By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Raw (Episode 1,676)
Providence, Rhode Island, at Amica Mutual Pavilion
Streamed live July 7, 2025, on Netflix
[Hour One] Michael Cole checked in on commentary while a drone camera flew through the host venue’s main entrance and into the arena. Cole narrated arrival/backstage shots of Sami Zayn, Jey Uso, Penta, and The Judgment Day members Dominik Mysterio, Roxanne Perez, Raquel Rodriguez, Finn Balor, and JD McDonagh.
Seth Rollins’ entrance theme played as he headed to the ring with Paul Heyman, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed. Ring announcer Alicia Taylor introduced the group. Raw’s top heel was serenaded by the live crowd singing his entrance theme.
Rollins held out his hand for the microphone, but Breakker took it from Heyman. Rollins and Heyman looked concerned. Breakker said he was with Rollins and Heyman because they have a vision of him being the face of WWE for two decades.
Breakker said he has his own vision of a WWE without Sami Zayn. Breakker said he doesn’t like Zayn’s face, his beard, or his music. The fans responded with “Sami” chants. Breakker said Zayn has an expiration date, and he would put a stamp on it tonight. Breakker promised Zayn that he would “maul your head off” and added that Zayn would end up looking at the lights.
Rollins got the mic and asked Breakker if he was good. Rollins cackled and then noticed that Bronson Reed was looking at the mic. Rollins let Reed take the mic. Reed said Breakker was a tough act to follow, but so is he. He said he hit Rollins with six Tsunamis, which built a respect between the two of them.
Reed said he will get the respect he deserves through his alliance with Rollins. Reed said Jey Uso doesn’t respect him, so he will beat respect into him, just as he did Rollins. Rollins looked flustered when he got the mic back. Rollins put on his shades and then gave the mic to Heyman.
“Tonight, the empire strikes back,” Heyman said. He said that was a blooper. “Tonight, the empire strikes first,” he said. Heyman hyped Reed vs. Jey, and said Roman Reigns doesn’t have the balls to come back and step up against them. Heyman also set up Breakker vs. Zayn, and Rollins vs. Penta. Heyman spoke in Spanish (who knew?).
Heyman said he’s not young or boozy enough to understand Penta’s hand symbols. Heyman said Penta would be in no shape to do those hand signals ever again. Heyman said that wasn’t a prediction, it was a spoiler.
Rollins took the mic while Heyman held up the black and gold Money in the Bank briefcase. Rollins let a chant for CM Punk fade and then said his crew had covered everything, so there was only one thing left to say. “Providence, welcome to Monday Night…” (the crowd filled in the “Rollins” part)…
Powell’s POV: It was good to hear from Breakker and Reed. One can only hope that their characters will end up being as well-established as Jey Uso and Sami Zayn’s characters were during The Bloodline.
Cole and Corey Graves checked in from the broadcast table at ringside (no mention of Pat McAfee).
Inside the Judgment Day Clubhouse, Raquel Rodriguez was bothered by a memorial photo of Liv Morgan surrounded by candles. Finn Balor spoke about how long it took him to come back from shoulder surgery. Roxanne Perez referred to Rodriguez as “partner”, but Rodriguez told her it was too soon.
Dominik Mysterio questioned where the “get well soon” cake came from. Balor and JD McDonagh said they had nothing to do with it. Dom read the cake’s get-well message that was for him from AJ Styles. Styles peeked his head out and indicated that he’s watching Dom, who said he has a doctor’s note…
Powell’s POV: Dom must be a very slow reader. Anyway, it’s odd that McAfee addressed his absence on his show at one point, yet Cole hasn’t mentioned McAfee over the last two weeks. McAfee essentially said that the schedule he was keeping became too much, so I’m not sure why the company would be hesitant to share that with Raw viewers.
Cole spoke about the four-way for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles at Evolution. Sol Ruca and Zaria were listed as the NXT team… Kairi Sane made her entrance… [C]
1. Roxanne Perez (w/Raquel Rodriguez) vs. Kairi Sane. Perez’s entrance was televised. Sane went up top a few minutes into the match, but Rodriguez distracted her long enough for Perez to pull her down. Perez targeted Sane’s wrist, which prompted Cole to remind viewers that Sane missed time with a wrist injury. [C]
Sane avoided a charging Perez and then threw a kick that missed by so much that Graves had to say she didn’t get all of it. Perez came back by dropping a knee on the back of Sane’s neck before covering her for a near fall.
A short time later, Sane put Perez down with an Alabama Slam. Sane went up top for her Insane Elbow finisher, but Rodriguez pulled Perez out of the ring. Sane dove from the top rope onto Rodriguez on the floor. Perez got Sane back in the ring and set up for her finisher, but Sane avoided it and used a backslide to get the win.
Kairi Sane defeated Roxanne Perez in 11:30.
After the match, the heels attacked Sane. Asuka came out and helped her former partner. Asuka and Sane cleared Rodriguez from the ring. Asuka held Perez while Sane hit her with an Insane Elbow. Cole welcomed back The Kabuki Warriors…
Powell’s POV: The Kabuki Warriors returning just in time for the four-way for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles doesn’t seem like a coincidence. By the way, I’m not sure what Sol Ruca and Zaria did to earn their spot in the four-way match in a storyline sense. The duo lost their last NXT television match to Izzi Dame and Tatum Paxley.
Sami Zayn was interviewed in a backstage area by Jackie Redmond. Zayn had his ribs wrapped again. He said he didn’t care about the things that Bron Breakker said about him, but he has to take him seriously because he’s one of the most dangerous people on the planet. Zayn said he would take care of Karrion Kross later and then walked away.
Scarlett showed up right after Zayn made his exit. Redmond asked if he had anything to say. Scarlett said no… [C]
Ivy Nile, Julius Creed, and Brutus Creed spoke with Raw general manager Adam Pearce about El Grande Americano wrestling later in the show. Pearce said Americano requested the match. Brutus questioned it because Chad Gable is recovering from surgery. Pearce ultimately gave Nile a spot in the battle royal at Evolution.
Asuka and Kairi Sane showed up after the American Made trio left. Pearce booked them in the four-way for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles at Evolution…
A Nikki Bella promo video. She announced that she will be in the Evolution battle royal for a title shot at Clash in Paris…
Powell’s POV: Plans for Nikki’s return match clearly changed when Liv Morgan was injured.
The broadcast team spoke about Evolution and thanked Lanie Gardner and Slash(!!!) for the event’s theme song…
Sami Zayn made his entrance for his match against Bron Breakker. Karrion Kross ran out and attacked Zayn from behind in the entrance aisle. Scarlett handed Kross a pipe, which he used to hit Zayn’s injured ribs. Kross wound up to use the weapon again, but Adam Pearce and others came out and stopped him… [C]
Sami Zayn told Adam Pearce while both were in the ring that he would be able to wrestle his match. The trainer cleared Zayn, so Pearce allowed it. Bron Breakker made his entrance with Paul Heyman, who had the MITB briefcase with him. Heyman spoke to Breakker on the stage, but he did not accompany him to ringside…
2. Bron Breakker vs. Sami Zayn. Breakker smiled while Zayn sold his injured ribs. Cole said Breakker had not been pinned since September 2024. Breakker got the better of Zayn and then barked at the crowd about cheering for a bum.
Breakker ripped the wrap off of Zayn and then hit him with a gutbuster. Zayn eventually battled back and went for a top rope move, but Breakker speared him out of midair. Zayn rolled to the floor and held his ribs while Cole called for Adam Pearce to come out and end the match. Breakker exited the ring and got a running start before spearing Zayn.
[Hour Two] Breakker brought Zayn back to the ring, ran the ropes, speared him, and then pinned him.
Bron Breakker beat Sami Zayn in 5:10.
Powell’s POV: Breakker and Zayn played their respective parts well. Cole did a solid job on commentary of showing concern for Zayn. I just wish he had talked about Zayn fighting through pain to show and compete as opposed to saying he shows up to entertain.
Pearce spoke with “The War Raiders” Erik and Ivar and said he would keep them in the loop. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods stood on the other side of Pearce and were dressed in black while holding black roses. The New Day duo said they were in mourning. Kingston asked about a rematch. Erik and Ivar recalled New Day blowing off their rematch request.
Becky Lynch showed up and offered her condolences to New Day. Funny. Woods and Lynch agreed that Pearce was filled with horrible ideas. Lynch told Kingston and Woods that it wasn’t a horrible idea to get rid of Big E… [C]
Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch stood in the ring for a promo segment. She questioned how Lyra Valkyria and Bayley managed to get a Triple Threat title match against her when they lost to each other. Lynch said she should have been allowed to choose her own challenger just as women’s world champions did. Lynch accused Valkyria and Bayley of being in cahoots.
Lyra Valkyria and Bayley came out. They ended up arguing while each woman claimed they would be the champion if it wasn’t for the other. Valkyria said people assume she called Lynch to replace Bayley at WrestleMania, but Lynch actually called her. Valkyria said she has to rescue the title from two “massive disappointments.”
Bayley said she sat in the front row when Valkyria won the title for the first time. Bayley also recalled watching Valkyria lose the title to Lynch and then “you raised her hand like a little bitch.” Valkyria and Bayley fought. Valkyria cleared Bayley from the ring and then put Lynch down with a Night Wing. Bayley returned and also ate a Night Wing. Valkyria grabbed Lynch’s arm and held it up while saying it was the last time it would be raised for her as the champion…
A video package recapped Rusev beating Sheamus on last week’s Raw…
Inside a dressing room, Bron Breakker asked Seth Rollins what they were going to do about Karrion Kross. Rollins downplayed the idea that people might credit Kross for Breakker’s win.
Paul Heyman informed them and Bronson Reed that Sami Zayn is out indefinitely. Rollins asked Reed why he was laughing with the rest of the group. Rollins said Jey Uso was perfectly fine. Reed said Uso wouldn’t be after he finished with him…
Jey Uso made his entrance through the crowded concourse and then through the crowd. Jey slapped hands with the broadcast team and then went to the ring and played to the crowd… [C]
Bronson Reed made his entrance and was accompanied onto the stage by Paul Heyman. Cole noted that Heyman now uses The Oracle nickname. Heyman did not accompany Reed to ringside…
3. Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed. Cole said Reed had never won a match that Jey was also in. Jey hit a suicide dive that sent Reed tumbling over the broadcast table. Jey cleared the table and then returned to the ring for a moment to break the count.
Reed headbutted Jey. Reed hoisted him up, but Jey slipped away and superkicked Reed, who sat down in one of the broadcast team members’ chairs. Jey superkicked Reed again. Jey set up for another suicide dive, but Reed threw the office chair at him for the DQ.
Jey Uso defeated Bronson Reed by DQ in 3:15.
After the match, Reed worked over Jey and hit him with two Tsunami splashes. Adam Pearce, producers, and referees came out to talk Reed down… [C]
Powell’s POV: I’ll take a brief match with a weak DQ finish over a long match with a weak DQ finish. Heyman set up this episode nicely by labeling it The Empire Strikes First.
Cole hyped that Goldberg could culminate his career on the 40th Saturday Night’s Main Event…
LA Knight was featured in a promo video regarding his SNME match against Seth Rollins. Knight spoke about how he took three Tsunamis and returned a week later…
Powell’s POV: Wow, they actually followed up Bronson Reed hitting Jey Uso with a pair of Tsunami splashes by having LA Knight boast about returning a week after taking three Tsunami splashes.
A video package aired on Iyo Sky vs. Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World Championship at Evolution. Ripley spoke about how Sky has always had her number going back to the Mae Young Classic…
El Grande Americano made his entrance. Cole said everyone knows that Chad Gable and Americano are the same person, but Gable just had surgery, so this couldn’t be him… [C]
4. El Grande Americano vs. Dragon Lee. Lee’s entrance was not televised. Cole acknowledged that Americano was a foot taller than the last time he wrestled. Graves had fun and said Cole probably thinks Giant Machine was Andre the Giant or the Midnight Rider was Dusty Rhodes.
Lee hit Americano with a slide kick that sent him by the broadcast table. Cole said there was no tattoo on the back of Americano’s neck. Americano battled back and dumped him into the timekeepers’ area. [C]
Americano ran up the ropes and hit a Blockbuster on the way down. Lee caught Americano in the ropes and then hit him with a double stomp from the top rope, which led to a near fall. Lee followed up with a flip dive. Back in the ring, Americano put the metal piece in his mask. Americano avoided Lee’s top rope movie and then headbutted him before pinning him…
El Grande Americano defeated Dragon Lee in 9:20.
Powell’s POV: The gag was fun again with Ludwig Kaiser playing Americano, but I fear that it will quickly become just as one note as it beame while Chad Gable was playing the part.
Penta was warming up backstage when Paul Heyman showed up and sat down next to him. Heyman called himself the personal oracle of Seth Rollins and started to address Penta in Spanish. Penta cut off Heyman and barked back at him in Spanish. Bron Breakker showed up and said he didn’t know what Penta said, but he better watch his tone when speaking to him. Penta made his hand gesture and walked away. Breakker spoke about three up, three down… [C]
[Hour Three] A Stephanie Vaquer video package aired. Subtitles were used as she said the Dark Angel has arrived to do what she’s always done – dominate”…
Graves said Ava would announce the NXT representatives in the battle royal during Tuesday’s NXT television show…
World Heavyweight Champion Gunther made his entrance dressed in non-wrestling attire. There were some Goldberg chants, but they faded quickly. Gunther said he’s verbally abused Goldberg over the last two weeks, yet Goldberg hadn’t done anything about it. Gunther assumed that Goldberg was afraid of him and the pressure.
The sound of a car engine interrupted Gunther, and then Goldberg was shown arriving in the parking lot. Goldberg exited the car, left it running, and headed into the building where he made his entrance. There were loud Goldberg chants this time.
Goldberg entered the ring and went face to face with Gunther. The camera mic picked up Goldberg saying they could fight now. Goldberg spoke about Gunther mouthing off and said it’s time for him to sign the check. “Holy shit” chants broke out.
Gunther raised his mic to speak, but Goldberg slapped it away. Goldberg pointed at his chin and told Gunther to take a shot. Gunther threw a punch that Goldberg blocked. Goldberg dropped Gunther with a punch. Goldberg set up for a spear, but Gunther exited the ring…
Powell’s POV: It was comical to see the crowd go from having Goldberg chant that faded quickly to giving him the biggest reaction of the night once he showed up. That was about as good of a reaction as the company could have hoped for heading into SNME.
The broadcast team ran through the Saturday Night’s Main Event and Evolution lineups…
Penta was shown walking backstage. He walked past Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, who were talking with Grayson Waller. There was another shot of Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman walking in another part of the backstage area… [C]
Penta made his entrance for the main event. Graves acknowledged Tool’s Adam Jones’ guitar work on Penta’s theme song, then gave a shout-out to WWE Hall of Famer Ozzy Osbourne, who had his retirement concert over the weekend at the insanely loaded Back to the Beginning concert event. Seth Rollins made his entrance with Paul Heyman, who accompanied him to the ring…
4. Seth Rollins (w/Paul Heyman) vs. Penta. Rollins handed over his entrance gear to Heyman, and then the bell rang. Penta superkicked Rollins to start the match. The match spilled over to ringside. Penta chopped Rollins, who moved when Penta with for another, causing Penta to slam his hand on the ring post.
Back in the ring, Rollins came back and set up for a Pedigree that Penta stuffed. Penta clotheslined Rollins over the top rope to the floor. Penta hit Rollins with a flip dive. Cole enthusiastically yelled, “Tope Con Hilo.” Graves told him, “Well done.” [C]
A “headlines” ticker listed the results of the earlier matches, including a baffling no-contest for the Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed match, which should have been a DQ. Jelly Roll was also listed as a special guest for Friday’s Smackdown in Nashville.
Cole noted that Rollins suffered a cut near his eye. Rollins used the tail on Penta’s mask to wipe the blood around his eye. There was a “this is awesome” chant. Rollins hoisted up Penta, who escaped and then went for a dive from the middle rope, but Rollins caught him on his shoulders and dropped him gut-first over his knee.
Rollins went up top, mocked Penta’s hand gesture, and hit him with a frog splash that led to a near fall. A “CM Punk” chant broke out. Rollins went for a Stomp that Penta avoided. Penta got Rollins seated on the top rope with a kick. Penta joined Rollins on the ropes and eventually dropped down and pulled Rollins down with a head-scissors.
Penta hit the Penta Driver for a good near fall that Graves said was too close to call. A “Let’s Go, Penta” chant broke out. Penta set up Rollins for The Sacrifice, but Rollins fought free. Rollins caught Penta going for a huracanrana and turned it into a Buckle Bomb. Penta shot out of the corner and hit a Destroyer. Penta had the pin, but Rollins reached up and grabbed the bottom rope to break it.
Penta set up for a Penta Driver, but Rollins headbutted him below the belt. Rollins told the referee it was accidental and then laughed while looking at Heyman after the referee turned around. Rollins hit The Stomp and scored the pin.
Seth Rollins defeated Penta in 12:40.
After the match, Rollins had Heyman use his phone to send word to the back that he wanted his crew to come out. Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed started to walk toward the ring.
LA Knight entered the ring from the other side and put Rollins down with a BFT. Knight fled the ring before Breakker and Reed could get to him. Knight barked at Rollins from the crowd while Cole plugged the weekend events as the credits appeared. The fans chanted for Knight as the show concluded…
Powell’s POV: A hot main event with a clever finish. WWE goes overboard in protecting wrestlers, but I’m happy they protected Penta after this strong outing. The LA Knight post-match attack came off well and served as a nice push for the SNME match.
Overall, a good show that felt like it was on its way to being merely a solid show before the Goldberg and Gunther segment and the strong main event.
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.
Make ProWrestling.net your home for coverage of NXT Great American Bash, AEW All In Texas, WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, and WWE Evolution this weekend.
Clearly McAfee’s had a fallen out atleast temporarily with the company.
I really like Finn Balor and the Judgment Day. A bright spot on Raw. Most of WWE is just so flat for me now except for them.
It’s really amazing the ups and downs of Judgement Day. Currently it’s an up, a very nice up, but when it’s down, ugh…
Finn has really shown some great character development and I love how he’s playing the other memebrs currently
I’ve never really been a fan of his, but he’s playing the manipulative little shit stirrer perfectly right now.
I’d love to see Nikki take the record from Chelsea Green.
What record?