.png?w=1280)
WWE Raw Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights After SummerSlam 2025
On the heels of a jaw-dropping SummerSlam that saw Seth Rollins stun the world with the ruse of the summer, WWE rolled into Brooklyn's Barclays Center for Raw on Netflix.
What did Rollins have to say following his earth-shattering Money in the Bank cash-in that netted him the World Heavyweight Championship, just five minutes after CM Punk outlasted Gunther in a grueling main event to win the title himself?
Find out with this recap of the August 4 broadcast, which also featured chapter three in the rivalry between Sheamus and Rusev.
Match Card
1 of 9
Announced in advance for Monday's show were:
* Seth Rollins promo
* Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair appearance
* Becky Lynch appearance
* Sheamus vs. Rusev III
Seth Rollins Kicked Off the Post-SummerSlam Episode of WWE Raw
2 of 9
Just 48 hours removed from pulling off one of the greatest ruses in WWE history, new world heavyweight champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins hit the ring to kick off the show, flanked by "The Oracle" Paul Heyman, "Big" Bronson Reed, and Bron Breakker.
Heyman recapped the events of SummerSlam before turning the mic over to The Visionary.
"Shame on every single one of you who turned your back on me," Rollins chastised the fans in Brooklyn. "Shame on every single person in that locker room who made it their mission to stop me from successfully cashing in my Money in the Bank briefcase," he continued.
"They think they're so smart. They think they're so clever," he added before warning everyone that he always has a Plan B.
Rollins hoisted his title overhead and exclaimed, "this is the way forward. This is...The Vision," potentially finally naming his faction.
LA Knight interrupted Rollins to a thunderous ovation. He claimed Rollins did not fake his injury to cash in Money in the Bank but rather, to avoid the beating that was coming his way at the hands of The Megastar. He challenged Rollins for a world title match, to which the heel fired up the crowd before uttering "no" and walking out.
Raw general manager Adam Pearce appeared and officially announced Knight vs. Rollins for the title, with Reed and Breakker banned from ringside.
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
* Knight interjecting himself in the proceedings made sense within the context of the story. He never had the chance to wrap things up with Rollins and, as the last guy to pinned The Visionary, it is only logical that he would target him and the world title.
* There was not nearly enough CM Punk talk here. One would have thought Rollins would've been giddy over the idea of rubbing it into the Straight Edge Superstar. Perhaps it is to preserve excitement for his potential appearance later in the show?
Sheamus vs. Rusev
3 of 9
Sheamus and Rusev wrote chapter three in their ongoing rivalry as they squared off once again Monday night.
The intensely physical match-up saw both men unleash their unbridled physicality on each other. Rusev looked to wear Sheamus down, but The Celtic Warrior battled through it and took the fight to the arena floor, where they again teed off on each other.
Ultimately unable to control themselves, the fight ended in a double countout amid Sheamus' 10 Beats of the Bodhran to the chest of The Bulgarian Brute.
The fans were not the only ones dismayed by the result, though, as the two combatants continued their brawl, fending off security and referees as their hatred for each other proved uncontrollable.
Result
Sheamus and Rusev fought to a double count-out
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
* Shemaus and Rusev are seemingly incapable of having a bad match. While this was not nearly as good as their previous two encounter, it was a means to an end as far as setting up one last battle between the two.
* Rusev appears to be rejuvenated and is doing some of the best work of either of his runs in WWE with The Celtic Warrior right now.
Penta vs. Grayson Waller
4 of 9
Born of a backstage confrontation, and made official by Adam Pearce, Penta squared off with Grayson Waller in singles competition.
Early, New Day's music played and Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods made their way to the ringside area, their presence providing the distraction that allowed Waller to seize control of the match.
Penta overcame his opponent's arsenal, shook off a jumping knee at one point, and delivered a devastating Mexican Destroyer for the win.
After the match, Penta made fools of The New Day and put an exclamation point on the ordeal with a tope onto the heels.
Result
Penta defeated Waller
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
* This was perfectly acceptable wrestling that saw Penta look strong and pick up a convincing win against a guy in Waller who can get over with any crowd regardless of whether he wins or loses.
* Penta is still incredibly over with audiences and, hopefully, has a chance to rebuild some of the momentum he lost on the road to SummerSlam, when he faded into the background.
Women's Tag Team Championship Match: Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss vs. Judgment Day
5 of 9
The Judgment Day's Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez interrupted a promo from new women's tag team champions Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, leading to a second impromptu title match on tonight's show.
Perez and Rodriguez controlled early and often, cutting The Queen down and isolating her from her partner.
A much-needed tag to Bliss did not help matters as the former champions continued their domination of the new titleholders, looking to regain the gold they lost just 48 hours earlier.
The return of Flair to the match-up provided a much-needed spark for the babyfaces, igniting a comeback that including a flipping clothesline and a picture-perfect moonsualt.
As the action broke down, Perez set up for a tope suicida, only to be intercepted by Bliss and driven to the mat with Sister Abigail. Three seconds later and the champions retained.
Result
Bliss and Flair defeated Judgment Day to retain
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
* "That might be my first 'you deserve it' chant," Flair said. Ha.
* The promo that preceded the match was awful and clearly written by someone tone deaf to the team of Flair and Bliss, and why it has worked to this point.
* Luckily, the match was fun and reminded viewers why Judgment Day are former champions, without having to give them the win to do it. Both teams looked great, the finish was creative, and the right team went over, to the delight of the crowd.
Dragon Lee vs. Dominik Mysterio
6 of 9
Backstage, Rhea Ripley reiterated her desire to finally defeat Iyo Sky during backstage interaction with The Genius of the Sky. The former women's world champion responded by telling Mami she will never beat her.
Elsewhere backstage, Lyra Valkyria told Bayley she needed to escape "the Bayley Vortex" and said they were neither friends nor enemies. She implored The Role Model to stay away from her.
Back in the arena, intercontinental champion Dominik Mysterio squared off with Dragon Lee in a preview of TripleMania XXXIII, where both will challenge El Hijo del Vikingo for the AAA Mega Championship in a Fatal 4-Way Match also involving El Grande Americano.
Late in the match, Lee rolled and appeared to be on his way to victory following a double stomp from the top rope until El Grande Americano appeared. Two others made their presence felt, including one who caught Lee with a kick to the face, setting up the academic Mysterio victory.
After the match, AJ Styles hit the ring and cleared Dirty Dom out, ensuring their rivalry will continue.
Result
Mysterio defeated Lee
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
* Ripley vs. Sky and Valkyria vs. Bayley are matches the company could easily toss on a premium live event card right now and not need a championship to get them there. The issues between the women in each match are well documented and could carry those matches without the promise of titles at stake.
* The Americano thing is a textbook case of taking something that worked against all logic and overdoing it to the point that it loses its effect. Who knows what form this will take, but it's hard not to think it will lose sight of what endeared Chad Gable's incarnation of the character to fans in the first place.
* Mysterio vs. Styles was fun at SummerSlam so if the idea is to run it back, so be it.
Nikki Bella Steps Up to Becky Lynch, Interrupts Her Promo
7 of 9
After defeated Lyra Valkyria to retain her Women's Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam, Becky Lynch hit the ring to address her win and look forward. She teased opening the floor to new challengers, then backtracked on it, only for Nikki Bella to arrive on the scene.
The two traded barbs before Lynch took it a step further, responding to comments about her husband, Seth Rollins, and his lies by taking a shot at Bella's previous relationship with John Cena.
Inevitably, Bella laid down the challenge for a match but The Man leveled her to close the segment and stand tall.
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
* The crowd's reaction to Lynch's shot at Bella involving Cena was extraordinary and proves there is nothing like a good peek behind the curtain to pop the audience.
* Bella is not the most thrilling opponent for Lynch, but if the prospective opponents can bring the fire on the mic, with flicks of reality mixed in, it could prove to be a more enjoyable path to their eventual match than anyone would expect.
* The announcement by Naomi, then on commentary, that the women's world champion will defend against Iyo Sky next week makes for a big-time main event and creates some drama around Stephanie Vaquer's championship opportunity at Clash in Paris.
World Heavyweight Championship Match: LA Knight vs. Seth Rollins
8 of 9
Made earlier in the night's opening promo segment, LA Knight challenged Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of Monday's broadcast.
A back and forth match, it saw each man cut the other off more than once, countering their trademark offense and doing just enough to evade defeat. The action spilled to the floor, where The Visionary set up to deliver a stomp onto the exposed concrete floor.
CM Punk came from out of nowhere, attacking Rollins in search of revenge for the cash in that cost him the world title. Bron Breakker obliterated The Best in the World with a spear and, with Bronson Reed, helped the heels stand tall.
Roman Reigns interrupted a show-closing celebration, though, and took the fight to the heels. He laid out Reed and Breakker, but Rollins escaped unscathed. The return of his minions to the ring opened the door for The Architect to deliver a stomp to The OTC.
Three Tsunamis from Reed left Reigns lying and ensured a triumphant night for the heels.
Result
Rollins defeated Knight via disqualification to retain his title
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
* It is almost astonishing that WWE has not taken advantage of how over Knight is by putting one of its top two titles on him. He is a headliner in waiting who, for whatever reason, has not been deemed worthy of that one, final push to the top.
* The interference from Punk made sense and probably should have come earlier in the show, especially if the idea was that he was that pissed off about what happened to him and and his championship reign Saturday night.
* Rollins having three legitimate babyface contenders to his title, with Jey Uso also waiting in the wings, is the right call. It sets up several matches for Rollins throughout the rest of the year before he gets to either his WrestleMania 42 program with Punk or Reigns.
Overall Grade
9 of 9
This was definitely not the red-hot show one would have expected from the post-premium live event edition of Raw.
In fact, it was not until the final two segments of the night where there felt like a sense of creative urgency, as if the two programs represented by them figure heavily into the top of the card on Monday nights for the foreseeable future.
The lack of substantive follow-up to Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky vs. Naomi, and the abundance of lazy booking in the numerous "you want a match?" confrontations, not to mention a relatively flat opening promo segment out of Rollins and The Vision, weighed this one down.
Still, the final two segments were strong and left a lasting impression, so that is enough to sneak the overall grade juuuust past average.
Grade: C+
