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WWE RAW REPORT
SEPTEMBER 22, 2025
EVANSVILLE, IND. AT FORD CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON NETFLIX (WORLDWIDE)
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett
Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor
Attendance: WrestleTix reports today that 5,975 tickets were distributed so far; arena set up for 7,125. The arena has a capacity of 11,000 spectators when configured for concerts.
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PWTorch editor Wade Keller is joined by PWTorch contributor Kurt Cadet 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]
-After the new “Then, Now, Forever, Together” brand stamp, a highlight package aired of Wrestlepalooza along with clips of WWE coverage on ESPN.
-Joe Tessitore introduced the show as they showed the arrivals of The Vision (Paul Heyman stared at Seth Rollins with a look of stressed out concern), Stephanie Vaquer, Bayley, and L.A. Knight. Behind Knight, Rusev was berating and intimidating Dominik Mysterio against some storage crates. Knight noticed and then just kept walking.
-They showed a drone shot outside of the Ford Center as fans were gathered outside before cutting into the arena where Cody Rhodes’s ring entrance took place. Fans chanted “Cody! Cody!” Tessitore noted that Cody would be facing Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel to determine the Crown Jewel 2025 Champion. Cody asked Evansville what they wanted to talk about. He said they could talk about the ring on his finger, the inaugural Crown Jewel Championship ring. He said he has 9 more digits and he wants to add to it. He said he’d be facing Seth. Seth’s music interrupted.
Seth walked out with Heyman, Bronson Reed, and Bron Breaker. (No Becky Lynch, by the way, for those wondering if she’d stay paired with him beyond the A.J. Lee & C.M. Punk situation.) Tessitore said Seth can focus on best vs. best. Seth walked up to Cody and then past him. Cody turned to face him.
(Keller’s Analysis: There are more and more fan signs about how expensive WWE tickets are. One fan held up a sign that said, “Raw Means Broke.” I assume that’s a reference to the price of a floor seat.)
Seth said that from the moment they both walked out of Summerslam as champions, he had Crown Jewel circled on the calendar. He said they both had hoops to jump through to get to that moment. He said two of the best in their primes face off and “may the best man win.” He said he knows what Cody, the locker room, and the Internet thinks about him. He said he doesn’t give a damn. Fans chanted, “C.M. Punk!” Seth talked over it and said it’s not about him because he doesn’t have a championship. Cody smiled about that. “I know what that moron thinks of me,” he said. He told Cody he wanted to know what he thinks of him.
Cody said it’s complicated. “It shouldn’t be complicated,” he said. “You’ve certainly in recent memory made some questionable choices.” He acknowledged Heyman at ringside and said one of those is him. Cody said Seth changed his life, though. He said that injury he suffered against him changed his career. He said Seth had the courage to wrestle someone he didn’t know. He said without that injury in Hell in a Cell, he wouldn’t know what he was capable of. He said he helped him validate the Rhodes name and finally get the WWE Championship in his family.
He said he just had his “lovely wife” on his podcast the other day. He said he knows it’s Wrestling 101 to stand there and run him down before their match, but he said what matters is “what do you think of you?” He said Seth on any given night isn’t just one of the best, but can be the best of the best. He asked why he his hiding behind those goons at ringside. He said he wouldn’t sling mud with him. He said they have their match and another ring is on the line. He asked what he can do for him right now.
Seth said he wants to talk about the watch on his wrist. He held it up. He said that’s the watch Cody gave him at WrestleMania 40. He said he hasn’t worn it a single time since then until tonight. He said he needs to know if it’s was a real gift or a token gesture. He said Cody is fantastic about saying all the right thing about him and heaping praise on him when it suits him because in his next breath, he undermines every single thing he stands for. He said he goes on interviews and says with a straight face that he is the right person to lead the industry into the future.
Seth said either Cody doesn’t think he’s good enough or he doesn’t think he’s as good as him. He said Breakker and Reed aren’t goons. He said The Vision isn’t just a group of people, but it’s an idea of what the future of the industry looks like. He said he is the tip of that spear, not Cody. Fans booed. He said Cody can be the quarterback, “but you will not be my quarterback.” He said if he doesn’t agree with that, it doesn’t matter. He said in three weeks at Crown Jewel, the truth will come out by any means necessary. “I am the creator, I am the prime mover, Cody,” he said. “This is not a two-man show. I am the alpha.”
Cody said he has two questions for him. In the three matches that they’ve had, they were all one-on-one. He asked if that would be the case at Crown Jewel. He asked Seth how many of those three matches has he won. He then walked away as fans “ohhh’d” and Seth clenched his jaw. Fans chanted “Cody! Cody!” Cody then walked up to Reed and Breakker in the aisle. They held their ground at first. Then they stepped to the side and Cody carefully passed by. Cody’s music then kicked in.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good stuff. They played into their egos and pride in being in top spots in WWE along with acknowledging their history. It made the match feel bigger. They didn’t dwell on the ring itself being a particularly important issue other than Cody’s cursory mention of it, so that’s good. That’s not the selling point.)
-They went to Tessitore and Wade Barrett at ringside to react to the segment.
-Backstage, Jimmy Uso walked up to Jey Uso. Jimmy said it’s trash that they lost to Reed & Breakker. He said he went to G.M. Adam Pearce to get a rematch, but Pearce said he told him Jey already made a match against Knight. He asked if that was a good idea. Jey said they wouldn’t have lost if it weren’t for Knight. He criticized Jimmy for teaming with Knight last week. Jimmy asked if he was blaming him. Jey said no, but he is just focused on Knight right now.
-The New Day and Grayson Waller made their entrance. [c]
(1) NEW DAY (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) & GRAYSON WALLER vs. PENTA & THE VIKING RAIDERS (Erik & Ivar) – No DQ match
The brawled right away upon entering the ring. The bell rang 33 minutes into the hour. They cut to an early break after a flip dive by Penta onto Kofi and Xavier. [c]
Xavier beat on Penta on a table at ringside. Kofi leaped off the top rope with a legdrop on Penta, breaking the table. Back in the ring, the Raiders beat up Waller. Xavier and Kofi intervened in their attack.
Erik slammed Kofi and Xavier out of the corner onto the mat. Waller and Erik tumbled to the floor. Reed then leaped off the top rope with a moonsault, but Kofi and Xavier moved. Kofi landed a senton on Ivar on the ring apron. Ivar powerbombed Waller on the ring apron. Xavier whacked Ivar with a kendo stick. Erik then slammed Xavier on the ring apron. Kofi leaped off the stairs onto the back of Erik.
Penta tossed a charging Kofi into a table leaning in the corner. Waller hit Penta with a kendo stick as Penta climbed the ropes in the corner. Penta countered with a Mexican Destroyer off the top rope. The ref ran over to check on Waller after impact as Waller sold it like he was legit out. Penta shoved Waller head to the side as he leveraged his cover and the ref counted to three. Barrett said he was concerned for Waller and noted many want that move banned.
WINNERS: Penta & Raiders in 10:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: That Waller bump from the top rope for the Mexican Destroyer looked nasty. Solid brawl.)
-Dominik told Finn Balor that they all said things they regret, but they need to stick together with Rusev coming after him. Dom said El Grande Americano isn’t there. Balor said he’s busy. J.D. McDonagh said the same thing when Dom asked for his help. McDonagh said Dom said last week he didn’t need help. “Allegedly,” Dom said. Roxanne Perez told McDonagh to just help him. McDonagh said he wasn’t doing it for Dom, but for The Judgment Day. Dom said he already got Pearce to book McDonagh against Rusev later.
-Bayley walked up to Lyra Valkyria enthusiastically. Lyra apologized for barging into her locker room without knocking last week. Bayley was excited about everything that happened and said it was really good to see her again. Lyra seemed perplexed. Bayley asked her to be in her corner tonight. Lyra said she screamed at her and called her an idiot. Bayley played dumb and said she’s acting weird, but she loves it. Lyra asked if she’s not mad at her. She said if it really will help Bayley be the best version of herself, she’ll be there for her. Bayley said she’d love that. Lyra agreed to it. Bayley said, “No take-backs! See you out there.” Vaquer walked past Lyra on her way to the ring for the next segment. [c]
-Tessitore plugged some future events.
-Adam Pearce introduced Vaquer. Barrett said Vaquer is the evolution of the women’s division. “We have only scratched the surface of what she is capable of in this industry,” he said. Pearce congratulated her on her big win. She said it was the dream of her life and she sacrificed for it and achieved it. She said she beat one of the best in Iyo Sky. She said her hero is her dad and he set the best example. They cut to her dad at ringside. Scattered applause as her dad acted endearingly (a bit like Santino Marella pretending to get cheered).
She said she’ll face the winner of the Triple Threat match on Smackdown later this week at Crown Jewel. She said nobody can stop her. Pryo blasted and the segment ended without a heel interrupting or any controversy.
(Keller’s Analysis: I assume a lot of viewers were anticipating a heel interrupting or something else, but instead it was just a nice, straight-forward promo segment. She seemed genuinely proud and nice and like someone you’d want to root for.)
-Tessitore and Barrett talked about Brock Lesnar beating John Cena at Wrestlepalooza. He said Lesnar was unapologetically as dangerous as they’ve ever seen him. He said it was a string of F5s that went on and on.
-When Vaquer was shown walking backstage, she crossed paths with Nikki Bella. They hugged. Rhea Ripley then joined the scene and congratulated Vaquer. Rhea said she was coming for her title. Vaquer said she was ready. Asuka and Kairi Sane showed up. Asuka said Vaquer didn’t deserve to be champion. After more back and forth with everyone, Asuka said she is sick of Ripley and she isn’t ready for Asuka. Ripley said she was ready and challenged her to a match. Asuka accepted.
[HOUR TWO]
-Bayley made her entrance with Lyra. Bayley hugged a fan and was gregarious. [c]
(2) BAYLEY (w/Lyra Valkyria) vs. ROXANNE PEREZ (w/Raquel Rodriguez)
The bell rang 6 minutes into the hour. Tessitore said Asuka vs. Ripley was officially their main event. Barrett said it was a WrestleMania caliber match tonight. They cut to an early break as Perez took control against Bayley. [c]
Barrett said Perez has no right to be so good this early in her career. Perez gave Bayley her Pop Rocks at ringside. She entered the ring to beat the count. Bayley then barely beat the count. As Perez distracted the ref, Rodiguez attacked Bayley. Lyra went after he and shoved her into the ringpost. Perez leaped onto Lyra at ringside.
Bayley recovered and yanked Perez in into the ring by her hair. She sorta snapped. Bayley then gave Perez a Bayley-to-Belly, a running knee, and the Roseplant for the win. Tessitore said, “It all just flipped in a violent way!”
WINNER: Bayley in 10:00.
-Lyra hugged Bayley and celebrated with her. Bayley shoved Lyra down and yelled at her not to touch he. She told Lyra to “stay out of it.” Bayley stormed out of the ring as Lyra looked on in confusion.
-Jimmy congratulated Cody on his win. Cody asked how Jey is doing. Jimmy said Jey “is all in his head.” He said he’s not listening to him, so maybe he’d listen to Cody. Cody said he’d see what he can do.
-McDonagh made his entrance, accompanied by Dominik. [c]
-Cody approached Jey and said his brother is worried about him. Jey said he’s all good. Cody said it’s highs and lows, wins and losses, and sometimes people isolate themselves during down times. He said what’s important is he has his family, his fans, and his friends. “We believe in you,” Cody said. Jey thanked him and said he’ll make it back to the top. When Cody left, Jey glared at him.
(3) J.D. MCDONAGH (w/Dominik Mysterio) vs. RUSEV
The bell rang 24 minutes into the hour. Rusev dominated early. McDonagh took over at ringside and rammed Rusev into the ringpost and then landed a springboard moonsault as they cut to a break. [c]
Rusev made a comeback after they returned from the break and landed a uranage and then a Machka kick followed by the Accolade submission. Dom climbed onto the ring apron, but stopped short of helping as if intimidated by Rusev. McDonagh tapped out.
WINNER: Rusev in 10:00.
-Balor ran to the ring and hit Rusev to break the Accolade. Balor berated Dom for not helping McDonagh.
-Iyo Sky told Asuka backstage that she didn’t need to go through with the match against Ripley. Asuka said she was going to teach Ripley respect. Asuka said she didn’t need advice from someone who lost. Sky tried to talk to Kairi Sane after Asuka walked away. Asuka called for Kairi. Iyo and Kairi awkwardly winced.
-Jackie Redmond interviewed L.A. Knight backstage. She asked if his “unique referee style” maybe played a role in the lingering tension between him and Jey. He called her wordy asked if he can talk to her. Knight said he was checking on Jey to see if he was okay late in the match. Jey shoved him out of the way, ate a spear through a table, and the rest is history. He said he wants to be sure he doesn’t “brain himself” because that’s what he did on the weekend. He said he’s happy to do it to him himself.
-Jey made his way through the concourse with cheering fans behind him to the ring. [c]
(4) L.A. KNIGHT vs. JEY USO
As Knight made his entrance, Barrett said Knight was “flimsy” with the rule book. The ref called for the bell as soon as Jey attacked Knight mid-ring. Knight hadn’t removed his vest yet. Jey stomped away at Knight. Knight made a comeback with a neckbreaker. He set up a BFT, but Jey pushed off. Knight ducked a charging Jey so Jey tumbled to ringside. Jey avoided a wrecking ball kick from Knight and then clotheslined him. They cut to a break. [c]
Knight made a comeback with a DDT and then landed his leaping elbowdrop mid-ring. Reed and Breakker ran out. Knight fended them off. Jey recovered and speared Knight and followed with a top rope frog splash for the win. Barrett said The Vision cost Knight.
WINNER: Jey in 9:00.
-As Jey made his way up the aisle, Jimmy walked out and told Jey they had to do something. Jey walked away. Jimmy ran to the ring with a chair in hand. Heyman told Breakker and Reed to leave. He said now wasn’t the time. Fans chanted “OTC!”
-Backstage, Becky paced behind a sitting Seth and said Cody is phony and trying to curry favor. She took offense to Cody calling her “lovely,” and said here are better things to call her including the best female wrestler ever. She said they are a threat to everything they have built. She said she’s going to make an example out of someone. Seth just stared at the watch and didn’t react.
[HOUR THREE]
-Iyo approached Ripley. Ripley asked if they’re allowed to be around each other. Iyo said she has to call off the match. Ripley said the match has to happen. She suggested they can beat respect into each other. Ripley told Iyo to “please be careful around Asuka.” Iyo said Asuka is family and took offense. Ripley said it’s tough she can’t trust her own family. Iyo said she wouldn’t be there without Asuka. Iyo asked Ripley if she can even trust her (Ripley). Ripley said that’s not what she meant.
-They went to Tessitore and Barrett at ringside. Barrett complimented Stephanie McMahon and congratulated her on her Hall of Fame announcement. Tessitore said Raw would start at 7 ET next week again. They plugged Dom vs. Rusev for the IC Title next week. Also, Bayley vs. Rodriguez and Reed & Breakker vs. The Usos in a Tornado Tag Team match.
-A vignette aired on Los Americanos. It said the trio are poised for a reign of supremacy despite many thinking they were gone forever. “They have been restored, rejuvenated, stronger than ever,” the narrator said. “Cunning, unyielding, enigmatic.”
-Maxxine Dupri told Pearce she has been training hard and can compete with anyone. He said the Women’s Division is as competitive as ever and he’ll look for the right opportunity for her. A.J. Styles walked in with Dragon Lee. Styles said he’s fed up with them. Lee said he wants two of them in the ring next week. Pearce said he’d book it. Styles suggested to Pearce he not sign any more Americanos.
(5) RHEA RIPLEY vs. ASUKA
Asuka made her ring entrance. Ripley made her entrance. The bell rang 12 minutes into the hour. Tessitore noted they hadn’t had a singles match since December 2022. Asuka landed some early kicks and then knocked Ripley off the ring apron to the floor. They cut to an early break. [c]
They cut to another break after more back and forth action. [c]
Back from the break, Ripley made a comeback. Both were down and slow to get up at 14:00. Fans chanted for Ripley. Tessitore said they both had given it their all. Asuka held Ripley’s hair and landed a series of front kicks. Ripley blocked one. Asuka followed with a spinning kick to the gut and a round kick to the head. Ripley fell to the floor. Kairi lurked.
A minute later, Kairi stood on the ring apron and went for a spinning backfist on Ripley. Ripley held on. Asuka charged with a hip attack, knocking Kairi hard to the floor. Ripley then quickly small packaged Asuka for the win.
WINNER: Ripley in 18:00.
-An angry Asuka immediately sprayed mist in Ripley’s face. Asuka then instructed Kairi to attacked Ripley. Kairi hesitated briefly, but then went on the attack. Iyo Sky’s music played and she came charging to the ring to block Asuka and Kairi from going after Ripley any further. Asuka seemed to regain her senses and began sobbing. They hugged. Kairi exhaled in relief. Asuka then popped Sky with a spinning backfist. Kairi was dismayed. Asuka ordered Kairi to attack Sky. Kairi did, reluctantly. Asuka landed a roundkick to the side of Iyo’s head. Tessitore said the respect and trust is now gone. Asuka then gave a blinded Ripley a running hip attack. Kairi gave Iyo an Insane Elbow. She seemed distraught at going through with the orders. Asuka was thrilled with the scene.
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 contributor Kurt Cadet 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/kbtj3bt5pj
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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