By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw (Episode 1,669)
Greenville, South Carolina at Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Streamed live May 19, 2025, on Netflix
[Hour One] A shot aired of the exterior of the building while Michael Cole checked in on commentary. Cole set up a video package that recapped last week’s segments involving Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, and the trio of Jey Uso, CM Punk, and Sami Zayn. A preview aired of the Jey vs. Breakker match…
Footage aired of Rollins, Breakker, and Paul Heyman walking outside the building. Jey Uso’s arrival was shown, along with backstage shots of AJ Styles, Penta, Judgment Day members Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh, Raquel Rodriguez, and Carlito…
Logan Paul made his entrance while being introduced by ring announcer Alicia Taylor. Pat McAfee checked in as the color commentator. Cole said he and McAfee would be on the call at ringside for Saturday Night’s Main Event. Paul stopped at ringside and took a swig of his drink.
Paul welcomed fans to Raw. He said it’s a fact that he will beat Jey Uso on Saturday, and will be the new World Heavyweight Champion when he appears on next week’s Raw. Paul barked at the crowd for chanting “yeet” and said that it’s a fact that Jey can’t handle the weight of being champion.
Paul said the biggest fact of all is that he’s knocked out Jey three times. Paul started to say that he would knock out Jey again on Saturday and become the new World Heavyweight Champion, but he was interrupted by entrance music.
Gunther made his entrance dressed in non-wrestling attire and joined Paul inside the ring. Gunther said Paul seemed very confident about beating the man who beat Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship. Gunther assumed that meant Paul believes he can beat him.
Gunther praised Paul as a self-created social media star who built his own empire. Gunther said there are things he can learn from Paul, who boasted that Gunther was right. Gunther stopped him and said that Paul winning the championship would be great for business. Paul asked who knew Gunther knew business.
Gunther said it’s business to Paul, whereas it’s very personal for him. Gunther spoke of beating Jey to regain the championship, and said he would feel disrespected if Paul took that away from him. Gunther said he sees no heart when he looks in Paul’s eyes. Gunther said that if he and Paul meet for the title on June 9, he will eat Paul alive. Gunther dropped the mic and left the ring.
World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso entered the ring while Paul asked Gunther if he was walking away from him. When Paul turned around, Jey dropped him with a superkick. Jey squatted over Paul and said it’s a fact that he’ll see Paul on Saturday, and then he’ll see Gunther in Phoenix…
Powell’s POV: I’m happy they dedicated time to playing up the possibility of a Paul vs. Gunther match on June 9. I suspect it will be Jey vs. Gunther in a WrestleMania rematch, but I think the approach they took makes the outcome of Saturday’s title match feel a little less predictable. The fact that they didn’t wait until after SNME to make the Gunther title match announcement has me wondering if there’s a storyline need, such as Gunther getting involved on Saturday.
The broadcast team set up a sponsored highlight of the night clip of Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky beating Roxanne Perez and Giulia in last week’s Raw main event. Bonus footage showed Perez and Giulia having a falling out backstage, followed by Adam Pearce holding a Raw contract while Perez signed it to officially join the Raw brand…
Cole hyped the Money in the Bank qualifiers, and then noted that Giulia signed with the Smackdown roster on Friday…
Penta made his entrance for a tag team match heading into the first commercial break… [C]
Footage aired of Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson taking part in a Smackdown angle late last year, along with a Triple H tweet about how the fact that the two NBA stars will meet in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals is something WWE wrote. Cole said Haliburton would speak to Raw viewers later in the show and would have a big announcement…
Backstage, Paul Heyman was waiting for Jey Uso and continued with the “fact” theme that started in the opening segment. Among the “facts” that Heyman listed were that he negotiated the main event to be a non-title match because Breakker isn’t after the title; he’s looking to slow down Jey’s momentum. Heyman said the long-term plan for the World Heavyweight Championship is Seth Rollins…
1. AJ Styles and Penta vs. Finn Balor and JD McDonagh (w/Carlito). Cole noted that Dom was not at ringside with his crew. The babyface duo dove from the ring onto the heels on the floor heading into an early break. [C]
Styles took a hot tag. McDonagh made a blind tag before Styles put Balor in a Calf Crusher. McDonagh tried to break it up with a top rope splash, but Styles avoided it, and McDonagh landed on Balor’s legs. Styles picked up a near fall. Moments later, Carlito ran Styles into the ring post. [C]
Penta went up top while Balor was down. McDonagh distracted the referee while Carlito got involved again. Styles took out Carlito. McDonagh hit Styles with a suicide dive. Penta jumped from the ring steps and hit McDonagh with a Destroyer on the floor.
El Grande Americano showed up in the crowd and grabbed Penta from behind. EGA headbutted the back of Penta’s head while Cole accused him of using a metal plate. Once Penta was back in the ring, Balor hit him with a Coup de Grace and then pinned him…
Finn Balor and JD McDonagh defeated AJ Styles and Penta in roughly 17:15.
Powell’s POV: A strong tag match with a finish designed to put more heat on EGA, presumably before he faces Penta on the Worlds Collide show.
Women’s World Champion Iyo Sky was interviewed by Cathy Kelley in the backstage area. Sky started to talk about how she’s ready to beat anyone. Becky Lynch showed up and said Sky has never beaten her. Sky stood her ground, and then Lynch made her entrance for a MITB qualifier… [C]
Logan Paul was on the phone when Seth Rollins approached him. Rollins told Paul that Jey Uso would be hurt tonight for sticking his nose in his business. Rollins said that the odds would be in Paul’s favor when he faces Jey. Rollins said that if Paul can get past Jey and Gunther, he’d be waiting on the other side for him.
Rollins said Paul would know who to thank if he had the championship on his shoulder. Rollins said they might be able to run back their WrestleMania match, only this time with the World Heavyweight Championship on the line. New Day could be seen speaking with Grayson Waller in the background…
2. Becky Lynch vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Natalya in a Triple Threat qualifier for the women’s Money in the Bank match. The Perez and Natalya entrances were not televised. The crowd was very quiet as the match started. Perez hit both opponents with a suicide dive. [C]
[Hour Two] Lynch and Perez fought on the ropes. Natalya ran over and got Lynch in position for a powerbomb, then spun around and banged Lynch into Perez before performing a sit-out powerbomb. Natalya put Perez in a Sharpshooter. Lynch broke it up by bulldogging Natalya.
A short time later, Natalya caught both wrestlers in a double Sharpshooter. Lynch grabbed the bottom rope, but the referee blew it off due to it being a Triple Threat. Lyra Valkyria showed up and attacked Lynch, who pulled herself free and went to ringside.
Natalya held the Sharpshooter on Perez. Lynch returned and hit the Manhandle Slam on Perez. Lyra Valkyria showed up and pulled Lynch to ringside and fought with her. Lynch broke free and returned to the ring. Natalya set up for a Sharpshooter on Lynch, but Valkyria pulled Lynch to the floor. Perez hit Pop Rox on Natalya and then pinned her…
Roxanne Perez defeated Natalya and Becky Lynch in 14:35 to qualify for the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
The updated graphic showed Perez and Liv Morgan with four open slots for the women’s MITB ladder match…
Powell’s POV: Really good work from the wrestlers. Prior to the break, the fans were as quiet as a live crowd gets during a Raw match. It’s hard to blame the fans since the match involved two heels and a babyface who rarely wins. The wrestlers were able to win them over to some extent with their hard work. Cole tried to make a fuss over Perez winning the match on her first night as an official member of the Raw roster. That didn’t feel as big as it would have had they not had Perez bounce back and forth between NXT and the main roster for so long.
Backstage, Sami Zayn told Jey Uso that he would have his back if Bron Breakker’s crew tried to play the numbers game…
Backstage shots aired of Kairi Sane, Zoey Stark, and Rhea Ripley while Cole hyped their MITB qualifier…
Sheamus made his entrance… [C]
A graphic listed Raw from June 2012 featuring John Cena beating Michael Cole in a No DQ match. Footage from the match was shown. McAfee did his telestrator bit while pointing out the strange placement of Cole’s calf tattoo. Cole said he didn’t have to be put to sleep to get his tattoo. He also said that it was embarrassing, but not as embarrassing as what Heidenreich did to him…
Adam Pearce spoke with Akira Tozawa and Maxxine Dupri inside his office. Pearce confirmed that Tozawa was medically cleared and said he would give him the match he wants with Rusev next week.
Chad Gable and Ivy Nile showed up. Gable laughed at the thought of what Rusev would do to Tozawa. He said it would be nice to see Alpha Academy put down for good. Tozawa got upset, but Dupri told him that Gable isn’t worth it, and then she and Tozawa left. Gable said the Creeds have their tag title match next week. He asked about MITB qualifiers for him and Nile.
“New Day” Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods showed up. Gable said he meant no offense, but the Creeds would take the tag team titles. Kingston said maybe. He said they could all agree that they don’t want the War Raiders to end up with the titles. Pearce booted them all out of his office…
3. Sheamus vs. Grayson Waller (w/Austin Theory). Waller’s entrance was not televised. Waller blasted Sheamus with a stiff shot at ringside, and told Waller to take notes. [C] Sheamus no-sold Waller’s shots and then placed him in a corner of the ring and hit him with repeated chops. Theory cringed while watching at ringside.
Waller went up and over Sheamus in the corner and then stomped his feet on the back of his head. Waller went to ringside and returned with a rolling Flatliner that led to a near fall. Waller went to the middle rope and was apparently distracted by something Theory at ringside, and then jumped into a Sheamus knee strike.
Waller came back and went for Ten Beats, but Sheamus blocked the fourth strike. Sheamus hoisted up Waller and dumped him on the apron. Sheamus set up for Ten Beats, but Waller escaped. Waller tried to leave, but Theory stopped him. Sheamus pulled Waller back onto the Apron and hit him with Ten Beats. Theory laughed while standing with his back to the ring. Sheamus hit a Brogue Kick and scored the pin…
Sheamus defeated Grayson Waller in 11:50.
Powell’s POV: The breakup tease has been going on for an eternity, but I get a kick out of the games that Waller and Theory are playing with one another.
Cole spoke about Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson facing off in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. Cole said he was at Madison Square Garden the last time the New York Knicks won the NBA Championship. McAfee said that if the Indiana Pacers win, Cole has to do a full Raw in a tank top. He said he’d wear a full suit or a tuxedo if the Knicks won.
Cole interviewed Haliburton, who appeared to be in his home, about Haliburton becoming a downloadable player in the WWE video game. He also spoke about facing Brunson. He said it would be a fun series and he’s ready. Cole said hopefully the Knicks would be up 2-0. McAfee yelled at Cole, who then asked Haliburton for a prediction on the World Heavyweight Championship on SNMW. Haliburton said he’d love to say Logan Paul, but he knows where his heart lies. Haliburton threw out a “yeet” to close out the segment…
Powell’s POV: I’m not the biggest NBA fan, but how about equal time for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder? And while we’re at it, how about equal time for the NHL Conference Finals?
The broadcast team hyped SNME…
Gunther was about to be interviewed by Cathy Kelley when Seth Rollins showed up. Rollins said it had been a while since they shared the same space. Rollins said he wanted Gunther to know that the work he did with “my World Heavyweight Championship” was pretty good. Gunther said he heard about the long-term plan that Paul Heyman mentioned. Gunther said he is the real future.
Rollins said he would cut the crap. He said he came with professional courtesy for someone he thought he had respect for. Rollins said that if Gunther wins the title, he’ll be treated no differently than anyone else and will make himself a target. Gunther said he was eagerly awaiting it…
Rhea Ripley made her entrance for a MITB qualifier… [C] Kairi Sane made her entrance while Zoey Stark was already inside the ring. Cole said there were four spots remaining in the women’s MITB ladder match. He said two entrants will come from Raw, and the other two will come from Smackdown…
4. Rhea Ripley vs. Kairi Sane vs. Zoey Stark in a Triple Threat qualifier for the women’s Money in the Bank match. A loud “Let’s go, Mami” chant broke out. Sane had Ripley down at ringside when she set up for a suicide dive. Stark flew into the picture and collided with Sane. Stark came up holding her right knee while Cole said Stark went for a missile dropkick. They went to a break after a trainer entered the ring. [C]
Coming out of the break, Cole said it was now a singles match because Stark had been removed from the match. Cole said it appeared that Stark re-injured the knee that kept her out of action for months. Sane dove from the top rope into a dropkick from Ripley.
A short time later, Sane went for her Insane Elbow finisher, but Ripley put her feet up. Ripley and Sane threw punches on their knees while getting to their feet. Ripley caught Sane with a headbutt and the Riptide before getting the pin…
Rhea Ripley defeated Kairi Sane (and Zoey Stark) in 9:50 to qualify for the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
The updated MITB match listing showed Ripley, Roxanne Perez, and Alexa Bliss with three spots open (two will come from Smackdown, and one will come from Raw)…
Powell’s POV: Here’s wishing Stark the very best. Cole played up the idea that Stark injured the knee she previously had surgery on. For whatever it’s worth, Stark had ACL surgery on her left knee in 2021, and she appeared to be clutching her right knee tonight.
Cole said Tyrese Haliburton would be the guest on Tuesday’s Raw Recap show…
Cole hyped Rusev vs. Akira Tozawa for next week’s Raw in Tampa…
A Rusev promo video aired. He said he admired Akira Tozawa’s courage. He said he was trying to fix Tozawa, and called him an ungrateful little man. Rusev took issue with Tozawa challenging him and told him that he now has a problem. Rusev said Tozawa’s ego might get him cheered, but his arrogance will get you slaughtered. Rusev said he will embrace Tozawa’s challenge with open arms. Rusev said he would forgive Tozawa’s stupidity and forget his existence…
Bron Breakker was shown walking backstage with Paul Heyman right behind him. Jey Uso was shown in another part of the backstage area…
The Judgment Day were hanging out in their clubhouse when Roxanne Perez entered the room with Finn Balor. Raquel Rodriguez questioned what Perez was doing there. Balor said he and Perez had been chatting the last couple of weeks, and he wanted to introduce her to the Judgment Day. Balor said he’d been thinking about what Dominik Mysterio said about needing more numbers in the faction. Dom said Balor should talk to Liv Morgan. Balor said Perez could help Morgan and Rodriguez.
Perez said she had presents. She gave Dom a box that contained chicken nuggets. Carlito received a gift bag with an apple in it. Rodriguez said Perez could go. Rodriguez told Balor that Morgan would hear about what happened. “Oh, I can’t wait,” Balor said while flashing a shit-eating grin…
Cole listed the following matches for next week’s Raw in Tampa: More MITB qualifying matches, Rusev vs. Akira Tozawa, “New Day” Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods vs. “War Raiders” Ivar and Erik vs. Julius Creed and Brutus Creed in a Triple Threat for the World Tag Team Titles…
Jey Uso was shown walking through a group of fans in the concourse and then making his entrance through the crowd for the main event. Bron Breakker made his entrance with Paul Heyman…
5. World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker in a non-title match. Jey clotheslined Breakker over the top rope to the floor and then hit him with a suicide dive. [C] Jey went for another suicide dive later in the match, but Breakker stuffed it and ran him into the ring post and the broadcast table. Breakker went to the apron and then dove at Uso and hit him with a clothesline before flying over the broadcast table. [C]
Coming out of the break, Breakker stood in the middle of the ring and told Jey to hit him. Jey obliged, and then both men traded punches while the fans yelled “yeet” whenever Jey connected. Jey hit a Pop-Up Samoan Drop for a near fall. Damn, Breakker got some major air on that one. A “this is awesome” chant broke out.
Breakker caught Jey on the ropes and hit him with a Frankensteiner for a near fall. Breakker lowered the straps on his singlet and then ran the ropes, but Jey caught him with a superkick for a near fall. Some fans opposite the hard camera became distracted by something.
Heyman climbed onto the apron and distracted the referee while Breakker grabbed a chair and entered the ring with it. Jey superkicked Breakker before he could use the chair, which the referee cleared from the ring. Jey ran the ropes, and Heyman tripped him. Jey left the ring and went after Heyman, who took his jacket off and struck a fighter’s pose.
Seth Rollins hopped over the barricade and attacked Jey from behind to end the match.
Jey Uso beat Bron Breakker by apparent DQ in 15:55 in a non-title match.
Rollins and Breakker worked over Jey. Sami Zayn’s entrance music hit, and he ran to the ring. Zayn stood on the apron. The fans chanted for CM Punk, whose entrance music hit. Punk walked to the ring and joined Zayn on the apron. The crowd sang Punk’s theme after it stopped playing, and then Punk and Zayn entered the ring and cleared the heels to the floor.
Breakker hit Punk from the floor. The teams fought at ringside. Rollins tossed Zayn over the barricade. Rollins and Breakker hopped the barricade and double-teamed Zayn. Punk jumped off the barricade onto both heels. The teams continued to fight as the executive producer credits were shown.
In the ring, the referee gave the title belt to Jey. Logan Paul showed up and dropped Jey with a knockout punch. Paul looked into the camera and had blood on one of his teeth. Paul smiled as he licked the blood off his teeth to end the show…
Powell’s POV: I assume that was a disqualification, but after the nonsensical no-contest finish that clearly should have been a DQ on Smackdown, who knows what WWE could call it. Anyway, the post-match brawl was strong and, combined with the knockout punch, made for a hot finish to the show that provided great final hype for two SNME matches.
Overall, a good show that had a finish and some newsworthy MITB qualifiers. I will be back later tonight with my weekly same night audio review for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). Let me know what you thought of Raw by grading the show below.
Natalya is the prettiest jobber in history. Hey, she knows her roe and plays it perfectly…
ahahahah. *Role!
“presumably before he faces Penta on the Worlds Collide show.” #ComedyGold!
Rhea’s great, but why put Sane in the match on her big return? I thought they would put her in a showcase match.
“You’ve been out for months rehabbing. Welcome back. Tonight you’re in a multi-person match and you’re taking the fall”.
Maybe Stark was supposed to take the fall and the injury caused the change up.
Zoey was supposed to take the fall,but fell a different way unfortunately.
If they put her in a showcase match that would mean they have plans for her,but most likely that’s not the case.It’ll probably just be her teaming with Asuka whenever she gets back and/or teaming with Iyo.
During the commercial break (premium members of Netflix see stuff during breaks), Zoey Stark literally had to carried to the back as she couldn’t put any weight on her ankle.