SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE RAW REPORT
JULY 21, 2025
HOUSTON, TEX. AT TOYOTA CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON NETFLIX (WORLDWIDE)
REPORT BY MAURICO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves
Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor
Attendance: WrestleTix reported earlier today that 13,406 tickets were distributed; arena set up for 13,406. 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.com contributor Javier Machado 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: CLCK HERE
https://streamyard.com/2weaiq8rix
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
[HOUR ONE]
– The show opened with a recap of CM Punk winning the gauntlet match and Roman Reigns making his return.
– As Judgment Day arrived at the arena, AJ Styles took Dominik Mysterio’s car keys while dressed as a valet.
– CM Punk made his way to the ring and said that he could finally focus on his goal to win a world title. Punk said that Gunther was one of the best wrestlers in the world. Punk promised everyone watching that he would leave it all in the wrong and give everything he had. He said that he had only 2 weeks to prepare for a beast, but he had been preparing all his life for this moment. Punk said that he was the best in the world before Gunther interrupted him. Gunther said that both he and Punk came to WWE to win championships and both had massive egos.
– Gunther said that his ego wasn’t based on what the people thought of him, but on his accolades. He said that the best wrestler in the world is the one that holds the world championship. Gunther said that he would make Punk regret ever stepping back in a professional wrestling ring. Gunther said that Punk would wake up realizing that he would never be the best wrestler in the world. He said that Punk at least would get the degenerates in the crowd to chant his name for the rest of his life.
(Pomares’ Analysis: A solid opening segment with a simple yet effective set up for Gunther and Punk’s rivalry. Focusing on the world title itself was a good decision and makes the belt feel important for once. Unfortunately, the crowd took away from Gunther’s promo with their chants and undermined what was a good promo.)
– Backstage, Byron Saxton interviewed Stephanie Vaquer about her issues with Chelsea Green. Vaquer said that Green wasn’t her problem, but she was Green’s problem. Naomi interrupted to warn Vaquer that they would face each other at Clash in Paris. Naomi said that she would do what Vaquer couldn’t and beat Iyo Sky. She said that Sky was gonna beat her before their match was interrupted and walked away laughing.
– Rusev made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Sheamus.
[Commercial Break]
– A recap of Rusev pulling Sheamus’ sternum into the turnbuckle to win their last match was shown.
(1) SHEAMUS vs. RUSEV
Rusev avoided a Brogue Kick and started brawling with Sheamus at ringside. Rusev rammed Sheamus into the barricade, but missed an elbow drop attempt. Sheamus tried to get in the ring, only for Rusev to crack him with a roundhouse kick. Rusev put Sheamus down with a couple of suplexes before Sheamus flattened him with a rolling senton. Sheamus crushed Rusev with a jumping knee drop for a one count. Rusev Irish-whipped Rusev into the corner and took him down with a clothesline.
Rusev laid Sheamus out with a back suplex, but Sheamus was able to shut him down with a clothesline. Sheamus tried to go for the Beats of Bodhran, only for Rusev to pull his head into the ropes. Sheamus knocked Rusev off the apron with a knee strike and blasted him with a diving clothesline at ringside. Rusev caught Sheamus off-guard with a Fallaway Slam over the announce table, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Sheamus nailed Rusev with a corner clothesline and an Irish Curse. Sheamus planted Rusev with a tilt-a-whirl bodyslam for a two count. Sheamus pummeled Rusev with the Beats of Bodhran, but Rusev countered the follow-up Brogue Kick with a powerbomb. Rusev went for a Machka kick, only for Sheamus to shock him with a pump knee for a nearfall. Rusev stopped Sheamus atop the turnbuckle with chops to the chest.
Sheamus blocked a superplex and knocked Rusev down, but Rusev blocked a diving move with the Machka Kick. Rusev trapped Sheamus in The Accolade, but he was barely able to grab the ropes. Rusev exposed the turnbuckle and tried to pull Sheamus’ chest into it, only for Sheamus to smash his head into the turnbuckle. Sheamus blocked a shot with a shillelagh with a Brogue Kick to pick up the win.
WINNER: Sheamus at 14:50
(Pomares’ Analysis: Another strong and hard-hitting match from these two. I was slightly surprised that Sheamus won the match since I kind of expected a non-finish to build to a third match. I don’t mind Rusev taking his first pinfall loss, as long as this leads to a decisive rubber match.)
– Backstage, Byron Saxton interviewed El Grande Americano about his goals in WWE. Americano said that he didn’t understand, but the people should expect the unexpected. Dragon Lee interrupted to tell Americano that he disrespected all luchadores. Americano called Lee trash and they started brawling, until numerous agents and referees separated them.
– A trailer for WWE Unreal, rapping iShowSpeed’s appearance in the Royal Rumble match was shown.
– The New Day made his way to the ring, ahead of their match against LWO and the Creed Brothers.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Lyra Valkyria confronted Bayley about the tag match they have tonight. Bayley said that they are getting the title match they were supposed to get at WrestleMania. Lyra said that she was supposed to focus on her title match at SummerSlam. Bayley ignored and focused on their match tonight.
(2) NEW DAY (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. LWO (Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro w/Dragon Lee) vs. CREED BROTHERS (Julius Creed & Brutus Creed w/Ivy Nile) – World Tag Team Championship Contender’s Match
Wilde clotheslined Kofi out of the ring before Brutus dropped him with a pop-up facebuster. Julius took Wild down with a vertical suplex and launched Kofi away with a belly-to-belly suplex. Julius laid Kofi and Woods out with a double Northern Lights suplex before laying Wile out with a clothesline. Wilde caught Julius with a jawbreaker, setting him up for an assisted splash. Cruz crushed Julius with a Lionsault, only for Kofi to take him down with a thrust kick. Woods hit Cruz with a Tornado DDT and knocked Julius down with a thrust kick. New Day stomped Julius down and nailed him with a sliding dropkick, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Cruz caught Kofi with an enzuigiri and spiked Brutus with a poison rana. Wilde took Julius down with forearm strikes and a Satellite DDT. Wilde dropped Brutus with a DDT and planted Kofi with a reverse DDT before pinning him and Woods with a backslide. Woods missed a clothesline, allowing Wilde to take him and Julius down with a neckbreaker and DDT combination. Nile shoved Wilde off the top turnbuckle and Julius shoved Lee into the barricade. Lee blasted Julius and Brutus with thrust kicks, only for El Grande Americano to show up and pull him off the apron. The Creeds argued with Americano, allowing Wilde to crush them with a diving Tornillo. Wilde tossed Woods out of the ring and beat Kofi with a roll-up.
WINNERS: LWO at 9:19
(Pomares’ Analysis: A pretty fun match to give the tag division a much needed showcase and give LWO a very unexpected win. I highly doubt LWO will win the titles, but I’m all for seeing them in the title picture.)
– A recap of the Judgment Day defeating the Kabuki Warriors last week was shown.
– Backstage, Iyo Sky and the Kabuki Warriors said that they would all win back their gold. Stephanie Vaquer showed up to tell Sky that she hoped to see her win, so they could have a proper ending to their match. Vaquer said that they didn’t need to wait and Sky challenged her to a match tonight.
– A recap of Paul Heyman turning on CM Punk and Roman Reigns at WrestleMania was shown.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR TWO]
– Backstage, Adam Pearce told Dominik Mysterio to go to his examination, but Dominik kept on stalling. AJ Styles showed up to tease Dominik while dressed as a janitor. The New Day walked by and complained about Pearce and losing their shot. Grayson Waller showed up to tell them that Austin Theory got injured and that A-Town Down Under was officially over. Waller said that the New Day had him at their service, but they weren’t very enthused.
– Becky Lynch made her way to the ring and said that she shouldn’t even be here tonight and should be at the premiere of Happy Gilmore 2. Lynch said that she was honest about what she would do, unlike Lyra Valkyria who is stealing opportunities for the division. Lynch said that nobody needed two titles while ignoring that she was once Becky Two Belts. Lyra showed up and Lynch told her that after she lost at SummerSlam, she could never challenge for the title again.
– Lyra said that maybe her problem was that she didn’t take things far enough and challenged Lynch to a No Count Out and No Disqualification match. Lynch agreed to the match and told Lyra to respect the match and herself. Lynch asked to shake Lyra’s hands and tried to take a cheap shot, only for Lyra to lay her out with a Manhandle Slam. Bayley and Judgment Day made their way to the ring, ahead of their title match.
(Pomares’ Analysis: Another good follow-up in the story between Lyra and Becky and finally the escalation I’ve been waiting for in the announcement of a stipulation. Nothing that major here, just a cool addition to what should be the end of one of the better feuds currently going in WWE.)
[Commercial Break]
(3) JUDGMENT DAY (Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez w/Dominik Mysterio) vs. BAYLEY & LYRA VALKYRIA – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
Back from break, Bayley hit Perez with sliding uppercuts, forcing her to tag Raquel in. Bayley slapped Raquel’s back of the head and tagged Lyra in. Lyra attacked Raquel with shoulder tackles and blocked a suplex attempt. Raquel planted Bayley and Lyra with a double suplex and dropped Bayley head-first onto the turnbuckle.
Raquel dropped Perez on top of Bayley with a Fallaway Slam for a two count. Lyra attacked Raquel with a series of strikes and a boot to the face, followed by an enzuigiri. Bayley led the crowd into cheering for Lyra, but Lyra got distracted, allowing Raquel to drop her onto the ropes. Perez pulled Lyra’s head into the ropes and Raquel laid her out with a clothesline, as WWE Raw went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Raquel dropped Lyra with a slingshot suplex, setting her up for Perez’s springboard moonsault and a two count. Perez crushed Lyra’s arm with a knee drop, but missed a corkscrew Vader Bomb. Lyra kicked Perez away, reaching Bayley for the hot tag. Bayley knocked Perez down with clotheslines and a back suplex, followed by corner clotheslines and a sunset flip into the turnbuckle for a two count. Raquel took Bayley down with a clothesline behind the referee’s back and put her down with a slingshot suplex. Bayley blocked a springboard moonsault from Perez and tossed Raquel out of the ring.
Lyra crushed Perez with a diving leg drop while Bayley and Raquel brawled at ringside. Bayley drove Raquel into the ring post while Perez rammed Lyra into the corner. Lyra planted Perez with a sitout powerbomb and Bayley crushed her with a diving elbow drop, but Raquel broke the pinfall. Lyra took Raquel out with an assisted springboard crossbody. Dominik distracted the referee, but Bayley and Perez took each other down.
Raquel accidentally hit Dominik with a big boot before receiving a dropkick through the ropes. Bayley and Perez crashed into each other with running crossbodies while AJ Styles showed up as a medic to check on Dominik and chase him away. Lynch pulled Lyra off the apron and threw her into the steps. Bayley and Perez traded quick pinning combinations, until Raquel got the blind tag. Bayley laid Perez out with Bayley-to-Belly, only for Raquel to beat her with the Tejana Bomb.
WINNERS: Judgment Day at 15:18 (Still WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions)
(Pomares’ Analysis: Decent match with some points where the action got somewhat disjointed and clunky. Half of it looked like it was by design and a product of Bayley and Lyra not being on the same page while the other half just looked like genuine miscommunication in the match. On a different note, I’m interested to see where Bayley goes after these past two losses. She has no clear path to SummerSlam, but she doesn’t feel like she is done with either Becky or Lyra, so I could see her getting involved in the match at SummerSlam.)
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Sami Zayn about his health ahead of his match tonight. Sami said that he wanted to be done with him because he was getting involved in his business. Sami said that he could have taken part in the gauntlet match last week, but Kross cost him that.
[Commercial Break]
– A recap of Bron Breakker and Seth Rollins taking Roman Reigns out on the Raw after WrestleMania.
– Backstage, Adam Pearce ordered Dominik Mysterio to go to medical or he would strip him of his title.
(4) SAMI ZAYN vs. KARRION KROSS (w/Scarlett)
Sami managed to take Kross down with a suplex, but Kross shut him down with a back elbow. Kross Irish-whipped Sami into the corner before Sami pummeled him with chops and right hands. Sami clotheslined Kross out of the ring and crashed into him with an Arabian moonsault. Scarlett kicked Sami’s damaged ribs behind the referee’s back, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Kross hit Sami with a corner clothesline and a forearm strike, followed by a Xploder. Sami nailed Kross with a chop and a Tornado DDT for a two count. Sami blocked a superplex and put Kross down with a sunset flip powerbomb. Scarlett tried to give Sami a steel pipe, but hid it away briefly. Sami planted Kross with a Xploder into the turnbuckle, only for Scarlett to grab his boot. Kross clobbered Sami with the steel pipe behind the referee’s back for the win.
WINNER: Karrion Kross at 10:04
(Pomares’ Analysis: Just another average match with nothing we hadn’t seen during their match at Night of Champions. Kross is a good promo and character, but I struggle to really care for his in-ring work. Really hope this story is paid off at SummerSlam and Sami can move on to other things.)
– Backstage, Adam Pearce and AJ Styles talked with the doctor that checked Dominik Mysterio, only for Dominik to attack AJ from behind with his belt. Dominik said that he was cleared and that he would see AJ at SummerSlam.
– Iyo Sky made her way to the ring, ahead of her match against Stephanie Vaquer.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR THREE]
(5) IYO SKY vs. STEPHANIE VAQUER
Sky knocked Vaquer down with a headlock takeover, only for Vaquer to respond with a headscissors lock. Vaquer put Sky in a Straight Jacket lock, but Sky turned the hold around. Sky launched Vaquer away with a monkey flip before Vaquer put her in the Straight Jacket lock again. Vaquer knocked Sky down with a roll-through, only for Sky to stomp her hand and take her down with a pinning combination. Vaquer planted Sky with a back suplex and surprised her with a roll-up for a two count. Sky sent Vaquer out of the ring with a dropkick and crashed into her with a suicide dive. Vaquer evaded an Asai moonsault and blasted Sky with a thrust kick. Vaquer crushed Sky with a springboard crossbody, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Vaquer took Sky down with a dropkick and a double underhook Lung Blower for a two count. Sky blocked the Devil’s Kiss and hit Vaquer with a Tiger Feint kick, setting her up for an Asai moonault. Back in the ring, Sky hit Vaquer with a missile dropkick, followed by a roll-through into a double stomp. Vaquer evaded a double knee strike and laid Sky out with a German suplex. Sky took Vaquer down with a German suplex, but Vaquer blocked a sunset flip powerbomb to the floor.
Vaquer crushed Sky with a knee drop to the throat, setting her up for the Devil’s Kiss. Vaquer hit Sky with a dragon screw and crushed her with a double knee strike. Sky blocked the SVB and planted Vaquer with a double underhook backbreaker. Sky cracked Vaquer with a roundhouse kick and crushed her with a double knee strike. Vaquer tripped Sky atop the turnbuckle and planted her with an inverted superplex. The Secret Hervice showed up, but Vaquer knocked them off the apron. Chelsea Green showed up to attack Vaquer.
WINNER: Iyo Sky at 15:05 via DQ
– After the match, Stephanie Vaquer and Iyo Sky sent Chelsea Green and the Secret Hervice out of the ring with dropkicks. Naomi showed up to attack Vaquer and Sky from behind. Rhea Ripley ran down to make the save and hit Green with the Riptide.
(Pomares’ Analysis: This was really good, but I could never get fully invested, knowing that it wouldn’t have a proper ending. At least, we got another showcase of what a great match Sky and Vaquer will have at some point when they are allowed to do their thing with no shenanigans.)
– The commentary team ran down the match card for SummerSlam.
[Commercial Break]
– Paul Heyman made his way to the ring, alongside Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. Heyman said that he had a lot to get out of his chest, only for Roman Reigns to immediately interrupt. Heyman said that he never wanted to come off as disrespectful or rude as the people from Texas. He claimed that Seth Rollins would be out of action for a long time and that there was a leadership void. Heyman told Roman that they could fix this and that they were far better together. Roman said that he would have listened to Heyman before, but now Heyman wasn’t a wiseman and instead was a dumbass.
– Roman told Breakker that Heyman would do the same to him and try to take responsibility for his success. He said that he was the Tribal Chief because the crowd still acknowledged him. Roman said that Heyman had no part in helping him keep his title, it was the Usos, Solo and Sami. Roman said that after losing his title he went home to continue raising the future bloodline. He said that the Bloodline was more than just another faction and that it was God’s work. Roman said that Heyman was just a friend to his family, but Heyman threw it all away for his best friend. Roman claimed that Heyman was the one that ruined the Bloodline. Breakker grabbed the mic and told Roman that they didn’t want him here anymore.
– Breakker said that Roman was yesterday’s news and that he was now the future of WWE. He told Roman to turn around and leave, only for Roman to tell him that he didn’t hear any of what he said. Roman tossed mic at him and hit him with a Superman Punch. Roman pummeled Reed down, until Breakker shut him down with a Spear. Jey Uso ran down to make the save with numerous right hands. Roman and Jey took Breakker and Reed out with stereo Spears to stand tall.
(Pomares’ Analysis: Not the biggest fan of the content in Roman’s promo, but at least it’s cool to actually have something different to say for once. Unlike a good chunk of this show, the crowd was fully into this which helped it stand out. I was hoping for a singles match, but after Jey made the save, It really feels like they are setting up a tag match at SummerSlam. It should be fun, but I think this could have been a massive match for Breakker, especially after his last interaction with Roman.)
Advertised Matches & Appearances
- The New Day vs. The Creed Brothers vs. LWO – World Tag Team Championship No.1 Contender Triple Threat match
- Sheamus vs. Rusev
- Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross
- Roman Reigns returns
- CM Punk to speak
- Becky Lynch has a proposal for Lyra Valkyria
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.