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WWE RAW REPORT
JULY 28, 2025
DETROIT, MICH. AT LITTLE CAESARS ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON NETFLIX (WORLDWIDE)
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves
Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor
Attendance: WrestleTix reported as of earlier today that 12,271 tickets were distributed so far; arena set up for 13,138. The arena has a capacity of 22,000 spectators when configured for concerts
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[HOUR ONE]
– The show opened with a 10 bell salute for Hulk Hogan, followed by a lengthy video package recapping highlights of his career. Another video package was shown, focusing on Hulk Hogan’s match against Randy Savage at WrestleMania V, the formation of the NWO at Bash at the Beach 1996 and the Icon vs. Icon match against The Rock at WrestleMania X-8.
– Jey Uso made his way to the ring to address his match tonight, but Paul Heyman immediately interrupted. Heyman said that he couldn’t believe that Jey had accepted help from Roman Reigns. Heyman said that family was always going to let him down and that it wasn’t a prediction, but a prophecy. He said that Jey’s mother lied to him when telling him that Santa Claus was real. Heyman said that Jey’s father lied to him when telling that he thought he would be more iconic than him.
– Heyman said that Roman didn’t choose him as the next Tribal Chief in line, but he picked Solo Sikoa. He said that Roman lied to him when telling him that he wished that he was as successful as him. He said that he was telling this to Jey because he loved him. Jey warned Heyman to stop speaking about his family and that the bloodline was still running. Jey said that he won the world title to prove it to himself. He said that whatever happened to Heyman and his crew tonight and at SummerSlam was on him.
(Pomares’ Analysis: This was a decent opening segment and could be a good way of acknowledging Roman’s lack of character development after losing the WWE title. However, I don’t get the feeling that WWE is actually interested in telling that story. Maybe they’ll do something interesting during Jey vs. Reed, but for now this really didn’t do it for me.)
– AJ Styles made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against the Judgment Day.
[Commercial Break]
(1) JUDGMENT DAY (Dominik Mysterio & Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez) vs. AJ STYLES & KABUKI WARRIORS (Asuka & Kairi Sane)
Dominik took a cheap shot at AJ and immediately tagged Raquel in. Asuka blocked a back suplex and knocked Raquel down with a dropkick. Asuka blasted Raquel with a backfist, followed by a series of kicks to the head. The Kabuki Warriors nailed Raquel with a double basement dropkick. Raquel dropped Sane onto the turnbuckle and dumped Perez on top of her with a Fallaway Slam. Sane took Perez down with a headscissors takeover and a dropkick, followed by a series of chops to the chest. Sane knocked Perez down with a dropkick, but Dominik pulled her away to avoid a sliding elbow strike into the turnbuckle. Raquel laid Sane out with a big boot behind the referee’s back, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Raquel laid Sane out with a clothesline followed by a slingshot suplex. Perez crushed Sane with a springboard moonsault, but Asuka broke the pinfall. Sane caught Perez off-guard with a Spear, but Raquel pulled Asuka off the apron and Dominik nailed AJ with a forearm shot. Sane planted Perez with a wheelbarrow Stunner and made Raquel crash into the ring post. AJ got the hot tag to throw Dominik into the ring and pummel him down with a series of clotheslines and a sliding forearm strike.
AJ dropped Dominik with Ushigoroshi, but Perez got in his way before he could go for the Phenomenal Forearm. Dominik missed a clothesline, allowing AJ to crack him with a Pele kick. Asuka clocked Raquel with a kick to the head and AJ launched Sane on top of her. AJ immediately knocked Dominik out with a Phenomenal Forearm for the win.
WINNER: AJ Styles & Kabuki Warriors at 10:43
(Pomares’ Analysis: Pretty fun match to work as the go-home show to the IC title bout. I thought they would make a bigger deal out of AJ finally getting his hands on Dominik, but I guess actually pinning works fine too. Highly doubt AJ is going win, but it should make for a good matchup.)
– A recap of Sheamus defeating Rusev last week was shown.
– Earlier today, Jackie Redmond interviewed Sheamus about his win over Rusev. Sheamus said that they put on a banger, until Grayson Waller and the New Day interrupted. Waller said that now that Austin Theory was gone, they would take on him. Sheamus agreed to face Waller, only for Waller to realize that the New Day was no longer with him.
– Sheamus made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Grayson Waller.
[Commercial Break]
(2) SHEAMUS vs. GRAYSON WALLER
Waller pummeled Sheamus in the corner, but Sheamus shut him down with an axe handle. Waller caught Sheamus with a rolling flatliner, only for Sheamus to shut him down with a powerslam. Sheamus pulled Waller’s mouth, until Waller slapped him. Waller caught Sheamus with a sliding dropkick before Sheamus took him out with a jab and a rolling senton.
Waller shocked Sheamus with a jumping knee and smashed his head into the turnbuckle, setting him up for a Tornado DDT on the apron. Back in the ring, Sheamus blocked the rolling Stunner with a pump knee. Sheamus pummeled Waller with the Beats of Bodhran and knocked Rusev off the apron before he could interfere. Waller tried to roll Sheamus up, only for Sheamus to knock him out with a Brogue Kick.
WINNER: Sheamus at 4:10
– After the match, Rusev pummeled Sheamus with a shillelagh and put him in the Accolade.
(Pomares’ Analysis: A fine match while it lasted, but this was more about setting up an eventual rubber match. Sheamus and Rusev had a pair of really stiff and hard-hitting fights so far, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the third one has a stipulation like the Good Old-Fashion Donnybrook. As for Waller, this feels like confirmation that there aren’t any real plans for either him or Theory as singles guys.)
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Naomi after her title defense at SummerSlam. Naomi said that she was aggressive aggressive and that she would show it tonight. Noami said that they shouldn’t be surprised when she walks out of SummerSlam as champion because she warned them to proceed with caution.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR TWO]
– A video package was shown, featuring current WWE stars putting over the impact of Hulk Hogan in wrestling.
– Backstage, Paul Heyman told Bronson Reed that Jey Uso’s family thought they were a group without a leader after Seth Rollins’ injury. Bron Breakker said that they had one and gave Reed a pep talk ahead of their match. Reed said that after he was done with Jey, he would leave him down, out and tsunamied.
– Lyra Valkyria made her way to the ring to say that in one week, she would be standing as the first 2-time Women’s Intercontinental champion. Lyra said that Becky Lynch would have to beat her into the ground to keep her title at SummerSlam. She said that she knew exactly what Lynch was capable of in this type of match. Lyra said that she didn’t even know what she was capable of, until Lynch’s music started playing. Lyra stopped Lynch from attackcing her from behind with a dropkick through the ropes. She pummeled Lynch with numerous kendo stick shots, until Lynch took away her kendo stick. Lyra nearly hit Lynch with the Nightwing, forcing her to retreat.
(Pomares’ Analysis: Not a bad segment, but really underwhelming as a go-home angle. This was quite short and the brawl didn’t feel like anything special. A bit disappointing since this is one of the best stories they have told en route to SummerSlam.)
– Backstage, Corey Graves had a sit-down interview with Sami Zayn and asked about his match against Karrion Kross. Sami said that he just wanted to be done with him and focus on winning a world title. Kross interrupted to tell Sami that after he was done with him, Sami would admit that Kross told the truth. Sami said that he would do whatever Kross wants if he wins, but when he wins Kross must admit that he was wrong.
(Pomares’ Analysis: Well performed and some stakes that make sense, but I don’t think there was anything they could have done to get me invested in this encounter at SummerSlam.)
– Naomi made her way to the ring, ahead of her eight-woman tag team match.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Jackie Redmond interviewed Bayley about her plans after recent losses. Bayley said that she already missed WrestleMania and would now miss SummerSlam before walking away.
(3) RHEA RIPLEY & STEPHANIE VAQUER & NIKKI BELLA & IYO SKY vs. NAOMI & CHELSEA GREEN & THE SECRET HERVICE (Piper Niven & Alba Fyre)
Naomi avoided a clothesline and pummeled Ripley down, only for Ripley to lay her out with a series of clotheslines and a thrust kick. Ripley dropped Naomi face-first onto the mat, forcing her to tag Green in. Nikki tagged in to hit Green with a jawbreaker and used her body to knock Fyre and Niven off the apron. Nikki planted Green with a spinebuster and chased her around the ring. Fyre caught Nikki off-guard with a thrust kick and Niven nailed her with a forearm strike. Niven crushed Nikki with a splash from the middle rope for a two count, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Naomi smashed Nikki’s head into the turnbuckle, but Nikki shut her down with a leaping kick to the head. Sky got the hot tag to take Fyre down with a series of uppercuts and a dropkick. Sky crushed Fyre with a roll-through into a double stomp, followed by a thrust kick. Naomi distracted Sky, allowing Fyre to attack her from behind. Sky took Fyre out of the ring with a dropkick before receiving one from Green. Niven crushed Sky with a corner splash and Naomi nailed her with a leaping forearm strike. Sky kicked Green away, only for Naomi to nail her with a shoulder thrust and a Heat Seeker. Naomi crushed Sky with a leg drop, but she kicked out at two.
Green took Sky down with a Codebreaker, setting her up for Niven’s senton and Fyre’s Swanton Bomb. Vaquer and Riley broke the pinfall, but they were thrown out of the ring. Ripley caught Noami with a roundhouse kick before receiving a Boss Man Slam from Niven. Naomi drove Ripley into the steel steps while Fyre caught Sky with a thrust kick. Sky planted Fyre with a flapjack, reaching Vaquer for the hot tag. Vaquer smashed Green’s head into the turnbuckle and crushed her with a springboard crossbody. Vaquer cloaked Fyre with a thrust kick and took care of Niven with Eat Defeat. Naomi tried to go for a bulldog, but Vaquer shut her down with a bunch of headbutts.
Vaquer crushed Fyre, Niven and Green with double knee strikes into the corner. Vaquer took Naomi down with a dragon screw and dropped Green with a back suplex, setting her up for Devil’s Kiss. Fyre hit Vaquer with a thrust kick to break the pinfall, only for Nikki to take her out with the Bella Buster. Naomi tried to walk away, until Sky threw her back into the ring. Nikki and Sky took Nami down with a clothesline and a springboard dropkick. Niven knocked Sky and Nikki down with a double clothesline, only for Ripley to shut her down with a headbutt and Riptide. Green slapped Ripley before Vaquer knocked her out with the SVB.
WINNERS: Rhea Ripley & Stephanie Vaquer & Nikki Bella & Iyo Sky at 14:38
(Pomares’ Analysis: I can’t remember the last time WWE booked an all-star tag team match, but this was a reminder of how fun they can be. They seemingly paid off the short program between Green, Vaquer and Nikki while giving a showcase to Sky, Ripley and Naomi ahead of their title match. They aren’t telling a complicated and long-term story, so this served perfectly for a go-home show.)
– A recap of El Grande Americano interfering during the tag team triple threat last week was shown.
– Backstage, Finn Bálor told Dominik Mysterio, Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez that people thought they would be done after Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest left, but they were still here. Finn told Dominik to stay in the back and play some video games with Perez.
– LWO made their way to the ring, ahead of their match against Judgment Day.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley celebrated, but Sky told Ripley that she would never beat her.
(4) JUDGMENT DAY (Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh) vs. LWO (Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro) – World Tag Team Championship
Wilde took Finn down with an arm drag, followed by an axe handle from Cruz. Cruz caught Finn with a shoulder thrust, only for Finn to shut him down with a basement dropkick. JD missed a sliding dropkick, allowing Cruz to hit him with a kick to the head. LWO crushed JD with a tag team splash, followed by a Lionsault for a two count. Finn stomped Cruz down and JD followed it with a slingshot moonsault. Cruz caught Finn and JD with dropkicks, setting him up for Wilde’s high crossbody at ringside, as WWE Raw went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Finn nailed Wilde with a kick behind the referee’s back, only for Wilde to catapult JD into him. Cruz got the hot tag to hit JD with a high crossbody and a dropkick. Cruz tripped JD into a Tree of Woe position and knocked Finn off the apron with a dropkick before blasting JD with a Coast-to-Coast dropkick for a nearfall. Cruz avoided a double back suplex and tagged Wilde in. LWO caught Judgment Day off-guard with stereo suplexes, followed by stereo suicide dives.
Back in the ring, Wilde crushed Finn with a moonault, setting him up for Cruz’s Phoenix Splash. JD broke the pinfall before Wilde clotheslined him out of the ring. El Grande Americano showed to distract the referee, until Dragon Lee pulled him off the apron. Cruz caught Finn with a thrust kick and clocked JD with an enzuigiri before he could use a belt. Wilde took care of JD with a top turnbuckle cannonball, but another masked wrestler showed up to trip Cruz off the top turnbuckle. Finn immediately hit Cruz with the Coup de Grace for the win.
WINNERS: Judgment Day at 10:56 (Still World Tag Team Champions)
(Pomares’ Analysis: This was very fun while it lasted, but it was always going to end up in shenanigans. A third Grande Americano was a surprise I suppose, but not one I’m very excited to see.)
[HOUR THREE]
– Gunther made his way to the ring to say that he made CM Punk understand that he can’t call himself the best in the world. Gunther said that he made Punk shut up, only for Punk to interrupt him. Punk said that he wasn’t speechless, but he was dumb-founded. Punk said that it dawned on him that he didn’t want to be World Heavyweight champion, but he needed it. He said that wrestling was his addiction and he needed to raise the belt above his head as a thank you to the fans. Punk said that he earned the right to call himself the best in the world and that Gunther wasn’t on his level. Punk said that Gunther would at least feel what it was like to be in the ring with the best in the world.
(Pomares’ Analysis: Well-delivered and very intense, but the content in Punk’s promo wasn’t anything we haven’t heard before. The way Punk argues about being the best really clashes with his record throughout 2025, especially coming after a major loss to Cena and Gunther’s win over Goldberg. Feels like Punk has reached the point where he can’t change or develop as a character, making him much less interesting to watch.)
– Jey Uso made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Bronson Reed.
[Commercial Break]
(5) JEY USO vs. BRONSON REED (w/Paul Heyman)
Jey pummeled Reed with right hands and tripped him into the turnbuckle before crushing him with a hip attack. Reed caught Jey with a clothesline and knocked him down with a headbutt. Reed stepped on Jey’s chest and shut him down with a forearm strike to the back. Jey hit Reed with a boot to the face, only for Reed to counter a high crossbody with a World’s Strongest Slam, as WWE Raw went to its final commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Jey avoided a senton and pummeled Reed down before sending him out of the ring with a superkick. Jey crashed into Reed with a suicide dive, only for Bron Breakker to show up and take him out with a Spear.
WINNER: Jey Uso at 7:08 via DQ
(Pomares’ Analysis: A nothing match to set up the post-match angle. That’s fine in itself, but if this was always going to go short, I don’t understand why waste time and do a commercial break.)
– After the match, Roman Reigns showed up to save Jey Uso from a post-match assault and knock Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker off the apron with Superman Punches. Breakker and Reed blocked stereo Spears with a Spear and a body block. Breakker took Jey out with a Spear and Jey crushed him with a Tsunami. Breakker blasted Roman with a diving lariat over the announce table and Reed flattened him with a Tsunami. Reed tossed Jey and Roman out of the ring, setting them up for Breakker’s Spear through the barricade.
(Pomares’ Analysis: Nothing we haven’t seen before, but it’s cool to see Breakker and Reed actually stand tall over Roman for once. Breakker’s brief promo in the ring was really well done and gives us a glimpse of what he could do at the top of the card. Overall, a solid go-home angle to what is likely going to be the main event of night one.)
Advertised Matches & Appearances
- Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky & Stephanie Vaquer & Nikki Bella vs. Chelsea Green & Naomi & Piper Niven & Alba Fyre – 8-Woman Tag Team match
- LWO (Cruz Del Toro & Joaquin Wilde) vs. Judgement Day (Finn Balor & JD McDonaugh) – World Tag Team Championship match
- Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed
- Roman Reigns to appear
- Gunther has a message for C.M. Punk
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