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After John Cena’s emotional retirement match this past weekend, we saw all the fallout from it take place on Raw. As the man who forced Cena to tap out in his last match, Gunther opened this week’s show. To no surprise, he entered the arena to a hoard of boos. The smug look on his face combined with the way he gloated about what he did to Cena only made the crowd hate him even more. The nuclear heat not only came from the audience, but also from everyone backstage.
As he was about to leave the building, Gunther was confronted by someone with a long history with Cena who is also on the verge of retirement. In addition to that, we had Asuka & Kairi Sane sneak attack Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky, a heated promo from C. M. Punk directed at Bron Breakker, and Logan Paul facing Rey Mysterio in the show’s main event.
Gunther vs. John Cena
Latest developments:
At Saturday Night’s Main Event, John Cena faced Gunther in his retirement match. Despite throwing everything at Gunther including an AA from the top rope, it still wasn’t enough for Cena to put him away. Making good on his promise from the previous week, Gunther eventually trapped Cena in the Sleeper. Although Cena was able to escape several times, Gunther hit him in the throat repeatedly before he trapped him in the Sleeper again. With a smile on his face, Cena finally tapped out to give Gunther the win and the right to be called the man who retired him.
This week, Gunther opened the show to a hoard of boos from the audience. He got on the mic and said he made John Cena give up and that when he gave up, he tapped out like a little b*tch. He then left the ring, only to re enter it seconds later to further egg on the audience. Gunther then stood on top of the announce table to say once again that he made Cena tap out like a little b*tch and that he’ll forever be the man that made John Cena give up. Gunther was insulted by several people as he walked backstage including Adam Pearce, who called him an a**hole and told him to leave the building. Gunther was then confronted by AJ Styles as he was about to leave and before he drove away, he did Cena’s “you can’t see me” gesture to Styles.
Analysis:
After the events of the last few days, Gunther has reclaimed his status as the biggest heel in the company. As great of a heel as he’s always been, he’s never received heat like he did here. The way he played into it and rubbed it in that he retired Cena was brilliant. While having him beat Cena in his last match and the way it happened was controversial, it at least looks like they’re going to take advantage of it. For as much as he’s accomplished in his career, retiring Cena is now going to make Gunther bigger than ever.
There’s a lot they can do to build on this momentum he has right now going into 2026. While a match with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania would be appealing, what we saw in this segment hinted at another opponent he could have at that show. From the brief face off they had, Styles seems like the next major feud Gunther is going to be wrapped up in. Considering the relationship Styles has with Cena combined with the fact that Styles intends to retire soon, there’s a compelling story that they can tell between them that would be worthy of playing out at WrestleMania. As it’s clear that they’re building Gunther up as the new legend killer after he retired Goldberg and Cena, Styles feels like the next person that could be added to that list.
Grade: A
Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky vs. Asuka & Kairi Sane
Latest developments:
Two weeks ago, Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky faced Charlotte & Alexa Bliss in a match that would decide who would get a shot at Asuka & Kairi Sane’s Women’s Tag Team Championship. During the match, Asuka & Kairi came down to the ring to attack both teams to have the match end on a double disqualification. Last week, Iyo went one on one with Kairi in a match that had constant interference from Asuka. Rhea eventually put a stop to Asuka’s interference and that led to Iyo picking up the win with the Over the Moonsault. This week, it was announced that Asuka & Kairi will defend their titles against Rhea & Iyo on the January 5 Raw.
Rhea & Iyo came out to the ring to cut a promo and as they got closer to the ring, Rhea was sprayed in the eyes with the mist by Asuka, who was standing in the audience. Kairi then jumped over the railing and knocked down Iyo with a forearm. Asuka & Kairi threw Iyo into the steel steps and threw Rhea into the ring. Asuka held Rhea down for Kairi before Iyo got on top of Rhea to protect her as Kairi hit the Insane Elbow onto Iyo’s back. Later in the night, it was announced that Rhea will go one on one with Asuka next week.
Analysis:
As mentioned in last week’s review, this was the match that needed to be added to the January 5 Raw. Considering the history between these two teams and the fact that the titles are now involved, that show is the perfect setting for this match to happen. With the match still three weeks away, they really did a good job in this segment in building more anticipation for it. Asuka hiding in the audience to spray the mist into Rhea’s eyes to begin the sneak attack was a great swerve to give her & Kairi more heat. In addition to that, what stood out most in this segment was how Iyo sacrificed herself for Rhea.
Iyo doing that for Rhea really showed how much has changed between them compared to when they were at each other’s throats earlier this year. While they still have unfinished business and another match between them is inevitable, it’s really hard not to be a fan of them as a team and how they interact together. Both teams are really prime examples of why the Tag Team Division involving the women is the hottest it’s ever been. In many ways, those titles feel like a bigger deal than the Women’s World Title does right now. While it likely won’t be the main event of the January 5 Raw, it has all the intrigue and stakes to be worthy of having that spot.
Grade: B
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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C.M. Punk vs. Bron Breakker
Latest developments:
At Survivor Series, Bron Breakker won WarGames for his team by pinning World Heavyweight Champion C.M. Punk. The following Monday on Raw, it was announced that Breakker will challenge Punk for his title on the January 5 Raw. That same night, Breakker cut an intense promo about how Punk will realize that he’s the real best in the world when their match is over. Last week, Breakker cut another promo on Punk saying that he hopes the old Punk from 2011 shows up to their title match. He went on to say that if the newer version of him shows up, he’s going to break his spirit, take his title, and his wife.
This week, Punk returned to cut a promo in the ring on Breakker. Punk said that Breakker talks about wanting to face 2011 Punk when he can’t even beat 2025 Punk without help from his friends. He added that if Breakker ever mentions his wife’s name again, he’s going to rip the eyes from his head and p*ss on his single digit IQ brain. Punk encouraged Breakker to bring everyone including his dumb father and his dumber brother Scott as he’s going to need all the help he can get to take the title from him. He ended the promo by saying that Breakker’s going to find out that even with Steiner math, GTS equals 1-2-3.
Analysis:
Hands down, this was one of Punk’s best promos since he came back to the company. While it seemed like he was going to be away until we got closer to the match with Breakker, it was refreshing to have him back on the show this week. Just from the moment he came out looking angry with a no nonsense attitude, it was clear that he was about to go off. After Breakker mentioned AJ last week the way he did, this is exactly the kind of energy Punk needed to have in his response. From making fun of Breakker’s IQ to even bringing up his dad and uncle, Punk really burned Breakker in a way no one on the mic ever has.
If there’s anything that’s been selling their big title match coming up on January 5, it’s been the promos they’ve been directing at each other. Although Breakker has held his own, Punk showed here why he’s one of the best when it comes to using a promo to sell a big match. The words exchanged between them and their interactions over the last few months are really making this feel like one of the biggest title matches in recent memory. What’s most intriguing about this title match is the fact that the outcome could really go either way. If people weren’t excited about this match before, there’s no way they aren’t excited now after watching this segment.
Grade: A
Stephanie Vaquer vs. Raquel Rodriguez
Latest developments:
At Survivor Series, Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer successfully defended her title against Nikki Bella. Last week, Vaquer was in the ring cutting a promo before she was interrupted by Nikki. Nikki came out to demand a rematch but as she stood on the apron, Raquel Rodriguez pulled her down and long darted her into the post. Raquel then got into the ring to confront Vaquer and told her she was coming for her title. Over the weekend, a match between Vaquer and Raquel for the title was made official for this week.
As the match took place, Raquel held onto Vaquer as she attempted an arm-bar and slammed her onto the mat for a near fall. Vaquer recovered and continued to build momentum with the Devil’s Kiss and a running Meteora. Raquel took back the advantage with a hard clothesline but as she was about to long dart Vaquer into the post, Vaquer escaped and threw her into it. Coming through the audience, Nikki attacked both women to have the match thrown out and she then hit Vaquer with the Rack Attack 2.0 in the ring. Later backstage, Nikki said she’s sick of the lack of appreciation she’s been getting, that she’s a legend in this industry, and Vaquer & Raquel should be shining her boots.
Analysis:
After the segment from last week, it was a bit surprising that we got this title match so soon. Considering that it did happen so soon, we should’ve seen this outcome coming. Although disqualification finishes in a title match usually suck, this one at least made some sense. After Nikki was attacked by Raquel last week, she had to do something to get her heat back. From her involvement in the match outcome to the promo she cut afterwards, it’s clear that she’s still going to be in the title picture.
While what Nikki did ruined the match, it does makes things more interesting now with a three-way program. This Triple Threat match would make a great edition to the January 5 Raw, with that show having two other title matches already. While Nikki is far better at being a heel and she looked strong here, that doesn’t mean that she should win the title. Even though Vaquer has cooled off a little bit over the last month, it would be wrong to take the title from her before WrestleMania. At the very least, this three-way feud has succeeded at keeping her on the show more consistently compared to before.
Grade: B-
Logan Paul vs. Rey Mysterio
Latest developments:
Two weeks ago, Rey Mysterio slapped Logan Paul backstage. Last week, Paul was looking to get revenge and received extra encouragement from Paul Heyman. As Rey was coming out for a match against Finn Balor, Paul attacked him from behind. Rey eventually fought back but as he went for a 619, a mystery man in a black hoodie attacked him. This led to Paul taking advantage of a vulnerable Rey and knocking him out with a pair of brass knuckles.
Paul went one on one with Rey in this week’s main event in a match where Rey hit Paul with a Sunset Flip from the second rope followed by a Sliding Splash onto the floor. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed came out before they were both beaten down with a chair and chased away by C.M. Punk. Rey hit Paul with a 619 and as he was about to put on a pair of brass knuckles that he found on the apron, he was Curb Stomped by the mystery man in the black hoodie. Paul then picked up the win with a Superstar Splash and as the mystery man ran into the crowd as Punk chased him away with a chair, he took off the hoodie and it was Austin Theory that was under it. As Punk was distracted by this, he was hit with a Spear by Breakker as Breakker told him he’ll never again stand on his own two feet if he talks about his family again.
Analysis:
Much like many main events on the show in recent weeks, this one became an afterthought to outside shenanigans and to what happened afterwards. After the mystery man in the black hoodie showed up last week, it felt as he was going to keep showing up until eventually revealing himself on the January 5 Raw. For whatever reason, they finally decided to do the reveal this week. With many people already predicting that it was Theory combined with the way his reveal played out, it definitely felt underwhelming once he did take the hoodie off. With the way it went down here, they were better off just doing the reveal at Survivor Series instead of stretching it out.
Now that we know that Theory was the mystery man the whole time, this adds a whole new layer to The Vision. As his career’s been on the decline over the last three years, this is now Theory’s big chance to become the star he maybe should’ve been before. With the people he has to work with in this scenario including Heyman, there’s no reason for him not to succeed in this role. While many things surrounding the group remain to be seen, it already does feel like a stronger group than it did when Seth Rollins was the leader.
Grade: B
The Usos vs. New Day
Latest developments:
After announcing that they were back in the Tag Team Division full time last week, the Usos took on the New Day this week in a match where Jimmy & Jey hit dueling Uso Splashes onto Xavier for a near fall. Xavier recovered and hit a DDT onto Jimmy on the floor and Kofi followed that with a Splash on Jimmy’s back. Despite hitting the Daylight onto Jimmy, Jey saved the match by interrupting the count. Jimmy rebounded with a SuperKick onto Kofi in mid air and Jey took out Xavier with a Spear on the floor. Jimmy then hit Kofi with a Speak and he along with Jey hit the 1D to get the win.
Analysis:
With Jimmy & Jey just getting back together as a team full time, it’s no surprise that they got the win here. While not on the same level as their matches in 2017, it was fun seeing the Usos and New Day wrestle each other for old times sake. Now that the Usos picked up the win here, it’s clear that they’re heading for a title match against AJ Styles & Dragon Lee at some point. Considering that they haven’t been the champions in three years, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to put the titles back on them. If that ends up not happening and they lose that match when it does happen, then there’s no reason for Jey not to turn on Jimmy after.
Maxxine Dupri vs. Ivy Nile
Latest developments:
In her first title defense since defeating Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship last month, Maxxine Dupri put her title on the line this week against Ivy Nile. Maxxine had the advantage until Ivy hit her with a German Suplex on the floor. As Ivy had her hanging from the top rope, Maxxine found a way to pull Ivy down from the top rope onto the mat. Maxxine then put Ivy in the Ankle Lock and despite Ivy escaping several times, Maxxine kept putting the hold back on. After she trapped her in the Ankle Lock for a fourth time, Maxxine dropped down to the mat as she held on to the hold until Ivy eventually tapped out.
Analysis:
While not a pretty match, this was a strong showing from Maxxine. The counters she did into the Ankle Lock and the way she dropped down onto the mat she had it on to get the win was very impressive. Although she was able to keep the title here, it doesn’t really feel like she’s going to have it long term. With her and Becky Lynch having unfinished business, it’s inevitable that Becky’s eventually going to get the title back. Until then, having her continue to show improvements in matches like this is the best way of utilizing her.
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