WWE Raw Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights Before Crown Jewel 2025

Ahead of Saturday's Crown Jewel in Australia, WWE Raw hit the Netflix airwaves with a packed show, featuring appearances from CM Punk and Roman Reigns.

Elsewhere on the broadcast, Maxxine Dupri sought to humble women's intercontinental champion Becky Lynch following a backstage beatdown last week, while Lyra Valkyria and Roxanne Perez rekindled their rivalry.

What else went down and how did it impact the flagship show ahead of the final international PLE of 2025?

Find out with this recap, including grades and analysis for each of the night's segments and matches.

Match Card

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Announced in advance of Monday's show:

• CM Punk apperance
• Roman Reigns appearance
• Lyra Valkyria vs. Roxanne Perez
• Maxxine Dupri vs. Becky Lynch

Roman Reigns Kicks Off Raw

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Last Time in Action: Roman Reigns defeated Bronson Reed (Clash in Paris, August 31)

A week after gaining a measure of revenge on Bronson Reed and Bron Breaker following an assault at Clash in Paris that left him sidelined for over a month, Reigns opened Monday's Raw with an in-ring promo.

Before The OTC could address his return, though, Reed interrupted, flanked by Paul Heyman. The former Wise Man put over the beating The Auszilla gave Reigns in Paris.

The OTC shook off every attempt by the heels to rattle him, including Reed inciting his father's name, and did not hesitate to accept a challenge for an Australian Street Fight Saturday at Crown Jewel.

The babyface laid out Reed with a pair of Superman Punches to close out the segment.

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• "They walked in like a couple of tough guys, but they seem to be walking out like a couple of b---hes," Reigns said as the heels tried to leave. He said it so smoothly that it added to what was an otherwise clichéd response. This incarnation of The OTC, dating back to the arrival of the Tribal Chief in 2020, is so cool.
• There was not much to this segment from a substance standpoint. but Reigns commanded the scene and we got another match for the Crown Jewel card out of it, so it was a success. That match, though, will ultimately mean little if Reigns beats Reed like he did in Paris and returns things to status quo in his war with The Vision.

Maxxine Dupri vs. Becky Lynch

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Last Time in Action: Maxxine Dupri, Otis, and Akira Tozawa defeated American Made (Main Event, September 1); Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins lost to CM Punk and AJ Lee (Wrestlepalooza, September 20)

The result of a backstage confrontation that turned physical when Lynch attacked Dupri, the two squared off in the opening match of Monday's show.

The Man dominated the action early, outclassing the babyface. She controlled the bout through the commercial break before Dupri found a different gear and fought her way back into the bout.

She delivered a fisherman suplex, slipped out of Lynch's grasp, and applied an ankle lock a la her former mentor, Chad Gable. B/R's greatest women's wrestler in WWE history escaped, narrowly kicked out of a near-fall, and delivered a superplex.

Dupri continued to fight, countering and reversing The Man's best stuff and nearly upsetting her on more than one occasion. Frustration built and Lynch took the underdog to the floor, slamming her into the steps and hitting her in the ribs with the giant Prime bottle at ringside.

Arrogance proved costly as Lynch taunted the audience and Dupri returned to the ring in time to win the match via count-out.

Result

Dupri defeated Lynch

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Backstage, Asuka demanded a match between Kairi Sane and Iyo Sky be made for Monday. Sane expressed hesitation, and The Empress of Tomorrow slapped her for her defiance.

• This was outstanding and if anyone has any questions as to why Lynch is the greatest of all time, all the evidence was here. She had a great match with an unproven competitor, had the fans biting on every near-fall, and delivered the facial expressions and body language necessary to put over the shock of the loss.
• Kudos to Dupri, too, who has clearly been working hard to improve her in-ring game. While it was choppy early, she settled and delivered big-time in one of her most important performances to date.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Roxanne Perez

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Last Time in Action: Lyra Valkyria, Rhea Ripley, and Stephanie Vaquer defeated Fatal Influence (NXT, September 16); Roxanne Perez lost to Bayley (Raw, September 22)

A week after coming to the aid of Bayley amid a two-on-one beatdown at the hands of The Judgment Day, Valkyria rekindled her rivalry with former NXT foe Perez.

Perez targeted the left arm of her opponent, working it over through the commercial break. Even as the babyface managed to fight from underneath, she was unable to fully execute her move set, thanks to the damage inflicted to her arm.

With a little moral support from Bayley at ringside, Valkyria mounted a comeback but the distraction that Rodriguez's big boot to The Role Model on the floor brought allowed Perez to recover and deliver Pop Rox for the pinfall victory.

Afterward, an irate Bayley grabbed hold of Valkyria and told her they had unfinished business.

Result

Perez defeated Valkyria

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Backstage, Reigns caught up with the Usos and denied Jey his offer to help at Crown Jewel, telling him to stay focused and taking exception to CM Punk talking at the top of the hour instead of him. As the former world champ walked off, Reigns reminded Jimmy that he sees everything and asked why it's a problem for Jey to take advice from him.
• Valkyria and Perez have great chemistry, so even their lesser matches are still fairly good. With that said, this felt like more of the same that we have seen over the last couple of weeks. The Bayley stuff has been great, but we need to see less of the same four competitors wrestling every week to avoid burnout on the in-ring content.

CM Punk Promo

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Last Time in Action: CM Punk and AJ Lee defeated Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch (Wrestlepalooza, September 20)

Punk wasted little time turning his attention to Rollins and the World Heavyweight Championship, vowing to earn his title back by the end of the year.

LA Knight interrupted, still not abandoning his pursuit for the world title. He applauded Punk on cultivating love but claimed he has been more focused on being a husband than winning against Rollins.

The Megastar told Punk that he has never lost to Rollins, and The Best in the World responded by reminding him that he has never been world champion, either.

Jey Uso interrupted, heeding his cousin's advice from earlier in the show, and came face-to-face with the other prospective No. 1 contenders. He threw down his claim to the world title.

Jimmy Uso hit the ring, allowing Jey to rock Knight with a superkick. After a few more words from Punk denouncing the former world champion's new attitude, The Straight Edge Superstar took Jey down, earning him a superkick from Jimmy to close out the segment.

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Backstage, AJ Styles and Dragon Lee attempted to recruit Penta for a six-man tag team match against The Judgment Day but were interrupted by a brawl between Bayley, Valkyria, Perez and Rodriguez.
• "You think you lost the title because you're not Roman enough?" Knight asked Uso. Punk added later: "I love Jey Uso. I don't like Little Roman." The Bloodline is gearing up for a high-profile next chapter.
• What looked like a repetitive segment aimed at determining the No. 1 contender out of the same three who last competed for that recognition, instead evolved into Punk and Knight finding themselves on the receiving end of the determined Usos. More importantly, it may have set up a high-profile tag match for sooner rather than later.

Iyo Sky vs. Kairi Sane

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Last Time in Action: Iyo Sky lost to Stephanie Vaquer (Wrestlepalooza, September 20); Kairi Sane lost to Vaquer (Raw, September 15)

Sky attacked Asuka before the bell, wiping The Empress of Tomorrow out at ringside and seeking to avenge the weeks of torment she has been put through at the hands of her former Damage CTRL teammate.

She further unleashed her frustration, dominating Sane in the opening moments of the match and into the commercial break.

The Pirate Princess recovered and seized control of the match, which she held coming out of the timeout. It was not enough to halt Sky's momentum, though, as the former women's world champion launched herself off the top with a missile dropkick.

Sky rolled, but interference from Asuka allowed Sane to recover and score the pinfall victory over her friend.

Still reluctant, Sane delivered a vicious backfist and In-Sane Elbow to Sky and to the delight of Asuka, as The Kabuki Warriors built momentum entering Crown Jewel.

Result

Sane defeated Sky

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• With Ripley and Sky likely to go over in Australia, Sane needed to win here. She and Asuka are hot as they have been in years. And with the moral anxiety facing The Pirate Princess, it makes sense to allow them to get one over on the babyfaces leading into their biggest match in years.
• The moment Sane gets fed up with Asuka and turns on her, the crowd is going to erupt and everyone involved will be even bigger stars as a result.

The Vision and The Bloodline Drama

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Moments after the latest edition of the Cody Rhodes-Seth Rollins video package series, a desperate world champion asked Paul Heyman what happens if he loses to Rhodes at Crown Jewel.

Heyman conveniently left himself out of the answer, and The Visionary called him out on it. The Oracle said, at some point, he would have to ask himself why he chose Rollins instead of Roman Reigns.

Speaking of The Tribal Chief, he surveyed a disagreement between Jey and Jimmy Uso, with the former taking exception to his brother interrupting him during the promo segment earlier and accusing him of protecting Punk.

Jey stomped off, leaving Reigns to warn Jimmy that when his brother won the world title, he became more like The OTC and less like Jimmy. "Sometimes, the best way to help him is to get out of his way," Reigns advised, his influence clearly affecting Jey.

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

• The videos detailing the history between Rhodes and Rollins before they compete against each other at Crown Jewel have been extraordinary. A great reminder of WWE's top-notch production team.
• What's that old saying? "When someone shows you who they are, believe them?" For all the talk about a new or changed Reigns, it seems like there is plenty of the same manipulative villain in him that we knew during the height of his run atop the WWE mountain.

AJ Styles, Dragon Lee, and Penta vs. The Judgment Day

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Last Time in Action: AJ Syles and Dragon Lee defeated Los Americanos (Raw, September 29); Penta and The War Raiders defeated The New Day and Grayson Waller (Raw, September 22); Finn Balor and Roxanne Perez lost to Mr. Iguana and Lola Vice (AAA x WWE World Collide, September 12); JD McDonagh lost to Rusev (Raw, September 22); Dominik Mysterio defeated Rusev (Raw, September 29)

Born of a backstage segment, Styles, Penta, and Lee squared off with Balor, Mysterio, and McDonagh in trios action.

The heels seized control of the bout through the commercial break, isolating Lee and working him over in their corner of the squared circle. They continued their dominance, teeing off on Penta when he entered the match.

A late hot tag to Styles sparked a babyface comeback. At one point, Mysterio attempted a 619 but Rusev stomped to the ring, still looking to avenge his controversial loss to Dirty Dom on last week's show.

Penta wiped him out, allowing Mysterio to escape. From there, The Phenomenal One took advantage of the distraction, caught McDonagh, and delivered the Styles Clash for the win.

After the match, a fired-up Styles told the world that he and John Cena do not need a story this Saturday at Crown Jewel. They have an epic rivalry and they are going to leave everything in the squared circle in Perth.

Result

Styles, Penta, and Lee defeated The Judgment Day

Grade

C+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• This was a joke, right? Six of the most entertaining in-ring performers on the roster and the match was interrupted by not one but two commercial breaks, completely ruining its flow and effectiveness.
• The match was fine but this was more about highlighting the many different issues Mysterio has got himself into. That is not a bad thing considering he has the most upside of all in the ring at this point, but it really feels like Penta has cooled off significantly and Lee should be a bigger star than he is.

CM Punk and LA Knight vs. The Usos

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Last Time in Action: CM Punk and LA Knight defeated Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed by DQ (Raw, August 11); The Usos defeated Breakker and Reed (Raw, September 29)

The product of the promo segment from earlier in the show, Punk and Knight battled The Usos in a star-studded tag team main event.

The twins dominated the action, using their years of experience to earn the upper hand and take the fight to Knight. A hot tag to Punk brought him and his partner back from the brink and put them in the driver's seat late on.

Jey halted the momentum momentarily, delivering a Spear to Punk. The Best in the World recovered, though, and flattened him with Go To Sleep. Instead of making the cover, Knight tagged himself in and stole the victory from his teammate, further strengthening his claim to the next title opportunity.

Result

Knight and Punk defeated The Usos (Knight pinned Jey)

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Like the six-man tag match before it, this was criminally short. With that said, the pacing was strong and the finish was clever. Not only does it intensify the tension between Punk and Knight over their world title hopes, but Jey lost the fall, which will earn him the scorn of Reigns.

Overall Grade

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As the go-home episode of Raw ahead of a PLE, this was underwhelming.

We got a nice little angle from The Kabuki Warriors and Iyo Sky, and the introduction of a new match on the show in the form of Reigns vs. Reed, but the rest of the card was woefully underhyped, even with the great Rollins-Rhodes video.

With that said, there was a ton to like about this broadcast.

Lynch and Dupri stole the show with a banger of a match that had no right to be as great as it was. They put in the work, and the crowd rewarded them with the hottest reaction of the night.

Dirty Dom continues to earn the attention of opponents for the wrong reasons, Heyman's loyalty to Rollins (or lack thereof) was called to the floor, and The Bloodline's latest chapter is being written with every passing week with the renewed influence of Reigns on Jey Uso.

Though the hype for Saturday's show was so-so at best, this was still a successful broadcast, thanks in large part to the other stories preparing to affect the red brand moving forward.

Grade: B+