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With Wrestlepalooza now in the books, this week’s Raw set the wheels in motion for October’s Crown Jewel. After retaining his WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre, Cody Rhodes opened the show. Not long after, he was interrupted by World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins along with The Vision. As both men are scheduled to face each other at Crown Jewel, Rollins left the members of The Vision outside the ring so just he and Cody could share the ring together. With a history that goes back over three years, Cody dove into how his feud with Rollins changed his life.
Despite both men being champions, Rollins reminded Cody that he’s the lone alpha in the company. By the end of this segment, Cody left Rollins with a harsh reminder of how their last three matches turned out. In addition to that, we had Bayley go one on one with Roxanne Perez, a heated grudge match between Jey Uso and LA Knight, and Rhea Ripley and Asuka go to war in the show’s main event.
Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins
Latest developments:
At WrestleMania 38, Cody Rhodes returned to WWE and defeated Seth Rollins in his first match back. After defeating Rollins once again at Backlash the following month, Cody defeated him for a third straight time in a Hell in a Cell match, despite having a torn pec. At WrestleMania 40, Seth Rollins helped Cody Rhodes defeat Roman Reigns to win the WWE Championship. Last Saturday at Wrestlepalooza, Cody successfully defended the WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre. Immediately after, it was announced that he would face World Heavyweight Champion Rollins at Crown Jewel.
This week, Cody came out to open the show before he was interrupted by Rollins and The Vision. After telling the rest of The Vision to stay out of the ring, Rollins confronted Cody alone and asked what he thought of him. Cody said that it was complicated due to some of his recent questionable choices but then mentioned how Rollins changed his life. Rollins called out how Cody calling himself the QB of the company means that he believes Rollins isn’t as good as him, and said that Cody will find out that he’s the alpha at Crown Jewel. Cody then asked if their match at Crown Jewel would be one on one like their last three matches were and then asked how many of those last three matches did he win before he dropped the mic and left the ring.
Analysis:
Although there’s nothing really important on the line in their upcoming match at Crown Jewel, Cody and Rollins succeeded here in selling that match as a big deal. This back and forth between them was intense, personal, and left the audience wanting more. It was really refreshing to see Rollins not only interact with someone other than C.M. Punk, but also to see him have a more serious tone as that’s been something missing from his recent heel run. Considering his history with Cody, he had a lot to work off here as he was the one who helped establish him as a main eventer during their 2022 feud and a motive to be jealous of the success he’s had since. From a storyline standpoint, he has every reason to have a chip on his shoulder going into this match with Cody and it only makes sense to tap into that.
Not to be outshined, Cody showed once again why he’s one of the best promos in the company. Once he hit Rollins with the question of how many of their last three matches did he win, there was nothing else Rollins or even he could’ve said to top that. In addition to both of them being champions and the history they have together, the biggest story that’ll likely be stretched out of this is the fact that Rollins has never defeated him. While these champion vs. champion matches are usually not much to get too excited about, this one is feeling like a rare exception given the talent of both men, their past, and the story they have to build from. If what we saw here is any sign of things to come, it should make for some great television between now and Crown Jewel.
Grade: B+
Penta & War Raiders vs. New Day & Grayson Waller
Latest developments:
Since the beginning of August, Penta has been targeted by the New Day & Grayson Waller. He found some help in the form of the War Raiders as they defeated the New Day & Waller on the August 25 Raw. Despite the win, the New Day & Waller have continued to be a thorn in Penta’s side. On the September 8 Raw, their distractions at ringside led to Penta being defeated by Rusev. Penta faced Kofi Kingston in a match last week where despite interference from Waller & Xavier Woods, Penta picked up the win with a springboard turned into a Mexican Destroyer.
This week, Penta once again teamed with the War Raiders to take on the New Day & Waller in a No Disqualification match. At one point. Eric stopped a Double Superplex attempt from New Day onto Ivar and Powerbombed them simultaneously. Despite missing a Moonsault attempt, Ivar rebounded with a Sit Down Powerbomb onto Waller on the apron. Kofi attempted to throw Penta into a table, but Penta reversed it and then tossed Kofi into the table. Waller hit Penta with a kendo stick as he climbed the top rope and as he attempted a Spanish Fly, Penta fought out of it and hit a Mexican Destroyer from the top rope onto Waller for the win.
Analysis:
When you put six talented men in a match like this with a No DQ stipulation, it’s hard for anyone watching to not like it. This match had a lot of good action throughout it, with the top rope Mexican Destroyer being the highlight. Ever since this feud with Penta against the New Day & Waller started, the Destroyer has clearly been established as his finisher over the Penta Driver. With his most recent matches, the main thing to watch for in them has been the creative ways he delivers it, with the way he did it this week arguably being the most creative.
As great as the action in this match was, it doesn’t change the fact that this feud is played out. Over the last two months, every match involving Penta has basically been him against some variation of Kofi, Xavier, & Waller. Even though he had partners in the Raiders this week and it was a No DQ match, it still doesn’t help make this feud any more interesting. After defeating them once again, there’s nothing they can do logically to keep this feud going on any further. As great as Penta is, prolonging this feud beyond this week is only going to do him more harm than good.
Grade: B
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Bayley vs. Roxanne Perez
Latest developments:
Last week, Lyra Valkyria faced Roxanne Perez in a match where Lyra picked up the win following a Nightwing. Raquel Rodriguez & Perez attacked Lyra after the match until a returning Bayley came out to make the save. After a tense stare down with Lyra, Bayley ran to the outside of the ring to hug Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett, Alicia Taylor, and several fans in the front row. Later in the night as Lyra went to go check on Bayley in her dressing room, she thanked her for her help. In response, Bayley berated Lyra and told her to stay out of her dressing room.
Despite that tense moment between them, Bayley had Lyra in her corner this week as she went one on one with Perez, who had Raquel in her corner. At one point, Perez hit Bayley with Pop Rocks on the floor and Bayley barely made it into the ring to break the ten count. After Lyra threw Raquel into the post outside the ring for attacking Bayley, Perez took her out with a Suicide Dive. Bayley then aggressively pulled Perez back into the ring and hit Perez with the Belly to Bayley followed by the Rose Plant for the win. After the match as Lyra tried to hug Bayley, Bayley shoved her down and berated her before she left the ring.
Analysis:
Although Bayley and Perez put on a good match this week, it all felt secondary to what followed it. While it started out a little weird, this new storyline with Bayley is really coming together. What she’s doing right now is much better than anything she’s done on TV since the build up to WrestleMania XL. It feels like now she has something to really put a lot of herself into that will allow her to challenge herself as a character. Even though she’s been a heel before and a strong one at that, playing a character with a split personality is something new that they can potentially get more mileage out of than just doing another heel turn.
While it’s hard to predict what the end game to all this is, it looks like the journey to get there is going to be a fun one. As great as Bayley is, this storyline wouldn’t work as well without Lyra as her foil. With Lyra being the one who pretty much pushed her to this point, it’s only right that she’s the one who suffers Bayley’s wrath. Eventually, this feels like it’s leading to Bayley giving Lyra a vicious beating to the point where she has to be taken out on a stretcher. This is all proving to be another example of how you can do a major storyline with the women that doesn’t have a title involved.
Grade: B+
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Jey Uso vs. L.A. Knight
Latest developments:
Two weeks ago as Jey Uso came to the rescue of his brother Jimmy & L.A. Knight when they were being attacked by Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed. Jey took Knight down with a Spear immediately after. The following week, Knight returned the favor as he laid out Jey with the BFT. At Wrestlepalooza, Knight was the guest referee for the match that pitted Jimmy & Jey against Breakker & Reed where Breakker & Reed picked up the win after a few tense moments between Jey and Knight. This week as Jimmy requested a rematch from Adam Pearce for later in the night, Pearce informed him that he had already granted Jey a match against Knight. Jey then blamed Knight being the referee for their loss on Saturday, and he blamed Jimmy for teaming up with Knight the week before.
As the match between Knight and Jey progressed, Breakker & Reed then showed up as Knight knocked them both down before they could interfere. When Knight turned his attention back to Jey, he was taken down with a Spear. Jey then followed this with an Uso Splash to pick up the win. Jimmy attempted to get Jey to help Knight as he was about to be attacked by Breakker & Reed, but Jey walked away. Jimmy then ran to the ring with a chair and chased them off before they could do any more damage to Knight.
Analysis:
Although the first singles match between Knight and Jey should’ve been saved for a PLE, this accomplished what it needed to. What happened here not only prolonged the feud, it also gave everyone a clear answer as to what direction Jey’s character is heading in. From the tense talk he had with his brother Jimmy, the way he looked at the WWE Title when Cody Rhodes came to talk to him, how he took advantage of the interference from Breakker & Reed to win the match, to him refusing to come help Knight after the match, it seems like the Jey Uso heel turn is inevitable. For as unlikely as it felt around this time a month ago, how much his character has changed since then has made the idea of him turning make more sense. Even though he’s still very popular, it just feels like there’s better stories to tell with Jey by having him venture off to the dark side.
Even though they gave the match away here, we’ll likely get it again at Crown Jewel considering the ending to this one. With the potential heel turn for Jey aside, this feud between him and Knight has been good for both of them as it’s allowed them to be in main event segments regularly. The only downside to all of this has been the fact that Breakker & Reed have been feeling like an afterthought. Although they’ve been still winning consistently ever since putting Roman Reigns out of action, the issues between Knight, Jey, and Jimmy have made them the least interesting part of this story. With all the signs pointing to Jey making the turn, it’s going to be interesting to see the way it plays out when it does happen.
Grade: B+
Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka
Latest developments:
Over the past month, Asuka has confronted Rhea Ripley multiple times over her friendship with Iyo Sky. Asuka’s feelings about their friendship has also led to tension between her and Iyo, with Kairi Sane being caught in the middle. This week after Asuka confronted new Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer and told her she didn’t deserve to be the champion, Rhea confronted her. As Asuka told her that she would find out why no one’s ready for Asuka if she doesn’t stay away from Iyo, Rhea challenged her to a match for later in the night. Asuka accepted and as Kairi tried to apologize to Rhea, Asuka yelled at her to leave with her.
In the show’s main event, Kairi reluctantly attempted to hit Rhea with a backhand as the referee was distracted. Rhea blocked it as Asuka knocked Kairi off the apron with a Butt Buckle that was meant for Rhea, and Rhea then picked up the win with a Small Package. Asuka sprayed the mist all over Rhea immediately after and she forced Kairi to join in on the attack. Iyo ran out to the ring to stop them and despite Asuka giving Iyo a hug, she immediately turned on her with a backhand. Asuka then forced Kairi to help with the attack, which included an Insane Elbow from the top rope onto Iyo as Asuka held her up to end the show.
Analysis:
For the first time in three months, we had a main event on Raw that didn’t involve some variation of The Vision. That combined with the efforts of both Rhea and Asuka made this one of the best main events to happen on this show all year. This match served as another prime example of how the women have been the MVPs of 2025. Once this match was announced as the main event, it was clear that we were going to get some kind of angle coming out of it. In addition to an incredible match, we got exactly that as Asuka finally turned heel by attacking Rhea and even Iyo after the match.
While everyone could see all this coming from a mile away, it doesn’t take away from how well it was executed. Asuka literally sprayed Rhea’s whole body with the mist, attacked Iyo when she tried to intervene, and forced Kairi to help her attack them. This storyline along with the one involving Bayley and Lyra now gives us two interesting ones on the show with the women that don’t have a title attached to them. With Crown Jewel set to take place in Australia, what happened here has clearly set the stage for a Tag match to take place on that show. As compelling as this storyline has been over the last month, what happened here made it feel like it’s only getting warmed up.
Grade: A
Stephanie Vaquer Victory Celebration
Latest developments:
After defeating Iyo Sky to win the vacant Women’s World Championship at Wrestlepalooza. Stephanie Vaquer had her championship celebration in the ring this week. Vaquer said she learned to be strong and never give up because she had the best example, her dad (who she pointed to sitting in the front row). She said the championship represents all the support the audience has given her, and she then thanked them. As Adam Pearce informed her that she would face the Women’s Champion at Crown Jewel, she said she’d be there. Pearce then introduced her one more time as the new Women’s World Champion as she held up the title with pyro going off in the background.
Analysis:
Surprisingly, Vaquer’s speech went off without a hitch. While it might have been expected that someone would’ve came out to challenge her, it was refreshing to just see the new champion here be able to have her moment. Although she hasn’t been on the main roster that long and English isn’t her first language, Vaquer clearly has a very strong connection with the audience. While her title win does feel a little rushed considering how little she was on TV in the weeks leading up to it, the great moment it was when it happened and the response to it ever since are signs that it’s working. Her title reign has been off to a great start, but how great of a reign it turns out to be still remains to be seen.
Rusev vs. J.D. McDonagh
Latest developments:
As Rusev has been targeting Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio recently, he’d have to settle for his Judgment Day stablemate J.D. McDonagh this week as JD was convinced to do the match before Dominik told him that he had already had Adam Pearce make it official previously. Despite taking a beating throughout it, J.D. mounted a comeback with a Tila whirl DDT and an impressive Moonsault for a near fall. Rusev regained the advantage with a devastating Unagi followed by a Machka Kick. He then trapped J.D. in the Accolade and while Dominik looked as if he was going to interfere, he backed away as J.D. tapped out to give Rusev the win. Finn Balor then came out to JD’s rescue as he took down Rusev with a Death Drop and clotheslined him out of the ring.
Analysis:
For a heel vs. heel match, this one was very entertaining. Even though JD got much more offense than many thought he should have, Rusev still came off as a killer throughout it. The main story coming out of this was the way Dominik backed away from helping JD as it not only sold how scared he is of Rusev but also planted another seed in the dissension between him and Finn. Although a match between Rusev and Dominik looks odd on paper, what we saw here is a sign that it could turn out better than people would expect it to be. As fun as it’ll be, this feels more like something to drive more of a wedge between Dominik and Finn as opposed to having Rusev win the title.
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