By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw (Episode 1,670)
Brussels, Belgium at Forest National
Streamed live March 17, 2025 on Netflix
[Hour One] Michael Cole checked in on commentary while a shot aired of the host city. There were backstage shots of Finn Balor, Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker, Bianca Belair, and Women’s World Champion Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai… Cole hyped a look back at last week’s Raw main event…
Corey Graves joined Cole at the broadcast table. It was noted that Pat McAfee had the week off. Cole set up a video package on Cody Rhodes and John Cena…
John Cena’s usual entrance theme played and the fans booed loudly. A “Farewell Tour” logo appeared on the big screen. Cena walked out dressed in a farewell tour t-shirt and hat, along with his jorts. The fans sang “John Cena sucks.” Ring announcer Alicia Taylor introduced Cena, who was stone-faced as he walked to the ring and once he was inside it.
Cena stood in the middle of the ring and stared ahead while there were dueling “Let’s Go Cena/Cena Sucks” chants. Cena picked up a mic off the mat and a “You sold out” chant broke out. Cena dropped the mic and teased leaving, then turned around and picked up the mic again.
“When someone is properly grounded in life, they shouldn’t have to look outside themselves for approval,” Cena said. “You are making this so easy for me. You see, for 25 years I’ve been the victim. I have been the victim of an abusive relationship.”
The crowd booed. “No, no, no, you have lost your time to talk,” said Cena. “All you do is be hurtful. All you are is abusive. all you’ve ever done is expect me to be your puppet and to do it with a damn smile on my face.” Cena held up the mic while the fans chanted “F— you, Cena” (some were censored).
Cena mockingly thanked the fans. “I am not a babyface,” he continued. “I am not a heel. I am a human being and each and every one of you have been awful to me. You’ve been awful. And it’s been the same damn noise for 25 years. When I first got here to WWE, you let me know really loud that you hated me.
“Yeah, yeah, moments of embarrassment, moments of shame just like this. You let me know that I wasn’t worthy of your attention. So what did I do? I went and changed myself and it worked for a second, but it wasn’t enough. So what did I do? I worked hard like I always do and I started to win and win and win and win and win and win and win and win.
“Oh, I won a lot, and you hated it. It wasn’t enough. So what did I do? I spent the next ten years of my life trying to give away everything I possibly could and it wasn’t enough.” The fans chanted “shut the f— up” and it went uncensored.
“And in my final moments, what’s the only thing I can do, right? I can walk away. What a great example, they go from chanting shut the F up to cheering when I say I’m going to walk away. So I announced retirement in a move that has never been done before, I’m actually walking away at the end of this year.
“I tried one last time to get along with you guys. I tried one last time to do something nice for you and you ruined it, just like you ruin everything. Just like right here tonight, for two seconds it was great and then it’s never enough.” The fans sang the goodbye song.
Cena said each one of “these idiots” is proving his point with every breath. He said that whatever he doesn’t isn’t enough. He said the fans only take and they only care about themselves. Cena said he put his values on the line to make a very important choice in my life and all the fans could think of is what do they get. Cena said no one asked him how he felt. Cena said the fans get what they have earned and what they have earned is nothing.
Cena said the fans don’t get a new look because they dress like him, he doesn’t dress like the fans. He said they don’t get new music because it’s his voice. He said the only thing the fans get is a long look in the mirror for how awful they have been to him for 25 years.
The fans chanted for Cody. Cena called him a shiny new toy. Cena said the fans are all awful people and no one can hide. He said he could see them in the crowd. He said he could see the fans in his attire and said they are the “Let’s Go Cena” people who say they support him.
Cena said the “Cena sucks” jagoffs have already proven themselves to be awful people. He asked the “Let’s Go Cena” fans what they’ve ever done for him. Cena said they steal from him. He said they steal his personal moments and his time. He said they have made him the butt of an invisible joke for 15 years and they think it’s funny when it’s really pathetic.
“You are pathetic,” Cena said. Another STFU chant broke out. Cena said the fans don’t wear his clothes for support, they wear it because it makes them feel good. He said he lives the words hustle, loyalty, and respect. He said the fans don’t support him, they use him an excuse for their pathetic failure of a life.
Cena said all the fans have done is sit on their ass and watch him be great. Cena said it’s been a toxic, dysfunctional relationship. “I’m breaking up with you,” said Cena. He said that whether fans like him or don’t, he’s done with them. Cena said he doesn’t care about the fans. He said they know he is right and they also know that they are wrong.
WWE Champion Cody Rhodes’ entrance music played and he walked out wearing a suit and had a smile on his face. Cody entered the ring and held up the title belt and played to the fans while Cena stood in a corner of the ring and with a blank look on his face.
Cody grabbed a mic and the fans chanted his name. Cody looked to the crowd and thanked the fans while Cena continued to stare at him. The fans sang one of the usual Euro fan songs for Cody.
“I think everybody was willing to hear you out, even myself,” Cody said. “If I understood correctly from what you just said, they’ve given you their worst.” Cody said they’ve also given Cena their best for 25 years. Cody said they did that because Cena could carry it. “Listen, kid,” Cena said. Cody cut him off by yelling, “Enough! And it’s certainly not kid, it’s WWE Champion.”
Cody asked Cena who the hell he is. Cody asked where the guy is that is on Cena’s t-shirt. Cody said he was excited about going face-to-face, week-to-week with Cena. Cody said he got “this” instead. He said he took his best shot and it wasn’t good enough and he’ll retire him early. Cody told Cena to go find the other version of himself because he wants to face him at WrestleMania, “not this whiny bitch.”
Cody left the ring and then stopped and looked back at Cena, who was glaring at him. Cody slapped hands as he worked his way to the stage. Cody looked back at the ring, kissed his title belt, and held it up while looking at Cena. Cody headed backstage while Cena stood in the ring with a mic in his hand. The fans booed and then Cena dropped the mic and made his exit…
Powell’s POV: Cena was really good. It’s hard to believe that his character would finally reach a breaking point after he spoke for so many years about any reaction being a good reaction, but I like that he was a straight forward heel who didn’t feel the need to wink to the crowd to let everyone know he’s just playing a bad guy on TV. Speaking of The Rock, he was a non-factor in this promo exchange, which is interesting. I was worried that Cena was going to tease speaking and leave, so the fact that he delivered a full promo was great.
Cole and Graves spoke at ringside. Cole apologized for believing in Cena for all these years. He said Cena is a millionaire and a movie star because of the fans. Cole called him a massive prick. Graves said the feels the same way, but Cena believes what he said.
Cole shifted the focus to airing the first of the Intercontinental Title clips they will show throughout the night. They started with Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage from WrestleMania 3. Graves hyped the Bron Breakker vs. Finn Balor match for the Intercontinental Title for later in the show…
Ludwig Kaiser made his entrance for the opening match heading into a commercial break… [C] Cole hyped Steve Austin’s appearance at the WWE World fan fest event… Penta made his entrance…
1. Penta vs. Ludwig Kaiser in a No Holds Barred match. Kaiser hit an early Death Valley Driver on the broadcast table. [C] Penta hit a Backstabber and got a two count. Kaiser came back with a sling blade clothesline and a DVD for a two count.
At ringside, Kaiser went for his running kick, but Penta backdropped him onto the broadcast able. Penta rolled Kaiser back inside the ring and followed. Kaiser slapped Penta, who fired back with a chop while the fans chanted for tables. Cole mentioned that Penta is a former TNA and Lucha Underground Champion and then added that he’s a multiple-time tag champion.
Kaiser held Penta’s head in front of a camera and said Penta will fear him. Kaiser slammed a chair over Penta’s back. Penta battled back and performed The Sacrifice on Kaiser’s arm. Penta picked up the chair. “I give up, you win,” Kaiser said. Apparently, the referee didn’t care. Kaiser took the chair away from Penta, who then kicked the chair. Penta hit a Destroyer onto the chair and then hit the Penta Driver for the win.
Penta defeated Ludwig Kaiser in 10:50 in a No Holds Barred match.
After the match, Cathy Kelley met Penta in the entrance aisle. She brought up WrestleMania and asked Penta what is next. He spoke about going after the Intercontinental Championship…
Backstage, Dakota Kai hugged Iyo Sky and then headed off for her match against Ivy Nile. Kai walked past Karrion Kross and Dominik Mysterio, who were having a conversation… [C]
Finn Balor spoke with Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez in a backstage area. Balor and Morgan continued to be phony with one another. Dominik Mysterio showed up. Balor thanked Dom for getting him a title match. Dom brought up adding another person to the group and said he had the perfect person. Balor asked him who. Dom said Penta.
Balor got upset about Dom wanting to add someone who wants to go after “my Intercontinental Title.” Balor called Dom a snake and then walked away. Dom turned around and told Carlito that he didn’t know Penta wanted the Intercontinental Title. “You don’t watch the show, do you?” Carlito asked. Funny…
A portion of Dakota Kai’s entrance was shown while Ivy Nile was in the ring with the Creeds. Chad Gable ran out dressed in a suit…
2. Dakota Kai vs. Ivy Nile (w/Chad Gable, Julius Creed, Brutus Creed).
[Hour Two] Gable stood on the apron and distracted Kai. Nile took advantage and performed a slam that led to a two count. Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee ran out and made quick work of the Creeds before chasing Gable over the barricade. Kai hit the DTK on Nile and pinned her…
Dakota Kai beat Ivy Nile in 2:50.
Women’s World Champion Iyo Sky made her entrance for the contract singing… [C]
Raw general manager Adam Pearce stood in the ring with Iyo Sky and Bianca Belair, and the contract signing table and chairs. Pearce spoke in French and then set up the contract signing. Sky spoke first and said no one will disrespect her because she is the Women’s World Champion. Sky said she will still hold the title after WrestleMania. The crowd cheered. Belair smiled. Sky signed the contract. A “you deserve it” chant broke out.
Belair said Sky would find out who she is at WrestleMania. She said she will be the new Women’s World Champion. There were boos. Belair signed the contract. Pearce said the match is now official for WrestleMania. He thanked both wrestlers for being so professional and was interrupted.
Rhea Ripley made her entrance. Pearce called for officials. Two referees ran out. Ripley said Sky slapped her last week and she was going to do something about it, unlike Belair. Ripley asked Belair what she was doing. Belair said she was signing her contract for WrestleMania.
Ripley said Belair had no business being out there during her match with Sky. Ripley and Belair argued. Sky tried to interrupt, but Belair pie-faced her. Ripley headbutted Belair, who fell onto the table. Ripley powerbombed Sky onto Belair, but the table didn’t break. Ripley picked up the contract, signed her name, and walked away with it. Graves said he didn’t know if it was binding…
Powell’s POV: Sky was really over with the live crowd, and Ripley also got the big star reaction. Belair was the least over and actually got some boos, so hopefully the plan is to turn her heel. I was happy that Graves was quick to question whether Ripley signing the contract actually mattered.
Jey Uso spoke backstage and called for his music to play, but Gunther showed up. Pearce and a group of security guards showed up to keep them apart. Gunther said he found out on Smackdown that Jimmy is just as stupid as Jey. Jey shoved Gunther and then made his entrance. The crowd sang along with Jey’s theme and pumped their arms… [C]
Cole hyped WWE Backlash St. Louis tickets…
3. Jey Uso vs. Austin Theory (w/Grayson Waller). Jey hit a running crossbody block and scored the clean pin.
Jey Uso defeated Austin Theory in 0:30.
After the match, Jey superkicked Waller and then performed a clunky flip dive onto both men. Jey came up short and his back hit the apron on the flip dive. Jey returned to the ring and then Gunther showed up and put Jey in a sleeper. Jey broke free and ripped the title belt from Gunther’s waist. Gunther charged Jey, who moved and held the top rope down, causing Gunther to tumble to the floor. Jey went to the ropes and held up the title before tossing it to Gunther. Jey went back to celebrating with the lively crowd…
A video package aired on Intercontinental Championship match, which Cole said would be the main event of the show… [C]
Backstage, Adam Pearce told Rhea Ripley to give him the contract and said it was like talking to a child. Ripley demanded that Pearce put her in the title match at WrestleMania, but he said no and stormed away. Bianca Belair showed up and attacked Ripley. Iyo Sky showed up and fought with Belair. Ripley recovered and left Belair and Sky lying…
Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee made their entrance while their opponents were already inside the ring…
4. Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee vs. Julius Creed and Brutus Creed. Graves disputed Cole hinting that Chad Gable was the masked luchador last week, pointing out that Del Wilkes and Tom Brandi have worn similar masks. Cole said this one had American Made written on it. Graves sheepishly said he didn’t see that. Funny. The Creeds were in control heading into a break. [C]
Rey put Julius down with a DDT. Lee pulled Brutus off the apron with a huracanrana. Rey went up top, but Julius jumped up and caught him on the ropes. Rey shoved Brutus down and then hit him with a 619. Rey Dropped a Dime on Julius before pinning him.
Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee beat Julius Creed and Brutus Creed in 5:45.
After the match, the American Made mask wearing mystery man attacked Rey and Lee and left them lying. The mystery man hit a top rope headbutt and was chased off by security…
Powell’s POV: Chad Gable? I don’t care what mask he puts on, I know Bronson Reed when I see him! Reed may lost a few pounds since we last saw him.
A video package recapped Seth Rollins beating CM Punk in a cage match last week when Roman Reigns pulled Rollins from the cage and then beat up both men. Cole said there are a lot of people with a lot of explaining to do…
Seth Rollins made his entrance while the crowd sang along with his theme song… [C] Cole hyped Undertaker’s one-man show being added to WrestleMania weekend…
The crowd continued to chant the Rollins’ theme while he held up his mic. The torture finally ended and then Rollins welcomed the fans to “Monday Night Rollins” and delivered his usual opening line. The fans started chanting the damn song again.
Rollins said he came out mad as hell, but it was hard to be mad with their beautiful voices serenading him. A “CM Punk” chant broke out. Rollins said he would get to him, but he wanted to get to Roman Reigns first. An “OTC” chant broke out.
Rollins said he’s not mad that Reigns came for revenge last week because he would have done the same thing. Rollins said that after all these years and a wise man in his ear, Reigns still can’t come up with a plan. Rollins called Punk the luckiest loser on the face of the planet. Rollins said if he had just a few more seconds, he would have done what he promised by Stomping him, ending his WrestleMania dream, and putting Punk’s career on ice.
Rollins said it’s just like the good ol’ days in that he’s left to clean up Roman’s mess. Rollins said he would put the OTC in his place along the way. Rollins said Reigns and Punk will be in the same place at the same time on Friday’s Smackdown. Rollins asked why he should let them have the fun. Rollins teased making a trip to Smackdown.
Rollins said that would happen Friday, but the Brussels crowd had been great. Rollins asked the fans to sing his song before the main event. The crowd obliged to resume the audio torture. “It’s on, I’ll see you boys on Friday,” Rollins said…
Powell’s POV: The live crowd didn’t seem to mind, but that was a whole lotta nothing.
The broadcast team listed the following matches and segments for next week’s Raw in Glasgow, Scotland with a start time of 3CT/4ET: Lyra Valkyria vs. Raquel Rodriguez for the Women’s Intercontinental Title, CM Punk appears, Jey Uso and a partner vs. “A-Town Down Under” Austin Theory and Grayson Waller, Cody Rhodes and John Cena appear…
AJ Styles was interviewed by Cathy Kelley in a backstage area. Styles started to talk about Logan Paul when he heard the crowd singing for him. He started to go back to Paul, but Karrion Kross and Scarlett showed up. Kross asked Styles why he couldn’t find respect for a kid who walked into the business and accomplished what Styles did in record time. Styles said he saw what Kross was trying to do and it wasn’t going to work. After Styles left, Kross told Scarlett that it was working and they both giggled…
Backstage, Bron Breakker was shown walking past Penta. Finn Balor made his entrance for the main event. Cole said the first-ever singles meeting between Breakker and Balor would be up next… [C]
[Hour Three] A video package aired on Triple H making his comeback from his quad injury and then returning at Madison Square Garden. Cole plugged tickets being on sale for the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony for the April 18 event in Las Vegas…
Bron Breakker made his entrance for the main event. Cole hyped that Rhea Ripley will be the guest on the Raw Recap show that streams Tuesdays on YouTube…
5. Bron Breakker vs. Finn Balor for the Intercontinental Championship. Referee Chad Patton was acknowledged by Cole before Alicia Taylor delivered in-ring introductions for the title match. Balor hit a charging Breakker with a sling blade clothesline at ringside. [C]
Dominik Mysterio ran out to ringside when Breakker was in offensive control. Balor took advantage of the distraction with a rollup for a two count. Breakker pressed Balor over his head, but Balor slipped away and hit an inverted DDT for another two count. Balor questioned why Dom was at ringside. Breakker put Balor down with a clothesline. Balor rolled to the floor. Breakker went to the apron, jumped, and clotheslined Balor, causing both men to tumble over the broadcast table.
Calito also showed up at ringside. Back in the ring, Balor hit a sling blade and a shotgun dropkick. Breakker came back with a press slam for a near fall. Breakker had a little blood coming out of his mouth. Breakker set up Balor for a top rope move. Carlito distracted the referee. Dom went after Breakker and got him off the ropes, but Dom accidentally caused Balor to crotch himself on the top turnbuckle in the process. Breakker hit a Frankensteiner and then speared Balor before pinning him.
Bron Breakker defeated Finn Balor in 12:35 to retain the Intercontinental Championship.
After the match, Dom and Carlito attacked Breakker. Dom went to ringside and grabbed the Intercontinental Title belt and brought it back the ring with him. Penta came out and avoided a belt shot before roughing up Dom and Carlito. Breakker recovered and speared Carlito. Penta picked up the title belt and looked at it before giving it back to Breakker, who then looked at Penta and held the belt up. Penta gave him his Cero Miedo hand gesture while Cole wondered if the two would meet in the next Intercontinental Championship match…
Powell’s POV: A decent main event with no real mystery regarding the outcome unless you really bought into the threat of Dom and Calito helping Balor win. Overall, the segment with John Cena’s heel promo and the rebuttal from Cody Rhodes was a blast and the live crowd was really enthusiastic, but this was a forgettable show otherwise. Yes, I will be back with my same day (depending on your time zone) audio review for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). Let me know what you thought of Raw by grading the show below. Have a great St. Patrick’s Day.
I love how much Iyo is over and yeah, I wonder if they will finsally turn Bianca heel. I somehow don’t think Penta will be joining the Judgement Day anytime soon. .
So if Kevin Owens’ package piledriver sends people to the hospital and puts them on the injured list, surely Kaiser’s career is over after a Destroyer on a chair? No?