Welcome to another wild night of Monday Night Raw! The show kicks off with Wade Barrett hyping us up, introducing his new commentary partner, Joe Tessitore, who's all set to dive into the drama of Bash in Berlin.
We start things off with a bang: Rhea Ripley, our "Monday Night Mami," struts down to the ring, showing off her new "TT" tattoo on her cheek (not-so-subtle shade at The Judgment Day). She wastes no time bragging about how she and Damien Priest destroyed Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan at Bash in Berlin. Ripley demands a title shot, but instead, Dom limps out with a shiner that’d make a pirate jealous. Despite the deafening boos, Dom tries
to defend his honor and Liv’s, blaming jet lag for their loss. Ripley’s not buying it and challenges Liv to show up anytime, anywhere. Liv shocks everyone, storming the ring and nearly knocking Ripley out before Priest rushes in to save the day. I gotta say, this start was fire! And it always cracks me up how Dom and Liv just book it outta there!
Backstage, Chad Gable is laying into American Made, pushing them to prove they’re more than just muscle-bound meatheads.
Next up is the first match of the night: American Made vs. Alpha Academy
This one’s a slugfest right from the jump. American Made takes control early, but Otis turns the tide with some heavy hits and surprise moves, including a "caterpillar" that sends the crowd into a frenzy. Maxxine even gets her moment to shine, but it’s not enough. After a chaotic back-and-forth, Ivy Nile locks in a Dragonsleeper, and Maxxine taps out. American Made snags the win, but not without some bruises. Gotta say, the match was kinda meh, but I’m surprised at how much Maxxine’s improving! If she keeps this up, she might be gunning for the top!
Chad Gable, fired up from the win, throws down the gauntlet, challenging the Wyatt Sicks to an 8-man street fight. But Uncle Howdy isn’t gonna let them off easy, dropping a creepy warning that their bet comes with a hefty price. I mean, Wyatt Sicks are dope, but something about them just ain’t clicking for me!
Meanwhile, the Intercontinental Title tournament heats up with Dominik Mysterio, Dragon Lee, and Ilja Dragunov gearing up for their triple-threat match.
Up next, Zelina Vega’s music hits as we get ready for some more action.
Stay tuned, folks, 'cause things are about to get real spicy on Monday Night Raw!
Let’s dive into the second match of the night: Zelina Vega vs. Shayna Baszler with the Pure Fusion Collective.
Zelina Vega makes her entrance and grabs a sign that references her dad, visibly emotional as she poses in the ring. Shayna Baszler follows right after, flanked by her crew. As soon as the bell rings, Vega slaps Baszler and uses her speed to take control, dishing out armdrag after armdrag, even managing to floor Baszler, trying to snap her arm like Shayna does to everyone else. But the party doesn’t last long: Baszler clocks Vega and hurls her into the ring post. Vega fights back with a punch and a 619 right in Shayna’s face, sending her out of the ring for a "motivational session" with her stablemates. And… commercial break.
Back from the break, Shayna’s in control, keeping Vega half in, half out of a submission hold. But Zelina, ever the fighter, fires back with a spinning elbow and tries for a crossbody, only to get caught by Shayna who launches her into a delayed suplex… which Vega miraculously counters! Vega hits a DDT from outta nowhere and then nails a moonsault for a two-count, not once, but twice! She then smacks Shayna with another 619, takes out Zoey Stark, and Deville too, but when she gets back in the ring… BAM! Shayna lands a big hit and seals the deal. Winner: Shayna Baszler! Another match that was just alright, nothing special!
After the match, Pure Fusion Collective ambushes Vega, but Lyra Valkyria rushes in to help. Unfortunately, it’s two against three, and they both get demolished. Deville grabs the mic and orders the crowd to show some respect, reminding everyone just how pathetic they are, including the viewers. She declares there’s not a man in the house who can handle them, nor a woman who can take them on. And she challenges anyone to step up: "Come at us if you’ve got the guts!"
Backstage, Priest and Ripley are chatting, with her leaning on some crutches. They assure everyone it’s nothing serious, and Priest talks about how Balor was too chicken to face him one-on-one. But Mami tells him not to worry, and the two share a sly grin. Priest asks what she said, but… commercial break!
When we’re back, Vega and Lyra are reflecting on the beatdown they took but decide it’s time to fight back. They announce they’ll be in Calgary next week, and it looks like Nattie’s making a comeback too!
CM Punk, the Best in the World, hits the ring! He comes out flashing the bracelet he’s been trying to get back from Drew McIntyre. Grabbing the mic, he waits for the “CM Punk” chants to die down. He says he’ll never get tired of hearing that support and hypes up the crowd. He mentions that he couldn’t wait to get back home to celebrate, but first, he had to make a stop in Denver to party with us. He asks who caught him at Bash in Berlin, saying the match was tough, but he’s glad to come out on top in that personal battle. But now it’s time for business: he wants gold. Gunther took Orton to the limit and then some, and Punk gives him props, but warns that it’s time to wake up as a champion. He tells Gunther to enjoy that title because soon, it’ll be Punk’s to take. Then, he invites everyone to celebrate and starts posing around the ring.
But just as he heads toward the commentary table... Drew McIntyre, hooded up, blindsides him! McIntyre ambushes Punk on the announce table, raining down punches. Wade Barrett steps in, trying to calm Drew down, but he’s not having it: Claymore to Punk, leaving him laid out. Not done yet, Drew drags Punk back into the ring, and despite Barrett's attempts to stop him, delivers another Claymore. McIntyre keeps pounding on Punk until officials rush in to break it up. Drew rips the bracelet off Punk’s wrist, breaks it, and shoves the shattered pieces in Punk’s mouth before hitting him with yet another Claymore. The beatdown continues until officials finally manage to pull them apart. Adam Pearce calls for medics while McIntyre walks away, looking satisfied.
Back from the commercial, we see Punk being carted off on a spinal board while they replay the brutal assault. But Drew’s not done yet: before the ambulance can take off, he intercepts Punk and attacks him again, gouging Punk’s eyes and leaving him bleeding. Man, that was a straight-up “assault” for no real reason—these two need to settle it in a final match and move on! I’d rather see them fighting for titles than just beefing with each other!
Match 3: First Round Triple Threat for the No. 1 Contender for the Intercontinental Title: Dominik Mysterio vs. Dragon Lee vs. Ilja Dragunov!
Dom rolls in first, followed by Dragon Lee, and then Ilja Dragunov. The bell rings, and the three start sizing each other up. Dom strikes first, taking shots at Dragunov and Lee, but they ain’t having it and toss him out of the ring. Dragunov and Lee stay in the ring and start going at it. Dragunov hits a headlock and drops Lee with a shoulder tackle. Lee fires back with a headscissor off the ropes but gets taken out by Dom. Dom nails Dragunov outside the ring, then goes after Lee with a spinning slam for a near fall. Dom heads for Dragunov in the corner, but Dragunov answers with some stiff chops and a German suplex. He hits two of them, and on the third, Dom grabs Lee, and they hit a double German suplex. And… commercial break!
Back from the break, Lee has Dom up on the top rope, but Dragunov comes in with a powerbomb on Lee. Dragunov goes for the pin, but Dom breaks it up from above. We get a rapid sequence of counters and near falls, with Dom going for a 619 on Dragunov, but Dragunov blocks it. Dragunov hits a Death Valley Driver on the apron, then Lee dives onto Dragunov. Lee sets up on the top rope to finish Dom, but Carlito shows up and stops him. Priest’s music hits, and he runs in, taking out Carlito and then chasing Dom, leaving Lee and Dragunov alone in the ring. The two trade strikes and throws, but then botch a takedown attempt. Lee hits a powerbomb for a near fall. They both end up on the top rope, and Dragunov gets flipped and trapped upside down. Lee comes down with a shot to Dragunov’s throat, followed by a dropkick. Lee goes for some kind of tornado DDT, but Dragunov counters and gets a two-count. They trade kicks, and Dragunov ends it with a brutal shoulder tackle for the win.
Man, Dom running away always cracks me up, but by dodging Priest, he blew his shot at winning the match! Solid match, hard-hitting, and I’m stoked for Ilja Dragunov!
They show a recap video highlighting the destruction caused by Braun Strowman and Bronson Reed last week.
Backstage, Adam Pearce is with Kathy Kelly. She asks him who’s gonna replace Reed in the upcoming match. Suddenly, Braun Strowman rolls up, leaving Pearce speechless. Strowman says the docs cleared him, so he’s ready to throw down. Still in shock, Pearce adds him as the third participant.
In the ring, the new Women’s Tag Team Champions make their entrance to watch the next match.
Match 4 – WWE Women’s Tag Team No. 1 Contender’s Match: Damage CTRL (Iyo Sky & Kairi Sane) vs. The Unholy Union (Isla Dawn & Alba Fyre)
Damage CTRL comes out first, followed by the Unholy Union, who are clearly salty about not being the champs. The match kicks off with Sane and Fyre, with Fyre dragging Sane to the corner and laying in some serious punishment. Dawn gets tagged in and keeps the beatdown going until Sane manages to fight back, tossing Dawn out of the ring. Sane dives onto Dawn and takes out Fyre too, followed by a killer moonsault from Sky. We head to a break.
Back from the break, Sane is still stuck in the wrong corner while Dawn keeps bringing the heat. Fyre gets tagged in and goes for a suplex, but Sane counters with a DDT and makes the hot tag to Sky. Sky storms in and wipes out both opponents with a double dropkick. After a series of sick moves, Fyre and Dawn end up outside the ring, but things get messy when Belair gets dragged in front of Sane, who accidentally clocks her. In the chaos, the Unholy Union capitalizes and scores the winning pin.
Winners: The Unholy Union! The feud’s still burning hot! Will they get their belts back? I really hope not! The two teams exchange heated glares in the ring.
Backstage, Adam Pearce is talking with Kofi Kingston about the tag titles not being defended. Gunther walks by, and the camera follows him as we head to a commercial.
Rhea Ripley is backstage, grinning like a kid with ice cream. Priest walks up and asks for the verdict... Rhea just replies with an enigmatic "Yeet." Honestly, even though Rikishi, Jey’s dad, isn’t feeling this storyline, I’m all in for this “new couple”! Fun fact: Rikishi thinks this angle isn’t right for his son and could mess up his marriage! Someone should remind him it’s all scripted, and that Jey and Rhea are happily married in real life! I mean, if Dominik can do it, why can’t the others?!
Gunther's music hits, and the WWE World Heavyweight Champion struts down to the ring. Grabbing a mic, Gunther starts bragging about his victory at Bash in Berlin, talking up how he took down Randy Orton. He admits he wanted to face the best version of Orton—and he did. Another glorious chapter in his legend, as he puts it.
But before he can go any further, Sami Zayn’s music interrupts. Zayn walks down to the ring with a sly grin, saying he’s been thinking about Gunther’s journey. He brings up how many legends—from Macho Man to The Rock—used the Intercontinental Title as a stepping stone to the World Title, just like Gunther...and just like he plans to do. Zayn declares he’s coming for the World Title next. Gunther smirks and tells Zayn that he’s not on the level of those legends—that’s why his name’s not on that list. Just when you think a challenge is coming, Gunther shocks everyone by saying… No. He leaves Zayn standing in the ring, stunned, but Zayn ain’t backing down. He warns Gunther that he’ll chase him down until he gets what he wants. That’s the spirit, Sami! We’re all behind you!
Backstage, Jackie Redmond’s interviewing Jey Uso. Jey’s joking around, throwing "yeet" left and right, when Bron Breakker steps in, telling Jey to forget about the title 'cause he’s gonna beat him. Jey, with his usual swagger, fires back that he’s winning the tournament, taking the title, and schooling Breakker in the process. Yeet.
Meanwhile, JD McDonagh and Finn Balor are getting ready for their match later tonight.
Now onto Match 5 – First Round Triple Threat for the No. 1 Contender for the Intercontinental Title: Braun Strowman vs. Ludwig Kaiser vs. Sheamus.
Strowman enters first, followed by Sheamus and then Ludwig Kaiser. Kaiser starts off by mocking Sheamus but quickly bails out of the ring. Sheamus chases him down, and they start brawling outside until Strowman comes in and flattens both of them. After a series of heavy hits and crazy moves, the match wraps up with Strowman crushing Kaiser with a powerslam, securing the win.
Winner and moving on: Braun Strowman!
Backstage, Jey Uso is warming up when Damian Priest rolls up for a quick word. Jey fires back, saying he knows how things go down and that Rhea is kinda hard to miss. Gotta say, I absolutely love these backstage moments!
Now it’s time for the match we’ve all been waiting for!! Damian Priest & Jey Uso vs. The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & JD McDonagh)!!!
Priest and Uso make their entrance to a big pop from the fans, followed by the Judgment Day crew. The match is straight fire, with Priest and Uso dominating at first. But then, Liv
Morgan and Rhea Ripley get involved, and things get wild. Rhea chases Liv off, and the chaos continues. After some epic moves and crazy twists, Priest nails McDonagh with the Razor’s Edge, and Jey Uso seals the deal with an Uso Splash.
Winners: Damian Priest & Jey Uso!!
Priest, Uso, and Rhea celebrate the win as the show wraps up with a big YEET from the trio! Gotta say, this episode was lit, especially the moments with Rhea, Damian, and Uso, plus the Judgment Day, CM Punk, and Sami Zayn segments.
Catch you Saturday for my Smackdown recap!
Xoxo, Selena!
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