Monday Night Raw
Date: February 24, 2025
Location: Heritage Bank Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

It’s the last Raw before the Elimination Chamber and that is going to make things a bit complicated this week. The problem with this show is that Elimination Chamber is set up and that isn’t going to leave much to accomplish this week. In addition, there is a Women’s Title match to build towards next week. Let’s get to it.

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

A bunch of people came to work today.

Here is Logan Paul to get things going. Paul talks about how much he hates this city and how he knows what a pathetic place this is. He was flying in today and told his pilot to turn around so he could go home to Cleveland, but then he decided to perform for these losers because he is humble. The last time Paul was on Raw, he beat Rey Mysterio to make it to the Elimination Chamber and this Saturday, he will punch his ticket to Wrestlemania.

Cue CM Punk (in a Chicago Teachers Union shirt) to interrupt, with McAfee telling a story of Punk trapping him in a portable toilet earlier today. Paul doesn’t get why neither the fans nor Punk don’t like him. He thinks Punk might be jealous, but Punk talks about how Paul is nothing but a bunch of one liners to incite a reaction. The fans deserve better than that, which Paul finds funny. Paul talks about Punk coming back in a great moment (Punk: “Yep.”) and then he tore his wittle tricep.

Now the fans are chanting for Paul, with Punk admitting that the names do change. The names Paul has been mocking, including himself, are legends and history makers. Paul is a flash in the pan and the people aren’t going to remember who he is. On Saturday, Punk will go on to win the Elimination Chamber and go on to Wrestlemania where he will make history. On the other hand, Paul will be history. They go face to face and Paul gets in a slap before bailing to the floor. Paul feigns innocence, but Punk tells him to run while he can. This was two talented talkers going after each other and it worked well.

We look at Penta dealing with Ludwig Kaiser and Pete Dunne, who are now fighting each other over wanting to fight Penta.

Ludwig Kaiser vs. Pete Dunne vs. Penta

Dunne kicks Kaiser to the floor to start but Kaiser is back in, where Penta hits a Backstabber out of the corner. Penta’s dive is teased but Kaiser gets out of the way, allowing Dunne to hit a knee off the apron to take him down. Penta dives onto both of them and we take an early break.

Back with a Tower Of Doom, leaving Penta to chop them into reverse Sling Blades. Kaiser and Dunne are sent outside and taken out with a dive each, leaving Dunne to make the save back inside. The Bitter End gets two on Penta with Kaiser making the save. Penta is back up and gives Penta the Sacrifice but Kaiser breaks up the Penta Driver. Kaiser hits the wind up DDT to pin Dunne at 7:22.

Rating: B-. This was about putting some good wrestlers with different styles in a match and letting them do their thing. Penta not taking the fall is a good thing to see and the ending might set up Kaiser vs. Penta down the line. It was a good way to go here and they crammed a lot into the time they had.

Video on John Cena wanting to win the Elimination Chamber so he can go on to win his 17th World Title.

Here is Rhea Ripley for a chat in the crowd. In theory she is going to defend the title against the winner of the Elimination Chamber at Wrestlemania, but she has to face Iyo Sky next week. They haven’t faced each other in five years and Ripley has gotten a lot better since then. We hear some of the names Ripley has beaten but here is Sky to say she’ll beat Ripley again and go on to Wrestlemania. Respectful staring ensues.

The Road Dogg will be on LFG this Sunday.

New Day vs. LWO

Before the match, New Day brags about how the fans should be glad they’re here but the LWO comes out to cut them off. Wilde stomps on Woods in the corner and grabs an upside down choke in the ropes. A springboard missile dropkick pulls Woods down again and it’s off to Del Toro for a kick to the head in the corner.

The springboard hurricanrana drops Woods again but Kingston low bridges him to the floor to take over. The alternating stomps in the corner sets up a running dropkick to give Woods two. Del Toro gets away and brings in Wilde to pick up the pace, including a tornado DDT to Woods. Kingston breaks up what looks like a Doomsday Device though and a backbreaker/top rope double stomp combination finishes at 5:28.

Rating: B-. Another match with good action and New Day gets a win to let them look strong. They still have their heat but they are going to need to do something bigger than beating up the LWO. I’m not sure if winning the titles again will matter as this is still all about Big E. and the reaction, though that is only going to get them so far without Big E. himself being around.

Post match the beatdown stays on until Dragon Lee runs in for the save. New Day beats him down as well.

We go to the Judgment Day clubhouse where Finn Balor is yelling at Dominik Mysterio, with Carlito trying to call him off. Mysterio calls out Balor for losing last week as well and again suggests another new member. That’s still not happening and Balor still says he’ll fix this. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez comes in to say things will look up tonight after they win the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Balor says he’s happy with anyone winning but aren’t they worried after what they did to Jade Cargill? Morgan says they didn’t do it and they both agree to handle their own business. Carlito is happy with finding a yellow apple.

We see wrestlers opening Topps cards and being rather excited about what they’re finding.

Here is Gunther for a chat. Gunther understands that the fans are excited to see him because he is going to wrestle tonight. Before we get there though, he wants to talk about facing Jey Uso at Wrestlemania. As the weeks go by, he is warming up to the idea because he will get the chance to humiliate Jey and end the Yeet circus for good. That’s why today, he offered Adam Pearce the chance to have the World Heavyweight Champion in action tonight against a handpicked opponent.

Gunther vs. Akira Tozawa

Non-title. Before the match, Gunther points out that he came into the building and saw the Alpha Academy doing a TikTok dance for the people (which we saw as the show opened for a nice bit of continuity). They have a few things in common, such as picking up their lives to come to America and wrestle for WWE. Tozawa has wasted his chance, just like Jey Uso is going to do at Wrestlemania. Last week, Pat McAfee said anything can happen on one night and tonight, Tozawa has the chance to do that as well.

Gunther tells him to earn respect so Tozawa strikes away, only to get kicked in the face. Cole references WKRP In Cincinnati as Gunther just obliterates Tozawa with a chop. Tozawa slips out of the powerbomb and hits a spinning kick to the head. That earns him a dropkick in the corner but Tozawa reverses the powerbomb into a sunset flip for two.

A missile dropkick is countered into the Boston crab but Tozawa makes the rope. Another chop sets up the powerbomb but Gunther pulls him up at two. The sleeper, with Tozawa lifted into the air, finishes for Gunther at 2:48. They were going for something like HHH vs. Taka Michinoku from 2000 and while it wasn’t quite to that level, Tozawa was trying here and it fit the story well.

Post match Gunther goes after Tozawa again but Otis makes the save. Gunther sleepers Otis as well but here is Jey Uso (to a ROAR) for the save.

We see a clip of Michael Cole on the ImPaulsive podcast and talking about his chemistry with Pat McAfee.

Back in the arena and McAfee praises Cole for everything he has done…but then he mocks Cole’s clothes on the podcast, with his shirt being unbuttoned and accidentally showing his stomach.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Dakota Kai vs. Lyra Valkyria

Valkyria is defending in a rematch from the match for the inaugural title. They start fast and go to the apron with Kai knocking her to the floor and hitting a flip dive off the apron. We take a break and come back with Valkyria fighting out of the Tree Of Woe. A delayed superplex drops Kai but Valkyria is banged up as well. They strike it out until Kai hits a scorpion kick but Valkyria muscles her up with a powerbomb for two. Kai is back up with the Kairopractor for the same, only for Valkyria to grab Nightwing to retain at 7:40.

Rating: B-. This was good enough, though Valkyria is going to need a bigger challenger going forward. That’s one of the bigger dangers of a new title, as you can only do so much with something that fresh. It’s good to see Valkyria as a champion, but facing the same person twice for the title is only going to get her so far.

Post match respect is shown but Ivy Nile runs in to jump both of them.

Video on Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn, showing just how long this story has gone.

We get a sitdown interview with Sami Zayn from earlier today and he reveals that something else happened over the weekend. A somewhat shaken Zayn says he went to Owens’ house and no one was home but he did run into Owens’ mom. They caught up a bit and had a nice chat but when he got home, he was ashamed of himself for going over there in the first place.

Zayn and Owens have a long history and this is the first time that family has gotten involved. That has Zayn wondering what the two of them are capable of right now and while people are looking forward to the match, they should be worried about what Owens is going to go through. This was really intense stuff despite Zayn staying relatively quiet. They’re selling this as a personal feud and that’s exactly what it is.

Bianca Belair and Naomi are ready to beat up Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez.

We look at Bron Breakker and AJ Styles brawling last week.

Bron Breakker vs. Dominik Mysterio

Non-title and Judgment Day is here with Mysterio. Breakker wastes no time in tossing him outside, followed by a clothesline back inside as Mysterio is in big trouble. Mysterio wins a chase and stomps away, only to get suplexed down. Carlito’s distraction lets Mysterio hit a dive and another distraction sets up the 619. Breakker breaks up the frog splash though and hits the super Frankensteiner. That’s enough for Judgment Day to grab Breakker for the DQ at 3:13.

Rating: C+. Breakker was smashing him when things were fair but Mysterio got in some offense when his friends interfered. That’s all this needed to be as Breakker is getting to smash through someone and the fans are still liking what he’s doing. They didn’t have much time here, but Breakker looked like a monster throughout.

Post match the beatdown is on but Breakker fights back and hits a super spear on Carlito. Breakker and Balor have a staredown as we might have both a face turn (it wasn’t far from happening anyway) and a new challenger. Along with AJ Styles that is.

We look back at Rock’s really long speech on Smackdown, where he tries to get Cody Rhodes to go corporate. How in the world Rhodes could be MORE corporate is beyond me.

Ivy Nile is ready to take out Lyra Valkyria and the Creed Brothers want the Tag Team Titles. The War Raiders run in to brawl with the Creeds.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. He talks about the Rock offering him to join forces at Elimination Chamber and that’s a complicated situation. It isn’t just about him either, as he has his wife, his daughter, and his various family members. On top of that, he has the legacy of his father…and here is Seth Rollins to interrupt.

Rollins says he would love to welcome Rhodes back to his show with open arms and congratulate him on his success and get ready to face him at Wrestlemania. He can’t do that though, as he has to ask Rhodes what he’s thinking. A year ago, they were getting ready to face the Rock and Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania and now Rhodes is considering this?

The fact that Rhodes didn’t slap Rock in the face on Smackdown is an insult to Rollins. What does Rhodes get out of this? Bit parts in movies and social media followers? If being WWE Champion is that much of a burden on Rhodes, it’s not too much of a burden on Rollins. Rhodes says Rock asked him for his soul because Rollins’ might already be compromised.

We hear about Rollins’ history of turning on people, but he was also Rhodes’ shield at Wrestlemania. With one leg and a scrambled back, Rollins was the MVP of Wrestlemania XL and helped the Rhodes Family achieve their greatest victory. Rollins seems a bit taken aback and says that he has made some mistakes, which can eat you up with hate. He does not want to hate Rhodes so don’t make him do it.

At the end of the day, Rhodes can make his own decision but Rollins wants to face the Rhodes that has beaten him so many times. He wants to face the Rhodes that he helped crown as WWE Champion last year. Rollins isn’t coming for his soul, but he’s coming for the title. Good stuff here, but it’s making me wonder who is going to turn, because it’s hard to imagine Rhodes being the one to do so.

We get a preview of an interview with Logan Paul which will air in full on the Elimination Chamber Kickoff Show.

Elimination Chamber rundown.

We look back at Jade Cargill being attacked, resulting in Naomi getting her share of the Women’s Tag Team Titles. There is a chance that Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez did it, though they’ve denied any involvement. Either way, they get the title match tonight.

Jey Uso checks on Akira Tozawa in the trainer’s room and runs into A-Town Down Under. They mock him for his friends getting hurt over and over so Jey goes to leave, only to have them mock the Yeeting. Jey tries to leave again, only for Waller to say Gunther is going to destroy him at Wrestlemania. Jey promises to win at Wrestlemania and even Theory gets in on the Yeeting. Then Jey superkicks Waller.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez vs. Naomi/Bianca Belair

Naomi and Belair are defending. The brawl is on before the bell with the challengers being rammed into/over the barricade and it’s Morgan coming in to officially start. A double hiptoss sets up the standing moonsault/legdrop combination for two as Morgan is in trouble early. Rodriguez is back up to pull Belair outside though and we take a break. Back with Naomi coming in to clean house, including a slingshot X Factor for two on Rodriguez. The Blockbuster puts Rodriguez down again and Belair drops a 450 for two more.

Back up and Rodriguez books Naomi off the apron before breaking out of the KOD attempt. Something like a super Shatter Machine gets two on Belair (that’s the second time they’ve ever sued that move and the second time it’s only been good for two). Cue Dominik Mysterio for a distraction to break up the double KOD but the Tejana Bomb into Oblivion gets two with Naomi making the save.

A spear drops Rodriguez and everyone needs a breather. Morgan reverses a suplex into a small package for two on Belair, who is back with the KOD. Rodriguez makes another save so Naomi gives her a hanging Pedigree on the apron. The double KOD kind of hits so Mysterio puts the foot on the ropes. Rodriguez drops Belair onto the announcers’ table so Naomi takes her down with a dive. Back in and Oblivion is blocked, only for Morgan to roll Naomi up for two. The Rear View hits Morgan but Naomi has to go after Mysterio, allowing Rodriguez to post her so Morgan can get the pin and the titles at 12:12.

Rating: B+. There was a lot of interference here but they were rolling by the end and the fans were going insane with the near falls and even bigger with the title change. It’s also the right move to make, as Naomi and Belair didn’t exactly feel like the most serious champions. It felt like they were more interested in wearing matching outfits and “having fun Maggle” than being champions and that got a bit annoying. They can move on to the Cargill mystery now anyway so this helps in multiple ways.

The champs and Mysterio celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Rather good show here as they are making Elimination Chamber, and ultimately Wrestlemania, feel so important. That’s what you need to do with a show like this and it worked well here. I had a good time with this show and the talking was right there to back up the action. Much like last year, they are hitting their stride at the most important time and if they can keep that going for several weeks, we should be in for a heck of a Wrestlemania season.

Results
Ludwig Kaiser b. Pete Dunne and Penta – Wind up DDT to Dunne
New Day b. LWO – Backbreaker/Top rope double stomp to Del Toro
Gunther b. Akira Tozawa – Sleeper
Lyra Valkyria b. Dakota Kai – Nightwing
Bron Breakker b. Dominik Mysterio via DQ when Judgment Day interfered
Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez b. Naomi/Bianca Belair – Morgan pinned Naomi after Rodriguez sent her into the post

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: February 17, 2025
Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We’re closing in on Elimination Chamber and tonight will see the final spot in the men’s match determined as Seth Rollins faces Finn Balor. Other than that, we should be seeing more in the bigger stories taking place, including Jey Uso challenging Gunther for the Raw World Title at Wrestlemania, plus Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens. Let’s get to it.

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

After seeing a bunch of people come to work today (including AJ Styles, who came in via the Daytona 500 winner’s car), we get a recap of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens’ most recent issues.

Here is Zayn for a chat, starting with a thank you for the warm reception. He’s been thinking about his history with Owens, starting in pool halls in Montreal, working their way through the ranks and then headlining Wrestlemania together. A story that long has a lot of betrayals involved and this time, Zayn won’t forgive and forget. Owens tried to end Zayn’s career but he didn’t get the job done. His neck isn’t good but he’s ready to fight Owens again.

Cue Adam Pearce to say Zayn isn’t medically cleared to compete so the match cannot be made. Pearce goes to leave but Zayn says Pearce knows him better than that. Zayn wants the fight, with Pearce agreeing that it’s unsanctioned, meaning Owens can do anything he wants, including all the piledrivers he wants. It could mean the last match of Zayn’s career.

With the fans chanting LET THEM FIGHT, Zayn goes up the aisle to go face to face with Pearce to say he can do everything Pearce suggested Owens could do to Zayn himself. After thinking a bit, Pearce makes the match, which will be unsanctioned. Zayn vs. Owens is one of those pairings that will always work and having them beat each other up for fifteen minutes should be a good addition to the show.

Pat McAfee is very excited about the match being made.

We look at a clip from Smackdown, where Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez were shown near Jade Cargill’s attack. Naomi and Bianca Belair are here to deal with it.

Dominik Mysterio is worried about Morgan, who isn’t worried about anything else. Mysterio is also a bit tired of Finn Balor getting on his case. Cue Balor, who says after tonight, there will be three members of the Judgment Day at Elimination Chamber. Assuming Raquel Rodriguez wins that is. They both agree to handle their business, with Balor insisting that there are no new members to the team. Then Carlito seems to forget to go to the ring.

We look at Bron Breakker spearing IShowSpeed at the Royal Rumble, leaving Speed rather banged up.

AJ Styles vs. Dominik Mysterio

Styles works on a headlock to start before pulling him over with a German suplex. Mysterio’s kicks to the face just earn him a dropkick, which McAfee refers to as a TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION dropkick. Carlito low bridges Styles out to the floor though and we take a break. Back with Mysterio getting two off a slingshot hilo and a 619 connects. The frog splash misses and Styles strikes away, setting up the Styles Clash for the pin at 8:52.

Rating: C+. This was just a way for Styles to get his feet wet and that worked out well. Mysterio continues to be one of the easiest people in all of WWE to want to see get beaten up and he was doing it again here. Styles seems set for a showdown with Bron Breakker in the near future and that has some potential, as Styles looked good again here.

Post match Bron Breakker runs in and tries a spear but hits Mysterio instead. Breakker is sent outside and throws his shirt inside, where Styles easily catches it.

We look at the Creed Brothers getting disqualified last week against the War Raiders.

Ivy Nile is ready to get some gold but Dakota Kai comes in. Kai doesn’t want to hear about Nile’s plans and will see her in the ring.

Dakota Kai vs. Ivy Nile

For a future title shot against Lyra Valkyria, who is at ringside. Feeling out process to start until Nile takes her into the corner. Kai gets tied in the Tree Of Woe for a running kick to the knee in the corner, followed by a quickly broken ankle lock. That’s broken up and a quick Kairopractor gives Kai two but Nile powerbombs her out of the corner. The ankle lock, this time with a grapevine, goes on again but Kai gets out again. A swinging Rock Bottom gives Nile two and she grabs a German suplex. Another ankle lock is broken up and the GTK finishes Nile off at 6:45.

Rating: C. They were trying here and I like Kai but it wasn’t clicking for some reason. Nile isn’t overly interesting in the ring most of the time and Kai is only able to get her that much higher up the ladder. Valkyria needs someone to challenge her and I’m not sure a rematch with Kai is going to be the best choice.

We get a quick look at the upcoming Evolve series.

We look at Jey Uso challenging Gunther for Wrestlemania last week.

Gunther is in the concourse ala Jey Uso and walks into the arena. Gunther does a bit of the YEET Dance before saying that he gets why the fans like Jey so much. Gunther performing for the wrestlers is like reading Shakespeare to a dog. He is tired of stepping into the ring with people who can’t lace his boots.

The problem is that the match at Wrestlemania will take place in the ring. Gunther gets to ringside and wants a professional opinion about what to expect at Wrestlemania. He asks commentary for their “supposed professional opinion” and throws a mic to McAfee, who drops it. Does McAfee think Uso can beat Gunther? Yeah, he hopes Uso can.

Cole doesn’t think that was a good idea and Gunther takes his jacket off but here is Uso to interrupt. With McAfee on the announcers’ table for the YEET Dance, Uso breaks through security and goes after Gunther, who gets the sleeper. That’s broken up and Gunther is cleared out so YEETing can ensue. This was a solid promo from Gunther as it laid out the story perfectly well. You can see the two of them coming from different sides of the situation and that is how you set up a showdown for the title at Wrestlemania.

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez don’t like being accused of attacking Jade Cargill but know that Rodriguez is ready for her Elimination Chamber qualifying match tonight. They don’t actually deny attacking Cargill.

We look back at the Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens match being set.

Pete Dunne vs. Penta

Penta grabs a headlock to start before grabbing a running hurricanrana. Dunne is back up with a dropkick though before taking off Penta’s glove to bend the fingers. Back up and Dunne hits a running corner clothesline but Penta Backstabs him out of the corner. Another snap of the fingers slows Penta down though and Dunne grabs a slingshot plant onto the apron. Cue Ludwig Kaiser at ringside and we take a break.

Back with Penta hitting a spinning Death Valley Driver for a breather. Dunne powerbombs him out of the corner, only to get caught with a Canadian Destroyer to send Dunne outside. Kaiser offers a distraction but Dunne can only get two. Penta sends them into each other and finishes with the Penta Driver at 10:05.

Rating: C+. Penta comes in, he looks cool, he has solid matches, he doesn’t lose matches, he gets over. This isn’t a complicated idea and yet for some reason it doesn’t happen very often. He hasn’t even been around for six weeks yet and he’s one of the hottest stars in all of WWE. That’s a nice way to go and I’m wanting to see what is next for him in the coming weeks.

Post match the beatdown is on but Penta knocks them both outside and hits a big running flip dive.

Jey Uso is tired of being told he can’t do it and he’s ready to prove everyone wrong. He is nailing these promos lately and while it’s hard to imagine him winning the title, I’m starting to believe it might happen.

We look at Bayley in the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game.

Video on Roxanne Perez.

The War Raiders want another shot at the Creed Brothers.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Roxanne Perez vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Liv Morgan is here with Rodriguez. The much smaller Perez gets thrown down to start so Perez slaps her in the face and throws in a bit of a bow. That earns her a shot to the face and Rodriguez throws her into the corner for a crash. A fireman’s carry faceplant drops Perez again but she slips out of a powerslam. That just earns her a swinging front facelock as it’s all Rodriguez to start.

The buckle bomb is countered with a hurricanrana and a rollup gets two. The fall away slam sends Perez flying and the Vader Bomb elbow connects for another near fall. Rodriguez misses a charge into the post though and Perez grabs a spinning DDT. A double springboard moonsault gets two but Rodriguez boots her in the face for the same….and here are Naomi and Bianca Belair. They take out Morgan and a springboard Pop Rox finishes for Perez at 7:32.

Rating: B-. The ending was all about Naomi and Belair (who were so mad that they got matching cheerleader outfits made) but they were having a pretty good match on the way there. Perez was fighting against the bigger star and making it work, with Rodriguez using her power to throw Perez around. I could have gone for more from them, as Perez is already fitting in well on the main roster.

Post match Rodriguez has to save Morgan from Belair and Naomi.

Seth Rollins is ready to win tonight and go on to Wrestlemania.

Karrion Kross is glad to see Sami Zayn coming to reality but if he thinks he can beat Kevin Owens, he’s insane.

Iyo Sky is underwater and talks about how she is going to take the Women’s Title from Rhea Ripley and go on to Wrestlemania. We see Sky beating Ripley in NXT as she promises to do it again in two weeks. Good promo here, with the water stuff being…I think cool?

Here is New Day for a chat. Well in theory at least as the fans are booing them out of the building. They don’t understand why people are made at them for attacking Rey Mysterio. Is Mysterio supposed to be some legend because of what he’s done? Kingston has won more titles and has been here longer than Mysterio because he has never left. If anyone should be the locker room leader, it should be Kingston.

Last week they smashed Mysterio’s ankle with a chair but it could have been worse. The fans really should be more grateful that they didn’t give him the Old Yeller treatment. Cue the LWO to interrupt so Dragon Lee can throw out some insults in Spanish. He makes it clear that NEW DAY SUCKS and the brawl is on. New Day bails before Lee can hit the big dive. New Day has great heat, but do something with it already.

Bianca Belair and Naomi are ready to defend the Women’s Tag Team Titles against Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez next week.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor

Balor jumps him before the bell but Rollins says ring the bell anyway. Rollins can’t hit a Pedigree early on as Balor reverses into a double stomp and hits his own Pedigree for two. It’s too early for the Coup de Grace so Balor manages a clothesline instead. Rollins comes back with a boot to the face and a backbreaker sets up a missed Lionsault. Balor gets knocked outside for a suicide dive and a springboard knee to the face catches him back inside.

The Stomp misses and Balor is back with the Sling Blade, only to have his leg kicked out. Rollins stays on said leg but Balor gets in a shot to the ribs to bang him up as well. A kick to said ribs is countered into a knee first toss onto the announcers’ table and we slow down a bit. The Stomp onto the steps misses and Balor sends him into the post as we take a break.

Back with Balor hammering away in the corner before they trade shots to the head. The fans have their phones out in a mini Fireflies moment for some reason as Rollins knees him in the head and gets two off a Lionsault. The frog splash hits raised knees though and Balor gets a rollup for two.

Balor’s shotgun dropkick is countered into the Sharpshooter before Rollins hits a Pedigree for…well it seemed to be three as Balor kicked out VERY late and the referee had to pull back on the count. Balor knocks him off the top and hits the Coup de Grace before grabbing a crossface. That’s broken up as well and Rollins hits the Stomp for the pin at 18:52.

Rating: B+. These guys work well together and it’s a match that works pretty much every time they’re out there together. It helps that Balor is just a big enough name that you could imagine him going into the Chamber as well so there was a bit of drama here. Rollins going forward makes sense though as he has multiple stories waiting for him in the Chamber.

Overall Rating: B-. This show had a very good main event but it was more about setting things up for the future. We have two title matches set up for next week and the final two entrants for the Elimination Chamber matches. I liked the show, and while it could have used some more solid action, it did what it needed to do with the big show still being a little ways off.

Results
AJ Styles b. Dominik Mysterio – Styles Clash
Dakota Kai b. Ivy Nile – GTK
Penta b. Pete Dunne – Penta Driver
Roxanne Perez b. Raquel Rodriguez – Springboard Pop Rox
Seth Rollins b. Finn Balor – Stomp

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

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Smackdown
Date: February 14, 2025
Location: Capitol One Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

It’s Valentine’s Day and that means…well very little really as we are likely to be in for a pretty run of the mill show. We have a big hoss fight in the form of an Elimination Chamber qualifying match tonight and that should be fun. Other than that, we need some non-Chamber matches for the show in a few weeks and we might find some of those this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Vic Joseph is filling in for Joe Tessitore for one week. Interesting that it isn’t Corey Graves, who has had that spot before.

We look back at last week with Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso beating Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu, followed by the return of Solo Sikoa.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. Now that Jey Uso has chosen to challenge Gunther at Wrestlemania, the Elimination Chamber will determine Rhodes’ challenger. Will it be Logan Paul? Maybe CM Punk? Or Drew McIntyre? What about John Cena? Well the fans seem to favor Punk or Cena, but Rhodes would rather talk about someone it will not be, which would be Solo Sikoa. Cue McIntyre to interrupt because he didn’t like being just a name on a list.

Rhodes gives him a more enthusiastic “ALSO DREW MCINTYRE”, with McIntyre listing off his accolades. Is it the former multiple time World Champion Drew McIntyre? Maybe he has to remind Rhodes who he is, but Rhodes remembers McIntyre beating him. Cue Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga to interrupt, with Fatu saying McIntyre already has his spot in the Chamber.

Now it’s time for Fatu to get his spot and go to Wrestlemania to bring the title back home. McIntyre thinks people want to see him fight Fatu right now but nah because McIntyre already has his spot. McIntyre: “Hey Cody, I think he wants to talk to you.” Rhodes is ready to face Fatu at Wrestlemania if that’s what it comes to but we see Solo Sikoa arriving in the back. Fatu says he’s talking to Sikoa first but Rhodes says he’ll be talking to Sikoa last. This was a lot of talking to set up some possible challengers for Rhodes, but we’ll see where that goes in a few weeks.

Post break, Fatu is looking for Sikoa and, shockingly, isn’t happy.

Wade Barrett talks to Trish Stratus, who is in the crowd. She’s excited for Elimination Chamber and she’s going to be at the show in Toronto.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Naomi vs. Chelsea Green

Non-title and Bianca Belair and Piper Niven are both here too. Naomi wastes no time in rolling her up for two and then does it again for a bonus. Some kicks put Green down again for the splits splash and another near fall. Naomi’s running Meteora gets two and Green is sent outside, where she gets in a pump kick as we take a break.

Back with Green hammering away but Naomi gets in a quick Fameasser for another near fall. The hanging Pedigree gets two but Naomi misses the split legged moonsault. The Rough Ryder gives Green two and a Backstabber out of the corner gets the same. Green can’t hit the flipping Unprettier though and Naomi grabs an X Factor. Now the split legged moonsault can put Green away at 8:29.

Rating: C+. It’s a bad week for midcard champions in the women’s division as both Green and Lyra Valkyria lose in qualifying matches. Naomi getting into the Chamber is a logical way to go as she fits in well, but at the same time I could have gone with seeing what Green could have done in there. Other than that, Green could still probably use a new challenger, and I’m not sure I can picture that being Naomi.

Sami Zayn has a banged up neck after being attacked by Kevin Owens. He knows they have a history of turning on each other and he can’t believe that Owens is going this nuts over not helping him at the Royal Rumble. When Zayn is clear, they’re going to do this again. Anything those two do works fine so this should be no exception.

Michelle McCool is going into the Hall Of Fame. I’m surprised it took her that long.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Los Garza

Angel knees Sabin in the ribs to start but Shelley comes in to take over without much trouble. The double dive is cut off though and Los Garza gets to pose, complete with Angel TAKING OFF HIS PANTS as we go to a break. Back with the Guns hitting the Downward Spiral/missile dropkick combination for two but everything breaks down again. A powerbomb/World’s Strongest Slam/springboard kick to the face combination gives Garza two but Berto’s moonsault hits raised boots. Now the Guns can hit the stereo dives, setting up Skull & Bones for the pin on Berto at 7:29.

Rating: C+. As usual, the Guns can do just about anything with anyone and having an underrated team like Los Garza in there made it better. I’m not sure what is next for the Guns, as we’ve covered them against DIY. Maybe the Street Profits are up next, but we might be waiting a bit to get there.

Video on Damian Priest.

Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga find Solo Sikoa, who said he needed time away after losing to Roman Reigns. It’s time to start taking over everything and that starts with Fatu winning tonight so he can get the title back in the family. That sounds more like the ending rather than the beginning.

Here is Shinsuke Nakamura for a chat. He has been waiting for a worthy challenge for weeks now but there are no warriors here. Cue LA Knight to interrupt, saying Nakamura is out here looking for a test, but that’s clearly a lie. Knight had him beat when Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu interfered. He’s the test Nakamura is looking for but here is the Miz to interrupt. Miz isn’t impressed with Knight, who mocks Miz for saying the same things for years. Why can’t Miz start his own Farewell Tour?

Miz mocks Knight for saying it’s ok for men to cry, but Knight says Miz and Drew McIntyre have to be at the top of the list of crybabies. Miz says Knight doesn’t have his resume and now he wants the US Title. Knight: “Dude you suck.” The threat of a BFT sends Miz outside but here is Nick Aldis to make the match. This felt like a way to fill in time on a long show.

Miz vs. LA Knight

We’re joined in progress with Knight hitting a running knee in the corner and snapping off a powerslam for two. A hot shot cuts Knight off though and Miz hits a running crotch attack to the back. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Miz grabs a neckbreaker for two. They go outside for Knight’s rams into the announcers’ table, only for Shinsuke Nakamura to offer a distraction.

Miz sends Knight into the table for a breather as we take a break. Back with Knight hitting his jumping neckbreaker for two but Miz catches him with the corner clothesline. A Downward Spiral out of the corner (and off the clothesline as Miz as something new) sets up a DDT for two as things slow down a bit. Back up and Knight grabs the BFT out of nowhere, setting up the jumping top rope elbow for the pin at 10:18 shown.

Rating: C+. Not a bad match at all here as Knight thankfully gets a win over someone with some status. That’s the kind of win he needs and WWE might be on the way to getting him back on track. Maybe he gets another shot at Shinsuke Nakamura at Elimination Chamber, possibly on the way to a bigger match with Drew McIntyre down the line.

Liv Morgan suggests she’ll win the Elimination Chamber and face Nia Jax should Jax win the title back tonight. This matters more as the Wyatt Sicks logo pops up as Bliss talks. Can we just not with that? Please?

Miz runs into Andrade, who offers to teach him something after his loss. With Andrade gone, Carmelo Hayes comes up to say people don’t respect people like them. Miz suggests a partnership but Hayes leaves for his match.

R-Truth vs. Carmelo Hayes

This is after R-Truth got confused by Hayes calling himself “Him”. Hayes jumps him to start but R-Truth is back with the John Cena offense. A Stunner staggers Hayes, who is right back with the First 48 for two. Nothing But Net finishes for Hayes at 2:21. It’s nice to see Hayes getting back on track, at least for now.

The Street Profits don’t know why people are made at them but once Angelo Dawkins is cleared to return, the rest of the tag division is in trouble. They want the smoke. I want to know why Ford’s sunglasses keep appearing and disappearing in between shots.

DIY interrupts Pretty Deadly, who are ready for their Tag Team Title shot next week. Tommaso Ciampa threatens violence.

In his car, Kevin Owens talks about how everyone has betrayed him in the last six months an invites Sami Zayn to come find him at Elimination Chamber. Then Zayn will know pain.

Women’s Title: Nia Jax vs. Tiffany Stratton

Jax, with Candice LeRae, is challenging and powers Stratton into the corner to start. Stratton tries to flip away but gets dropped with a headbutt for two. Jax misses a hip attack on the apron, only to come back with a pop up Samoan drop for two more. The big legdrop gives Jax another near fall and now the hip attack can send Stratton into the post.

We take a break and come back with Stratton flipping out of a powerbomb attempt for two. Stratton hits….we’ll call it a spinebuster for two but Jax sends her flying again. A super Samoan drop is broken up and Stratton hits a top rope double stomp for two. Jax is right back with the super Samoan drop for two more and a middle rope legdrop gets the same.

We take another break and come back with Stratton hitting a moonsault to the floor, followed by the Swanton for two more. For some reason Stratton thinks she can pick her up in a fireman’s carry and collapses just as fast. The Annihilator misses though and Stratton grabs a second spinebuster (thanks for clarifying that Vic) but LeRae runs in to break up the Prettiest Moonsault Ever for the DQ at 16:57.

Rating: B-. This was a way to get us past the rematch and that’s what it needed to be. Stratton is likely on to something better in the near future, though Jax adding herself into something is pretty normal around here. Having two breaks in there didn’t help things, but Stratton was doing what she could in a longer match like this. On the other hand, Jax more than held up her side, which I’m not sure she would have been able to do in her first run with the company.

Post match the beatdown is on but Trish Stratus jumps the barricade and makes the save. Jax wrecks Stratton and Stratus anyway. Then Charlotte comes out and, as mockingly as she can, challenges Stratton for WrestleMania. Well at least it’s officially set.

Nick Aldis shows Naomi and Bianca Belair a video showing Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez near the scene of Jade Cargill’s attack. They’re going to Raw to deal with this themselves.

We look at Undertaker on Legends & Future Greats.

Trish Stratus comes up to Tiffany Stratton in the back and offers to team with her against Nia Jax and Candice LeRae at Elimination Chamber. Didn’t they not get along last time?

Drew McIntyre comes up to Jimmy Uso to mock him for not qualifying for the Elimination Chamber. At least Jimmy married up! McIntyre calls him Jey, earning himself a superkick.

Braun Strowman is ready to get some gold so he’s coming for Cody Rhodes.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Braun Strowman vs. Damian Priest vs. Jacob Fatu

They stare at each other to start before trading shots to the face, with Strowman being knocked to the floor. Priest gets the better of a fight with Fatu but Strowman runs them both over with a crossbody. We take a break and come back with Strowman pulling Fatu to the floor to break up the running Umaga Attack. Fatu isn’t having that as he sends Strowman into the barricade but gets kicked down by Priest.

The Old School crossbody is countered into a Samoa drop though, followed by a Swanton for two. They go up top but here is Strowman to turn it into a Tower Of Doom, leaving all three down. Priest takes Fatu outside for a Downward Spiral onto the announcers’ table, only for Strowman to drop Priest in a hurry. Back in and Fatu hits some running Umaga Attacks on Strowman before wrapping a chair around Strowman’s neck.

Strowman gets up and unloads with the chair…but here is Solo Sikoa to Samoan Spike Strowman down. Cue Cody Rhodes to go after Sikoa, who Spikes Tama Tonga by mistake. Fatu yells at Sikoa but gets taken out by Priest. Back in and Strowman misses a charge into the post, setting up South Of Heaven to give Priest the pin at 16:14.

Rating: B-. They were teasing a big time hoss fight here but we only got a pretty good one. This needed to be more of a train crash with less time, but going that long hurt it a bit. Priest is the biggest deal right now and it makes sense to put him in the Chamber, as you don’t want Fatu in there if he’s going to take a loss. Nice enough main event here, though it never got to that next level.

Priest and Rhodes share a bit of a moment to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show had a bit better pace than the previous weeks, but there were still some parts which felt like they could have gone a bit faster. They’re turning the Elimination Chamber matches into some big time matches and a Wrestlemania match is officially set. That’s a lot for one show and now we get to see who else will be in the Chambers in the near future. Nice show here, but getting it back to two hours is still going to help a lot.

Results
Naomi b. Chelsea Green – Split legged moonsault
Motor City Machine Guns b. Los Garza – Skull & Bones to Berto
LA Knight b. The Miz – Top rope elbow
Carmelo Hayes b. R-Truth – Nothing But Net
Tiffany Stratton b. Nia Jax via DQ when Candice LeRae interfered
Damian Priest b. Braun Strowman and Jacob Fatu – South Of Heaven to Strowman

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: February 10, 2025
Location: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We are closing in on the Elimination Chamber and that means we are getting some more qualifying matches this week. Those can make for some interesting situations, but there is also the question of which champion Charlotte and Jey Uso will be selecting for their Wrestlemania title shots. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Jey Uso through the crowd for the Yeet Dance and as usual, he gets a request for an encore. Jey gets on the table but here is Gunther from behind to trip him down and start the beating. A big bot and powerbomb lay Uso out, with Gunther shouting “DON’T DO IT!”. Agents and referees get Gunther off but Uso officially makes the challenge for Wrestlemania. Then he dives on Gunther to keep up the fight. This was very to the point but it worked. I’m not sure I can see Jey winning, but he almost has to at this point.

We look at Raquel Rodriguez attacking Rhea Ripley last week.

Ripley thinks Charlotte is stalling as she tries to stay relevant. Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai come in, with Sky saying she’s coming for Ripley for costing her Wrestlemania. That doesn’t seem to bother Ripley, who says she’s looking forward to it.

Video on the War Raiders vs. the Creed Brothers.

Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez vs. Damage CTRL

Sky slaps Rodriguez to start and gets powered into the corner to start. Some stereo dropkicks put Rodriguez down for two but she throws Kai away without much effort. Morgan comes in and Sky flips away, only to get dropped by Rodriguez. That’s broken up and Kai comes in for the running boot in the corner. Rodriguez posts Kai hard though and we take a break.

Back with Kai fighting out of a chinlock and handing it off to Sky to clean house. Over The Moonsault almost hits raised boots but Sky sticks the landing and hits a butterfly backbreaker for two on Morgan. Something like a middle rope Shatter Machine gets two on Sky (again: if you’re going to debut that big of a move, don’t have someone kick out).

The Kairopractor gets two on Morgan but she’s back up with Oblivion for two, with Sky making the save to a big reaction. Morgan is busted open but she’s fine enough to hit a Codebreaker on Kai. Sky’s rollup gets two but she gets enziguried, only to block Oblivion. A double stomp puts Morgan down and Sky kicks her in the head (thankfully not the bleeding side), setting up Over The Moonsault for the pin at 15:01.

Rating: B. Where the heck did this come from? These four had a pretty sweet match, which is a lot more than I was expecting. Morgan was working hard here and Rodriguez was doing the power stuff rather well. It’s nice to have Kai back and she was doing her part as well. Good match here and I liked this one quite a bit.

We look at Kevin Owens attacking Sami Zayn last week, with Owens blaming Zayn not helping him at the Royal Rumble.

We look at Gunther not being pleased with a rookie on WWE LFG.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria

Non-title. Before the match, Bayley glares at NXT’s Roxanne Perez, who is in the crowd. They fight over a test of strength to start with Bayley taking her down, only to get headlocked. Bayley can’t hit the Stunner over the ropes but can elbow Valkyria down. Valkyria blocks the sliding basement elbow into a backslide for two (that was cool). Valkyria blocks the Rose Plant and grabs a rollup for two before sending her outside as we take a break.

Back with Valkyria hitting a spinning kick to the head for two but Bayley sunset bombs her into the corner. Bayley’s big elbow hits raised knees but she’s back up with the Bayley To Belly for two. They forearm it out until Bayley hits a swinging side slam for two before they go outside again. Valkyria grabs a tornado DDT into a fisherman’s suplex on the floor, followed by another for two inside. They go up top with Valkyria knocking her onto the ropes, setting up a top rope Fameasser. Nightwing is blocked so Valkyria rolls her up for two. A rollup sends Valkyria into the ropes and Bayley rolls her up again for the pin at 9:16.

Rating: B-. They were starting to rock here and it was one of Valkyria’s best matches on the main roster. I’m not wild on having her lose clean though, even to someone as successful as Bayley. Have her lose by interference or countout or something, but don’t have a new champion lose like this. Other than that though, heck of a match here and Bayley looked better than usual out there.

Video on Penta.

Ludwig Kaiser isn’t impressed with Penta but Pee Dunne comes in to suggest they take out Penta. Dunne is going to take Penta out next week, with Kaiser saying Dunne is all his. With Dunne gone, AJ Styles comes up for a walk to the ring.

The Alpha Academy console Lyra Valkyria when American Made come in to mock her. Valkyria isn’t having it and yells back.

Here is AJ Styles for a chat. Styles talks about having flashbacks here because four months ago, he came back to this building and then got injured his first match back. He thought his career was over that night but the next morning he knew he had more to prove. There are things he wants to do, but here are Carlito and Dominik Mysterio to interrupt.

As usual, Dominik can barely get a word out without being booed off the mic. He finally manages to tell Styles that thins have changed around here, but Styles says he doesn’t see Damian Priest, Rhea Ripley or Finn Balor. Instead, all he sees is a guy in purpose skinny jeans and Dominik, who no one likes. Styles does like Dominik’s work ethic, but Dominik will always be Rey Mysterio’s punk a** kid. The fight is on and Styles clears the ring. Styles getting to wreck Dominik in a singles match should work well.

Jey Uso vs. Gunther is officially set for Wrestlemania. They’re pulling the trigger so well done on trying something.

Here is Seth Rollins on the platform for a chat. Jackie Redmond asks about the Elimination Chamber and Rollins is fired up to get his chance. We are on the Road To Wrestlemania and he lists off his nicknames before being interrupted by Finn Balor (Rollins’ opponent in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match). He’s not impressed by Rollins, as he thinks Rollins is overlooking him. Rollins says he has unfinished business with CM Punk and he’d like to tie up some loose ends with Cody Rhodes. Balor is standing in his way, but soon he won’t be standing at all.

AJ Styles gets a match with Dominik Mysterio next week. Then he runs into Bron Breakker for an intense staredown.

Tag Team Titles: Creed Brothers vs. War Raiders

The Creeds, with Ivy Nile, are challenging and Brutus gets elbowed into the corner to start. Julius comes in and hammers away, only to get sent into the corner. Erik slams Ivar onto Julius and Brutus gets crushed against the ring skirt for a big knockdown. Back in and a nasty sitout powerbomb gets two on Julius as we take a break.

We come back with Erik being sent hard into the post and the chinlock goes on. Brutus gets slammed onto Erik for two but Erik fights up and brings in Ivar. The seated senton crushes Brutus out of the corner and Ivar crushes him in the same corner. A sitout powerbomb gives Ivar two but Brutus is back with an Angle Slam for two. Ivar goes up but Nile offers a distraction, allowing Julius to jump to the top for a superplex. Brutus’ moonsault gets two but Erik is smart enough to pull Ivar back to the corner for the tag. Then Julius hits Ivar with the title for the DQ at 12:24.

Rating: B. Again, they were getting going here and then a not so great ending cut it off. That is all but guaranteed to set up a rematch in the near future, but I could have gone for something better than “and then Julius hits him with the belt.” It did at least get a reaction, which is a lot better than what the Creeds have been getting in recent months.

Post match another belt shot leaves the champs laying.

Finn Balor isn’t impressed with the Judgment Day but Dominik Mysterio says things could get better. Dominik suggests adding a new member but Balor isn’t having it, saying he’s going to win next week and move on to Wrestlemania.

Rhea Ripley tells Iyo Sky she’s getting a title match on the Raw after Elimination Chamber because Ripley wants it. Works for Sky.

Here is CM Punk for a chat. Punk talks about how Jey Uso is already set for the World Heavyweight Championship match at Wrestlemania so that leaves the Elimination Chamber. He’s already in it, but there is one person in it who didn’t have to qualify. At some point in the Elimination Chamber, Punk and Cena are going to see each other and Punk is going to beat him down.

The other person to qualify for the match is Drew McIntyre, who knows what it’s like to be in a big cage with Punk. He’s ready for either Finn Balor or Seth Rollins, but all that matters is he is going to Wrestlemania. Cue Logan Paul for his qualifying match, saying he gets why they call him Punk.

Paul could come up with a bunch of better names but he can’t say them on TV. Throwing Punk out of the Royal Rumble was a great fifteen minutes of fame for Punk and tonight, Rey Mysterio will get his as well. Punk: “The way they’re booing you, you would think you’re Dominik Mysterio.” Punk says he didn’t mention Paul because he had forgotten he was even in a match, but tonight, Paul’s number is 619. Punk’s lines here were great, with saying he forgot Paul had match being rather funny.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Rey Mysterio vs. Logan Paul

Mysterio slaps him into the corner to start fast and stomps away. Back up and Paul jumps over him before hammering Mysterio down in the corner. More punching has Mysterio in trouble but he spins around into a crossbody for a needed breather. Paul gets knocked outside for a twisting dive but catches Mysterio on top. A tabletop superplex plants Mysterio and we take a break.

Back with Mysterio being sent outside and asking Paul to come fight him. Mysterio hammers away and sends him into the steps to take over. Back in and a seated senton into a Lionsault gets two on Paul, who knocks Mysterio right back down. Paul’s Lionsault gets two and he boots Mysterio in the face to cut off a comeback bid.

Mysterio hits a sitout powerbomb out of the corner for two (with Paul forgetting to put his shoulders down at first). The 619 connects but Paul hits him with the big right hand. A belly to back flipped into a DDT (the Paulverizer, which is a new one and looked great) finishes Mysterio at 17:15.

Rating: B. More good stuff here, with Paul getting better and better in the ring by working with stars like Mysterio. It is great to see him evolving in the ring and Mysterio is the perfect choice to help make something like this work. Throw in a rather snazzy looking finisher (though I’m not sure how many people Paul can use that on) and this worked well.

Post match Paul leaves and New Day jumps Mysterio to end the show. That was rather abrupt.

Overall Rating: B+. They were in and out in about two and a half hours after four good to rather good matches and some solid promo work. This was a show that didn’t really do anything big but it kept things moving and was never dull. I had a good time with this one and Elimination Chamber is starting to look that much better. Keep this up and Raw will be on a roll in a hurry.

Results
Damage CTRL b. Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez – Over The Moonsault to Morgan
Bayley b. Lyra Valkyria – Rollup
War Raiders b. Creed Brothers via DQ when Julius used the title belt
Logan Paul b. Rey Mysterio – Paulverizer

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: February 3, 2025
Location: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s the show after the Royal Rumble and in one heck of a shock, Jey Uso of all people won the men’s namesake match. That isn’t something a lot of people saw coming and a lot of things are screwy on the Road To Wrestlemania. We should be in for a big one this week as things will pick up in a hurry. Let’s get to it.

Here is the Royal Rumble if you need a recap.

Some people come to work.

Long Royal Rumble recap.

Here is Jey Uso coming through the crowd for his big celebration. After the song stops playing….the fans insist that he does the YEET dance one more time. The fans tell Jey that he deserves it and then chant USO as we’re still waiting for the first words. Uso is a bit nervous/taken aback by the reception before he finally says thank you. Uso: “I don’t really know what to say.” Fans: “YEET!” Uso: “Besides that!”

Uso talks about how he and his brother tried to become stars to carry on their legacy. Then he got involved with the Bloodline, which was fire. Those are cool chapters in his career but he wasn’t confident enough to be a singles star. But coming out here tonight, he has it now. Uso thanks the fans and now he is the Royal Rumble winner and on his way to Wrestlemania.

Cue Gunther to interrupt, saying he is disappointed because this possible matchup doesn’t appeal to him. Gunther has made everyone believe that he is barely hanging onto the title but he is always in control. He refuses to do this with Jey again, because he is in the process of building a legacy for himself. Beating Uso again means nothing and Gunther wishes it was Roman Reigns, John Cena or CM Punk because that adds to his legacy.

If Uso chooses Gunther, it will be a horrible display of violence at Wrestlemania. The reality is that Uso has options and he should consider them. Gunther goes to leave but Jey cuts him off, asking if Gunther is tired yet. Jey is tired of being told what he can or can’ be. He’ll be talking to Cody Rhodes on Smackdown but no matter what, he’s coming out of Wrestlemania as champion. Yeet. Gunther vs. Uso is a possibility, but my goodness this is still bizarre to see.

We look at Seth Rollins attacking Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble.

John Cena is officially in he Royal Rumble and says he’s in because he has earned it after 23 years. It is time for him to go to Wrestlemania and win his 17th World Title so that one day he can shake the hand of the person who wins #18. That’s a good line.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Ludwig Kaiser vs. Penta

Kaiser kicks Penta down to start and yells about Penta humiliating him (by eliminating him from the Rumble in 6 seconds). This earns him another toss over the top but Kaiser hits a Death Valley Driver on the apron as we take a break. Back with Kaiser faceplanting him and hitting a clothesline for two, setting up the sneer. Penta gets fired up and chops away, followed by a backbreaker for two more.

The slingshot dropkick in the corner gets another near fall and Penta sends him to the floor for the big running flip dive. Back in and they chop it out until Penta scores with some superkicks. Kaiser manages a Regal Roll for two of his own but Penta pulls him into the Sacrifice. The Penta Driver finishes Kaiser at 9:58.

Rating: B-. This worked well enough as the Penta roll continues. What matters the most is continuing to see what they have with Penta, who is doing rather well just a few weeks into his WWE run. It’s a good match too, with Kaiser being a perfect option for an opponent here, even if it was all about Penta getting the win.

Post match Penta is interviewed but Pete Dunne cuts him off. Kaiser lays Penta out with the spinning DDT.

We look back at JD McDonagh’s injury last week. He’ll be out for about four months.

Finn Balor can’t believe things fell apart when he was gone for two weeks and yells at the rest of the Judgment Day. Dominik Mysterio stole his partner and got him hurt, so maybe Mysterio needs a babysitter. Liv Morgan defends Mysterio, saying they had to fight next week or another team would have gotten the title shot. And tonight, Mysterio has gotten Balor an Elimination Chamber qualifying match. That seems to work for Balor.

Here is Charlotte for a chat. The fans boo her but the reality is she missed her. She missed the people who loved and hated her and last year sucked. Last year broke her physically and mentally and she didn’t know if she was going to make any major show. Now she is back and won the Royal Rumble so BOO HER NOW! This ring is her home and she is going to Wrestlemania.

Cue Rhea Ripley to interrupt, with Charlotte saying she was trying to have a moment. Ripley says that was a moment, but this is her show. Ripley does respect Charlotte so please pick her. Charlotte brings up beating Ripley, who says that was when she was just a kid. It’s not locked down yet though, as Charlotte is going to NXT and Smackdown to see what they have. As for Ripley, she’s still a kid, but Charlotte will see her next week. Ripley begs Charlotte to pick her. I really don’t need to see that match again.

Sami Zayn still wants to go to Wrestlemania and he has to go through CM Punk tonight to get to the Elimination Chamber. Zayn is asked about Kevin Owens but gets distracted by…Jey Uso. Jey insists he wasn’t aiming for Zayn in the Rumble but Zayn is perfectly fine. This is Uso’s moment and he wishes Zayn good luck tonight. With Uso gone, Karrion Kross comes in to ask what it’s like to have everyone take Zayn’s spot. Zayn isn’t happy with these interruptions and violence is teased.

Iyo Sky says she will see Rhea Ripley at Wrestlemania. Ripley doesn’t seem to mind the idea but Liv Morgan jumps Sky. Ripley chases her off but gets jumped by Raquel Rodriguez.

New Day vs. LWO

New Day has new music, which is almost hard to imagine. Lee headlocks Woods to start but Kingston trips Lee down. Back up and Lee snaps off a running hurricanrana so it’s off to Mysterio. Woods takes him into the corner and poses a bit, with the fans not being thrilled. Mysterio gets in a shot though and grabs a middle rope spinning hurricanrana for two. Lee sends Kingston into the corner for a running dropkick in the Tree Of Woe…and here is Logan Paul (facing Mysterio next week). The distraction lets Kingston pull Lee off the top and we take a break.

Back with Paul sitting at ringside and Kingston planting Lee for two. Lee manages to spin around and hit a sitout powerbomb for a needed breather. The tag brings in Mysterio to pick up the pace, including the running seated senton off the apron. Paul gets in Mysterio’s face ad is shoved into the chair for his efforts. Woods kicks the post by mistake so Lee snaps off a running hurricanrana over the top to the floor but Paul pulls Mysterio out. Back in and Trouble In Paradise gives Kingston the pin at 11:19.

Rating: B-. The point here was to give New Day a win as Paul is somehow despicable enough to actually not mind New Day. Granted it’s more about his match with Mysterio next week but this is better than nothing for the team. It’s also nice to have Lee back after such a lengthy absence.

We look at Seth Rollins attacking Roman Reigns and CM Punk after all three were eliminated from the Royal Rumble.

Reigns is banged up but he won’t let us have a specific update. For now though, it is believed that Reigns will be out for the foreseeable future. Oh dear.

CM Punk apologizes to the Sami Zayn fans because he’s going to the Elimination Chamber tonight.

We look at IShowSpeed being put into the Royal Rumble and being eliminated in fairly short order.

Video on Lyra Valkyria vs. Bayley next week in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Iyo Sky vs. Liv Morgan

Sky is banged up after the earlier attack and Raquel Rodriguez is here with Morgan. Sky takes her down by the arm to start but Morgan is back up with a running corner clothesline. A basement dropkick gives Morgan two and she sends Sky outside. They switch places and Sky hits a nasty dive as we take a break.

Back with Morgan hitting Three Amigos (Cole: “She’s no Eddie.”) but getting kneed in the face. A missile dropkick connects and Morgan goes flying, only to come back with a Backstabber. Sky takes her down again and goes up, with Rodriguez offering a distraction. Thy fight to the floor, with Sky hitting a German suplex to leave Morgan laying.

An Asai moonsault drops Morgan again but she pulls Sky out of the air with a Codebreaker for two (that looked good). Back up and Sky snaps off a super hurricanrana but Rodriguez breaks up Over The Moonsault. Morgan can’t hit Oblivion so it’s a German suplex to put her down. Cue Rhea Ripley to go after Rodriguez and Morgan, who gets punched for the DQ at 12:12.

Rating: B. Maybe it was the bumps or maybe it was me not having much in the way of expectations coming in, but this was a heck of a match with both of them doing well. I had a great time with this and some of the bumps were great. The ending made sense and gives Morgan a win over a successful name and that’s an impressive way to go.

Post match Ripley tries to explain but Sky isn’t having it.

The War Raiders respect JD McDonagh but here is American Made to say this isn’t championship material. The Creed Brothers are championship material but Erik asks what happens if this turns into a fight. Prepare for war. With the Raiders gone, Chad Gable, not looking at the rest of the team, tells them to win titles while he goes to solve lucha libre.

Adam Pearce announces that AJ Styles is officially on Raw. Bron Breakker comes in and says keep Styles away from him. Breakker and a reluctant Pearce are off to talk business.

Here is Seth Rollins for a chat (after his entrance, a break and the Pearce/Breakker segment). First up, congratulations to Jey Uso because he loves seeing people get what they deserve. That brings him to CM Punk, who got what he deserved at the Royal Rumble. That brings him to Roman Reigns, who lost at the Royal Rumble as well. The reality is that Reigns is hurt and Rollins is the one who hurt him.

That is what Reigns has been doing to people for years and it doesn’t bother Rollins to do the same things. He is ready for Wrestlemania and will face Finn Balor in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match. For now though, he wants Sami Zayn out here for a chat, which brings out Zayn. Rollins calls Zayn his friend and talks about what they have done to deal with Reigns. Tonight is time for the fight of Zayn’s life and he is better than CM Punk. Cue Punk, who almost gets in a fight with Rollins in the aisle but it’s broken up.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: CM Punk vs. Sami Zayn

They trade headlocks to start before Zayn takes him into the corner for some rather loud chops. Punk starts in on the arm but Zayn springboards over him to set up a clothesline. Punk forearms him into a swinging neckbreaker, setting up the…well nothing actually as Zayn breaks its up. The superplex brings Punk crashing down and we take a break.

Back with Zayn fighting back but not being able to hit the Blue Thunder Bomb. Punk’s knee in he corner sets up the running bulldog but Zayn reverses into the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Punk grabs a DDT on the arm and goes old school with the Anaconda Vice. That’s escaped as well so Punk tries the GTS, which is reversed into a small package for two more. Zayn suplexes him into the corner, only to charge into the GTS to give Punk the win at 14:54.

Rating: B. This is another good example of a match where you knew it was going to work because of who was involved. They’re both capable of having a strong match and they were given the time to make it work. Solid main event here, though it would be nice to see Zayn win one of these matches every so often.

Post match respect is shown but here is Kevin Owens to jump both of them. A package piledriver to Zayn ends the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There was a lot of talking on the show and a good deal of it was more about things to be announced later. That makes sense as we have a lot of time to get ready for the major shows, but it was still good enough to keep me interested. They have a lot more to do and Elimination Chamber is starting to come together, but or now, this was a nice enough follow up to the Rumble.

Results
Penta b. Ludwig Kaiser – Penta Driver
New Day b. LWO – Trouble In Paradise to Mysterio
Liv Morgan b. Iyo Sky via DQ when Rhea Ripley interfered
CM Punk b. Sami Zayn – GTS

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

It’s time for the first major show of the year and in this case I’m a bit more excited than usual. Granted that might be due to me having a ticked for the show but maybe I’m looking too deeply into that. Other than that, it’s the usual two match card, with the Men’s and Women’s Royal Rumble matches dominating the show. That should be enough to carry things so let’s get to it.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: DIY(c) vs. Motor City Machine Guns

Here we have one of the longer matches to help flesh out the card as this is 2/3 falls. In other words, there is no reason for this to be anything more than good, as you have two talented teams in a match that is basically built for them. They have a bit of a story too as DIY cheated the Guns out of the titles in an overdue heel turn. I can always go for more of the Guns, and we should be getting that here.

As much as I would love to see the Guns get the titles back in a great moment on a big stage, this seems like it is going to be DIY getting to the last all and then losing in the end, likely due to some cheating. That would make the most sense and give DIY a way out, though I’m not sure what is next for the Guns. Either way, this should be a heck of a match and that’s all it is supposed to be.

WWE Title: Cody Rhodes(c) vs. Kevin Owens

It’s a ladder match for two titles and my goodness it’s going to be insane to see the Winged Eagle Title on the line. This is a feud that is several months in the making and while there is always the chance for Owens to steal the title in something like this, Rhodes is still the biggest star in WWE and that should be more than enough to help carry him. I think you get where this is going.

Of course I’m going with Rhodes here, as we should be on the way to her having some kind of a major showdown at Wrestlemania. Owens has become a pretty standard Royal Rumble opponent and that is a nice thing to have around. There are going to be some big spots here and I could go for seeing what they pull off before Rhodes retains the title, as he should at the moment.

Women’s Royal Rumble

This match always has the same issue: the women’s division only has so much depth and it can become something of a problem. The names at the top are all more than solid enough, but the match doesn’t usually have enough big names to fill out thirty spots. They are getting better and better at it, but hopefully we get some more NXT names or legends to spice things up a bit this time.

As for a winner though, as annoying as it might be, this feels like Charlotte’s to win. Unless Becky Lynch is going to make one heck of a surprise return, Charlotte is just too big of a deal to overcome. If WWE is so obsessed with her getting sixteen titles (and they are), then we are going to be in for another of her big runs as she becomes the first ever two time winner of the women’s edition.

Men’s Royal Rumble

Now we get to the fun part as I’m really not sure where to go. This week’s Raw made it feel like winning the title shot was the biggest deal in the world and that is what we should be getting here. When you have people talking about how important the win is, it makes the match feel that much better and WWE has done a good job of making it work here, which is where things should be going.

I really have no idea who to pick here, as you could easily go with John Cena, but with Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, CM Punk and maybe even Sami Zayn, you have a heck of a field of options. That doesn’t even consider the idea of someone in the middle of the card jumping up as a surprise. That being said, as it’s his last chance, I’ll take what should be the safe pick and say Cena steals the win here. It sets him up as the all time record holder for Rumble wins (well tied at least) and sets him up for the big record setting title match. It’s a wide open field though and that is great to see.

Overall Thoughts

When I was watching Raw this week, the thing I kept thinking was “I have no idea who is winning the Men’s Royal Rumble” and I love that feeling. It’s just cool to have so may options and it makes the match that much more interesting. I’m curious to see where things go and if they are getting fans to feel that way, they are doing things exactly right for one of the most important shows of the year.

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 27, 2025
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Seth Rollins

It’s the last Raw before the Royal Rumble and that means we are likely going to be getting some last minute names added to the namesake matches. Other than that, Logan Paul is making his Raw debut and that should make for something interesting. We’re also getting the fallout from Saturday Night’s Main Event so let’s get to it.

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

Commentary welcomes us to the show.

Here is Seth Rollins to get things going. Rollins talks about how he’s going to win the Royal Rumble but he hasn’t had a good start to 2025. He remembers the debut of Monday Night Raw on Netflix and having the most humiliating loss of his career. Now though he is ready to win the Royal Rumble, but the question is what title he wants to go after. Maybe the Ring General Gunther, or maybe the American Nightmare Gunther.

Cue Gunther, who wants to know where Rollins has been. Gunther asks where Rollins has been because he’s been stuck fighting people like Jey Uso. He wants to know if Rollins still has it in him, even though he isn’t the greatest wrestler in WWE anymore. Gunther wants the old Rollins to come back and face him at Wrestlemania, just so Gunther can show him who the real World Heavyweight Champion really is.

Cue the debuting Logan Paul to interrupt and my goodness the heat on him is incredible. The booing is so loud that it’s hard to understand him as he talks about how these two are just average. Paul talks about how great he is and he’s officially in the Royal Rumble. It’s clear that he’s incredible at wrestling but now he gets to decide just who he faces for the title. Gunther likes the idea of facing Paul because he could slap the smirk off his face. Rollins says he’ll win and we’re done. Paul’s heat here was unreal and he came off like an absolute star in his first eight minutes or so on the show.

CM Punk isn’t worried about Paul because he’s going to win the Royal Rumble. He’d throw Cathy Kelly over the top if he had to but here is Sami Zayn to interrupt (with Kelly leaving). Zayn brings up Punk saying he wasn’t on his level last week but points out that he’s a Wrestlemania main eventer. Zayn walks off and runs into Karrion Kross, with Zayn not interested in anything he has to say. That’s fine with Kross, but what about what Zayn’s friends have been saying? Stop thinking with your heart and start thinking with your head. Cody Rhodes comes in and Zayn kind of blows him off.

Tag Team Titles: Judgment Day vs. War Raiders

The Raiders are defending and get jumped to start. The brawl is on with Erik fighting back, only to get caught with a jawbreaker into a neckbreaker. McDonagh hits a big moonsault out to the floor but bangs his head on the announcers’ table. Cole sounds scared about the landing and the fans applaud McDonagh as he gets up (that’s nice to see). Erik gets double teamed in the corner but gets out without much trouble, allowing the tag off to Ivar to pick up the pace.

A seated senton out of the corner hits Mysterio but Ivar misses a charge over the barricade. Erik powerbombs the villains into each other though, allowing Ivar to hit a flipping dive as we take a break. Back with Erik cleaning house, including a Boss Man Slam and a hard knee to Mysterio.

The springboard clothesline misses though and McDonagh headbutts Erik (McAfee: “Might as well have had a bicycle hit your face.”). Ivar goes up but gets suplexed down by McDonagh and cue Carlito to spit the apple. Mysterio hits a 619 so McDonagh can add the moonsault, setting up the frog splash for two. Erik is back up and the War Machine retains the titles at 11:35.

Rating: B. It took me a bit to get into this one but it wound up being a heck of a match with the power vs. the speed/cheating. The Raiders are doing fine as champions, but it’s hard to imagine that New Day isn’t going to be getting the titles at some pint in the future. McDonagh banging into the table was certainly a sight but thankfully he seemed to be fine.

Ludwig Kaiser comes up to Pete Dunne and they don’t trust Penta. New Day comes in and even Kaiser and Dunne don’t like them. Xavier Woods is ready to face Rey Mysterio tonight. Kingston: “Atlanta’s favorite son has come home!” Cathy Kelly: “Bron Breakker? Austin Theory? Cody Rhodes?” Woods: “NO!” Woods’ family is supposed to be here and they have front row seats…though he hasn’t heard from them.

Rey Mysterio vs. Xavier Woods

The LWO (including Zelina Vega, who is going to Smackdown this weekend) is here too, along with Kofi Kingston. They trade takedowns to start before Woods chops away in the corner. A running hurricanrana gives Mysterio a breather but Woods is right back with a middle rope stomp to the back of the neck.

We take a break and come back with Woods hitting a rather delayed vertical suplex for two more. Woods strikes away before dropping him face first onto the turnbuckle. A Code Red out of the corner gives Mysterio two but Woods sends him outside again. We pause for Woods to go see his family though….and they’re wearing NEW DAY SUCKS shirts. Woods and Kingston yell at them, allowing Mysterio to hit a 619 into the slingshot splash for the pin at 11:01.

Rating: B-. This is one of the better stories in WWE at the moment as New Day is going to start realizing that there are consequences for their actions. That opens up a variety of options and I’m really curious to see how it goes. For now though, it’s another nice match between two talented stars and I’m liking New Day losing given the situation.

Sami Zayn tells Seth Rollins that the Helluva Kick last week was a mistake and Rollins believes him. With the Royal Rumble coming up though, he can’t be so sure. They shake hands though and it seems to be ok.

We get a sneak preview of an interview with CM Punk, which will air during the Royal Rumble Kickoff. Punk is still elusive about the favor Paul Heyman owes him.

Here is Jey Uso, with a rapper name Cuevo, to say he needed that kind of a reception. He lost on Saturday because Gunther was that good. The reality is Uso can beat Gunther so now he has to win the Royal Rumble.

Lyra Valkyria enters the Royal Rumble. American Made comes in with Chad Gable suggesting that Ivy Nile will be the next Women’s Intercontinental Title. Valkyria says this is the closest either of them will get to being Intercontinental Champion but Nile seems to be in the Royal Rumble too. Then they see the Alpha Academy dancing for TikTok and Gable yells at them. Maxxine Dupri looks sad. This is a story that could be dropped without losing much of anything.

Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez vs. Naomi/Bianca Belair

Non-title. Morgan has to slip out of an early KOD attempt so she pulls Belair down by the hair. Belair nips up so Rodriguez comes in for a fight over a suplex. Naomi comes in and gets caught with a double Russian legsweep but gets sent into the corner for some running shots in the corner. It’s back to Morgan, who is taken down with a standing moonsault/legdrop combination for two. Everything breaks down and Naomi and Belair hit a high crossbody each.

We take a break and come back with Rodriguez front facelocking Naomi and swinging her around in quite the power display. A rather hard posting drops Naomi but she’s right back with a hanging Pedigree to the apron. Belair comes in for a suplex to Morgan, whose panicked face on the landing is quite the visual. Rodriguez is driven into Morgan in the corner so Belair can hammer away, only for Morgan to come back with a dropkick.

Rodriguez hits a chokebomb on Belair and powerbombs Morgan onto her for two. Naomi is back up with a slingshot X Factor for two of her own but Morgan is back up with the Codebreaker. The Oblivion is cut off though and Belair hits the KOD, only for Dominik Mysterio to offer a distraction. Naomi’s split legged moonsault connects with Rodriguez making the save and powerbombing her onto the apron. Morgan steals the pin at 12:32.

Rating: C+. This match felt long and I wasn’t getting interested in what they were doing. It wasn’t a bad match, but seeing the champions lose wasn’t exactly thrilling. In theory this sets up a title match down the line, though Naomi and Belair don’t exactly feel like a big time team in the first place.

Rhea Ripley is banged up after her match with Nia Jax but she reminded her why Mami is always on top. She doesn’t care who wins the Royal Rumble, so here is Bayley to tease a challenge. Ripley leaves so here is Iyo Sky to say she’ll see Bayley Saturday.

Since we’re in Atlanta, we look at Michael Cole beating Jerry Lawler at Wrestlemania XXVII in a match that should be erased from history. Pat McAfee rips Cole for his look in the match in a funny bit.

Penta says this is just the beginning so he’s in the Royal Rumble.

Royal Rumble rundown.

Here is Paul Heyman for a chat. He is the one behind the GOAT and the one behind the cover star of WWA (yes A) 2K25. We get the big reveal of the game’s cover and Heyman talks about how Reigns has all kinds of responsibilities to be the game’s cover star. Heyman says he is the one behind the one in 29 vs. 1 and now it is time for Reigns to get his WWE Title back.

Reigns is the biggest star in the world and when we colonize Mars, he’ll be the biggest star on that planet too. There are two stars in the Royal Rumble: Roman Reigns and 29 Roman Reigns wannabes. Those people get down on their hands and knees every night, praying to be Roman Reigns. Cue Drew McIntyre to interrupt and Heyman knows this isn’t good.

McIntyre says they never get to talk but the fans want Reigns. The reality is that McIntyre is responsible for all of Heyman and Reigns’ success. McIntyre won the Royal Rumble and WWE Title in 2020 and then Heyman was able to come back to work with Reigns. Heyman thanks McIntyre, but says McIntyre is crowding him. McIntyre backs up but asks for a favor: have Heyman tell his boy that McIntyre is coming for him at the Royal Rumble. Heyman says he’ll tell Reigns that, but McIntyre meant CM Punk. As usual, Heyman’s praise of Reigns was great, though McIntyre felt like a threat and that’s a good thing.

Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre

Dang they like running this match. McIntyre points out that he’s 10-0 against Zayn in singles matches so Zayn knocks him outside for an Arabian moonsault. Back in and Zayn wins a chop off before getting dropped with a shot to the face. Zayn fights up with a tornado DDT but McIntyre cuts him off on top. They go outside with McIntyre missing a Claymore and landing on the announcers’ table as we take a break.

Back with McIntyre hitting a spinebuster and sitout powerbomb for two each. Zayn is back up with a sunset bomb out of the corner for two of his own. The Blue Thunder Bomb is countered though and McIntyre sends him flying with a suplex. Now the Blue Thunder Bomb gets two but McIntyre catches him on top with the choke suplex. The Claymore misses and McIntyre is sent into the post, allowing Zayn to suplex him into the corner. The Helluva Kick misses though and McIntyre rolls him up with feet on the ropes for the pin at 14:24.

Rating: B-. It says a lot that they have an interesting story in the idea of Zayn chasing both a World Title and a win over McIntyre. That’s something similar to what he did in NXT and I could go for seeing it again. Good enough match here, even if the ending was a bit weak compared to what they have done before.

Post match McIntyre jumps him again but Cody Rhodes runs in for the save. Kevin Owens comes in to deck Rhodes and the brawl is on but Zayn’s Helluva Kick hits Rhodes by mistake.

We get a look at WWE2K25, featuring Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman.

Post break Cody Rhodes is looking up at the two WWE Titles hanging above the ring. He won the title at Wrestlemania and in the last seven months, he has found out that it’s a mindset that makes you a champion. Rhodes is ready for Owens but here is CM Punk to interrupt. Punk asks Rhodes if he’s ok because he knows what it’s like to be WWE Champion for a long time.

Around the 300 day mark, it started to wear on him and he started being someone else. Punk knows Rhodes wants to be Bruno Sammartino or John Cena and do everything but no one is Superman. Rhodes knows that Punk is his friend….right? Punk says of course he is but he sees the road Rhodes is going down. Being champion turns into a heavy is the head that wears the crown situation. Rhodes says we need to cut through all of this and get to the point.

Punk talks about how Rhodes is going to be in his hometown tonight but he won’t sleep because he has an early media call. Either way, he’ll be thinking about his match at the Royal Rumble and even if he wins, he’ll be criss crossing the country after that. It doesn’t matter what is next for Rhodes because there is always something else to do. He’ll see all of these people cheering his name and every kid wearing his merchandise, but there is always going to be in the best shape of their life and coming for him at Wrestlemania. The good news is that one day, someone is going to take the belt from him.

Rhodes: “Tell me the bad news.” Punk: “The bad news is that someone is going to be me.” Punk says that since he’s Rhodes’ one true friend, he’ll stab Rhodes in the front. Rhodes talks about meeting him at OVW and how everyone wanted to be Punk. There was a ten year period with Punk gone, even though the fans were still chanting for him.

Now though, things have changed again because now Punk is chasing Rhodes. He wants Punk to realize that he isn’t the best in the world anymore. A rather tense staredown ends the show. This was GREAT and you could feel the tension here, which is not something you can see with a lot of people. Rhodes and Punk feel like top stars and seeing them have this serious of a segment is a treat.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a show where the wrestling was good but that wasn’t the point. The majority of this show was about building up the Royal Rumble and, at least on the men’s side, my goodness did they hit that out of the park. There were all kinds of people talking about the match and they made it sound like the most important thing in the world. I want to see who is going to win the Royal Rumble because I’m not sure who is going to win it and what is next for everyone else. The rest of the show was good enough, but this was all about setting up the Royal Rumble and it worked very well.

Results
War Raiders b. Judgment Day – War Machine to Mysterio
Rey Mysterio b. Xavier Woods – Slingshot splash
Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez b. Naomi/Bianca Belair – Powerbomb onto the apron to Naomi
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn – Rollup with feet on the ropes

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 20, 2025
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole

We’re less than a week away from Saturday Night’s Main Event and less than two weeks away from the Royal Rumble. That means both shows are going to need a push, with Jey Uso challenging Gunther already set for this coming Saturday. Odds are we get some more set up for that and the Rumble tonight so let’s get to it.

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

Nia Jax jumped Rhea Ripley on the way into the building. I guess we’re doing this again.

Here is Jey Uso to get things going. After a long intro, Uso declares that he is now in this city but here is Gunther to interrupt. Gunther isn’t impressed, with Uso saying that he’s going to beat him and hang the World Heavyweight Title in his room. Gunther: “You really are a funny little man.”

Uso has talked about how he bets on himself every day and that had Gunther interested. Then he saw Uso coming out here and acting like a complete dork or a company mascot. Right now, Gunther might as well be fighting Jimmy Uso, which doesn’t have Jey happy. How long will Jey bet on himself?

Until Cody Rhodes or Roman Reigns need him? He is nothing more than a useful idiot and he doesn’t even realize it. Gunther promises to expose him on Saturday. Jey agrees that he is a mascot and the people here are his team. They ride with him and they’ll be there Saturday when he wins the title. Gunther is going to respect him because Jey is the one who main evented Wrestlemania. The fight is on and Jey superkicks him out to the floor. There isn’t much in the way of drama for the match, but this is a fine story to tell.

New Day runs into JBL, who they’re sure will understand them. JBL is the guest commentator for their match against Rey Mysterio tonight and pay him off. Kofi Kingston brings up JBL cutting the dead weight of Ron Simmons from the APA and JBL gets it. You have Big E. with all that muscle and charisma and everyone loves him and that leaves people to cheer Kingston….I guess. New Day isn’t impressed.

Bayley says she is officially back on Raw and ready for Nia Jax tonight. And she’s in the Women’s Royal Rumble. Jax comes in and…her mic isn’t on at first but says she’s going to win the Royal Rumble. Violence is teased but nothing comes of it.

Rey Mysterio vs. Kofi Kingston

JBL is on commentary and Xavier Woods is here with Kingston. Hold on though as New Day comes out in street clothes and say cut the music. Kingston is starting to get annoyed with all of this and wants his money back from JBL. Now it’s time for the match, and Kingston is going to wrestle like this. Kingston knocks him into the corner as JBL says he has to be behind Mysterio for the only time ever.

A running shoulder drops Mysterio as JBL says he had a 98.7 degree ever when he lost his retirement match to Mysterio. Mysterio gets sent face first into the apron and Kingston stomps away in the corner as the beating begins. A sunset bomb doesn’t work for Mysterio but he sends Kingston into the steps as we take a break. Back with Kingston working on the arm and taking Mysterio up top. That’s broken up, only for Mysterio to miss a springboard high crossbody.

A basement dropkick gives Mysterio two but Kingston’s top rope splash to the back gets the same. Mysterio fights back but gets tripped by Woods, who is knocked off the apron. The 619 connects but a slingshot splash hits Kingston’s raised knees. Kingston tries what looks to be the SOS, only for Mysterio to reverse into a cradle for the pin at 10:30.

Rating: B-. Maybe not a great match here, but I kind of like Kingston losing. The key to the New Day deal is that they are completely in denial about what happened with Big E. and no one (save for Wade Barrett so far) is on their side. All they have to do is talk about that again and maybe find someone who agrees with them and they’ll be fine. It’s a weird way to go, but it works.

Post match the beatdown is on but the LWO runs in for the save. New Day bails but comes back in to take out Joaquin Wilde.

We look back at Penta’s debut.

American Made isn’t happy with what happened last week and promise to win a bunch of titles. Chad Gable has someone to help him master lucha libre: Dominik Mysterio.

We look at Wade Barrett winning the first season of NXT nearly fifteen years ago in this arena.

Here is Sami Zayn for a chat. He’s in the Royal Rumble and that’s because it’s time for him to move into the top level of WWE. Zayn has done a lot of great things and he has had a great life and career. The difference between himself and the top stars is a World Title. He doesn’t need one to validate his career but 14 year old him wants a World Title and he is going to take it.

Cue Kevin Owens (uh oh) and Zayn looks like he’s seeing a ghost. Zayn says he knew it was a matter of time before Owens showed up, so how does he want to do this. Owens isn’t sure what he means and talks about Zayn teaming with Roman Reigns. Owens didn’t get it at first, but it makes sense because Zayn is a good guy.

They are closer than brothers and the one thing they haven’t done is main event Wrestlemania against each other. That can happen because Zayn can win the Royal Rumble and Owens can beat Cody Rhodes. Owens has Zayn’s back and he knows Zayn will have him if he needs it. That’s enough for Owens to leave and Zayn looks confused. It’s been done to death, but you know things are getting serious when these two get together.

Sheamus is ready to win the Intercontinental Title because it is the one title he has never won and it drew him to WWE in the first place. Bron Breakker comes in to hold up the title and says this is as close as Sheamus is getting to it. On Saturday, he’s going to beat him like an old man. Sheamus shoves him away and Breakker laughs.

In Memory Of Bob Uecker.

Bayley vs. Nia Jax

Roxanne Perez from NXT is in the front row. Bayley hammers away in the corner to start and grabs a DDT for an early two. Jax isn’t having that and headbutts her in the chest for two of her own to take over. Another knockdown sets up a release Rock Bottom out of the corner to plant Bayley again. Bayley breaks up the Annihilator though and knocks Jax outside, setting up an argument with Perez.

That’s enough for Perez to be dragged out by security and we take a break. Back with Bayley dropping an elbow for two and they fight to the apron, with Bayley hitting a sunset bomb into the post. Bayley’s Annihilator and a middle rope elbow get two each but Jax sends her into the corner for a running shoulder.

Bayley gets sent shoulder first into the post but the Annihilator is broken up again. They go up top and another sunset bomb gives Bayley two, setting up the best looking top rope elbow she’s had in a bit for the same. The pop up Samoan drop and a backsplash crush Bayley and the Annihilator finishes her off at 15:19.

Rating: B. They work enough together and that helps the fact that I’ve seen this match far too often. It’s a weird way to go to have Bayley move over to Raw and then lose in her first match, though Jax is getting ready for another showdown with Rhea Ripley. Kind of a strange way to go but the match was good.

Post match Rhea Ripley, still banged up, comes out for the brawl with Jax, with Jax getting in a splash. Security can’t break it up and the fight heads outside with Ripley knocking her through the barricade. Ripley gets the mic and issues the challenge for Saturday Night’s Main Event.

We look back at Damian Priest beating Finn Balor last week.

Chad Gable is in the back with the Judgment Day and talks about learning the secret arts of lucha libre from Dominik Mysterio. He gets the members’ names wrong and leaves, with the rest of the team (minus Balor) being sure Balor will like it. Liv Morgan and Mysterio seem to be ok, with Morgan having an idea.

We look at Lyra Valkyria winning the inaugural Women’s Intercontinental Title last week.

We get the annual Martin Luther King Jr. video.

We look at the Notre Dame football coach talking about being a big wrestling fan.

Sami Zayn comes up to Seth Rollins and says he appreciates their talk last week. Rollins is glad to hear it but they’ll both throw the other out of the Royal Rumble. Karrion Kross is shown smiling in the back.

Penta vs. Pete Dunne

We hear about their history in Rev Pro as they strike it out to start. Penta gets the better of things but Dunne goes after his fingers, which doesn’t go well as Dunne works on the fingers. Back up and Dunne tries a moonsault out of the corner but gets superkicked out of the air for his efforts. Penta gets knocked onto the apron though and we take a break.

Back with Penta hitting a reverse Sling Blade int a slingshot dropkick in the corner. A Death Valley Driver plants Dunne for two and a Canadian Destroyer sends him crashing out to the floor. One heck of a running flip dive to the floor hits Dunne but he’s fine enough to work on the fingers back inside. Penta backbreakers his way to freedom and it’s the Sacrifice to leave Dunne in more trouble. The Penta Driver finishes at 10:01.

Rating: B-. Penta has another good match and looks successful with the win. That’s all this should have been, if not a bit shorter, as Penta has hit the ground running on Raw. I could go for seeing something more from him, and WWE certainly seems to know there is something to him. Another solid match here, with Penta likely in for another one next week.

Logan Paul thinks it must suck to hate him because he’s just so good at everything. Why should WWE be any different? He makes his Raw debut next week.

Here is CM Punk for a chat in the crowd. After hitting his catchphrase, Punk is asked about the various ways to get to the main event of Wrestlemania. We hear about the stacked Royal Rumble field, so why is this one different? Punk says it’s because of history, like the history he made when he won the first main event of Raw on Netflix. He’ll make that same kind of history in two weeks, which is when the lights and pressure are on the most.

That is when he is at his best and he can’t see John Cena throwing him out. Roman Reigns needed his help at WarGames and he isn’t worried about anyone, from Sami Zayn to Drew McIntyre to Hulk Hogan (Jackie Redmond’s jaw dropped at that one). At the Royal Rumble, he’s settling debts and calling in a favor if he needs to. This felt like Punk was told “you’ve got two and a half minutes, talk about the Royal Rumble” and it worked fine. The Hogan line alone was gold, if nothing else for Jackie’s reaction.

Pure Fusion Collective vs. Damage CTRL

Baszler and Kai start things off before it’s quickly off to Stark for a great looking springboard missile dropkick. The villains take turns beating on her until Baszler grabs a choke. That’s broken up in short order and it’s Sky coming in to pick up the pace. The top rope dropkick hits Stark and the Bullet Train Attack gets two. Sonya Deville’s distraction slows things down though and Stark plants Sky. Baszler hits a running knee for two with Kai making the save. Sky knocks Baszler down again and hits Over The Moonsault for the win at 6:34.

Rating: C. Not much to this one, partially due to not having a ton of time. It doesn’t help that it feels like these teams have been feuding for a good while without getting very far. They might have something with the whole attack on Kairi Sane, but that might take some time to come up again.

Saturday Night’s Main Event rundown.

Video on Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre.

Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre

They shove each other to start before running the ropes. Rollins jumps over him but gets dropped with a shoulder to slow things back down. A Sling Blade puts McIntyre own on the floor though and Rollins is right there with the suicide dives. The third is countered into an overhead belly to belly suplex onto the announcers’ table though and we take a break. Back with Rollins in trouble but managing a victory roll for two.

A suplex is broken up and McIntyre is sent into the post a few times. Rollins wraps the arm around said post and hits a top rope knee to the head for two. A Swanton gets two more and Rollins takes him up for the superplex. McIntyre reverses into a Falcon Arrow for two but the Claymore misses. The Stomp is countered into a spinebuster for two but Rollins is back with a Falcon Arrow of his own.

The Pedigree doesn’t work for Rollins as McIntyre powers out and hits a hard clothesline. McIntyre goes up but dives into a crossface on the bad arm. The rope is grabbed for the save so Rollins yells a lot, only to get caught in a Futureshock for two. McIntyre slowly hits a clothesline but tries a second, allowing Rollins to roll him up for the pin at 17:00.

Rating: B. These two work well together and they’re two of the top stars on Raw at the moment. It was nice to see Rollins get a win back after last week and it isn’t like a loss is going to do much damage so close to the Royal Rumble. That match should change just about everything for everyone and this was a good way for two people to close out a show with a strong match.

Post match McIntyre attacks Rollins but here is Sami Zayn for the save. McIntyre headbutts Zayn down and goes after Rollins again, with Zayn’s Helluva Kick accidentally hitting Rollins. McIntyre leaves and Rollins stares at Zayn, who tries to calm things down as we go off the air.

Overall Rating: B. This was just over two and a half hours and that’s a nice enough sweet spot for the show thus far. Going three hours for a regular show doesn’t feel like the best idea so downsizing things a bit has been a nice treat. The Royal Rumble is in about two weeks and then everything is going to boost up into a higher gear. For now though, it’s another good Raw with solid action and enough things being moved forward at the right time.

Results
Rey Mysterio b. Kofi Kingston – Rollup
Nia Jax b. Bayley – Annihilator
Penta b. Pete Dunne – Penta Driver
Damage CTRL b. Pure Fusion Collective – Over The Moonsault to Baszler
Seth Rollins b. Drew McIntyre – Rollup

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 13, 2025
Location: SAP Center, San Jose, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re done with the big pomp and circumstance show last week and that means it is time to start getting on with the normal stuff. That’s what we’re going to be doing this week, along with getting ready for the Royal Rumble. Some of the names have already been filled in and now we get to do even more. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of last week.

CM Punk arrives in the back and does a hand to his ear before coming to the ring (with Michael Cole making fun of his Chicago Blackhawks). Punk gets into the ring and he thanks everyone who has been fighting the wildfires in southern California. With that out of the way, Punk brings up the Royal Rumble, where he came back last year but tore his triceps in the process. He thought his career was fading away and he couldn’t see (that’s a John Cena you can’t see me taunt) his dreams, but now he sees the Wrestlemania sign.

As for someone you can’t see, John Cena has declared himself for the Royal Rumble and now so has Punk himself. Then he’s going to win and point to the sign on the way to Wrestlemania….and here is Seth Rollins to interrupt (Punk isn’t happy, asking why it can’t be Rhea Ripley). Rollins says if he wasn’t a man of his word, all he would be is Punk. That gets a “but I’m still the winner right?” from Punk, but Rollins really isn’t pleased.

Rollins has lost all kinds of matches over his career but last week was the worst loss of his career. Rollins is ready to throw Punk out of the Royal Rumble and win, which Punk thinks is an easy way out since he couldn’t get a pin. Cue Drew McIntyre and Punk can’t believe this. McIntyre can’t believe someone could actually get worse, but Punk brings up what he did to McIntyre inside the Cell. Actually McIntyre was talking about Rollins, who says McIntyre can get in the ring and take a beating from him instead.

They all argue and Punk is ready to fight, with Rollins taking his jacket off. McIntyre comes towards the ring but then says no because he has no reason to do that. The bigger problem is Roman Reigns is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers, so he’s going to have to step up again and get the title before Reigns. Now that Reigns already has the “falafel”, it’s a matter of time before he wants the title again. McIntyre is in the Rumble too so he can keep Reigns from getting it. These three work so well together and having them all tie into a few stories makes things that much more interesting.

Chad Gable vs. ???

This is Gable vs. the best luchador that Adam Pearce can find and of course it’s Penta, which to be fair they didn’t exactly try to hide. Cole: “It was the worst kept secret in the business!” The fans are rather happy to see Penta who poses a lot before taking Gable down. Gable wrestles up and it’s a standoff as the fans are way behind Penta. A dive is loaded up but Gable cuts him off with a high angle suplex for two.

Gable hammers away in the corner but gets caught with a Cheeky Nandos Kick. The German suplex drops Penta on the apron and Gable starts in on the leg, which is wrapped around the post. Gable misses a swan dive though and gets sent to the floor, with Penta hitting a big running flip dive to the floor. Back in and a high crossbody gets two on Gable, who goes back to the leg to slow him down. The ankle lock goes on but Penta pulls him into the arm snap (the Sacrifice) and the Penta Driver (pumphandle driver) for the pin at 13:26.

Rating: B. Yeah this was a heck of a debut, with Penta feeling far more like a solo star than he ever felt in AEW. The fans were ready for him and he was presented as a major deal, which certainly made for a big impact. Penta worked hard here and Gable an work well with anyone, making this a very nice start to Penta’s new run in WWE.

Post match Penta thanks the fans in English and Spanish, saying this was a dream come true to be in his new home. This is the new Netflix Era, but it is the Penta Era as well. The fans are WAY into this as he does the catchphrase.

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez come in to see most of Judgment Day and they aren’t happy with Finn Balor. They talk about revenge and here is Dominik Mysterio with flowers for Morgan. She’s not mad at all, but he can go grab their bags from the car anyway. She throws the flowers to Carlito and says put them somewhere nice. Dominik: “I don’t think she’s mad at all.” Balor: “Man, you’ve got a lot to learn.” McDonagh is off to get a rematch for the Tag Team Titles. Mysterio as the confused goof is still great.

Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser

They strike it out to start and go to the floor to trade chops. Back in and the ten forearms to the chest are broken up so Kaiser can kick him into the barricade. We take a break and come back with Sheamus fighting up to hit the ten forearms. Kaiser goes to get the shillelagh but Sheamus knees him in the face for two instead. Back up and Kaiser manages a knockdown of his own before loading up a Brogue Kick. That doesn’t work either and Sheamus hits his own for the pin at 9:26.

Rating: B-. This is where Sheamus tends to shine, as they just had two people beat each other up for the better part of ten minutes. That’s all it needed to be, with Sheamus likely moving back into the Intercontinental Title scene. It’s a perfect spot for him, as he can easily be put into that spot with a win or two, which is exactly what he did here.

Post match Sheamus gets in a staredown with Bron Breakker (in the crowd) and shoving ensues.

Seth Rollins is ready to face Drew McIntyre next week. As Rollins goes to leave, he runs into Sami Zayn, who says he is here to talk if Rollins needs someone. Rollins thinks Zayn must have had a great week last week when Roman Reigns won Tribal Combat, which doesn’t sit well with Zayn.

Karrion Kross rants to Miz about the Wyatt Sicks being moved to Smackdown. Sami Zayn comes in to talk to Adam Pearce but Kross stops him, saying he found Zayn’s talk with Seth Rollins interesting. Miz says that if we’re talking about World Champions, we don’t need to worry about Zayn. That doesn’t work with Zayn, who is going to get a match with Miz tonight. Kross seems to approve, and laughs at Miz saying “we” have to deal with Zayn.

Here is Gunther for a chat. Gunther was impressed with the presentation last week but there were a lot of people arguing over things like being the Best In The World and being the Tribal Chief. The title is the only thing that matters and here is Jey Uso to interrupt. Jey is willing to come after that title and he’ll do it at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Gunther isn’t impressed and even though Jey is funny, he isn’t on Gunther’s level. The title match is on though. Gunther goes to leave but Jey cuts him off, saying that everything Gunther said is true. It’s true that Jey isn’t supposed to be here but he has bet on himself and is still trying to earn that respect. That’s what he’ll do at Saturday Night’s Main Event. That doesn’t feel like a major match, but I’m not sure it’s supposed to do anything more than get Gunther into a title match here rather than at the Royal Rumble.

Video on Lyra Valkyria vs. Dakota Kai.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Dakota Kai vs. Lyra Valkyria

For the inaugural title and we get some Big Match Intros. Feeling out process to start as commentary compares this to various important men’s Intercontinental Champions. Valkyria sends her outside but a dive is cut off. Instead it’s a nasty suplex to send Kai outside and we take a break.

Back with Valkyria cranking on the arms and kicking her away for two. Kai’s scorpion kick is countered into a powerbomb which is countered into a hurricanrana. The Kairorpactor gets two on Valkyria but she’s back with a running sitout powerbomb for two. Back up and the GTK connects on Valkyria, who rolls outside for the save. Kai misses the running kick in the corner though and gets caught in something like a running Randy Orton backbreaker. The Nightwing makes Valkyria the first champion at 8:27.

Rating: B-. I could have sen this one going either way so having Valkyria win is certainly not a crazy pick. She’s been looking for that big win since she got to the main roster and this more than counts. Kai was already a lot further than anyone would have reasonably expected her to get in the tournament so this is hardly some terrible loss. Good match here, but the moment of the title win is the important part.

Post match Adam Pearce presents Valkyria with the title and we get a hug of respect.

Miz vs. Sami Zayn

Miz takes him into the corner and hammers away before mocking Zayn’s theme music. A quick ax handle gets Zayn out of trouble but Miz elbows him down. More mockery ensues but Zayn hammers away to cut if off. Zayn suplexes him down for two and grabs a quickly broken full nelson. Back up and the Helluva Kick into the Blue Thunder Bomb finishes Miz at 4:08.

Rating: C+. I like the short run time here, as sometimes there is just no reason for a match to go that long. Zayn is the bigger deal right now and he defeated Miz without stretching things out longer than they needed to go. Perfectly nice match here, especially with the rare moment of Zayn winning with the Blue Thunder Bomb.

Also set for Saturday Night’s Main Event: Bron Breakker defends the Intercontinental Title against Sheamus.

Here is Rhea Ripley to brag about being Women’s Champion again. She’s back on top and even though she sounds like a broken record, here she is. Cue Nia Jax to interrupt, saying she’s here as part of the transfer window and can’t take listening to this anymore. She’s going to win the Royal Rumble and take whichever title she wants.

Tiffany Stratton might think she’s at the top, Ripley might think she’s on top, and Bayley, at ringside….why is she here? Bayley reminds Jax that she’s from here so Jax throws in some more mocking, which is enough for Bayley to get in the ring. This might not be Bayley’s show but it is her city and the fight is on. Jax shoves both of them down but a quick double team sends Jax bailing. Hopefully this isn’t a long term thing, as Ripley has already beaten Jax enough times.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including New Day returning to the ring and an appearance by JBL.

Video on Damien Priest vs. Finn Balor.

Damian Priest vs. Finn Balor

Street Fight and Balor jumps him from behind with a kendo stick to start fast. Priest is back up with his own stick shots and a flapjack puts Balor down. The lifting Downward Spiral sends Balor face first onto the announcers’ table and it’s time for a less talkative table. They fight into the crowd where Balor beats on him with a trashcan.

Priest hits him with the same thing and they go into another part of the crowd, where Balor gets in a chair shot. The fight heads up into the fans and a Falcon Arrow sends Balor crashing through a table. We take a break and come back with Priest in the ring and Balor being taken out on a stretcher. That doesn’t work for Priest, who wheels Balor down the aisle and into the ring (nice visual), for a heck of a clothesline.

Carlito and JD McDonagh runs in for the beatdown and Balor gets a near fall. Another table is loaded up but the War Raiders run in for the save, leaving it one on one again. Balor unloads with a bunch of chair shots but Priest gets in South Of Heaven for two. Back up and Balor double stomps him through a table on the floor but Priest gets in a drive through the barricade. Priest razor’s Edges him through a table and another South Of Heaven gives Priest the pin at 17:16.

Rating: B. This felt like a run of the mill street fight but then they cranked it up to another level to make it work that well. That’s all I can ask for out of something like this and it made for a good showdown. It should be the final match between the two of them as Priest got the big win, which hopefully wraps things up. Nice hard hitting brawl here and that’s all you could want out of it.

Overall Rating: B. This worked rather well and part of that was due to the show going just over two and a half hours. It prevented the show from feeling like it was stretched out for the sake of extending the show, and that made things so much better. That’s a nice change of pace and I liked what we got on the show, with a solid Penta debut and a good main event, plus some big additions to the Royal Rumble. Positive show this week as we get closer to the normal.

Results
Penta b. Chad Gable – Penta Driver
Sheamus b. Ludwig Kaiser – Brogue Kick
Lyra Valkyria b. Dakota Kai – Nightwing
Sami Zayn b. The Miz – Blue Thunder Bomb
Damian Priest b. Finn Balor – South Of Heaven

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 6, 2025
Location: Inuit Dome, Inglewood, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s a new era as we are officially on Netflix, which could make for a heck of a change of pace. The show is not going to have a fixed runtime and this is more or less going to be the pay per view of the month. That alone should make for a special night, but there are likely going to be some guest stars and maybe some debuts as well. Let’s get to it.

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

Earlier today, a bunch of people came to work.

We get a special video, with HHH talking about the story of wrestling being like an artist’s canvas before moving over to television. We see some paintings of Hulk Hogan and Andre (which HHH refers to as “the face and the heel”) and various famous clips (including some from WCW), as HHH says the screens get smaller but the stories get larger. Presenting the never ending story of WWE, with the camera pulling back to reveal a heck of a montage of tars painted on a mat.

The curtain, which the video was playing on, falls from around the ring and HHH is standing inside. HHH says let them hear you louder than ever before and asks if we’re ready. Welcome to the Netflix Era. This was a spectacular opening, as no one in the world can hype up its own history like WWE.

And here’s the Rock to get things going. After a very long intro, Rock talks about how he used to watch wrestling as a kid, but now it’s a lot easier to watch, especially on Netflix. We get the official announcement that this is the largest arena gate in WWE history, for about the fourth time in the last year. Rock thanks some Netflix executives, as well as Cody Rhodes, who is in the crowd for some reason. Rock: “Tell Mama Rhodes the Rock said hello.” He puts over the Tribal Combat match and talks about what it means to be a chief in their family before saying it’s time to start the show.

Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa

Tribal Combat, meaning anything goes, for the title of Tribal Chief and Paul Heyman is here with Reigns. After a break, they start fast with the slugout with Reigns knocking him out to the floor. Back in and Reigns hammers away against the ropes, only to get sent outside. Sikoa sends him over the announcers’ table with Spinning Solo. Sikoa hits him in the head with the steps and then sits on them as we take a break.

Back with Sikoa unloading with a chair and then wrapping it around Reigns’ neck. The running Umaga Attack misses though and Reigns chairs him down but a Conchairto misses. Spinning Solo onto the chair gets two but Reigns fights back up. The spear connects for two, with Tama Tonga pulling the referee out.

Cue Jacob Fatu to lay Reigns out, with the implant DDT into the moonsault getting two. The referee gets taken out but here are Sami Zayn and Jey Uso to brawl with the Bloodline. Reigns hits a spear for a delayed two from another referee but here is Kevin Owens with a Stunner for two on Reigns. The package piledriver is loaded up by cue Cody Rhodes to brawl with Owens. Reigns hits the spear to put Sikoa away at 23:27.

Rating: B. This never quite made it up to the next level, but it was a nice street fight style match with some good interference to make it better. Reigns beating Sikoa is a major result and what matters is that it should be either the beginning of the end of the new new Bloodline or the end of the storyline entirely. Reigns getting the win is what matters here and I could go for seeing what they have going on next. For now though, Reigns beats Sikoa and that should wrap up some things for now.

Post match Heyman loads up the Ula Fala but here is the Rock to give it to Reigns instead.

The Royal Rumble is officially coming to Riyadh next year.

Various wrestlers, like Rey Mysterio, LA Knight and the War Raiders are in the crowd.

Here is John Cena for a chat as the Farewell Tour officially gets going. Cena hypes up how smart the fans are and they know their audience just got a lot bigger. He thanks the fans and Monday Night Raw for letting him stand in the ring in jorts one more time. Cena is ready to start his farewell tour and lists off some potential opponents, like CM Punk and Cody Rhodes. The other question people are asking is when he’ll become the 17 time World Champion, but he’s not seeing it.

Cena is on a streak of over 2,400 since he won a singles match (Cena: “Yeah.”) so the World Title is not in the cards. He has a better chance of winning an Oscar and….well….that’s not going to happen either. The only chance he has to get a title shot is to win Money In The Bank or the Elimination Chamber or….the Royal Rumble. Maybe he could do that! It would be a great way to thank the fans and if you know him, nothing is impossible. The only time they say never is when they say never give up. He’s in the Rumble. Cena had this crow in the palm of his hand and his last Rumble is a going to be a special moment.

Video on Logan Paul, who is in the crowd.

More wrestlers and celebrities (including Macaulay Culkin, who gets a ROAR) are here. Danielle Fishel (Topanga from Boy Meets World is here, sitting next to Will Friedle (Eric from Boy Meets World), the latter of whom is not acknowledged whatsoever.

Raw Women’s Title: Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley

Ripley is challenging. They start fast with Ripley hammering her out to the floor. Ripley wastes no time in tossing her over the announcers’ table and we take a break. Back with Morgan stomping away but Ripley muscles her up. A half and half suplex gets two on Morgan but she’s back with a Backstabber.

Ripley is back with Riptide for two and Dominik Mysterio offers a distraction, allowing Morgan to hit Oblivion onto a chair for a rather near fall. Three Amigos into the frog splash get two on Ripley, but she blocks another Oblivion. Back to back Riptides finish Morgan at make Ripley champion again at 11:29.

Rating: C. This was about Ripley getting to smash Morgan for good to win the title back, which is exactly how it should have gone. There comes a point where Morgan can only escape so often as she’s no match for Ripley one on one. The match was only so good as Morgan could only do so much, but what mattered was the result and it went well.

Post match, Dominik tries to hug Ripley and gets kicked low. Ripley goes up the ramp…and here is the Undertaker on the motorcycle to pay tribute to her. They do the double raised fist pose.

Chad Gable and American Made want Adam Pearce to get the best luchador for next week.

As the Rock left, he talked to various people, including HHH (who he leaves hanging on a handshake) Paul Heyman, Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, naturally with his bottle of tequila in his hand. Oh and he’ll be at NXT tomorrow night. Ignore him driving away after drinking tequila.

More celebrities are here.

Jey Uso vs. Drew McIntyre

Uso comes to the ring with Travis Scott and Cole dances to the Yeet song on commentary in an amazing bit. McIntyre powers him into the apron to start as commentary recaps everything that McIntyre has been going through lately. They get inside for the opening bell with McIntyre chopping away in the corner, only to get powerbombed down.

McIntyre fights back and tries the Claymore, only to get kicked in the face for his efforts. Back up and a DDT is blocked, allowing McIntyre to hit a Futureshock for a near fall. The spear gives Uso a rather delayed two but another attempt is blocked. Back up and a quick Claymore gives McIntyre two so he loads it up again, only to get reversed into a crucifix for the pin at 10:22.

Rating: C+. The result is a bit of a surprise as McIntyre has been mowing his way through people lately but just gets pinned here. That should send McIntyre further over the edge, which is a good thing, but I’m not sure what his end game is here. A match with Roman Reigns would make sense, but him losing like this isn’t the best way to set something like that up. Uso doesn’t have much else going on either, but he might have to deal with the Bloodline after getting involved earlier.

Video on Gunther.

Comedian Gabriel Iglesias is cut off by New Day, who aren’t happy that they aren’t getting time on the show. They’re told they’re out of time and Iglesias leaves with the Alpha Academy.

Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman are happy with their win and ready for a celebration. Reigns says it’s on for January 27 and they go into a room marked WWE2K25.

More wrestlers and celebrities are here and it’s Hulk Hogan out for a chat with Jimmy Hart. He promotes his beer and plugs Raw on Netflix, with the fans NOT being pleased.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins

They waste no time in going to the fighting and it’s already on the floor early on. Rollins sends him into the barricade and yells at the referee to LET IT RIDE, which he seems willing to do. Punk backdrops him into the crowd with Rollins getting the better of things, only for Punk to punch him out of the air. They head back inside, where Rollins misses a quick Stomp attempt.

The GTS is broken up as well so Rollins chokes away in the corner and goes up. That’s fine with Punk, who grabs as super swinging neckbreaker for a breather. We take a break and come back with Punk hitting some running knees in the corner and the swinging neckbreaker drops Rollins again. Rollins is favoring his neck as he rolls to the apron, with Punk hitting a neckbreaker over the ropes.

The suicide dive drops Rollins again and they head back inside, where Rollins rolls through a high crossbody into a GTS of his own send him back outside. Rollins mocks Punk a lot so Punk comes back with a Stomp for two of his own. Punk’s GTS is countered into another one from Rollins and they go outside again.

This time a GTS onto the announcers’ table is countered into a Pedigree to drop Punk. Back in and a Pedigree gives Rollins two, meaning they both need to breathe. They slug it out from their knees until Rollins grabs a Buckle Bomb into the Stomp…but Punk gets a foot on the rope. Back up and Rollins tries the Falcon Arrow but Punk reverses into back to back GTS’s for the pin at 19:54.

Rating: B+. This might not have been an all time classic but Punk can still hang in the ring with just about anyone. It worked well here and Rollins has to go back to square one, which should mean a run in the Rumble. Punk very well may be doing the same thing and gets a nice feather in his cap on the way there.

Rollins is bleeding from the eye to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The show was far from perfect, but they had a lot of special moments to cover rather than just being a regular week. So much of this was about establishing that they were on Netflix and showing the fans what they have to look forward to around here. The opener and main event were both good and the two matches in between were fine enough, while the feed (at least the one I was watching) was perfect. This might not have been a classic, but it was a show that set up the new platform and it could have been FAR worse. Just ask Hogan.

Results
Roman Reigns b. Solo Sikoa – Spear
Rhea Ripley b. Liv Morgan – Riptide
Jey Uso b. Drew McIntyre – Superkick
CM Punk b. Seth Rollins – GTS

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