Because WWE has been so successful for so long, there aren’t a lot of firsts left for Raw. Tonight is an exception, as it is the first episode ever to originate from the state of New Mexico. Surprising but true.
But why stop there? Tonight will also be the first appearance of CM Punk as World Heavyweight Champion. The gold certainly looks good over his shoulder as he’s shown walking into the arena.
And we’re starting with “Cult of Personality” tonight so let’s get into it.
CM Punk quickly regrets saying anyone can get a shot at his championship
It’s a little weird to see Punk this happy, right? He’s almost always been the one chasing something amazing and not quite achieving it. Nevertheless, he’s almost giddy to be champion as he thanks wife AJ Lee and the WWE Universe, saying he could not have done it without them. Well, maybe not the one guy with a “Jey is better” sign, though Punk does thank Jey Uso too.
Recalling that he only held the title for three minutes before, Punk says he knows he has to hang on to the title as tight as he possibly can, and at least he knows there’s no “snake in the grass” Seth Rollins to take it away.
“If you come back and get in my business, I will put you back on the couch,” Punk says.
Acknowledging the target on his back, Punk says he knows there’s a line to get at the championship, but there’s also a list of people he wants to punch in the face … like The Vision. He calls out AJ Styles as someone who deserves a title shot, but not Dominik Mysterio, who is on the punching list. Punk goes on to put over JD McDonagh, Finn Balor, Sheamus and John Cena, really leaning into the last name on that list.
When music finally hits, it belongs to Logan Paul, which elicits an “anybody but you” reaction from the champ. Paul makes his case for why he should get his shot, but he’s followed in short order by The Vision, with Paul Heyman saying Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker should be at the front of the line.
When Breakker makes his own angry remarks, Punk says Paul can either fight with him or leave. Logan chooses the latter, but Bron drops him and The Vision hits the ring. That’s bad for our champ, but Paul has a change of heart and returns to the ring. He fares hust as badly, but Punk eventually grabs a chair and returns to drive off the Brons, eliciting a huge “CM Punk” chant.
Stephanie Vaquer and Nikki Bella vs. The Judgment Day (Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez)
Pairing Vaquer and Bella could help both of them, but especially Nikki since she’s been a bit aimless during her current WWE stint. As well, it allows Vaquer to do the majority of work in matchups like this one.
The Devil’s Kiss is as popular as ever, seemingly setting things up for Bella to get the pin. Instead it turns into a showcase for Rodriguez’s power and The Judgment Day’s teamwork, with Perez nailing Bella with Pop Rox to seal the deal.
Winners: The Judgment Day by pinfall
Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett introduce a video package laying out the 16-man tournament to determine Cena’s final opponent. A cool idea, to be sure. Adam Pearce is shown drawing names to set the bracket, though none are revealed yet.
CM Punk runs into Jey Uso backstage, and it appears Punk accepts his offer to team tonight to face The Vision.
Penta vs. El Grande Americano
I know deep down I should feel like the El Grande Americano gimmick has run its course, but I see the other Americanos and I can’t help but smile. Grande himself is no slouch in the ring, but he also learns that there’s nowhere even remotely close to the ring that is safe when Penta takes to the skies.
Eventually both of Grande’s henchmen get ejected, and Penta is able to hit a Mexican Destroyer to finish things. He also quickly gets away after the bell when the Americanos try to swarm him.
Winner: Penta by pinfall
The Kabuki Warriors state that they will continue to tear apart the tag team division until they get the tag team title shot they feel they deserve.
Dominik Mysterio says he’s the greatest, but Rey Mysterio begs to differ
A typically boastful Dirty Dom gets an unexpected visitor: Yes, Rey Mysterio has been cleared to return. And he’s none too happy with Dominik saying he’s the best luchador of all time. Rey mentions Eddie Guerrero and Dominik, without missing a beat, says “you keep my father’s name out of your mouth.” Heh.
Dom tries to turn it around by saying Rey is jealous, to which the crowd responds with a “whoop his ass” chant. Word eventually turn to blows, and Rey ends up sending his son scurrying away after a 619.
Lyra Valkyria and Bayley try to get on the same page, but it’s tough for them to move forward with what’s going on with Bayley.
Becky Lynch interrupts the show to stand on the announce table and rant about Maxxine Dupri. And the fans. But she vows that next time Dupri crosses paths with her, it will be her last.
Becky walks out while the Kabuki Warriors are walking in and ends up in a staredown with Asuka. Something to file away for later.
Kabuki Warriors vs. Bayley and Lyra Valkyria
We make a lot of “can they coexist?” jokes about WWE tag team matches, but Bayley might be the first performer ever where that question is applicable to her and a partner and her alone at the same time. You’d think the story here would be that you can’t afford to be anything but fully locked in against Asuke and Kairi Sane.
But in the meantime, the “this is awesome” chants are going as the fans are into this. Alas, Valkyria ends up getting thrown into Bayley and placed in the Asuka Lock, and she’s not escaping that.
After the bell, the team that Asuka and Kairi are really targeting, Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair, run down and chase them off.
Winners: Kabuki Warriors by submission
The Judgment Day is jubilant about Raquel getting a world title shot, but Dirty Dom is not as happy and wants to know where his teammates were earlier. Balor is having none of it, however, and it finally falls to Perez to play peacemaker and try to convince Mysterio to be the bigger man.
The Judgment Day (Finn Balor and JD McDonagh) vs. AJ Styles and Dragon Lee – World Tag Team Championship Match
Tessitore and Barrett remind us these two teams had a hell of a match just a few weeks ago, which is certainly true. This rematch has some early pep to it as well, with Styles looking especially energetic tonight.
This match has something different to it, which is Dirty Dom trying to “help,” which ends up with Balor in a position in the corner that is just begging to be memed. Also Sheamus enters the fray, laying out Dom and sort of, kind of, balancing out some of the chaos.
After Lee takes to the air, Styles catches McDonagh with a Styles Clash, and the champs retain.
Winners … and still World Tag Team Champions: AJ Styles and Dragon Lee by pinfall
Bella apologizes to Vaquer, but the champ tells her it’s fine. Nikki seems to be plagued with self-doubt, so Vaquer tells her she needs to believe in herself more. That message resonates with Vaquer, but is Bella actually scheming on her title?
Heyman pays Jey Uso a visit to try to figure out why he’d team with the man who just beat him for the world title. It’s actually a sneaky recruitment discussion, because that’s just how Paul rolls.
Who will compete to be the opponent in John Cena’s final match?
Adam Pearce reveals two of the first-round matches in The Last Time is Now tournament:
- Rusev vs. Damian Priest
- Sheamus vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Two more matches will be revealed on SmackDown later this week.
CM Punk and Jey Uso vs. The Vision (Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed)
Tough to figure where this is going to go, but I’d be stunned if Logan Paul doesn’t make his presence felt in some way, shape or form. Punk and Uso are able to work together seamlessly early on, and the fans eat it up.
The action eventually evolves, or devolves depending on your point of view, to the point where all found men are fighting outside the ring. They do so for a bit too long, the ref counts to 10, and the boos start up as the fans realize the match is over. Of course The Vision probably doesn’t care about that, so the battle continues.
Our heroes get the worst of it, and even after Punk grabs a steel chair, the Brons grab chairs of their own. Sure enough, Paul arrives with brass knux in hand. But just as sure, he turns and smashes Punk, knocking him out cold.
Heyman holds the Brons back, the fans start a “f–k you Logan” chant, and Paul handing the knux to Heyman seems to indicate maybe he’s joined up. Who knows? See you next week!
