Cook’s WWE Raw Review 11.24.25

Hey kids! Steve Cook here with you for another edition of WWE Raw on Netflix! The Last Time Is Now Tournament continues while everyone else is jockeying for a position at Survivor Series. Roman Reigns starts us off tonight, so it should be a good time!

Cook’s WWE Raw Review 11.24.25

Then. Now. Forever. Together!

We’re in Oklahoma City! We see the outside of the arena in OKC, then live footage from San Diego’s baseball stadium where they’re building the War Games set.

Then we see footage from last week showing Brock Lesnar & Roman Reigns making their big returns.

We see The Vision & Drew McIntyre WALKING! Penta is STRUTTING! Carmelo Hayes is WALKING! Becky Lynch is WALKING!

The fans chant “OTC”, and Roman Reigns’ music hits! Ones in the air! Couple in the crowd directly next to Roman’s head was definitely having an argument since she was checking him out something fierce. The fans sing Roman, Roman Reigns. Roman asks for OKC’s acknowledgement.

After that, Cody Rhodes’ music hits! Roman doesn’t look overly impressed with Cody’s entrance. Cody with quite the bruising over his eye from last week’s physicality. Cody asks OKC what they want to talk about. Cody acknowledges that Roman is a man of his word, but last time was for a match. This time it’s for war. Cody asks Roman what’s in it for Roman. Last time Roman’s checked, he’s been in this war. Cody’s just now joining. They don’t like or know each other very well. There’s one thing they know about each other: they don’t play around when it comes to family. Half of this team is his family, they were in his bloodline. He’s been invested in the Usos for a long time, and he’s here to see it through. Cody welcomes Roman to his team and offers his hand.

LIKE MUSSOLINI! CM Punk makes his way to the ring. Punk takes his sweet time getting there just like everyone else and soaks in the cheers. He asks if it’s great to be alive on a Monday night in OKC or what. He asks the crowd to acknowledge all three of them. This is an all-star War Games. Punk doesn’t need Roman’s word. Roman credits Punk for ruining his life. If Roman was to stab Punk in the back at War Games, he would be stabbing the Usos in the back too. Punk gets on Cody for calling it “his team”, and says that Cody might be the QB on Friday but Monday is his night. Roman is disgusted with the conversation, and says the only thing they can agree on is hating Paul Heyman & the Vision. Since we’re being honest tonight, Roman says that title would look much better on his shoulder. Punk asks if Roman is talking to him or Cody. Roman laughs and says “That’s for you to figure out.”

Meanwhile, Paul Heyman talks to Drew McIntyre and tells him to be on his best behavior. There will be a tag team match tonight for the War Games advantage. Logan Paul suggests Brock as Drew’s partner, then Bron, then Bronson. Paul has decided that Logan Paul will be in the match. Logan says it’s a wise choice.

The Last Time Is Now Tournament Quarterfinal: Carmelo Hayes vs. Gunther: Hayes got lucky last week against Bronson Reed, can lightning strike twice? Carmelo tries to attack early on and is talking a lot of smack. Speaking of smack, there’s one to Gunther’s chest. Hayes with some strikes, Gunther blocks him down, then goes to the middle turnbuckle to taunt. Carmelo hits a powerbomb off that, then hits a springboard DDT to a kneeling Gunther for two. Hayes with some kicks, but then he jumps into a chop. More chops to Hayes. We go to commercial!

Slam by Gunther as we return. Hayes with a quick rollup for two but Gunther shuts him down with a strike. Hayes flips out of a slam attempt and goes for a sleeper. Gunther reverses, but Hayes turns that into a nearfall. Hayes back to the sleeper. Gunther back suplexes out of it. Gunther asks who Carmelo beat to get in this match. More trash talk by Gunther leads to strikes by both. Gunther runs into a kick in the corner. Gunther slams Hayes down and hits a double underhook suplex for two. Shades of Lord Steven Regal! Gunther chops Hayes down. Hayes ducks another chop and goes back to the sleeper. Gunther dumps him in the corner, but Hayes with a kick. Melo jumps into a kick, then hits a DDT to counter a would-be powerbomb. We go to commercial!

Hayes beats the count back in as we return. Powerbomb attempt fails again, then Hayes hits the First 48! Gunther blocks another one, but misses a big boot. Hayes hits a kick then goes up top only to get chopped down to the apron. Gunther chops the ring post, then he & Hayes tumble to the floor in what looked like a DDT attempt from my vantage point. Hayes dives onto Gunther, who was about to get back in the ring on the nine count. Hayes blocks that powerbomb again and sends Gunther over the railing. Gunther returns the favor, then Hayes tornado DDTs Gunther on the floor. Gunther gets in on 9.75. Hayes goes for Nothing But Net, misses and Gunther hits a ton of big moves for the two count. Then the big elbows, then the sleeper hold. Melo gets to his feet, but Gunther folds him up with a powerbomb for three.

Winner: Gunther (11:17 shown via pinfall)
Match Rating: ****
I liked this even better than Gunther’s match with Evans last week. The shenanigans on the outside involving the referee actually making a count were good. Hayes hasn’t quite clicked yet on the main roster but if he keeps this up he should get there. I feel like Gunther is embracing his inner bastard more, which is a nice thing.

Cody & Punk do a lot of talking while Roman stands there. The Usos appear and Jey calls them one big happy family. Jimmy & Jey make their pitch to be in the tag team advantage match. They dap up all three & yeet their way on off. Roman asks whose team it is, and tells Cony & Punk to fix it.

John Cena talks about how he defines success and tries to earn the sunset.

“Dirty” Dominik Mysterio’s music hits and the AAA Mega Champion heads towards the ring as we go to commercial! Dom calls himself the king of the luchadores. He’ll put an end to John Cena’s retirement tour at Survivor Series, this Saturday he’ll embarrass Cena in his hometown. He’ll take back his IC Championship, and continue to be the greatest Mysterio of all time. John’s not here, Dom doesn’t blame him for not wanting to come to this dump.

John Cena’s music hits! A John Cena…what’s the phrase we can call them now? Well, whatever they are, they’re making their way to the ring with a mini Stu filming him. Wade calls him John Wena, I think we’ll go with that. Mini Stu stands on a box so he can shoot over the apron. Dom tells John not to interrupt, he should drop him where he stands! Dom will let John walk away because he has no idea what’s coming for him at Survivor Series. John calls Dom the worst Mysterio of all time, and tells him to get some since the champ is here.

Dom strikes John down, then hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Dom hits the 619 on John, then goes up top to hit the frog splash. He hits it! Oh, and now Rey Mysterio comes down after Dom beats up poor John Wena. What the hell? He couldn’t have run out a minute earlier? You know, the more I see of how Rey treats everyone the more I believe Dom’s side of the story.

Rey Mysterio vs. JD McDonagh (w/Finn Balor): We join this match in action. Rey shoulderblocks JD in the corner, mounts him for ten punches. Monkey flip by Rey! JD knocks Rey off the corner, then hits a tiltawhirl backbreaker. JD with a drop toe hold, then a legdrop for two. Rey with a crucifix for two, but JD clotheslines him down. Rey gets in an electric chair position, they tumble over the ropes but remain together. JD drops Rey on the announce table as we go to commercial.

Finn assists JD on an abdominal stretch as we return, but the referee sees and Rey gets out of it. Rey gets tripped on the apron by JD. JD walks towards Rey and gets flipped into the ring post. JD rolls in at 8, Rey with the seated splash, then a kick to a sitting JD gets two. Rey thinks he’s going for a 619. Then JD runs over and hits a C4! Sheesh! Cover gets two. JD with kicks to Rey, but Rey responds with Pop Rox for two. Finn trips Rey on the 619 attempt. Finn goes onto the apron, but Rey evades a charging JD and JD knocks Finn off the apron! 619 and the springboard splash end things.

Winner: Rey Mysterio (7:19 shown via pinfall)
Match Rating: ***
Some fun stuff here. I don’t think I’d say that Rey’s faster than he’s ever been, but the dude sure hasn’t aged much. JD continues to impress.

Raquel Rodriguez is looking for a title opportunity since Nikki Bella got one. Adam Pearce says she’s in the mix. Meanwhile, the New Day & Grayson Waller complain about Pearce ruining their lives. Pearce tells then that AJ Styles & Dragon Lee want to defend against the New Day next week. This pleases the New Day. Grayson Waller places a wig on Pearce’s head, that doesn’t go over well.

Brock Lesnar is WALKING! Paul Heyman follows him into a room.

THE MAN HAS COME AROUND! Becky Lynch makes her way to the ring. When we return from commercial, the Kabuki Warriors are dancing in the aisle. Then we see the evil team get the upper hand on the good team on last week’s SmackDown, with Becky’s attack on AJ Lee setting the tone. Nia Jax & Lash Legend are there as well. We’re all unhappy about the injustice that happened to Becky on last week’s Raw. She’s got the best lawyers in the country working on it, but now she’s not allowed to talk about it. She will get her title back and the company will be a lot better for it. The company will also be better off when she gets rid of AJ Lee once and for all. The biggest mistake AJ will ever make is locking herself in a cage with her. She has assembled the greatest Survivor Series team in the history of War Games. Her & Asuka are fine. Becky saved Kairi’s life, so Kairi owes her a great deal and they’ll make IYO SKY pay. Nia broke Becky’s face, but she didn’t have to wear a mask like Rotten Rhea Ripley. Specimen of a woman, Lash Legend. Becky will make her a star, and Charlatan Charlotte & Awful Alexa won’t know what hit them.

Rhea Ripley’s music hits! She stomps, then IYO SKY’s music hits! Charlotte Flair’s music hits, then Alexa Bliss’s music hits! Finally, LET’S LIGHT IT UP! AJ Lee enters and skips to the ring with the other four in tow. The old AJ would have come down and torn that pretty little face off, but therapy works. All this bravado and tearing people down is insecurity and fear. AJ knows who the hell she is and doesn’t need to bark like a chiuaha. She bites. Becky lit a fire and the four women next to her lit matches. She can’t wait to laugh as Becky falls off her pedestal. Rhea takes the microphone and hits Nia Jax with it! It’s a scrum! Lash tosses IYO into the corner and clotheslines her down. Rhea stomps away on Nia. Becky gets knocked to the floor. Charlotte superkicks Asuka, then gets run over by Nia. AJ & Alexa jump on Nia & Lash. Charlotte & Rhea kick Nia & Lash down! IYO hits a moonsault to the floor on four of her opponents while Becky runs off to look on in anger & disgust. She screams they’re done for while AJ, Alexa, Charlotte, IYO & Rhea celebrate.

We see clips of the previous scrum when we return.

The Last Time Is Now Tournament Quarterfinal: Penta vs. Solo Sikoa (w/Talla Tonga): Penta wearing his red outfit tonight if you’re scoring at home, or even if you’re alone. Penta with some shots early. Solo runs him down, then gets ranaed. Big kick in the corner, handstand but Solo ducks outside. Penta follows and Solo clotheslines him down. Solo tosses Penta over the barrier, but Solo spends too long talking to Talla and Penta hits a rana. Both men are down on the floor as we go to commercial.

Well, it looks like Penta got injured and is unable to compete. Solo is declared the winner.

Winner: Solo Sikoa (1:42 via referee stoppage)
Match Rating: N/A
I didn’t really see where Penta suffered the injury, so I was expecting an angle here of some type. Get well, Penta! Solo vs. Gunther could be real interesting.

We flash back to Royal Rumble 2008, when John Cena shocked the world by returning from injury super early.

Maxxine Dupri & Adam Pearce talk about how she has to stay focused. If she wants to be a champion people can respect, the work has just begun. She thinks she’ll call Natalya, then as she walks off we get various folks like Ivy Nile, Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez trying to intimidate her. Pearce suggests that Maxxine give Natalya a call now.

Stephanie Vaquer talks about how Nikki Bella betrayed her. Nikki’s not as smart as she thinks she is. She knows Nikki’s history, but Nikki doesn’t know hers. Is Nikki sure she wants to get in the ring with her?

Joe & Wade run down the Survivor Series card, which is 7 PM Eastern on the ESPN App in the US, Netflix internationally & probably some other places too.

Men’s War Games Advantage Match: Drew McIntyre & Logan Paul vs. Jey & Jimmy Uso: Logan & Jimmy start with a headlock. Logan shoulderblocks Jimmy down, then Jimmy uppercuts him down. Jimmy chops Logan in the corner and tags Jey in. Logan flies over the top rope to avoid a 1D, then Drew chats with him. We go to commercial!

Jimmy slams Logan for two as we return. Tag to Jey, he & Jimmy make a wish with Logan’s legs. Jey with some yeet punches, slams Logan down in an awkward way, then slams him again. Jimmy tags in and headbutts Logan on the mat for two. Jey splashes Logan in the corner. Drew tags in and kicks Jimmy on an up & over for two. Vertical suplexes by Drew on Jey until Jey reverses one. Logan tags in and knocks Jimmy off the apron. Jimmy talks to the referee, all Logan can do is get a two count on Jey. Logan tosses Jey outside, where Drew dumps him on the announce desk. We go to commercial!

Drew & Logan combine for a delayed vertical suplex on Jey. Then they kip up because why not? Drew runs across into Jey’s boots instead of hitting a Claymore. Big Jim tags in! Kicks & punches to Logan, Logan blocks a Samoan drop but gets kicked down. Drew gets knocked off the apron. Jimmy up top, shoulder tackle on Logan gets two. Logan fights back in the corner, hits a blockbuster for two. Jimmy ducks a punch from Logan and hits a spear! Jimmy up top, Uso Splash! Drew makes the save at two! Jey & Drew go at it on the outside, Drew headbutts Jey down as we see Bron & Bronson at ring side assisting Logan. CM Punk & Cody Rhodes run down and brawl with Bron & Bronson. Drew goes after Cody, and Jey ends up diving onto the whole crowd! Logan rolls Jimmy up afterward and gets the three count!

Winner: Drew McIntyre & Logan Paul (11:27 shown via pinfall)
Match Rating: ***
Good way to get the advantage onto the Vision’s team, as we all know these matches don’t work unless the heels have the edge.

The eight men brawl in the ring, and then Roman Reigns’ music hits! Superman punches for Bron & Bronson! Drew gets tossed outside, and Logan eats a Superman punch. One for Drew as well. The executive producers graphic shows, then Brock Lesnar’s music hits! Did he just fall on his ass during his entrance? Tremendous. Brock’s team steps on the apron and into the ring. Fisticuffs ensue! Our live event comes to an end!

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.

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

This show was all about setting up Survivor Series, and it succeeded in doing so. There was a ton of talking, but the fans in attendance seemed into most of it. One of these days I'll remember to time some of those entrances. So long for now!