By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw (Episode 1,683)
Birmingham, England, at bp pulse LIVE
Streamed live August 25, 2025, on Netflix
[Hour One] A video package recapped last week’s Raw main event… A shot aired of the host city, and then Michael Cole narrated backstage shots of LA Knight, Rhea Ripley, and Nikki Bella. Cole was joined on commentary by Corey Graves…
Roman Reigns made his entrance while pyro shot off on the stage. Reigns was introduced by ring announcer Alicia Taylor. The crowd chanted Roman’s name in European style and followed up with “OTC” chants. Reigns smiled in response. The crowd sang a song while Reigns looked into a camera and said, “They love me.”
Reigns told the Birmingham crowd to acknowledge him, which led to another round of OTC chants. He said it felt like old times. He said the fans still sound the same in that they are “loud as hell.” Reigns said he has big plans for the night, the rest of the year, and next year.
Roman said he had to be honest with himself. He said the fans acknowledged him, but there was something he needed to acknowledge in order to move forward. Roman said it’s not old times anymore, and he’s not the guy he used to be, but maybe he can be.
Reigns said Cody Rhodes predicted it a year ago. The crowd booed. Reigns looked surprised at the booing and said, “Interesting.” Reigns mentioned The Vision faction, which was also booed, and said they followed through with what Cody said by taking everything from him. A censored “F— you, Rollins” chant broke out. Reigns smiled and said he’s felt that way for a long time.
Reigns said he no longer has The Bloodline. He credited Jey Uso with winning their tag team match. He said Jey has the rematch clause (those are back?) and he should be challenging for the title. Reigns said his time will come. Roman said The Vision had to find something to take from him, which brought him to Bronson Reed.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Paul Heyman said before walking onto the stage with Bronson Reed, who wore the Shoelafala around his neck. Reed also wore a new “Tribal Thief” t-shirt. Heyman called Reed the realest gangster to hit Birmingham since the Peaky Blinders.
Heyman noted that it was five years ago this week that he went from being Brock Lesnar’s advocate to becoming the Wiseman for Reigns. Heyman said Reigns is now by himself in the ring. “I love you, my Tribal Chief,” said Heyman. He said he loved him five years ago, and he loves him now, which is why he came out to disrespect him. The crowd sang Roman’s name again, so Heyman started to sing Reed’s name instead.
Heyman said he didn’t come out to disrespect Reigns out of malice; he did so out of respect. Heyman said Reigns needs the tough love that a wiseman can deliver. He said that he isn’t man enough to beat tough love into Reigns, but Reed is. Reigns replied: “Hey, dumbass, on Sunday in Paris, you can kiss my ass, because I’m going to whoop his ass.”
Reed said it won’t be about receipts; it will be about disrespect. Reed said Roman’s tribe from Samoa is civilized. Reed said his tribe is not, and that’s why they were exiled and sent to Australia. Reed said Roman’s tattoos are paid for, whereas his tattoos are earned. Reed said he’s the Samoan that Roman’s father and uncle warned him about, and he’d find out why at Clash in Paris.
Reigns acted surprised that Reed was Samoan. “That means your ass belongs to me,” said Reigns. He said they could give it one more shot since they were cut from the same fabric. Reigns said Reed could come to the ring, return his shoes, apologize to the people, acknowledge him, and never send disrespect again. Reigns told Reed to come to the ring and fix the problem.
Reed removed the Shoelafala and put it around Heyman’s neck. Reed said Reigns didn’t want him to come to the ring because he would force him to acknowledge his Tribal Chief. Reigns said Reed was right about one thing. He said Reed wouldn’t have to come to the ring because he was going to him.
Reigns and Reed fought at ringside. Reed ran Roman into the ring post. Both men got in the ring and traded punches until security pulled them apart. Reed beat up a few security guards and splashed Reigns in the corner. Reed went for Roman’s shoes, but Reigns kicked him. Reed hit Reigns with a senton.
Reed went to the apron with the intention of going up top, but Raw General Manager Adam Pearce, producers, and referees got in the way and tried to talk him down. Reed went up top anyway, but Reigns had recovered and was able to punch him down. The brawl continued at ringside heading into the first commercial break… [C]
Powell’s POV: I really liked this segment. Reigns (and/or writers) put some thought into his promo, and I liked Reed talking about his Samoan heritage and why his tribe is more dangerous than Roman’s. As much as WWE tends to go overboard with pull-apart brawls, this was a good one. I’m definitely looking forward to Reigns vs. Reed at Clash in Paris.
Cole said Reigns and Reed were separated during the break…
Backstage, World Tag Team Champions Finn Balor and JD McDonagh spotted Dominik Mysterio talking with El Grande Americano (the Ludwig Kaiser version). Balor asked what was going on. Dom told him not to worry about it and said he’d catch up with him and McDonagh later. Balor fist-bumped Dom…
Dragon Lee made his entrance, and then Balor and McDonagh’s entrance followed…
1. Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh (w/Finn Balor). McDonagh tried to distract the referee, but she caught Balor on the apron and ejected him. McDonagh went to ringside to speak with Balor before he left. Lee hit McDonagh with a flip dive. Back inside the ring, Lee went for a top rope move and jumped into a McDonagh dropkick. [C]
Reed hit a Liger Bomb, which caused McDonagh to land on his head. A short time later, Dominik Mysterio showed up at ringside and tripped Lee while the referee was focused on McDonagh. AJ Styles hopped the barricade and made quick work of Dom before sending him over the barricade. Lee hit Operation Dragon on McDonagh and then got the three count…
Dragon Lee beat JD McDonagh in 8:40.
Powell’s POV: Fortunately, McDonagh seemed fine afterward. Both guys worked hard and delivered a strong opening match.
Jackie Redmond interviewed LA Knight in what appeared to be a closed restaurant inside the venue. Knight wondered whether CM Punk hitting him last week was accidental or intentional. Knight said Punk shrugged his shoulders and didn’t help him. Knight said Punk wanted everyone to work together, but that can’t happen now. Knight said Punk is a hungry man. He said it’s feast or famine on Sunday, and the rations are limited. Knight said he’s the only one in the match who has a match, and it’s against Bron Breakker…
Graves hyped the Knight vs. Breakker match as the show’s main event…
Penta made his entrance for his match against Kofi Kingston… [C]
A Rusev vignette aired. He said when he came back, he would no longer listen to people who told him who to hurt. Rather, he would decide who he wants to hurt. He said his conscience is clear for what he’s about to do to Sheamus at Clash in Paris…
Cole said Sheamus vs. Rusev in a Good Ol’ Fashioned Donnybrook match would be their final match…
Balor called out Dom in the Judgment Day clubhouse, saying that he thought Dom had McDonagh’s back. Dom asked what about him. Raquel Rodriguez said Liv Morgan wouldn’t want the infighting. Dom said she was right. Dom said Balor has known AJ Styles the longest and asked him to take care of Styles tonight. Balor said he would speak to Pearce. McDonagh volunteered to join Balor, who told him to stay in the back and glared at Dom while telling him that he would handle Styles himself. Rodriguez told Roxanne Perez she needed to get her head in the game because she had a big night ahead…
2. Penta vs. Kofi Kingston (w/Xavier Woods, Grayson Waller). Kingston’s entrance was not televised. Waller had Graves sign a petition to have the Mexican Destroyer banned. Penta had Kingston at ringside when he set up for a flip dive, but Kingston ran up the entrance aisle to avoid it. [C]
[Hour Two] Cole said the Styles vs. Balor match was made official by Pearce. Penta hit the Penta Driver and went for the cover, but Kingston kicked out. Penta took out Waller, whose petition papers went flying. Penta returned to the ring and then performed a flip dive on Kingston and Woods. Back in the ring, Penta went to the ropes and was distracted by Waller. Kingston pulled Penta off the ropes, hit Trouble in Paradise, and scored the pin…
Kofi Kingston beat Penta in 10:10.
Powell’s POV: The numbers game got to Penta. Will this lead to him bringing in help to fight off New Day? For what it’s worth, they’re not doing much with Penta’s brother Rey Fenix on Smackdown.
Cole hyped Clash of Paris starting at 1CT/2E on Sunday, and also pushed the two-hour pre-show…
Footage aired of Cody Rhodes on WWE Unreal. At ringside, Graves said he’s learning about people he’s known and sees behind the scenes every week because Unreal lets these people show a different side of themselves…
Cole and Graves recapped Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley’s drama with “The Kabuki Warriors” Asuka and Penta from last week’s show…
Backstage, Iyo Sky approached Rhea Ripley and thanked her for having her back last week. Sy said she respects Ripley, but Asuka and Sane are not pleased with Ripley getting involved in their business. Sky said they should keep their distance for a while. Asuka and Sane entered the picture and watched from a distance. Ripley said she respects Sky and understands. Ripley went to leave, but Sky stopped her and gave her a hug, which upset Asuka in the background…
Graves hyped Ripley vs. Perez for later in the show… [C]
A video package recapped Naomi and Jimmy Uso announcing her pregnancy…
Backstage, Adam Pearce told Stephanie Vaquer that she is the No. 1 contender for the Women’s World Championship. He said the title is vacant, so her match couldn’t happen in Paris. He asked her to wait a week and said he already had an opponent in mind. She said she wished she could be at Clash in Paris, but she understood and will be ready…
Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch made her entrance. Lynch said it seemed like she received a mixed response. She said the fans can boo her, but she wants them to know that Birmingham was a big part of her journey. She recalled having her WWE tryout in the city. “It was a dump then and it’s a dump now,” Lynch said. She mentioned that Nikki Bella was supposed to call her out. She said she’s not a dog.
Nikki Bella made her entrance. “If you’re not a dog, then why are you acting like a little bitch?” Bella asked while heading to the ring. Nikki asked about getting a title shot. Lynch said she doesn’t just hand them out to anyone, especially not a “Broke neck Barbie.”
Nikki entered the ring. Lynch said Nikki and “the better twin, if you ask me,” revolutionized the women’s division. Lynch said she never wanted to respect Nikki; she wanted to replace her. Nikki said Lynch wanted to replace her because she’s afraid to face her.
Nikki said she remembered Lynch being Charlotte Flair’s little sidekick. Lynch took issue with it and boasted about being the best women’s wrestler. Nikki said the people make Lynch relevant. Nikki said Lynch has become desperate. Nikki asked if The Man lost her balls. Lynch said she has balls.
Lynch eventually agreed to give Nikki a match at Clash in Paris. She said she didn’t want to wrestle in Birmingham. She said the only good thing to come out of the city died a month ago. She added that Ozzy Osbourne had the good sense to move to Los Angeles. Funny.
Nikki said Lynch knows that no matter how hard she tries, her name will never be as big as Bella. Nikki took the title belt and held it up while she spoke about becoming the new champion. Lynch threw a kick at Nikki, who caught her foot. Nikki dropped Lynch with a punch. Lynch came back and went for her finisher, but Nikki avoided it. Lynch avoided the Rack Attack 2.0 and exited the ring. Nikki tossed Lynch’s belt to her…
Jackie Redmond spoke with CM Punk in a backstage area and brought up LA Knight’s comments. Punk said he heard what he had to say, and it obviously will be every man for himself on Sunday. He said he was just trying to get everyone on the same page so they could make sure they all got to the match, given that Seth Rollins has the numbers. Punk recalled Knight saying that he is hungry. Punk said he’s actually obsessed. Punk closed by doing his version of LA Knight’s closing line…
Rhea Ripley made her entrance heading into a break… [C] Cole plugged the WWE podcast schedule…
A Sheamus vignette aired. He called Rusev the big superstar who returned that no one wanted or asked for. Sheamus said Rusev regained his respect, but Rusev shouldn’t forget that he’s the one who had to drag it out of him…
3. Rhea Ripley vs. Roxanne Perez (w/Raquel Rodriguez). Cole said this is the third matchup between the two and that Perez had yet to beat Ripley. Graves pointed out that Ripley has yet to beat Iyo Sky, yet Perez recently did so. Perez targeted Ripley’s left knee. Perez hit a springboard moonsault for a two count. [C]
Ripley overcame interference from Rodriguez and then hit a Razor’s Edge on Perez for a near fall. Ripley took out Rodriguez, but Perez took out her bad knee again. Ripley came back with a headbutt and then hit the Riptide for the win…
Rhea Ripley beat Roxanne Perez in 10:40.
Rodriguez attacked Ripley after the match. Ripley came back with a kick and a headbutt. Ripley set up for a Riptide on Rodriguez, but Perez grabbed her leg. Rodriguez put Ripley down with a clothesline. The heels attacked Ripley until Iyo Sky ran out and got the better of them. Ripley headbutted Rodriguez, and then Sky hit Rodriguez with a springboard missile dropkick. Ripley hugged Sky…
Powell’s POV: Well, that’s not going to please Asuka and Kairi Sane. Anyway, this was a good television match. It can be awkward when a babyface has a big size advantage over a heel, but they did a nice job of making Perez’s offense look credible by having her go after Ripley’s knee early and often.
Backstage, Seth Rollins cackled while he and Paul Heyman watched Bronson Reed huffing and puffing. Rollins said Heyman was right about Reed. Heyman said Rollins was correct about Reed. Rollins said Heyman was right, then fired up Reed while saying he would destroy Roman Reigns. Rollins turned to Bron Breakker and pumped him up for his match against LA Knight. Rollins said it’s everything they dreamed of, and they are on the verge of so much more…
AJ Styles made his entrance for his match against Finn Balor… [C] Cole said there were over 11,000 in attendance. Actor Georgie Farmer from Wednesday was shown in the crowd…
Sky and Ripley finished a backstage conversation. Ripley walked away, and then Asuka and Sane showed up. Asuka screamed at Sky in Japanese and told her in English to stop talking to Ripley. Asuka stormed off. Sky asked Sane to trust her, but Sane walked away…
4. AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor. Balor’s entrance was not televised. Balor cleared Styles from the ring and mugged for the crowd, going into an early break. [C] Styles had a flurry of offense that he capped off with a ushigoroshi for a near fall. He went on to hit the Styles Clash and got the clean pin.
AJ Styles defeated Finn Balor in 8:00.
Powell’s POV: This was a pretty basic television match considering the two guys involved and some of the matches they’ve had in the past. It served its purpose in terms of having Balor fail to take out Styles, as Cole was quick to wonder about Dominik Mysterio’s reaction to Balor’s loss.
[Hour Three] Backstage, Jey Uso was stressed about the four-way title match. The camera pulled back and showed that he was talking to Roman Reigns, who told him that Jey should smash them all. He praised Jey and said it’s not about making friends, it’s about making moments and locking in their legacy…
Cole hyped next week’s Raw in Paris, France as starting at 1CT/2ET…
Powell’s POV: I love it, but why didn’t they start this tour one week later to avoid Raw running against the opening night of Monday Night Football? Yes, most of this is just me selfishly wishing I could watch the game live that night, but it’s still a fair question.
A Bayley vignette aired. We could hear her inner dialogue again. She heard from the inspirational Hugger Bayley about how they believe in themselves. She heard from heel Bayley, who was negative.
Backstage, Lyra Valkyria asked about a medical update on Bayley, Pearce said he had not heard one. After she left, Dominik Mysterio showed up with Finn Balor and JD McDonagh. Dom vented to Pearce about how his problems with AJ Styles needed to end. Pearce proposed Dom vs. Styles for the Intercontinental Championship for next week. Balor smiled in the background. Pearce made the match official…
The broadcast team ran through the Clash in Paris lineup…
Bron Breakker, Paul Heyman, and Bronson Reed were shown walking backstage. Roman Reigns attacked Breakker. When Reed tried to intervene, Reigns hit him with a Superman Punch. Security stepped in and separated Reigns and Reed. Adam Pearce spoke to Breakker about going to the ring. LA Knight attacked Breakker and continued to rough him up on the stage. Breakker fought back, but Knight was getting the better of him as they headed toward the ring… [C]
5. LA Knight vs. Bron Breakker (w/Paul Heyman). The match was joined in progress. Knight was getting the better of Breakker, who was still wearing a t-shirt. Cole spoke about how he had never seen Knight so aggressive. Breakker came back and put Knight down with a running clothesline. Breakker asked if the fans were going to chant now. He said Knight is just a word. Breakker continued his attack and removed the t-shirt.
Knight came back and hit a side Russian Leg Sweep and then cleared Breakker to the floor. Knight hit a running kick through the ropes that put Breakker down. Breakker tripped Knight, who fell face-first on the broadcast table. Breakker ran Knight into the ring steps. [C]
Breakker was in offensive control coming out of the break. He pressed Knight over his head, but Knight countered with a DDT on the way down. A “this is awesome” chant broke out. Heyman told Breakker that they would have problems if Knight got up first. Heyman said they didn’t want problems and told Breakker to finish Knight.
Breakker and Knight traded punches, and then Knight hit a running clothesline. There was a clunky spot where Breakker picked up Knight like he was a small child and spun him around awkwardly, but they got back on the same page when Knight put him down with a neckbreaker. Breakker came right back, lowered the straps on his gear, and ran the ropes into a big boot from Knight, who then covered him for a near fall. Knight superplexed Breakker and then hit his top rope elbow drop.
Seth Rollins’ entrance music played and distracted Knight. Rollins headed to ringside. Knight left the ring and chased Rollins until Breakker cut him down with a spear. Breakker threw Knight back inside the ring. A CM Punk chant broke out before Breakker speared and pinned Knight.
Bron Breakker defeated LA Knight in roughly 13:20 of television time.
After the match, Cole explained that Rollins never touched Knight, so there was no disqualification. The heels were getting the better of Knight when Jey Uso’s entrance theme played, and he ran out to help Knight. The numbers advantage got the better of Jey. Rollins hit Jey with a Pedigree. Another chant broke out for Punk.
CM Punk’s entrance music played, and he headed toward the ring. Breakker left the ring and fought with Punk at ringside. Punk shoved Breakker into the ring post. The fans sang Punk’s entrance theme after it stopped playing. Punk entered the ring and traded punches with Rollins while the fans chanted Punk’s name. Punk got the better of Rollins until Breakker pulled Rollins from the ring. The crowd was censored for what sounded like a “Seth’s a pussy” chant.
Punk checked on Jey. Knight took issue with Punk for some reason and poked him in the face with his index finger. Breakker wanted to return to the ring, but Rollins stopped him while pointing out the babyfaces bickering. Knight set up Punk for his finisher, but Punk slipped away and shoved him into Jey inadvertently. Jey superkicked Knight. Jey and Punk seemed cool, but then Jey superkicked Punk. Rollins laughed and said “yeet” while watching from the entrance aisle. Jey played to the crowd as the show went off the air…
Powell’s POV: It was nice to see a pin in the main event, even though it wasn’t clean. This was an upgrade over all of the throwaway disqualification finishes they’ve had in some other recent television main events. I was surprised Knight was pinned, given that he’s in the World Heavyweight Championship match at Clash in Paris, but the way it was done didn’t hurt him.
Overall, an enjoyable show with some good wrestling and solid go-home hype for a couple of the Clash in Paris matches. They got it right with Reigns vs. Reed. I was worried that they weren’t going to pull it off for the four-way for the World Heavyweight Championship, but the angle after the min event was effective. I will be back shortly with my weekly same-day audio review of Raw. Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). Let me know what you thought of the show by grading it below.
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No 10 bell salute for Ozzy? Booooo
They’re supposed to do that a month later?
Yeah, why not? They’ll use War Pigs again as a theme song, he is a hall of famer, and how often does WWE come to Birminghamm? Maybe not a salute, but some tribute would have been nice. I did really like Becky’s heelish bit though
Delusional Bella is an odd character choice but hey.
Funny how HHHs Reign of Terror was about two years long and we’re eight or so years into Roman and people don’t moan that the bloodline is STILL going on.
The Bloodline saga jumped the shark ages ago, but WWE flogs dead storylines until they’re dust.