SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE RAW REPORT
APRIL 14, 2025
SACRAMENTO, CALIF. AT GOLDEN 1 CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON NETFLIX (WORLDWIDE)
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee
Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor
Attendance: WrestleTix reports that 13,750 tickets were distributed headed into the day. The arena was set up for 14,287. The arena has a capacity of 19,000 spectators when configured for concerts.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
PWTorch editor Wade Keller is joined by PWTorch’s Chris Maitland to review WWE Raw LIVE tonight right after the show ends. Join us and let us know your thoughts on Raw during the show.
Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Raw. We’ll read your emails live during the post-show.
If you can’t join us live on YouTube, stream the show on demand later at YouTube or listen or stream later on a podcast app. Subscribe to all of our free podcasts by searching “wade keller” and “pwtorch” in your podcast app of choice including Spotify and Apple Podcasts and most other iOS and Android apps.
LIVE ON YOUTUBE RIGHT AFTER WWE RAW TONIGHT: LIVE ON YOUTUBE RIGHT AFTER WWE RAW TONIGHT: CLICK HERE TO WATCH
[HOUR ONE]
– The show opened with a recap of Gunther and Jey Uso’s confrontation from last week.
– Gunther made his way to the ring for an in-ring interview with Michael Cole. Gunther said that Jey told him that he was no longer afraid of him no more, but he believed that Jey was full of crap. He took the mic and yelled ‘Scre Jey Uso and everything he stands for’. Gunther said that he has been a champion for the majority of his time in WWE. Gunther said that he was the greatest World Heavyweight champion of all time and he wouldn’t let Jey ruin it for him.
– Gunther said that Jey could have all the crowd by his side, but when the bell ran, he would beat him for a fourth time. Gunther said that Jey should be thankful that he was in control a few weeks ago because if that wasn’t the case, both Usos would be drowned in blood. He finished by saying that he couldn’t wait to tell Jey’s mother how much he enjoyed beating him after he walked out as champion at WrestleMania.
(Pomares’ Analysis: A good angry promo to establish Gunther’s mentality going into WrestleMania. I think I would have preferred one final confrontation between him and Jey as the go-home angle, but ending with back-to-back strong promos over the last two weeks is still an improvement over the first month and a half of this feud.)
A good angry promo to establish Gunther’s mentality going into WrestleMania. I think I would preferred one final confrontation between him and Jey as the go-home angle, but ending with back-to-back strong promos over the last two weeks is still an improvement over the first month and a half of this feud.)
– A recap of Bayley and Lyra Valkyria winning the tag team gauntlet on SmackDown was shown.
– Liv Morgan made her way to the ring, ahead of her match against Bayley.
[Commercial Break]
(1) LIV MORGAN (w/Raquel Rodriguez) vs. BAYLEY (w/Lyra Valkyria)
Liv slapped Bayley, only for Bayley to chase her around the ring. Liv caught Bayley off-guard with a bunch of stomps, until Bayley shut her down with a Thesz Press. Bayley hit Liv with a pair of clotheslines to the chest and back. Liv drove Bayley into the corner with a dropkick, but Bayley quickly knocked her down with a clothesline. Bayley dropped Liv with a suplex and a back suplex, forcing her to roll out of the ring. Liv blocked a suicide dive with a forearm strike and planted her with the Three Amigos on the floor. Bayley missed a knee strike into the steel steps, allowing Liv to floor her with a suplex off the steps, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Bayley clocked Liv with forearm strikes, until Liv responded with a rising kick. Bayley cracked Liv with a knee strike, only for Liv to trip her into the turnbuckle and nail her with an enzuigiri. Bayley blocked a missile dropkick, but Liv avoided a Boston Crab with a roll-up. Liv evaded a knee strike once, only for Bayley to connect it the second time. Bayley drove Liv into the corner with a sunset flip powerbomb, but she kicked out at two. Liv shocked Bayley with a Codebreaker on the apron and blasted her with a dropkick off the apron.
Back in the ring, Bayley avoided Oblivion, but missed a neckbreaker. Liv caught Bayley with a roundhouse kick before Bayley caught her with a Stunner. Bayley hit Liv with Bayley-to-Belly, only for Raquel to put her boot on the ropes. Raquel took Lyra out with a big boot, only for Bayley to spike her with a cutter into the ropes. Liv nailed Bayley with a backstabber, but Lyra protected Bayley from Oblivion. Bayley immediately took Liv down with a jackknife pinfall for the win.
WINNER: Bayley at 12:55
(Pomares’ Analysis: A very good match to give some build to a match put-together at the last moment. I doubt we’ll see a title change, but as long as Bayley, Liv and Lyra get some decent amount of time, this could be a sleeper hit at WrestleMania.)
– A recap of the issues between CM Punk, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman over the last couple of weeks was shown.
– Rey Mysterio made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Julius Creed.
[Commercial Break]
– A video package was shown, recapping the rivalry between Iyo Sky, Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair while Ripley said that she would get back what belonged to her.
– A recap of the Creed Brothers and El Grande Americano defeating LWO last week.
(2) REY MYSTERIO (w/Dragon Lee, Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro) vs. JULIUS CREED (w/Chad Gable, Brutus Creed & Ivy Nile)
Rey attacked Julius with forearm strikes and knocked him down with a headlock, only for Julius to shut him down with a shoulder tackle. Rey drove Julius into the ropes with a headscissors takeover, but Julius immediately shut him down with a lariat. Julius put Rey in a headlock and caught him with a knee to the abdomen. Rey tripped Julius into the ropes, but Julius avoided the 619. Rey clocked Julius with a forearm strike and climbed to the top turnbuckle. American Made and the LWO tripped Rey and Julius atop the turnbuckle. The referee ejected both factions from ringside, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Rey caught Julius with a back elbow and pulled him out of the ring with a hurracarrana. Julius blocked a sliding splash and put Rey in a vertical suplex position while carrying him up the steps. Julius kicked Rey into the ring post, but missed a shoulder thrust into the ring post. Rey drove Julius into the corner with a diving hurracarrana, setting him up for a load of right hands. Julius caught a moonsault, only for Rey to counter a powerslam with a DDT. Julius shocked Rey with a knee strike before Rey low-bridged him out of the ring. El Grande Americano showed up to distract Rey and Rey tried to take his mask out. Rey kicked out of a roll-up and kicked Julius into Americano before beating him with 619 and a slingshot splash.
WINNER: Rey Mysterio at 10:19
– After the match, El Grande Americano assaulted Rey Mysterio and took him and Dragon Lee out with headbutts. Americano knocked Rey out with a diving headbut to stand tall.
(Pomares’ Analysis: A really strong match to showcase Julius Creed in a rare singles match and give Rey a win going into Mania. Ever since he was in NXT, Julius has looked like the breakout star of the Creeds and this match was a nice reminder of it.)
– A video package was shown, featuring the issues between the War Raiders and the New Day from last week. The War Raiders called New Day out for trying to injure them and said that they would take them to war.
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed the New Day about what they did last week. They said that they have been at war the entire time and that they would take their titles back.
– AJ Styles made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Karrion Kross.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR TWO]
(3) AJ STYLES vs. KARRION KROSS (w/Scarlett)
AJ drove Kross into the corner, only for Kross to knock him down with a big boot. Kross tripped AJ into the ropes and pressed his leg on his back. Scarlett choked AJ behind the referee’s back. AJ hit Kross with a jawbreaker, but Kross shut him down with a Xploder. AJ withstood an Irish-whip into the corner and dropkicked Kross out of the ring. Kross swept AJ off the apron and threw him into the barricade twice, as WWE Raw went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Kross dropped AJ with a Death Valley Driver for a two count. AJ knocked Kross with a kick to the leg and Kross faked being injured. Kross clocked AJ with a forearm strike, only for AJ to shut him down with a forearm strike. AJ nailed Kross with a sliding forearm and a corner clothesline. Kross caught AJ with a DDT, but AJ evaded the Kross Hammer and hit him with a backbreaker. AJ pulled Kross’ face into the ropes and knocked him out with the Phenomenal Forearm.
WINNER: AJ Styles at 9:46
– After the match, Logan Paul showed up to say that AJ Styles proved that they could have a great match. Logan showed up a video package showcasing his accomplishments. AJ and Logan got into a brawl, but Kross joined in the fight. AJ took Kross out with a reverse DDT, only for Logan to nail him with a punch and his modified cutter.
(Pomares’ Analysis: That was a fine match with an okay follow-up. I like the idea of Kross trying to awaken the evil side of AJ even if I don’t think it was that well-executed, it’s an interesting direction for AJ’s character. On the opposite side of the coin, Logan Paul’s shtick has become incredibly repetitive after three years with no major changes. His promos all blend together and there’s never any interesting rebuttal against him because WWE won’t allow people to reference any of his controversies.)
[Commercial Break]
– Jey Uso made his way to the ring and stood on the announce table. Jey said that he was crashing out, but he locked in for himself and for his family. He said that Gunther was mad and afraid before claiming that he would take his title at WrestleMania.
(Pomares’ Analysis: I appreciate Jey trying to stay serious for one more week, but this segment felt kind of unnecessary. I got the vibe that this was just an excuse to bring him out so the fans could cheer with his entrance.)
– A recap of Bron Breakker taking Carlito, Dominik Mysterio and Penta out with Spears before receiving a reverse DDT from Finn Bálor was shown.
– Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviewed Bron Breakker about his title defense at WrestleMania. The Judgment Day immediately assaulted Breakker and threw him into a storage case.
– Penta made his way to the rig, ahead of his match against Finn Bálor.
[Commercial Break]
(4) PENTA vs. FINN BÁLOR
Penta knocked Finn off the apron with a dropkick to the back and crushed him with a Tope con HIlo. Penta nailed Finn with an enzuigiri and crushed him with a high crossbody for a two count. Finn blocked the Sacrifice and evaded the Penta Driver. Penta hit Finn with an elevated dropkick in the corner, but he kicked out at two. Penta knocked Finn off his feet with kicks to the legs before blasting him with a chop to the chest. Finn caught Penta with a basement dropkick and put him in a headlock. Finn stomped Penta down and nailed him with an elbow drop on the apron, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Finn planted Penta with a superplex for a two count. Penta caught Finn with a hurracarrana and a thrust kick. Penta sat Finn atop the turnbuckle and hit him with a chop, setting him up for an avalanche hurracarrana. They hit each other with sling blades before Penta dropped Finn with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Penta snapped Finn’s arm with The Sacrifice, only for Finn to counter the Penta Driver with a roll-through. Penta attacked Finn with a series of thrust kicks. Carlito and Dominik Mysterio showed up to distract Penta, allowing Finn to knock him down with a sling blade. Finn blasted Penta into the corner with a shotgun dropkick. Bron Breakker showed up to hit Finn with a lariat and stomp him down.
WINNER: No Contest at 11:34
– Carlito and Dominik Mysterio beat Bron Breakker down, only for Breakker to blast them with a double Spear. Penta blocked a Spear with a thrust kick and sent Breakker out of the ring with a headscissors takeover. Penta crushed Breakker, Dominik and Carlito with a high crossbody to stand tall.
(Pomares’ Analysis: Fun match while it lasted, but it was very clear that it wouldn’t have a finish. Bron’s post-match assault was really good, however it didn’t feel that much different to what we have seen from these men in past weeks. I guess I expected something a bit more special for the go-home show.)
– A video package was shown, recapping the rivalry between Iyo Sky, Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair while Sky reminded them that she was the champion and should be respected.
(Pomares’ Analysis: Since there was no major angle for the women’s three-way match, I’m just going to put this here. Last week’s segment was a lackluster set up for their match and the lack of a real follow-up on the go-home show is a shame.)
– The commentary team ran down the card for WrestleMania 41.
– Backstage, CM Punk spoke with Paul Heyman and told him that he was real friend. Roman Reigns started at Punk and Heyman before walking away and making his way to the ring.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR THREE]
– Roman Reigns refused to receive his microphone from Paul Heyman and told the crowd to acknowledge him. Roman said that the fans wouldn’t betray him, but some people would do it. He asked Heyman why he would betray him and led the crowd into booing him. Heyman said that he didn’t betray Roman and that he just paid back a favor. Roman said that he felt like the one getting screwed in this favor was him. Roman said that he didn’t need any help at War Games and that he didn’t ask for any favor.
– Seth Rollins interrupted to say that this was the biggest and most important triple threat in WrestleMania history because the winner would define the future of the industry. Rollins said that if this business was filled with people like Roman or CM Punk, then it would die. Rollins said that if he won then the business would thrive. He said that Heyman was dishonorable and a scumbag and didn’t expect anything from him last week. Rollins said that Heyman had made the choice to side with Punk.
– Roman said that Heyman had already made his choice and he made his before laying Rollins out with a lariat. Roman threw Rollins into the ring post and shoved Heyman into the mat. Punk showed up to brawl with Roman and clotheslined him out of the ring and checked on Heyman, but Roman shut him down with a Spear. Rollins took Roman out with a chair shot to the back and hit him and Punk with a pair of Curb Stomps.
(Pomares’ Analysis: This was a segment hard-carried by the star power of the performers because its contents felt deceiving. Arguing about the future of the business doesn’t really mean anything when there are no real stakes involved. The drama around Paul Heyman is the more interesting element and probably should have had a bit more focus. Even more baffling is barely acknowledging the long-time history between Roman and Seth beyond referencing the Shield chair shot for the hundredth time. The brawl at the end was fine, but definitely didn’t feel like a go-home show to the main event of WrestleMania.)
Advertised Matches & Appearances
- A.J. Styles vs. Karrion Kross
- Roman Reigns to appear
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.