Cook’s WWE Raw Review 10.20.25

Hey kids! Steve Cook here with you for the latest edition of WWE Raw on Netflix! As a fan of what AEW provides to the marketplace I almost don’t want to say it. However we’ve got more title matches booked on this Monday than AEW had on their “Title Tuesday” show. Just facts. Three title matches will take place in Sacramento, along with whatever else gets added on later. Tell Uncle Dave if you want more title matches on AEW shows, they’ve got plenty of belts!

Cook’s WWE Raw Review 10.20.25

Then. Now. Forever. Together!

We’re in Sacramento!

Last Monday Night, the Brons & Paul Heyman turned against Seth Rollins. We’ll get their explanation tonight!

Adam Pearce stands in the ring. He welcomes us to Monday Night Raw. Then we see a GMC truck backstage, and Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed & Paul Heyman exit the vehicle. Bron has the World Heavyweight Championship belt over his shoulder. They make their way towards the ring. Pearce tells them that since Rollins is on the shelf for a long time, he has to strip Rollins of the championship. He plans on crowning a new champion at Saturday Night’s Main Event, and the winner of a battle royal will face CM Punk to crown a new champion, and that battle royal will take place tonight! Adam needs Bron to hand over that championship that doesn’t belong to him. Bron is like “What if I don’t?” Adam asks respectfully to hand over the championship. Bron asks Adam to say “please”. Bron hands the title to Paul, and Paul finally handles the business.

Paul wonders why everyone is so mad at us. He says the Vision had nothing to do with Seth Freaking Rollins. He pulled that move at WrestleMania because Bron Breakker is the future of WrestleMania. He always believed Bronson Reed was better than Roman Reigns. It was Vision over Bloodline. Seth Rollins couldn’t shoulder the responsibility of leading a Vision, he’s a bum shoulder bitch. Bron & Bronson had the intensity to take the spots. Paul welcomes us to Monday Night Raw.

Joe Tessitore & Wade Barrett are at ringside. Maxxine Dupri is WALKING. Stephanie Vaquer is WALKING. Rusev is WALKING. We see Dom beat Penta last week, which led to another title match this week.

Dom talks smack to his Judgment Day fellows about how he always defends his titles. Finn & JD don’t seem receptive.

World Tag Team Championship Match: Finn Balor & JD McDonagh (c) vs. AJ Styles & Dragon Lee: AJ with a headlock on JD, JD reverses. JD avoids the dropkick but then takes it. Lee stomps JD. JD hits a stomp of his own. Finn tags in and kicks away. Lee ranas Finn. Lee kicks JD on the apron, the distraction leads to Finn taking the advantage. Backbreaker on Lee gets two. Suplex by Balor gets two. JD knocks AJ off the apron. AJ comes right in and makes Dragon make the tag, then JD gets AJ hung up on the ropes. We go to commercial!

Styles faceplants Balor as we return. Lee & JD tag in. Lee gets crotched in the corner. JD gets stuck in the Ghetto Stomp place. Finn pulls JD out of the ring, so they both get splashed. JD hits a powerbomb on Dragon Lee. AJ & Finn tag in and they chop away. Finn gets the upper hand, but AJ hits that forearm for 2.9! Headbutt by JD, AJ hits the Pele. Spanish Fly by JD gets 2. Finn hits the Coup de grace, but that only gets 2. Finn goes for a Styles Clash, but only AJ can hit that move! HISTORY HAS BEEN MADE IN SACRAMENTO!

Winners: AJ Styles & Dragon Lee (10:16 shown via pinfall)
Match Rating: **1/2
Styles has one last run in him, and the more titles you give him the more interesting it will be. As much as I like the Judgment Day, it’s not like Finn & JD were trying to be great champs. Hopefully AJ & Lee will be more active.

Last Monday, the Usos both got handled. Jey was mad at himself. Jimmy tells Jey that Roman will not be in the battle royal tonight. Jimmy will be going in on everybody tonight, including Jey. Yeet!

Men’s Intercontinental Championship Match: “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. Rusev: Dom dives onto Rusev during his entrance! Rusev gains control and works Dom over in the corner. Wade & Joe Tess are debating the neck tattoo. Meanwhile, Rusev stomps away. Dom slides out of a slide attempt, a 619 attempt leads to a clothesline. Rusev fallaway slams Dom across the ring as we go to commercial.

Rusev is in control as we return. Dom fights back, hits the Eddie hilo and goes for the three Amigos. He gets one for a two count. Splash gets knees. Rusev slams Dom down. He motions for Game Over, but Dom goes outside. He takes both of his titles, but here’s Penta! This might lead to Rusev’s downfall, but then again Dom gets caught on a 619. Dom gets one after Rusev gets caught with a hammer, then a frog splash ends it!

Winner: Dominik Mysterio (6:12 shown via pinfall)
Match Rating: **1/2
As much as I love the result, I can’t pretend that match was the best thing I’ve ever seen. Still the correct result, so we’ll go with it.

Penta hits Rusev with a tornado DDT afterward. Not sure what that proves to anybody. Maxxine Dupri is working out with Otis & Tozawa, and that match will be next!

Nate Diaz in the house! Finally a UFC-related person I can recognize.

Women’s Intercontinental Championship Match: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Maxxine Dupri: Lilian Garcia is here for the super special introductions. Jessica Carr is here as the referee again, which raises an eyebrow from me. Becky stomps Maxxine down in the corner. Dupri gets a couple of quick counts for two. Becky sends Maxxine outside as we go to commercial.

Becky breaks the count to stomp on Maxxine some more. Maxxine breaks up a slam attempt with a stunner. Maxxine fights back. Legdrop into the cover gets a fast two count on Becky. Maxxine hits a suplex and pulls the straps down. A big knee gets two. Maxxine hits a kick to Becky for another fast two count, but Maxxine gets an ankle lock. Becky gets out and locks in an armbar, but Maxxine reverses to an ankle lock. Both women go up top, Maxxine hits a crossbody for a quick two count. Becky goes outside and gets her belt. Maxxine follows her. Another rollup by Maxxine gets a quick two count from the referee, and finally Becky loses it and hits Maxxine with the belt for the disqualification.

Winner: Maxxine Dupri (6:38 shown via DQ
Match Rating: **
I don’t even know how to rate this since the officiating was like the ACC referees trying to give Miami the win over Louisville. It didn’t work there, and it didn’t work here either.

Becky lays Maxxine out, and it’s not like I can blame her given the biased officiating.

Joe & Wade talk about the broken nose Rhea Ripley suffered during the international tour, and Asuka wants us to know that she caused it. Kairi showed Asuka how ruthless she could be, and it makes the Kabuki Warriors stronger.

Adam Pearce informs Paul Heyman that Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed are out of the battle royal. Paul asks nicely for them to be included, and Pearce is like “no”. Becky Lynch walks up and Paul has all of his excuses ready. Paul has a vision that involves Becky! Becky wants nothing to do with him, which makes sense because she’s a rational person.

Non-Title Match: Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer vs. Roxanne Perez (w/Raquel Rodriguez): These two are the future of the business and I’m here for it. Some chain wrestling to start. Perez fights out of a move and goes outside to regroup. She goes back in, and has to go back to the ropes to avoid the Devil’s Kiss. Raquel lands a cheapshot on Stephanie and we go to commercial.

Roxanne had some control during that commercial, but Stephanie hits a suplex and fights back. Dragonscrew out of the corner by Stephanie, and now it might be time. DEVIL’S KISS! I don’t know if I can say “skullf*ck” here or not, but the move gets two and the fans chant for more. Roxanne fights back and hits the cartwheel into double knees for two. Pop Rox gets blocked and Vaquer hits a 619. Perez fights back briefly but it ends badly and Vaquer splashes both Roxanne & Raquel on the outside. Stephanie gets Roxanne back in the ring and hits Angel’s Wings for three!

Winner: Stephanie Vaquer (8:56 shown via pinfall)
Match Rating: **1/4
Give these ladies more time and I’m sure it’d be a good thing.

Raquel tries to make it a 2 on 1 situation afterward, but Nikki Bella comes down to even the score! She hits some big moves before Raquel hits a big boot. Roxanne & Raquel get forced out of the ring by Stephanie & Nikki.

Lyra Valkyria talks to Adam Pearce for a brief second before Bayley comes in. Bayley’s got some big ideas for them but we’re not sure exactly what they are.

Paul Heyman tells Bron & Bronson about how he led Brock Lesnar to the Championship in 2002, and how he led CM Punk to a long title reign in 2014. They seem more sold on hurting people than anything else.

Nikki tells Stephanie how proud she is of her, but wants her to be cautious, and wishes she had somebody to guide her back in the day. They hug, and it seems that Stephanie has accepted Nikki as a mentor. I would accept Nikki as a mentor and whatever else…hey, it’s time to Yeet!

#1 Contender Battle Royal: Jimmy & Jey Uso, Sheamus, AJ Styles, El Grande Americano, Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor, JD McDonagh, Otis, Akira Tozawa, Penta, Rusev, Erik, Ivar, Kofi Kingston, LA Knight, Dragon Lee, Grayson Waller: LIKE MUSSOLINI, CM Punk appears on the stage and joins Wade & Joe Tess on commentary. Punk says his money is on LA Knight tonight and I don’t disagree. Otis is tossed out. Tozawa is not far behind. Punk lets us know Dom doesn’t wash his gear and that’s the reason for the “Dirty” nickname. Dragon Lee is out thanks to the Judgment Day. Dom knocks Rusev & Penta off the apron. We go to commercial!

Ivar squashing people as we return. He goes at it with Sheamus! They go on the apron, Sheamus hits the Emerald Flowsion and Ivar is outta there. Americano loads the mask! The Usos hit him with 1D and send him out of the ring. Punk puts JD over as somebody that could take him to his limit. JD gets tossed out immediately after, and Sheamus hits 10 beats of the ballon to send Finn out. Finn & JD team up with Kofi to eliminate Sheamus anyway. Dom sent out by AJ Styles, but the referees missed it!

Dom is still in there fighting with Jey Uso as we return. It’s the Usos, Dom, AJ, LA & Kofi left in there. AJ drops Kofi on the ropes and Kofi gets eliminated without the usual nonsense. Punk talks about the tag team of AJ Lee tickling his loins. LA has Jey on the apron and they exchange shots. Jimmy superkicks LA to break up the situation. AJ vaults into a double superkick from the Usos and gets sent out. LA & Jimmy get wrapped up in the ropes, and Jey knocks them both out! How bout that? Dom tries to take advantage of the emotional situation, but Jey dumps him out of the ring anyway.

Winner: Jey Uso (13:00 shown via elimination)
Match Rating: ***
I mean, people try to tell me that Dom’s a bad guy but Jey seems to have him cleared there. Fun little cluster that leads to an interesting match in a couple of weeks.

We see replays of Jimmy repeatedly saving Jey from elimination, and Jey dumping Jimmy the first chance he got. Punk enters the ring and stares Jey down. They’ll face off at Saturday Night’s Main Event for the World Championship! So long and good night!

If you’d like to chime in with your own thoughts on tonight’s show, feel free to join your fellow 411 Maniacs down in the comment section! As the legendary Larry Csonka always said: Have fun and don’t be a dick. When I’m not here you can catch me on the social media from time to time.

6.3

The final score: review Average

The 411

I enjoyed the show for what it was, but I also have to wonder why we're putting the Brons on the sideline for a chance at the singles championship that they ripped from Seth. Punk vs. Jey will have a little juice, but not as much as Punk vs. Bron or Bronson. With Rhea out and Bayley/Lyra not wrestling, this wasn't a Raw booked for me. Maybe other people liked it more. I'm looking ahead to Halloween Havoc, I'll see y'all then!