Reviews

The John Report: WWE Raw Deal 01/27/25 Review

By John Canton • Published 27th January 2025
WWE Raw Deal January 27

It’s WWE Raw featuring The War Raiders against Dominik Mysterio & JD McDonagh, Drew McIntyre facing Sami Zayn, Cody Rhodes in his hometown, Logan Paul is officially on Raw, and more.

The WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event special took place two days ago and it was a solid show overall. On the Raw side, Gunther, Bron Breakker, and Rhea Ripley retained their titles, which isn’t much of a surprise. The Royal Rumble is this Saturday, February 1st meaning a lot of wrestlers are going to be doing promos about how they are going to win. I’m looking forward to it and I’ll have a preview up later in the week.

This is the Raw Deal for episode #1653 of Monday Night Raw. It’s taking place at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Follow me on Twitter/X @johnreport, friend me on Facebook, or chat with me on the Bluesky App as well. Let’s get to it.

The Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes was shown walking around with wife Brandi and daughter Liberty since it was Cody’s hometown. They also showed Bianca Belair & Naomi walking around, there was also Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan. Sami Zayn was walking backstage since he’s in a match with Drew McIntyre, who was also walking around backstage.

The Raw commentary team of Michael Cole and Pat McAfee were at ringside to welcome us to the show. Pat recapped the match results from Saturday Night’s Main Event while saying tonight in Atlanta, the stars are out.

Let’s Hear from Seth “Freakin” Rollins

Seth “Freakin” Rollins made his entrance wearing some gigantic sunglasses and a flowery style suit as the fans sang Seth’s song on his way to the ring. The center of the ring has the WWE logo in the middle of it while sponsors were on the sides. The announcers mentioned Rollins won the Royal Rumble in 2019 and he is in this year’s Rumble match as well.

Rollins welcomed us to the show while going over his nicknames. Rollins said it’s his favorite time of year because it’s WrestleMania season which kicks off this Saturday when Rollins wins the Royal Rumble. Rollins admitted the year got off to a bad start (he threw his giant sunglasses off) when he suffered the biggest loss of his career against CM Punk. There were “CM Punk” chants. Rollins said it made him think about who he is and who he wants to be. Rollins said he doesn’t stay down for nothing because he stands up. Rollins talked about how when he’s the most focused version of himself, there is nobody on this planet better than him. Rollins spoke about his path of redemption that started last week when he beat Drew McIntyre. Rollins said he’s tossing them all out – John Cena, Jey Uso, Drew McIntyre, Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns. Rollins said that he wanted to throw out CM Punk last to crush his WrestleMania dreams to dust.

Rollins spoke about how when he wins the Royal Rumble, what title should he go after? Rollins said we know Gunther is just holding onto that title until Rollins decides to go after it again. Rollins mentioned the Undisputed WWE Championship held by the “American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes. Rollins said it would be poetic to take the title that he helped Cody win last year. Rollins asked if he should face Cody Rhodes and the fans cheered, but here comes Gunther.

Analysis: It was a confident Seth Rollins as usual. Seth as a babyface is full of confidence and does a nice job of getting excited at the right time. He is also good to start off the show with because he’s done it so many times over the years.

Gunther walked into the ring with the World Heavyweight Title around his waist. Rollins asked if Gunther was keeping it warm for him. Gunther wondered where Rollins has been the last few months. Gunther bragged about beating the “clown” Jey Uso in San Antonio so the fans chanted “yeet” at Gunther. Gunther talked about how Seth has been busy whining and complaining about his soap opera drama. Gunther told Rollins to focus on winning the Royal Rumble while saying he was unsure if Rollins had that in him. Rollins told Gunther that the World Title wouldn’t exist without him. Rollins said that title is that Rollins made so it’s synonymous with him. Rollins told Gunther he’s not Jey Uso, Damain Priest or Finn Balor and Gunther said he knows who he is. Gunther told Seth he is one of the best wrestlers who has stepped foot in this company and created so many moments for these fans. Gunther told Rollins it is 2025 and Seth isn’t the best wrestler in this company while saying that he is the best wrestler because this title around his waist proves it. Gunther told Rollins to win the Royal Rumble and challenge Gunther for the World Title at WrestleMania. Gunther said that Seth will be looking at the lights while realizing the name synonymous with the World Title is his name…Gunther.

Logan Paul made his entrance as an official member of the Raw roster and the fans booed the former US Champion. Logan ripped up a fan’s “Conor > Logan” sign so that was funny. Logan joined Gunther and Seth in the ring as the fans booed loudly.

Logan said that you two think you’re special and unique. Logan said that you command respect because you’re great at wrestling while Logan said he is great at everything. Logan said that this company needs a new face that is oozing with charisma and confidence while saying these two “Nimrods” don’t have it. The fans booed Logan loudly while chanting “You suck” and Logan said that they have hit their ceiling while he was climbing the stairs. Logan told them to worry about the guy who built a WWE career faster than them both. Logan said that he is entering the Royal Rumble while claiming he’s going to work smarter, not harder. Logan said that meant he had to be the last one in there. Logan said he’s going to main event WrestleMania meaning he can choose Cody Rhodes or Gunther.

Gunther said that he changed his mind because he wanted Logan to win the Royal Rumble so that Gunther could embarrass him by slapping the stupid smirk off his faith. Rollins said that the only person that’s getting embarrassed is Gunther if Seth decides to take back his title.

Analysis: Good promo work by Gunther teasing a match with Rollins, which might happen at some point, but I don’t know if that’s a WrestleMania match this year. Logan Pual is absolutely hated by the WWE fans, which is not a new thing. Logan tried to talk through it, but the fans wouldn’t stop and it was tough to hear some of what Logan was saying. Those promos were typical of what we get a lot in WWE this time of year with people talking about how they are going to win the Rumble. It feels repetitive at times, but

CM Punk was interviewed backstage by Cathy Kelley while Punk said he was planning to throw everybody out of the Royal Rumble. Sami Zayn interrupted saying he heard Punk say that Zayn isn’t on his level. Zayn said that they aren’t on the same level because Zayn is a WrestleMania main eventer while Punk is not. Zayn said he’d see him in the Royal Rumble and left.

Analysis: Nice job by Sami Zayn with trash talk for CM Punk that was accurate.

Sami Zayn walked down the hallway where Karrion Kross spoke to Zayn saying that everybody knows that Zayn’s kick on Rollins was an accident. Zayn told Kross he didn’t need this. Kross said that Rollins said that Zayn needs to do more for himself instead of everybody else. Kross said it could be Zayn against his best friend Kevin Owens at WrestleMania. Kross told Zayn to recognize there’s a world of opportunity at his feet. After Kross left, Cody Rhodes walked up to Sami and shook his hand.

Analysis: I like this gimmick of Kross where he tries to cause chaos by getting in the heads of other wrestlers and getting them to do devious things. Zayn is a good guy, but maybe he’ll go back to his heel ways again.

The World Tag Team Title match was up next so we saw both teams getting ready.

The duo of Grayson Waller and Austin Theory were interviewed by Jackie Redmond at ringside. This was one of those interviews during commercials for some fans. Theory said that he’s the best thing that ever came out of this city. Waller claimed they are the two biggest stars in this building. Waller said they’re not here to take part, they’re here to take over.

A commercial aired about WrestleMania 41 tickets are on sale now.

They showed actor Noah Centineo of “The Recruit” at ringside. Rapper Lil Yachty was at ringside and rapper 2 Chainz was also there. Atlanta’s own rapper Quavo was also at ringside with the Smoking Skull WWE Title. New Raw superstars Austin Theory and Grayson Waller were shown at ringside. American Made’s The Creed Brothers were also at ringside.

World Tag Team Championships: The War Raiders – Erik & Ivar vs. The Judgment Day – Dominik Mysterio & JD McDonagh

There was a flurry of offense by The Judgment Day to start the match after they sent Ivar out of the ring and worked over Dominik. JD did a moonsault onto Ivar on the floor and the back of JD”s head hit the commentary table. That was a scary bump so Cole called for somebody to check on JD. The referee did check on JD and JD seemed to assure him that he was fine. Erik broke free to bring in Ivar, who hit a back body drop on JD and a spinning slam to Dominik. Ivar hit a cross body block on Dominik. JD charged leading to Ivar sitting down on the upper body. They left the ring where Erik caught Dominik and gave him a Powerbomb into JD. Ivar jumped off the barricade onto both opponents. This was action during the break for some fans as Dominik made the tag without Ivar seeing it, so Dominik hit Ivar with a forearm to the back. JD tagged in for a double team belly-to-back suplex. JD grabbed a headlock as the show returned from a break for some fans.

Dominik tagged in with a senton splash over the top. Ivar hit an impressive double back elbow to knock both opponents down. Erik hit an overhead suplex on Dominik and a spinning slam. JD was in the ring, so Erik lifted him up leading to a knee to the back of the neck. Erik hit a uranage slam on Dominik. Erik hit a running knee with a hard slap of the leg for a two count because JD made the save. Erik dumped JD out of the ring. Ivar was back in, Dominik broke free and Ivar hit a knee on JD leading to Erik hitting a knee to the head. The Raiders made quick tags to set up a double team move, but JD rolled out of the way. JD headbutted Erik followed by Ivar kicking JD in the face. The announcers liked making JD giant head jokes. JD pulled Ivar off the turnbuckle leading to a belly-to-back suplex for two. Dominik went up top, Ivar moved out of the way of a splash attempt and Ivar hit a spinning heel kick. JD distracted the referee, so Carlito tripped up Erik on the apron and Carlito spit an apple in Ivar’s face. Dominik hit a 619 kick on Ivar. JD tagged in and hit a moonsault on Ivar. Dominik tagged back in and hit a Frog Splash off the top for two because Erik tackled JD onto the pin attempt to break up the pin. The fans were chanting “this is awesome” for them. Erik dumped JD out of the ring. Ivar punched Carlito off the apron. Erik made a blind tag and Ivar jumped off the ropes for a clothesline into a German Suplex called the War Machine double team move. Erik covered Dominik for the pinfall win after 12 minutes.

Winners by pinfall: The War Raiders – Erik & Ivar

Analysis: ***1/2 I thought that was a great match. Shoutout to JD for taking that brutal bump on the table outside the ring and continuing the match. There was plenty of offense for The Judgment Day throughout the match and I liked that nearfall when Carlito interfered to try to help his buddies win. I didn’t expect Erik & Ivar to lose since they just won the titles last month and I think they’ll have a reign for a few months at least. The final few minutes were great with the fans getting into it and it was a fun match overall.

UPDATE:JD McDonagh posted after the show that he had a couple of broken ribs and a punctured lung but he was “good.” That sounds brutal and it also shows how tough that man is. Best wishes to JD recovering from that in the coming months.

Pete Dunne was walking backstage when Ludwig Kaiser walked up to him saying he saw things didn’t go his way last week. Kaiser said somebody should show this guy how we do things around here. The New Day walked up to them to chat, but Kaiser & Dunne left.

Cathy Kelley interviewed The New Day with Kofi saying that there was biased officiating last week. Kofi said that Atlanta’s favorite son had come home so Cathy said Bron Breakker, Austin Theory and Cody Rhodes, but Woods meant himself. Woods said that he was going to beat Rey in front of Xavier’s mother, father, and sister. Kofi asked if they were there yet. Woods said he hadn’t heard from them yet, but they won’t want to miss it. The New Day left.

Rey Mysterio made his entrance with his LWO buddies Zelina Vega, Joaquin Wilde, and Cruz Del Toro because Rey was in action up next.

The New Day’s Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods did a promo on their way to the ring. Woods claimed he was the best thing to come out of this city. Kofi said he’ll bring you something Kirk Cousins couldn’t do by bringing them a win. This was one of those promos during a break for some fans.

They showed rapper Lil Baby at ringside. There was also rapper Killer Mike at ringside. A lot of rappers in this city.

Xavier Woods (w/Kofi Kingston) vs. Rey Mysterio (w/Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro & Zelina Vega)

The family of Woods were not seated in their ringside seats. Cole said that Zelina Vega has been sent to Smackdown starting on Friday via the transfer window. I guess that means we’ll see her returning husband Aleister Black on Smackdown too.

Rey hit a springboard cross body block. Woods knocked Rey down with a shoulder tackle. Woods worked over Rey with uppercuts. Woods worked over Rey with chops so Kofi wanted the announcers to show respect to Woods for what he was doing. Rey kicked Woods followed by a hurricanrana. Rey went for a sunset flip, but Woods blocked that and trapped Rey against the ropes. Woods hit a double foot stomp to the back of Rey’s neck. That’s where they went to a break for some fans as the action continued here. Woods kicked Rey from the ring apron to the floor. Rey tried to fight back, but Woods shoved Rey into the side of the apron. Woods set up Rey on the turnbuckle followed by Woods teasing some mask ripping, but then he stopped. Woods grabbed an armbar as the match returned for all fans watching.

The match continued with Rey and Woods exchanging punches. Woods blocked Rey trying a slide, which led to Woods hitting a delayed vertical suplex for two. Rey got some offense going with a senton splash off the top along with a headscissors. Rey worked over Woods with punches, but Woods tripped up Rey by the turnbuckle. Woods teased a superplex, Rey avoided that and hit a Sunset Flip Powerbomb. Rey hit a Code Red for a two count. Rey dropkicked Woods into the ropes. Woods left the ring, Rey went for a charging attack and Woods shoved Rey back-first into the commentary table. Woods finally saw his family at ringside, so it was his father, mother, and sister. Woods wondered where they had been. The family all had “The New Day Sucks” shirts and Lil Yachty had that shirt on too. Xavier’s sister threw a shirt at Woods. Rey sent Woods into the ropes followed by a 619 kick. Rey hit his slingshot Dropping The Dime splash for the pinfall win after 11 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Rey Mysterio

Analysis: ***1/4 A good match that was also about the story involving Xavier Woods and his family disrespecting him because The New Day guys are jerks. Woods and Kofi are doing an excellent job of being heels who are absolutely hated by the fans. I think at some point Woods and Kofi need to get some cheap wins because they are losing too much. I don’t mind Rey winning a match like this because it made sense for the story.

After the match, Rey greeted Xavier Woods’ family at ringside. Rey put on a “The New Day Sucks” shirt in front of Xavier’s family.

A clip was shown from last week when Sami Zayn accidentally kicked Seth Rollins because he was aiming for Drew McIntyre, who moved out of the way.

Sami Zayn was in the locker room where Seth Rollins showed up for a chat. Zayn said it was a mistake. Rollins said that you need to understand why people might be hesitant to believe that it was a mistake because of whatever Zayn has going on with Roman Reigns. Rollins warned Zayn saying if he does something like that again then maybe people won’t believe it was a mistake. Zayn said he understood, they did a bro hug and Seth wished Zayn good luck in his match later.

There will be an interview with CM Punk on the Royal Rumble countdown show. A brief clip was shown with Punk saying that people teasing about the favor that he asked Paul Heyman about.

Jey Uso made his entrance with the rapper Quavo in the crowd and they went down to the ring together. The fans loved it as usual. This went on for a few minutes, so it was probably during a break for some fans. The announcers Cole and McAfee were doing the “YEET” gesture a lot as well.

Let’s Hear from Jey Uso

Jey Uso did a promo from the commentary table and he thanked the fans for their support. Jey said that you saw what happened on Saturday night when he lost. Quavo told him to dust it off. Jey said that the ring general was that good, but Jey said he knows he can beat him. Jey spoke about how Seth Rollins and Gunther both have his name in their mouths. Jey said he’s going to win the Royal Rumble. Jey said he’s going to go on to main event WrestleMania and become the new World Heavyweight Champion and his name is “Main Event” Jey Uso. The fans cheered.

Analysis: It’s the typical “I’m going to win the Royal Rumble” promo that we see a lot all month long. I don’t think Jey Uso is going to win the Rumble, but the fans love the guy. Maybe Jey will be one of the first two entrants so the 60,000 fans can do his full entrance full of the “YEET” gesture.

There was an interview during the break where Pat McAfee interviewed Xavier Woods’ sister, mother, and father. Pat asked them questions, so they mocked Woods. Pat said “holy s**t” when he saw Lil Yachty and asked if Yachty would step into the WWE ring. Yachty said you never know and said Rhea Ripley is what matters to him. The fans popped for that.

Lyra Valkyria, the Women’s Intercontinental Champion, was interviewed by Jackie Redmond backstage. Lyra said she’s declaring for the Royal Rumble. Chad Gable and his American Made group showed up with Gable saying Ivy Nile is taking the Women’s IC Titel for the team. Lyra said that this is the closest they’ll ever get to an Intercontinental Title. Nile threatened Lyra and left.

American Made walked down the hallway where they saw Alpha Academy’s Otis, Tozawa and Maxxine Dupri doing some TikTok dancing videos. Gable said that they should be embarrassed, and Nile trashed Dupri as American Made left.

Bianca Belair & Naomi vs. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez

The team of Belair & Naomi are the Women’s Tag Team Champions, but this was not a title match. Belair & Naomi are defending the titles on NXT against Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson

Belair tried a power move, but Liv broke free and Liv did a hair pull takedown. Raquel tagged in leading to Raquel hitting a running splash. Belair jumped over Raquel, Naomi tagged in and the champions did a double team legsweep and a double elbow drop. Raquel knocked down Naomi with a shoulder tackle. Liv was back in for her team to knock down Naomi, but Naomi came back with a jumping kick. Belair was back in with a moonsault/leg drop double team move. Raquel saved Liv from a double attack, which led to a brawl. Naomi hit a cross body block on Liv and Belair hit a cross body block on Raquel. They went to a break for some fans as the heels retreated to the floor. Raquel worked over Naomi with a forearm to the back. Naomi used her legs to try to knock Raquel down, but Raquel blocked that. Raquel hit a suplex for two. Liv tagged in with a spinning head slam into the mat. Raquel worked over Naomi with stomps. Raquel applied a bearhug to Naomi as the match returned for all fans watching at home.

The match continued with Raquel hitting a clothesline on Naomi for two. They left the ring where Raquel sent Naomi face first into the ring post. Raquel choked Naomi across the top rope. Naomi kicked Naomi in the head followed by Naomi using her knees to drive Raquel face first into the apron. Naomi hit Raquel with an enziguri kick. Belair tagged in against Liv with a dropkick and a suplex. Belair hit a running shoulder tackle on Liv. Belair jumped over Raquel and Belair splashed both opponents. Belair worked over both opponents with punches. Belair sent Raquel out of the ring and Belair hit a spinebuster on Liv. Belair did a handstand off the ropes leading to a moonsault on Liv for two. Belair went up top, jumped off, Liv avoided it and Liv hit a dropkick. Raquel was back in with a spinebuster on Belair and Raquel slammed Liv onto Belair for a two count. Raquel went for a lift, Belair landed on her feet and Naomi tagged in leading to Naomi jumping over the top with an X-Factor for two. Raquel caught Naomi leading to a fallaway slam. Liv jumped off the top with nothing because Belair moved and Liv hit a Codebreaker double knee attack. Liv tried for Oblivion, but Belair caught her and Belair hit the KOD slam. Dominik Mysterio was on the apron to distract the referee, so there was no count on the cover. Naomi got the tag while Belair jumped onto Dominik on the floor. Naomi hit a split-legged moonsault off the turnbuckle for just two because Raquel pulled Naomi off the apron. Raquel hit Naomi with a Texana Bomb on the apron and Liv did a one arm cover on Naomi for the pinfall win after about 13 minutes.

Winners by pinfall: Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez

Analysis: ***1/4 It was another fun tag team match with a chaotic finish because of Dominik Mysterio getting involved. I thought the teams worked well together. The win by Liv & Raquel means they should get a title match against Belair & Naomi soon as long as Belair & Naomi remain the champions.

Rhea Ripley, the Women’s World Champion, was interviewed by Cathy Kelley backstage. Ripley admitted she was a bit banged up after her match with Nia Jax, but she reminded Jax why Mami is always on top. Ripley said she didn’t have any predictions for the Royal Rumble match. Ripley said if they decide to face her, they will get brutalized by her at WrestleMania. Bayley interrupted to say she won the Rumble last year and said that maybe Ripley will see her at this year’s WrestleMania. Ripley wished her good luck. After Ripley left, Bayley saw Iyo Sky and Sky told Bayley she’ll see her Saturday at the Royal Rumble. That was it.

Analysis: I don’t think Bayley is going to win this year’s Rumble, but it’s a nice tease of what could happen.

Kai Cenat made his entrance. I don’t know who he is, but Kai jumped over the top and got into the ring. Cole and Pat said he was a massive WWE fan. Cole said it was Kai’s first WWE event. Pat interviewed Kai at ringside. Pat mentioned that millions of people watch Kai stream online and Kai said it was his first time at a WWE show. Kai said that Atlanta was amazing. Kai said he was excited to see John Cena in the Royal Rumble. Pat said that Kai could come to the Rumble and Kai said he’ll be there. Kai said he’ll see IShowSpeed at the Rumble as well. This was one of those interviews during a break for some fans.

A commercial aired for WWE Elimination Chamber in Toronto on March 1st.

A graphic said that it was the 25th Raw in Atlanta, it hosted the Royal Rumble in 2002 and 2010 and it hosted WrestleMania 27. I did not like that WrestleMania. They showed highlights of WrestleMania 27 where Pat mocked Michael Cole for his match against Jerry Lawler. Pat said that Cole made himself look like an asshole and when Cole put his Spanx on, nobody sees anything. Cole also mocked his hand shaking mistake with Quavo.

A video aired about Penta thanking the WWE fans for an amazing welcome and said that this was only the beginning. Penta said he’ll face the best in WWE and said he’ll be in the Royal Rumble. Penta said after the Royal Rumble is over, he will have his WrestleMania moment. He ended it by saying “Ciero Miedo” as usual.

The announcers went over the Royal Rumble lineup including a Royal Rumble Kickoff show on Friday afternoon. Here’s the Royal Rumble lineup.

* Men’s Royal Rumble Match with Roman Reigns, John Cena, CM Punk, Seth “Freakin” Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Rey Mysterio, Logan Paul, Penta, and more.

* Undisputed WWE Championship Ladder Match: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Kevin Owens

* WWE Tag Team Championships 2/3 Falls: #DIY vs. Motor City Machine Guns

* Women’s Royal Rumble Match featuring Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax, Bianca Belair, Naomi, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Lyra Valkyria, and more.

Let’s Hear from Paul Heyman

The WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman walked out to a big ovation. Heyman said that he is the one behind the greatest of all time Roman Reigns. Heyman unveiled the cover of WWE 2K25 and it was Roman Reigns on the cover looking like he’s about to deliver a Spear. You can see Paul Heyman in the background as well.

Analysis: Good for Roman. Well deserved. Since Roman is a face now, it makes sense to put him on the cover of the game.

Heyman said that Reigns can live up to the responsibility of being on the cover of the video game because Heyman is the one behind the one in 29 and 1. Heyman said that Reigns told you he was going to take back his Ula Fala and he took it back from Solo Sikoa. Heyman said that Roman Reigns is coming back for his championship and it all starts this Saturday at the Royal Rumble because all 29 of them are coming after Reigns. Heyman said that Reigns is not just the biggest star on Netflix, the biggest star in WWE, he’s the biggest star on the planet and he’ll be the biggest star on Mars too when Elon Musk colonizes it. Good luck with that. Heyman said that there are 29 Roman Reigns wannabes in that locker room and they want to be the biggest star in the industry. Heyman said that they say they want to be Roman Reigns. Here comes Drew McIntyre for his match.

When Drew got into the ring, he said that Paul looked nervous. Drew said that they never get to talk, so let’s talk. The fans were chanting for Reigns. Drew said that he’s responsible for the success of Roman Reigns. Drew claimed he was the “Daddy” of The Bloodline. Drew said he was the catalyst of it all. Drew said that he won the Royal Rumble in 2020, he eliminated Roman Reigns and he slayed Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36. Drew said that Heyman said that Reigns rescued Paul from obscurity and that Heyman found Roman at a low time, so he harnessed Roman’s talent for evil. Drew said that they made more money than they’ve ever made and Paul is on the damn video game now. Drew said that was looking for a simple: “Thank you, Drew.” Paul thanked Drew while adding that Drew was crowding him. Drew said he’d give Paul some space, so Drew backed away. Drew told Paul to tell his boy that he was going to target him, beat him within an inch of his life and throw him over the top rope. Paul said he’ll pass the message on to your Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. Drew said that he wasn’t talking about Roman. Drew said that he was talking about his boy CM Punk. Drew told Paul to “run” to leave the ring.

Analysis: A great promo from McIntyre as usual. I always put over Drew’s promos because he has become as good as anybody in this company in terms of doing promos. You don’t hear fans chanting “what” at him like some others because he is so fun to watch. I think a Drew-Roman showdown in the Rumble will be great and the same with Drew against Punk. Drew against anybody is fine with me because Drew is the best heel in the company and there are a lot of faces for him to interact with in the Rumble match.

Bron Breakker, the Intercontinental Champion, was interviewed by Jackie Redmond backstage. Bron claimed that in the Royal Rumble, half the guys in the match were senior citizens. Bron said he was officially declaring for the Rumble. Penta walked up to Bron and had a staredown leading to Penta’s “Ciero Miedo” taunt.

Analysis: That’s a nice tease of a Bron Breakker-Penta match likely coming soon.

Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn

The story here is that Zayn has never beaten Drew, so Zayn was determined to win to get some positive momentum. Sami worked over Drew with punches, but Drew came back with a chop. Zayn sent a charging Drew over the top to the floor. Zayn hit a springboard moonsault onto a standing Drew on the floor. Zayn sent Drew back into the ring where Drew hit a double chop. Zayn worked over Drew with chops and then Drew nailed a jumping kick to take control. Drew knocked down Zayn with a chop. Zayn elbowed Drew followed by a forearm smash off the turnbuckle. Zayn did an impressive Tornado DDT for two. Zayn tried something off the ropes, but Drew tripped him up. Zayn was bleeding from the bridge of his nose as he left the ring to the floor. Drew charged with a Claymore Kick, Zayn avoided it and Drew’s back hit the commentary table. They went to a break for some audience as the match continued. Drew got a hold of Zayn and threw him over the barricade. Zayn got back in the ring right before the ref’s ten count. Drew chopped Zayn a few times while Drew told the ref to stop the match because Zayn was too stupid to quit. Drew chopped Zayn a few more times.

Zayn made a comeback with punches, a leapfrog, and a clothesline. Zayn charged, but Drew caught him with a spinebuster. Drew hit a sitout Powerbomb for two. Drew went to the middle turnbuckle going for White Noise, but Zayn countered it into a Sunset Flip Powerbomb for two. Zayn tried a lift, Drew blocked it and Drew punched Zayn in the mouth. Drew hit a belly-to-belly suplex across the ring leading to Drew doing a kip up back to his feet. Zayn kicked Drew followed by a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Zayn went up top, Drew met him there and Zayn tripped up Drew on the top. Drew was upside down against the turnbuckle leading to Drew tossing Zayn across the ring. Drew went for a Claymore Kick, Zayn moved and Zayn did a crucifix pin for two. Zayn sent Drew into the ring post. Zayn hit an Exploder Suplex into the turnbuckle. Zayn went for a Helluva Kick, Drew avoided it and Drew did a ROLLUP OF DEATH~! with Drew’s feet on the ropes for the cheap win because the referee Rod Zapata never saw the feet on the ropes. It went 14 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Drew McIntyre

Analysis: ***1/2 I thought it was a great match between two of the best wrestlers in WWE. Zayn still can’t beat Drew and Drew had to resort to cheating to find a way to win. I thought it was a brilliant finish because Drew brags about how great he is, yet here he was cheating to win. It puts Zayn over as a tough guy to beat since Drew had to cheat to win, so at least that’s a positive thing for Zayn from this match.

After the match, Drew McIntyre hit Zayn from behind to knock him down. Drew worked over Zayn with punches. Cody Rhodes made the save for Zayn and Cody hit a Cody Cutter on Drew. Kevin Owens showed up to attack Cody from behind. Owens was wearing a “Sami Zayn Forever” shirt. Cody worked over Owens with punches, Drew was back in the ring and Drew was attacking Cody against the turnbuckle. Zayn was back up and he went for a Helluva Kick, but Drew moved and Zayn hit Cody with the Helluva Kick. Drew left with a smile on his face. Owens smiled, tapped Zayn on the chest and Owens left.

A distraught Zayn was upset at himself for what he did. Zayn left the ring and said he was sorry. This was shown during a break. The announcers talked about the situation to kill some time as the audience returned from the break.

Analysis: A lot of this is making it seem like maybe Sami Zayn will go heel to help his buddy Owens, but I think Zayn will resist the urge and stay babyface.

Roman Reigns was shown talking about being in the WWE 2K25 video game. Reigns talked about how special it was to be in it with The Bloodline as well. It sounds like there’s a Bloodline story mode in the game.

Let’s Hear from Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes talked about the WWE Titles hanging above the ring. Cody said he spent his whole life wanting to get his hands on the WWE Title. Cody said it’s a mindset that makes you a champion. Cody said that nobody has worked more matches than him, he shows up first and he leaves last and he continues to do so. Cody said he is looking forward to the Royal Rumble so he can move past Kevin Owens and find out…here comes CM Punk.

CM Punk made his entrance and walked down to the ring to join Cody for a main event promo. Punk asked Cody if he was alright. Punk said he is his friend and he worries about him. Punk said it looks like all of this is starting to get to him. Punk said he knows what that title can do to a man because he was champion for 434 days and somewhere around 300 days it made him burn out. Punk said he lost friends because of that title. Punk said he wants to be John Cena and do it all, but none of us are Superman. Cody said he doesn’t have a lot of friends, but he said CM Punk is his friend, right? Punk said he is his friend. Punk said he was there to be his friend. Punk said that unlike everybody else he surrounds himself with, he’ll always be his friend partly because of a promise he made to his father Dusty and he loves Cody. Punk said that not even your father could prepare you for this. Punk said when you are the champion in WWE, you have a target on your back.

Cody said that we should cut through it. Cody said that last year before the Royal Rumble, Punk had a prediction and Cody wanted Punk to let him know what’s next for Cody. Punk said in the short term, Cody is in his hometown and he gets to sleep in his own bed tonight. Punk said that Cody probably won’t sleep at all because Cody has to do media and promotion for the biggest match of his career with Kevin Owens. Punk said Cody may get some time with his wife and daughter, but he’ll be thinking about this match. Punk said that Cody is going to criss cross the country, if he gets past Kevin Owens then there’s the next show because there’s Raw, there’s Smackdown and this is what Cody asked for. Punk said that Cody sacrifices less time at home with his daughter and less time with his wife. Punk talked about Cody in front of sold out stadiums while there are kids wearing his merchandise. Punk said that somebody is going to be in the best shape of their life, win the Royal Rumble and they are going to see you at WrestleMania. Punk said that was the good news. Cody said to tell him the bad news. Punk said that the bad news is the guy is him. Punk said that the other guys might stab him in the back, but Punk said he was going to stab in the front.

Cody said that when he first showed up in OVW he met Punk. Cody said that Punk was the man because everybody wanted to be him. Cody said that Punk became a World Champion and Cody was chasing him. Cody said that there was a ten-year period where Punk was gone, the fans were chanting for him and the wrestlers were still chasing him. Cody said that the dynamic has changed now because Cody isn’t chasing Punk – it’s Punk who is chasing Cody. Cody said he hopes Punk wins at Royal Rumble because he wants Punk to catch up. Cody was about to leave, but Punk said he was not done.

Punk said that a lot of men said that they wanted Punk to catch them, but there’s a whole graveyard of men who are there because Punk caught them. Cody said that he’s not done either because he wants Punk to catch up and win the Royal Rumble. Cody wants to see the look on Punk’s face when he finds out that the “Best in the World” isn’t the best in the world anymore. Cody and Punk had a staredown while Cody’s music played to end it. That was the end of Raw.

Analysis: It was like last year when Cody Rhodes and CM Punk had a promo face off before the Rumble. Great work by both guys here. They finished as the final two in that Rumble with Cody getting the win. This time around it’s Punk trying to win the Rumble to face Cody and maybe that’s going to happen, but perhaps WWE goes in another direction. I know the rumors right now are Cody against John Cena and Punk against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, so we’ll see if those matches actually happen. I thought both guys made their points well, they had a lot of confidence, they talked about their friendship and also how they are in different places in their careers compared to when they were in OVW together nearly 20 years ago. I thought it was a strong way to end Raw.

This week’s Raw was 2 hours, 36 minutes so it was similar to the last two weeks.

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Three Stars of the Show

  1. Drew McIntyre
  2. The War Raiders and JD/Dominik
  3. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez

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The Scoreboard

7.25 out of 10

Last week: 7.5

2025 Average: 7.63

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Final Thoughts on WWE Raw

It was a good Raw as unusual, but maybe a bit below the high standards from the first three weeks of the year. There’s a lot of repetitiveness on a show like this when there are so many “I’m going to win the Royal Rumble promos” from so many people on the roster. A lot of men got to do promos about it, but not a lot of women. The Men’s Rumble match has been pushed heavily and the Women’s Rumble match hasn’t got nearly as much TV time.

The match quality was strong throughout the night. I liked both tag team matches a lot because they had smart finishes. Drew McIntyre cheating to beat Sami Zayn fits Drew’s personality while also putting over Zayn as a tough guy to beat.

I love the Royal Rumble PLE. Bring it on.

The next WWE PLE is the Royal Rumble on Saturday, February 1st in Indianapolis. Here’s the lineup so far:

* Men’s Royal Rumble Match with Roman Reigns, John Cena, CM Punk, Seth “Freakin” Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Rey Mysterio, Logan Paul, Penta, Bron Breakker, and more.

* Women’s Royal Rumble Match featuring Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax, Bianca Belair, Naomi, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Lyra Valkyria, and more.

* Undisputed WWE Championship Ladder Match: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Kevin Owens

* WWE Tag Team Championships 2/3 Falls: #DIY vs. Motor City Machine Guns

You can watch the WWE Royal Rumble when it streams live on Saturday, February 1, at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT, exclusively on Peacock 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 & Toronto Maple Leafs. My contact info is below.

John Canton

Email mrjohncanton@gmail.com

Twitter/X @johnreport