WWE arrived at the Allstate Arena in Chicago for an explosive edition of Monday Night Raw, with the fallout from Night of Champions taking centre stage.
Newly crowned Undisputed WWE Champion Sami Zayn found himself under immediate pressure following his championship victory, while Seth Rollins addressed his SummerSlam showdown with Roman Reigns. Elsewhere, the World Tag Team Championship was on the line, Sol Ruca defended the Women’s Intercontinental Championship, and the road to SummerSlam continued to take shape before a blockbuster main event closed the show.
The show opened with a video package recapping Sami Zayn’s victory over Cody Rhodes and Gunther at Night of Champions to become Undisputed WWE Champion, as well as Cody Rhodes defeating Jey Uso on SmackDown to become the number one contender.
As Zayn arrived at the Allstate Arena, he was immediately confronted by Rhodes. The champion confidently told Rhodes that he would be leaving Chicago still holding the Undisputed WWE Championship, but before the conversation could escalate, Gunther blindsided Rhodes from behind.
The Ring General powerbombed Rhodes through a table before turning his attention to Zayn, telling the champion that his title victory had been a fluke. Gunther then delivered one final message by slamming a car door into Rhodes’ head, leaving the former champion laid out before officials rushed to the scene.
Seth Rollins opened the show inside the ring, welcoming fans to what he called “Monday Night Rollins” before turning his attention to Roman Reigns and their upcoming World Heavyweight Championship clash at SummerSlam.
Rollins claimed Reigns had failed to appear in Chicago because it was financially beneficial for him to stay away. He reflected on their history together, arguing that Reigns had always been WWE’s chosen star, dating back to The Shield, while he had been forced to fight for every opportunity.
Rollins admitted that watching Reigns receive opportunities he believed were unearned had fuelled his own ambition, explaining that every major decision in his career, including breaking up The Shield and cashing in Money in the Bank at WrestleMania 31, had been motivated by a desire to surpass Reigns.
He recalled a conversation in which Reigns allegedly told him he earned ten times more money for doing ten times less work, insisting money had never motivated him. Instead, Rollins declared that defeating Reigns at SummerSlam was about proving to himself that he could still achieve the dreams he had as a child.
LA Knight interrupted the promo and mocked Rollins, accusing him of putting the Chicago crowd to sleep. Knight admitted they had both suffered first-round exits in this year’s King of the Ring tournament, but argued that, unlike Rollins, he wasn’t relying on past accomplishments.
Knight said WWE’s business had been booming when he emerged as one of the company’s hottest stars and vowed that, regardless of setbacks, he would continue rising back to the top.
Rollins admitted he respected Knight but insisted his full focus remained on reclaiming the World Heavyweight Championship from Roman Reigns. He promised Knight would receive his opportunity once he became champion again.
Before anything could escalate further, Jimmy Uso appeared from behind and blasted Knight with a superkick, ending the confrontation.
Backstage, suspended SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis confronted Gunther over his attack on Cody Rhodes.
The situation quickly escalated when Raw General Manager Adam Pearce became involved, with the two authority figures arguing over Pearce’s decision to allow Cody Rhodes to become the number one contender on SmackDown.
WWE World Tag Team Championship Match: The Street Profits (Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins) (c) vs. The Vision (Austin Theory and Bron Breakker)
The first championship contest of the evening saw The Street Profits defend the WWE World Tag Team Championship against Austin Theory and Bron Breakker, with Paul Heyman warning Theory beforehand that he needed to reclaim the titles or not bother returning.
Breakker exploded out of the gate with his trademark athleticism before Theory joined the action, but the champions soon regained control through quick tags and effective double-team offence.
During the commercial break, Theory and Breakker isolated Angelo Dawkins, repeatedly cutting the ring in half and tagging frequently to wear the challenger down.
Montez Ford eventually received the hot tag and ignited the Chicago crowd with a flurry of offence, including an enzuigiri to Breakker before Dawkins re-entered the match. The champions delivered an impressive combination move as Dawkins hoisted Theory onto his shoulders before Ford soared from the top rope with a blockbuster, driving Theory into a Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex.
Theory survived the cover after Breakker broke up the pinfall.
The closing stages descended into chaos. Heyman first attempted to slide Theory a pair of brass knuckles, only for the referee to intercept him. Heyman then produced a second set of brass knuckles for Breakker while again distracting the official, but Dawkins punched the weapon away before Ford wiped Breakker out with a spectacular dive over the top rope.
With the referee once again distracted by Heyman, Maxxine Dupri appeared behind Dawkins and delivered a low blow. The illegal attack left Dawkins vulnerable, allowing Theory to score the decisive pinfall and capture the WWE World Tag Team Championship.
Winners: The Vision – New WWE World Tag Team Champions
Following the match, Dupri celebrated by embracing Theory and kissing him as The Vision stood tall with championship gold.
Jackie Redmond interviewed Penta backstage ahead of his scheduled appearance.
The interview was interrupted by Rusev and Ethan Page, who confronted Penta before Dragon Lee and Chad Gable arrived to even the odds, setting the stage for later events on the show.
WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship Match: Sol Ruca (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez
The Women’s Intercontinental Championship was next on the line as Sol Ruca defended against the powerhouse Raquel Rodriguez.
Rodriguez immediately attempted to use her size advantage, forcing Ruca onto the top rope before driving her face-first into the turnbuckle. Despite the punishment, Ruca showcased her athleticism with several impressive aerial attacks, including a springboard Tornillo to the outside after Rodriguez narrowly avoided an earlier moonsault attempt.
Rodriguez regained control during the break by grounding the champion with an Abdominal Stretch before transitioning into a Torture Rack.
Back on live television, Ruca battled back with a running knee strike and looked poised to finish the match with the Sol Snatcher. However, Roxanne Perez distracted the referee while Liv Morgan pulled Ruca across the ropes from the outside.
The distraction allowed Rodriguez to plant the champion with a spinning Sidewalk Slam, but Ruca narrowly kicked out.
Moments later, Iyo Sky stormed to ringside and attacked both Morgan and Perez. Sky first launched herself from the barricade with a crossbody onto Perez before dropping Morgan with a superkick and wiping out both women with an impressive Asai Moonsault.
The distraction shifted Rodriguez’s attention long enough for Ruca to capitalise. The champion connected with the Sol Snatcher and secured the three-count to retain her championship.
Winner: Sol Ruca
Paul Heyman then addressed the WWE Universe on behalf of Brock Lesnar ahead of SummerSlam.
Heyman claimed Oba Femi had entered WWE believing he owned the company, only to learn firsthand what Brock Lesnar was capable of. While acknowledging that Femi had previously proven Lesnar could be beaten, Heyman insisted Hell in a Cell would be an entirely different environment, describing it as “the Brock-tagon.”
Heyman reminded fans of Lesnar’s history in Hell in a Cell, citing victories over The Undertaker, before predicting another dominant performance at SummerSlam.
Oba Femi interrupted and accused Heyman of being reduced from Lesnar’s advocate to simply his mouthpiece. Femi insisted that his comments had clearly affected Lesnar because the Beast continued to show up whenever challenged.
Femi vowed that SummerSlam would mark the end of his rivalry with Lesnar, promising to defeat him inside Hell in a Cell in front of his family, and declaring Lesnar the final obstacle standing between him and his destiny.
Following the confrontation with Paul Heyman and Oba Femi, Jackie Redmond caught up with Undisputed WWE Champion Sami Zayn backstage. Before Zayn could say much, Raw General Manager Adam Pearce informed him that he would be defending the Undisputed WWE Championship later that evening, though Pearce deliberately refused to reveal his challenger.
Tag Team Match: Ethan Page and Rusev vs. Chad Gable and Dragon Lee
The uneasy alliance of Ethan Page and Rusev joined forces to face Chad Gable and Dragon Lee.
Before the opening bell even rang, Page and Rusev jumped their opponents from behind, immediately putting Gable and Lee on the defensive. Rusev punished Lee with a thunderous suplex before Gable entered the contest and briefly shifted momentum with a pair of belly-to-belly suplexes, then locked Rusev in an Ankle Lock.
Page broke up the submission, allowing his team to regroup. Dragon Lee soon entered the match and dazzled the Chicago crowd with his speed, helping Gable launch himself over the ropes with a Tope Con Hilo that wiped out both opponents on the floor.
During the commercial break, Page isolated Gable before Rusev returned to continue wearing him down with his trademark power offence.
Lee eventually received the hot tag and exploded into the match with a Tornado DDT, then trapped Page across the top rope and drove double stomps into his midsection. His momentum was halted when Rusev re-entered the match and joined Page in attempting a double suplex, only for Gable to intervene.
Chaos quickly broke out as Gable planted Page with an Angle Slam before Rusev answered with a crushing Machka Kick. Lee attempted to steal the victory with a roll-up, but Rusev powered out, then delivered a devastating chokeslam followed by another Machka Kick.
Rusev then locked Lee in The Accolade, forcing the luchador to tap out.
Winners: Ethan Page and Rusev
After the match, Gable attempted to confront Rusev once again, but Page came to his partner’s aid. Before the numbers game could continue, Joe Hendry rushed to the ring and cleared Page with a Fallaway Slam.
Page recovered quickly enough to plant Hendry with a double underhook driver, allowing Rusev to trap Hendry in The Accolade. Officials flooded the ring to separate everyone as the confrontation finally ended.
Backstage, Nick Aldis approached Adam Pearce with an important update.
Following Gunther’s attack on Cody Rhodes earlier in the evening, Aldis informed Pearce that he had successfully found a replacement challenger for Sami Zayn’s Undisputed WWE Championship defence.
The identity of the challenger remained a mystery until the main event.
Undisputed WWE Championship Match: Sami Zayn (c) vs. CM Punk
Sami Zayn entered for what he believed would be an unexpected title defence, only for CM Punk’s music to bring the Allstate Arena crowd to its feet.
The Chicago native emerged as Cody Rhodes’ replacement, setting up a blockbuster main event for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
The opening stages saw both men exchange holds before Punk established an early advantage with a shoulder tackle and a suicide dive that sent Zayn crashing into the floor.
Zayn battled back during the first commercial break, using his trademark resilience to regain control with clotheslines and a sleeper hold before teasing the Go To Sleep against Punk.
Punk avoided a Blue Thunder Bomb attempt before delivering a clothesline, but Zayn answered with a huge superplex from the top rope, leaving both men down.
As the match intensified, the two veterans exchanged increasingly dangerous offence. Punk landed his signature running knee-and-bulldog combination before connecting with his trademark top-rope elbow drop, only for Zayn to kick out.
Punk then transitioned into the Anaconda Vice, but Zayn escaped before both men began stealing one another’s signature offence.
Zayn stunned the Chicago crowd by planting Punk with the Go To Sleep, but Punk somehow survived the pinfall.
Moments later, Punk delivered an Exploder Suplex into the corner and appeared to mock Zayn by calling for the Helluva Kick. Zayn avoided the attack and responded with another Go To Sleep before following up with a Blue Thunder Bomb, but Punk again refused to stay down.
The closing moments became a dramatic exchange of strikes as both competitors dug deep.
After absorbing another flurry from the champion, Punk connected with a Helluva Kick of his own before finally driving Zayn into the mat with the Go To Sleep.
This time, there was no escape.
The referee counted three, bringing Zayn’s championship reign to an end and crowning CM Punk as the new Undisputed WWE Champion.
Winner: CM Punk – NEW Undisputed WWE Champion
Punk celebrated the victory in front of his hometown crowd as Raw went off the air with the new champion standing tall, closing one of the most eventful editions of Monday Night Raw in recent memory.
