By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw (Episode 1,706)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at Xfinity Mobile Arena
Streamed live February 2, 2026, on Netflix
[Hour One] Raw opened with a shot of Bron Breakker walking at ringside and approaching the broadcast table. Michael Cole and Corey Graves backed off while Breakker trashed the table. Breakker threw an office chair and then tipped over the table before barking at a crew member to give him a mic.
Breakker entered the ring and started to accuse Raw General Manager Adam Pearce of ruining his Royal Rumble. He said that if Pearce ruined the Rumble, then he’d ruin his show. Paul Heyman, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, and Austin Theory came out and tried to calm down Breakker. Heyman took the mic and blamed Pearce. Breakker took the mic from Heyman and stared him down for a moment. Breakker called out Pearce.
Adam Pearce walked onto the stage, and then a row of security lined up in front of him. Pearce brought up the masked man who attacked Breakker, and said the last time they had a mystery attacker, it turned out to be Theory.
Pearce said Breakker was one of the first wrestlers to take part in the random draw. He told Breakker he would make it up to him by letting him keep his job despite his “piss poor performance in the Rumble.” Breakker left the ring to go to the stage. Reed and Heyman exited the ring to stop him.
LA Knight’s entrance theme played. Knight entered the ring with a chair and attacked Logan and Theory with it. Reed returned to the ring. Knight made his exit and jawed at Reed from the floor. Breakker was shown looking upset while asking Heyman what they should do…
Cole and Graves stood at ringside and set up a Royal Rumble recap video package… Cole hyped the appearance of Roman Reigns and questioned whether he would choose which champion to challenge. Cole narrated backstage/arrival shots of women’s Royal Rumble winner Liv Morgan, Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer, and Gunther… Cole listed the attendance as 13,746…
Je’Von Evans made his entrance while being introduced by ring announcer Alicia Taylor. Cole said Evans would face El Grande Americano after a commercial break… [C]
Powell’s POV: That was an attention-grabbing opening segment. Roughly 20 minutes before the show started, WrestleTix listed the host venue as being set up for 13,796, with 449 tickets remaining.
1. Je’Von Evans vs. El Grande Americano (w/Bravo, Rayo). Americano’s entrance was not televised. Cole mentioned that the original Americano returned at the Rumble, while Graves acted like he didn’t know what Cole was talking about. Grande charged Evans, who held the top rope down.
Evans performed a dive over the top rope onto Americano on the floor. When Evans returned to the ring, Rayo grabbed his leg from the floor while the referee wasn’t looking. Americano took advantage of the distraction and ran Evans into the ring post. [C]
Late in the match, Evans went up top and performed a coast-to-coast move. Cole called it a Swanton and said it barely connected. Rayo distracted the referee while Bravo took a cheap shot at Evans. Rayo slipped the metal piece to Americano, but the ref spotted it. Chad Gable came out in his Americano outfit, which distracted Ludwig Kaiser Americano. Evans took advantage of the distraction and eventually hit the OG Cutter for the win.
Je’Von Evans beat El Grande Americano in 12:35.
Powell’s POV: Cole made a rough call when he labeled the coast-to-coast move a Swanton. Americano was holding onto the ropes and wasn’t in position to take that move. Rather, it looked like it went as planned with Evans performing a Swanton-style dive that resulted in him essentially dropkicking Americano while he landed. Here’s hoping that Evans can get away from the Americanos now that Chad Gable is back. I like Gable and Ludwig Kaiser, but the Americano gag is tired. That said, the live crowd popped when Gable came out dressed in his Americano gear, so perhaps they get something out of an Americano vs. Americano feud.
A video package touted the current NXT wrestlers and recent call-ups who were in the Royal Rumble matches… [C] Cole congratulated Jelly Roll and Bad Bunny on their wins at the Grammy Awards….
AJ Styles’ entrance theme played. Gunther walked out and mimicked Styles, which drew loud boos. Gunther said just like Goldberg and John Cena, Styles’ career died at the hands of the Career Killer.
Dragon Lee came out without entrance music and attacked Gunther. Cole explained that Lee was standing up for his tag team partner AJ Styles. The wrestlers ended up at ringside, where Lee performed a huracanrana that pulled Gunther into the ring post.
Lee dropkicked Gunther over the barricade and into the timekeepers’ area. Lee got a running start and charged toward Gunther, who hit him with the ring bell. Gunther put Lee in a sleeper until producers and referees ran out. Gunther entered the ring. He ended up pulling Lee onto the apron and applied the sleeper again. Gunther released the hold, and then Lee fell to the floor. Gunther put his jacket on and then exited the ring while Lee was still down on the floor…
A video package recapped Bronson Reed and Logan Paul attacking LA Knight in a previous injury angle…
Backstage, Paul Heyman told Adam Pearce to book Bron Breakker vs. LA Knight, then added, “Please, sir.” Pearce said he couldn’t do it. He said he just walked Knight out of the building because he disrupted his show.
Pearce said that if Heyman knows what’s good for Breakker, he will escort him out of the building. Pearce told Heyman to tell Bronson Reed to get ready for his match against Penta. Heyman asked Pearce if he knew who he was talking to and in what city. Pearce laughed, removed his glasses, and said, “FAFO.” Heyman walked away… [C]
Powell’s POV: What happened to Pearce seeming leery of pushing The Vision members after the mystery phone call he received a couple of weeks ago? Hey, Bianca Belair is back! Well, she’s back in a meat stick commercial with LA Knight.
“The War Raiders” Erik and Ivar were in the ring coming out of the break for what Cole said would be a big tag team match. Oba Femi’s entrance music played, and he headed to the ring. Cole said Oba is a free agent, and both general managers were working furiously to sign him.
Once Oba was in the ring, Erik and Ivar went after him, but he destroyed them singlehandedly. Oba put Ivar down with a Bobby Lashley-style spinebuster and then hit the Fall From Grace on Erik. “We were expecting a tag team match, and we ended up with a crime scene,” Graves said…
Powell’s POV: So, um, when do Erik and Ivar’s deals expire? Oba destroyed them to the point that they didn’t get in a single offensive move.
A Finn Balor video package aired. He said the business is built on respect, and he’s always given it throughout his career. He said he has realized that it is not returned. He recalled Adam Pearce telling him the Royal Rumble was full. He said he wants the World Heavyweight Championship. Balor said he doesn’t think he’s a bad guy, but he told CM Punk that he’s willing to do bad things at this point…
Cole plugged the WWE podcast network…
Nikki Bella and Brie Bella were shown meeting up and hugging backstage while Cole said the Bella Twins were up next… [C] Cole hyped WWE Backlash tickets…
Nikki Bella’s entrance music played, and she came out to a mild reaction. Brie Bella’s entrance theme played, and she received more cheers. Once in the ring, Nikki said it was a full-circle moment. She said it was hard to believe they hadn’t set foot in the Raw ring together in over seven years. Nikki said everyone is happy that “Brie Mode” was back.
[Hour Two] Brie thanked the fans and said she was happy to be back and finally home. She said she didn’t come back just because Nikki was getting her butt kicked every week and needed to be saved. She said she was kidding and loved Nikki. Brie said they are the original tag team, and they want in. She said it’s time for them to go for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. Nikki’s entrance theme played to end the brief segment…
Backstage, comedian Bert Kreischer joined Otis and Akira Tozawa. Otis plugged Kreischer’s new Netflix show Free Bert. Kreischer said he can’t wait for Otis and Tozawa’s title match against the Usos next week.
Maxxine Dupri showed up. Bert said what Nattie did to her was bullcrap. Dupri spoke about how Nattie humiliated her, then yelled that she would break her ankle next week. After Dupri left, Otis said that Dupri is a bad girl. Kreischer said it was pure carnage. They started yelling, “Oh, yeah,” and Kreischer removed his t-shirt…
Penta made his entrance… [C]
Powell’s POV: Angry Dupri is so forced, and this segment was lousy, but I did get a kick out of Free Bert.
Cole plugged WWE World for WrestleMania 42 weekend…
2. Bronson Reed (w/Paul Heyman, Logan Paul, Austin Theory) vs. Penta. The final seconds of Reed’s entrance were televised. Penta threw a light dropkick that somehow sent Reed to the floor, and then Penta hit him with a flip dive. [C]
Reed set up for a Samoan Drop, but Penta countered with a Backstabber and picked up a two count. Theory climbed on the apron. Penta superkicked him to the floor. Logan hopped on the apron. Penta jumped over the referee, who collided with Logan before Penta knocked Logan off the apron. REF BUMP!!!
Penta dove from the top rope onto Logan and Theory on the floor. Once Penta returned to the ring, Reed hit the Jagged Edge and a Tsunami. Reed got the visual pinfall, but the referee was still down. Reed left the ring and grabbed a chair.
LA Knight showed up and put Reed down with a BFT. Cole said he thought Knight left the building. Logan and Theory chased Knight over the barricade. The referee recovered and counted out Reed.
Penta defeated Bronson Reed via count-out.
A video package recapped the Stephanie Vaquer and Raquel Rodriguez feud…
Liv Morgan was shown walking backstage while Cole hyped her appearance for after the break… [C]
Powell’s POV: Reed was obviously protected in that he had a visual pinfall, and Knight interfered. Cole played up that it’s been a bad night for Paul Heyman.
Bert Kreischer was shown in the front row. Yes, he took his shirt off again…
Powell’s POV: Maybe Rob Lowe was right?
Intercontinental Champion and AAA Mega Champion Dominik Mysterio made his entrance. Once he was in the ring, Graves referred to his glasses as “Dahmer chic.” Nice. A “Dirty, Dirty Dom” chant started. Dom told the fans that the only reason he came back and was willing to show up in a place like Philadelphia was to celebrate and introduce Liv Morgan as the winner of the 2026 women’s Royal Rumble.
Morgan made her entrance wearing a “Hot girls love Dominik Mysterio” t-shirt. Once in the ring, she jumped into Dom’s arms. A “you deserve it” chant broke out. “I know, I know,” Morgan said. She thanked “Daddy Dom” for the introduction and said they were so lucky to have him back.
Morgan told the fans they were in the presence of the greatest Royal Rumble winner of all time. Morgan said fans want to know which champion she will choose to face at WrestleMania, but they’ll have to wait a while longer. She said she was going to Smackdown to assess all of her options. Morgan introduced the woman she said would be the new champion by the end of the night.
Raquel Rodriguez made her entrance wearing jeans and a “Big Sexy” t-shirt. Rodriguez said it had been an amazing weekend for Judgment Day, but they’d been so busy celebrating Morgan’s win that there was something they had yet to address.
Rodriguez asked why Morgan eliminated her from the Rumble match. Morgan said she knows that Rodriguez is not a selfish person. Morgan said she has a title match, and Rodriguez has one of her own tonight. Rodriguez said it was true, but then told Morgan to stay in the back. Morgan and Dom made their exit.
Stephanie Vaquer made her entrance for the street fight… [C] Cole hyped combo tickets for the WrestleMania 42 go-home edition of Smackdown and the night after WrestleMania edition of Raw for Las Vegas…
3. Stephanie Vaquer vs. Raquel Rodriguez in a Philadelphia Street Fight for the Women’s World Championship. Alicia Taylor delivered in-ring introductions for the title match. Vaquer pulled a sponsored table out from underneath the ring, but Rodriguez cut her off before she could use it. Rodriguez powerbombed Vaquer through the table. [C]
The wrestlers continued to brawl on the floor. Rodriguez got Vaquer over her shoulder and then ran her into the ring post. Rodriguez brought Vaquer back inside the ring and covered her for a two count. Rodriguez wedged a chair in between the ropes in a corner of the ring, but it somehow popped out when Vaquer tried to reverse her into it. Vaquer hit Rodriguez with a kendo stick. Vaquer set up for a Devil’s Kiss, but Rodriguez powered her up and dropped her on the top rope.
A short time later, Rodriguez hit Vaquer with a trashcan from the floor. Rodriguez slid several chairs inside the ring. She tried to toss one over the top rope, but it hit the rope and would have hit her had she not caught it. Rodriguez returned to the ring. Vaquer went for a crossbody block from the ropes, but Rodriguez caught her and performed a fallaway slam onto some chairs.
Rodriguez went for her corkscrew elbow from the ropes, but Vaquer avoided it and then performed the Devil’s Kiss. At ringside, Vaquer performed the Devil’s Kiss on top of the bottom piece of the ring steps. [C] Vaquer placed a trash can over Rodriguez in the corner and then hit her with double knees, which led to a two count. A “this is awesome” chant broke out.
[Hour Three] Vaquer was down and clutched her ankle while Rodriguez set up another sponsored table. Vaquer pulled herself up and was hit by Rodriguez.
Liv Morgan showed up at ringside and passed the Women’s World Championship belt to Rodriguez. Vaquer hit Rodriguez from behind and sent her headfirst into a chair. Vaquer placed Rodriguez on top of the table and went to the ropes.
Roxanne Perez showed up and went after Vaquer, who knocked her down through a table on the floor. Rodriguez joined Vaquer on the ropes, where they fought for position. Rodriguez went for a powerbomb, but Vaquer countered with a huracanrana that was supposed to put Rodriguez through the table. Rather, she didn’t make a lot of contact with the table, and it merely cracked. Vaquer hit a corkscrew splash from the top rope and got the three count.
Stephanie Vaquer defeated Raquel Rodriguez in a Philadelphia Street Fight in 21:55 to retain the Women’s World Championship.
After the match, Liv Morgan entered the ring and put Vaquer down with Oblivion. Morgan held up the title belt and then dropped it on Vaquer before making her exit…
Powell’s POV: A gritty brawl that saw Rodriguez battle two chairs in addition to Vaquer. The crowd was quiet for stretches, but the fans seemed invested. It’s hard to imagine Morgan not challenging Vaquer at WrestleMania, though it will be interesting to how Rodriguez factors in between now and then.
Cole hyped the seven-man ladder match to determine the new NXT Champion for Tuesday’s show… The NXT Origins video featuring Finn Balor aired…
The following matches for next week’s Raw in Cleveland: Maxxine Dupri vs. Nattie, Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso vs. Otis and Akira Tozawa for the World Tag Team Titles, and the first qualifying matches for the Elimination Chamber matches…
A black SUV was shown arriving in the indoor parking area. Roman Reigns exited the backseat, and then the camera followed him as he walked into the Gorilla position and made his entrance. [C] Reigns stood in the ring and told the Philadelphia fans to acknowledge him.
Reigns said he’s had highs and lows in Philly. He said he won his first world title there on his daughter’s birthday, and lost his last title there as well. He also recalled winning a Royal Rumble match in Philly. When some fans cheered, Reigns laughed and said it didn’t sound like that. He said he won his second Rumble, and the next town was Philly.
Reigns said he had a decision to make. He asked the fans whether he should go after the title that he made. A “CM Punk” chant broke out. “So you don’t want me to go after Drew McIntyre?” Reigns asked. The fans were opposed. Reigns asked if the fans prefer he challenge CM Punk. The fans cheered.
“Cult of Personality” played. World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk made his entrance. The fans sang along with Punk’s entrance theme as he headed to the ring. A lot of fans were on their feet as Punk and Reigns looked at one another.
Punk looked into a camera in a corner of the ring and recalled Finn Balor saying he doesn’t think he’s a bad guy. Punk said Balor will find out that he can be the baddest guy when he’s provoked.
Reigns took issue with Punk for interrupting his segment and then talking to Balor. Punk said they weren’t on Smackdown. He said it’s Raw on Netflix, and he calls the shots. Punk polled the crowd on whether Reigns should challenge him or McIntyre. Punk assumed Reigns would “take the easy way out” by selecting McIntyre.
Reigns said he doesn’t like McIntyre, but Punk was talking crazy for saying McIntyre is the easy way out. “Hey, Phil, I don’t know if you realize this, but Drew’s like four times bigger than you,” Reigns said. “And I’m pretty sure the last time you guys fought, he had you crying over a little plastic bracelet.” Punk held up his arm to show the bracelet.
Punk told Reigns to be careful. He said that when he was done with McIntyre, they ran out of staples trying to put him back together. Punk said he knew Reigns beat McIntyre, but he beat him in Hell in a Cell. Reigns said he’s beaten McIntyre for three years straight. Punk asked how many cousins it took Reigns to do it.
Reigns told Punk to watch how he talks about his family. Reigns said he and his family are the only reason the company is where it is, and that Punk had a show and a place to come back to. Punk asked the fans if they really believed that. He said Reigns was sort of right, in that he manipulated his cousins and others into thinking he was a great messiah who carried the company on his back when all he really did was hold it hostage. There were some “OTC” chants.
Punk said he heard Reigns say on ESPN that his quarterly vacations are him graciously stepping out and sharing the spotlight, and then he had the audacity to say that nobody filled his shoes. Punk said nobody was trying to follow in Roman’s footsteps.
Punk said he was once champion for 434 days with Paul Heyman by his side. Punk asked if that sounded familiar. Punk said Reigns followed in his footsteps. He said that just because Reigns did it longer (as champion) doesn’t mean he did it better.
Punk said Reigns has earned the right to show up whenever he wants. He said he’s not mad at him. Punk said Reigns chooses to be a part-timer, while he chooses to be full-timer. Punk listed some of the countries he’s been to since he returned. He said he chooses to be a fighting champion, just like he chose to bring Reigns into the company along with the rest of The Shield.
Punk said Reigns follows in his footsteps, and he chose to follow the best, so he’s proud of him. Punk said Reigns has to decide between a guy he thinks he can beat or the guy he knows he can’t touch because he’s the best in the world.
Reigns said Punk made all those towns because he took a ten-year vacation. Reigns said he’d be trying to get it in as much as possible. Reigns laughed at the idea that he learned from Punk. He said the only thing he learned from Punk was what not to do.
Reigns said Punk wouldn’t be back if it weren’t for him. He asked Punk who he thinks the company came to when they wanted to bring Punk back. Reigns said he made a promise to Heyman, and he kept it, but he’ll never forget ten years ago when Punk went on his friend’s podcast and made his life harder than it ever should have been.
Reigns said he let Punk come back, and then Punk stole his Wise Man. He said Punk almost brainwashed his cousins just like he almost brainwashed him. Reigns said he shook Punk’s hand like a man at WarGames. He said Punk mocked him behind his back as they were walking to the back like he was a young boy.
Reigns said he could pick Punk because he’s the biggest star or because he’s on Netflix and he’s on the best show. “I’m picking you because I hate you, I’ve always hated you,” Reign said. “WrestleMania is gonna be the best day of my life because in the main event, you will acknowledge me.” Reigns dropped the mic and left the ring.
“That was a pipe bomb,” Cole said. Reigns’s music played while he walked toward the back. Punk stayed in the ring and smirked at Reigns while Cole closed the show by saying they would meet in the main event of WrestleMania…
Powell’s POV: Well, I’m sold on the WrestleMania 42 main event. They covered a lot of ground and did a tremendous job of making the match feel personal. I don’t think it was intentional, but McIntyre took some strays. I’d be worried if he wasn’t such a strong promo. I’m sure it made the folks at Netflix happy, but it didn’t help Smackdown to have the guy who was the face of the brand for so long refer to Raw as the top show. Overall, it was a good Royal Rumble follow-up edition that peaked with the strong verbal exchange in the final segment. I will have a lot more to say about Raw during my weekly same-night audio review of Raw for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). Let me know what you thought of the show by grading it below.
Where’d you go Jason?
Why did they change Stephanie Vacquer’s entrance theme? Such things don’t usually bother me but she had such a kick ass theme song. Whatever this new one is just doesn’t have the same energy. Seems like there was no reason to change anything about her presentation.
Oh wow. Just wow. What a great closing promo to start the road to Mania! Don’t stuff this up, writers!
Punk and Roman should be Night 2 main event. I love Drew and Cody, but if that does indeed wind up being the match on the Smackdown side of things, I have to say Punk and Roman is a bigger dea and thus, Night 2 main.
I guess Punk gets his real Wrestlemania mainevent (like he always wanted) with Reigns before they feed him to Gunther to end his career
The Closing segment was fantastic, and the best part of the show. These two hit a home run with their promos. The only thing that bothers me about it though is that these two just got done feuding not that long ago, and now they have to find away to keep it interesting for 2 1/2 months without tiring out the fans. I think from a story line perspective it made more sense for him to go after the title he lost which is currently being held by Drew ( but story line logic doesn’t seem to mean very much in WWE) I think on paper the match with Drew would’ve been a better fit and at least more compelling….but I digress this has been the plan for a little bit now along with a cody/drew or possible three way so we’ll see what they do with it. It just doesn’t feel like a fresh top match at this point.(maybe I’ll be wrong)
They’ll be able to do this for that long simply because Reigns will show up now every third week instead of every third month. I seriously have no idea why people dig that guy. He’s got the charisma of a box.
Wow did the referee in the Stephanie/Raquel match have to tell both of them every spot.Ugh..
Please keep Bert Kreischer off my TV.
Personally, I think Drew is gonna defend against Cody, Fatu, and Sami. I can also see Drew playing up the idea that Roman didn’t want to go after the A title because of him. He can play the whole “when has he ever beaten me without his family?” card. Drew took some bad shots here, but he’ll get it back. That’s something he has consistently done over the last year +.
Now……Roman v Punk is the true main event Punk always wanted. And all the history they can play off of somehow feels even bigger and more personal than the Rollins feud. I legit have no idea which way it goes and I LOVE it. Both guys were on their game tonight.
Also, fast track Oba NOW! Dude has aura for days and has looked impressive in every main roster appearance. I don’t want him in the midcard. I want him v Lesnar at Mania. And I’d have him be the one to make Lesnar doubt that he’s the real beast anymore.