Our WWE Raw results for tonight include War Raiders defending the WWE World Tag Team Championships against JD McDonagh & Dominik Mysterio, Logan Paul making his Netflix debut, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair & Naomi battling Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez, Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre, Cody Rhodes returns, and more! Here’s our review and grades for tonight’s show, live from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
WWE Raw Card:
- WWE World Tag Team Championship Match: War Raiders (Erik & Ivar) (c) vs. JD McDonagh & Dominik Mysterio
- Logan Paul makes his Netflix debut
- Cody Rhodes returns
- Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair & Naomi vs. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez
WWE Raw Results:
Michael Cole and Pat McAfee welcome the crowd to the show.
He’s a Visionary…
Seth “Freakin” Rollins saunters his way to the ring. Rollins notes that it’s WrestleMania season, and he’s going to win the Royal Rumble. 2025 got off to a bad start for him. Rollins recounts his loss to CM Punk on the first Raw on Netflix. When Rollins is focused, he’s impossible to best. At the Royal Rumble, he’s tossinzg everyone out. He doesn’t care who it is. Rollins talks about his options when he wins the Royal Rumble. Rollins asks the crowd if he should challenge Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship or Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship. Gunther interrupts. Gunther says Rollins is too distracted with emotional stuff that doesn’t matter. The crowd boos.
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Gunther tells Rollins to go win the Royal Rumble and to please challenge him. Rollins will end up looking up at the lights and realize the World Heavyweight Championship is synonymous with Gunther. Logan Paul interrupts. The crowd drowns Paul out with boos as he tries to speak. Paul says this is a new area, and WWE needs a new face. That face should be Paul. Paul says he’s going to win the Royal Rumble. He’s not worried about throwing out 29 other guys at the Rumble; he just has to be the last person standing. Gunther says he now wants Paul to win the Rumble so he can smack that stupid smirk off Paul’s face.
Grade: B
It was a good opening segment, but it slightly overstayed its welcome. Rollins drowned for entirely too long. Things picked up when Gunther made his way to the ring. Paul’s inclusion wasn’t needed, but if this means we won’t have to see him again tonight, then sign this writer up.
WWE World Tag Team Championship Match: War Raiders (Erik & Ivar) (c) vs. JD McDonagh & Dominik Mysterio
McDonagh tries an Asai moonsault that he lands, but his head slams into the commentary desk in the process. The Judgement Day controls most of the match. Dominik tries a senton off the apron. Erik catches Dominik and powerbombs him into McDonagh. Ivar lands a senton off the barricade. Erik and Ivar hit their finish on Dominik for the win.
Winners- The War Raiders
Grade: C+
Fun match with a predictable ending. It’s hard to get into a title match when the winner isn’t in doubt. At the very least, it was a fun ride, as both teams flew around the ring with reckless abandon. The War Raiders’ combination of power and speed was on full display tonight.
Rey Mysterio w/ LWO vs. Xavier Woods w/Kofi Kingston
Woods controls the start of the match. Mysterio attempts a flurry but is cut off by Woods’ leaping stomp to the head. Woods continues his assault. At ringside, Wood’s parents reveal they are wearing a New Day Sucks shirt. After this distraction, Mysterio lands the 619, and the slingshot splash for the win.
Winner- Xavier Woods
Grade: B-
Kingston and Woods haven’t been this interesting in years. The simple ring gear and refuting of all things colorful and pancake-themed
Backstage, Sami Zayn apologized to Rollins for kicking him last week.
Yeet!
Jey Uso walks to the ring via the crowd with Quavo from The Migos. Uso stands on the commentary desk and says he may have lost at Saturday Night’s Main Event, but he can beat Gunther. Uso says he’s going to win the Royal Rumble.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair & Naomi vs. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez
Naomi and Belair take control early, clearing the ring after a series of crossbody blocks. After a break, Rodriguez and Morgan are working over Naomi. Naomi surprises Rodriguez with the heat seeker. Belair gets the hot tag. Belair avoids Oblivion and hits the KOD. Dominik Mysterio appears and distracts the referee during the pin. Belair takes Dominik out with a splash. In the chaos, Rodriguez hits her finish on Naomi on the apron. Morgan pins Naomi.
Winners- Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez
Grade: C+
This is only the second time these two teams have matched up, but for some reason, it already feels… old. Rodriguez is a literal charisma vacuum, so involvement drags everything down here. Even the powerbomb on the apron finish seemed lame. How do you make that lame?
The Wiseman Cometh
Paul Heyman stomps down to the ring and notes he’s the one behind the one. The GOAT, the one and only Tribal Chief, the one on the cover of WWE 2025, Roman Reigns. Pyro goes off, and the cover of WWE 2025 folds down from the ceiling. Heyman notes that Reigns is going back to the mindset of one-vs-all. Reigns took back his ‘Ula Fala, and now he’s coming for his championship. Heyman notes that everyone in the back wants to be Reign. Drew McIntyre interrupts. McIntyre says he hates to admit it, but this is all his fault.
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He’s the daddy of the Bloodline. McIntyre lays out how eliminating Reigns in the Rumble and defeating Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania started this whole thing. McIntyre wants a thank you. Heyman thanks McIntyre and tells him to back up; he’s too close. McIntyre asks Heyman to tell Reigns that he is going to target him at the Rumble. Heyman gives McIntyre his word, and he’ll tell Reigns and try to walk away. McIntyre stops Heyman and tells him he meant Punk, not Reigns.
Grade: B+
Heyman is a master at talking fans into the building. He turned what should have been a silly video game cover reveal into a promo to build the importance of not just the Royal Rumble but Reigns being in the Royal Rumble. McIntyre is reaching new levels of delusion, claiming to be the impetus of the Bloodline and all of Reigns’ success… Next, he’ll be claiming he’s the one who gave the Rock his first shot.
Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre
McIntyre and Zayn trade shots. Zayn lands an Asai moonsault. Zayn’s nose gets busted after a stiff shot from McIntyre. After some back and forth, the fight spills out of the ring. Zayn crashes into the commentary desk. McIntyre sets up a Claymore. Zayn sidesteps, and McIntyre ends up landing on the commentary desk.
After a series of reversals, Zayn eventually lands a Blue Thunder Bomb. McIntyre kicks out. McIntyre misses a Claymore. Zayn gets a near fall. Corner Exploder by Zayn. Zayn misses the Helluva Kick. McIntyre pins Zayn with his feet on the ropes.
Winner- Drew McIntyre
After the match, McIntyre attacks Zayn. Cody Rhodes makes the save, dropping McIntyre with a Cody Cutter. Kevin Owen appears and attacks Rhodes. Rhodes fights Owens off. McIntyre clubs Rhodes from behind. Rhodes and McIntyre brawl. Zayn charges in with a Helluva Kick, but McIntyre moves. Zayn accidentally boots Rhodes in the face. McIntyre laughs and walks away. Owens sees the aftermath, gives Zayn a pat on the chest, and leaves.
Grade: B-
Good match, but we have seen it before. Zayn is 0-78 against McIntyre at this point. Even with the after-brawl, this main event was underwhelming.
Cody Rhodes Speaks
Rhodes gets to his feet and says he has come to a realization. Being a champion is not about the belt; it’s about a mindset. Rhodes is the first to arrive and the last to leave. CM Punk’s music hits. Punk joins Rhodes in the ring, and he asks Rhodes if he’s alright. Rhodes looks defeated. Punk notes that he once held the title for over 400 days, and he knows what being a champion can do to a man. He’s lost friends behind being champion, so he gets it. Rhodes asks Punk if he’s his friend. Punk pauses and says yes. Punk made a promise to Rhodes’ father, and he loves Rhodes. Rhodes tells Punk they should just cut through it.
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Last year, Punk had a prediction, and this year, Rhodes wants to know what’s next for him. Punk says he’ll tell him what’s next in the short term. Rhodes will be preoccupied with his commitments and make it past Owens. Someone will come up and take that belt from Rhodes, and that’s the good news. Rhodes laughs and asks if that’s the good news and what’s the bad news. Punk says the bad news is that somebody is him. Unlike Rhodes’ so-called friends, Punk isn’t going to stab Rhodes in the back; he’s going to stab him in the front.
Rhodes says in all the years he’s been friends with Punk, he’s been chasing Punk. Now, their dynamic has changed. Rhodes says Punk is chasing him now. Punk chuckles. Rhodes hopes that Punk wins so that Punk can finally catch up. Rhodes tries to walk away, but Punk pulls him back. Punk says there is a graveyard full of careers of people who wanted him to catch up until he did. Punk tries to walk away, but Rhodes pulls him back. Rhodes says he wasn’t done. He wants to see the look on Punk’s face when he realizes that the best in the world isn’t the best anymore.
Grade: B
Great segment. The ending was a bit flat, but everything leading to that was solid. The stress of all of the issues leading up to tonight is starting to wear on Rhodes; it’s written all over his face and oddly stoic demeanor. Rhodes may be close to cracking and breaking bad. If there is one person who could drive Rhodes over the edge, it’s a looming CM Punk.
WWE Raw Review:
This episode of Raw had a mix of strong storytelling, solid in-ring action, and a few underwhelming moments. The show focused heavily on building toward the Royal Rumble while continuing the rivalries that drive the top of the card. However, it suffered from a lack of freshness in some matchups and segments that felt repetitive.
Raw leaned heavily on promo work to carry the night, and for the most part, it succeeded. Cody Rhodes and CM Punk’s verbal battle and Paul Heyman’s speech were highlights that carried emotional weight and added excitement for the Royal Rumble. However, the repetitive matchups and lackluster women’s division storytelling held this show back immensely. With the Royal Rumble around the corner, the groundwork has been laid for some exciting moments, but we seem to be in the standard WWE holding pattern before a big show.
Rating: B-
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