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WWE Raw Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights Before SummerSlam 2025
WWE Raw rolled into the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Monday, just five days before the first-ever two-night SummerSlam.
CM Punk and Gunther wrapped up the hype for their World Heavyweight Championship match, Roman Reigns was in the house, and some of the most talented women in the industry waged war in an eight-woman tag bout that featured Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky and women's world champion Naomi.
What went down, how did each segment grade out and who built momentum entering this weekend's summertime spectacular?
Find out with this recap of the Netflix broadcast.
Match Card
1 of 10
Announced in advance of the show:
* Punk and Gunther face-to-face
* World Tag Team Championship: LWO (Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde) vs. The Judgment Day (Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh)
* Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Nikki Bella and Stephanie Vaquer vs. Naomi, Chelsea Green, Alba Fyre and Piper Niven
* Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed
Paul Heyman Interrupts Jey Uso
2 of 10
Former world champion Jey Uso hit the ring following an extended tribute to Hulk Hogan.
Before Uso could address the crowd in Detroit, though, Paul Heyman interrupted.
"Family is always going to let you down. Family is always going to get you in trouble. Trust The Oracle. That's not a prediction, that's a prophecy," Heyman warned Uso ahead of Saturday's match in which he will team with Roman Reigns against Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker.
Heyman rattled off several instances of Uso's family letting him down or lying to him. "Jey Uso, I...love...you," he said, before adding, "just like family."
"You leeched onto my family. Where the hell yours at?" Uso asked before putting an exclamation point on the segment by claiming him and Reigns are headed to SummerSlam to beat Reed and Breakker.
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
* Heyman, the master manipulator, did everything he could to plant seeds of dissension within the team of Uso and Reigns. On the surface, it did not work but they have a long history. And if the intent is to bring the heels a win, exploiting that will be key.
* Uso is so good at these intense, emotional promos that it's a wonder he is not given more opportunities to deliver them. That's when he's at his most engaging and captivating as a performer.
AJ Styles and The Kabuki Warriors vs. The Judgment Day
3 of 10
AJ Styles will challenge Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship on Night 2 of SummerSlam.
And in a preview of that matchup, The Phenomenal One partnered with The Kabuki Warriors to battle Dirty Dom and women's tag team champions Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez.
The heels seized control of the match ahead of the first commercial break, with Rodriguez taking down Kairi Sane at ringside. The tag team champions worked her over, cutting The Pirate Princess off from her corner.
Several false-hope spots eventually led to her tagging Styles, who exploded into the match.
Styles teed off on Mysterio, and when Perez attempted to step in front of the IC champion, The Phenomenal One proceeded to launch Sane over the top rope and onto her and Rodriguez to neutralize them.
Back in the ring, a Phenomenal Forearm from Styles put Mysterio down and built momentum for the future Hall of Famer entering this weekend's premium live event.
Result
Styles and The Kabuki Warriors defeated The Judgment Day
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
* There should be more mixed tag team contests across WWE programming. The women's division is, arguably, the hottest area of the roster right now. Booking them visibly on par with their male counterparts will only help to elevate their stature further.
* This was a fun match that featured some great spots late, a noticeable spotlight on the women's tag division and a hot finish that built anticipation for Styles vs. Mysterio.
* Perez and Rodriguez are quickly evolving into a great tag team and losing the title to Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair on Saturday feels like it would be a mistake. Let them run with the gold a bit longer.
Sheamus vs. Grayson Waller
4 of 10
Born of a backstage confrontation earlier in the day, Sheamus squared off with Grayson Waller in the night's next match.
Things went as expected, with The Celtic Warrior absorbing everything Waller threw at him, rocking him with a jumping knee and delivering 10 Beats of the Bodhrán.
Rusev attempted to influence the outcome but Sheamus shook it off, caught Waller with the Brogue Kick and scored the win.
The Bulgarian Brute got the best of his rival moments later, leaving him lying following the Accolade.
Result
Sheamus defeated Waller
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
* Waller might be in the best shape of his career. Not that it mattered because he still could not pick up a win despite Rusev providing a distraction for him.
* The beauty of the Sheamus-Rusev feud is its simplicity. One doesn't like the other and they beat the life out of each other as a result. Easy.
Lyra Valkyria and Becky Lynch Final Build; Karrion Kross' Sit-Down With Sami Zayn
5 of 10
In her final opportunity to address the WWE Universe before challenging for the Women's Intercontinental Championship, Lyra Valkyria claimed Becky Lynch will have to beat the life out of her to keep her down at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
The Man attempted a sneak attack, but Valkyria cut her off and proceeded to punish her with a barrage of kendo-stick shots to her body. The former champion stood tall to close out the segment.
Afterward, a pre-taped interview that started as a sit-down between Corey Graves and Sami Zayn devolved into a tense face-to-face involving the latter and his SummerSlam opponent, Karrion Kross.
Zayn promised that if he loses, he will say whatever Kross wants him to, but Kross will have to look in Zayn's eyes and tell him he was wrong if the heel loses.
Grade
B for Valkyria and Lynch; B+ for Zayn and Kross
Top Moments and Takeaways
* Valkyria recovered nicely after an awkward fumble early on, proof of her growth and evolution as a performer, particularly on the mic.
* The match for the Women's Intercontinental Championship might be the show-stealer of the SummerSlam weekend.
* More sit-down interviews like the one we saw involving Zayn and Kross, taking the wrestlers out of the ring and into fresh settings, should be a thing.
8-Woman Tag Team Match
6 of 10
Women's world champion Naomi partnered with Chelsea Green, Piper Niven and Alba Fyre to battle Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Nikki Bella and Stephanie Vaquer in an eight-woman tag team match.
The heels twice cut their opponents off from their partners, first with Bella and then with Sky, but could not put either woman away.
A hot tag from The Genius of the Sky to Vaquer sparked the babyface comeback that saw La Primera deliver her Devil's Kiss to Green and, ultimately, score the win with the SVB (Stephanie Vaquer Bomb).
The babyfaces stood tall to close out the segment.
Result
Ripley, Vaquer, Sky and Bella defeated Green, Niven, Fyre and Naomi
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
* Fyre joining Green and Niven's act has been a great spot for her. She is too good not to be on television, so if it means being in a pseudo-comedy act to get ring time, so be it. She was excellent here.
* Vaquer shined big-time here, setting the stage for a big Fall for her. So much so that it almost feels like a given Naomi retains at SummerSlam just to set up a defense against La Primera at Clash in Paris.
* Ripley vs. Vaquer is going to make WWE boatloads of money one day. They are already perceived by fans to be tops in the division. Put them together in a title program, with a date at WrestleMania, and you have a legitimate main event.
World Tag Team Championship: LWO vs. The Judgment Day
7 of 10
One week after outlasting The New Day and The Creed Brothers, LWO's Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde challenged The Judgment Day's Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh for the World Tag Team Championship.
The heels worked over Wilde for a large portion of the match, but a hot tag to Del Toro ignited the babyfaces and had them rolling late.
With chants of "this is awesome" raining down from the crowd, the challengers took the fight to the air as they pursued their first tag team title.
A late appearance by El Grande Americano (the Ludwig Kaiser version), and a second masked individual, ultimately proved too much for the challengers to overcome, though, allowing Bálor and McDonagh to score the win.
Result
The Judgment Day defeated LWO
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
* Graves put over Wilde's story, including a near-career-ending injury in 2017, and that is more than anyone has attempted to do to get him over since he arrived in WWE. A hugely talented wrestler, it was nice to hear someone trying to forge that connection between him and the audience.
* Del Toro's Van Terminator to McDonagh was outstanding and further evidence of what the LWO stars can do when given the spotlight.
* Bálor and McDonagh really have become workhorses for Raw; guys who can be relied on to deliver more times than not.
World Heavyweight Title Match Hype
8 of 10
Ahead of their World Heavyweight Championship match Saturday night at SummerSlam, CM Punk and Gunther met face-to-face in the center of the squared circle.
"I left The Voice of the Voiceless speechless," Gunther said of his confrontation with Punk last week, seconds before the former WWE champion interrupted.
The Straight Edge Superstar responded to The Ring General, telling him it dawned on him: he doesn't want to be world heavyweight champion. He needs to be world champion.
"I don't drink and I don't do drugs, but I understand addiction," Punk started before pointing at the world title, "because this is my addiction."
"You're right, I don't deserve to call myself best in the world. I've earned it," the No. 1 contender said.
When Gunther tried to shut down the red-hot Punk, the future Hall of Famer told him he will leave MetLife Stadium with the World Heavyweight Championship but at least The Ring General will have the opportunity to say he shared the ring with The Best in the World.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
* There is no one better at delivering the fiery babyface promo that generates interest in a match than Punk. This was spectacular and should have silenced critics of the feud's quality.
* Does WWE give us a Punk win come Saturday or does he become the latest victim of a career year for Gunther? That the winner is not readily apparent is a good thing and should make for one of the hottest matches of the PLE.
Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed
9 of 10
The main event saw Jey Uso and Bronson Reed meet for the second time in the last few months, just five days before a blockbuster tag team match pitting Uso and Roman Reigns against Reed and Bron Breakker.
Reed overwhelmed Uso with his power and size advantage. As the babyface mounted a late-match comeback, Bron Breakker came from out of nowhere with a Spear to draw the disqualification.
A post-match beatdown of Uso had the fans chanting "OTC" and Reigns obliged, hitting the ring to make the save for his cousin.
Breakker mowed down The OTC with a Spear at ringside, though, and ensured the the OG Bloodline members did not stand tall. He leveled Reigns, sending him over the announce table while Reed unleashed the Tsunami on Uso.
He added one to Reigns before Breakker mocked one of The Tribal Chief's most famous promos, declaring that everyone works for him now.
The heels stood tall to close out the show after a devastating Spear through the timekeeper's position that helped to build heat ahead of the weekend's PLE.
Result
Uso defeated Reed via disqualification
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
* Cole again pointed out that Uso has never lost to Reed in singles competition. That is a stat WWE can reintroduce every so often to raise the importance of a rematch between the two.
* The post-match beatdown was a nice change of pace in that it gave the viewer the false impression the babyfaces would reign to close out the broadcast before the heels flipped the script and left them lying.
Overall Grade
10 of 10
As a go-home episode of Raw ahead of SummerSlam, this week's show left a lot to be desired.
It lacked a sense of urgency you would expect ahead of one of the biggest shows of the year until the final two segments of the night. But when you are producing two-plus hours of television, there should be more substance than that.
There was plenty of fun, including a mixed tag team contest that the company should consider booking more frequently, and the last two segments were great TV. But this felt top heavy, something that should not be the case on shows as long as this one.
With that said, there was still enough here to warrant a solid grade.
Grade: B
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