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WWE RAW RESULTS
DECEMBER 22, 2025 (Taped 12/19)
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. AT VAN ANDEL ARENA
STREAMED ON NETFLIX
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett
Ring Announcer: Samantha Irvin
Attendance: WrestleTix reports today that 7,409 tickets were distributed so far; arena set up for 8,020. The arena has a capacity of 13,184 spectators when configured for concerts.
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOW
PWTorch editor Wade Keller is joined by PWTorch contributor Nick Barbati to review WWE Raw LIVE. 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.
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[HOUR ONE]
-They opened with a video package on the reveal of Austin Theory at the end of last week’s show.
-They showed C.M. Punk and Rey Mysterio backstage. They plugged Punk & Rey would face two members of The Vision. Then, the arrival of The Judgment Day. Elsewhere, Je’Von Evans whom Michael Cole said is “a soon-to-be free agent” who is looking to impress Raw G.M. Adam pearce. Then Gunther’s arrival. Then they showed Paul Heyman, Bronson Reed, and Bron Breakker arriving. Heyman told Breakker and Reed “I got this” referring to something off camera. Then he walked over to Theory. Heyman asked, “What the hell are you doing?” Theory said he wanted to tell Heyman why he was wearing the mask. He said he wanted everybody to see the impact of his actions before they knew who he was. He said he’s made some bad decisions and got comfortable and got injured. He said he saw The Vision and they didn’t wait for anybody. They just took. He said now he’s going to take. He said he wants to take the opportunity to help out tonight. Heyman nodded and smiled and said, “Interesting; very interesting.” Then he walked away.
-Cole said it was “quite the proposal for the renegade Austin Theory.” They went to a wide shot of the crowd and then to Cole and Corey Graves who wished everyone Merry Christmas.
(Keller’s Analysis: I like the idea that Theory did what he did to impress The Vision, and that he wore the mask so people processed his actions without the bias of seeing who he was. I think he passed his first test here.)
-Rhea Ripley told Iyo Sky backstage that she wanted her to stay backstage bevacuse she couldn’t protect her if she came to the ring. The camera followed Ripley to the ring.
(1) RHEA RIPLEY vs. ASUKA
The bell rang 10 minutes into the hour.
At 9:00, Asuka suplexed Ripley onto the ring apron. She followed up with a leap off the top rope and kicked her out of mid-air. Ripley landed a running knee. Asuka rolled to ringside. Kairi Sane knocked Ripley off balance on the top rope. Sky ran out and held her back. Cole said she wasn’t medically cleared to return. She went after Kairi instead. Kairi swept Sky’s leg. Sky winced in pain and arched her back. Asuka then rolled up Ripley from behind and yanked on her pants fro the win.
WINNER: Asuka in 11:00.
-Backstage, Heyman approached Reed and Breakker who were talking about Austin Theory, saying it felt weird. Heyman asked Reed who he was 15 months ago “and now you’re main eventing in Australia, beating Roman Reigns.” He told Breakker a year ago he wasn’t calling the shots, and now he’s main eventing the Netflix anniversary show against Punk for the World Title. He said he had a vision for the two of them and he doesn’t pimp that out easily. Hes aid he has a vision for Theory. He said therefore he is teaming Theory with Reed against Rey and Punk. He said either Theory carries out their vision or the two of them make sure they carry Theory’s ass out of WWE. Heyman walked away. Breakker told Reed he didn’t have to do that. Reed smiled and said he was good. Breakker said he has his back, not Theory’s.
-Maxinne Dupri was shown walking backstage. [c]
-Clips aired of Gunther’s promo last week on Raw.
-Cole and Breakker hyped the Punk & Rey vs. Theory & Reed match. Cole plugged WWE Unreal season two on Jan. 20.
-Becky Lynch made her entrance. Graves exclaimed, “Oh my God, Christmas is coming early!” Cole said Becky has been completely out of control on social media with conspiracies. Cole said they were expecting Dupri. She talked about corruption in her IC Title loss to Dupri. She said she went to the bigwigs at Netflix. They told her to go to Grand Rapids. She said she hasn’t seen any rapids so far in Grand Rapids. She then said other people than her say she’s the greatest woman wrestler ever. Dupri interrupted and marched to the ring to her music.
Dupri said Sports Illustrated was right in telling Becky she was the best ever, whereas she’s just a rookie. She said this rookie beat the greatest of all-time. Becky threw a mini-fit. Dupri said she actually beat her three times. She said she will stop at nothing to beat her again. She said she’ll train until her blood, sweat, and tears are on the mat. She said she’s everyone’s IC Champ. She told Becky to take it on the chin and admit it. She said Becky doesn’t currently look like the greatest of all time. She said she looks like someone who fears her best years are behind her. Becky slapped Dupri and rammed her head into the mat. She stood over her and held up the IC Title belt. Dupri fought back and put Becky in an anklelock. Becky tapped frantically. Dupri let go. Becky fled.
-Cole and Graves narrated a clip of Nikki Bella attacking Stephanie Vaquer at ringside.
-Pearce asked Je’Von how he was feeling. He indicated he was a little nervous. Pearce told him he wanted to talk about his future after his match tonight. Je’Von was enthusiastic and walked away. Pearce then asked Vaquer how he can help resolve the issue with her, Nikki, and Raquel Rodriguez. She asked for a Triple Threat match. Pearce said he loves a fighting champion and he’d book it for next week. She said, “Perfect.”
-Rayo made his entrance with his cohorts. [c]
(2) RAYO AMERICANO (W/El Grande Americano, Bravo Americano) vs. JE’VON EVANS
Je’Von made his entrance. Cole said he’s currently a part of NXT, but he’s a free agent entertaining offers from Raw and Smackdown. Graves said he’s one of the best young talents in the game. He touted his unbridled energy and smile. Cole said he’s just 21 years old and complimented his performance in the tag match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. The bell rang 38 minutes into the hour. Cole said he searched the Internet for info on Rayo and he couldn’t find anything. Graves said, “Different internet.”
Rayo got in most of the offense early. When Je’Von made a comeback. El Grande distracted the ref as Bravo dropped Je’Von over the top rope crotch-first. Rayo then landed a Michinoku Driver for a near fall. Evans avoided a top rope move by Rayo and then leaped at Rayo with a flying cutter for the win. Graves said Pearce liked everything he just saw.
Evans avoided a post-match attack by the heels in acrobatic fashion, then smiled at ringside.
WINNER: Je’Von in 7:00.
-Cathy Kelley interviewed A.J. Styles & Dragon Lee about facing the Usos next week. Styles said they beat the War Raiders and New Day, so they are confident. Dragon Lee said it’ll be a classic and they will bring fire.
-They cut to Punk chatting with Rey backstage. [c]
-A vignette aired with Breakker talking about facing Punk at the Netflix annivesary show. He said Punk doesn’t care about his wife. He said he only cares about himself and called him a self-centered piece of trash. He asked whether the Punk that shows up will be the 2025 version of the Best in the World. He said that either way, on Jan. 5, the results will be the same. He said he is the mountain he cannot climb. He said he’s only there to make money and he hopes he saved all his money and cashed all his checks because when he’s done with him on Jan. 5, he won’t be worth a dollar to anyone.
-They went to Cole and Graves at ringside. As they discussed the main event tag, Nikki Bella interrupted. She said the most famous person just walked into the building. She said it seems everyone has forgotten who she is. She stood on the announce table and said she is Nikki Bella. She said she is what champions look like. She said they wouldn’t know what a champion look like because they root for the Lions. She then brought up Ohio State and got booed. She said she is the star of the division. She said there is a reason she is back. She said she destroyed Rodriguez’s face last week and next week she’ll destroy Vaquer’s reign. She said Vaquer is a big deal in the ring, but she’s a big deal everywhere. She said she is a global superstar and the division deserves a champion like her. She strutted away.
(3) BAYLEY vs. ROXANNE PEREZ
The bell rang 55 minutes into the hour. Cole said Bayley told her how frustrated she was with what happened at SNME and still has not gotten over it. Graves said Bayley is a locker room leader who cares so deeply about the future of women’s wrestling. He said she wants to help others, but not come up short.
[HOUR TWO]
Liv Morgan tripped Bayley. The ref scolded her. Perez removed the middle turnbuckle cover and threw Bayley face-first into it. Raquel told the referee what happened. Liv yanked her to the floor. Perez then asked both of them what they were doing. Lyra Valkyria then leaped off the announce desk onto both of them. Bayley then gave Perez a back suplex. Lyra gave Bayley a pep talk and a slap across her face. Bayley smiled and got psyched up and yelled, then turned and kneed Perez. Graves said Lyra seems to have unlocked whatever was going on in Bayley’s head. Bayley then landed her top rope elbow for the win. Cole said, “What a mess for The Judgment Day.”
WINNER: Bayley in 7:00.
-Cole and Graves hyped the Jan. 5 Raw line-up.
-Theory approached Reed backstage and asked, “What’s the plan?” Reed said he’s rolling with The Vision, which is the big leagues, so he should follow his lead. Theory said he’s not a kid and he’s going to start the match and he should follow his lead. Reed seemed to accept his fortitude.
-They showed Gunther backstage smiling on his way toward the ring. [c]
-Backstage, The Judgment Day were processing what happened. Liv and Perez and Rodriguez were yelling when Finn Balor asked what was going on. Liv said they were just trying to help and that’s what family does. Perez said they can’t get on the same page if they don’t know what Raquel is doing. A frustrated Raquel said she has to prepare for her title match and stormed off.
-Gunther made his entrance and soaked up boos with flee for several minutes. He stood on the announce desk and held his arms out. He returned to the ring and told the booing fans they shouldn’t be mad at him, but rather their hero who tapped out like a little bitch. Punk marched out to his entrance theme and got in Gunther’s face. Fans sang his song and then loudly chanted, “C.M. Punk!” Gunther laughed at him and then left the ring. He waved his hand in front of his face in mocking fashion and was extremely pleased with himself. As he walked up the aisle, Rey Mysterio made his way out to his music. They also faced off briefly near the set of Christmas trees and wrapped gift boxes. Rey said he’s going down. Gunther laughed, kind of Million Dollar Man style. Graves said Gunther did the impossible and forced Cena to tap out.
-They cut backstage to Gunther who was approached by A.J. Styles. Styles said he doesn’t know when to shut up. Gunther said, “I guess I don’t.” He laughed and left. Cole said Styles respected Cena, but Gunther sure as hell doesn’t.
(4) REY MYSTERIO & C.M. PUNK vs. AUSTIN THEORY & BRONSON REED (w/Paul Heyman)
Reed and Theory made their entrance, accompanied by Heyman. Cole recapped Theory’s reason for wearing his mask and how he admitted to making bad decisions in his career and got too comfortable, and now he wants to emulate The Vision and take what he wants. Graves said Theory has taken responsibility for his shortcomings including a big moment against Cena, but failing to raise his career to the next level. He said he’s always been a Theory fan, but now he thinks they’re going to see the best version of him so far.
The bell rang 18 minutes into the hour. Theory went on the attack on Rey early. Graves wondered if accountability was the missing ingredient. Cole said he was forgotten by many but now is back to audition for The Vision. Punk tagged in and took over against Theory. Cole said Punk might relate to Theory since he was a renegade with a rebellious attitude early in his career. Theory asked Reed if he was to tag in, but Punk yanked him away. Theory shot himself through the ropes, somersaulted, and dropkicked Punk. Cole said he was looking great early. They cut to a break at at 2:00. [c]
Punk took an extended beating, but then tagged in Rey at 11:00. Rey rallied against Reed and also landed a leaping senton Theory at ringside. [c]
Back from the break, Theory was in control. They showed that during the break, Reed interfered to help Theory gain control. Reed and Theory tagged in and out against Rey.
Punk eventually hot-tagged in and went on the attack against Theory. Punk landed a running bulldog and then signaled for Go To Sleep. Theory stood and Punk lifted him. Theory elbowed out of it and staggered to his corner. Reed tagged in and battled Punk.
Rey tagged in against Theory later. Theory knocked Rey off the top rope and then landed a stomp for the win. Graves said Heyman nailed the audition for Heyman in his opinion.
WINNERS: Theory & Reed in approximately 20:00.
-Breakker charged into the ring and went after Punk. Theory joined in. Punk knocked him out of the ring. Breakker speared Punk. Cole said if he does that on Jan. 5, “the new era will be here.”
(Keller’s Analysis: I’ll add more analysis later as I’m jumping over to do the live post-show on YouTube now first.)
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOW
PWTorch editor Wade Keller is joined by PWTorch contributor Nick Barbati to review WWE Raw LIVE. 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.
VIDEO CALLER CODE: CLICK HERE
https://streamyard.com/tmphdbdp2d
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).
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.
LIVE ON YOUTUBE RIGHT AFTER WWE RAW TONIGHT: LIVE ON YOUTUBE RIGHT AFTER WWE RAW TONIGHT: CLICK HERE TO WATCH
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