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WWE RAW REPORT
JUNE 2, 2025
TULSA, OKLA. AT BOK 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 9,081 tickets were distributed heading into today; arena set up for 9,959. The arena has a capacity of 19,900 spectators when configured for basketball.
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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.
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[HOUR ONE]
-After “Then, Now, Forever, Together” narrated by Paul Levesque, a highlight package aired on last week’s main event Triple Threat match with Seth Rollins winning after delivering a Stomp to Finn Balor when Dominik Mysterio didn’t a slide chair close enough for him to easily reach, followed C.M. Punk attacking Seth afterward.
-They went to an aerial view of Tulsa, Okla. as Michael Cole introduced the show. They showed Sami Zayn arriving earlier, then Jey Uso, and then Paul Heyman, Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed. Cole hyped the scheduled Triple Threat qualifiers later on the show.
-They went to Cole and Pat McAfee at ringside. McAfee threw to a clip of their bet two weeks ago on the Indiana Pacers-New York Knicks series. Cole said he thought he’d forget. Cole stood and removed his suit jacket and dress shirt and revealed an Indiana Pacer jersey. McAfee went from being cheered to playfully booed as he stood and touted the Pacers’ chances of beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. McAfee told Cole he “looked like an asshole.”
-Punk made his entrance to his theme song, slapping hands along the way. Punk asked if it was great to be alive in Tulsa. He said he hears a little bit of thunder. He then reminded fans to watch Raw or Smackdown, not the NBA Finals. He shifted to noting he is a two-time Money in the Bank winner and he looks forward to a third time. He said it’s “the summer of Punk.” He said it’s time he got some gold around his waist. He said two people are top of on the mountain. He said one is Jey Uso, a friend of his. He said when he wins the briefcase, it will be business, not personal. He said when it comes to John Cena, it’s a bit personal. He said he has always had Cena’s number. “I’m coming to pick your bones, you little bitch.” Punk said he’s not just happy to be there. He said it’s time for him to become champion one more time.
As he concluded, Sami Zayn’s music played. Sami walked out and slapped hands on his way to the ring. Fans sang his song. A “We Want Truth!” chant broke out in the background. Punk said he normally doesn’t like being interrupted, but he’s not mad at Sami. Sami said he appreciates it. A “Sami! Sami!” chant broke out. Sami thanked the fans.
Sami said it’s the first time since Punk returned that he has spoken so plainly about his intent to become a world champion. Sami said MITB won’t be his path thanks to Heyman and Seth and that crew. He said he wanted to look him in the eye and underscore that tonight is his night. “You must win,” he told Punk. He said he knows in the back of his head, he’s thinking about what Heyman and Seth and their cohorts did to him last week. He said he and Jey Uso will take care of them tonight. Punk said he’s got his back. Sami told him to focus on his task. Sami said if Seth wins the contract, “this place, it’s over.” He said it turns into something different and unrecognizable that he and Punk won’t like. “I need you to win tonight,” he said. Fans chanted “C.M. Punk!” Sami said he hopes he wins, but if he does win and goes on to become champion, he’s coming for him.
(Keller’s Analysis: Straight forward segment with Punk shining as a proud, determined, motivated babyface and then Sami respectfully addressing the possibility of Punk becoming champion.)
-They went to Cole and McAfee at ringside who threw to a clip of Roxanne Perez trying to help Liv Morgan win last week’s MITB qualifier, but it backfired.
-Backstage, Perez walked up to Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. Liv told her to stay out of her business and not sabotage her again. Liv walked up to Iyo Sky and said she is going to become a two-time MITB winner and then cash in on her. Sky said it won’t happen. Liv said, “Watch me.”
-Liv made her entrance, accompanied by Rodriguez. [c]
-A vignette aired on Stephanie Vaquer. She said, translated with captions, that she discovered WWE when she was ten and knew it was her destiny. Clips aired of her winning titles and big matches around the world including in NXT. She said she has arrived to dominate.
(1) LIV MORGAN vs. IVY NILE vs. STEPHANIE VAQUER – Money in the Bank qualifier
Vaquer came out. McAfee called her “a global sensation.” Cole plugged her tag match on Worlds Collide. The bell rang 26 minutes into the hour. There was a weird sequence early with Liv and Nile. Vaquer leaped onto both of them. Vaquer took over against Liv. Nile gave both Liv and Vaquer a German suplex at 3:00. They cut to a break. [c]
Nile kept grabbing at her nose throughout the match. Liv landed a Code Breaker and Oblivion on Vaquer. Nile stole the cover, but Liv broke it up. Vaquer gave the SVB to Nile for the win. Some fans chanted, “Stephanie!” afterward. She smiled and played to the crowd.
WINNER: Vaquer in 11:00 to qualify for MITB.
(Keller’s Analysis: All action and they worked hard, but a bit clunky at times.)
-They cut to A.J. Styles backstage. Heyman walked up to him and offered a handshake. Styles turned it down and asked what he can do for him. Heyman wished Styles a happy birthday. Heyman said the Intercontinental Title deserves a champion like him. He said MITB isn’t for him, though. “It’s way too much” he said. He told him to concentrate on Dominik and leave MITB to Seth. Styles asked Heyman if he’s tired of chasing that meal ticket. He said he looks exhausted. He said he has known him along enough to know he doesn’t respond to well to threats and that’s what that was. He said he doesn’t care who tries to push him out and he will push back. He said everybody’s got a plan until you get punched in the mouth. He patted Heyman hard on the shoulder and left. [c]
-They showed the exterior of the arena.
-A vignette aired with Rusev who talked about Sheamus. “How dare you mistake the man that I was for the force that I am?” he said. He spoke about their history, but said he is the strong one now and it will be his honor to take him off the field.
-Sheamus consoled Tozawa backstage about his quick loss to Rusev last week. Natalya and Maxxinne were with him. When they left, Cathy Kelley asked about Rusev’s comments. Sheamus said Rusev was a groomsman at his wedding and they go way back. He said his WWE career imploded because of his own bad decisions. He said his career outside of WWE lasted about 24 hours like Rusev Day, and now he’s trying to build his name back in a cowardly way against smaller wrestlers. “I bully bullies,” he said.
-The Judgment Day’s Finn Balor and J.D. McDonagh made their way to the ring. [c]
(2) J.D. MCDONAGH & FINN BALOR vs. THE WAR RAIDERS (Erik & Ivar)
New Day joined the announcers on commentary. The bell rang 54 minutes into the hour. Another “We Want Truth” chant broke out briefly. A louder “New Day Sucks!” chant broke out. Ivar knocked McDonagh to the floor and then bodyslammed Balor onto him. Ivar teased tossing McDonagh at him. Xavier fell backwards. McAfee laughed. The ref ordered New Day to return to the back when they stood up at ringside. Cole said, “They didn’t really do anything.” Fans chanted, “New Day Sucks!” as they cut to a break around 3:00. [c]
[HOUR TWO]
Erik rallied a few minutes later and scored a two count on Balor after connecting with a knee. He tagged in Ivar. They went for a double-team move, but McDonagh interrupted it. Balor scored a two count on Ivar. McDonagh backflipped off the middle rope onto Erik. Ivar avoided a Coup de Grace by Balor, then took McDonagh down with a spinning wheel kick. Ivar climbed to the top rope. Perez showed up and distracted Ivar. McDonagh then knocked Ivar into the ringpost. Balor then landed his Coup de Grace for a three count. Cole said Balor’s recruiting of Perez paid off tonight.
WINNERS: Balor & McDonagh in 10:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good basic tag action. New Day were entertaining as obnoxious heels at ringside. This should buy Perez some goodwill with the skeptics within The Judgment Day.)
-A promo aired with Becky Lynch talking about how Lyra Valkyria will hold her arm up after their match.
-They showed Valkyria backstage. [c]
-Kelley interviewed Vaquer about her win earlier. She said she feels great about her win. Rhea Ripley interrupted. Kelley just left. They had a brief staredown. Cole asked, “Can you imagine that match-up?”
-Valkyria made her entrance with the Intercontinental Title belt around her waist. She mocked Becky’s “brave words from her little hiding spot in the back.” She called her to the ring so she could say what she has to say to her face.
Lynch came right out to her music. Valkyria told Lynch she has become delusional to the point of it being sad. She said her downfall should be studied. She said she rose to the top doing things the right way, but stayed on top only because she gave up being a good person. She said since she started trying to ruin her life, she has changed. She said the change in her is anger. “I needed to get angry,” Lyra said. “And nobody in life has hurt me the way you have hurt me.” She said she has defeated her twice and she will beat her again at Money in the Bank and make sure she never gets to poison what it means to be Intercontinental Champion.
Lynch said the only thing poisoned is her perspective. She said she physically and emotionally has hurt her. She said she thinks Lyra wanted an excuse to hate her because she wants to replace her. “You can’t do that; nobody can,” Lynch snapped. She said she didn’t want to hurt Lyra, she wanted to make her better, but that’s all changed now. She said what will hurt her most now is having to raise her hand. Lyra told her to put her money where her mouth is and “do this right now.”
Lynch said she doesn’t fight in Tulsa. She said she’d see her in Los Angeles, Calif. Lyra chased her up the ramp and fought with her in the entrance area. Referees ran out and separated them.
(Keller’s Analysis: Valkyria comes across as a real and grounded, although not charismatically gifted. That said, she showed fire there and is increasingly, I think, winning over the crowd. Lynch is a pro and despite some second guessing of her being a heel, she’s good at being a heel.)
-They went to Cole and McAfee at ringside. Cole explained why he was wearing a Pacers jersey. They showed a clip of the miraculous finish of game one in the Pacers-Knicks series.
-A vignette aired with Penta who spoke about qualifying for Money in the Bank.
-Jey Uso and Sami made their entrance to Jey’s music through the crowd. [c]
-Cole plugged Jey & Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena & Logan Paul this Saturday night.
(3) SAMI ZAYN & JEY USO vs. BRONSON REED & BRON BREAKKER (w/Paul Heyman)
Breakker, Reed, and Heyman made their entrance. The bell rang 29 minutes into the hour. Breakker took it to Jey early. Cole called it a very big match for Breakker and Reed because they have to show that this new team can work. He said they had never teamed before. Breakker ran the ropes hard and nailed Jey with a running lariat. They cut to a break at 2:00. [c]
At 7:00, Breakker countered a Jey leap off the top rope and landed a gutbuster for a two count. He lowered his straps and fans barked. He ran the ropes, but Jey superkicked him and scored a two count. Both were down and slow to get up. Jey applied a sleeper on Breakker from behind. Reed leaped onto the back of Jey to break it up. Sami jumped into the fray. He went for a splash on Sami on the ring apron, but Sami moved. Sami tossed a charging Breakker over the top rope. When Breakker and Reed lifted Sami. Jey leaped through the ropes and tackled them. Seth ran out and stomped on Jey’s head. The ref called for the DQ.
WINNERS: Sami & Jey in 9:00.
-The heels beat up the faces at ringside as fans chanted for Punk. Breakker held Sami on the announce desk as Reed set up a leap off the top rope. Punk showed up with a chair. Punk eyed Seth inside the ring. Seth bailed out. The heels retreated.
-Backstage, Liv walked up to Balor, Rodriguez, McDonagh, and Mysterio. Liv talked with Balor about Perez. She said she can see what he’s doing. “Where’s all this coming from?” Balor said. “Imagination can play tricks on all of us.” He said Perez got him and McDonagh back on track for the tag titles and next she’ll win MITB. Liv said he’s got it all planned out, huh? She said she didn’t trust Perez. Balor said trust will come in time. Liv said she’ll be in Raquel’s corner tonight and he should stay away and keep Perez away. Dom asked Balor if everything was okay. He said it was. Dom apologized for the chair slide. Balor said it water under the bridge. Balor patted the IC belt over Dom’s shoulder. Dom eyed the belt. McAfee said, “They’re always in disarray – always.”
-Kairi Sane made her entrance.
-Cole plugged upcoming events.
(4) RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ (w/Liv Morgan) vs. KAIRI SANE
The bell rang 46 minutes into the hour. The “We Want R-Truth” chant was the loudest of the night a few minutes into this match. At 4:00, with both down and slow to get up, Cole called it a critical point in the match. Kairi ran the ropes and went after Raquel’s knee. She landed an axe kick.
At 5:00, with Kairi in control, Liv stood on the ring apron to distract her. Iyo Sky ran out to her music and fought with Liv at ringside. Raquel grabbed Sky by her hair. Kairi then kicked Raquel’s head into the ringpost and then landed her Insane Elbow for the win. Raquel consoled Liv, who had a small cut on her forehead.
WINNER: Kairi in 6:00.
-Karrion Kross approached Sami backstage. Sami asked why he was hovering over him for weeks. Kross said he thinks Sami lied to the fans at home and himself. He said he could have been a world champion ten times over. He said he isn’t a good guy, he’s a bad guy, “just like the rest of us.” Sami told him he’s wrong. Kross said, “Sami, I might be wrong, but I might be right, too.”
-They showed Styles warming up backstage. [c]
-Cole plugged World’s Collide and Money in the Bank back to back this Saturday on Peacock.
[HOUR THREE]
-A video package aired on Jey Uso with a focus on Gunther facing him next week on Raw after Jey beat Logan Paul at SNME.
-Gunther approached Jey Uso in his locker room. He sat next to him and said the World Title means a lot to him. He said he appreciates that Jey is trying to be a great champion, but he refuses to fight with his head instead of his heart. He said he’s selfless in a selfish business. He talked about how he’s been a good friend to others, and that has nothing to do with being the World Heavyweight Champion. He said he’s making it very easy for him. He said in one week, the party is over. He stood to leave. Jey stood and spun him back around. Jey told him, “One word: Tap. See you next week, G.” Gunther left.
-Styles made his entrance. [c]
(5) A.J. STYLES vs. C.M PUNK vs. EL GRANDE AMERICANO – Money in the Bank qualifier
Punk’s ring entrance took place. The bell rang 11 minutes into the hour. They cut to a break with Americano celebrating. [c]
Punk rallied in the next segment and lifted Americano for a GTS. Styles interrupted and scored a two count on Punk and then a two count on Americano. A loud “We Want Truth!” chant broke out. Styles set up a Styles Clash on Americano, but Americano countered and applied an anklelock. Punk went for a GTS on Americano, but Americano slipped out and applied an anklelock. Styles gave Americano a Styles Clash for a two count, broken up by Punk. Fans chanted, “This is awesome!”
Punk gave Styles a neckbreaker and scored a two count, broken up by Americano. A “C.M. Punk!” chant broke out. Punk kicked out of Styles Clash attempt and set up a GTS, and then Americano intervened and scored a two count. Americano went for a moonsault, but Punk moved and then he gave Americano a GTS. When Punk made the cover, Breakker yanked Punk out of the ring, although late enough that Americano had to kick out. Styles set up a Phenomenal Forearm, but Bronson interfered. Sami and Jey ran out. Styles leaped onto the whole crowd of wrestlers at ringside at 13:00. Fans chanted “Holy shit!”
Americano headbutted Styles out of mid-air with his loaded mask and scored a three count.
WINNER: Americano in 14:00 to qualify for MITB.
-Punk punched away at Breakker. Seth ran out to attack Punk. They fought in the ring. Breakker speared Punk. Sami attacked Breakker. Reed then attacked Sami. Breakker and Bronson attacked Sami. Seth then delivered a running Stomp to Sami. Be did the same to Punk. Jey entered and superkicked Bronson and Breakker, but Seth jumped him and landed a Stomp. Cole said Seth wants absolute power and he’s on his way. Bronson leaped off the top rope with a Tsunami on Jey twice. Cole wondered who could stop Seth’s march to the World Title.
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.
VIP MEMBER EXCLUSIVE VIDEO CALLER CODE: CLICK HERE
https://streamyard.com/pknaxukdfq
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.
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