The John Report: WWE Raw Deal 06/08/26 Review
It’s WWE Monday Night Raw, featuring more King & Queen of the Ring tournament matches, Penta facing Rey Mysterio, Sol Ruca battling Lyra Valkyria, and more
The WWE European tour continues with this episode of Raw taking place in Paris, France, with a 2 p.m. ET start time on Netflix. I don’t mind the afternoon start time, and I think it’s a smart move by WWE because they likely knew that Game 3 of the NBA Finals was taking place tonight, so they scheduled the European tour at the perfect time. Good job by them. The NBA Finals audience is pretty huge, especially with the New York Knicks leading the San Antonio Spurs 2-0 going into Game 3. By doing Raw early, people can watch it live or at any time on Monday or any other day. As I said, I certainly don’t mind it because I’m also an NBA fan, so it makes my life easier.
I really liked last week’s Raw with Seth Rollins beating Bron Breakker in a great main event, plus Oba Femi and Iyo Sky moving on in the King & Queen of the Ring tournaments after winning some exciting matches.
This is the Raw Deal for episode #1724 of Monday Night Raw, taking place at the Accor Arena in Paris, France. Follow me on Twitter/X @johnreport. Let’s get to it.
The show began with a shot of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It was a massive crowd at the show. There was some pre-show walking shown of Penta, Rey Mysterio with Dragon Lee, Sol Ruca (there’s Austin Theory talking to Maxxine Dupri in the background), Alexa Bliss, and Je’Von Evans
A video package aired, showing the start of the King and Queen of the Ring tournament, featuring wins by Oba Femi, Dominik Mysterio, Iyo Sky, and Raquel Rodriguez.
Let’s Hear from Oba Femi
Oba Femi made his entrance to a huge ovation in front of the vocal French fans. There were “Oba” chants as Femi did his strut on the way to the ring. They showed a split-screen with fans doing the Oba Strut, which is a smart move to encourage fans to do that more. The fans kept on chanting “Oba” and shouting “Ooh” for him. When Femi tried to silence the fans, they just kept going.
Femi said he doesn’t agree on many things with Paul Heyman, but we agree that Heyman believes in spoilers, not predictions. Femi claimed he had a spoiler. Femi said he’ll run through every single man in the King of the Ring tournament, and he’ll meet the last one at Night of Champions, and his journey will end there. Femi said he’ll destroy him as well. Femi said that he’ll take his rightful place upon his throne as the King of the Ring and that is not a prediction, that is a spoiler. More “Oba” chants from the crowd.
Femi said that your Ruler needs a crown to be a Ruler. Femi said that there is one trophy he has yet to collect, and that is the head of Brock Lesnar. Femi said that Lesnar attacks from behind and cheats when Femi isn’t looking. Femi said that Heyman talks about Lesnar being a big, bad beast, but in the last three weeks, he’s been in a big, bad bitch. Femi said that when he sees Lesnar, he’ll settle the score.
Analysis: While I think King Oba or King Femi sounds great, I think Brock Lesnar is going to show up and cost Oba either in the semifinals or finals. That will set up the third Femi-Lesnar match at SummerSlam.
Dominik Mysterio made his entrance as the AAA Mega Champion and was booed heavily. Dominik said that Femi doesn’t rule anybody. Dominik said you should worry about Dirty Dom, not Lesnar. Dominik asked rookie Femi how long has he been here? The fans chanted “Oba” again. Dominik said that Femi has been here for a cup of coffee, while Dom is a 20-year veteran (that’s funny), he’s the King of the Luchadores, and when he’s King of the Ring, he’ll rule over Femi. Dominik told Femi to bend the knee and respect the Stache.
JD McDonagh was in the ring with a steel chair that he used to hit Femi in the back, but Femi didn’t even flinch. Femi punched the chair into JD’s face. Dominik hit a 619 kick to Femi. Dominik jumped off the top, Femi caught him, and Femi tossed Dominik across the ring. JD got Dom out of there. Femi said that Rey Mysterio is your father, but next week, Femi will introduce you to your Daddy, referring to himself. More “Oba” chants from the crowd.
Analysis: Good segment. It’s smart to start the show with Oba Femi since the fans absolutely love the crowd, and Femi is getting huge reactions from the fans. It was an unsuccessful, cheap attack by Dominik, which isn’t much of a surprise because Femi is usually booked to be dominant, and I don’t mind that.
The Raw commentary team of Michael Cole and Corey Graves welcomed us to the show. The French commentary team was at ringside.
A replay was shown of last week when Seth Rollins beat Bron Breakker in a match that saw Breakker hit a Spear on Paul Heyman by accident.
Seth Rollins was interviewed by Jacie Redmond backstage. The fans sang Seth’s song. Rollins said that the last time he was in Paris, he was the World Heavyweight Champion and he was leading The Vision. Rollins said the present is about the King of the Ring tournament, which he will win and take back the title he never lost. Rollins said that means he has a date down the line with Roman Reigns. Rollins said Reigns can’t win on his own and can’t beat Rollins when it matters most. Rollins told Reigns that the title belongs to Seth Freakin’ Rollins.
Analysis: A Roman Reigns-Seth Rollins match at SummerSlam sounds like a great idea, but Rollins has to win King of the Ring to set it up. It might happen.
The Queen of the Ring tournament was up first, with Alexa Bliss making her entrance for the 4-way match. They went on a break, so they showed a clip from R-Truth on The Undertaker’s podcast.
There were more entrances as my fellow Canadian, Chelsea Green, was up next. The legendary Becky Lynch was next, looking sad about losing the Women’s IC Title. Liv Morgan was up last as the Women’s World Title. Liv has yet to defend that title since winning it at WrestleMania. That’s not her fault. The creative team should be doing a better job. Happy birthday, Liv Morgan, who is 32 years old today.
Queen of the Ring Quarterfinals: Chelsea Green vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan
The first fall wins. No disqualifications and no countouts in a 4-way match. They left the ring early with Bliss hitting a senton off the apron onto a few women on the floor. Green hit a cross body onto the ladies on the floor. Lynch was back up to shove Green into the ring post. They went on a break for some fans as the action continued. Lynch hit a leg drop off the middle turnbuckle for two. Lynch complained to referee Jessika Carr about her count. Lynch hit a Bexploder on Bliss and complained about the count. The fans in France chant/sing after every two count. Bliss flipped Lynch over the top to the floor. Liv hit a Backstabber on Bliss. Green hit a forearm on Liv, but Liv came back with a kick to the ribs. Liv hit two suplexes on Green. The four women teased a multi-woman suplex spot as Green and Bliss suplexed Lynch and Morgan.
Bliss hit a senton splash on Lynch and Liv. Bliss dropkicked Liv, and then Green kicked Bliss. Green hit running knees, but then Liv hit a running splash on Lynch and Green at the same time. Bliss dropkicked Liv. Green hit a missile dropkick on Lynch. Bliss hit a DDT on Green for a two count. Green battled Bliss on the turnbuckle and Liv hit a Powerbomb on Green for two because Bliss hit Twisted Bliss for two since Lynch broke up the pin. The four women were down selling. Lynch kicked Bliss in the ribs and tossed Liv out of the ring. Lynch tossed Green out of the ring. Bliss countered Lynch into a two count. Bliss hit a Blockbuster on Lynch. Bliss hit Sister Abigail on Liv for two because Lynch made the save. Lynch hit a Manhandle Slam on Bliss. Green hit the Unpretty-her on Lynch and covered, but Liv did a jackknife pin on Green for the three count.
Winner by pinfall: Liv Morgan
Analysis: ***3/4 That was a fast-paced and exciting match by four talented veteran wrestlers. They did a great job of doing some nearfalls that were believable for all four women. They had that nice sequence at the end with the women hitting finishing moves, but then Liv figured out the way to get the win with the jackknife pin. Going into the match, I think most people would assume Green would lose and that’s what happened. Lynch felt like the glue in the match and had a great performance. Morgan didn’t “need” the win as much as the others since she’s already Women’s World Champion, but it could be done that way to set her up for the finals against Raquel Rodriguez and perhaps Liv loses that. Iyo Sky or another woman could win too. Anyway, I liked the match a lot. Great job by everybody involved. Would I have had Morgan win? No, but I don’t hate it either. I’m sure people are whining about it online, though.
Liv Morgan goes on to the semifinals of the Queen of the Ring tournament against whoever wins the last 4-way on SmackDown. Iyo Sky faces Raquel Rodriguez in the other semifinal.
A video aired about Penta defending the Intercontinental Title against Rey Mysterio.
Chad Gable spoke to Penta in the locker room. The fans cheered when Gable was shown. Gable said he’s done a lot in the past two years that he’s ashamed of. Gable said he impersonated a luchador because he lost to Penta in his WWE debut. Gable said he lost like a coward, but he’s here to say he’s sorry. Penta said he loves lucha libre, he loves his brother Rey Fenix and it’s not easy to say you’re wrong, and he respects that. Penta said if you want to do right by lucha libre, you know who you need to talk to.
Analysis: I love the fan reactions to Chad Gable on screen. That’s great to see.
Ethan Page was interviewed by Byron Saxton in front of the crowd. This was during the break for some fans. Page said he’s been here for two months, already wrestled for the Intercontinental Title, and had Penta beat. Page complained about clear favoritism on Raw due to the GM, Adam Pearce. Page wondered where his rematch was. Page said he’s still the most handsome man here and the smartest man, so he’ll get what he wants. Page said it didn’t matter whether it was Penta or Rey because that championship would be his. Page said that everyone will have to hear that Ethan Page is the new Intercontinental Champion. That was it.
It was announced that Atlanta will host Sunday Night’s Main Event on Sunday, September 6th. They moved Money in the Bank from that date to October 10th.
Seth Rollins was approached by Montez Ford in the locker room. Ford wished Rollins good luck tonight. Rollins thanked him as The Usos and Jacob Fatu approached Rollins. Jey Uso warned Rollins about how he speaks about the family. The fans chanted “Fatu” from Jacob. Jey said that he’s in the tournament, he’s going to win and take the WWE Title from Cody Rhodes. Rollins said he’s glad Jey is in King of the Ring, and that’s more than Jimmy, who is not in the tournament. Seth said that he was talking about Reigns, not the family. Rollins said he thought they were better than this, but maybe he is wrong. Rollins said maybe the best things will be for them is being bag boys for Reigns. Jey told Jacob Fatu to get this fool, so Fatu stared at Rollins and Fatu left. Rollins: “Family, eh?” The Usos left.
Analysis: It sure seems like the Roman Reigns-Seth Rollins match is coming based on that and what Rollins said earlier. Then again, it also could be something to throw people off. Fatu told Jey Uso last week that he wasn’t taking orders from him as he does from Roman Reigns, so that’s why Fatu did nothing to Rollins.
A video aired about Sol Ruca defending the Women’s Intercontinental Title against Lyra Valkyria, who is a former Women’s IC Champion.
Lyra Valkyria was approached by Bayley in the backstage area. Lyra said she hasn’t had gold in over a year. Bayley said that Lyra is the first Women’s IC Champion, and she does whatever it takes. Bayley said she believes in Lyra and smacked her on the back for good luck.
Sol Ruca made her entrance as the Women’s Intercontinental Champion, and she was cheered by the fans. They went on a break with a clip of Matt Cardona on the Cody Rhodes podcast. That was followed by Lyra Valkyria’s entrance.
The ring announcer, Alicia Taylor, did the championship introductions for the Women’s IC Title match.
Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Sol Ruca vs. Lyra Valkyria
There were some counter moves by each woman early on. Ruca hit an X-Factor to spike Lyra into the mat. Lyra sent Ruca to the apron. Ruca jumped off the top rope, but Lyra caught her and gave Ruca a back body drop over the top to the floor. They went for a break for some fans, and I’ll take a break too.
The match continued with Lyra and Ruca hitting double clotheslines to knock eachother down. Lyra and Ruca exchanged strikes. Ruca ducked a kick and hit two back elbows. Ruca hit a release German Suplex. Ruca jumped off the middle turnbuckle with a missile dropkick. Ruca hit a running knee for two. Lyra was able to counter Ruca and hit a leg drop to the back of the head by the ropes. Lyra hit a spin kick for two. Lyra went for a Tornado DDT, Ruca countered by landing on her hands and when Ruca went for an X-Factor, Lyra used her hands to avoid it. Ruca jumped off the turnbuckle, Lyra caught her and Lyra covered Ruca for a two count. Lyra went for a spin kick, Ruca avoided it, Lyra’s foot was caught in the ropes and Ruca jumped off the turnbuckle with a Sol Snatcher for the pinfall win after about 10 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Sol Ruca
Analysis: ***1/4 A good match that was competitive, with an expected result. Sol Ruca won the Women’s IC Title eight days ago, so it’s not like she’s going to lose the title in a match like this. The Sol Snatcher was set up perfectly, with Lyra missing the kick, getting her leg stuck in the ropes, and Ruca capitalized perfectly with the Sol Snatcher to get the win. It’s such a cool finisher.
A clip aired from last week when Jacob Fatu acknowledged the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns.
Jacob Fatu was backstage when Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso showed up. Jey wondered what Fatu was doing, and Jimmy said that they called the play, so Fatu had to run it. Fatu said he doesn’t acknowledge Jey or Jimmy, he only acknowledges Reigns. Fatu told them to worry about LA Knight, who is talking a lot about the family, and said he’s probably going to say something about it tonight.
LA Knight was shown walking backstage for a promo up next. Maxxine Dupri was talking to Otis and Tozawa backstage.
Ricky Saints was interviewed by Byron Saxton about Ricky in the King of the Ring tournament match. This was during a break for some fans. Ricky did a cocky heel promo about how he’s going to win tonight.
Let’s Hear from LA Knight
LA Knight made his entrance for a promo. LA Knight is in a 4-way King of the Ring Tournament match on SmackDown against Finn Balor, Jey Uso and Royce Keys. A microphone was tossed to Knight, who didn’t catch it because of a bad throw. Knight made him throw it again, so he did and Knight caught it. The fans popped.
Knight mentioned his King of the Ring qualifier against Balor, Keys and Jey facing off against LA Knight…yeah. Knight said he’s going to beat them, win King of the Ring and face Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship. The fans chanted “Tribal Chief” and Knight said that Reigns pulled the wool over your eyes. Knight claimed somebody from The Bloodline may help Jey Uso win on SmackDown. Knight said he doesn’t take orders from Roman Reigns or fall in line to a Tribal Chief. Knight said let’s say he looks Roman Reigns eye-to-eye for the World Heavyweight Championship. Knight talked about all the people who would interfere in the Reigns-Knight match. Knight said that Adam Pearce will put the stamp on it. Knight said that there is a stark difference in how Pearce talked to Knight compared to how Pearce talked to Reigns. Knight said he may be unchosen, but the fans chose Knight, and Knight chose himself, which means he gets the job done. Knight said he doesn’t know how to quit and doesn’t know how to stop. Knight said he especially wants to wish Jey Uso good luck on SmackDown without calling his whole family to ringside. That was the cue for Jey.
Jey Uso made his entrance on his own. The fans were Yeeting for Jey as usual. Jey did his line about how he is in your city. The fans called for it, so Jey ran it back with some more Yeeting with the fans. Knight wondered why Jey was there to interrupt. Jey was there to answer the call. Jey said that he’s in the King of the Ring tournament, he’s still Main Event Jey Uso and he’ll show who he is. Jey said this is your warning shot and shot a “gun” at Knight, so to speak. Jey left.
LA Knight told them to cut when Jey’s song was playing. The fans booed. Knight said he gets why you boo that because it’s fun to do. Knight told Jey he liked how protective he is of his family. Knight said on Friday, he wished Jey good luck and said from top to bottom, “Screw your family.” Knight’s music played. Jimmy Uso ran down to the ring and stopped Jey from going into the ring to fight Knight.
Analysis: It dragged on a bit too much, but they got through it fine. I think Knight could certainly win King of the Ring this year. I wouldn’t mind it.
Chad Gable approached Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee. Lee said they are good. Rey said that Gable has to stop beating himself up about this. Rey said that at one point, he wanted to knock Gable’s head off his shoulders. Rey said after watching his Mask vs. Mask match, that was true lucha libre and consider your apology accepted. Gable said thanks. Rey said that Gable may have to go back even further because he may have said and done some things he regretted way before he put that mask on. Gable nodded his head.
Analysis: I certainly hope this story leads to Chad Gable getting a babyface push because he’s such a talented guy and deserves the chance to get a significant push. Having Rey Mysterio accept Gable’s apology is a way to put the story to bed and have Gable move on.
Penta made his entrance as the Intercontinental Champion. They went on a break for some fans as Penta posed for the fans.
It was announced that Roman Reigns will be at New York City’s Fanatics Fest on July 18th. That’s when WWE is in NYC for Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Rey Mysterio got a big ovation from the crowd, which is not a surprise since he’s a WWE Hall of Famer. Cole noted that Rey is a 2-time Intercontinental Champion.
Intercontinental Championship: Penta vs. Rey Mysterio
The fans love both of these guys, with Cole doing a great job of putting this over as a big match and their first singles match in WWE. Rey hit a headscissors, long with a dropkick into the ropes. Penta went for a baseball slide, Rey avoided it and Rey hit a springboard moonsault onto Penta on the floor. They went on a break for some fans one minute into the match and I’ll stick with the action. Penta sent Rey into the barricade, followed by a kick to the leg. Penta chopped Rey by the ring post and Penta tried it again, but Rey avoided it, so Penta chopped the ring post. Back in the ring, Penta hit a backbreaker for two. Penta hit a superkick, along with a double leg drop to the ribs for two. Penta hushed the crowd and chopped Rey against the ropes.
Rey tried to get some momentum going, but Penta countered it and superkicked Rey against the turnbuckle. Penta did a handstand dropkick onto Rey by the turnbuckle. Rey left the ring, so Penta hit a tope con hilo (somersault dive) over the top onto Rey on the floor. The fans chanted “lucha libre” for them. Rey kicked a charging Penta, but Penta came back with a Backstabber with the knees to the back for two. Penta chopped Rey a few times, and Rey came back with a Tornado DDT for two. Rey tripped up Penta on the apron. Rey hit a 619 variation kick by the turnbuckle. The fans were singing during the match as Rey hit a Sunset Flip Powerbomb into the barricade. That led to another break for some fans as the action continued. Rey sent Penta into the steel steps. Penta was able to get some momentum with a kick to the legs. Penta sent Rey into the ring apron. Penta hit a running clothesline for two. Penta and Rey exchanged chops.
Penta kicked Rey in the legs to knock him down. Penta tried a move, Rey broke free and Penta hit a superkick. Penta hit a Penta Driver for a two count. Penta charged into a kick by Rey, then Rey landed on the shoulders and Rey hit a Poison Rana to spike Penta on his head. Rey dropkicked Penta into the ropes and hit a 619 kick. Rey hit a springboard splash Dropping the Dime for a two count. That is Rey’s finish, so Penta kicked out. Rey and Penta exchanged strikes. Penta hit a superkick. Rey countered a move into the ropes. Rey hit a 619 kick again. Rey went up top and hit a Frog Splash on Penta, but Penta got the knees up. Penta hit the Mexican Destroyer and spiked Rey for the pinfall win after about 14 minutes. Cole called it a classic.
Winner by pinfall: Penta
Analysis: *** Awesome match. That was a lot of fun to watch. These guys have great chemistry and hit some big moves throughout the match. I thought Penta would retain, but there were definitely moments in the match where I thought that Rey could win because Rey winning would be a cool moment. The way Penta kicked out of Rey’s finishing sequence was really well done and then Rey tried some more big moves, including the Frog Splash, but Penta was able to counter it and that led to the finish. I enjoyed the match.
After the match, Penta and Rey were talking about the great matchup, but Ethan Page and Rusev attacked them. Rusev hit a Machka Kick on Penta. Rusev applied the Accolade submission on Rey. Dragon Lee ran down to the ring for the save. Lee went after Page and Rusev with strikes. Lee sent Page into Rusev to knock Rusev out of the ring. Lee knocked Page over the top to the floor. Lee tried to dive on Rusev, but Page grabbed Lee and sent Lee over the barricade. Rusev pulled Rey Mysterio’s mask off and Penta covered Rey’s head. Page stomped on Penta.
Chad Gable ran down to the ring for the save. Gable was on fire with a German Suplex on Page and a German Suplex for Rusev. Gable hit a German Suplex on Page, too. The fans were going wild for Gable. Gable hit a German Suplex on Rusev again. Gable applied the Ankle Lock on Page, so Rusev pulled Page out of there. Gable grabbed Rey’s mask that was on the mat and gave it to Penta, who put it on Raw with Lee there to help. The fans cheered for Gable.
Analysis: That was a great spot for Chad Gable to make the save and get the huge ovation from the crowd. The story that Gable has gone on has been awesome for him and it has led to his development as a character. I think Gable should be the guy to take the IC Title from Penta, and I’d love to see a long title reign for Chad Gable. I really like how that post-match segment was booked with Rusev and Page getting heat with the cheap attack, which led right into Gable getting a huge ovation for making the save.
Raquel Rodriguez was featured in a video package talking about the Queen of the Ring. Raquel said she beat Iyo Sky last time, and she’ll beat her again next. Raquel claimed she’s going to take the WWE Women’s Title from Rhea Ripley at SummerSlam.
They did the Strut Cam with Alicia Taylor asking the Paris fans to do the Oba Femi strut. This was during a break to fill a few minutes. It was followed by a clip of Rhea Ripley on Stephanie McMahon’s podcast.
The announcers talked about the European tour over the last few weeks. They return to London, England, in two weeks for Raw and SmackDown on back-to-back nights.
Iyo Sky was featured in a video package talking about how Raquel Rodriguez has no honor and no heart. Sky said that she will end Raquel in the tournament. Sky said she’ll become something that Raquel has never been – a World Champion.
Next week on Raw:
* Queen of the Ring Tournament Semifinals: Iyo Sky vs. Raquel Rodriguez
* Roman Reigns is back
* King of the Ring Tournament Semifinals: Oba Femi vs. Dominik Mysterio
Roxanne Perez was talking to Liv Morgan about how Liv was right last week about what matters is The Judgment Day. Perez talked about how she hopes Liv gets to face Raquel in the Queen of the Ring finals because then they can’t lose. Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh showed up. Dominik was frustrated that their plan hadn’t worked earlier, and when Liv said she had something in mind, they left.
It was main event time as Seth Rollins made his entrance. The show went to a break, and then Seth’s entrance continued as the fans sang his song. Talla Tonga made his entrance alone without Solo Sikoa by his side. Ricky Saints also made his entrance.
Je’Von Evans was the last man to make his entrance for the main event. The fans like the Young OG, which is no surprise.
King of the Ring Quarterfinals: Seth Rollins vs. Talla Tonga vs. Ricky Saints vs. Je’Von Evans
There are no countouts and no disqualifications in a 4-way match. The first pinfall or submission wins. The big guy Talla was in control early on and then Ricky wanted to work with him. Talla had enough of that, so he hit Ricky with a boot to the face. Talla clotheslined Rollins out of the ring. Talla press slammed Evans over the top to the floor onto the other two guys. That led to a break for some fans as the match continued. Talla sent Evans into the ring post. Back in the ring, Talla knocked Rollins down and hit an elbow drop. Talla chopped Rollins and kicked Evans off the apron. Talla sent Ricky into the barricade.
The match continued with Ricky countering Talla by sending Talla into the ring post. Rollins hit a suicide dive on Talla. Ricky sent Talla into the ring post. Rollins told Ricky they had to take Talla out, so they hit a double clothesline that sent Talla over the barricade at ringside. Talla grabbed Rollins and Ricky, so Evans hit a cross body block on Talla on the floor. Rollins hit Ricky with two clotheslines, a running knee and a Falcon Arrow slam. Evans was back in with the spinning kick called the Red Dot on Rollins for a two count. Evans went for a hurricanrana, Rollins caught him and Evans hit a hurricanrana into the turnbuckle. Ricky was back in with a boot on Evans and Ricky hit a Revolution DDT for a two count. Evans slipped when he jumped to the top rope, then he kicked Ricky and hit a Spanish Fly off the top. Rollins got a hold of Evans and hit a Pedigree for two because Talla made the save. Rollins hit two superkicks and a charging Talla was sent out of the ring by Rollins. Evans sent Ricky out of the ring. Evans ran the ropes and hit an incredible superman dive over the top onto the three opponents on the floor. They were back in the ring as they battled by the turnbuckle and Talla went for a Powerbomb in the Tower of Doom spot, but Evans landed on his feet. Talla clotheslined Evans for a two count because Rollins made the save. Talla sent Rollins out of the ring. Evans jumped onto Talla, so Talla hit a Talla T-Bomb on Evans onto the French commentary table. Rollins hit The Stomp on Talla on the commentary table. It wasn’t enough to break the table. Rollins jumped off the table and hit The Stomp on Talla on the floor. Back in the ring, Rollins avoided the Revolution DDT by Ricky and Rollins hit The Stomp on Ricky. Rollins covered Ricky for one…two…but Austin Theory showed up to pull the referee out of the ring to stop the pin. Montez Ford ran down to the ring and took out Theory at ringside and they went fighting into the crowd. Bron Breakker hit Rollins with a Spear. Ricky wanted to capitalize, but when he stood up, Evans hit an OG Cutter on Ricky for the one…two…and three! Je’Von Evans wins! It went about 15 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Je’Von Evans
Analysis: ***3/4 That’s the same rating I gave the women’s 4-way match. I enjoyed both and thought that they were nearly at the four-star level. I was surprised by the result because I thought Seth Rollins would win King of the Ring, and now I really have no idea who it will be. As for this match, Talla Tonga was booked as a dominant big man and the other four guys did a great job of selling for him. Ricky Saints worked well as the opportunistic heel, while Rollins was the savvy vet who controlled a lot of the match until he got screwed out of the win. Je’Von Evans winning came off as a bit of a surprise, but also a welcome surprise because that dude is so fun to watch. I’m happy for Evans winning.
Je’Von Evans celebrated the win while Seth Rollins was on the apron, looking angry that The Vision cost him the match. Evans celebrated with the fans. That was the end of the show.
Analysis: It should lead to another Seth Rollins-Bron Breakker match, which will probably have a stipulation on it to make it a feud ender.
This week’s Raw had a runtime of 2:27 on Netflix. Last week was 2:33.
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Three Stars of the Show
- Je’Von Evans
- Penta, Rey Mysterio & Chad Gabe
- Liv Morgan
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The Scoreboard
8 out of 10
Last week: 8
2026 Average: 7.53
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Final Thoughts on WWE Raw
I liked the show just like last week because it was wrestling-heavy. There was some talking of course because it’s a WWE show, but all of the matches were good and a few of them were great, so that stood out to me.
The women’s 4-way match was really well done, although I’m sure some fans will be frustrated that Liv Morgan won since she’s already a champion. I enjoyed Penta-Rey a lot. Plus, the post-match was great with Chad Gable being perfectly cast as the babyface hero making the save. The main event, a 4-way match, was also great, with Seth Rollins getting screwed out of the win by The Vision, and Je’Von Evans capitalizing for the huge win.
When it comes to promos, I liked the Oba Femi-Dominik Mysterio exchange and how the fans reacted to it. The LA Knight-Jey Uso segment dragged on a bit too much for my liking. With Rollins losing in the King of the Ring, maybe Knight will get the win to set up the World Heavyweight Title match against Reigns at SummerSlam. I would be okay with that.
Lastly, the Paris crowd was outstanding, which is no surprise since WWE has done enough shows in France, and we know they have incredible fans there.
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Thanks for reading. Please check out my reviews of every WWE PPV ever listed in order. Go Toronto Blue Jays. My contact info is below.
John Canton
Email [email protected]
Twitter/X @johnreport