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WWE RAW REPORT
MAY 12, 2025
LOUISVILLE, KY. AT KFC YUM! CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON NETFLIX (WORLDWIDE)
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee
Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor
Attendance: WrestleTix reports today that 10,034 tickets were distributed so far; arena set up for 10,246. The arena has a capacity of 22,090 spectators when configured for concerts.
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
PWTorch editor Wade Keller is joined by PWTorch’s Mauricio Pomares 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.
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[HOUR ONE]
-A graphic acknowledged the death of Sabu (Terrance Brunk) over the weekend.
-Michael Cole introduced the show as they showed an aerial view of the arena. Then they showed The Judgment Day arriving earlier followed by Iyo Sky, and Roxanne Perez & Giulia.
-A video package aired on last week’s saga with Paul Heyman, Seth Rollins, Jey Uso, Bron Breakker, C.M. Punk, and Sami Zayn including the World Title match without an announced finish after all the chaos.
-C.M. Punk, with a stern and determined look on his face, made his way to the ring to his entrance theme. He entered the ring and said it’s great to be alive in Louisville. He said it’s great to be home. He said he has waited a few weeks and nursed a few injuries and hurt feelings, but he can’t shake being pissed off. He said he has a lot of enemies, but he’s most pissed off at himself. He said he’s been through this before because it wasn’t the first time Paul Heyman stabbed him in the back. He said he likes to trust his friends. He said Heyman smashed a ladder onto his head 12 years ago and gave him 13 staples. He said he thought they moved past that and has grown and matured as human beings. He said Jey warned him about Heyman when this returned to WWE. He said it turns out Heyman is who he has always been – “a fat little snake.”
He said he is mad at Seth also. He said they know how this ends and they’ve been on this road before. He said Heyman knows how this ends and he “can’t wait to get my hands around your fat little neck and squeeze you until your fat little eyeballs pop.” Heyman interrupted on the mic.
Punk called him a penguin and told him to march his way to the ring. He said he should explain himself, but also understand that whatever words he chooses, they will be his last. Heyman walked out with Seth and Bron Breakker. Seth said just when he thought he couldn’t get any more selfish and egotistical, he found a way to top himself. He said Heyman was his best friend “and you made his life hell on the road to WrestleMania and now you are out here in front of the entire world gaslighting all of us, trying to make us believe he betrayed you.”
He said Heyman believed in him when no one else did. He said he is scum and trash and human excrement. He said just when he thinks he can’t hate him any more than he already does, he stands there in that ring, the person who is responsible for him not being World Champion right now. Punk said Seth will never be champion as long as he’s standing on his two feet.
Seth said Punk so desperately wants to die a martyr. He said he believes that can be arranged. He said he hopes he has prepared his last words.
Seth sent Breakker to the ring. Breakker, in a suit, entered the ring. Punk went after him right away. Breakker jabbed Punk into the corner over and over and punched away at him. Seth joined him in the ring. Punk kicked Breakker and then attacked Seth. Breakker recovered and stomped on Punk. Sami Zayn made the save. Seth and Breakker knocked him out of the ring, then turned back to Punk. When Seth grabbed a chair, Cole said they were “about to assassinate Punk in the middle of the ring.” Jey ran out for the save. Punk, Jey, and Sami sent Breakker and Seth retreating to ringside. Fans chanted “Yeet!”
(Keller’s Analysis: Good mic work from Punk and Seth. It ended up being three on two, so perhaps ultimately Sami turning on Punk and Jey or else a different third person joins Heyman’s crew.)
-Penta made his ring entrance. [c]
-Cole hyped that WWE Smackdown and WWE Night of Champions take place on Friday, June 27 and Saturday, June 28 in Saudi Arabia.
-Pat McAfee made his ring entrance and gave Cole a hug. Cole said it was great to see him. McAfee said he just got cleared by medical. He said doctors asked him what happened and he said he got his ass kicked in a fight with the Ring General. He apologized for being a little late. Cole said the audience surely didn’t appreciate him hosting the show alone.
(1) PENTA vs. CHAD GABLE (w/Ivy Nile)
The bell rang 23 minutes into the hour. Gable took control a couple minutes in. Cole said neither wrestler has held a singles title in WWE. He said that El Grande Americano is the new Speed Champion, though. Gable tried to rip off Penta’s mask as he had him cornered. Penta elbowed out of it. Penta leaped over the top rope at Gable, but Gable knocked him out of mid-air. They cut to a break at 3:00. [c]
Gable countered a Penta submission attempt and applied an anklelock. Penta rolled up Gable for a two count. Gable countered with his own roll-up for a two count. Gable set up a top rope move, but had some words for Penta which gave Penta time to recover, shove him down, and then deliver a Mexican Destroyer for the three count.
WINNER: Penta in 11:00.
-A soundbite aired with Perez and Giulia. Perez said they’ve made it clear with their actions that the division isn’t safe anymore. [c]
-Cole plugged Summerslam tickets. Then they showed Kofi Kingston visiting the Louisville Slugger Museum.
-Backstage in a segment with The Judgment Day, Dominik Mysterio said it was weird that Liv Morgan told him it a good morning when it was actually night. J.D. told Dom that can’t be the first time he’s heard about time zones. Dom said he doesn’t care. He seemed to almost be ready to crack up. Dom walked over to Finn Balor said his hesitation with the chair almost cost him his IC Title at Backlash. Balor said it didn’t go smoothly, but it all worked out in the end. Balor told Dom he was beginning to sound paranoid like Rhea Ripley and Damien Priest when they were champions. Balor assured Dom he was going to take care of Styles for him tonight. J.D. began to explain time zones by using a skull as Earth and the light above them as the sun.
-Back at ringside, they threw to a video package on the McAfee-Gunther match. Back from the lengthy video package, fans chanted “McAfee! McAfee!” He stood on his chair and saluted the fans. Then he showed off a popped blood vessel in his eye from Gunther hitting him so hard. He said he has a lot of respect for Gunther after that and he thinks Gunther does for them too. He said he appreciated the opportunity. Cole didn’t really react to the idea of mutual respect being established.
-The New Day made their entrance to their new entrance theme to do commentary during the next match. [c]
-Cole plugged tickets for Saturday Night’s Main Event in Tampa, Fla. later this month. He announced that Punk & Sami will face Breakker & Seth on SNME.
-Backstage, Sami sat next to Punk and asked him about that tag match. He asked if they’re good and can do it. Punk said he’s having a tough time trusting anyone right now. Sami said he had trouble trusting Punk at WarGames when they teamed together, “and that worked out pretty well for us.” He said they each like to do things their way and have their own ambitions, but they can’t get anything done with Heyman’s crew standing. Sami offered a fist bump. Punk eyed him, paused, and then fist bumped him.
(2) THE WAR RAIDERS (Erik & Ivar) vs. THE CREED BROTHERS (Brutus & Julius)
The bell rang 52 minutes into the hour. New Day were on commentary. Julius suplexed Erik at ringside. Xavier stood and laughed and said, “If he dies, he dies!” They cut to a break at 3:00. [c]
Back from the break, Ivar climbed to the top rope. Julius superplexed Ivar to the mat and then Brutus landed a top rope moonsault for a two count.
[HOUR TWO]
Later, Kofi hit Ivar when he was on the top rope while Brutus knocked Erik down at ringside. Julius lifted Ivar onto his shoulders and then Brutus leaped off the top rope onto him for the win. New Day quickly skipped to the back.
WINNERS: The Creed Brothers in 11:00.
-Seth told Bron backstage that Punk, Jey, and Sami might feel like they’re winning the battle and have one up on them and that they’ve underestimated them. Heyman watched in the background. Seth said they have no idea what he’s capable of. Heyman smiled. They stood. Seth told Breakker he had one more thing for him to do. He leaned in and whispered in his ear. Seth told him to “have some fun.” Breakker smiled.
-G.M. Adam Pearce told Jey he’d hear it later in the show, but he wanted to tell him first. Viewers weren’t let in on what it was. Jey made his way to the ring. [c]
-After an aerial view of the Louisville bridges, Cole threw to a clip of what happened after Raw went off the air last week when Logan Paul punched Jey from the front row. Cole said it received 16 million views in the first 12 hours and was the biggest social media clip of the day. Cole announced Jey would defend against Logan Paul at SNME.
-Jey made his entrance through the crowd. They played the whole song and then did an encore. Jey said he’s got a target on him and a lot going on. He talked about facing Logan at SNME. Gunther interrupted and made his way to the ring.
Gunther told Jey that “the unimaginable came true.” Jey asked if he’s referring to the moment he made him tap out. Fans chanted “You tapped out!” Gunther scowled and said he knows what it’s like to be a champion. He said 80 percent of his time in WWE he has been a champion. He said he can feel being champion is not natural for Jey. “Unlike me, you are not a natural champion,” he said. Fans booed.
Gunther said he’s surprised, since he likes to run his mouth, that he hasn’t spread the news yet. He said as Pearce told him earlier, the winner of him and Logan will have “the honor of handing the World Heavyweight Championship to its rightful owner, me!” on the June 9 Raw in Phoenix, Ariz. He told Jey he really hopes it’s him because he would love nothing more than to shut him and all the fans up for good. He said he can’t wait to remind Jey of his rightful place after he outclasses him. Jey interrupted and told him to remind him of his place. He said he’s in his place. “This is my place!” he said. “I run this place with this (belt) on my arm.” He said they’d run it back and he’d walk the same way he walked out at WrestleMania, the World Champion. Gunther left as Jey danced with the crowd.
-A vignette aired with Iyo Sky where she said she tried to show Roxanne respect last week and then Giulia attacked her. She said they don’t deserve any respect. She said they will both learn the same lessons that Bianca Belair did at WrestleMania. She said no one can stop her and take her title.
-Cole plugged the Sky & Ripley vs. Perez & Giulia tag match coming up later. McAfee said, “The NXT girls are taking over.” Cole threw to a series of photos of Sabu. Cole said he died at age 60 as a two-time ECW Champion and a legendary rival with a friend of his, Taz. McAfee said when he was young, he inspired him and other kids with trampoline wrestling. Fans chanted, “Thank you, Sabu!”
(Keller’s Analysis: It was nice to see WWE give that much time to Sabu. I have two photographs on my office wall that I took during my many years shooting ringside photos, and one of them is of Sabu vs. Lighting Kid at a Minneapolis indy shows over 30 years ago.)
-Jackie Redmond was about to interview Ludwig Kaiser when there was a noise off to the side. Breakker had attacked Jey with a pipe off camera and was standing over him with Heyman behind him. WWE officials ran over to check on him. Sami ran up and asked what happened. Punk also arrived. They called for a medic.
(3) FINN BALOR (w/J.D. McDonagh, Carlito) vs. A.J. STYLES
Finn made his ring entrance first, accompanied by Carlito and J.D. Then Styles came out. The bell rang 33 minutes into the hour. Fans chanted, “A.J. Styles!” Cole talked about how insufferable Dom has been since winning the IC Title. McAfee said, “For some reason, it seems fans love it.” They cut to an early break. [c]
Balor was in control after the break. He applied an abdominal stretch at 7:00. Styles hip tossed out of it and rallied including a flying forearm. J.D. stood on the ring apron to distract Styles. Balor rolled up Styles for a two count. They collided mid-ring. With both down, they cut to another break. [c]
Back from the break, the pace picked up. Styles applied a Calf Crusher mid-ring. Balor reached the bottom rope to force a break. Balor rallied. Styles countered with a Styles Clash for a near fall at 15:00. Cole said Styles didn’t get all of the Styles Clash. As Carlito distracted the ref, J.D. grabbed at Styles. Styles fended him off and then set up the Phenomenal Forearm. Balor avoided it and landed an inverted DDT for a near fall at 15:00.
Penta showed up and leaped off the ring barricade onto Carlito and J.D. He gave Carlito a Mexican Destroyer at ringside. Styles then landed a Phenomenal Forearm for the win. Cole said Penta made sure the side were even.
WINNER: Styles in 16:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: I do like when WWE books heels to interfere or create distractions only to have it not lead to the finish because it takes away the predictability of the heel interference feeling like the inevitable end. The action was good. It does feel a couple steps slower than it would have been five or more years ago, but they’re still two pros.)
-They went to Cole and McAfee at ringside who commented on clips of Lyra Valkyria vs. Becky Lynch at Backlash.
-They showed an angry-looking Becky marching backstage. [c]
-Another aerial view was shown of Louisville. Cole said it was the first Raw in three years there.
-Lynch was sitting on the top turnbuckle as her music faded after the break. Becky said Lyra went to the hospital after the match, whereas she basked in her brilliance after downing a tequila. She said she gave Lyra the best match of her career. She said as a result, Lyra has never mattered more than she does now in her entire life “and it’s not even close.” She said she felt manipulated afterward by Lyra and the fans. Boos rang out. She said she walked away for almost a year because the fans asked her to. She said she heard their reactions last time and saw the reactions online. She said if she’s not going after the world title, then she doesn’t want to be there.
She said the fans carried her on their shoulders into the main event of WrestleMania “and we were in this together” She said then something happened. “I won, and you couldn’t see yourselves in me anymore, because you can’t recognize success because all you know is failure,” she said. McAfee said, “Geez.” Becky said they hate what they can’t understand. She said a friend asked her if she misses it. She said she misses being in the ring. She said she likes herself more now. She said she didn’t have to listen to them tell her who she is and tell her the same lies. She said she didn’t have to spin her wheels trying to prove herself. She said if they say she is selfish, yes she is. Same with greedy and cut-throat. The crowd began “what’ing” her. She said the girls in the back who were happy she was gone and felt safe will realize what it’s like to be held down by The Man. Cole said apparently the fire hasn’t gone out in Becky.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good, fiery promo from Becky.)
[HOUR THREE]
-A vignette aired with Rusev. He said he didn’t want to any of this and he could just go home and be rich. He said he was once programmed by lesser people, and he can’t leave his brothers until they all wake up. He asked them if the fans care that they are away from their families or that their choice each night is “hurt or be hurt.” Clips aired of his match against Otis and his attack on Tozawa last week. He said, “The sheep control the wolves.” He said he can see through the fans, which is why they mock him by chanting his name. He said he would rather they fall to his hand than fall into the abyss.
-Backstage, Tozawa told Pearce he wants Rusev. Maxxinne Dupri told Pearce to book it. Pearce said he’s not cleared. Natalya was holding Tozawa’s arm. Sheamus walked up and said when he’s cleared, he’ll give Rusev hell. Sheamus then told Pearce he needed to shake off his ring rust. Pearce asked, “What rust?” Sheamus asked for a match against Grayson Waller. Pearce agreed to it.
-Cole plugged Raw in Greenville, S.C. next week as they showed a scene of the city.
-Cole plugged Sheamus vs. Waller and Jey vs. Breakker in a non-title match next week on Raw.
-Giulia’s ring entrance took place first. Cole said he can’t wait for this match. He sad Giulia and Perez are going to dominate the business for years to come. [c]
(4) IYO SKY & RHEA RIPLEY vs. ROXANNE PEREZ & GIULA
The tail end of Perez’s entrance aired. Sky made her entrance and then finally Ripley came out. The bell rang 13 minutes into the hour. Cole noted Giulia is a former World of Stardom Champion. He said she is also a former NXT Women’s Champion. At 2:00, Perez got into it with Ripley at ringside. Perez ran. Giulia leaped onto Ripley as she chased Perez. Perez then kicked Ripley into the ringpost. Sky then leaped through the ropes onto Perez at ringside. Giulia dropkicked Sky. With all four down at ringside, they cut to a break. [c]
Ripley got a hot-tag after the break and rallied against Perez. She landed a Razor’s Edge and a basement dropkick for a two count at 7:00. Sky tagged in and had a lengthy exchange with Giulia, showing good fire and scoring near falls. Four-way chaos broke out. Perez went for Pop Rocks, but Ripley ducked. Sky then dropkicked her. Ripley and Sky slapped hands in a sign of unity. Sky looked like she was going to launch off of Ripley, but Giulia tripped Ripley.
Giulia then delivered an underhook suplex off the top rope. Ripley broke up the cover. Perez dropkicked Ripley with Sky still on her back motionless mid-ring. Sky eventually stood and delivered an underhook backbreaker to Giulia. She played to the crowd who cheered her. She then climbed to the top rope. Ripley tagged in and shoved Giulia from behind, leading to Perez hitting Giulia instead of Sky.
Ripley then gave Giulia a Rip Ride as Sky made sure Perez wouldn’t interfere, leading to a three count. Cole said Giulia and Perez put up a great fight and have nothing to be ashamed of.
WINNERS: Sky & Ripley in 14:00.
-Ripley and Sky raised their arms. Ripley eyed Sky’s title. Cole said Ripley wants the title back. Sky smiled and Ripley walked away.
(Keller’s Analysis: Really good, straight-forward main event to showcase these four. You’re always waiting for an angle or something at the end, and here it was merely Ripley eyeing the belt she once held.)
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
PWTorch editor Wade Keller is joined by PWTorch’s Mauricio Pomares 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.
VIP MEMBER EXCLUSIVE VIDEO CALLER CODE: CLICK HERE
https://streamyard.com/5wwajmn627
Click that link during the post-show to enter the waiting room as “live video caller” (or just audio if you turn off your cam, which is fine). This is a private link, so don’t share. It’s just for VIP members at this time.
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
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