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After C.M. Punk earned the right to challenge Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship last week, he was attacked by Rollins and his Vision stablemates Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed. As The Vision celebrated with the show about to go off the air, Breakker shockingly Speared Rollins out of nowhere. Reed joined in on the attack as he hit Rollins with a Tsunami and Paul Heyman reluctantly raised their hands as Breakker held up the championship. With the championship still in his possession, Breakker along with Reed & Heyman met Adam Pearce in the ring at the start of this week’s show. With Rollins now out of action for the foreseeable future, Pearce made the tough decision to strip him of his title.
He then announced that a Battle Royal would take place at the end of the show to decide who Punk will face to decide the new champion at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Before those plans could progress, Pearce had to get Breakker to hand over the championship to him (a task that would prove to be challenging). In addition to that, we had Finn Balor & J.D. McDonagh defending the World Tag Team Titles against A.J. Styles & Dragon Lee, Rusev receiving another shot at Dominik Mysterio’s Intercontinental Championship, and Maxxine Dupri looking to dethrone Becky Lynch of her Women’s Intercontinental Title.
Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, & Paul Heyman Confront Adam Pearce in the Ring
Latest developments:
Last week as World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins was celebrating in the ring along with his Vision stablemates Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, & Paul Heyman, Breakker Speared Rollins. After Breakker gave Reed the ultimatum of either being with him or not, Reed made his choice as he hit Rollins with a Tsunami. As Breakker gave Heyman the same ultimatum, Heyman reluctantly raised their hands up as Breakker held up the championship. This week, Adam Pearce opened the show as he called Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, & Paul Heyman to the ring. Pearce told them that due to the injuries Rollins suffered from their attack, he had no choice but to strip him of the championship.
Pearce then announced that a Battle Royal would happen later in the night to decide who will face Punk to determine the new champion at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Pearce then asked Breakker respectfully to hand over the championship, in which Breakker told him to say please. After Pearce said please when he asked again, Breakker acted as if he was going to hand it to him before he instead handed it to Heyman, who then handed it to Pearce. After Pearce left, Heyman said that Rollins couldn’t shoulder the responsibility of leading The Vision into the future and called what they did to Rollins a revision of the future. Later backstage, Pearce informed Heyman that Breakker & Reed were removed from the Battle Royal because of their recent actions.
Analysis:
Oddly enough, Rollins being forced to relinquish the title makes this the first time the men’s and women’s Money in the Bank winners from the same year had their eventual title reigns end the same way. With him being legit injured, having Breakker & Reed turn on him the way they did last week was the best thing they could’ve done with this situation. From what took place here, this new version of The Vision has the potential to blow the old one out of the water. Despite Heyman being reluctant to join them last week, everything he did this week showed that he’s now fully with them. In all honesty, Heyman staying with Breakker & Reed is best for all of them as Heyman’s presence compliments theirs more than his presence ever complimented Rollins.
A huge highlight of this segment was the tense interaction between Breakker and Pearce. From how Breakker was reluctant to hand the title over to Pearce pulling him from the Battle Royal later in the show, it looks like this is turning into a feud between the two of them. As it seemed like Breakker winning the Battle Royal was a foregone conclusion, Pearce pulling him & Reed from it at the last minute was a little surprising. While it was surprising and disappointing, it did make storyline sense as Breakker & Reed shouldn’t be rewarded for putting Rollins out of action. Although it would also make sense to put the title on Breakker considering the momentum he has right now, it won’t hurt him to hold off on it a little longer.
Grade: B+
Finn Balor & JD McDonagh vs. AJ Styles & Dragon Lee
Latest developments:
Two weeks ago, AJ Styles, Dragon Lee & Penta defeated Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio and the World Tag Team Champions Finn Balor & JD McDonagh in a Six Man Tag. Last week, Styles was having a conversation backstage with Adam Pearce when Dominik barged in. Dominik complained to Pearce about how often he’s been forced to defend his title recently. Styles agreed with him and suggested that Finn & JD defend their titles against Lee & himself. Despite Dominik’s attempt to talk him out of it, Pearce made the match official for this week.
As the match took place, Styles hit Finn with a Phenomenal Forearm for a close near fall that was interrupted by JD. The champions regained the advantage when JD nailed Styles with a Spanish Fly for another near fall. JD then hit Styles with a Moonsault as Finn followed that with a Coup De Grace, but Lee jumped over JD as he hit Finn with a head butt to stop the count. After Lee hit JD with a Suicide Dive through the second rope, Finn attempted a Styles Clash that Styles escaped from and after Styles rolled out of a Sunset Flip attempt, he planted Finn on the mat with the Styles Clash to get the win and the titles for Lee & himself.
Analysis:
This match is a prime example of how great the Tag Team Division can be on Raw if it’s actually given time. The fact that Finn & JD had been the champions since June and this was only their second title defense is a disgrace. As great of a tag team as they are, it’s a shame they weren’t given a chance to show that more while also making the titles feel important. With all that criticism aside, this was one incredible match that had a very satisfying conclusion. As the last time a title changed hands on Raw was when Finn & JD won the titles ironically, having a title change happen here proved to be one of the highlights of the show.
Fresh off of his incredible match with John Cena and the fact that he announced he’s retiring soon, Styles has a lot of momentum right now. With that momentum combined with the fact that he & Lee make such a great team, it was the right move to put the titles on them. While how long their title reign lasts remains to be seen, what happened here succeeded in giving Lee his first title on the main roster and possibly the last one for Styles before he retires. As Dominik was responsible for Finn & JD having to defend the titles here in the first place, it’s clear to see that they’re going to blame him for the loss. It’s going to be interesting to see what their next reaction with him is going to be like as all of this will only escalate the on-going issues between Judgment Day heading into 2026.
Grade: A
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Dominik Mysterio vs. Rusev
Latest developments:
Three weeks ago, Dominik retained his Intercontinental Championship against Rusev after Dominik hit him with a low blow and rolled him up while pulling his tights. The following week as Dominik was in a Six Man Tag, Rusev came out to confront him. Before Rusev could do any damage to Dominik, Penta kicked Rusev in the face. Last week, Dominik defended his title against Penta in a match where it was announced that the winner would face Rusev for the title this week. As Rusev came out to get involved in the match, Penta leaped over the top rope onto him. As the referee was distracted by Rusev, Dominik hit Penta with the timekeeper’s hammer and followed that with a 619 and a Frog Splash to retain his title.
This week, Dominik once again defended the Intercontinental Championship against Rusev in a match where Rusev went for the Accolade before Dominik escaped and crawled outside the ring. As he tried to leave with his title, he was stopped by Penta. Rusev threw Dominik into Penta and he then hit Penta with a right hand as Dominik put the timekeeper’s hammer in his boot in the ring while the referee was distracted. Rusev caught Dominik’s legs as he went for the 619 and then pulled the hammer from Dominik’s boot. The referee stopped Rusev from using the hammer and as the referee had his back turned, Dominik hit Rusev with a low blow and followed that with a 619 and a Frog Splash to retain his title.
Analysis:
While not as entertaining as their match three weeks ago, this was another good heel vs. heel match. However, with Dominik getting heavily cheered by the crowd again, no one would’ve known that this was a heel vs. heel match. After what happened last week, Penta getting involved here was inevitable. While he didn’t play the main factor in the actual outcome of the match, the fact that he got involved here is a clear sign that his issues with both Dominik and Rusev are not over. Despite the fact that Dominik cheated again, Rusev has now been pinned by him twice.
While on paper that would put him out of the title picture, there’s no way that he’s going to just go away after being outsmarted by him again. With both Rusev and Penta having issues with Dominik and the fact that Dominik eliminated them both from the Battle Royal later in the show, this is likely leading to a Triple Threat match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. With how entertaining the interactions between all three have been over the last few weeks, Triple Threat is the best route to go. Considering the momentum he has now, his ongoing issues with Finn Balor, and a possible match against John Cena at Survivor Series, there’s no way Dominik is losing the IC title to either Penta or Rusev. If Dominik does end up facing Cena, that match will be the real test to see how much the crowd is behind him.
Grade: B
Becky Lynch vs. Maxxine Dupri
Latest developments:
Three weeks ago, Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch insulted Akira Tozawa & Maxxine Dupri backstage. After Becky punched Tozawa, she attacked Maxxine as she was checking on him. The following week, Becky faced Maxxine in a competitive nontitle match where Maxxine took the fight to her and refused to give up. As Becky was showing off on top of the announce table, she was counted out before she could get back in the ring. Last week, it was announced that Becky would face Maxxine in a rematch this week, only this time it would be for the title.
At one point in the match, Maxxine bridged out of Becky’s Arm Bar and was able to turn it into an Ankle Lock until the hold was broken. Maxxine later blocked a Superplex attempt and then hit Becky with a Cross Body for a near fall. Becky then attempted to leave with her title until Maxxine threw her back into the ring. After Maxxine hit Becky with a Sunset Flip despite Becky trying to hold on to the referee to stop it, Becky nailed Maxxine in the back with the title to end the match on a disqualification. Despite the match being over, Becky continued to attack Maxxine as she hit her with a running knee to the corner followed by the Man Slam.
Analysis:
When this match was made official last week, many people likely thought that Becky was going to win for sure and that would be the end of this mini feud. With this match unexpectedly ending on a DQ, it now looks like this feud is going to continue. Although not as strong as their match two weeks ago, this was another fun outing between Becky and Maxxine. While no one expects her to be the one to dethrone Becky, Maxxine has performed well in these matches and has really won over the audience in the process. Working with Becky these last few weeks has elevated her to a level that many wouldn’t have expected her to get to just a year and a half ago.
With Saturday Night’s Main Event less than two weeks away, that feels like the right place to do the blow off for this feud. If it ends up happening there, hopefully they’re given enough time to work with where that match ends up being even better than these last two. Even though this feud is clearly just something for Becky to do until her feud with AJ Lee starts up again, it’s given us some good television. It’s also proved to be another example of how great Becky is at elevating other women who are still trying to establish themselves. That combined with her matches and the great heel work she’s done throughout the year are just some of the reasons why she’s one of the MVPs of not only the Women’s Division, but of the entire company.
Grade: B
No. 1 Contendership Battle Royal
Latest developments:
Last week, C.M. Punk defeated L.A. Knight and Jey Uso to earn a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship. After the match, Punk was attacked by World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins and his Vision stablemates Breakker & Bronson Reed. As The Vision were celebrating as the show was about to end, Breakker hit Rollins with a Spear and Reed joined Breakker in the attack as he hit Rollins with a Tsunami. This week at the start of the show, Adam Pearce announced that Rollins was officially stripped of the World Heavyweight Championship due to the injuries he suffered from last week’s attack among other ones. Pearce then announced that there would be a Number One Contender’s Battle Royal later in the night to decide who will face Punk at Saturday Night’s Main Event to decide the new champion.
In the show’s main event with Punk at ringside doing commentary, the Battle Royal came down to Knight, Jey & Jimmy Uso, A.J. Styles, and Dominik Mysterio. As. Knight was about to knock Jey off the apron to eliminate him, Jimmy Super Kicked Knight and kept Jey from being eliminated. The Usos then nailed Styles with a double Superkick as he jumped from the top rope and then Jimmy eliminated him. As Jimmy and Knight were tangled together on the top rope, Jey eliminated both of them. Dominik drop kicked Jey from behind as he was arguing with Jimmy but as he went for a 619, Jey back dropped Dominik over the top rope to win the Battle Royal and punch his ticket to Saturday Night’s Main Event. Punk came into the ring after the match as he and Jey got into each other’s faces as the show went off the air.
Analysis:
As Battle Royals can usually be hit or miss, this turned out to be one of the better ones. While Breakker winning felt like a forgone conclusion given what he did to Rollins last week, it’s hard to get mad at Pearce for taking him out of it as it did make perfect storyline sense. With Breakker not being in it, it’s understandable why many felt that Jey winning was a disappointment. As the whole Jey experiment in the title picture already came and went, it does feel a bit repetitive to put him back in a big title match. While having someone like Styles win would have a lot of appeal with his retirement looming and the fact that Styles against Punk has never happened in WWE before, Jey winning to escalate the issues between him and Jimmy does make sense too.
Funny that after Jimmy told Jey earlier in the show that he wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate him so that he could win and even saved him from being eliminated, Jey turned around and eliminated him. While Punk and Jey is the match we’re getting to decide the new champion, there’s no way that that match won’t have any outside interference. With Jimmy’s growing tension with Jey as well as Breakker & Reed having an axe to grind for being taken out of the Battle Royal, many of those factors will likely play into the match’s outcome. In fact, it wouldn’t be too much of a shock that whatever happens in that match results in there being no new champion crowned and this whole issue extends into Survivor Series.
Grade: B+
Stephanie Vaquer vs. Roxanne Perez
Latest developments:
After confronting Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer last week, Roxxane Perez faced the champion this week in a nontitle match. After taking Perez and Raquel Rodriguez with a Criss Body from the top rope outside the ring, Vaquer hit the SVB onto Perez to get the win. Raquel attacked Vaquer from behind after the match and she along with Perez continued the attack until Nikki Bella came out to Vaquer’s rescue. Nikki fought Raquel & Perez off until Raquel took her down with a big boot. Vaquer eventually took Raquel down with a DDT and she along with Nikki knocked Raquel out of the ring.
Analysis:
For as great as this match looked on paper, it turned out to be a letdown. It just felt like both women weren’t in sync with each other and it showed in the awkward moments throughout. With Nikki coming to Vaquer’s rescue, this is obviously going to lead to the two of them teaming up to face Raquel & Perez at some point. Even though they look like they’re friends now, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see Nikki eventually turn on Vaquer and have the two of them feud from there. Especially from what Nikki said backstage to her later on about owing her one, this doesn’t feel like a partnership that’s meant to last.
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