Monday Night Raw
Date: November 24, 2025
Location: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the last Raw before Survivor Series and that means we’re going to be seeing the final push towards WarGames. The main matches are pretty much entirely set but there is always room for one last build. We might even focus on some of the non-WarGames matches this week, which isn’t a bad idea. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of the setup of the men’s WarGames match, with Drew McIntyre, Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar being added in the last week and a half.

Here is Roman Reigns to get things going. He says his catchphrase but here is Cody Rhodes for a staredown, complete with his own catchphrase. Rhodes says Reigns is a man of his word and the last time it was for a match. This time though, it’s for war. Rhodes wants to know what’s in this for Reigns, who says it’s Rhodes who is brand new to this fight. They don’t like each other or know each other very well, but Reigns knows they both care about family.

A lot of this team is his family and before they were on his team, they were in his Bloodline. He’s been invested in them for a long time and he’s here to see that investment through. Rhodes: “Understood.” He welcomes Reigns to his team, which doesn’t sit well with Reigns. Cue CM Punk, who hits his own catchphrase and tells the crowd to acknowledge them. Punk remembers teaming with Reigns before and Reigns remembers Punk ruining his life. That’s kind of true, but Punk says if Reigns stabs Punk in his back this Saturday, he’d stab his family in the back.

Rhodes tries to cool it down but Punk doesn’t like Rhodes saying it’s his show, because this is Monday Night Raw on Netflix. Cody can be the quarter back on Friday but on Monday, he’s the champ. Reigns finds this ridiculous and says that he hates Paul Heyman and the Vision more than he hates the two of them. If we’re being honest, that title (he doesn’t specify which) would look better on his shoulder. Reigns goes to leave and Punk asks who Reigns was talking to. Reigns says that’s for them to figure out and leaves. That last exchange was rather good, though this felt like some forced drama.

Paul Heyman is in the back with the Vision and tries to get Drew McIntyre to take tonight’s tag match for the WarGames advantage seriously. Logan Paul mocks the idea that the partner is going to be Brock Lesnar but Heyman warns Paul about what happens if Lesnar’s name comes out of the wrong mouth. Instead, Paul will be McIntyre’s partner, which Paul calls a wise choice.

Last Time Is Now Tournament Quarterfinals: Gunther vs. Carmelo Hayes

Hayes pounds him into the corner to start, which is broken up with raw power. A running shoulder drops Hayes and Gunther actually gets on the buckle to mock the crowd. That earns him a powerbomb out of the corner and a springboard DDT gives Hayes two. One heck of a chop cuts Hayes off though and we take a break.

We come back with Hayes managing a quick sleeper, which Gunther reverses into one of his own. That’s escaped with a backflip and Hayes is right back with the sleeper. Gunther powers out again and they trade chops until Hayes knocks him down. A butterfly suplex sends Hayes flying but he’s right back with a DDT to counter the powerbomb (that was nice) as we take another break.

We come back again with Hayes grabbing a quick First 48 but Nothing But Net is cut off. Gunther chops the post by mistake so Hayes tries a springboard DDT, which pretty much completely misses (which commentary acknowledges). Instead, Hayes hits a running flip dive onto Gunther’s back for a big crash.

Gunther tries the powerbomb but gets reversed into a heck of a tornado DDT off the barricade. Back in and Hayes grabs La Mistica but misses Nothing But Net. The big clothesline into the powerbomb gives Gunther two and the fans are losing it on these near falls. Gunther elbows him in the head over and over, setting up the powerbomb for the pin at 17:25.

Rating: B+. There was no reason to believe that Hayes was going to win here but they had me believing that it was possible. That’s a sign that something is going right and I was pulled into everything they were doing here. Hayes has found something as a good guy and a definitive win over Miz in their feud should help. On the other hand though, this seems to be Gunther’s tournament to lose at the moment, which shouldn’t be surprising.

Cody Rhodes/CM Punk/Roman Reigns are still arguing when the Usos come up to say tonight’s advantage match is a tag match. They happen to be the best tag team ever so……we seem to have a solution! They leave and Reigns tells Punk and Rhodes to fix this.

Here is Dominik Mysterio for a chat. He promises to end John Cena’s retirement tour in his hometown this weekend, continuing to prove that he is the greatest Mysterio of all time. Mysterio brings up that Cena isn’t here tonight but cue Cena’s music….and it’s a mini Santa, complete with a mini Stu the Cameraman.

Mini Cena (or John Weena according to Barrett) can’t do the slide underneath the bottom rope so he has to go for the ropes. Mysterio insults Cena, who calls him the worst Mysterio of all time. Mysterio seems to say that’s not what Cena is supposed to say but Cena challenges him for a fight…and then gets kicked in the chest. That means it’s time for a Shuffle, a 619 and a frog splash, only for Rey Mysterio to interrupt and chase him off.

Rey Mysterio vs. JD McDonagh

Finn Balor is here with McDonagh. We’re joined in progress with Mysterio backdropping him down and hammering away in the corner. That’s broken up and McDonagh drops him face first onto the buckle to take over. McDonagh stomps him down and grabs a chinlock, with the fans being rather behind Mysterio. McDonagh lets go and poses on the ropes, allowing Mysterio to send him outside.

That’s fine with McDonagh, who drops him onto the announcers’ table as we take a break. We come back with Mysterio in trouble but managing to send McDonagh into the post for a big crash. The top rope seated senton connects for Mysterio and he kicks McDonagh in the head for two. The 619 is countered into a Spanish Fly for two and they both need a breather. Balor tries to get up for a distraction so Mysterio sends McDonagh into him. The 619 and springboard splash give Mysterio the pin at 10:24.

Rating: B-. Mysterio continues to be able to look good against just about anyone in the ring and that was the case again here. It helps that McDonagh has been rapidly improving in recent weeks and it made for a pretty nice match here. The ending was a bit flat, but at least Mysterio gets a win before what should be a major showdown with Dominik in the near future.

Post match Balor goes after Mysterio, who manages to slip away.

Adam Pearce tells Raquel Rodriguez that she’s in the title mix. New Day comes in to complain about what’s going on with the Tag Team Titles but Pearce snaps. Apparently Dragon Lee and AJ Styles want to give them a title shot next week. Grayson Waller is so happy that he gives Pearce a wig.

Brock Lesnar arrives.

Here is a ticked off Becky Lynch for a chat. After a break, her WarGames team joins her before she goes on a rant about how the decision of last week’s title match will be overturned and she will be champion again. While that was a mistake, AJ Lee made a bigger mistake last week and now she’s making an even bigger mistake by locking herself in a cage.

Lynch has assembled the greatest team in the history of WarGames. She brags about how she’s put together all of these people, including Asuka, who she has beaten nine out of ten times, and Jax, who has great bones. Lynch doesn’t have to wear a mask like Rotten Rhea Ripley, which brings out the other team. AJ Lee talks about how the old her would jump Lynch and break her apart, but unlike Lynch, she bites instead of barking.

Ripley gets the mic and starts swinging rather than talking and the brawl is on. Ripley and company clear the ring, with Sky hitting a hue moonsault to the ring, sending Lynch running off. Pretty standard brawling segment, but Lynch was basically doing a straight up Trump impression without the voice and it was hilarious.

Last Time Is Now Tournament Quarterfinals: Penta vs. Solo Sikoa

Penta kicks away to start but they’re quickly on the floor. Sikoa manages to send him over the barricade, with Penta popping back up for a hurricanrana from said barricade. We take an early break and come back with….the match having been stopped as Penta was injured on the hurricanrana. Sikoa wins at around 4:50, with nowhere near enough shown to rate.

We see a woman’s finger circling a glass and a graphic says FOUR DAYS. It looks to be in the same font as Wrestlemania’s logo.

Maxxine Dupri can’t believe she won the title and calls Natalya. Before that happens, various women come up for some threatening glares. Adam Pearce has to come get her out of trouble.

Stephanie Vaquer is mad at Nikki Bella for betraying her and swears vengeance. See you at Survivor Series.

Survivor Series rundown.

Usos vs. Logan Paul/Drew McIntyre

For the WarGames advantage. Jimmy knocks Paul into the corner to start and sends him to the floor as we take an early break. We come back with Paul still in trouble, with Jey stomping away and sending him into the corner. A running splash connects but Paul fights out of trouble. McIntyre comes in for a slugout with Jey, who manages a needed suplex.

Paul cuts Jimmy of before the tag though, as he continues to be wise beyond his years. McIntyre takes Jey outside for a toss over the announcers’ table and we take another break. We come back again with Jey getting double suplexed, with both McIntyre and Paul doing nip ups. McIntyre charges into some boots in the corner though and the needed tag brings in Jimmy for the parade of superkicks.

Paul manages a Blockbuster for two, only for Jimmy to drop him with a spear. Everything breaks down and here’s the Vision, but cue Cody Rhodes and CM Punk to even it up. The brawl ensues on the floor but Jey hits a big dive to take them down. That’s enough for Paul to roll Jimmy up for the pin at 17:02.

Rating: C+. This felt long (might have been stretched to help after the injury finished the previous match early) and it didn’t have much of a doubt about the eventual result. At the end of the day, WarGames is almost always going to have the villains in control and given the lineups, it would be insanity to go in a different direction here. Not a bad match, but dropping five minutes would have been nice.

Post match the brawl is on with Roman Reigns coming in to clean house. The staredown is on and the credits roll, but cue Brock Lesnar, who actually falls down during his entrance and flips backwards (live TV people). The villains get on the apron and the big brawl ensues to end the show.

Overall Rating: B- This show started off strong and then hit a wall around halfway through. The big problem with a show like this is a hard one to get around: the main event, and big story, was about getting the advantage in a match on Saturday. It makes for little more than a big preview, with little actually being changed for Survivor Series. It’s good enough, but outside of the really good Gunther vs. Hayes match and maybe the opener, it’s not worth a look.

Results
Gunther b. Carmelo Hayes – Powerbomb
Rey Mysterio b. JD McDonagh – Springboard splash
Solo Sikoa b. Penta via doctor stoppage
Drew McIntyre/Logan Paul b. Usos – Rollup to Jimmy

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: September 22, 2025
Location: Ford Center, Evansville, Indiana
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We are done with Wrestlepalooza and it was certainly a big time event. The big story on the Raw side saw CM Punk and AJ Lee defeat Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, plus Stephanie Vaquer becoming the new Raw Women’s Champion. We’re on our way to Crown Jewel, meaning it’s time to do the champion vs. champion deal again. Let’s get to it.

Here is Wrestlepalooza if you need a recap.

We open with a long Wrestlepalooza recap.

Here is Cody Rhodes to get things going. He holds up the Crown Jewel ring and says he’d love to win another one but here is Seth Rollins to interrupt. Rollins has been looking forward to Crown Jewel so they can go face to face. Rollins knows a lot of people don’t like him but he wants to know what Rhodes things of him. Rhodes says it’s complicated but it shouldn’t be. He knows that Rollins has been making some questionable decisions as of late but he respects Rollins.

Rhodes is ready to win another ring, but Rollins holds up his watch, which was a present from Rhodes after Wrestlemania XL. This is the first time he’s worn it since then and now he wants to know if it was a real gift or a token gesture. Rhodes has talked about being the quarterback around here but what does that make Rollins? Does Rhodes think he’s just better?

The Vision is about the future of the industry and what it means, with Rollins as the tip of the spear. Rhodes can be the quarterback, but he’s Rollins’ quarterback. If Rhodes doesn’t accept that, things will go badly. Rhodes brings up that Rollins has never beaten him and leaves, with Rollins not looking happy. The Vision is there to cut Rhodes off, but they step aside. I always forget how boring this period is and this was no exception, as it’s for a prize that means nothing and which will not be mentioned for most of the year.

Jimmy Uso comes up to Jey Uso in the back and is looking for a rematch with the Vision, but Jey has already got a match tonight with LA Knight. Jimmy isn’t sure if that’s a good idea and thinks Jey and Knight should cool off, but Jey blames their loss at Wrestlepalooza on Knight. And the Vision would have taken Knight out if Jimmy hadn’t tagged with him last week. Jey says he isn’t blaming Jimmy and they’ll deal with the Vision after Knight.

New Day/Grayson Waller vs. War Raiders/Penta

No DQ. New Day and Waller are sent to the floor to start but they move before the dive. Back in and Kingston takes over on Erik, with Waller coming in with a kendo stick shot. Erik drops Waller on the floor so Woods slaps him in the back of the head. Erik: “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?” Penta is back up with the big flip dive and we take a break.

We come back with Penta clearing the ring but being put on a table. Kingston goes up and drops down onto Penta (which the camera misses so we have to see it on the replay), leaving them both down. Back in and Erik powerbombs New Day at the same time, leaving Ivar to miss the Doomsault. Ivar is fine enough to hit a sitout powerbomb onto the apron but Woods is there with a kendo stick. Penta is back up and Kingston goes through the table but Waller catches Penta on top. That’s fine with Penta, who hits a super Canadian Destroyer for the pin at 10:17.

Rating: B-. I liked it well enough, though this story continues to feel ice cold. They’re still doing things, but it feels like something that has been going on for a long time now with nothing really happening. That is probably going to be the case for a few more weeks and I’m not sure where it goes from there. At least Penta gets another win, which is a nice thing to see.

Dominik Mysterio is panicking over Rusev but Finn Balor asks about the Mysterio who was all confident. Balor suggests asking El Grande Americano, but he’s not here this week. Balor and JD McDonagh are both busy, though Roxanne Perez talks McDonagh into helping him. It’s for the team though, not for Mysterio. Apparently Mysterio has already gotten McDonagh vs. Rusev set for later.

Bayley (in a jacket that CM Punk wore at Wrestlepalooza) comes up to Lyra Valkyria and thanks her for last week. Valkyria brings up Bayley screaming at her last week but Bayley thinks she’s joking. She wants Valkyria in her corner tonight and a confused Valkyria eventually agrees. Bayley: “NO TAKEBACKS!”

Adam Pearce brings out Stephanie Vaquer for her first comments as Women’s Champion. Vaquer thanks the people who helped her get here, including her father, who is in the crowd. She talks about what the title means and all the sacrifices she has made to get here. Pearce explains the Crown Jewel match coming up, with Vaquer saying she’ll be there. Well, that certainly was an appearance by the new champion.

Video on Brock Lesnar destroying John Cena.

Nikki Bella and Rhea Ripley congratulate Stephanie Vaquer on her win, but the Kabuki Warriors interrupt. Asuka isn’t impressed with Vaquer and seems to get a match with Ripley. Of note: there are three people in the back working on something and not acknowledging this whatsoever. They don’t mean anything, but it’s still a funny visual.

Roxanne Perez vs. Bayley

Raquel Rodriguez and Lyra Valkyria are here too. Perez hammers away in the corner to start but Bayley is right back with her own knockdown. The basement clothesline gives Bayley two but Perez starts in on the leg. Bayley gets tied in the Tree Of Woe for a stomp to said leg and we take a break.

We come back with Bayley dropping a middle rope elbow but getting caught on top. They head outside with Perez hitting Pop Rox to lay Bayley out, which is good for a nine count. Rodriguez pulls Bayley outside for a big boot, which draws Valkyria (with her massive blue shoes) over for the brawl. Valkyria posts Rodriguez but gets dropped with a suicide dive from Perez. Back in and Bayley starts to snap, and it’s the Bayley To Belly into the Roseplant for the pin at 10:46.

Rating: B-. This was another good one as Bayley continues to be a bit loony but the good thing is I’m curious to see where it goes. They aren’t exactly hiding what she’s doing and it isn’t some mystery deal, so now we get to see what happens as Valkyria tries to make sense of the thing. Perez is still a valuable asset to have around, as she can work well with anyone in the ring and that’s very good to have around.

Post match Valkyria goes in to celebrate with Bayley, who shoves her down and yells a lot as the split personalities are all over the place.

Cody Rhodes runs into Jimmy Uso, who wants him to talk to Jey. Rhodes will see what he can do.

Post break Rhodes goes to see Jey, who insists that he’s good. Rhodes says he knows what it can be like to fall off the top and says Jey’s family and friends are there for him. Jey thanks him for that but glares a bit as Rhodes leaves. That’s intriguing, as Jey continues to tease going to the dark side.

JD McDonagh vs. Rusev

McDonagh throws some chops in the start and gets knocked back as a result. Rusev chases him outside and then hits a big backdrop before they go to the floor again. This time McDonagh manages to send him into the steps and post, followed by the Asai moonsault. We take a break and come back with McDonagh hitting a jawbreaker into a slingshot corkscrew dive. A running knee drops Rusev and a nice moonsault gives McDonagh two. Rusev pops up and shrugs off the offense, setting up the Machka Kick. The Accolade makes McDonagh tap at 10:34.

Rating: C+. McDonagh wrestling as the straight up good guy is a weird thing to see but what matters is that this should set up Rusev for the title match. Rusev needs something to do and now we get to see how Mysterio gets to escape, assuming he can. That’s in addition to the big Finn Balor factor, as he’s hardly happy with everything Mysterio is doing.

Post match Mysterio stands there while Rusev keeps the hold on so Finn Balor makes the save.

Iyo Sky tries to talk Asuka out of the match with Rhea Ripley but Asuka is doing it anyway. Sky wants Kairi Sane to talk to her about it but Sane says Asuka is why they’re here so they must listen to her.

LA Knight talks about trying to keep order on Saturday and if Jey Uso needs help with that, it can be a BFT tonight.

Jey Uso vs. LA Knight

Uso slugs away to start and elbows him in the face to put Knight down. A charge misses in the corner though and Knight hits the jumping neckbreaker. Knight low bridges him to the floor but misses a dropkick through the ropes, allowing Uso to hit a clothesline as we take a break. We come back with Knight hitting a superplex but Uso fights back.

Uso avoids a Burning Hammer and blocking a jumping neckbreaker to send Knight outside. The suicide dive connects and a superkick gives Uso two. Knight knocks him back down and hits the top rope elbow but cue the Vision, with Knight having to take them out. The distraction lets Uso hit a spear into the Superfly Splash for the pin at 8:40.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time to make this work but the ending is likely going to keep things going in a few ways. Jey vs. Knight is already a story and you have the Usos vs. the Vision at the same time. There is a good chance that those stories are going to cross soon enough and then we get to see where it goes in Australia.

Post match Jey leaves but gets cut off by Jimmy Uso, who wants to go after the Vision. Jimmy goes to the ring by himself with a chair, with Paul Heyman calling the team off.

Becky Lynch is venting about Cody Rhodes but Seth Rollins doesn’t really listen. She doesn’t like what Rhodes has been saying about her, including calling her lovely. Rollins keeps looking at the watch as Lynch keeps going, eventually promising to make an example out of Rhodes.

Iyo Sky comes up to Rhea Ripley, who is sorry for the loss at Wrestlepalooza. Sky wants her to be careful around Asuka, with Sky saying Asuka is family.

We look at Stephanie McMahon being announced for the Hall Of Fame. Yeah fair enough.

Video on Los Grande Americanos, who are back after being believed to be gone. They will take over WWE.

Maxxine Dupri asks Adam Pearce for a match. Pearce says he’ll think about it, but AJ Styles and Dragon Lee come in to say they want to deal with the Americanos. Pearce is in on this one.

Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley

Kairi Sane is here too. Asuka kicks at the leg to start but gets dropped with a nasty German suplex. We take an early break and come back with Asuka sending her to the apron and hitting a dragon screw legwhip. Ripley fires off some clotheslines and a belly to back faceplant, followed by a running dropkick. A northern lights suplex gives Ripley two but Asuka goes back to the knee. Ripley boots her out to the floor though and hits a running flip dive as we take another break.

We come back with Ripley fighting out of an ankle lock. Ripley puts her on top for a superplex and the big crash leaves them both down. Back up and Ripley kicks her in the face and hits a Razor’s Edge toss, followed by a hard knee for two. Asuka gets back up and strikes her out to the floor with a big kick to the head. Sane teases getting involved and Asuka tells her to do it, where Sane teases some cheating but doesn’t do it.

Instead Asuka sends Ripley into the announcers’ table and counters a kick to the head with a kneebar back inside. Asuka lets that go and grabs a German suplex before heading up top. Ripley dropkicks her out of the air (that looked great) heads up top, only to jump into a dropkick (that looked great). Sane teases interfering but gets knocked down, leaving Ripley to roll Asuka up for the pin at 17:14.

Rating: B+. This was a hard hitting, back and forth match between two women who can work very well together. It was turning into a question of how they were going to have one of them lose. The idea here seems to be Asuka using her authority over Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane and now we’ll get to see where that goes. What matters here though is that it’s a rather awesome main event and Ripley gets a big win, which she has been needing.

Post match Asuka blows blue mist into Ripley’s face. Sane eventually helps with the beatdown but Iyo Sky runs in to try and calm things down. Asuka kicks Sane down and orders Sane to attack, which she does. The Empress Impact drops Ripley and Sane gives Sky an Insane Elbow (against her will) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I liked a lot of the wrestling here, with the main event being a highlight, but at the same time egads the Crown Jewel stuff is already dragging the show down. It feels so unimportant and there is almost no way around the whole issue. Hopefully the rest of the card carries the slack, as otherwise we could be in for a very long few weeks on the way to the pay per view.

Results
Penta/War Raiders b. New Day/Grayson Waller – Super Canadian Destroyer to Waller
Bayley b. Roxanne Perez – Roseplant
Rusev b. JD McDonagh – Accolade
Jey Uso b. LA Knight – Superfly Splash
Rhea Ripley b. Asuka – Small package

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NXT
Date: September 16, 2025
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s a special show this week with Homecoming, meaning a bunch of stars of NXT’s past are back around. That’s the kind of thing you kind of have to do when the show is back in its old stomping grounds. We’re also getting pretty close to No Mercy and the show is likely going to get some build here. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a history of NXT at Full Sail, dating back to the HHH with long hair era. The idea was that you were seeing the future, including stars like Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, the Four Horsewomen and several others. There are all kinds of highlights included here, as NXT has been around for a very, very long time with some great moments.

We get a modernized version of the opening, set to The Roar Of The Crowd. Oh dang that’s a flashback.

Here is HHH to get things going for a special moment and yeah the fans seem to like him. He’s glad to be home and that’s good for a WELCOME HOME chant. This place is something special and for every talent who walked through that….video board (HHH: “I was going to say curtain but there isn’t one.”). He thanks everyone who has helped make this place work, including the fans at home.

The people turned this from a whisper into a roar. They are the ones who said NXT is the future and then they said the future is now. Those same people then shouted WE ARE NXT so HHH is here to say thank you…and here is a dancing Shawn Michaels to interrupt (with the fans singing his song). Michaels: “As I came walking out of that…video board is it?” He thanks HHH for the billion dollar deals and says his current NXT stars are ready to take over. HHH asks what would happen if he wanted to come back to NXT.

Michaels says that would be a very, very big problem….and here’s William Regal to interrupt. After saying there is one way of doing this (and calling out a fan for saying the line before he can, with Regal saying to edit that out), Regal says this means WARGAMES. Cue Charlotte and Alexa Bliss to interrupt, with Charlotte saying it doesn’t matter who is in charge because the women have always run NXT. Charlotte talks about some great women of NXT’s past. And Carmella. Anyway, they have a title match for tonight and if you have a problem with the women, they have two words for you. Very fun opening segment.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: The Culling vs. Alexa Bliss/Charlotte

Bliss and Charlotte are defending. Paxley and Bliss start things off with a doll showdown until Paxley takes her down by the head. They trade poses before Paxley has to escape a quick Sister Abigail DDT attempt. Charlotte (thankfully she’s healed up) comes in but Dame slaps her handshake away. A jawbreaker staggers Charlotte but everything breaks down with the champs hitting stereo running faceplants.

We take a break and come back with a facebuster putting Charlotte in trouble again. She chops away but Dame is right there to cut her off. Stereo big boots leave them both down though and Charlotte gets over for the tag off to Bliss. A running Blockbuster gets two on Paxley and a choke shove puts her down again. Shawn Spears offers a distraction though and Twisted Bliss hits raised knees. Paxley’s rollup with feet on the ropes gets two and the Psycho Trap connects, with Charlotte having to make a save. That means Bliss can hit the Sister Abigail DDT for the pin at 11:21.

Rating: B-. It was interesting to see someone who could match Charlotte in size but this was just about having a pair of former NXT stars making a special return. There was no way the Culling was getting the titles here, but it was nice to have the reunion with the NXT fans. Nice match too, as the pairings made good sense.

Zaria and Sol Ruca argue in the back over their lack of success as a team. Lainey Reid and Candice LeRae come in to argue about which of the two of them will be getting a shot at Ruca’s Speed Title…but Shayna Baszler comes in to tell Ruca and Zaria to fix this. And that’s that.

Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams vs. DIY

Gargano and Hayes miss rolling kicks to the head to start and the fans are VERY into this. Ciampa (with his face painted) comes in to knee Williams to the floor and Gargano adds a big dive as we take a break. We come back with Ciampa giving Williams a reverse DDT, allowing the tag off to Gargano for the house cleaning. Gargano and Hayes go to the ramp until Gargano sends him back inside for the slingshot spear.

Back in and Williams runs through Ciampa and loads up the Trick Shot but Hayes tags himself in. Hayes hits a spinning faceplant and Williams teases going after him but hits a diving clothesline on Gargano (who seemed to be his target). A springboard Doomsday Device gets two on Ciampa, who is right back with Project Ciampa for two on Hayes.

Williams grabs the title but Ciampa grabs the Fairy Tale Ending. Hayes breaks up Meet In The Middle but gets caught in the Shatter Machine. Meet In The Middle connects with Williams making the save…and the Miz runs in for a Skull Crushing Finale to Gargano on the floor. Back in and Nothing But Net gives Hayes the pin at 10:39.

Rating: B. This was a match that felt big coming in and then it wound up being able to live up to most of the hype. Later in the match was was thinking Miz shouldn’t be happy with his partner doing this kind of thing on his own so points for having the stories come together. It’s also nice to see the newer generation of NXT stars getting a win, as you don’t want a show like this to be dominated by the old guard.

Sami Zayn is glad to be back here and likes what he sees in Je’Von Evans. Josh Briggs interrupts to say Evans is nothing but here is Evans to brawl with Briggs. With that broken up, Zayn tells Evans that the sky is the limit for them and they have to fight.

North American Title: Ethan Page vs. Tyler Breeze

Page is defending and drops Breeze with a running shoulder to start. That lets Page do Breeze’s pose on the ropes so Breeze hits a dropkick and poses himself. Back up and Page hits a heck of a right hand as we take a break. We come back with Breeze fighting out of the Twisted Grin and hitting a running forearm. Page is right back with an Ego’s Edge for two but Breeze wraps his leg around the post and grabs a Hartbreaker.

Back in and a half crab sends Page to the ropes, followed by the Supermodel Kick for two. The Unprettier is broken up so Page goes to the corner, where Breeze pulls him into a Cheeky Nandos Kick. Breeze goes up again but Page cuts him off and hits a hanging Twisted Grin for the pin to retain at 10:33.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see Breeze come back, as having him put into this kind of a spot is a great flashback, even if it seems like a one off. That’s a nice way to bring someone back and have them put a current champion over. The fans were still in for what Breeze was doing and he didn’t look like he had lost a step.

Post match AAA’s El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. shows up for a staredown with Page.

Tavion Heights is annoyed but Damian Priest comes in to give him a pep talk. He sees a lot of himself in Heights, who is very appreciative. Priest says he’s here for advice too, which Heights seems to want.

It’s time for the Grayson Waller Effect, with Ricky Saints and Oba Femi already in the ring. Waller mocks both of them to start but Femi brushes it off. Femi says Saints can carry as many bags as he likes but he won’t be carrying the NXT Title. Saints asks who Femi is without the title, because all he sees is a pampered athlete. Years ago, Saints gave everything in a tryout to get an automated email saying no, so he’s coming back to get the title, but here is Trick Williams to interrupt.

Femi has something that belongs to him, and he means the title. Waller thinks he’s going to get a winner takes all match set for next week with Femi and Williams, with the winner facing Saints. Waller says TNA wrestlers won’t like it but no one cared about the company until he said the letters. Femi cuts him off and says he’s ready to win both of them.

Wren Sinclair has some ideas to help the No Quarter Catch Crew but Charlie Dempsey says the solution is….he goes to Japan for a month. Bobby Roode pops in to do his pose but Joe Hendry’s name is mentioned and Roode says it was great to see the TNA World Title at Wrestlemania.

Here is Lexis King for a chat. He doesn’t think much of Myles Borne so next week they’re facing off in a Lights Out match…and here is Finn Balor to interrupt. Cue Borne to jump King from behind and the Coup de Grace leaves King laying. Balor was going to be over like almost no other here so there was zero reason to try to make the fans boo him.

Darkstate is here when Montez Ford (on his own) interrupts. Ford mentions the team having targets on their backs and they aren’t happy as he leaves. Kind of an odd segment.

Bianca Belair is here.

Fatal Influence vs. Lyra Valkyria/Rhea Ripley/Stephanie Vaquer

Valkyria is substituting for an injured Tiffany Stratton. Fatal Influence jumps them before the bell to start fast, with Vaquer being sent into the wrong corner. A backsplash gives Nyx two but Vaquer dropkicks her way out of the corner. Valkyria comes in to clean house and for some reason Nyx goes after Ripley. That earns her a superkick from Vaquer as we get some reactions from various TNA wrestlers, who aren’t happy with the lack of respect NXT has been showing TNA. That sounds invasionish as Ripley tosses Nyx onto the other two as we take a break.

We come back with Nyx cranking on Valkyria’s neck, followed by a kick to the chest for two. A double flapjack into a double Natural Selection has Valkyria in more trouble and Ripley is knocked off the apron. Jayne’s running knee gets two on Valkyria and we get more TNA reactions to the title match. Valkyria fights up and brings Vaquer in to wreck the villains. The SVB is broken up and a catapult sends Vaquer into a Nyx Kick for two.

Vaquer fights out again and brings in Ripley so destruction can ensue. Everything breaks down and Valkyria dropkicks Nyx through the ropes. That leaves Vaquer and Ripley to point at Booker and then do stereo Devil’s Kisses (Vic Joseph fans Booker down in a hilarious bonus). Jayne tries to leave but Lola Vice cuts her off and sends her back inside for Riptide and the pin at 10:27.

Rating: B. This was the kind of fun main event that it should have been, as Fatal Influence had as much chance of winning as I did of being Miss Nevada 1972. The double Devil’s Kiss bit was great and the fans loved it, with Booker making it that much better. I had a great time with this and it was exactly the kind of non-serious match match, even with Vice getting involved, that it should have been.

Vice and the winners celebrate together.

Trick Williams and Oba Femi have their staredown, but William Regal thinks the TNA stars are going to cause trouble next week. Williams and Femi don’t seem to mind.

Overall Rating: A-. Excellent show, as they did a very nice job of not making the modern NXT stars look weak. You had the NXT legends show up and help boost up some of the current roster while giving them some wins here and there. This was treated as a big celebration of the history of NXT while also boosting things up. The TNA stuff is an intriguing bonus, so this couldn’t have been much better.

Results
Alexa Bliss/Charlotte b. The Culling – Sister Abigail DDT to Paxley
Trick Williams/Carmelo Hayes b. DIY – Nothing But Net to Gargano
Ethan Page b. Tyler Breeze – Hanging Twisted Grin
Lyra Valkyria/Rhea Ripley/Stephanie Vaquer b. Fatal Influence – Riptide to Jayne

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: September 15, 2025
Location: MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Corey Graves

It’s the last Raw before Wrestlepalooza and we’re on an hour earlier, likely to avoid the second Monday Night Football game of the evening. John Cena is here tonight and we’re fairly close to his hometown, so things should be interesting. Other than that, AJ Lee and CM Punk are here to meet up with Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of the Vision beating down LA Knight and Jimmy Uso, with Jey Uso making the save, only to take Knight out as well as he’s getting a bit more devilish.

The Usos arrive and Knight goes after him. Jimmy Uso and Adam Pearce break it up, with Pearce threatening fines if this keeps going.

Here is John Cena to a hero’s welcome. Cena talks about how he spent a lot of time in this city, playing football at Springfield College. He played on the offensive line, meaning he never got his name in the paper and he would get beaten up every day and then have to come back the next day and do it again. That’s what got him ready for WWE and now he’s here in front of friends and family.

After saying hi to his niece (on her birthday) and saying he’ll see her this week, Cena talks about getting ready to face Brock Lesnar at Wrestlepalooza. He’s done that more than a few times and it’s really hard, so maybe he should consider backing out of the match because he’s only got six appearances left.

We get a THANK YOU CENA chant and that’s why he’s saying yes to Lesnar. He has never fought one battle backstage because he’s always fighting in front of these people. Of course he’s scared of Lesnar but he’s taking the fight to the Beast because that’s what he does. This was a good speech (and you could tell how special it was for Cena), but it still feels like Cena and Lesnar are on different planets on the way to the match.

We go to Adam Pearce’s office where Jey Uso and LA Knight are still arguing. Pearce wants to keep things calm so he asks Knight to pick his partner against the Vision. He’ll take Jimmy Uso, which doesn’t sit well with Jey.

Roxanne Perez vs. Lyra Valkyria

They go with the grappling to start before Valkyria slams her down to take over. Perez gets a rather nifty rollup for two but Valkyria is back with a crossbody. She seems to be favoring her back though, allowing Raquel Rodriguez to trip her down. That’s enough to get Rodriguez ejected, leaving Valkyria to kick Perez to the floor.

Back in and Perez trips her off the top for a nasty crash, followed by some screaming pounding as we take a break. We come back with Valkyria hitting a sitout powerbomb for two. Perez cuts her off on top and grabs the crossface, only for Valkyria to power up into Nightwing for the pin at 9:06.

Rating: C+. This was the kind of comeback win that Valkyria needs as she hasn’t been doing much lately and was coming off a loss. It’s a weird way to go with Valkyria trading wins, though I’ll take her getting back on track this fast. The real story is still with Bayley though and that’s going to be….I have no idea yet.

Post match Rodriguez comes back in for the beatdown but Bayley returns for the save. Bayley runs over and hugs the commentators and ring announcer as Valkyria is stunned. This is giving me 3 Faces Of Foley vibes.

Stephanie Vaquer and Iyo Sky have signed the contract for Wrestlepalooza and show respect before the title match. The Kabuki Warriors come in and Asuka wants Vaquer to face….Kairi Sane tonight. Adam Pearce makes the match and Sane does some shadow boxing in a hilarious moment.

LA Knight comes in to see Jimmy Uso and wants to make sure Jimmy won’t screw him over like Jey Uso. Jimmy says Knight has put him in a tough spot and he’ll need to find another partner.

Kofi Kingston vs. Penta

Xavier Woods and Grayson Waller are here with Kingston. Penta starts fast and knocks him out to the floor, only for Kingston to kick him down. The Shadows Over Hell drops Penta again and we take a break. We come back with Penta hitting the handstand dropkick in the corner for two.

Penta hits one of the loudest chops I’ve heard in a bit but Kingston is back with a knockdown for two. Trouble In Paradise is blocked by a superkick (which doesn’t exactly connect) and they trade strikes to the face for a double down. Woods offers a distraction so Waller can come in, only for Penta to come back with a springboard Canadian Destroyer for the pin at 7:32.

Rating: B-. Much like Valkyria, Penta needed a win like this as he doesn’t have much much going on in the way of momentum. It’s nice to see him getting a win with a cool finish, which he hit in a unique way. I’m not sure what New Day is doing at the moment, but that’s been the case for a long, long time now.

Jey Uso is on the phone and saying he has some issues. Jimmy Uso comes in and asks who was on the phone. Jey brushes that off and says Jimmy has to turn LA Knight down for tonight. That doesn’t work for Jimmy but Jey talks about how they have the Vision at Wrestlepalooza. Jimmy tells him to change his tone, because there’s no ula fala around his neck.

Post break, Jimmy tells La Knight that he’s in. Works for Knight.

Here are Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch for a chat. The fans chant for CM Punk and Rollins says that as a result, he’s ignoring them. Rollins addresses the fans on Netflix and then introduces Lynch, who wants to talk to AJ Lee and Punk in person, because unlike Punk, she doesn’t insult people behind their backs.

Cue Lee and Punk, the latter of whom introduces himself as her husband. Punk talks about how he’s known for his talking and asks which one is the team captain. They can’t even get on the same page and we had to listen to two bad songs. He has no problem with putting Cult Of Personality on the shelf and lighting it up with his wife (AJ seems to say “good job”). The fans get on Rollins so Lynch stands up for him, before Rollins says he’s going to give Punk credit (Punk’s eyes bugging out is funny).

Rollins says AJ Lee is the best decision Punk has ever made (Punk seems to agree). Fans: “NO ONE LIKES YOU!” Lynch: “I like him!” Rollins means in Punk’s personal life, because bringing AJ in is a bad professional move. AJ calls Rollins “sweet cheeks” and says Rollins started this by using Lynch as a human shield. Punk has said he cared about himself, his wife and the title.

Lynch brings up Lee having a bad neck (as she mentioned in her book) and points out Punk got into a blood feud over a bracelet with his wife’s name on it. That makes AJ a liability instead of an asset. AJ: “Well Becky thank you for reading my book. I didn’t read yours.” It’s true that she has a bad neck, but seeing Lynch’s “constipated face” made her see red. Lee: “I’m a Puerto Rican from New Jersey. Sometimes I shank a chick.” She’s ready to hurt Lynch, but Rollins calls Lee “little girl”. Fans: “SHE WILL KILL YOU!”

Rollins brings up Lee and Punk both leaving and suggests Punk will leave her too. That’s good for a slap to the face, with Rollins saying he would never put his hands on a woman. He knows someone who would though….but Lynch bails. Lynch says Rollins got them into this and leaves, but it’s a ruse to get Punk to chase Rollins, leaving Lynch to Manhandle Slam Lee. She throws in a slap to Punk for a bonus. This was a long segment and they only said a few interesting things, but the fans and the one liners were both great and carried the thing to the finish line.

Video on Worlds Collide, including Dominik Mysterio winning the AAA Mega Title.

Mysterio doesn’t want to talk about El Grande Americano because he is the Mega Intercontinental Champion. Hold on though as there is sounds of a fracas and we run over to see New Day having attacked Penta with a chair. The War Raiders run in to chase New Day Off.

Dragon Lee vs. El Grande Americano

Lee starts fast with a shotgun dropkick but Americano fights up without much trouble. A TKO gets two on Lee and Americano hammers away, including a crazy loud chop. Lee is right back up with a hurricanrana to the floor so Americano lays on the announcers’ table. Lee gets a running start for a running flip dive to crush him again as we take a break.

We come back with an exchange of loud chops until Lee grabs a sitout powerbomb. Lee’s top rope Tree of Woe double stomp gets two but cue another Americano for a cheap shot though, which draws out AJ Styles to give chase. Styles takes out the other Americano but a third pops up for a tornado DDT to take drop Styles on the floor. The distraction lets the original grab a choke with knees in Lee’s back for the win at 10:14.

Rating: C+. The best thing I can say about the Americano story is that I’m curious about where it’s going. Having the original Americano replaced and then having multiple clones going out there as well is interesting, though we could be waiting a good while before we get any kind of a reveal.

Americano is confused but rolls with it.

Lyra Valkyria is about to go talk to Bayley about what happened but hears a lot of shouting. She goes inside and Bayley is alone, leaving Valkyria even more confused. Bayley says she might have been changing or had company but Valkyria just barged in (she did knock). Oh yeah this is Bayley being all wacky, though how surprising was her return if she had a private dressing room with a name plate ready.

Rhea Ripley tells Stephanie Vaquer that she’s coming for the next champion. Works for Vaquer.

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Kairi Sane

They go to the mat to start with Vaquer winning the grappling, only for Sane to plant her down for a fast two. Sane tries a sunset bomb but gets double stomped as we take a break. We come back with Vaquer dropkicking her away and hitting the running knees in the corner.

The SVB is broken up though and Sane hits a forearm, setting up the top rope double stomp. A dragon screw legwhip out of the corner takes out Vaquer’s knee but she’s fine enough to come back with a big dive to the floor. The Devil’s Kiss rocks Sane back inside and the SVB finishes at 12:02.

Rating: B-. Vaquer is on the way to a title match on Saturday so it’s nice to see her getting a win to boost her up on the way there. At the same time, Sane deserves some credit for what she has been doing, as her mannerisms have been outstanding as of late. It helps that it was a good match too, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise given the participants.

Post match Asuka glares at Vaquer but Iyo Sky runs in to break it up. Asuka bails and Sky and Vaquer shake hands.

The Vision is ready for the Usos on Saturday and Jimmy Uso and LA Knight tonight.

Iyo Sky asks the Kabuki Warriors to let her do this by herself, with Asuka (who is being held back by Sane) angrily agreeing.

Wrestlepalooza rundown.

The Judgment Day toasts Dominik Mysterio for winning the AAA Mega Title but Finn Balor isn’t sure about the victory lap. He points out Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez having a rough night but Rodriguez says it’s ok. Balor still doesn’t buy the whole deal with El Grande Americano again and leaves. Rusev comes in and offers a handshake but Mysterio says his hands are full. Rusev wants the Intercontinental Title.

LA Knight/Jimmy Uso vs. Vision

Uso chops away at Breakker to start and Knight comes in to punch Reed down. The running hip attack connects for Uso and a double clothesline sends Breakker outside as we take a break. We come back with Reed pulling on Uso’s hair and Breakker adding an overhead belly to belly. Uso manages a boot to the face and hits a Whisper In The Wind, which is enough for the tag off to Knight.

A jumping neckbreaker takes Breakker down but he’s right back with a jumping knee to the face. Everything breaks down and Knight’s top rope elbow into the Superfly Splash gets two on Reed, with Breakker making the save. A dive to the floor is cut off but Reed gets speared back inside. Breakker drops Knight on the floor and Reed cuts off the Superfly Splash, setting up the Jagged Edge for the pin on Uso at 12:03.

Rating: C+. I don’t think the result was ever in any real doubt here as a makeshift team shouldn’t be beating the top heel team. What matters the most is getting the Vision to look strong, but at the same time, Knight and the Usos aren’t exactly getting along. That sounds like we’re going to be seeing a match of some sort in Australia next month and this week was a step there.

Post match the beatdown stays on until Jey Uso runs in with the chair for the save. Reed knocks the chair away but gets sent outside. Knight picks the chair up but Jey looks at him. Knight shakes Jey’s hand….and then lays him out with the BFT to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show did a nice job of setting up the pay per view, as there was quite a lot to cover. Most of the matches got some time and that’s nice to see, especially with so little time left. The wrestling was decent enough, but the focus here was on getting ready for Saturday and I’m more interested in the show than I was coming in. I’d call that a success.

Results
Lyra Valkyria b. Roxanne Perez – Nightwing
Penta b. Kofi Kingston – Springboard Canadian Destroyer
El Grande Americano b. Dragon Lee – Choke with knees in the back
Stephanie Vaquer b. Kairi Sane – SVB
Vision b. Jimmy Uso/LA Knight – Jagged Edge to Uso

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Worlds Collide: Las Vegas
Date: September 12, 2025
Location: Cox Pavilion At The Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada
Commentators: Corey Graves, Konnan, John Bradshaw Layfield

We’re doing another WWE/AAA crossover show and in this case, Dominik Mysterio is getting another World Title shot, this time on his own. That’s quite the drawing card, though the rest of the show looks good enough. The previous edition was a lot of fun in Mexico so now we get to see what happens in the United States. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at AAA’s success since being purchased by WWE, including TripleMania. Now they’re in Las Vegas so of course there’s a bit of a gambling theme.

HHH, Shawn Michaels and Undertaker are here.

Various wrestlers arrive. These clips were shown on Smackdown.

The dignitaries are in the ring for the Mexican national anthem. Lilian Garcia does the American version.

Here is Penta for a chat. Penta, in Spanish, seems to fire up the crowd and talk about the importance of Mexican wrestling in the United States. After more enthusiastic shouting, Penta hits his catchphrase and holds up a Mexican flag.

Laredo Kid/La Parka/Mascarita Sagrada/Octagon Jr. vs. LWO/Mini Abismo Negro/Lince Dorado

Dorado and Octagon start things off as they trade some missed kicks to start. An exchange of headscissors take both of them down and we get a standoff/handshake. Del Toro and Kid come in with Kid hitting him in the face, followed by a running clothesline in the corner. Del Toro is taken up top but sticks the landing on a super hurricanrana. A standing Spanish Fly gives del Toro and Wilde comes in for a standing moonsault and a near fall.

Kid gives him kind of a reverse sitout powerbomb to take over and it’s off to Parka for a dance off. Parka avoids a charge in the corner and dances some more, setting up something like a spinning AA. Sagrada and Negro come in, with Sagrada snapping off a springboard armdrag. Dorado comes back in and gets sent into the corner, allowing Octagon and Kid to hit back to back middle rope twisting moonsaults for two. A kick to the head puts Kid down though and del Toro is back in with a slingshot splash.

An electric chair splash to the back gets two on Kid as Konnan lists off Kid’s resume. Negro (barely taller than the top rope) comes in for a pop up powerslam and Kid can’t get a springboard hurricanrana, instead crashing down. Back up and a running hurricanrana works a bit better, as Kid is able to bring in Sagrada for a very spinning headscissors to the floor. Sagrada clears the ring and snaps off a top rope hurricanrana to put Negro down. Back in and Octagon comes in but del Toro comes in as well to strike it out.

Octagon gets caught in the Tree of Woe for a Coast To Coast from del Toro. Dorado’s shooting star press gets two and Sagrada grabs an octopus on Negro, with everyone else making a save. Everything breaks down and Dorada gives Parka the Golden Rewind, leaving Octagon to dive onto both of them. Del Toro dives on all of them and then Kid does the same thing. Wilde hits his huge slingshot dive, leaving Sagrada to grab a spinning rollup for the pin on Negro at 18:05.

Rating: B. Yeah this was a blast with everyone getting to go nuts and show off for a long time. They weren’t trying to do anything other than let the people go nuts and that worked well. It’s the kind of match that is always going to work as it was designed to be a sample platter of what AAA can do. Fun stuff here, as it should have been.

Rey Mysterio is interrupted by Dominik Mysterio, who says he’s going to become the Mega Champion. Rey even agrees to put the title around his waist if he wins, with a big emphasis on IF. Finn Balor comes in to say Dominik needs to prove himself tonight, alone. Balor even leaves with the interviewer (who happens to be his wife). This aired on Smackdown as well.

We recap Natalya vs. Faby Apache. They were in a triple threat match at TripleMania and didn’t get along so now it’s time to fight for a future title shot.

Natalya vs. Faby Apache

For a future Reina de Reinas title shot. They go to the grappling to start until Apache drops her with an elbow. Natalya’s discus lariat gets two and she fires off the shoulders in the corner. Natalya plants her down and starts in on the leg, including the surfboard. With that broken up, Apache shrugs off some clotheslines and hits a hurricanrana.

A high crossbody and knee to the face give Apache two and she tries a cross armbreaker. Apache’s bodyscissors turns into a slugout and she even adds a front facelock. With that not working, Apache switches to an ankle lock, followed by a hard forearm to the face for two. Apache teases a Sharpshooter but gets reversed into a rollup for the pin at 9:12.

Rating: B-. This was a bit different from Natalya and that is one of the best things that she can do. The biggest problem with Natalya is that she does a lot of the same stuff and that gets dull in a hurry. That wasn’t so much the case here and it made for a much more entertaining match. Apache did her part too as they were beating the heck out of each other here. Nice match and better than I was expecting.

We get the Saudi Arabia Wrestlemania announcement and the booing is audible.

New Day was ready to win the Tag Team Titles but Woods was injured by Penta. He had to have surgery on his head but risked DEATH by being here anyway, where Grayson Waller will be taking his place. Waller insists that interviewer Chuey Martinez sign the petition to ban the Canadian Destroyer.

AAA Tag Team Titles: Kofi Kingston/Grayson Waller vs. Pagano/Psycho Clown

Pagano/Clown are defending and Clown chases Waller to the floor to start. Back in and Waller tries to pick up the pace, which is fine with Clown, who actually gets pulled into a forearm. Kingston and Pagano come in with Pagano snapping off a belly to belly. Clown comes in to help with the stomping but gets sent into the corner. Waller forearms away on Clown in the corner and we get something like the old Unicorn Stampede.

Pagano gets knocked off the apron so Clown has no one to tag when he fights out (as tends to be the case). A jumping knee to the face gets two on Clown before Kingston and Waller go up…and then hop down to pummel away. Kingston grabs a choke and Clown taps, but it doesn’t seem to have been intentional so Kingston sends him into the corner instead.

Clown fights out of the corner and hits a crossbody, followed by an enziguri to bring in Pagano. Everything breaks down and the champs hit some running dives before Clown….rips part of his own mask off, which freaks Woods out and sends him running. Stereo Canadian Destroyers drop Waller and Kingston, followed by la majistral to give Clown the pin to retain at 16:53.

Rating: B-. This was a good enough match, but the problem boils down to it’s only so good when you have Kingston and a filler partner rather than his usual partner. New Day challenging for the titles would have been a much bigger deal, but as it was, there wasn’t exactly much doubt about the winners. What we got was good, but Woods being in there would have been a lot better.

Post match Pagano and Clown are interviewed by the Wyatt Sicks interfere and lay them out. The huge beatdown ensues, with Pagano and Clown being put through tables. The Wyatts hold up the AAA titles and the fans seem to like it.

We recap Lola Vice/Mr. Iguana vs. Judgment Day. They were in a six person tag at TripleMania (with a slightly adjusted lineup) and got into a brawl so now it’s time to do it with one less person each.

Lola Vice/Mr. Iguana vs. Judgment Day

Raquel Rodriguez is here with Judgment Day. Balor takes Iguana down by the arm to start but Iguana flips around and sits down, which has the fans approving. Balor goes to grab a bag but Iguana takes it away and throws it underneath the ring. Back in and a hurricanrana drops Balor so it’s off to Vice, who scares Balor into the corner. Perez comes in and gets chased outside, allowing Vice to run her over back inside.

The cross armbreaker is blocked so Vice switches to the strikes into the corner. Vice’s running hip attack is broken up by Balor so Vice hits a dive onto both of them. Back in and Iguana’s high crossbody gets two on Balor, only for Rodriguez to drop Iguana onto the apron to cut him off. Balor slows the pace down and chokes on the ropes….but the Balor puppet pops out from underneath the ring. Even Balor freaks out and Iguana gets in a shot, allowing the tag back to Vice to pick up the pace.

Now the hip attack can hit Perez, followed by a Saito suplex for two. Perez is right back up and hits a Lionsault for two before taking Vice up. Iguana throws Yesca at Perez though and Balor brings in his own bag. Balor gets up with his own puppet and it’s time for…well actually a Sling Blade to Iguana. Balor ties his puppet around his neck and teases the Coup de Grace but Vice breaks it up. Yesca is thrown at the puppet, leaving Iguana to hit a dive. Vice spinning backfists Perez for the pin at 12:00.

Rating: C+. The point here was to showcase Vice and Iguana and that worked rather well. Vice is quite possibly on her way to being the NXT Women’s Champion and Iguana is going to sell a ton of merchandise. Balor played right into the whole thing with the puppet deal and it was a fun match with everything going about as it should have.

We recap the Latin American Title four way. El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. won the title at TripleMania and now a bunch of people are coming for the title. That’s about it.

Latin American Title: El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. Ethan Page vs. JD McDonagh vs. Dragon Lee

Wagner is defending (Page’s NXT North American Title isn’t on the line). Lee and McDonagh fight to the floor to start, leaving Wagner to hammer on Page in the corner. Back in and Lee sends Page into the corner and drop toeholds McDonagh into page. A running dropkick hits both villains and Wagner is back in, only to get taken down by McDonagh. The big Asai moonsault drops Page and Lee on the floor before McDonagh kicks away at Wagner.

Page is back in to throw McDonagh at Wagner (that worked) before hitting a running Codebreaker for two on Lee. The chinlock doesn’t last long as the other two come back in, with a series of strikes to the face knocking everyone silly. McDonagh headbutts Page…who falls onto McDonagh for two.

Lee is back up with a running hurricanrana to Wagner and a big sitout powerbomb for two on McDonagh. Wagner pulls Page to the floor so Lee flip dives onto both of them. Back in and a super Spanish Fly gives McDonagh two but Page is back with the Twisted Grin. Wagner cuts that off wit h a Swanton and Wagner Drivers McDonagh to retain at 9:56.

Rating: B. This was a sprint match as you had all four of them going nuts and throwing out everything they could in the time they had. That made for quite the entertaining spectacle and I had a good time with everything they were doing. This felt like a match where anyone could have picked up the title and the drama made things a lot more entertaining.

We recap the main event. Dominik Mysterio came close to winning the title in a four way at TripleMania and now it’s time for him to get a one on one shot as he wants to prove he’s the best Mysterio ever.

AAA Mega Title: Dominik Mysterio vs. El Hijo del Vikingo

Vikingo is defending (Mysterio’s Intercontinental Title isn’t on the line) and the fans really do not like him despite him being the good guy coming in. After the Big Match Intros, the trade some kicks to start before Vikingo takes him down and ties up an arm and a leg. Vikingo stands up while still holding on, only for Mysterio to reverse into a rollup for two. Mysterio is sent outside and taken down with a dive but he cuts Vikingo off with a hot shot back inside.

Vikingo gets whipped into the steps and we settle down a bit back inside. Mysterio stomps away and hits the slingshot hilo for two. Back up and the champion hits a basement superkick but gets crotched on top. Hold on though as Mysterio needs to go and pose with the belt before grabbing the chinlock. Vikingo fights up and hits a missile dropkick, followed by the running knees in the corner.

Another missile dropkick is powerbombed out of the air for a big crash but the 619 is blocked. Vikingo’s spinning faceplant sets up a 450 for two so here is the Judgment Day to uneven things a bit. Mysterio puts on the mask and Balor offers him the foreign object, but here is Dragon Lee to help things out a bit.

Rey Mysterio comes out with a chair to help chase Judgment Day off, leaving Vikingo to hit the 630. Cue El Grande Americano to break up the cover and now the 619 connects. Dominik hits the frog splash but another referee runs in to count two. Vikingo goes for Americano’s mask, allowing Americano to slip Dominik the foreign object. The mask is loaded up for the running headbutt, followed by a frog splash to make Dominik champion at 18:23.

Rating: B. I had fun with this and the result is the right choice. The fans have pretty obviously rejected Vikingo so go with someone who can get some heat as champion without having the fans turn on him. Yeah it’s more of the WWE takeover, but it’s hard to argue with someone getting the kind of reception Vikingo has been receiving. Just go with what needs to be done, as Dominik is more than capable of hanging at this level.

Post match Rey comes back out and hands Dominik the title but Dominik insists that Rey put it around his waist. Rey begrudgingly does it and Dominik kicks him out as the Judgment Day comes in to celebrate. El Grand Americano gets in for a hug as well and Judgment Day doesn’t seem overly pleased to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was another good time, with the action working, nothing being bad, a hot crowd and just about everything working. Dominik Mysterio is going to get all kinds of mileage out of winning the title and there were enough things set up to have another show like this down the line. WWE has figured out the formula for these shows and this was another very fun offering.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 1, 2025
Location: La Defense Arena, Paris, France
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole

We’re still in Paris after yesterday’s Clash and that means it’s time to start the build towards Wrestlepalooza. While you can pretty much pencil in the John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar showdown, they’re going to need something else to fill in the gaps. With less than three weeks before the show, those gaps can be filled starting this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Clash In Paris if you need a recap.

We still have the awesome Eiffel Tower set.

Long Clash In Paris recap.

CM Punk is waiting for Seth Rollins to arrive after getting screwed out of the title. Adam Pearce is fine with it.

Here is Jey Uso to get things going. Uso isn’t happy and says he isn’t going to run it back tonight. He has some medical tape around his waist but he is running last night back. The Vision attacked both he and Roman Reigns and you never put your hands on his family. Uso wants the Vision out here right now but gets LA Knight instead. Knight says he should be the World Heavyweight Champion but instead he stands here a loser, just like Uso.

Some people claim that Uso lives in his cousin’s shadow. Knight doesn’t know anything about that, but Seth Rollins lives in his wife’s shadow. They could have taken Rollins out last night and the three challengers could have fought it out, but Uso screwed that up because he doesn’t understand. Knight is sick and tired of being left laying and not being World Heavyweight Champion. If Uso doesn’t get that, Knight can get him up to speed real quick.

Cue Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker to interrupt with Knight being ready to go. Breakker says that the only thing we should be concerned about is Paul Heyman’s health after Roman Reigns choked him out. The fans chant for Reigns but Breakker says it means that Heyman isn’t here to tell them what to do. Reed brags about the beating they gave Reigns because the vision didn’t include him. It doesn’t include Knight and Uso either, so they’re next. Knight says he and Uso can do this later so the tag match seems set for tonight.

We recap the issues between Iyo Sky and the Kabuki Warriors.

Sky tries to make peace with the Warriors and….it seems to work.

Judgment Day vs. Kabuki Warriors

Asuka and Perez start things off with Asuka knocking her to the floor. It’s already off to Rodriguez, who gets pulled into a quick choke. The Octopus hold is quickly escaped so it’s off to Sane for some double kicks. The choke over the ropes has Rodriguez in more trouble and it’s back to Perez, who gets taken down with a headscissors. That’s broken up though and Perez takes Sane outside for a whip into the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Perez splashing Sane in the corner. That’s broken up and it’s back to Asuka to strike away until Rodriguez hits a clothesline. Perez adds a spinning knee to the back of the head before Sane and Rodriguez fight to the floor. The Asuka Lock is countered into a rollup for two before Asuka hip attacks Rodriguez back outside. Perez can’t hit Pop Rox and they seem to get a bit lost, with Asuka’s spinwheel kick barely making contact. The Asuka Lock finishes Perez at 10:40.

Rating: B-. I’m wondering if something went wrong in the end there because the match was sharp for the first ten minutes and then absolutely fell apart at the end. It wouldn’t surprise me if Perez was hurt as she was stumbling a bit before the weird spinwheel kick. Either way, good match otherwise and if someone was hurt at the end, the last few moments are more than excusable.

Adam Pearce announces that it’s Stephanie Vaquer vs. Iyo Sky for the title in three weeks at Wrestlepalooza.

Finn Balor vs. Dragon Lee

JD McDonagh is here with Balor. The fans are rather into this as Balor takes him down by the arm to start. Balor drops him with an elbow to the face but Lee is back with a springboard wristdrag out of the corner. The slingshot dropkick gets two and Balor is sent to the floor for the running flip dive as we take a break. We come back with Lee fighting out of a headlock and kicking Balor in the face. The sitout powerbomb gives Lee two but Balor pulls him off the top. The Coup de Grace finishes Lee at 9:48.

Rating: B-. Pretty simple and to the point here with Balor getting a nice reception. I’m not sure what he is going to be doing anytime soon, save for maybe feuding with Dominik Mysterio, but at least he’s still that smooth in the ring. On the other hand you have Lee, who has sunk incredibly far at a remarkable rate. I’m not sure if it was the unrealistic expectations or the pressure on him, but it hasn’t worked to say the least.

Nikki Bella meets Iyo Sky but the Kabuki Warriors interrupt. Bella isn’t pleased and leaves, with the Warriors saying they helped Sky win at Summerslam so they’ll see her at Wrestlepalooza. Sky doesn’t seem happy.

Dominik Mysterio wants Judgment Day to help him against AJ Styles but Adam Pearce bans them from ringside.

New Day/Grayson Waller vs. War Raiders/Penta

Penta sends Waller and Kingston to the apron to start but it’s too early to Canadian Destroy Woods. The Raiders take the villains down on the floor and Penta adds a dive as we take a break. We come back with Erik in trouble and Woods getting to strut a bit. Erik fights his way out of trouble and brings Ivar in to fire off the seated splashes in the corner. Waller avoids one of said splashes though and everything breaks down. Waller tries his rolling Stunner and gets knocked silly. A belly to back suplex/splash combination crushes Woods and the Canadian Destroyer finishes at 8:48.

Rating: C+. New Day and the Raiders just feel like they’re nothing at this point, even with New Day’s rather funny heel antics. There is no heat for either team and they come and go (when the Raiders are actually around that is) without much changing. It’s nice to see Penta win, but this was a pretty cold match for some prominent names.

Rhea Ripley wants the Women’s Title back but the Kabuki Warriors interrupt. They don’t want her around Iyo Sky but Ripley doesn’t get what’s so bad about it. Asuka says stay away from Sky and repeats her name before pushing Ripley. That doesn’t work for Ripley but Asuka leaves, even as Kairi Sane isn’t sure what to do.

Roxanne Perez asks Adam Pearce why she’s not in the Wrestlepalooza title match. Pearce points out that she and Raquel Rodriguez just lost but he’ll think about it after Wrestlepalooza. Lyra Valkyria comes in and gets into an argument with Rodriguez and Perez. Judgment Day leaves and Pearce tells Valkyria that Bayley will be back soon. Valkyria: “That’s it? That’s all you’ve got?” She wants a match with Judgment Day so Pearce makes it for next week. Uncertain hand gestures ensue.

Intercontinental Title: AJ Styles vs. Dominik Mysterio

Styles is challenging and gets a crazy strong reception. Strong enough that it’s STILL GOING after a break, with Styles just soaking it in. Mysterio jumps him to start and the bell rings, with Styles fighting back to send Mysterio outside. The big dive connects and we take an early break.

We come back with Styles striking away, including the sliding forearm to set up the fireman’s carry backbreaker for two. A headscissors out of the corner sends Styles to the floor and Mysterio drops him with a baseball slide. Mysterio’s hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb onto the announcers’ table though and we take another break. We come back again with an exchange of forearms until Styles grabs a neckbreaker for two.

The Styles Clash is countered into the Mullet O Matic (oh that’s amazing) for two and Styles is sent into the post. The Michinoku Driver gives Mysterio two more and the Three Amigos into the frog splash gets the same. Back up and a quick Styles Clash connects but Mysterio gets a boot on the rope. The Phenomenal Forearm is loaded up but cue El Grande Americano with the loaded headbutt to the ribs. Mysterio drops the frog splash to retain at 16:05.

Rating: B. Odds are this moves us into Styles vs. Americano, which is an interesting change of pace. At the same time, Mysterio is going to need a fresh challenger and there are more than a few names available. For now though, Mysterio outsmarts the veteran again, which is a pretty nice accomplishment. Not as nice as that ovation Styles received, but still good.

We look back at Roman Reigns beating Bronson Reed last night but getting laid out by the Vision after the match.

LA Knight is ready to do whatever it takes to get the World Heavyweight Title. If that means going through Jey Uso, so be it. Cue Uso, who says they’ll make this work and loads up the catchphrase, but Knight says the four letters, one word is YEAH.

Rhea Ripley is with CM Punk in the back but Adam Pearce comes in to say Seth Rollins is in the building. Pearce doesn’t know how, but Punk is going to go handle him. Pearce: “And what does that mean?”

Video on Rusev, who is happy with his win with his win over Sheamus.

Here is CM Punk for a chat. He wants Seth Rollins out here right now and gets Rollins…….’ wife. Becky Lynch says she might not be the man Punk was looking for but she’s the man he’s dealing with her. Punk says he’s not doing this and wants Rollins out here but Lynch isn’t going to let him leave. Lynch has heard Punk berate Rollins, who is the greatest man she has ever known.

Punk calls Rollins a coward, but Lynch says that Rollins is everything Punk isn’t. Lynch: “He’s hot, he’s jacked.” Punk: “You’re delusional.” Lynch: “He doesn’t interrupt me.” Punk isn’t the voice of the voiceless but the poster child of apathy. These people didn’t get her to the main event of Wrestlemania because she did it herself. She goes on about how she and her husband are in the middle of a revolution.

Rollins is a visionary, a revolutionary (Punk covers his ears) and she’s the greatest ever so Punk needs to get out of the ring. The fans chant for AJ Lee and Lynch has to remind them that AJ doesn’t work here. Punk doesn’t think much of that but reminds her that 30,000 people think he’s the best in the world. They chant his name no matter where he is or what he does but he didn’t see Lynch and Rollins on all of the recent live events. Rollins hides behind everyone, including his wife, who may be the Man but she married a bum.

Cue Rollins on the stage so Punk goes around Lynch, with Rollins leaving. Lynch gets in a heck of a slap and then slaps him in the shoulders a bunch before calling Punk pathetic. Punk promises to make her regret that and leaves, with Lynch says she already does because of all the grease on her hands. Lynch mocks Punk as he leaves but Punk can’t bring himself to do anything about it and storms off. This was very good as Lynch can hang with Punk on the mic, but dang they better deliver AJ Lee after all this, as no one, even Rhea Ripley, would feel as important.

Post break Punk is leaving but gets cut off by Adam Pearce. Rollins has left but Punk asks where Smackdown is this week. That would be….Chicago, and Punk is very pleased. Pearce, not so much.

Jey Uso/LA Knight vs. Bronson Reed/Bron Breakker

It’s a brawl to start with Reed dropping Knight with a headbutt. Breakker works on Uso’s bad ribs and we take an early break. We come back with the ribs still in trouble but Uso gets over for the tag to Knight. House is cleaned until Breakker offers a distraction, with Knight being sent outside for a whip into the steps. The fans chant for Reigns as Knight is taken back inside for an overhead belly to belly.

Knight fights up but Breakker pulls him down into the chinlock. Back up and Reed charges into an elbow in the corner, allowing Knight to knock him down. Uso comes back in to clean house, including the running Umaga Attack to Breakker. The spear drops Breakker again but the Superfly Splash is broken up. Reed takes Knight down on the floor and Uso comes back in, where Breakker gives him the Super Spear for the pin at 14:01.

Rating: B-. There is something fun about watching monsters like Breakker and Reed run through people like Uso and Knight. Breakker and Uso have put together a nice rivalry and it fits to see Breakker pin him again. The vision is getting to be more dominant and I’m not sure who is next to come after them, though Roman Reigns will be back in a few months, likely for WarGames.

Post match the beatdown is on again, with Knight’s save being cut off by a Super Spear. Another one drops Uso and the Tsunami connects but Jimmy Uso runs in with a chair for the save. Usos vs. Breakker/Reed works for me.

Overall Rating: B. The crowd helped carry this one and the talking segments were just as good to back up some solid enough wrestling. There are different directions possible for the bigger stories, but Punk vs. Rollins (hopefully only one more time) and Usos vs. Reed/Breakker should be great. Throw in the possibility of AJ Lee coming back to a massive reaction to face Lynch and it’s all the more interesting. Good show here, with the crowd being their usual awesome selves.

Results
Kabuki Warriors b. Judgment Day – Asuka Lock to Perez
Finn Balor b. Dragon Lee – Coup de Grace
Penta/War Raiders b. New Day/Grayson Waller – Canadian Destroyer to Woods
Dominik Mysterio b. AJ Styles – Frog splash
Bron Breakker/Bronson Reed b. Jey Uso/LA Knight – Super Spear to Uso

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 11, 2025
Location: Videotron Centre, Quebec City, Quebec
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

The road to Paris continues, but not in the way it was advertised. This week’s Women’s Title match between Naomi and Iyo Sky has been called off as Naomi isn’t medically cleared. That’s never good to hear, but hopefully it isn’t as bad as it could be. Other than that, Seth Rollins and company have been crushing people and building up a nice shoe collection. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of the end of last week’s show, with Seth Rollins and company standing tall over LA Knight, Roman Reigns and CM Punk.

Commentary confirms that Naomi is out tonight. There is no word on when she might be back.

Here is CM Punk to get things going. Punk talks about how he has a Seth Rollins problem. Rollins is trying to be Punk but can’t make it work. He should be the World Champion like he was at Summerslam. Punk is going to be the champion again and he’s going to take it from Rollins. That’s not all though, as he’s going to break Rollins’ legs.

Cue LA Knight, who shakes hands with Punk, but says last week Punk got involved in the title match. Knight is great with Punk getting revenge on Rollins, but he needs to get it after the bell rings. Punk can have his rematch, though it’s going to come after Knight gets hit. Punk thinks the words Knight are looking for are “thank you”, because Punk saved Knight after Rollins stomped his head on the concrete like a coconut.

As I try to figure out who smashes coconuts on concrete, Punk points out that Knight isn’t a former World Champion. Knight says that as Punk has said before, there are levels to this and Punk isn’t on his. He wants to keep the two of them problem free so he’s going to do Punk two favors: he’s going to forget about last week, and then he’s going to win the World Title and make Punk his first successful title defense.

Punk is willing to keep things safe because he’s the best in the world, but here is Paul Heyman to interrupt (Punk: “I wasn’t done!”). Heyman, with Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker, speaks a few words of French before mocking the city. He warns Knight not to get in the favor sharing business with Punk, because it could cost you all kinds of things, from half of your life to your tribal chief but Punk cuts him off for a change. Punk offers to fight either of them tonight and the challenge is made/accepted for a tag match. This was a bit lengthy but I like Knight reaching this level.

We look back at the three Grande Americanos helping Dominik Mysterio win last week.

El Grande Americano comes to the Judgment Day clubhouse with Dominik Mysterio. Finn Balor takes Mysterio aside and suggests that they could use Americano to help Mysterio win the AAA Mega Title this weekend at TripleMania (as they’re two of the three challengers). Mysterio likes the idea and tells Americano that they need to get to the ring. Americano playing darts in the background while they talk is funny stuff.

El Grande Americano/Dominik Mysterio vs. Dragon Lee/AJ Styles

Lee dives onto Americano before the bell and Styles adds a knee from the apron to start with Mysterio. Lee and Americano come in with Lee getting a boot up to cut off a charge in the corner. A high crossbody gives Lee two and it’s off to Mysterio, who gets powerbombed as we go to a break.

We come back with Lee stomping Americano and hitting a running elbow. Mysterio offers a distraction though and Americano hits a running kick to the face. Lee gets sent outside and into the steps, allowing Americano to tie Lee’s mask to the corner. That…means pretty much nothing as Lee is let out seconds later, with Mysterio putting a mask on before grabbing a chinlock. Mysterio’s running dropkick in the corner has Lee in more trouble and we take another break.

We come back with Lee hitting the top rope double stomp on Americano but Mysterio pulls Styles off the apron in a rather smart move. Back in and Lee gets in another knockdown, which is enough for the tag to Styles. The pace picks up, including a monkey flip to send Mysterio into a Styles Clash. Americano shoves Lee off the top though and loads up the metal in his mask. Styles kicks it away before it can be put in the mask though, with Mysterio stealing it for his own mask. Mysterio’s headbutt to Styles lets American get the rollup pin at 16:40.

Rating: B-. I was a bit surprised that they didn’t have the other Americanos show up here but maybe they’re saving that for after the TripleMania title match. They’re playing up the idea that Mysterio outsmarted Styles here, which is something that has me curious. Not only is Mysterio getting successful but he’s also getting intelligent, which is a dangerous combination.

Sami Zayn met with Adam Pearce earlier, with Pearce saying there might be some World Title discussions if Zayn can beat Rusev tonight. Sheamus came in and is told he and Rusev can’t break down again tonight. That doesn’t work for Sheamus, but Zayn asks him to do it as a friend. Sheamus agrees, but Rusev is his the second the match is over.

Iyo Sky is disappointed in not getting her match with Naomi tonight. Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez come in to say it means Sky can’t lose again. Sky says she can fight Perez instead, with Pearce making the match.

Sami Zayn vs. Rusev

We get a pose off to start and believe it or not, the fans are behind the home province star. Rusev knocks him into the corner but gets pummeled for his efforts. Zayn sends him to the floor for the Arabian press moonsault, only to get caught in a release Rock Bottom back inside.

We take a break and come back with Rusev getting knocked off the top, allowing Zayn to hit the tornado DDT. Rusev’s jumping superkick gets two and he blocks the exploder into the corner. Things get a bit personal as Rusev does Sheamus’ ten forearms to the chest, which somehow powers Zayn up so the exploder can connect. The Helluva Kick is loaded up but the MFT’s pull Zayn outside for the DQ at 9:45.

Rating: C+. The fans were way behind Zayn here and the ending surprised me a bit, with the MFT’s coming out of nowhere. That ties in nicely with the match from Smackdown and gives both Rusev and Zayn a logical way out. I’m curious to see where this goes, but it also (probably) keeps Zayn away from the World Title scene for the time being.

Post match Zayn gets beaten down until referees break it up. Cue Sheamus to jump Rusev and they brawl into the crowd.

Post break the MFT’s are ejected with Adam Pearce calling Nick Aldis to yell. New Day and Grayson Waller come in to complain about Penta wrecking Xavier Woods’ hat. Penta should be banned from wearing hats! Pearce doesn’t have time for this so he’s making Penta vs. Woods for next week. As usual, Pearce losing his mind and snapping is his best stuff.

Bronson Reed talks about earning Seth Rollins’ respect, which earned his way into the Vision. He’s taken out Roman Reigns and promises to do it again and add to his collection until Reigns acknowledges the Tribal THIEF. That’s great.

The Kabuki Warriors offer to keep things even with Iyo Sky vs. Roxanne Perez but Sky politely declines, saying she has this.

Iyo Sky vs. Roxanne Perez

Raquel Rodriguez is here with Perez. They fight over wrist control to start with Sky spinning out to take her down, only to get caught in a waistlock. Sky gets up and grabs a headlock takeover but has to flip out of a headscissors. The fans are rather pleased as Sky flips away from Perez and hits a dropkick to the floor. The suicide dive takes out both villains but Perez sends Sky into the steps as we take a break.

We come back with Sky in trouble but hitting a dropkick. A missile dropkick connects as well but Perez knocks her back down. The flipping knees to the back connect but Pop Rox is blocked. Sky kicks her in the head but Rodriguez’s distraction lets Perez rake the eyes. A Shining Wizard gives Perez two and she can’t believe the kickout.

Back up and Sky sends Perez outside for a suicide dive onto both of them. Over The Moonsault hits raised knees though and Rodriguez gets on the apron. Cue the Kabuki Warriors to hold Perez but Sky has to stop before running into them. That’s enough for Perez to get a rollup with trunks for the pin 14:40.

Rating: B. This was getting rolling and then things happened in the end, which actually made it a bit more interesting. Issues with Sky and the Warriors could go places, with Asuka vs. Sky being a possibly awesome feud. I wasn’t betting on Perez winning here as she was a replacement for Sky’s much bigger opponent, so that was a nice surprise.

Jey Uso is back and wants his rematch but LA Knight interrupts, saying the line starts behind him. Uso isn’t quite buying that.

Iyo Sky yells at the Kabuki Warriors, with Asuka shoving her away and leaving, with Kairi Sane not being sure how to respond.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Maxxine Dupri vs. Becky Lynch

Dupri, with the Alpha Academy, is challenging. Lynch doesn’t seem worried and escapes a headlock to run Dupri over. Some stomping in the corner has Dupri down again as Natalya shouts that Lynch is a bully. The Bexploder looks to set up the Manhandle Slam but Dupri gets a Stunner to escape in a nice counter. The ankle lock is broken up so Dupri goes with a clothesline. That only gets her so far though and Lynch rolls her up for two while holding the ropes. That’s reversed into the Disarm-Her to retain the title at 5:34.

Rating: C-. This lost the little charm it had rather quickly as there was no reason to buy Dupri as even an annoyance to Lynch. Dupri isn’t interesting and she’s little more than a joke anyway. Lynch is getting ready to face Nikki Bella and this felt like a way to burn off a week before the match.

Post match Natalya comes to check on Dupri and gets kicked down by Lynch. Good grief do we have to go there now? Or ever really?

Seth Rollins gives Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed a pep talk before the main event, telling them to stack some bodies because he’s out of this dump.

Bayley isn’t sure why she has reached this point in her career because everything she has done has gotten her nowhere. She seems to be having a mental breakdown. While I don’t think it’s happening, having her as a way to bring Karrion Kross back as a new unit could be interesting. Assuming Kross is coming back at all.

Lyra Valkyria isn’t taking the blame for what happened to Bayley because Bayley cost her.

Stephanie Vaquer offers her apologies to Iyo Sky. With Vaquer gone, Rhea Ripley comes in but Sky tells her to stay out of it.

Bronson Reed/Bron Breakker vs. LA Knight/CM Punk

The villains jump them before the bell and it’s Knight getting caught in the corner as Paul Heyman is at ringside with the shoes. Knight fights back and even gets his vest off, allowing Punk to come in and start on Breakker’s ribs. Reed comes in and it takes a few clotheslines to put him on the floor in a nice bit.

We take a break and come back with Breakker firing off shoulders to Punk’s ribs in the corner, followed by a neck crank. That’s broken up and Punk is able to bring Knight in for the house cleaning, including a jumping neckbreaker to Reed. The BFT is blocked but Knight is right back with a reverse DDT. Back up and Knight is sent outside for Breakker’s clothesline over the announcers’ table.

We take another break and come back with Knight getting knocked into the wrong corner again. Knight fights away but Punk goes outside to yell at Breakker meaning there’s no one to tag. Instead Reed drops a backsplash for two and then knocks Punk off the apron again. The Steiner Bulldog gets two with Punk having to make a save, allowing Knight to fight up again. This time the tag brings in Punk, who barks a bit before suplexing Breakker. Everything breaks down and Knight takes Reed out on the floor, leaving Punk to hit the top rope elbow on Breakker. The GTS is loaded up but Seth Rollins comes in for the DQ at 16:22.

Rating: B-. This went longer than it needed to, especially for something as simple as “and then Rollins runs in for the DQ”. The Vision likely getting to stand tall again to end the show is basically a lesser version of last week’s ending, which is only going to get them so far. The action was your basic stuff, but the fans were going nuts for Punk, as usual.

Post match the beatdown is on but Jey Uso makes the save with a chair. Cue Adam Pearce to say he sees what Rollins did as an opportunity. That opportunity will be defending the title against Uso, Knight and Punk in a four way at Clash In Paris. The challengers get in a fight, allowing the Vision to come in and beat them down, with Rollins paying close attention to Punk to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I wasn’t feeling this show as much as it felt rather long. It felt like there were things that were being dragged out to make the show longer, which isn’t a good vibe at any time. What we got wasn’t bad, but it seemed like the show could have been done about twenty minutes earlier. The Clash In Paris title match is intriguing though, so points for trying something different. Not their best week, but far from a terrible show.

Results
El Grande Americano/Dominik Mysterio b. Dragon Lee/AJ Styles – Loaded headbutt to Styles
Sami Zayn b. Rusev via DQ when the MFT’s interfered
Roxanne Perez b. Iyo Sky – Rollup with trunks
Becky Lynch b. Maxxine Dupri – Disarm-Her
CM Punk/LA Knight b. Bronson Reed/Bron Breakker via DQ when Seth Rollins interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 4, 2025
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re done with Summerslam and it was certainly not a quiet weekend. On the Raw side, Seth Rollins came back in a stunning and shocking (WWE told me so) moment to win the World Title from CM Punk. In other news, CM Punk won the World Title. We’re on the way to Clash In Paris at the end of the month so let’s get to it.

Here are is Summerslam if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of both nights of Summerslam.

Here are Seth Rollins and company, including Bron Breakker (who got hurt at Summerslam but seems ok here) to get things going. Paul Heyman declares himself not just the GOAT but also the Oracle. He talks about the people next to him and says that normally he would be here introducing the Tribal Chief, but Reigns hasn’t been champion in a year and a half.

Or maybe he could be introducing CM Punk, who won the title on Saturday and thought he would have it forever. But then Rollins took the title away from him and stole the honeymoon, which was very good to Rollins. After some loud booing, Rollins talks about how the fans all turned their backs on him. You should never bet against him because he is the World Heavyweight Champion.

Shame on everyone who turned their back on him, because he had a plan b. He only told two people about this plan: his beautiful wife and his oracle. They are the past, present and future of wrestling and they are the vision. Cue LA Knight to interrupt, who greets the champ, the oracle and the morons. Knight accuses Rollins of faking his injury to get out of their match but Knight beat him anyway. Well that makes things interesting because he’s ready to beat Rollins again, right here and right now.

Rollins sounds interested but eventually says no, which brings out Adam Pearce. It wouldn’t be normal to run a title match with no promotion, but it’s also not normal to have someone lie to his medical team like Rollins did. That’s why tonight the title is on the line, and Reed/Breakker are banned from ringside. That’s a big one and does tie up something of a loose string.

Judgment Day runs into the LWO in the back and Dominik Mysterio doesn’t think much of them. Dragon Lee requests and receives a match tonight but AJ Styles comes in to say he’s still coming for the title.

Rusev vs. Sheamus

Rusev jumps him at the bell and starts the beating in a hurry. The forearms to the back keep Sheamus in trouble but he gets his boots up in the corner. Rusev kicks him down again but gets caught on top, where Sheamus grabs a super White Noise. We take another break and come back with Sheamus hitting the Irish Curse. The ten forearms are broken up so Sheamus settles for sending him over the announcers’ table. Rusev is able to send him into the steps and they fight into the crowd, with Sheamus hitting the forearms to the chest. Those keep on going until it’s a double countout at 9:10.

Rating: B-. Hard hitting brawl here but that ending feels like the calling card of a Last Man Standing match or something similar, likely over in Paris later this month. That’s a good way to go, as there is always room for two big guys hitting each other really hard. The ending keeps both of them looking strong and gives them a reason to run it back, as they were more interested in fighting than winning, which fits for them.

Post match the beatdown stays on despite referees and agents trying to break it up.

New Day is still in mourning, including Xavier Woods with his three and a half foot wide hat, when Grayson Waller comes in to ask where they were last week. The team shrugs it off but blame Adam Pearce for the issues. Waller goes to yell at Pearce, who is talking to Penta. Pearce says New Day can have a title shot when they earn it, while Waller can face Penta tonight.

Penta vs. Grayson Waller

Waller struts away to start and grabs a headlock but Penta reverses for a strut of his own. Penta sends him outside and cue New Day, with the distraction letting Waller get in a clothesline on the floor. We take a break and come back with Penta hitting a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker into a slingshot dropkick in the corner. Waller knocks him back down but misses the middle rope elbow as New Day, now on commentary, brags about their success without Big E. The rolling Stunner is cut off with a superkick though and the rolling Canadian Destroyer out of the corner finishes for Penta at 8:20.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of win that stars like Penta need on occasion: a simple victory over someone where there isn’t much doubt about the better man, but Penta gets the win anyway. He got to do a lot of his stuff and the fans reacted without taking up a ton of time. Waller isn’t going to be hurt by the loss and Penta looks good.

Post match New Day goes after Penta, who clears the ring and steals Woods’ hat. Said hat is thrown at New Day and Penta takes them down with the big flip dive. Kingston’s look of “What was THAT” is great.

Charlotte and Alexa Bliss are in the back when Sheamus and Rusev run up, still in their big brawl.

We look at Brock Lesnar’s return to lay out John Cena last night.

Michael Cole says he talked to HHH and Nick Khan about Lesnar’s return. Apparently they agreed weeks ago that it was time to bring him back “home” and he was happy with that.

Here are Charlotte and Alexa Bliss for a chat. Charlotte says that might be her first YOU DESERVE IT chant, but she has to get used to the idea that THEY are champions instead of SHE. Maybe if Bliss could stop hitting her in the face, they could be….something. Bliss: “I think you were about to say the F word.” Charlotte: “You are such a pain in my A word.”

Either way, Charlotte is happy with winning another title and brags about her success but here is Judgment Day to interrupt. They get right to the point and the title match is made. Cue Adam Pearce to say not so fast because that’s not normal…but nothing tonight is so let’s do it.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Charlotte/Alexa Bliss vs. Judgment Day

Charlotte and Bliss are defending and we’re joined in progress with Perez sending Bliss into the corner. Bliss reverses into a whip of her own and it’s off to Charlotte to pick up the pace. Rodriguez comes in as well to cut her off though and Perez sends Charlotte outside. Back in and Judgment Day seems to get a bit confused, allowing Charlotte to take out their knees. Bliss comes in and gets to clean some house, only to be sent outside and kicked into the timekeeper’s area.

We take a break and come back with Charlotte getting the tag to clean more house, including a (slingshotless) Buckshot Lariat to Rodriguez. The double moonsault gets two on Perez, who is back up with a failed Pop Rox attempt. Charlotte sends her into the buckle for a breather but Perez manages a hurricanrana. Bliss comes in for the save and is promptly sent outside for interfering. Charlotte kicks her way to freedom though and brings Bliss in, with the Sister Abigail DDT finishing Perez at 12:45.

Rating: C+. I’m only so interested in these titles in the first place, but Charlotte and Bliss teaming together is doing wonders for Charlotte. She’s acting like a completely different person these days and that is letting her talent shine through. Maybe it’s the personality, but getting her away from the singles title scene has helped a lot. She and Bliss work well together too and it’s a lot better than I was expecting.

The Kabuki Warriors and Iyo Sky are in the back when Rhea Ripley comes up. The Warriors leave, with Ripley saying she heard Sky got a one on one match with Naomi. Sky says she didn’t get pinned at Summerslam, with Ripley telling her to go win the title so Ripley can take it from her. Sky: “Rhea, you are never going to beat me.”

We look at Bayley costing Lyra Valkyria the Women’s Intercontinental Title match against Becky Lynch at Summerslam.

Bayley finds Valkyria, who wants nothing to do with Bayley anymore. She needs to get out of this “Bayley vortex”. They aren’t friends or enemies, but stay away.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Dragon Lee

Non-title and Lee starts very fast with a suicide dive to take Mysterio out on the floor. Mysterio is right back up with a slingshot hilo and some choking on the ropes. It’s way too early for the 619 so Mysterio settles for a DDT onto the apron. We take a break and come back with Lee hitting some superkicks, including the slingshot version in the corner. Mysterio tries to bounce out of the corner but gets caught in a sitout powerbomb to give Lee two.

Back up and Lee catches him in the corner, setting up the top rope double stomp. Cue El Grande Americano (facing Mysterio, Lee and El Hijo del Vikingo this weekend for the AAA World Title)….and the other Grande Americano…..and a THIRD Grande Americano as well, with the distraction allowing Mysterio to get in a boot (off foo) to the head. That and the feet on the ropes finishes Lee at 8:14.

Rating: C. Well, I’m curious about where the Americano stuff is going. If nothing else is has me wondering who is under the masks and how many we might see, so points for trying something new. At the same time, we could be looking at Mysterio becoming a double champion sooner rather than later, and that has some potential for his future.

Post match AJ Styles runs in to swing the boot at Mysterio and then throw it up the aisle as Mysterio leaves.

Sami Zayn is happy to have defeated Karrion Kross but happier to have thrown the steel pipe away instead of winning on his own. Yes he wanted to do it, but he also wants to be a World Champion on his own. Cue Sheamus and Rusev to brawl some more, with Zayn getting hit in the face by Rusev.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. Lynch: “Ding dong, Lyra is gone!” She’s not getting any more title shots as long as Lynch is champion, which will be for a very, very long time. It’s time to open the door to new competitors…but we won’t be doing it tonight. Cue Nikki Bella to interrupt, saying she thought she left the women’s division in great hands, but Lynch has been such a disappointment. Bella is back to prove herself but why did Lynch come back? Is it because Hollywood isn’t what she thought it would be?

Lynch brings up her role in Happy Gilmore 2, while Bella’s role was cut. Bella laughs it off and says that Lynch is like Seth Rollins, but no one believes Lynch’s BS. Lynch does not like Rollins being brought up because they are the hottest couple in WWE. That used to be Bella and….someone, but now we can’t see them. That’s a BIG gasp from the audience but Bella gets to the point with the title challenge. Lynch hits her in the face and bails instead. That John Cena reference was one heck of a burn, even if it’s the easiest line in the world to use against Bella.

Naomi says she is indeed facing Iyo Sky next week but Stephanie Vaquer interrupts. Naomi threatens to snap Vaquer’s horns off and stick them in a certain place to leave her with a limp. Then she imitates the limp to make it work.

Gunther is out of action indefinitely after being injured at Summerslam.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Natalya, with the Alpha Academy, yells at Becky Lynch for being mean to Nikki Bella. Lynch agrees to a match next week…against Maxxine Dupri.

Raw World Title: LA Knight vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins, with Paul Heyman, is defending. After the Big Match Intros, Rollins stomps away in the ropes but gets dropped with a clothesline. Knight’s suplex gets two and he knocks Rollins outside for a brisk walk chase. Heyman doesn’t work as Rollins’ shield but Rollins manages a quick stomp (not quite the Stomp) from the barricade and we take a break. We come back with Knight jumping to the top for the superplex, followed by the neckbreaker out of the corner for two more.

Knight’s powerslam connects but Rollins blocks the jumping elbow. There’s the buckle bomb but it’s too early for the stomp. Instead Knight grabs a reverse Death Valley Driver for two and they’re both down. The Pedigree is countered and Knight grabs a DDT, allowing him to pop back up. Knight’s jumping top rope elbow gets two but the BFT is countered. They go out to the floor and crash over the announcers’ table, with Rollins getting the better of things. Rollins peels back the floor mats….and CM Punk comes in for the DQ at 13:05.

Rating: B-. This was another match where there wasn’t exactly much drama about a title change but it’s a rather good sign for Knight’s future if he can be in there at this level. It wouldn’t stun me to see him getting the shot in Paris or at a Saturday Night’s Main Event, which is quite the rise for his career. The Punk interference wasn’t exactly shocking, as it was about the only way this was going to end.

Post match Punk goes after Rollins and Knight is not pleased. Cue Bron Breakker to spear Punk and Bronson Reed is in to crush Knight. The Stomp hits both of them and the villains pose….but Roman Reigns is here. House is quickly cleaned but Reigns goes after Reed, allowing Rollins to hit the Stomp. Reed hits a bunch of Tsunamis on Reigns and Adam Pearce comes out, with Rollins yelling at him. Reed steals Reigns’ shoes AGAIN (please let there be a payoff for that down the line, like Reigns putting a mousetrap in one of the shoes or something) and the villains stand tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was about setting up Clash In Paris and that went well enough, but I wasn’t able to get into the show. The wrestling was fine enough, but it felt like it was more about getting ready for later rather than doing a bunch of stuff that mattered here. The angle at the end was a big one, even if it was the third straight night where a villain stood tall to end the show. That being said, I’m having a great time with Reed stealing the shows so we’ll call that a silver lining. Not a bad show, but it’s a stepping stone to the stuff that matters.

Results
Rusev vs. Sheamus went to a double countout
Penta b. Grayson Waller – Spinning Canadian Destroyer
Alexa Bliss/Charlotte b. Judgment Day – Sister Abigail DDT to Perez
Dominik Mysterio b. Dragon Lee – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Seth Rollins b. LA Knight via DQ when CM Punk interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 28, 2025
Location: Little Caesars Center, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the last show before Summerslam and that means we’re likely in for a mixture of talking and tag matches. At the same time, there is always the chance that we are going to get a lot more tributes to Hulk Hogan, as there was only so much time to get things ready on such short notice last week. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The roster is on the stage for the ten bell salute to Hogan.

We get another tribute, different from the one that aired on Smackdown. To be fair, you could go on for a long time with famous moments from his career.

Here is Jey Uso for a chat but Paul Heyman interrupts. Heyman doesn’t think much of Uso, but is smart enough to get out of the ring from that look in Uso’s eye. He also backs up, saying “I know that you can dive really fast.” Heyman can’t believe that Uso has accepted Roman Reigns’ offer to team with him against Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. And he’s doing this in the name of family.

Where Heyman comes from, family is always going to let you down. That’s not a prediction but rather a prophecy. Heyman asks if Uso’s mother said Santa Claus left the presents under the tree. That means your mother lied to you, just like everyone’s mother here. Did Uso’s father (Rikishi) tell Uso that he wanted him to be more iconic than him? Rikishi lied! Reigns didn’t pick Uso to be next in line as Tribal Chief. How did that work out for the family? Heyman is saying this out of love for Uso, just like family. YEET!

Uso says his family is why he’s here and Heyman needs to keep them out of his mouth. The reality is the family has done things together and Heyman’s family is nowhere to be seen. Heyman and company have cost them all kinds of things and at Summerslam, Heyman is paying. This was an interesting idea, but it’s feeling like they have no idea where this is supposed to go and they’re just saying things to fill in time before the match.

AJ Styles/Kabuki Warriors vs. Judgment Day

Asuka kicks Rodriguez down to start and hands it off to Sane for some kicks of her own. A high crossbody is pulled out of the air and it’s off to Perez for a headscissors. Sane grabs….I think a running Blockbuster (didn’t quite work but it could have been far worse) but Mysterio pulls Perez out of the way of a charge in the corner.

We take a break and come back with Perez hitting a moonsault for two but Sane gets in a shot in the corner. Rodriguez pulls Asuka to the floor though and the distraction means the referee doesn’t see the tag to Styles. Back up and the tag brings Styles in a few seconds later, meaning house can be cleaned. Perez gets in the way of the Phenomenal Forearm though, leaving Styles to launch Sand onto Rodriguez. The Phenomenal Forearm finished Mysterio at 11:46.

Rating: B-. Perfectly fine way to go here as Styles gets the win before he likely loses the title match at Summerslam. It’s still a good setup for the showdown though and that’s all it needed to be. At the same time, you have the Kabuki Warriors coming after the Women’s Tag Team Titles and that makes as much sense as anything else.

Sheamus is happy with his win over Rusev last week. Grayson Waller and New Day interrupt, with Waller making the mistake of challenging Sheamus, meaning the match is set for later tonight. New Day suddenly disappears.

Sheamus vs. Grayson Waller

Sheamus powers him into the corner to start and hits the big powerslam. The Dublin Smile has Waller in more trouble and the Regal Roll on the floor makes it worse. The ten forearms to the chest rock Waller but Rusev pops up on the apron for a distraction. Waller rolls him up for two, only for the Brogue Kick to finish at 4:10.

Rating: C. The only way Waller was going to win here was if Rusev cost Sheamus the match so they had a fine enough tease. At the same time, we are probably coming up on a big rubber match between Sheamus and Rusev, so there was no reason for Sheamus to lose here. Granted there is pretty much no reason for him to lose to Waller most of the time.

Post match Rusev beats Sheamus down with the shillelagh. The Accolade leaves Sheamus laying.

Naomi isn’t worried about defending the title in a triple threat match because she can fly high too.

Various wrestlers talk about Hulk Hogan’s star power.

Paul Heyman talks to Bronson Reed, saying with Seth Rollins on the shelf, they are a group without a leader. Bron Breakker comes in to say Reed is going to crush Jey Uso and the team will reestablish dominance over WWE. Reed leaves and Breakker says he has a plan. Heyman is confused.

Here is Lyra Valkyria for a chat. She has her Becky Lynch stopping shoes on (they’re rather elevated) and recaps her issues with Lynch. Cue Lynch’s music and she pops up behind Valkyria, who takes her out with a dropkick through the ropes. Valkyria beats her down with the kendo stick and Lynch runs off. Well that was quick.

Earlier today, Sami Zayn was doing a sitdown interview about Karrion Kross, when Kross and Scarlet interrupted. Kross said he could attack Zayn again, but he didn’t because he is all about making people show their true colors. Zayn won’t do it though, and it’s starting to tick Kross off. That’s why after Kross beats him at Summerslam, Zayn is going to admit that Kross told the truth and then he can go on to become World Champion. Zayn agrees, but when he beats Kross, he wants this to end. See you at Summerslam. Kross smiles as Zayn leaves.

Bayley is upset that she’s missing Summerslam, just like she missed Wrestlemania. She isn’t sure where she’s going from here.

Naomi/Chelsea Green/Secret Hervice vs. Iyo Sky/Rhea Ripley/Nikki Bella/Stephanie Vaquer

Naomi and Ripley start things off, with Naomi getting knocked out to the floor. It’s off to Bella, who clotheslines Green down to take over. They head outside before Fyre gets in a superkick to drop Bella. Niven adds a bottom rope elbow for two and we take a break. We come back with Bella getting in a kick to the face, allowing the tag to Sky. A backflip splits up a double clothesline attempt so Green kicks Sky in the face for two instead.

Naomi’s hanging Pedigree plants Sane and Fyre hits her Swanton as everything breaks down. Niven Boss Man Slams Ripley but Sane and Fyre knock each other down. Vaquer comes in to clean house and Bella adds the Bella Buster, which has Naomi walking out. Sky sends her back in for a springboard dropkick and Ripley gives Niven Riptide. The SVB finishes Green at 14:35.

Rating: B. I had a heck of a time with this one, as they were all out there going nuts for a good while. At the same time, it’s about as perfect of a use of Bella as you can have. She gets to do her big entrance, get the pop, do her stuff, and then pose at the end. That’s a fine way to go and the fans still love her, so let her do her stuff in small spurts.

Finn Balor gives Judgment Day a pep talk, telling them that they can get past the loss earlier. Perez gives Dominik a new gaming system to play WWE2K25 and Raquel Rodriguez isn’t impressed.

The winning team from the 8 woman tag celebrates but Sky stops Ripley for a chat. Sky says Ripley has never beaten her and never will. Ripley says they’ll see about that.

Tag Team Titles: LWO vs. Judgment Day

The LWO is challenging. Wilde takes Balor down to start and hands it off to del Toro for a slingshot sunset flip. That’s rolled through into a basement dropkick and McDonagh comes in to send del Toro into the corner. The champs take over, with a springboard moonsault giving McDonagh two. Del Toro gets up and brings Wilde back in for the big dive to the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Wilde still in trouble but he catapults McDonagh into Balor on the apron. The tag brings del Toro in to clean house, including a triangle dropkick to knock Balor off the apron. Everything breaks down and a phoenix splash gets two on Balor. Cue El Grande Americano so here is Dragon Lee to pull him off the apron. Del Toro kicks McDonagh (with a belt) off the apron and Wilde hits a heck of a flip dive to drop him again. Cue another El Grande American to pull del Toro off the top so Balor can hit the Coup de Grace and retain at 11:16.

Rating: B. This got some time and I’m interested in where the ending goes, as having a second El Grande Americano makes for a curious twist. If nothing else, it could open a door for someone who doesn’t have anything else going on (Butch or Tyler Bate could be interesting) and there is always room for a good masked man mystery. Other than that, the action worked well with the LWO being their usual good selves, though there was no reason to believe the titles were changing hands.

Here is Gunther for a chat. He calls last week’s exchange with CM Punk a clean victory for him because he went face to face with the best talker in the business. The fans remind Gunther that he tapped out until Gunther says he left Punk speechless…and here is Punk to interrupt. Punk says he was more dumbfounded than anything else. He doesn’t want to be World Heavyweight Champion but rather he needs it like he needs air. Or like the Red Wings need a 12th Stanley Cup.

Wrestling is his addiction and he wants to hold the title above his head as a thank you to the fans. Punk is the best in the world and he’s ready to prove that at Summerslam. This isn’t apples to apples and he puts his hand over the mic when Gunther tries to cut him off. There are levels to this, and Gunther will find that out at Summerslam. I wasn’t quite feeling this one, but the match should be good.

Summerslam rundown.

Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed

Uso walks through the entrance rather than going through the crowd, which makes sense as doing two of those a night sounds exhausting. Reed is back up with a knockdown of his own and it’s time to choke on the ropes. The World’s Strongest Slam plants Uso again and we take a break. We come back with Uso slugging away to knock Reed outside. The dive drops him again but here is Bronson Reed to spear Uso for the DQ at 7:01.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to do much, though I do always appreciate the big plan being “and then I hit the guy”. I’m also glad that we didn’t see anyone lose a fall here, as you don’t want to do that so close to a major Summerslam match. Not much of a main event, but it feels like they have something else in mind.

Post match the beatdown is on but here is Roman Reigns for the save so the good guys can clear the ring. Stereo spears are loaded up but Reed and Breakker actually knock them down (points for the surprise there). The big beatdown is on, with Uso getting Tsunamied and reigns getting clotheslined from the apron over the announcers’ table (Breakker jumps from the floor to the table to pose to show off). Back in and another Tsunami crushes Reigns as Breakker shouts that everyone here works for him. Breakker spears Reigns and Uso through the barricade and Reed STEALS REIGNS SHOES to end the show. This was better than the opening segment and got me a lot more into the match.

Overall Rating: B. Good action, a nice build towards the pay per view, and decent enough talking to get us to Summerslam. I liked the ending a good big and the eight woman tag was a lot of fun. They covered a lot of stuff here and it made me more interested in seeing Summerslam than I was coming in so I’ll call this a rather successful show.

Results
AJ Styles/Kabuki Warriors b. Judgment Day – Phenomenal Forearm to Mysterio
Sheamus b. Grayson Waller – Brogue Kick
Nikki Bella/Rhea Ripley/Stephanie Vaquer/Iyo Sky b. Secret Hervice/Chelsea Green/Naomi – SVB to Green
Judgment Day b. LWO – Coup de Grace to del Toro
Jey Uso b. Bronson Reed via DQ when Bron Breakker interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 14, 2025
Location: BJCC, Birmingham, Alabama
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

We’re finally out of Atlanta after a weekend of shows in the city. The big story is Seth Rollins, whose knee seemed to be really badly banged up during Saturday Night’s Main Event. There is a good chance we’ll find out something about his status tonight. In addition, there is a fight person gauntlet match to crown Gunther’s next challenger. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with long recaps of Saturday Night’s Main Event and Evolution.

Here is Naomi to get things going after cashing in her briefcase to steal the Women’s Title at Evolution. She told everyone to not guess her next move because no one knew what she would do. Now she is the new champion and she has left Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill in the dust. It was a plan months in the making and look where she is now. Anyone who is wanting to come for the title can proceed with caution and here is Rhea Ripley to interrupt.

She’s not happy with what Naomi did and Ripley doesn’t proceed with caution. Naomi interfered in her match so she is now on Ripley’s list. Cue Iyo Sky to interrupt, saying Ripley can wait her turn. Naomi says shed cash in to become champion and that’s what she did. Cue Adam Pearce to say he doesn’t want any violence. He congratulates Naomi on here win and makes the triple threat for the title at Summerslam. Makes sense.

We run down the card.

Judgment Day is polishing their belts but Dominik Mysterio is worried about AJ Styles stalking him. Finn Balor isn’t worried but thinks Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez could use some help against the Kabuki Warriors. Balor thinks Mysterio should accompany them so it seems to be all ok.

Judgment Day vs. Kabuki Warriors

Non-title and Dominik Mysterio is here with Judgment Day. Asuka chokes Rodriguez to start but gets taken into the corner for the tag off to Perez. That’s fine with Asuka, who fires off some kicks to put Perez in trouble. Sane comes in to strike away as well and everything breaks down. The Warriors get stereo submissions but Rodriguez makes the save.

Asuka kicks away at Rodriguez and knocks her out to the floor. Mysterio’s distraction doesn’t do much as Asuka posts Rodriguez anyway. Back in and Perez gets German suplexed, with the Warriors hitting the assisted Insane Elbow. Mysterio offers a distraction though and Perez steals the pin on Asuka at 10:18.

Rating: C+. This was a bit of a surprise but at least the champs got a nice win to make them feel more established. They have a long way to go and it’s not going to feel right as long as Liv Morgan is out but this is as good as we have for the moment. It helps that Perez and Rodriguez work well together though and the win is a good sign.

Paul Heyman and company aren’t going to talk about Seth Rollins’ health, as he has until June to cash in Money In The Bank. As for tonight, Bron Breakker is running the gauntlet to go to Summerslam and become World Heavyweight Champion.

Miz was at a celebrity golf tournament over the weekend where his partner kicked him in the face.

Lyra Valkyria wants to beat Bayley tonight, but Bayley comes in and says she needs to win. Maybe what’s best for Valkyria is to just stay out of her way.

Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria

2/3 falls for the shot at Becky Lynch at Summerslam. Valkyria armdrags her down to start and Bayley misses a charge to the floor. Back in and Bayley grabs a quick rollup for the first fall at 1:27. Valkyria is stunned and we take an early break. We come back with Valkyria kicking her in the head and hitting a tornado DDT. A suplex puts Bayley down again and Valkyria stomps away in the corner.

Back up and Bayley whips her hard into the barricade and we slow down. Valkyria gets sent hard into the corner but comes back by sending her outside. Bayley gets in a belly to back suplex onto the apron though and the back is banged up even more. Back in and a spinning slam gives Bayley two as frustration is setting in. Bayley loads up la majistral but Valkyria stacks her up for the pin at 9:35.

A running knee drops Valkyria again though and we take another break. We come back with Bayley favoring her knee but managing a Stunner over the ropes. The Bayley To Belly is blocked and Valkyria goes up, only to dive into the Bayley To Belly for two. Valkyria catches her up top with something like a super snapmare, followed by a gutwrench powerbomb for two.

They go to the apron where Bayley hits a fisherman’s suplex. Back in and they trade cradles for two each before heading outside again. A sunset bomb sends Valkyria into the steps and the top rope elbow to the back gets two. The crossface goes on but Valkyria powers up and reverses into Nightwing for the pin at 19:58.

Rating: B. This got rolling by the end and it’s nice to see another good in-ring performance from Valkyria. She’s perfectly fine between the bells, but they might need to find a way to make her feel more serious. Maybe starting by dropping the bird stuff, as it doesn’t make her come off like a main eventer. For now though, good match and a very important win for Valkyria’s career.

Post match Becky Lynch comes out for the staredown with Valkyria.

We look at Stephanie Vaquer winning the Evolution battle royal.

Vaquer is excited about her win and ready to fight for the title at Clash In Paris, but Chelsea Green, with the Secret Hervice, comes in to say she should get the shot instead. Green mocks her nickname and says she’s off to face a Hall Of Famer.

Karrion Kross, with Scarlet, says your favorite bad guys are here to save the day. Sami Zayn isn’t here though, because Kross helped take him out. Kross thinks Zayn is hiding at home, where he needs to stay until he is ready to say Kross told the truth.

Chelsea Green vs. Nikki Bella

The Secret Hervice is here with Green. Bella strikes away to start and they go out to the floor, where Green takes over. Bella gets sent into the steps to keep her in trouble and we hit the chinlock back inside. That’s broken up and they both need a breather. Bella gets in an enziguri out of the corner for two but Green is back with a neckbreaker. The Unprettier is countered into a Bella Buster but Niven offers a distraction. They have a lot of trouble setting up the Rack Attack until Bella switches to the Rack Attack 2.0 (and that wasn’t great either) for the pin at 6:25.

Rating: C-. This was a rough one at times as Bella didn’t look like she was exactly on the same page here. The sequence at the end looked like Green had to walk her through the finishing move, which isn’t a great sign. Then again it very well may have been ring rust as Bella hasn’t had a singles match in a good while, but this wasn’t a great showing.

Post match the Hervice lays Bella out but Stephanie Vaquer runs in for the save.

New Day, with Grayson Waller, is in the third stage of grieving for the death of their title loss: barbecue. They offer Adam Pearce a pair of well done….toupees. Pearce says they’ll find the new #1 contenders next week so don’t flip your wigs (which Pearce does). Pearce goes over to the Judgment Day and says Dominik Mysterio is going to be reevaluated next week. If he’s cleared, he’ll be defending against AJ Styles at Summerslam. The team leaves and Styles is praying that Mysterio is cleared. Mysterio: “God please don’t let me be cleared.” Styles: “Don’t listen to him God!” This was hilarious.

Rusev says he’s better than Sheamus, who comes up from behind. Sheamus says he isn’t going to jump Rusev, but they’re going to have a rematch because Rusev cheated the first time.

Summerslam rundown.

We look at the setup of Randy Orton/Jelly Roll vs. Logan Paul/Drew McIntyre from Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Here is Gunther to brag about retiring Goldberg. He beat Goldberg up, blew him up and finished him off. Now Gunther wants to know who is next and promises an answer soon. We’ll find that out next in a gauntlet match, which Gunther will be watching from his suite…and here is Bron Breakker to interrupt.

Paul Heyman shakes Gunther’s hand and loads up the catchphrase but Gunther says he knows Heyman’s name and doesn’t want to hear it. Gunther and Breakker have a staredown and Heyman explains the gauntlet match, saying that Breakker isn’t someone as easy as Goldberg. You aren’t looking at just another contender, because he’s a STEINER. Breakker is going to win the title, with Gunther eventually walking away. This isn’t giving me confidence in Seth Rollins’ future.

Gauntlet Match

Five entrants for the title shot against Gunther at Summerslam with Bron Breakker in at #1 and Penta in at #2. They run the ropes to start and Breakker hits him with the hard clothesline, allowing Breakker to glare a bit. Back up and Penta sends him to the floor for the big running flip dive and we take a break.

We come back with Breakker having sent him into the steps and then dropping Penta onto the steps for the big crash. Back in and Breakker sends him flying off a suplex, with the kickout leaving Breakker a bit surprised. Penta fights back with a sling blade into the slingshot dropkick in the corner. The Backstabber out of the corner gets two and Penta tries a springboard, only to get speared out of the air for the fall at 9:47.

LA Knight is in at #3 (Gunther seems interested in his suite) and hammers away, followed by a neckbreaker. Knight starts in on the arm and the gorilla press doesn’t work as a result. A running clothesline sends Breakker to the floor and a dropkick through the ropes drops him again. They take turns sending each other into the announcers’ table before Breakker drops him back first onto the turnbuckle back inside.

We take another break and come back with Knight still in trouble with a waistlock keeping him down. Knight elbows his way to freedom and a double clothesline leaves both of them down again. The jumping top rope elbow connects for Knight and he strikes away, only to have the BFT broken up. A gutbuster sets up the Super Spear to give Breakker the pin at 19:58.

Jey Uso is in at #4 and knocks Knight out to the floor for a suicide dive and then does his entrance again as we take a break. We come back again with Breakker catching him on top but getting knocked down. Uso’s high crossbody connects and the running Umaga Attack gets two. Breakker is back up with the running super Frankensteiner for two and Breakker can’t believe the kickout. Uso fires off some superkicks and hits his own spear for two more. The Superfly Splash is loaded up but Bronson Reed breaks it up (Cole: “There are no disqualifications!” Since when?), meaning another Super Spear can finish Uso at 28:56.

CM Punk is in at #5 to complete the field and strikes away to start fast. We take another break and come back with Punk working on the arm and getting two off a Russian legsweep. Punk’s armbar is broken up though and Breakker knocks him into the corner, where he can ask Punk if it’s clobberin time. A catapult sends Punk throat first into the rope and the chinlock goes on. Punk fights up and Breakker cuts it off in a hurry, meaning it’s time to talk more trash.

Another super Frankensteiner connects but Punk rolls through into a sunset flip for two. They knock each other down for a double breather, with Punk fighting up to make the comeback. Punk goes up top but has to kick Reed away before dropping the top rope elbow for two. The Anaconda Vice goes on but Reed comes in for the save. Cue Jey Uso to cut Reed off and the Super Spear is countered into the GTS to give Punk the pin and the title at 41:20.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a showing from Breakker, who went 40+ minutes and looked like he had another half hour in him. That’s not something you see very often and it worked well here. Other than that, this felt like a near guaranteed win for Punk, who very well may be getting the title at Summerslam. Either way, it was a good match with some solid action, most of which is attributable to Breakker. They seem to know what they have with him and if he is brought along properly, the sky is the limit.

Post match Reed jumps Punk again so Uso comes in for the save. Breakker hits a spear to Uso and another one to Punk and the double Tsunami is loaded up. And then none of that matters because Roman Reigns is back. The Superman Punch drops Reed and Reigns beats up Breakker. Another Superman Punch hits Breakker and the spear drops Reed. Reigns and Punk stand tall to end the show. I’m guessing Reigns/Uso vs. Breakker/Reed for Summerslam?

Overall Rating: B. Now this is more like it from Raw, with two and a half hours of mostly good to better than good wrestling. More importantly though, this show went a long way towards setting up Summerslam, as the card is mostly together. I like this a good bit and the Bella/Green match was the only weak spot. This show did a great job of making Summerslam feel like a big deal, which is more than could be said for the build towards Evolution. Strong show this week, and hopefully they can keep it up for the next few weeks.

Results
Judgment Day b. Kabuki Warriors – Rollup to Asuka
Lyra Valkyria b. Bayley 2-1
Nikki Bella b. Chelsea Green – Rack Attack 2.0
CM Punk won a gauntlet match last eliminating Bron Breakker

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