his ear. The fake Cena told Dom that if he wouldn’t fight him tonight, he could come get some at Survivor Series. 

Dom booted fake Cena to the ground and hit him with a five knuckle shuffle, 619 and a frog splash. 

Rey Mysterio ran out to his music, so Dom bailed. Rey checked on the guy as Dom left up the aisle, where he was greeted by his Judgment Day teammates. 

(This angle was a mistake. Dom was getting plenty of heat before they did any of the stuff with the Cena impersonator, and the crowd quickly died when he came out, like they were disappointed to be watching this on their modern WWE product. It probably doesn’t help that, deep down, the fans like Dom and didn’t want him doing this even as a heel.) 

********

Rey Mysterio vs. JD McDonagh (w/ Finn Bálor) 

McDonagh applied an abdominal stretch during the break, and Bálor held his arm back for leverage from outside the ring. The referee caught him, but instead of kicking him out, just yelled at him. Rey made his comeback and went for a 619, but McDonagh caught him with a Spanish Fly for two. Rey responded with a Code Red for two. 

Rey went for a 619 but was tripped by Bálor, who was still out there because of the stupid referee. Rey went after Bálor as the ref yelled at him some more. McDonagh tried a cheap shot, but Rey dropped him into Bálor, knocking him off the apron. Rey followed with a 619 and a springboard splash for the pinfall win. 

Bálor tried attacking Rey after the match, but Rey avoided and left the ring. 

Match result: Rey Mysterio defeated JD McDonagh (12:44) 

******** 

Timothée Chalamet will be a guest on Rhodes’ podcast. 

Raquel Rodriguez spoke to Adam Pearce backstage. She was pissed that Nikki Bella got involved in her title match, and was now getting a title match herself. Pearce, who made the title match, claimed that he agreed with Rodriguez. He promised that she would be in the title mix after Survivor Series. She was content with this. 

New Day and Grayson Waller approached Pearce next, and I had to double-check that this wasn’t happening in a commercial break. Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston were being annoying, so he told them to shut up. He let them know that AJ Styles and Dragon Lee wanted to defend their tag titles against New Day next week. 

Woods and Kingston were initially upset because they assumed it would be anyone but them in the title match, but they were surprised and happy upon learning it was them. They left. Waller put a wig on Pearce’s head before leaving too. Pearce screamed at him to get out. 

********

Brock Lesnar arrived and entered a room with Heyman. 

Women’s WarGames segment 

Becky Lynch entered and was joined by Nia Jax, Lash Legend, Asuka and Kairi Sane. Lynch called last week’s result an injustice, and she had the best lawyers in the world working to overturn it. She was advised not to talk about it, but did want to say that she followed the rules, unlike Maxxine Dupri and referee Jessika Carr. The result would be overturned, and the company would be better off. 

The company would also be better off when she got rid of AJ Lee once and for all. Lee made a mistake by coming back to cost her the IC title, but the biggest mistake she’ll ever make is entering WarGames with her. 

Lynch admitted she had her differences with her teammates. She put her arms around Asuka, who wasn’t thrilled with this. Lynch called Jax very powerful. Not powerful like her, but powerful enough to break her face. Jax was the only person ever to damage her face, but at least she didn’t need a mask like Rhea Ripley. Lynch called Legend her new friend and a fine specimen of a woman whom Lynch would make into a star. 

Ripley, Iyo Sky, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, and AJ Lee all entered the stage individually to their music before walking down to the ring together. 

Lee said the old her would have run to the ring and torn Lynch’s face off, but therapy worked. Lee knew Lynch was just feeling insecure and afraid. Lee didn’t need to run her mouth to lift herself up, because she knew who the hell she was. She didn’t need to bark like an angry chihuahua. She doesn’t bark—she bites. 

Lee said Lynch poured gasoline on the fire, and now she was locking herself in a cage with her. Lee would be free to do whatever she wanted, and she wasn’t alone in wanting to see Lynch get knocked off her pedestal. 

Lee asked Ripley if she agreed. Ripley took the mic and smashed it into Jax’s face. That led to a brawl, and the babyfaces stood tall. Sky wiped out a few heels with a moonsault as Lynch backed up the aisle with a look of regret on her face.  

******** 

The Last Time is Now tournament quarterfinal: Solo Sikoa (w/ Talla Tonga) vs. Penta

Penta was injured. 

Sikoa chucked Penta over the barricade and into the crowd, but he reemerged on the barricade and brought Sikoa down with a hurricanrana. 

Penta landed right on his shoulder, and medical staff checked on him throughout a planned commercial break. When they returned from break, the referee called for the bell, and it was announced that Penta could no longer compete. Sikoa was announced the winner. 

Penta slammed his hand against the barricade in frustration as he was followed to the back by medical staff. 

Sikoa advances and will face Gunther in the semifinals. 

Match result: Solo Sikoa defeated Penta via medical stoppage to advance in The Last Time is Now tournament (4:20)

******** 

Backstage, Pearce told Maxxine Dupri that more women have called him about taking the belt off her than any title he can remember. Pearce advised her to focus and work hard. Dupri said she would. She wanted to be the type of champion people could be proud of. She told Pearce she wanted to call Natalya, and Pearce left.  

Ivy Nile accosted Dupri and told her the title was hers. After Nile left, Dupri turned around and bumped into Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez. Perez said she could take the title any time. Pearce got between them, so Perez left with Rodriguez. Pearce told Dupri she might want to call Natalya now. 

********

There was a good Stephanie Vaquer pre-taped promo. Vaquer said Nikki Bella was clever, but she wasn’t as smart as she thought. Vaquer knew all about Bella’s history, but Bella didn’t know about hers. If Bella were as smart as she pretended to be, she would know who she was messing with. Vaquer stated, “Are you sure you want to get in the ring with me?” 

Survivor Series begins at 7 pm ET. The pre-show is at 5 pm ET. 

Survivor Series card: 

  • Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Nikki Bella for the Women’s World Championship 
  • John Cena (c) vs. Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship 
  • Women’s WarGames: Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss & AJ Lee vs. Becky Lynch, Nia Jax, Lash Legend, Asuka & Kairi Sane 
  • Men’s WarGames: Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Roman Reigns, Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso vs. Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre & Brock Lesnar 

********

Men’s WarGames advantage match: Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso vs. Drew McIntyre & Logan Paul

As has been the pattern, not much happened before they went to break about 80 seconds into the match. The heels worked over Jey Uso, and Logan knocked Jimmy off the apron before he could make a hot tag. McIntyre chucked Jey over the announce desk, leading to a second break. (McIntyre posed, so Jimmy chucked a Prime bottle at him.) 

Logan and McIntyre held up Jey in a delayed vertical suplex, and they flexed with opposite arms while doing so. Jey booted McIntyre and finally made the hot tag to Jimmy, who hit Logan with an enzuguri before superkicking McIntyre off the apron. Jimmy hit some sort of dive off the top for two, and Logan responded with a blockbuster for two. 

Jimmy ducked a punch and followed with a superkick, spear and an Uso splash, but McIntyre broke up the cover. Jey and McIntyre brawled outside the ring as Bron and Bronson entered to check on Logan. 

Punk and Rhodes ran out next to take out the Brons. As everyone brawled, Jey wiped them out with a big dive. Jimmy was too busy celebrating, so Logan caught him in a schoolboy for the pinfall win. 

The heels gain the WarGames advantage thanks to a win in a mostly nothing match. 

— Punk immediately attacked Logan, and the brawl continued. Reigns entered (to his music) and greeted Bron and Bronson in the aisle with Superman punches. Reigns went to the ring and handed out Superman punches to Paul and McIntyre, too. 

The babyfaces stood tall, and the trademark graphic aired to make you think the show was over, but you knew it wasn’t if you were paying attention. 

Lesnar entered with Heyman. Fireworks went off for Lesnar as he did his little pose, and he actually tripped and fell backwards. It would have been an embarrassing moment for some, but he popped right up laughing at himself. 

Lesnar marched down to the ring and joined his new teammates on the apron. The two teams faced off one final time and brawled as the show came to a predictable close. 

Match result: Logan Paul & Drew McIntyre defeated The Usos to earn the advantage in WarGames (17:02) 

WWE Raw live results: John Cena’s final Raw

Posted on by Steve Khan

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

The Big Takeaway —

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

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

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

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

**********

Show Recap — 

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

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

John Cena kicks off Raw for the final time

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

********

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

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

*******

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

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

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

********

Stephanie Vaquer and Nikki Bella segment 

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

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

********

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

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

********

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

********

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

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

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

Alexa Bliss promo and WarGames angle 

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

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

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

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

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

********

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

********

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*******

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

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

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

*******

Somebody named Gangster Granny was shown ringside during a break.

Main event WarGames angle 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on by Steve Khan

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

The Big Takeaway —

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

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

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

Plus, Nikki Bella turned heel on Stephanie Vaquer.

**********

Show Recap — 

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

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

John Cena kicks off Raw

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

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

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

Finally, Levesque introduced John Cena. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

******** 

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

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

********

There was a Veterans Day video. 

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

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

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

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

Extraordinarily dull match and weak finish. 

*******

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

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

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

********

CM Punk segment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

********

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

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

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

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

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

— Nikki turned heel after the match. 

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

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

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

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

********

Men’s WarGames announcement 

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

******** 

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

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

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

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

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

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

******** 

The Last Time Is Now Tournament continues next week with: 

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

Yes, they did the mystery gimmick again. 

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

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

********

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on by Steve Khan

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

The Big Takeaway —

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

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

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

**********

Show Recap — 

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

CM Punk kicks off Raw

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

******** 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

******** 

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

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

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

******** 

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

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

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

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

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

Penta followed with a Canadian Destroyer for the pinfall win. 

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

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

********

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

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

********

Dominik Mysterio segment, Rey Mysterio returns 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

********

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

Becky Lynch segment 

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

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

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

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

******** 

Asuka & Kairi Sane vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria

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

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

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

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

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

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

********

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*********

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

********

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

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

********

John Cena tournament bracket announcement (part one) 

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

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

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

Also on Raw next week: 

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

******** 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on by Joseph Collins

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

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

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

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

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

**********

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

CM Punk & Jey Uso Face to Face.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JD McDonough (w/ Finn Balor) v. Sheamus  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next week on Raw (so far): 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WWE Raw live results: The fallout from Crown Jewel

Posted on by Steve Khan

WWE will hold one final event in Perth, Australia, before leaving town with Monday’s early edition of WWE Raw — the fallout edition from Saturday’s Crown Jewel PLE.

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins and WWE Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer both won their respective bouts Saturday to each win the Crown Jewel title. Both are expected on the show to celebrate their victories.

WWE Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio will defend against Penta who is still looking for his first WWE title. Penta, Dragon Lee & AJ Styles were victorious over Mysterio, Finn Balor & JD McDonagh in a trios match last week to set it up.

The issues involving Bayley, Lyra Valkyria, Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez continue as well with Bayley and Valkyria teaming against Judgment Day’s Rodriguez and Perez.

Join us for live coverage beginning at 8 AM Eastern.

**********

  • Date: October 13, 2025
  • Location: RAC Arena in Perth, Australia

The Big Takeaway —

Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed betrayed Seth Rollins in a big show-closing angle.

**********

Show Recap — 

(I watched One Battle After Another over the weekend, and there’s a minor character without a speaking role who wears an Eddie Guerrero ‘Latino Heat’ t-shirt. The character isn’t named, but is referred to as ‘Latino Heat’ by another character. Anyway, time for morning Raw.)

Following a recap of Crown Jewel, CM Punk, LA Knight, Jey Uso, and Rhea Ripley were shown arriving. 

Michael Cole announced a sold-out crowd of 13,737 (54 more people than Crown Jewel, supposedly). 

Seth Rollins and The Vision open Raw

The Vision entered (without Becky Lynch). Rollins wore the giant Crown Jewel title belt around his waist. The crowd sang Rollins’ song as he entered and barked for Bron Breakker. It was 8:09 am ET by the time Rollins spoke. 

Rollins did his usual spiel, and the crowd sang along. The fans have been calling him a ‘wanker’ for days, so he referred to the fans as wankers, and they cheered. 

Rollins put over Paul Heyman and called himself a blessed man for being in his presence. Rollins hugged him. Fans chanted, “Kiss,” so Rollins kissed Heyman’s forehead, and they all cheered. 

Rollins put over Breakker before moving on to Bronson Reed. Reed got a big reaction, and the crowd sang his name. Rollins said Reed destroyed and embarrassed Roman Reigns and was the new Tribal Chief. 

Rollins called himself the greatest World Heavyweight Champion of all time. People like to say there are levels to this game, but no one was on his level. Unlike all the other greats lately, Rollins hasn’t needed any help to gain his success. (The crowd chanted “Bullsh-t.”) 

Rollins said Reigns needed The Shield and The Bloodline. Cody Rhodes needed him to beat Reigns. Rollins beat CM Punk and Reigns at WrestleMania on his own. He won the world title on his own, and he trounced Rhodes on his own. Rollins didn’t need Breakker, Reed, or Heyman. He has chosen them, and they have chosen him. 

Rollins ended with his usual line, and fireworks went off as he posed with his title belt. 

********

Rusev confronted Penta backstage. Rusev didn’t like that Penta was getting an IC title shot ahead of him against baby boy Dom. It was fine, though, because Rusev spoke to Adam Pearce, and he would get the winner of tonight’s match. 

Rusev told Penta he hasn’t forgotten about getting kicked last week. Penta called him a pendejo and left. (Dom started walking in Rusev’s direction in the background, but turned around and slunk away upon seeing him.) 

Intercontinental Championship: Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. Penta 

There were lots of “Dirty Dom” chants throughout the match. Penta went right after Dom instead of doing his usual pose. There was a great spot where Dom charged at Penta outside the ring, but Penta gave him a backbody drop onto the announce table, and Dom went flying. 

They went to break one minute into this title match. (I mention the breaks every week because it’s so odd that, if this were real, you would schedule a match to start knowing you need to go to break a minute or two later.) 

Penta remained in full control through the break and hit a springboard crossbody for two. Dom drove Penta into the ring post and followed with a suicide dive tornado DDT. Dom drove Penta into the barricade, and Penta almost landed in the front row onto some children (they managed to avoid getting hit). Dom tried to take a count-out win, but Penta got back in the ring. 

(They went to a second commercial break just eight minutes into the match. So the first eleven minutes of the match had five minutes of commercials.) 

Dom remained in control during the break while doing a lot of posing. He did Eddie’s springboard senton, and the crowd called for another. He did try another, but Penta moved (as they returned from break), and hit a flying crossbody/splash off the ring post to the outside. 

Dom went for three amigos, but Penta blocked it and hit the move instead. The crowd lightly booed because they wanted Dom to do it. Dom blocked the third suplex and hit one of his own. Fans chanted for Eddie. 

Penta dodged a 619 and hit a Penta Driver for a nearfall. Penta went for a Canadian Destroyer, but Dom countered into a Michinoku Driver for two. 

Rusev marched out, so Penta wiped him out with a dive before he could get involved. Dom used the distraction to grab the little ring bell hammer. Dom also slid his title belt into the ring to distract the referee. As the ref got rid of the belt, Dom hit Penta in the knee (over his knee pads) with the hammer. 

Dom followed with a 619 and a frog splash for the pinfall win. The crowd was happy. 

Match result: Dominik Mysterio defeated Penta to retain the Intercontinental Championship (15:38)

This was a good TV match, but nothing outstanding. It helped that the crowd was very into Dom. It was obvious since last week that the match wouldn’t end until Rusev got involved, and that’s what happened. 

I believe this is the third time that Dom has successfully defended the IC title against Penta. Penta has lost four straight matches to Dom overall. 

********

Jackie Redmond interviewed LA Knight. Redmond said there would be a triple threat tonight to become the number one contender for the world title. Knight said he would pin CM Punk or Jey Uso, and this match might as well be for the title, because he would go on to beat Rollins again. 

Punk interrupted. Punk said Knight would never pin him or become champion. They argued a bit more, and Knight got the last word before leaving. Punk called him an idiot after he left. 

********

Asuka confronted Kairi Sane. Asuka was pissed about losing at Crown Jewel. Sane apologized and said she would fix it. Asuka told Sane she would fight Ripley tonight and remind everyone that she (Asuka) was in charge. 

Asuka was about to leave, but Sane peeled her hair back to reveal a bruise on her forehead (the crowd gasped). Sane said it happened because she tried to protect Asuka. Asuka didn’t care, and she slapped Sane (which got a big reaction). 

This was good. 

******** 

Alexander Volkanovski and Jack Della Maddalena were in the front row. 

Rhea Ripley (w/ IYO SKY) vs. Kairi Sane (w/ Asuka)

Asuka caused a distraction, of course, so Ripley confronted her outside the ring. Sky attacked Asuka, so Sane wiped out Sky. Asuka laid out Sky as they went to break. Sane held control over Ripley through the break, and there were “F—k her up, Rhea” chants (which were censored). They also called Asuka a wanker.

Ripley came back with clotheslines, a thrust kick, and a running boot for two. There was a great shot in the replay of Sky smiling as Ripley kicked Sane in the face. Sane dodged a charge, and Ripley ran into the ring post. Sane followed with an Insane Elbow off the ropes to a standing Ripley outside the ring (which looked great). 

Sane went for an ill-advised spear, but Ripley simply caught her and hit a Razor’s Edge. Ripley followed with a running kick for two. A battle on the ropes led to Sane hitting a double foot stomp for two. Sane flew off the top rope, but Ripley caught her out of mid-air and hit an electric chair facebuster. 

Asuka tried another distraction, but Sky got rid of her. Sane tried a rollup for two, and Ripley followed with a Rip-tide for the pinfall win. This was a pretty good match. 

— Asuka attacked Sky after the match, so Ripley attacked Asuka. Ripley set up Asuka for a Rip-tide on the table, but Sane hit Ripley from behind with a kendo stick. Asuka gave Ripley a DDT onto the table. Asuka posed with Sane over Ripley’s prone body. Officials checked on Ripley during a break, and Sky helped her to the back. 

Match result: Rhea Ripley defeated Kairi Sane (15:58)

******** 

Cathy Kelley interviewed Rusev during a break. Rusev said Penta got what he deserved. Rusev was coming for Dom’s belt, and nobody would stop him. (I’m thinking somebody will stop him.) 

Jimmy Uso met with Jey backstage. Jimmy couldn’t believe they were getting blamed for Roman’s loss. Jey said they should start listening to Reigns and start looking after themselves. Jey appreciated Jimmy’s help, but he had to focus on tonight’s triple threat. Jey was about to say something, but Jimmy cut him off. Jimmy knew Jey thought he couldn’t handle Bronson Reed, but Jimmy told him, “You handle your business, and I’ll handle mine.” The crowd cheered Jimmy standing up to Jey here. 

Bronson Reed vs. Jimmy Uso 

Jimmy’s ribs were taped after getting speared through the barricade on Saturday. He attacked Reed as soon as he entered the ring, but Reed immediately punched him in the ribs to take over. Reed had complete control through an early commercial break until Jey dodged a senton. 

Jimmy was too weak to hit a Samoan drop, so he instead hit an enziguri and a running hip attack for two. Jimmy followed with Whisper in the Wind for two. Jimmy tried a Samoan drop, but collapsed with Reed landing on top of him. Reed followed with consecutive sentons and a Tsunami for the pinfall win.

— Breakker greeted Reed in the aisle before spearing Jimmy in the ring. Reed held up Jimmy, and Breakker speared him again. 

Breakker was about to spear Jimmy through the barricade, but Jey ran out to make the save. Jey managed to clear the ring, but ate a corner splash by Reed in the process. (They mistimed the spot, so Reed actually hit Jey’s shoulder, but Jey sold his mid-section because that was the plan.) 

Jimmy thanked Jey for the help, but they were not on the same page.  

Match result: Bronson Reed defeated Jimmy Uso (7:39) 

******** 

Lyra Valkyria and Bayley met in Gorilla. Valkyria told Bayley they were teaming tonight, but it would only be a one-time thing. The delusional Bayley thought she was kidding and excitedly went through the curtain. 

Lyra Valkyria & Bayley vs. Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez

Valkyria and Bayley worked well as a team early on and did a bunch of double-team spots. It was one spot too many, because Bayley flung Valkyria into Rodriguez (outside the ring), but Rodriguez caught her and gave her a fallaway slam into Bayley. 

Judgment Day had control of Bayley through a break until she hit Perez with a Bayley-to-belly and made the hot tag to Valkyria the moment they returned from break. Judgment Day cut off her comeback attempt, and Perez brought Bayley off the top rope with a hurricanrana. Judgment Day continued to dominate Bayley, and Perez hit her with a springboard moonsault for two. 

Valkyria checked on Bayley and cleared the ring of the heels in the process. Valkyria slapped Bayley to fire her up, and that caused Bayley to snap into a different personality. 

Bayley wiped out Perez and Rodriguez with a suicide dive. She slammed Rodriguez into the ring post and clotheslined her over the barricade. She hit Perez with a flying elbow drop in the ring and followed with a Rose Plant for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Bayley & Lyra Valkyria defeated Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez (11:10) 

********

Backstage, Rollins told Heyman he could feel something special coming on the horizon. Rollins was proud of the Brons and told them this was the most incredible weekend of his professional life. 

The birth of his child, marrying his wife, and seeing how much the Brons have grown in the past six months have been the proudest moments of his life. This was the mountain top. He told them to breathe it in. They were also on the verge of taking the next step, and no one could knock him off the mountain top. 

*******

During a break, there was a replay of Maxxine Dupri beating Becky Lynch via count-out last week. Kelley interviewed Dupri in the crowd, and Dupri thanked the fans for their support. She announced that she would be facing Lynch for the Women’s IC title next week in her hometown of Sacramento. 

********

AJ Styles met with Pearce. Styles called Crown Jewel an incredible night, despite the loss. He called John Cena a legend. Pearce thanked him for an incredible moment. 

Dom interrupted because he wanted some credit. (I forgot to mention it earlier, but Dom has a new neck tattoo.) Dom also wasn’t happy about having to defend his IC title against Rusev. 

Styles talked Pearce into giving him and Dragon Lee a tag title match against Judgment Day. Dom realized he messed up by getting involved here. Dom left to inform Judgment Day of the title match. 

******** 

Next week on Raw: 

  • Becky Lynch (c) vs. Maxxine Dupri for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship 
  • Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. Rusev for the Intercontinental Championship 
  • Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh vs. AJ Styles & Dragon Lee for the World Tag Team Championships 

********

Stephanie Vaquer segment 

Redmond interviewed Vaquer by the stage. Vaquer felt blessed after winning the Crown Jewel champion, and she was the first woman in company history to win four titles in one year. 

Rodriguez and Perez interrupted. Perez was pissed because she thought she should be the world champion, not Vaquer. Perez was the last person to beat Iyo Sky, and it should have been her wrestling for the title at Wrestlepalooza. Vaquer told her to stop crying and do something about it. Perez said she would—on her own time. 

*******

Cole thanked the Perth fans and announced a 3-day combined attendance of 40,503 (SmackDown, Crown Jewel and Raw). 

Triple threat number one contender’s match: CM Punk vs. LA Knight vs. Jey Uso

(There was a big angle at the end.) 

Punk entered to a huge reaction. The crowd continued to sing his song after it was cut, and Punk was happy. 

Jey quickly cut off Punk with a superkick, but the crowd continued to chant for Punk. Knight went after Punk outside the ring, and Jey wiped him out with a dive. They went to break 90 seconds into this high-stakes match. 

Knight and Jey took out Punk again during a break before going at it in the ring. Back from break, Punk knocked down men with a dive off the top. Punk did his usual comeback spots and took down both men with a combo bulldog/clothesline before hitting Knight with a flying elbow drop. 

Knight avoided a GTS, gave Punk an inverted DDT and gave Jey a regular DDT. Knight hit both men with a diving elbow drop (which didn’t look great), but they each kicked out of pinning attempts. They went to break again, and like the opening match, this match had five minutes worth of commercials in the first eleven minutes. 

After the break, Jey gave Punk a superkick and followed with an Uso Splash on Knight for a nearfall. Knight gave Punk a BFT, but Jey broke up the cover and shoved Knight into the ring steps. 

With Punk still down in the ring, Jey went for an Uso splash, but Punk got his knees up. Punk followed with a GTS for the pinfall win. 

— The Vision entered as Punk celebrated. Breakker sprinted down to ringside and speared both Jey and Knight. 

The Brons swarmed Punk in the ring. Breakker speared Punk, and Reed hit a Tsunami. Rollins stood over Punk and told him he would never be champion. They chucked Punk out of the ring. The Vision posed, but notably, Breakker had his back turned in the corner of the ring. 

It seemed like the show was about to end, but Bron Breakker turned around and speared Seth Rollins. The crowd exploded. 

Breakker got in Reed’s face and told him to make a choice. Reed didn’t waste much time. He slid Rollins to the corner and hit him with a Tsunami. 

Heyman checked on Rollins and told them to stop. Breakker pulled Heyman to his feet. Breakker grabbed Rollins’ world title belt. Heyman stood between Breakker and Reed and raised their hands (the crowd popped). So all three men are together. 

Match result: CM Punk defeated Jey Uso and LA Knight to become number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship (13:30)

The timing of this angle is interesting, considering Punk just became the number one contender. The focus immediately shifted to Bron and Bronson. I wonder if this was always the plan, or if they sped things up with the show being in a lull lately (or if Rollins is hurt). I am glad they pulled the trigger with Breakker in particular, because I did not want a full year or two of him standing by Rollins’ side knowing the turn was coming.