The John Report: WWE Raw Deal 08/04/25 Review
It’s WWE Raw featuring Seth Rollins celebrating with the World Heavyweight Title, Sheamus facing Rusev again, and more.
This episode of Raw follows what was an exciting two-night edition of WWE SummerSlam. The big news on the Raw brand following SummerSlam is that Seth Rollins cashed in Money in the Bank on CM Punk to become the World Heavyweight Champion. Punk beat Gunther to win the World Title, but Rollins arrived, revealed that his right knee injury was fake, and Rollins capitalized on an exhausted Punk to leave with the World Title.
I enjoyed SummerSlam a lot, but this is also the fourth night in a row where I’m writing about WWE live (plus writing many news posts), so it’s been a lot of work the past few days. The good news is that there’s been a lot of good content to write about, which always makes it easier.
This is the Raw Deal for episode #1680 of Monday Night Raw. It’s taking place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Follow me on Twitter/X @johnreport. Let’s get to it.
A video package aired showing SummerSlam highlights.
There were superstar arrivals shown of Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss, and they also showed Naomi.
Let’s Hear From Seth Rollins With Friends
Seth Rollins walked out with the World Heavyweight Championship, joined by Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed (with Roman Reigns’s shoes around his neck) and WWE Hall of Famer, “The Oracle” Paul Heyman. Rollins was in a ridiculous red outfit including a long coat. The crowd sang Seth’s song for a long time as he paraded around the ring with the World Heavyweight Title. There were “CM Punk” chants after the music stopped.
Paul Heyman did a formal introduction saying that he is The GOAT aka Greatest of All Time. Heyman said that he is your humble Oracle. Heyman said that he’s humble because he’s standing here with the future of WWE, the “Big Dog” who patrols our yard, Bron Breakker. Heyman said he stands there in the ring with the Tribal Thief, “Big” Bronson Reed. Heyman said at this point he might be introducing you to the champ, the OTC Roman Reigns, so that led to “OTC” chants. Heyman pointed out that Reigns hasn’t been a champion for a year and a half. Heyman also mentioned CM Punk, but Punk wasn’t champion long enough for them to put his side plates on the title belt. They showed Seth’s side plates. Heyman talked about Punk having a great title match with Gunther and Punk thanked the fans for supporting him and he thought he’d be married to that title forever, but he wasn’t. Heyman mentioned Rollins stole the title and then Heyman did a spectacular introduction for Seth “Freakin” Rollins as the new World Heavyweight Champion.
Seth Rollins shouted out “Brooklyn” and said “shame on you” for turning your back on him after he won the main event of WrestleMania (Saturday). Rollins said shame on you to the fans taunting hm with CM Punk chants and “OTC” chants for Roman Reigns. Rollins told us to never doubt Rollins again. Rollins mentioned he’s the World Champion, not Punk or Reigns. Rollins said shame on the fans for turning their back of them. Rollins said shame on everybody in the locker room who stopped him from cashing in his Money in the Bank contract.
Rollins laughed about how everybody back there thinks they are so smart and so clever. Rollins reminded us he always has a Plan B. Rollins talked about how this Plan B was top secret because he only told two people, and one was his incredible, Intercontinental Champion of a wife (Becky Lynch), and the other was his Oracle, Paul Heyman. Rollins said they have achieved what they wanted to achieve because they are the past, present, and the future. Rollins said that this is the way forward. Rollins said that this is The Vision. Here’s LA Knight to interrupt.
Analysis: There is the official name of the group, The Vision. We saw that it was trademarked recently, so at least the group has a name after nearly four months of being together. Good promo from Rollins as usual.
LA Knight made his entrance and got a big ovation from the fans. Knight got into the ring with Rollins and The Vision group. Knight congratulated Rollins, Oracle and Morons, which drew laughs. Knight said that he’s not there for a fight. Knight said that people are wondering why Rollins faked an injury when he already had the Money in the Bank briefcase. Knight said that Rollins faked an injury and Knight couldn’t hurt him the way he wanted. Knight said that Rollins got up and Knight hit the BFT for a three count. Knight said that Rollins blinded himself. Knight said he took some time off, he saw SummerSlam and realized he had to get to Brooklyn. Knight said that he was the last one to beat Rollins and he’ll be the next one to beat Rollins. Knight said that he still wants to hurt Rollins, but he can still hurt him and take that World Heavyweight Championship from him. Knight said there’s no better place than here and no better time than now.
Rollins said that Knight has some guts to challenge Rollins. Rollins said that Knight may think that Rollins doesn’t have the guts or balls. Rollins screamed out loud about the match and said no. Rollins left. The fans booed.
Adam Pearce, the Raw General Manager, appeared by the entrance area. Pearce said normally he wouldn’t make a World Heavyweight Championship without much notice. Pearce said normally Rollins’s medical team wouldn’t lie to Pearce’s medical team. Pearce said to hell with normal and Pearce told Rollins that he will defend the World Heavyweight Title against LA Knight tonight. Pearce told Reed and Breakker that they are banned from ringside. It’s official.
Analysis: That’s a huge match for later tonight with Seth Rollins defending the World Heavyweight Title against LA Knight. They really didn’t advertise much going into this week’s Raw, so it made sense to set up something big for later in the show. I also like how Knight made the challenge, Rollins did the heelish thing saying no and Pearce felt justified in booking a World Title match. It makes sense to do it.
The Judgment Day was shown walking backstage, where Dominik Mysterio talked about how he retained the Intercontinental Title on his 20-year anniversary. Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez left to regroup. Dragon Lee and the LWO got in Dom’s face. Lee challenged Dom to a match and Dom accepted.
AJ Styles approached Dominik Mysterio to give credit to Dom for his win at SummerSlam. Styles said he’s still coming for the title. Styles reminded Dominik that Styles is one of the best and time is running out.
Rusev made his entrance for the first match of the night. They took a break for some fans.
They showed the cast of Wednesday, including Fred Armisen, at the ringside. Rapper Joe Budden was at ringside.
The Raw commentary team was Michael Cole and Corey Graves. Alicia Taylor was the ring announcer.
Sheamus vs. Rusev
It started out as a brawl right away as they exchanged punches. Sheamus clotheslined Rusev. Sheamus clotheslined Rusev over the top to the floor. Sheamus tried an attack, but Rusev kicked him in the ribs. Rusev sent Sheamus into the barricade. Back in the ring, Rusev hit an overhead suplex across the ring. Rusev kicked Sheamus and hit a headbutt. Rusev hit Sheamus with an uppercut, Sheamus hit a forearm and they exchanged strikes again, until Rusev hit a knee to the ribs. Sheamus lifted up Rusev by the turnbuckle and Sheamus hit a White Noise Slam off the turnbuckle. They took a break for some fans as the action continued. Sheamus pulled on Rusev’s mouth to adjust his smile. Sheamus hit a knee smash to the face. Sheamus jumped off the top with a clothesline for two. Rusev got back up and hit a dropkick for two. Rusev did shoulder tackles to the ribs, leading to a chinlock.
Rusev was in control with a few hard kicks to the chest, but Sheamus told him to bring it. Rusev kicked Sheamus four more times, Sheamus blocked a kick and Sheamus hit some strikes to the body. Sheamus hit a backbreaker. Sheamus punched Rusev to the apron. Sheamus went for the forearm smashes, but Rusev sent Sheamus into the top rope. Sheamus went for a Brogue Kick, Rusev avoided it and Sheamus punched Rusev while on the apron. Rusev sent Sheamus back first into the ring post. Rusev charged at Sheamus on the floor, so Sheamus picked him up and hit a powerslam on the table. Sheamus broke the referee’s count. Rusev shoved Sheamus into the steel steps. Sheamus sent Rusev over the barricade. Rusev hit some forearms to the chest, but then Sheamus turned into a Ten Beats of the Bodhran. Sheamus hit Rusev with repeated forearms. The referee, Rod Zapata, was counting them out and reached a ten count. It went about 10 minutes.
Match Result: Double Countout
Analysis: **3/4 It’s the rare double countout finish to show that Sheamus and Rusev still have a lot of issues that aren’t resolved yet. I’d like to see them get a PLE match at Clash in Paris instead of just Raw matches because the European crowd might get more excited to see two European stars in a grudge match.
There were officials and security guys at ringside to try to break up the fight. Rusev hit Sheamus with the steel steps. Sheamus got backup and hit a Brogue Kick on the floor. A bunch of guys separated the wrestlers, but then Sheamus and Rusev broke free. Sheamus and Rusev exchanged punches at ringside.
Analysis: That is going to lead to another match between them. I assume it will be something like a Street Fight or No Holds Barred so that they can use weapons and brawl around the ring.
The New Day were backstage when “Big G” Grayson Waller showed up to talk to them. Kofi Kingston was in a black cloak, and Xavier Woods was wearing a giant hat. The New Day was talking about how they are still mourning and in no mood to fight. Waller went up to Raw GM Adam Pearce to tell New Day to get a title shot. Pearce was talking to Penta, so Pearce put Waller in a match with Penta. Penta said “Cero Miedo” to Waller and left. The New Day asked what happened and Waller tried to explain. That match was next.
Penta made his entrance and got a good ovation. He was not on the SummerSlam card. The entrance of Grayson Waller also took place.
Grayson Waller vs. Penta
Penta hit a hurricanrana that sent Waller out of the ring. The New Day’s Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods walked down to ringside, and Waller was happy about that. Penta hit a jumping kick on Waller. Waller sent Penta into the commentary table. Waller slid out of the ring and clotheslined Penta on the floor. They went on a break, and I’ll take a break too.
Waller hit Penta with knee smashes. Kofi and Woods were on commentary. Penta hit a bulldog, followed by a backbreaker. Penta kicked Waller and hit a handstand dropkick for two. Waller hit Penta with an elbow smash. Waller hit a sitout spinebuster for a two count. Waller went for an elbow off the turnbuckle, but Penta moved and Penta got a rollup. Penta hit a superkick, Waller hit a superkick and they each hit knee smashes. Penta and Waller hit double clotheslines to knock eachother down. Waller hit a necksnap off the top rope. Penta stopped an attack and hit a superkick. Penta hit a twisting Mexican Destroyer for the pinfall win after about 8 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Penta
Analysis: *** A quality win for Penta, who has lost some momentum of late, so it gives him a much-needed victory. It would be nice if Waller were to get some wins, but it feels like that isn’t happening any time soon. That Mexican Destroyer looked nasty, yet it was also safe.
After the match, The New Day confronted Penta in the ring. Penta told them to stay out of his business. Penta shoved Woods into Kofi. Penta sent Woods and Kofi out of the ring. Penta put on Woods’ giant hat and threw the hat at Woods on the floor. Penta hit a dive over the top onto New Day. Penta celebrated.
The Women’s Tag Team Champions, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, were walking backstage. Rusev and Sheamus went into the screen to continue fighting. There were officials who showed up to try to break it up.
They showed a Charlotte Flair clip from the WWE Unreal docuseries.
The Women’s World Champion Naomi made her entrance and did a promo by the entrance area. This was during the break for some fans. Naomi said that she left a bad situation in New Jersey to a worse situation in New York. Naomi claimed it stinks there with a lot of trash and construction. Naomi told them not to come to Florida. Naomi bragged about walking out of SummerSlam as the Women’s World Champion. Naomi said she told us she’s going to take care of the Raw women’s division. Naomi said next on her list was Stephanie Velcro aka Vaquer. She kept talking, but the break ended, so the show cut away.
A clip was shown of Brock Lesnar making his shocking return at WWE SummerSlam on Sunday night. Lesnar dropped Cena with an F5. It was Lesnar’s first time in a WWE ring in two years.
Michael Cole said he talked to WWE President Nick Khan and WWE CCO Triple H about when they decided to bring Brock Lesnar back. They told Cole that they reached out to Brock a few weeks ago and told him it was time to return home. Lesnar agreed.
It was promoted that John Cena will be on SmackDown this Friday.
Let’s Hear from Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss
Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss entered as the Women’s Tag Team Champions. They were in their ring gear, so they’ll be in a match. Flair said that after SummerSlam, it feels amazing to be champion again. Bliss said that “we” are champions again. Flair said it felt good to do something together, instead of just by herself. Bliss said she thinks that Flair was going to say the “F” word. Flair told Bliss she was a pain in the “A” word. Flair recapped all of her title wins, and Bliss didn’t seem interested in reflecting.
The Judgment Day’s Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez interrupted. Raquel trashed Flair. Perez said nobody cares if they wanted to be friends. Raquel said that they might not get a rematch, but they wanted to take those titles back tonight. Bliss and Flair agreed that they don’t back down from a challenge. Flair said they’ll kick their A-words right now in Brooklyn.
Adam Pearce, the Raw GM, interrupted with a promo by the entrance area. Pearce said normally a title rematch takes some time to put it together. Pearce said tonight is not normal, so the match starts right now. They went to a break for some fans.
Analysis: That was a typical championship win promo to set up a rematch from SummerSlam.
Women’s Tag Team Championships: Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. The Judgment Day – Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez
Flair hit a hurricanrnana off the turnbuckle, but then the heels took over. Perez was legal for her team, Raquel got in a couple of cheap shots, and Perez hit a suicide dive on the floor. Raquel and Perez tried to double team, but Flair broke free. Flair and Bliss each hit neckbreakers after Bliss got a tag. Bliss hit a dropkick to knock Raquel down. Bliss dropkicked Raquel out of the ring. Bliss tried an attack on the floor, so Raquel caught her and slammed Bliss into the barricade. Raquel kicked Bliss to knock her down. They went on a break for some fans, and I’ll take a break too. The heels in J-Day isolated Bliss for a few minutes.
Bliss hit Raquel with a DDT and Flair got the hot tag. Flair hit a cross body block on both opponents. Flair chopped Raquel several times, followed by a cartwheel clothesline. Flair kicked Raquel and Flair hit a fallaway slam on Perez. Flair went up top and hit a moonsault onto both opponents. Flair covered Raquel for a two count. Perez made a tag and Flair kicked Raquel. Perez was legal, she went for a move and Raquel kicked Flair into Perez hitting a legsweep for two. Flair hit backbreaker and sent Perez into the turnbuckle. Flair clotheslined Perez on the apron. Perez hit a neckbreaker on the turnbuckle. Perez hit a hurricanrana off the top rope. Raquel tagged in with a corkscrew elbow for two because Bliss broke up the pin. Flair sent Perez out of the ring and Flair kicked Raquel off the apron to the floor. The referee, Jessika Carr, literally told Flair to tag in Bliss, so Flair did. Perez went after Flair, but Bliss caught Perez and Bliss hit Sister Abigail (DDT) on Perez for the pinfall win after 12 minutes.
Winners by pinfall: Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair
Analysis: ***1/4 A pretty good tag team match. It was a classic tag team style match with Bliss isolated for most of the match and then the pace picked up when Flair got the hot tag. They did some spots that were similar to the match at SummerSlam, but there were also some different moves in the match. Raquel and Roxanne work well as a team, but I expected Bliss and Flair to retain. No reason for them to lose here.
Iyo Sky was backstage talking to Asuka and Kairi Sane. Asuka told Sky that they can help her, but Sky said no thanks. Rhea Ripley showed up to talk to Sky. Ripley said that she heard that Sky asked for a singles match for the Women’s World Title. Sky mentioned she didn’t get pinned at SummerSlam. Ripley said she respects Sky as the former champion, so beat Naomi so Ripley can beat Sky to win the Women’s World Title. Sky told Ripley that she’ll never beat Sky. Ouch.
Dominik Mysterio, the Intercontinental Champion, made his entrance for singles action.
A clip was shown from SummerSlam when Bayley accidentally cost Lyra Valkyria in her match against Becky Lynch. Bayley punched Lyra with a chain-wrapped fist and then Bayley hit a Manhandle Slam for the win.
Bayley was shown walking backstage when Lyra Valkyria was there, saying she was looking for her. Lyra said that she can never challenge Becky Lynch for the title now. Lyra said she needs to get out of this Bayley vortex now. Lyra said that they aren’t good for eachother. Lyra said they aren’t friends or enemies, but she wants Bayley to stay out of her life. Bayley said nothing as Lyra left.
Analysis: Poor Bayley. I predicted a Bayley heel turn at SummerSlam. It didn’t happen there, but I think it’s a possibility that it will happen soon.
Dominik Mysterio vs. Dragon Lee
Lee sent Dom out of the ring early on and Lee hit a suicide dive on Dom on the floor. Lee worked over Dom with punches and a running kick. Dom hit a necksnap on Lee on the apron. Dom went for a 619, Lee avoided it and Lee hit a knee smash. They battled on the apron, where Dom hit a DDT on the apron. Dominik hit a sweet Michinoku Driver while the action was on a break for some fans.
Lee hit a running kick by the turnbuckle and Lee jumped over the top rope, leading to a kick to the face. Lee hit a running forearm on Dominik for a two count. Dominik jumped off the top while holding onto the arm, but Lee countered and Lee hit a sitout Powerbomb for two. Lee hit another jumping kick to knock Dominik down. El Grande Americano was at ringside, then a second Grande was there and a third Grande was there with a kick to Lee’s head. Dominik hit Lee in the head with his left boot and covered Lee for the win. Dom even held onto the ropes for the cheap pin. It went about 8 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Dominik Mysterio
Analysis: **3/4 It was yet another cheap win for “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio thanks to El Grande Americano, along with two more guys in Grande masks. I don’t think Dominik necessarily needs to cheat to beat Dragon Lee, but it fits Dom’s personality to cheat to win.
After the match, AJ Styles ran down to the ring. AJ Styles kicked Dom in the ribs. Styles tried to attack wit the boot, but Dominik bailed to the floor. Styles threw the boot at Dominik. Styles helped Lee back to his feet.
Sami Zayn was interviewed by Jackie Redmond. Zayn said that he thinks that Kross and Scarlett may have wanted him to use the steel pipe. Zayn said it would have felt good to hit Kross with the steel pipe. Zayn said it’s about who he wants to be. Zayn said that he wants to be a World Champion and he will be a World Champion, but he wants to do it the right way. Sheamus and Rusev interrupted the interview because they were fighting. Rusev punched Zayn and officials were there to try to break it up.
Analysis: The cheap punch by Rusev on Zayn will lead to a match between them.
Becky Lynch was shown backstage for her promo time up next.
Finn Balor and JD McDonagh were interviewed by Byron Saxton on the upper deck during the break. They talked about how they beat every tag team on Raw. JD and Finn said no matter who it is, they will beat them.
They showed rapper Method Man at ringside. They also showed rapper/actor Dave East and D’Vinchi, who is an actor. They showed Grammy and Emmy Winner Adam Blackstone. I knew one of the four people there. Method Man is good.
Let’s Hear from Becky Lynch
Becky Lynch, the Women’s Intercontinental Champion, made her entrance to her new theme song by The Wonder Years. The classic Lynch song was around for ten years, so Becky decided it was time for something new.
Lynch said that Lyra Valkyria is gone. Lynch said that Lyra won’t get any more opportunities at the Women’s IC Title as long as Lynch is the champion. Lynch spoke about how it was time to open the floor to new competitors to step into the ring with her. Lynch said physically she’s fine, and here comes Nikki Bella.
The WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella made her entrance and got a good pop while looking great as usual. Nikki joined Lynch in the ring. Nikki said she was listening to Lynch back there. Nikki said that Lynch really is one of the greatest of all time. Nikki said that she knew that she could take a step away because the women’s division was in great hands because of people like Lynch. Nikki said that Lynch has been a disappointment and instead of lifting people, Lynch has handcuffed them. Nikki wondered why Lynch came back and said maybe Hollywood wasn’t what Lynch thought it would be. Lynch said that she was a featured player in Happy Gilmore 2 on Netflix, which is streaming on Netflix. Lynch said that Nikki’s role got cut. Lynch claimed she got Nikki cut from the movie.
Nikki said that Lynch is a liar just like her husband, Seth Rollins. Nikki said that we bought Seth’s lies, but nobody buys Lynch’s BS. Nikki told Lynch she’s still an insecure, scared girl. Lynch said that she and her hot husband are the greatest wrestling couple of all time. That’s a valid point. Lynch said that at one point it would have been Nikki and her…oh wait, you can’t see him anymore. (A John Cena reference, of course.) The fans let out a big “Ooooohhhhh” reaction to that. There were even “Holy Shit” chants. Lynch said that when she came up, she did it to combat Nikki’s era. Nikki said that in her era, Lynch was too damn scared to take on Nikki in a singles match. Nikki said that she wants to see Lynch defend the gold against Nikki Bella. Lynch said that they never went one on one because…and Lynch cheapshotted Nikki with a punch to the jaw. Lynch left.
Analysis: I liked that promo exchange a lot. The bit by Lynch where she referenced Nikki used to be exchanged with John Cena was a great line that led to a huge reaction from the fans. I’m assuming Nikki approved it, and it’s an example of how making this personal will set up a rivalry for good things right away. They did a nice job of creating an issue between eachother. Nikki Bella made the challenge, and Becky Lynch didn’t respond, but we know it’s coming at some point soon. Oh, and I agree with Becky that she and Seth are the greatest wrestling couple of all time. Their careers are legendary and they’ve each accomplished a lot.
Naomi was interviewed by Byron Saxton in the backstage area. Naomi was asked how she felt about her win. Naomi said she warned them, and now everybody looks stupid. Naomi said next week on Raw, she’ll defend her championship against Iyo Sky. Stephanie Vaquer interrupted to say that the Women’s World Championship will belong to her at the Clash in Paris. Naomi said she’ll shove Vaquer’s horns up her behind, and she’ll leave Paris with a limp.
There was an update on Gunther saying that he’ll be out of action indefinitely. Gunther has a nose injury that might need surgery, but they didn’t mention that.
Next Monday on Raw in Quebec City:
* Sami Zayn vs. Rusev
* Women’s World Championship: Naomi vs. Iyo Sky
LA Knight was shown walking backstage for the main event up next.
They showed some SummerSlam highlights and played the audio from different commentary teams. This was shown a few times during the show. This was a way to fill time during a commercial break for some fans.
Becky Lynch was backstage when Natalya, Maxxine Dupri and Akira Tozawa confronted Lynch. Natalya said what Lynch did to Nikki was wrong, so Natalya challenged Lynch to a match next week. Lynch said fine, but it will be against her referring to Dupri. Lynch left.
Analysis: I would prefer Lynch against Natalya because they’re both awesome, but we’ll see what Dupri can do. She has improved a lot in recent months.
LA Knight made his entrance for the main event and he was cheered heavily. The World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins, made his entrance with the legendary Paul Heyman.
World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins (w/Paul Heyman) vs. LA Knight
Knight attacked with punches to start the match. Rollins came back with punches and kicks to the body. Knight hit a clothesline. Knight connected with a neckbreaker for a one count. Knight hit a running clothesline on Rollins against the turnbuckle. Knight gave Rollins a back body drop over the top to the floor. Rollins hid behind Heyman, but Knight saw it coming and punched Rollins. Knight remained aggressive as he sent Rollins into the commentary table. Rollins tackled Knight into the commentary table and Rollins sent Knight into the barricade. Rollins hit a double foot stomp on Knight’s back while he was on the barricade. They went to break for some fans as the action continued. Rollins was in control in the ring with a hard Irish whip into the turnbuckle. Rollins sent Knight into the other side of the turnbuckle. Rollins did a catapult to send Knight throat-first into the middle rope. Rollins kicked Knight while on the apron.
The match continued with Knight making a comeback with some punches and a back body drop. Rollins got a hold of Knight, leading to Rollins sending Knight face first into the turnbuckle. Rollins went up top, so Knight jumped up top and hit a superplex for a two count. Rollins and Knight exchanged punches. Knight hit a clothesline and a side Russian legsweep. Knight hit a jumping neckbreaker for two. Knight hit a powerslam. Rollins blocked an elbow drop by getting the knees up. Rollins gave Knight a Buckle Bomb into the turnbuckle, but Knight avoided The Stomp. Knight hit a Burning Hammer slam off the shoulders for a two count. There was a light “This is awesome” chant, but it didn’t get loud. Rollins rolled up Knight for two. Rollins went for The Stomp, Knight avoided it and Knight countered a Pedigree into a DDT. Knight hit an elbow drop off the top rope. Rollins bailed to the floor to avoid a BFT. Knight kicked Rollins over the commentary table. Knight rammed Seth’s head into the hood of the commentary table (good job by Seth using his hand to make the noise). Knight broke the referee’s count and went back out to the floor. Knight tried to pick up Rollins, but Rollins used his head to hit Knight in the groin with a low blow. Rollins sent Knight into the ring post. Rollins punched Knight repeatedly. Rollins broke the referee’s count and went back out of the ring. Rollins pulled the mat up at ringside and Rollins sent Knight into the ring post again. Rollins told Knight he’ll hurt him. Rollins wanted to hit the GTS on Knight on the floor, but CM Punk was there to attack Rollins with punches. That led to the DQ finish. It went about 13 minutes.
Winner by disqualification: Seth Rollins
Analysis: ***1/4 The match was pretty good, but never really got into that next gear where you could call it a great match. The last few minutes had some nearfalls that worked and popped the crowd, but it’s not like they were kicking out of finishers. They are likely going to do it again, perhaps at Clash in Paris or at another show where Rollins will likely beat Knight when that happens. I’m fine with Knight in a spot to contend for the World Title, but I doubt he will win it.
CM Punk attacked Rollins with punches. They went into the ring, where Punk continued the attack with punches. LA Knight was there and pulled Punk off Rollins because Knight was mad that Punk ruined the match. Bron Breakker showed up and hit a Spear on Punk at ringside. Bronson Reed was there as well and he beat up Knight with punches. Reed hit an elbow on Knight in the ring. Bron hit a Spear on Knight in the ring. Rollins hit The Stomp on Knight in the ring, and Rollins hit The Stomp on Punk as well. The graphics appeared to end the show, but as Rollins held up the World Heavyweight Title, here comes Roman Reigns!
Roman Reigns showed up in the aisle and hit Bronson Reed with a Superman Punch. Reigns punched Bron and threw Bron into the steel steps. Reigns had a staredown with Rollins, who bailed to the floor. Bron tried to attack, but Reigns tackled Bron and punched him a few times. Reed went after Reigns, but Reigns overpowered him and Reigns punched Reed several times. Rollins got back into it by hitting The Stomp on Reigns. Reigns never saw it because it was an attack from behind. The Vision held up Reigns and Bron hit a Spear. Reed went up top and hit a Tsunami on Reigns. Reed hit another Tsunami on Reigns. There were officials and referees in the ring. Rollins wanted another, so Reed hit a third Tsunami on Reigns. Seth Rollins got in the face of Raw GM Adam Pearce and held up the World Title. Bronson Reed stole the red and black sneakers of Roman Reigns again because The Tribal Thief likes stealing sneakers. The Vision posed together and the fans booed. That was the end of Raw.
Analysis: It looks like they set up a six-man tag team match with Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed taking on Roman Reigns, CM Punk, and LA Knight at some point. However, there also could be yet another break for Roman Reigns, who has only wrestled three matches this year and takes many breaks throughout the year. Reigns is filming that Street Fighter movie, so he might be off for a few weeks at least. They could also do Rollins against any of the three babyfaces at any time as well. That just depends on when Reigns wrestles again. Anyway, it was a friendly reminder of how dominant The Vision group is and how well they work together. As I said, it sets up some future matches for the heels and that trio of babyfaces in Reigns, Punk and Knight. We see heel groups standing tall to end shows a lot in the Triple H Era, whether it’s The Bloodline, The Judgment Day, Solo’s MFT group on SmackDown, and so on.
This week’s Raw had a runtime of 2 hours, 39 minutes on Netflix.
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Three Stars of the Show
- Seth Rollins
- LA Knight…yeah.
- Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss
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The Scoreboard
7.25 out of 10
Last week: 7.5
2025 Average: 7.53
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Final Thoughts on WWE Raw
The show was solid most of the way, but it didn’t feel like a big episode that you might expect coming out of SummerSlam. The Rollins/Knight match ended in a DQ, the Sheamus/Rusev match had a double countout, and then the other matches were okay, with predictable outcomes. I don’t think any of the matches stood out.
Seth Rollins and his group, The Vision, finally have a name, so that’s progress. They were featured heavily with that long show opening promo to set up the Rollins/Knight match. After the Rollins/Knight match, it was more of the same with The Vision beating up Knight, CM Punk, and Roman Reigns. It could set up a future six-man tag team match while Reigns could be taking yet another break (he’s filming the Street Fighter movie soon), while Knight could get another title shot since there was a DQ. I think Punk against Rollins is more of a long-term thing.
I enjoyed the Becky Lynch-Nikki Bella promo exchange. Lynch didn’t like Nikki taking a shot at Rollins, so Lynch mocked Nikki for not marrying John Cena, and that led to a strong crowd reaction because it made it feel like a personal shot. In five minutes, they made us care about a new rivalry, so kudos to the ladies for that.
Anyway, there’s been a lot of WWE main roster content over the last four nights. Thanks for reading and supporting.
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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