The John Report: WWE Raw Deal 01/26/26 Review
It’s WWE Monday Night Raw featuring AJ Styles and Gunther, a 4-team tag team match, and Bron Breakker chatting with Adam Pearce, and more.
The Royal Rumble is this Saturday, January 31st, so there will probably be more people talking about how they are going to win. Saturday Night’s Main Event was two days ago, and I enjoyed the show immensely. Tonight’s Raw is in snowy Toronto. I’m about two hours west of there, but I wasn’t going to make the trek even though I’ve seen many shows there. We’ve had a terrible winter storm in the province (and a lot of the US is dealing with it too), so I stayed home for this show.
This is the Raw Deal for episode #1705 of Monday Night Raw. It’s taking place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario. Follow me on Twitter/X @johnreport. Let’s get to it.
There was some pre-show footage shown of Stephanie Vaquer, The New Day, and The Vision with a returning Bron Breakker. Michael Cole said it was sold out with 17,853 fans in attendance.
The commentary team was Michael Cole and Corey Graves. Lilian Garcia was filling in for Alicia Taylor as the ring announcer.
Let’s Hear from AJ Styles
The “Phenomenal” AJ Styles made his entrance to cheers. He’s against Gunther at the Royal Rumble, and if Styles loses, then he must retire.
There were cheers and fans chanting “AJ Styles” before Styles said a word. Styles welcomed us to Raw. Styles said there’s a man in the back who will claim that it’s the last time Styles will ever say it. Styles said that Gunther claims he’ll end AJ’s WWE career at the Royal Rumble. Styles said that’s his plan, but AJ isn’t going anywhere. Styles said he didn’t hide it from you because he said 2026 will be the year he retires. Styles wanted us to enjoy his upcoming retirement together. Styles said that 2025 was the year of John Cena’s retirement and there’s no reason why 2026 can’t be his year. Styles said there are guys in the locker room that he wants to wrestle one more time, and he wants to be World Champion one more time. Styles isn’t saying that Gunther isn’t any good, but what Styles is saying is that Gunther is not phenomenal.
The World Heavyweight Champion, CM Punk, interrupted the promo. Punk and Styles are around the same age and go back about 25 years before they were in WWE, so there’s a lot of history here. The fans cheered for Punk on his way into the ring. After Punk’s “Cult of Personality” song ended, the fans kept singing it, and then they chanted “CM Punk” for the champ.
Punk said he has known this man for 20+ years. Punk said that they have nothing but respect between them. Punk asked Styles what is he doing? Punk said if it doesn’t go your way, then the Phenomenal One’s career is over. Punk said they’ve got a lot of gas in the tank and there are still a lot of moments to make in front of these people. Punk did his line about how great it is to be alive in Toronto on a Monday night. Punk thinks about the entirety of their career, and the stakes are too high. Styles wondered if Punk thinks that Styles will lose to Gunther. Punk said we saw Styles beat Gunther, but his hand wasn’t raised. Punk mentioned that if Styles loses, then they might never have a match in a WWE ring. Punk looked at the fans because he wanted them to urge Styles to have the match tonight. The fans picked it up by saying, “Fight Tonight.”
Styles said he knows he can beat Gunther, and he knows he can beat Punk. Styles said that if Saturday doesn’t go AJ’s way, then he doesn’t get to prove if he can beat CM Punk. That led to Punk sarcastically saying he didn’t know what to do. Styles said let’s just say if they do fight tonight and Styles beats Gunther then Styles is the number one contender for that World Championship. Punk agreed to it. Punk said he won the title on November 1st, and he said he’s going to be a fighting champion, so Punk said if they do this tonight in Toronto, it’s going to be for the belt. The fans cheered loudly. The fans cheered loudly. Punk recapped it and made the match. They shook hands.
Analysis: I love that. I am a huge fan of both guys, so doing it as the main event on Raw is an awesome idea. I also don’t want AJ Styles to retire at the Royal Rumble if he loses, but it might happen. I am sure many of you reading this are aware that Shinsuke Nakamura posted about it on social media, saying Styles told him he was retiring at the Royal Rumble. I hope that is wrong and that Styles changed his mind so that he can stick around longer. Since they did the Styles/Nakamura match on Saturday and now the Styles/Punk match tonight, it makes me think Styles will go through with the retirement on Saturday at the Royal Rumble. Anyway, I think Styles and Punk did a great job of setting up their match. Punk was hinting at it as soon as he got there, so it took a few minutes for them to get it. Sounds great to me.
A video aired recapping Saturday Night’s Main Event from Montreal.
The Judgment Day trio of Raquel Rodriguez, Liv Morgan, and Roxanne Perez made their entrance for tag team action. They went on a break for some fans as the trio of women killed some time around the ringside area. A WrestleMania 42 commercial aired.
Stephanie Vaquer was up first for her team as the Women’s World Champion. She was joined by the Women’s Tag Team Champions – Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky. These three women got big ovations from the crowd.
Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky & Stephanie Vaquer vs. The Judgment Day – Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez
Five of the women in this match are in the Women’s Royal Rumble match. All of them except Vaquer, who is the champion. The heels took control against Sky early on as Perez sent Sky into the turnbuckle. Liv stomped on Sky and Raquel hit elbow smashes on Sky. After Sky broke free, Vaquer tagged in with a dropkick and a clothesline. Vaquer hit a leg drop on Liv. Vaquer hit a suplex on Liv. Raquel got the tag and punted Vaquer in the ribs to stop a Devil’s Kiss attack on Liv. They went on a break for some fans and I’ll take a break too as the J-Day ladies worked over Vaquer for a few minutes.
The J-Day trio was in control, with Perez hitting a springboard moonsault on Vaquer for two. Vaquer tried to break free, but Liv crawled under the ring and Liv pulled Sky off the apron. Perez prevented Vaquer from making the tag. Raquel attacked Ripley from behind by shoving her into the steel steps. Vaquer broke free with a backbreaker on Liv. Sky got the tag against Perez as Sky hit uppercuts, a flapjack, a dropkick on Raquel and Sky kicked Perez in the face. Sky went up top and hit a missile dropkick, followed by a kip up and the fans were cheering loudly for her. Sky hit the double knee attack against the turnbuckle. Sky went up top, jumped off for a moonsault, Liv pulled Perez out of the way and Sky landed on her feet. Sky hit a backbreaker on Perez. Perez did some eye gouging while the referee wasn’t looking. Liv tagged in for a Codebrekaer/legsweep combo on Sky for two. Sky created space to bring in Ripley, who hit Liv with clotheslines and a fallaway slam across the ring. Ripley headbutted Raquel and gave Liv a Razor’s Edge into Raquel. Ripley slammed Raquel into the knee, followed by a lariat. Ripley superkicked Raquel. Ripley went up top and hit a missile dropkick to knock Raquel out of the ring. Ripley hit Liv with a forearm. Liv kicked Ripley and hit a Tornado DDT off the turnbuckle for two because Sky made the save. Perez slammed Sky face-first into the mat, and Vaquer hit Eat Defeat on Perez. Raquel hit a big boot on Vaquer. Raquel charged, Vaquer ducked and Raquel bumped over the top to the floor. Vaquer jumped off the top and onto Raquel with a cross body block. Ripley blocked Oblivion by Liv and Perez made a blind tag. Perez hit a chop block on Ripley. Ripley blocked a double team move as Sky hit a missile dropkick on Liv. Ripley hit Perez with a headbutt and a Riptide on Perez for the pinfall win. It went about 12 minutes.
Winners by pinfall: Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky & Stephanie Vaquer
Analysis: ***1/2 That was a great match. They did a nice job of building the match with multiple babyfaces as the face in peril in the match, Ripley got the hot tag and the last few minutes had a lot of action. There were several nearfalls throughout the match, which helped build the excitement. This was similar to the regular tag team match at SNME with four of these six women, so it wasn’t a surprise that it was still an awesome match with Vaquer and Raquel added to it. Keeping Ripley strong by getting the win makes sense as a finish.
A recap was shown of last week’s Raw when CM Punk beat Finn Balor in a great match to retain the World Heavyweight Title.
CM Punk was shown backstage. Finn Balor walked up to say that it was the greatest night of his career, and Punk picked up Balor after the match. Balor said thank you. Punk said to be the best in the world, you have to face the best and beat them. Punk said that Cena retired, Styles is thinking of retiring, and there aren’t a lot of guys like them left. Punk said that Balor has to think about his future, and maybe the best thing for him is to dump The Judgment Day because you can’t be the best hanging around bums like Dominik Mysterio. Punk told Balor that if he wants a rematch, then win the Royal Rumble, and Punk will see him at WrestleMania in Vegas.
Analysis: I think this is going to lead to Balor breaking free of The Judgment Day and becoming a babyface again. The obvious storyline they can do is have Balor break free, and then he can take the IC Title off Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 42. I think the fans would love it, and it would be good for both guys.
The Vision made their entrance. Austin Theory was in his wrestling gear while the others were not. They went on a break for some fans as The Vision walked around the ring for a few minutes.
A video aired promoting the WWE 2K26 Deluxe Edition with Paul Heyman suggesting ideas to Triple H for the cover. At the end of the video, Triple H appears on the WWE 2K26 Deluxe Edition cover.
The Vision Talks To Adam Pearce
Paul Heyman spoke as The Vision’s Bron Breakker, Logan Paul, Bronson Reed, and Austin Theory (in ring gear) stood with him. The fans booed heavily as Heyman tried to go through his promo. Heyman called Toronto a second-class city, which drew boos. Heyman said he brought the hottest prospect of 2026, 2027 and 2028 – Austin Theory. Heyman also introduced the Master of the Tsunami, Bronson Reed. Logan Paul was next as Heyman called him the single most famous personality on the planet today and the fans booed loudly. Heyman ended the introductions by mentioning Bron Breakker as the fans barked like a dog for him. Heyman said that Bron was there to have a face-to-face meeting with Raw GM Adam Pearce. Heyman cued up why this was necessary.
A clip was shown of two weeks ago when Pearce spun Bron around to say that he was tired of him. Heyman said that Pearce put his hands on Bron first an that doesn’t belong from a GM. Heyman showed another clip of Pearce planting the brass knuckles on the apron for Rey Mysterio last week, and Rey punched Theory with the brass knuckles to give Penta the tag team match win. Heyman called out Pearce to the ring.
Adam Pearce walked out to the ring to no music. There were boos from the fans. Heyman told the fans to boo Pearce, so a lot of fans did as Pearce got into the ring.
Pearce said he’s not here to make excuses, and he’s not sorry for wearing his heart on his sleeve. Pearce admitted that things got out of hand because he put his hands on Bron first. Pearce apologized for it. Bron laughed. Pearce pledged that it will not happen again. Pearce said he lifted Bron’s suspension and said Bron is officially in the Royal Rumble match. Heyman said good deal and wanted a handshake. Pearce didn’t shake the hand. Pearce also told Logan Paul, Bronson Reed, and Austin Theory that they are in the Royal Rumble. Pearce said that he thinks Theory needs a chance at redemption against a Hall of Famer, so Pearce put Austin Theory in a match against Rey Mysterio.
Analysis: It was an easy resolution to the entire situation with Pearce lifting Breakker’s suspension and putting The Vision into the Royal Rumble, as you would expect. Putting Theory in a match also made sense since he was dressed in his wrestling gear while the other guys weren’t dressed to compete.
Rey Mysterio made his entrance to a big ovation. Rey was joined by Dragon Lee and Penta. Rey shook hands with Pearce. They went on a break for some fans as the match began.
Austin Theory (w/Logan Paul, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed & Paul Heyman) vs. Rey Mysterio (w/Dragon Lee & Penta)
Theory sent Rey out of the ring, and Theory sent Rey into the barricade. Back in the ring, Theory grabbed an armbar on the left arm. The match returned from the break for some fans as Rey hit a springboard hurricanrana. Theory hit a running elbow smash to knock Rey down. Rey came back with a dropkick to the leg and a kick. Theory slammed Rey onto Theory’s knees. Theory applied a chinlock, Rey broke free and kicked Theory into the ropes. Rey charged, but Theory bailed to the floor. Rey jumped onto Theory and gave Theory a headscissors into the ring post. Rey jumped off the barricade with a seated senton on Theory on the floor. They went on another break for some fans as Theory regrouped on the floor. When Theory went into the ring, Rey sent him out of the ring. Theory slammed Rey face first into the top of the steel steps. Theory hit a backbreaker.
Rey broke free and jumped off the rope with a springboard attack, but Theory stopped that with a forearm. Theory hit a spinning slam across the ring. They went to the ropes, where Rey sent Theory over the top to the floor. Rey gave Theory a hurricanrana into the ring apron. Lee checked on Rey, which led to a fight with Penta and Lee kicking the Vision guys. Reed slammed Lee into the barricade. Logan tripped up Penta on the apron. Rey kicked Logan on the floor. Rey was leaning in from the apron, and Theory hit The Stomp on Rey for the pinfall win after about 11 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Austin Theory
Analysis: *** It was a good match with some chaos at ringside, which led to the finish. Rey was busy helping his friends on the floor, so Theory capitalized with The Stomp for the win. Since Theory lost last week in the tag team match, it wasn’t a surprise to see him win here.
After the match, Bron Breakker attacked Penta in the ring, and Lee tried to help, but Logan punched Lee. Bron hit a Spear on Lee. Logan hit his Paul From Grace splash off the top. The Vision tried to attack Rey, but the referee was telling them that Rey was hurt. Bron hit a Spear on Penta. Reed went up top and hit a Tsunami on Penta. Cole was complaining about how there was no security there to try to stop these guys. Bron ran the ropes and hit a Spear on Penta. There was no security or officials there to stop, but it just ended.
Natalya was featured in a video saying that Maxxine Dupri failed her. Natalya said that this is a whole new me. Natalya said when she’s done with Maxxine, she’s coming for it all. Natalya said that elevates, but Nattie decimates.
Analysis: I am so glad that they have brought this Nattie character to Raw. I hope she gets a push as this heel character.
Raquel Rodriguez was walking backstage, Bayley was on the phone and yelled at Raquel that she was on the phone. Lyra Valkyria showed up to support Bayley. Raquel kept walking and got into a fight with Stephanie Vaquer. There were officials there to break that up quickly.
Je’Von Evans was interviewed by Byron Saxton, and they were on the floor in the back part of the arena. Evans said that he’s all good and nothing happened to his shoulder. Evans said that sometimes he’s a little too excited. Evans said he feels good and he’s ready to focus on what is next. The fans were chanting, “Let’s Go Blue Jays” because Evans was wearing a Red Sox hat. That’s funny. Evans said he had a goal to main event WrestleMania, so he’s in the Royal Rumble, and he’s excited about it.
Analysis: Great chant by the fans. I support that. I also like Evans a lot. I would advise Evans not to wear a Boston Red Sox hat in Toronto. It’s not as bad as if it was a LA Dodgers hat, though. Just saying.
A video aired about Roman Reigns returning for the Royal Rumble. He is back after two months away.
Gunther Interview
There was an interview shown of Gunther talking to Michael Cole in the Toronto Raptors locker room earlier in the day. Cole asked why didn’t Gunther want a regular match with Styles, and why did he have to make it a career match for Styles? Gunther said he wanted to make it more interesting by making Styles put something on the line. Gunther said he’s sick and tired of the old timers overstaying their welcome, chasing one moment after another. Gunther said those moments belong to him. Gunther said he took away Bill Goldberg’s moment. Gunther said that with John Cena, they are going to talk about how he gave up to Gunther in his very last match. Gunther said that AJ Styles had this idea of a farewell tour, but Gunther wasn’t interested. Gunther said that the moments belong to him. Gunther said Michael Cole is an old timer, and he wondered how long he would stick around chasing for another moment. Gunther said he could kick Cole’s chair away and end his career right now. Gunther told Cole he wants him to call the match on Saturday and hear Cole say that the career of AJ Styles is over. Gunther laughed.
Analysis: It was the usual Gunther promo about how he likes taking away moments from other wrestlers, and he likes retiring them. That’s the character that he has become in the last six months or so, and it’s working in terms of getting him more heat.
A video aired about CM Punk and AJ Styles, showing highlights of their careers. That match is coming up.
Jey Uso made his entrance in the back part of the arena. Jey is one-half of the World Tag Team Champions with his absent brother Jimmy Uso. The fans were Yeeting along with Jey as usual. There was a 4-way tag team match next, and Jey made his way down to the ringside. Jey did some more posing for the crowd as the show went to a break for some fans.
Raw GM Adam Pearce was talking on a phone backstage. When the call ended, Finn Balor walked up to Pearce, saying he wanted a spot in the Royal Rumble. Pearce said that Balor got his title shot last week and the Rumble is full with 30 participants. Balor didn’t like that and said this isn’t over. Balor walked down the hall where he saw Liv Morgan standing there. Liv Morgan didn’t like what Balor was doing with CM Punk and said The Judgment Day is his family. Balor said it wasn’t as straightforward as it seems and he needed to figure this out.
The great Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors was at ringside with the Raptors title belt. Good ovation for Scottie. That’s my team. They’re doing well. Go Raps!
WWE World Tag Team Championships #1 Contender’s Match: The Creed Brothers – Julius & Brutus vs. Los Americanos – Rayo & Bravo vs. Alpha Academy – Otis & Akira Tozawa vs. The New Day – Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods (w/Grayson Waller)
There are two legal men in the match. First fall wins. It was fast-paced to start the match with a bunch of quick tags. Julius clotheslined Tozawa. The Creeds each hit overhead suplexes. The Creeds cleared the ring, so Brutus jumped off the top with a Brutus Ball on their opponents on the floor. The Creeds sent Otis into the steel steps. The show went on a break for some fans, so I’ll take a break too.
New Day was in control of Tozawa, with Kofi hitting a leg drop to the back of the head for two because Rayo made the save. Tozawa blocked a moonsault attempt by Kofi. Rayo (Pete Dunne) tagged in with stomps on Tozawa’s back. Bravo (Tyler Bate) went for a charging attack, but Tozawa avoided it and Tozawa hit a hurricanrana. Tozawa was able to avoid attacks by The Creeds. Bravo did an airplane spin and Tozawa hit a missile dropkick. Otis got the hot tag to a big ovation. Otis unleashed on everybody with clotheslines, a back body drop and a corner splash on Woods and Bravo, who landed on Woods in a precarious position. Otis did a Caterpillar elbow on Julius for two because others broke it up. Tozawa hit a double DDT on Brutus and Kofi. Tozawa hit a German Suplex on Rayo. Tozawa hit three suicide dives in a row to knock down all three teams. Tozawa hit a spinning kick on Kofi. Woods distracted the referee, so Waller tripped up Tozawa on the top turnbuckle. Otis knocked Waller off the apron and Jey superkicked Waller at ringside. Otis hit a back elbow on Kofi and a clothesline on Woods. Brutus sent the Americanos out of the ring. Otis slammed Julius onto Brutus. Tozawa got the tag and jumped off the top with a Senton Bomb on Julius for the pinfall win after about 12 minutes.
Winners by pinfall: Alpha Academy – Otis & Akira Tozawa
Analysis: ***1/4 A good match with Alpha Academy getting a rare win. I don’t remember the last time they won, so at least it’s a result that you might consider to be a surprise. The New Day were the most established team here, so I thought they might win, but I’m fine with Otis and Tozawa getting the win. It was an entertaining match with all four teams coming close to winning before Otis and Tozawa got the win.
After the match, Jye Uso was on the apron as Otis and Tozawa touched fists with him as a sign of respect.
Becky Lynch was interviewed by Jacke Redmond, who was in a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey and Lynch insulted it. Lynch spoke about how it sounded like Natalya was coming after and then Lynch claimed she was going to win the Royal Rumble. Asuka and Kairi Sane showed up, with Sane telling Lynch that she’s not ready for Asuka. Lynch said she’s been ready for Asuka lots of times. Asuka said she’ll see Lynch in the Royal Rumble and Lynch said she’ll see Asuka there.
AJ Styles was backstage talking to Je’Von Evans, who said he wants to see Styles on the farewell tour. Styles shook his hand and said he’ll see him. Styles continued to get ready for his match.
Byron Saxton was talking on camera during a break for some fans. Raquel Rodriguez interrupted to say that Stephanie Vaquer has been ducking her. Raquel claimed that Vaquer is scared of her. Raquel said she will not finish until she gets Vaquer one-on-one, and Raquel will take that Women’s World Championship. Raquel shouted that they should make the match. Raquel left.
Analysis: The Stephanie-Raquel feud has been pretty good, and I liked the intensity that Raquel showed in that promo.
Stephanie Vaquer approached Raw GM Adam Pearce, saying she wants to face Raquel Rodriguez and she wants a fight. Pearce said next week on Raw, Vaquer will face Rodriguez in a Philadelphia Street Fight for the Women’s World Title. I like that.
There was a rundown of the Royal Rumble card.
* AJ Styles vs. Gunther – If Styles loses, then he must retire
* Undisputed WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Sami Zayn
* Men’s Royal Rumble Match
* Women’s Royal Rumble Match
The Vision was shown in their dressing room. Logan Paul said that nobody can stop them, and they are a well-oiled machine. Logan said that since they had an advantage, they needed to make sure that one of them leaves the Royal Rumble as the winner. Logan said he thinks Bron Breakker should be the winner. Reed and Theory said they agreed. Logan said that is The Vision. Heyman tapped Breakker on the shoulder, and Breakker said nothing.
Analysis: The Vision laid it out for us right there. I think Bron Breakker will be a popular pick to win the Royal Rumble match. That might be my pick. I’m leaning towards Bron to win, but I may go with Roman Reigns or somebody else.
CM Punk made his entrance as the World Heavyweight Champion at the top of the third hour. They went on a break for some fans as Punk walked around the ring and interacted with the fans. Punk greeted the announcers at ringside, along with some fans at ringside.
A video aired about the former 2-time NXT Champion Oba Femi destroying people in NXT. At the end of the video, it said “Royal Rumble.”
Analysis: I am excited to see Oba Femi’s main roster debut in the Royal Rumble match. I think he’s going to throw out a lot of people and maybe interact with somebody like Brock Lesnar to set up a WrestleMania match.
AJ Styles made his entrance for what could be his final match on Raw because his career is on the line at the Royal Rumble on Saturday. Cole mentioned they were in a tag team match together in 2003 and then met in the ring later that year. Cole said they teamed up for the first time earlier this month at a WWE live event. Graves put over how influential they were for a generation of fans and wrestlers. Lilian Garcia did the in-ring championship introductions.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk vs. AJ Styles
This is the third time in the last four Raw episodes where Punk is putting the World Title on the line. That is truly a fighting champion. Punk is 47 and a 7-time WWE World Champion, while Styles is 48 and a 2-time WWE Champion.
There were some basic holds exchanged and Styles got a crucifix pin for a two count. Punk did a leapfrog, leading to some elbows to the back. Punk chopped Styles and hit a knee drop. Punk hit an atomic drop, but when he bounced off the ropes, Styles hit Punk with a dropkick. Styles was on the apron, where he hit Punk with a sliding knee to knock Punk down. They went on a break for some fans as the action continued. Styles sent Punk into the barricade. The fans were chanting for both guys as Styles sent Punk sternum-first into the turnbuckle. Styles kicked Punk in the back, followed by a chinlock.
There were some basic holds exchanged and Styles got a crucifix pin for a two count. Punk did a leapfrog, leading to some elbows to the back. Punk chopped Styles and hit a knee drop. Punk hit an atomic drop, but when he bounced off the ropes, Styles hit Punk with a dropkick. Styles was on the apron where he hit Punk with a sliding knee to knock Punk down. They went on a break for some fans as the action continued. Styles sent Punk into the barricade. The fans were chanting for both guys as Styles sent Punk sternum-first into the turnbuckle. Styles kicked Punk in the back, followed by a chinlock. Punk sent Styles into the turnbuckle for a sternum bump. Punk hit a neckbreaker. Punk hit the running knee and a bulldog. Punk hit a Shining Wizard knee for a two count. Styles hit Punk with some strikes, along with a clothesline and a forearm. Styles hit a jumping clothesline against the turnbuckle. Punk clotheslined Styles for a two count. Punk went for a GTS, but Styles blocked it and Styles hit the Ushigoroshi slam onto the knee for a two count. The fans chanted, “This is awesome” for them. They went to the turnbuckle, where Punk wanted a superplex, but Punk countered with a front suplex off the turnbuckle. Punk jumped off the top with an elbow drop for two. Punk applied the Anaconda Vice submission on the arms and Styles got out of it. Punk hit Styles with multiple shoulder tackles to the ribs. Punk went for a knee smash, but Styles caught him looking for Styles Clash. Punk got a hold of the ropes, so Styles hit a knee to the back. Styles tried a sliding knee again, but Punk avoided it and caught him. Punk hit a GTS on Styles on the floor. Punk went back into the ring, and Styles got back in the ring to beat the ten count. When Styles got back into the ring, he got a rollup for two. Styles hooked Punk’s arms, and Styles hit a Styles Clash for a two count. Good nearfall, of course, because it is AJ’s finisher. Styles went to the apron and went for the Phenomenal Forearm, but Punk hit the top rope to knock Styles down. Punk and Styles exchanged strikes as Styles connected with forearms and a kick to the chest. Punk came back with forearms, so Styles hit the Pele Kick. Both guys were down selling as the fans got into it more. Styles was back up, he went for a lift, but Punk blocked it and Punk’s lift didn’t work. Punk lifted up Styles by the turnbuckle and Finn Balor ruined the match with a dropkick. The referee called for the bell to end the match. It went about 19 minutes.
Match Results: No Contest/Disqualification
Analysis: ***3/4 CM Punk and AJ Styles were on their way to having a four-star plus main event level match, but then Finn Balor ruined it. Punk and Styles had great chemistry for two guys who hadn’t had a match in many years. They are grizzled veterans who know what they are doing out there, so it’s not a surprise that they had an entertaining match. I thought Punk would win, but maybe WWE didn’t want to have Styles lose a match before the Rumble, so that’s why Balor was used to cause the cheap ending.
After the match, Punk was against the barricade, so Balor hit Punk with two dropkicks into the barricade. Back in the ring, Balor went up top and hit a Coup de Grace double foot stomp on Punk. Balor went up top and hit Coup de Grace on Punk again. Balor went up top and hit a third Coup de Grace on Punk. As Balor posed over Punk, Cole reiterated what Punk said to Balor: “What do you want your legacy to be?” Balor posed while Punk was down selling on the mat.
Analysis: It makes me wonder if the plan is to add Punk-Balor to the Royal Rumble card since Balor was told the Rumble match was full.
This week’s Raw had a runtime of 2 hours and 26 minutes on Netflix. That’s the same as last week.
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Three Stars of the Show
- AJ Styles
- CM Punk
- Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky & Stephanie Vaquer
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The Scoreboard
7.5 out of 10
Last week: 7.75
2026 Average: 7.56
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Final Thoughts on WWE Raw
It was a pretty good show with a strong main event involving CM Punk and AJ Styles, even though it ended abruptly with Finn Balor ruining the match. It adds a twist to the Balor story because it looked like he was on the babyface path after last week, but now he’s still in that heel role. I really hope Styles isn’t retiring at Royal Rumble, it certainly is a possibility.
The other matches on the show were well done. I liked the women’s tag a lot, and seeing Otis/Tozawa get a win was a nice surprise.
I think WWE could have done a better job of making us care about the Men’s and Women’s Royal Rumble matches more. It’s nice to have the announcers say that a wrestler is in the Rumble, but let’s hear from the wrestlers talking about why it’s so important for them to win. Put the Rumble over as a bigger deal, please. Instead, it just feels like it’s just another match taking place on Saturday. At least The Vision was in that segment where they said that they will work together to help Bron Breakker. The show needed more of that – people talking about winning the Rumble. It’s not a new concept, but it should be something they know how to do better than what was done on this show and in the last few weeks.
The WWE Royal Rumble takes place this Saturday, January 31st, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
* Men’s Royal Rumble Match
* Undisputed WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Sami Zayn
* Women’s Royal Rumble Match
* AJ Styles vs. Gunther – If Styles loses, then he must retire
The Royal Rumble streams live on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, exclusively on ESPN in the United States and Netflix internationally.
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Thanks for reading. Please check out my reviews of every WWE PPV ever listed in order. Go Toronto Raptors and Toronto Maple Leafs. My contact info is below.
John Canton
Email [email protected]
Twitter/X @johnreport