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WWE RAW REPORT
MAY 19, 2025
GREENVILLE, S.C. AT BON SECOURS WELLNESS ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON NETFLIX (WORLDWIDE)
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee
Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor
Attendance: WrestleTix reports today that 9,812 tickets were distributed right before showtime with a set-up of 10,008. The arena has a capacity of 16,000 spectators when configured for concerts.
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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.
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[HOUR ONE]
– The show opened with a video package recapping the end of Jey Uso and Bron Breakker’s match from last week.
– Logan Paul made his way to the ring and said that he would return to the ring next week as World Heavyweight champion. Logan said that he won a singles title much faster than Jey and that Jey couldn’t handle the pressure. He gloated about knocking Jey out three times and claimed that he would do it one more time. Gunther interrupted to tell Logan that he should be confident if he believes he could beat the man that beat him. Gunther said Logan was confident and people like him should be. He said that Logan was a self made man and that he could learn about him.
– Gunther said that Logan winning the world title would be good for business. Gunther said that to Logan this was business, but to him this was very personal. He said that if Logan were to beat Jey, he would feel disrespected. Gunther said that when he looked at Logan, he saw no heart. Gunther said that if Logan won the world title, he would eat him alive when they face off before walking away. Jey showed up behind Logan to knock him out with a superkick. Jey said that he would see Logan this weekend and Gunther on June 9.
(Pomares’ Analysis: A decent segment to try and establish Logan Paul as a realistic challenger to the world title. I don’t think they succeeded because he has barely been a part of this storyline. However, the bigger picture I think they are setting up is a likely singles match between Gunther and Logan at a future show like SummerSlam.)
– A recap of Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley defeating Giulia and Roxanne Perez was shown. After the show, Giulia broke off her partnership with Perez.
– Earlier today, Adam Pearce officially signed Roxanne Perez as the newest Raw roster member.
– Penta made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Judgment Day.
[Commercial Break]
– Footage of Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Bruson having a confrontation on SmackDown last week was shown.
– Backstage, Paul Heyman confronted Jey Uso to warn him that Bron Breakker was looking to slow down his momentum. Heyman said that long-term plan for the world title was Seth Rollins, regardless of who was the champion.
– A recap of Penta helping AJ Styles defeat Finn Bálor last week was shown.
(1) AJ STYLES & PENTA vs. JUDGMENT DAY (Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh w/Carlito)
AJ nailed JD with a chop and Irish-whipped him into the corner before dropping him with a back body drop. JD avoided a dropkick once, but AJ caught him in his second attempt. Penta blasted JD with a kick to the ribs and a thrust kick, followed by tilt-a-whirl backbreakers on him and JD. AJ and Penta tossed Judgment Day out of the ring, setting them up for stereo planchas, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, JD sat Penta atop the turnbuckle and Finn tried to take off his mask. JD attacked Penta with forearms to the back, until Penta countered a back suplex with a crossbody. Finn hit Penta with a suplex, only for Penta to shut him down with an inverted sling blade. AJ attacked Finn with a series of strikes and a sliding clothesline, but Finn raked his eyes before he could follow-up. AJ put Finn in a Calf Crusher before moving him away, so JD would hit him with a diving splash by accident. JD nailed AJ with a forearm strike, only for AJ to shut him down with a moonsault into a reverse DDT at ringside. Carlito smashed AJ’s head into the ring post, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Finn and AJ knocked each other down with running clotheslines. Penta got the hot tag to hit JD with a high crossbody and a clothesline, followed by a hurracarrana. Penta nailed JD with a thrust kick and knocked FInn off the apron with a springboard clothesline. JD shocked Penta with a Spanish Fly, reaching JD for the tag. Penta avoided the Coup de Grace and nailed Finn with a load of kicks before snapping his arm with the Sacrifice.
Finn countered the Penta Driver with a roll-through and put Penta down with a sling blade. Penta laid Finn out with a thrust kick, but Carlito stopped him from climbing the top turnbuckle. AJ took care of Claro wtih a Phenomenal Forrearm before receiving a suicide dive from JD. Penta nailed JD with a Destroyer on the apron, only for El Grande Americano to hit him with a headbutt behind the referee’s back. Back in the ring, Finn hit Penta with the Coup de Grace for the win.
WINNERS: Judgment Day at 17:09
(Pomares’ Analysis: A pretty good match with the same Grande Americano interference we’ve seen plenty of times now. At the rate at which WWE usually tells stories, I fear we have nearly three months more of this.)
– Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviewed Iyo Sky about being the champion, as Money in the Bank approached. Sky said she would be ready for anyone before Becky Lynch interrupted to threaten her. Lynch made her way to the ring, ahead of her qualifying match.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Seth Rollins met Logan Paul to tell him that Jey Uso would be hurt tonight. Rollins said that come Saturday, Jey wouldn’t be 100% for his title defense. Rollins warned Logan that he would wait at the other side if Logan got past Jey and Gunther.
(2) ROXANNE PEREZ vs. BECKY LYNCH vs. NATALYA – Money in the Bank Qualifing Match
Perez tossed Lynch out of the ring and kicked out a of a roll-up from Natalya. Perez slapped Natalya, only for Natalya to smash her head on the mat. Lynch pulled Natalya out of the ring and started trading pinning combinations with Perez. Natalya laid Lynch with a couple of suplexes and put her in a Romero Special. Lynch managed to put Natlaya in the Dis-Arm-Her, until Perez took her down with a basement rana. Perez blocked the Figure 4 leg lock and Natalya blocked the Manhandle Slam. Natalya kicked Perez out of the ring and caught Lynch with a sliding dropkick. Perez crashed into Natalya and Lynch with a suicide dive, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR TWO]
Back from break, Perez hit Lynch and Natlaya with a barrage of uppercuts. Natalya laid Lynch and Perez out with a discus clothesline for a two count. Lynch and Perez broke a double Sharpshooter and kicked Natlaya away. Perez hit Natalya and Lynch with thrust kicks, setting Lynch up for a springboard moonsault. Perez countered the Manhandle Slam with a pinning combination. Lynch managed to drop Perez with the Manhandle Slam, only for Natalya to break the pinfall.
Natalya and Lynch traded running forearm strikes to the head. Perez hit Natalya with Pop Rox, making her launch Lynch away with a German suplex. Lynch and Perez traded numerous slaps, until Perez laid Lynch out with a Northern Lights suplex. Natlaya pulled Lynch off the top turnbuckle and drove her into Perez before planting her with a powerbomb for a nearfall. Natalya hit Perez with a superplex, but she managed to kick out at two. Before Perez could react, Natalya put her in the Sharpshooter, until Lynch brok the pinfall.
Natalya took care of Lynch with a discus clothesline before trapping her and Lynch in a double Sharpshooter. Lynch managed to roll out of the ring while Natlaya pulled Perez to the middle of the ring. Lynch laid Natalya out with the Mnahdnel Slam, only for Lyra Valkyria to show up and pull her out of the ring. Lyra and Lynch brawled at ringside, until Lynch threw Lyra into the barricade. Lyra pulled out of the ring while Perez put Natalya down with Pop Rox for the three count.
WINNER: Roxanne Perez at 14:36
(Pomares’ Analysis: Really strong match to establish Roxanne Perez as a full-time member of the roster. She has more or less been there for the majority of the year, so it’s nice to finally make it official. Cool to see Perez in another major match like Money in the Bank and I’m assuming it won’t take long before we see Lynch and Lyra in a rematch, probably with a stipulation. Shockingly, we got a rare appearance from Natalya and even more shockingly, she actually was given some time to wrestle. Don’t think it will have any meaning in the long-term, but it’s nice to see her in this position.)
– Backstage, Sami Zayn told Jey Uso that he would take care of Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker on Saturday.
– Sheamus made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Grayson Waller.
[Commercial Break]
– Footage of John Cena defeating Michael Cole in a No Disqualification match in this same city in 2012.
– Backstage, Adam Pearce officially booked Akira Tozawa in a singles match against Rusev next week. Chad Gable interrupted to make a case for qualifying matches for him and Ivy Nile. The New Day interrupted to discuss having to take care of the War Raiders for the triple threat title match next week.
(3) SHEAMUS vs. GRAYSON WALLER (w/Austin Theory)
Waller slapped Sheamus and put him in a headlock, until Sheamus hit him with a shoulder tackle. Sheamus put Waller in a headlock, only for Waller to attack him with a bunch of body shots. Sheamus blocked a hip toss and knocked Waller off his feet with a slap, setting him up for an Irish Curse. Before Waller could react, Sheamus tossed his body across the ring and clotheslined him out of it. Waller caught Sheamus off-guard with a running clothesline, as WWE Raw went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Sheamus pummeled Waller with a bunch of chops and right hands, until Waller caught him with a double stomp to the back. Waller nailed Sheamus with a rolling flatliner, but he kicked out at two. Sheamus caught Waller with a pump knee mid-air, followed by a corner clothesline and a powerslam. Sheamus put Waller in a crabate and swung his body across the ring. Waller attacked Sheamus with the Beats of Bodhran, until Sheamus pulled him to the apron and dropped him down. Waller avoided the Beats of Bodhran and started walking away, but Theory stopped him from leaving. Sheamus pulled Waller to the apron and beat him down with the Beats of Bodhran, setting him up for Brogue Kick and the win.
WINNER: Sheamus at 11:49
(Pomares’ Analysis: Decent match, but I think this one could have been a little bit shorter. It seems like they’re finally committing to breaking up Theory and Waller. I won’t believe til I see it, but it should be an interesting direction once it actually happens.)
– Earlier today, Michael Cole and Pat McAfee interviewed basketball player Tyrese Haliburton to discuss his confrontation with Jalen Brunson on SmackDown last year, his future match with him and him being added to WWE 2K25 as DLC.
– The commentary team ran down the match card for Saturday Night’s Main Event.
– Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviewed Gunther about his upcoming title match against Jey Uso. Seth Rollins interrupted to tell him that he did good while holding his world title. Gunther told Rollins that he was short-sighted and that he wasn’t the long game for the world title. Rollins warned Gunther that if he won the world title again, he would make himself a target.
– Rhea Ripley made her way to the ring, ahead of her qualifying match.
[Commercial Break]
(4) RHEA RIPLEY vs. ZOEY STARK vs. KAIRI SANE – Money in the Bank Qualifying Match
Stark took Ripley down with a crucifix pinfall before Sane knocked her down with a roll-up. Ripley put Sane down with a German suplex and hit Stark with a shoulder tackle. Ripley sent Stark out of the ring with a dropkick, only for Sane to put her in a sleeper hold. Sane caught Ripley with a boot to the face and a headscissors takeover. Stark caught Sane with a springboard dropkick to the knee, but seemingly injured her own knee in the process, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Ripley stomped Sane down while it was confirmed that Stark was taken out of the match. Ripley laid Sane out with a Fallaway Slam, but she kicked out at two. Ripley trapped Sane in the Prison Lock, until Sane was able to kick her into the turnbuckle. Sane hit Ripley with a double knee strike and knocked her away with a headbutt. Ripley blocked a diving forearm strike with a dropkick for a close two count. Sane avoided Riptide and nailed Ripley with a backfist before knocking her away with a dropkick. Sane nailed Ripley with a siding forearm strike, but Ripley blocked the InSane Elbow with her feet. They exchanged numerous forearm strikes while on their knees. Ripley cracked Sane with a headbutt and beat her with the Riptide.
WINNER: Rhea Ripley at 9:55
(Pomares’ Analysis: A fine match at the end, but an incredibly unfortunate injury for Zoey Stark. She hasn’t had a lot of chances to wrestle on TV and this was her first appearance after Shayna Baszler and Sonya Deville’s exit from WWE. Hope this wasn’t a serious injury and she is able to make a full comeback. I would normally complain about pinning Kairi Sane on her return match, but that was most likely a forced change after the injury.)
– Backstage, Rusev said that Akira Tozawa should have thanked him and walked away, but he chose to listen to the crowd. Rusev said that next week he would embrace Tozawa’s challenge and tap him out before forgiving his stupidity and forgetting his existence.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR THREE]
– Backstage, Finn Bálor presented Roxanne Perez to the rest of the Judgment Day, as Dominik Mysterio wanted. Dominik said that they should speak with Liv Morgan, but Finn insisted that Perez wasn’t a full time member and both her and Raquel could use some help. Perez gave Dominik a box of nuggets and Carlito a bag of apples before Raquel forced her to leave.
– It was announced that more Money in the Bank qualifying matches would take place; Akira Tozawa would battle Rusev; and that the New Day would defend their belts against the War Raiders and the Creed Brothers next week.
(5) JEY USO vs. BRON BREAKKER (w/Paul Heyman)
Breakker hit Jey with a knee to the abdomen and a series of shoulder thrusts. Jey caught Breakker with an uppercut and clotheslined him out of the ring, setting him up for a suicide dive, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Breakker laid Jey out with a running lariat. Jey kicked Breakker away, only for Breakker to counter a high crossbody with a powerslam. Breakker dropped Jey with a belly-to-belly suplex before receiving a series of right hands. Jey nailed Breakker wtih an enzuigiri and a running hip attack for a two count. Jey sent Breakker out of the ring with an enzuigiri, only for Breakker to block a follow-up suicide dive. Breakker smashed Jey’s head into the announce table and blasted him with a flying clothesline over the table, as WWE Raw went to its final commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Jey avoided a powerbomb and started trading right hands with Breakker. Breakker clocked Jey with a jumping knee and Jey responded with an enzuigiri. Jey flattened Breakker with a pop up Samoan Drop for a close two count. Breakker stopped Jey atop the turnbuckle and launched him across the ring with a Frankensteiner. Jey blocked the Spear with a superkick for a nearfall. Heyman distracted Jey while Breakker picked up a chair. Jey blocked a chair shot with a superkick before Heyman grabbed his foot. Jey approached Heyman, until Seth Rollins attacked him from behind.
WINNER: Jey Uso at 15:54 via DQ
– After the match, Sami Zayn showed up to save Jey Uso from an assault. CM Punk joined in to take Rollins and Breakker out of the ring. Breakker clobbered Punk wtih a forearm strike and stopped Smai from beating Rollins down. Rollins and Breakker dragged Sami over the barricade, until Punk hit them with an axe handle. They continued fighting into the crowd while Logan Paul showed up to punch Jey Uso.
(Pomares’ Analysis: As expected, this was a pretty fun match with zero possibility of having an actual finish. The big brawl between Punk, Sami, Rollins and Breakker was a strong ending, only for Logan Paul to show up and continue the most undercooked world title program of the year. Hopefully, the tag match main events the weekend’s show because that was by far the most exciting element from this post-match angle.)
Advertised Matches & Appearances
- Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker
- Sheamus vs. Grayson Waller
- A.J. Styles & Penta vs. The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & J.D. McDonagh)
- Money in the Bank qualifying matches continue
- Logan Paul to appear
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