Our WWE Raw results for tonight include Penta seeking revenge against Chad Gable, AJ Styles taking on Finn Balor, former World Tag Team Champions War Raiders clashing with American Made, IYO SKY & Rhea Ripley teaming up to face Roxanne Perez & Giulia, World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso calls out Logan Paul, CM Punk returning, and more. Here’s our review and grades for tonight’s show, live from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
WWE Raw Card:
- CM Punk set to appear
- AJ Styles vs. Finn Bálor
- War Raiders (Erik & Ivar) vs. American Made (Julius & Brutus Creed)
- IYO SKY & Rhea Ripley vs. Roxanne Perez & Giulia
- Jey Uso calls out Logan Paul
- Penta vs. Chad Gable
WWE Raw Results:
CM Punk makes his way to the ring from backstage.
The Voice of the Voiceless
Punk hypes up the crowd. Punk says he can’t shake being pissed off. he has a lot of enemies. The number one person Punk is mad at is himself. This has happened before. Paul Heyman has betrayed him before. Punk thought they had moved past that. Punk apologizes to Jey Uso, who warned him about Heyman when he returned. Heyman interrupts. Punk threatens to end Heyman. Seth Rollins‘ music hits. Rollins and Bron Breakker join Heyman on the ramp. Rollins says Punk is trying to gaslight everyone.
The crowd boos at Rollins calls Punk trash and blames him for not beinfg champion. Punk says Rollins will never be champion as long as Punk is on two feet. Rollins says if Punk wants to die a martyr, that can be arranged. Rollins looks at Breakker. Rollins sends Breakker to the ring. Punk jumps Breakker. Breakker takes control and stomps Punk. Sami Zayn hops the barricade and tries to make the save. Rollins attacks Zayn from behind. World Champion Jey Uso hits the ring. Zayn grabs a chair, and they clear the ring.
Grade: B
Good opening segment. Punk always brings the intensity, especially when he is in full-on Martyr mode. This segment didn’t overstay its welcome. It didn’t turn into a long promo battle between Heyman and Punk because it didn’t need to be. Save that for later. They got straight to the action and instead of setting up tonight’s main event, they set up the co-main event for Saturday Night’s Main Event. This was a good piece of business.
Pat McAfee is back and in the booth with Michael Cole.
Penta vs. Chad Gable
Penta is all over Gable as the bell rings, landing a flurry of strikes. Gable goes low and works over Penta. Gable tries to rip off Penta’s mask. Penta fights back and lands a diving armdrag. Rana by Penta. Gable rolls out. Penta tries a dive, but Gable lands a leaping headbutt. After the break, Penta counters a dive with a superkick. Headstand corner dropkick by Penta. Gable kicks out. Penta tries his finish. Gable reverses it into a German suplex.
Read More: Pat McAfee Reflects On WWE Backlash Match With Gunther
The crowd boos as Gable tries a diving headbutt, but Penta catches Gable with a codebreaker. Gable kicks out again. Penta tries the Sacrifice, but Gable reverses it into an ankle lock. Penta counters with a pin. Kick out by Gable. Gable sets up a superplex. Penta pushes Gable off the top. Gable does a backflip and lands on his feet. Penta dives off the top and hits a super Mexican Destroyer for the win.
Winner- Penta
Grade: B
This was a hot opening match. Penta has all the reasons in the world to want to destroy Gable, and he wasted no time ratcheting up the intensity. Gable is such a quality performer who seamlessly blends high-flying and top-tier technical skills. The fact that the finish was a leaping Mexican destroyer was the cherry on top of all this. That move should finish fights like Kenny Florian.
The New Day are out to watch the next match.
War Raiders (Erik & Ivar) vs. American Made (Julius & Brutus Creed)
Erik and Ivar take turns slamming each Creed Brother. Erik slams Ivar ontop of Brutus. Julius gets a blind tag and levels Erik with a clothesline. Brutus and Julius beat down Erik. After the break, Erik manages to tag in Ivar. Ivar tries a handspring but gets caught by Brutus and Julius, who powerbomb him. Woods distracts the referee while Kingston crotches Ivar on the top rope. The Creed hits the Doomsday Brutus Ball for the win.
Winners- American Made
Grade: C+
This one started off slow, and the crowd was not interested until Ivar fired up 5/8 through the match. Neither of these teams seems to be connecting with the live crowds, which detracts from the overall aesthetic of the matches. The New Day did heel things, which is good since they have had so little to do since their heel turn.
YEET YEET
Jey says Logan Paul keeps sneaking up on him, but they will be face-to-face at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Jey promises to be the World Champion at Saturday Night’s Main Event. The former World Champion, Gunther, interrupts. The crowd yells that Gunther tapped out. As Gunther speaks, the crowd boos him. Gunther notes that the impossible came true: Jey Uso is the World Champion. Jey reminds Gunther that he made him tap out.
Gunther says he can understand what Jey is going through, but his opinion of him hasn’t changed. Gunther says Jey isn’t fit to be champion. The winner of Jey vs. Logan Paul will have to face Gunther at Money in the Bank. Gunther says he hopes Jey wins so he can remind him of his place. Jey goes off and says this is his place, He’s the world champion. When Jey is done with the YouTuber, he’s going to run through Gunther, Yeet.
Grade: B
Gunther is a great bad guy. His punchable face and smug attitude make him the perfect foil for Jey. It took entirely too long for Gunther and Jey’s paths to cross again. Jey has turned into a heck of a promo, even though half the time he’s blown up from multiple-Yeets with the crowd before he gets to the ring. The fire Jey showed here is just another sign that he is precisely where he should be.
AJ Styles vs. Finn Bálor
Styles is in control early. After a dropkick from Styles. Bálor rolls out to catch his breath. Styles and Bálor trade strikes. Bálor stomps Styles. Bálor works over Styles. Styles fires up and lands a Ushigoroshi. Bálor kicks out. Both men are down after a double clothesline. After the break, Styles lands a superplex. Styles counters Bálor’s overhead kick with the Calf Crusher. Bálor manages to get to the ropes. Bálor surprises Styles with the final cut. Slingblade by Bálor.
Read More: John Cena’s Saturday Night’s Main Event Opponent Seemingly Revealed
Woo dropkick by Bálor. Bálor misses the double stomp. Bálor is favoring his inkured leg. Styles locks Bálor in the Calf Crusher. Bálor tries to escape. Styles rolls Bálor into the Styles Clash! Bálor kicks out! After distractions from Carlito and JD McDonagh, Bálor lands 1918. Styles kicks out. Penta appears and takes out McDonagh with a crossbody off the barricade. Penta leaps off McDonagh’s back and blasts Carlito with a Mexican Destroyer. Styles drops Bálor with the Phenomenal Forearm for the win.
Winner- AJ Styles
The Man has Come Around
Becky Lynch says she wasn’t beaten on Saturday, Lyra Valkyria was beaten on Saturday. Lynch walked away while Valkyria was taken to a hospital. Lynch takes credit for Valkyria, meaning more than she ever did, because Lynch wrestled her at Backlash. The crowd boos as Lynch blames them for her current attitude. From no one, Lynch says she is whatever we say she is. Greedy? Cutthroat? Selfish? Lynch is all that. All the women in the back who were happy that she was gone will finally realize what it’s like to be held down by the Man.
Grade: B+
Iconic promo by Lynch. If anyone thought Lynch lost her passion, she proved otherwise here tonight. Sign this writer up for super-heel Becky Lynch.
IYO SKY & Rhea Ripley vs. Roxanne Perez & Giulia
SKY takes Perez down and lays in a flurry of strikes. After a cheap shot from Giulia, Perez and Giulia work over SKY in their corner. Perez attacks SKY from the apron. Ripley leaps into the ring and pulls Perez into the ring. Dropkick by Ripley. Ripley chases Perez around the ring. Giulia drives off the apron but gets caught by Ripley. Perez dropkicks Giulia, sending Ripley into the ring post. SKY obliterates Perez with a suicide dive.
After the break, SKY manages to tag in Ripley. Ripley clears the ring. Perez and Giulia double-team Ripley. Perez gets a near fall after a double jump moonsault. Ripley kicks out. Ripley manages to tag in SKY. SKY lands a diving dropkick. SKY tosses Perez into Ripley. Perez lands a tornado DDT. SKY lands the Over the Moonsault. Perez breaks up the pin. Giulia lands a butterfly suplex off the top. Snow Plow by Giulia. Ripley breaks up the pin. Ripley pushes Perez into a crossbody from Perez. Ripley crushes Giulia with Riptide for the win.
Winners- IYO SKY & Rhea Ripley
Grade: C+
This one seemed a bit off from Jump Street, with several spots where the competitors appeared to be waiting for the next spot in the match. Three or four awkwardly long pauses between spots are too much to ignore. Also, the consistent beating of Perez and Giulia on the main roster is worrying, as it’s hard to take someone seriously when they lose every match they are in.
WWE Raw Review:
This week’s show was a solid effort. We were gifted with some strong storytelling and a few quality matches in the ring. The opening promo with CM Punk and Paul Heyman started the show off hot, and that continued through the Penta vs. Chad Gable match, which stole the show tonight. Becky Lynch’s impassioned mission statement promo later in the night was a return to form for the Man, and could lead to an exciting new dynamic in the Raw Women’s Division.
Things are a bit less rosy when it comes to the War Raiders vs. Creeds tag match and the main event between Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY battling Giulia and Roxanne Perez. Both matches didn’t set the world on fire and featured what seemed to be timing issues to the untrained eye. As we move towards Money in the Bank and Saturday Night’s Main event, things are hot storyline-wise on Raw. What do you think will happen next week? Tell us in the comments!
Rating: B-
Read More: Dominik Mysterio Names The Greatest WWE Intercontinental Champions Of All Time (After Him)
WrestleZone features weekly audio and video content on Facebook, YouTube, and your favorite podcast apps like Apple, Spotify, and SoundCloud. Subscribe now for hours of exciting wrestling content, including exclusive interviews, previews, reviews, and more!
