wrestling / TV Reports
Cook’s WWE Raw Review 12.1.25
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...Hey kids! Steve Cook here with you for another episode of WWE Raw on Netflix! Tonight features the Last Time Is Now Tournament semi-finals. Gunther & Solo Sikoa face off in a first-time meeting, while Jey Uso & LA Knight renew their rivalry on the road to facing John Cena on December 13. Sounds like a good time to me!
Cook’s WWE Raw Review 12.1.25
Then. Now. Forever. Together!
Raw is in Glendale, Arizona! Joe Tessitore & Wade Barrett are standing in the crowd for the open tonight, which is different and exciting. We are shown highlights from Survivor Series, starring Topanga Lawrence.
Paul Heyman, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed & Logan Paul are WALKING. Solo Sikoa & Talla Tonga are WALKING. AJ Styles & Dragon Lee are WALKING. The Judgment Day are WALKING while Dominick Mysterio & Liv Morgan PULL UP IN A LOW RIDER. Finn Balor seems happy to see Liv, he never said anything about her while she was gone.
IYO SKY & Rhea Ripley make their way to the ring. IYO’s shoulder keeps her from doing her usual posing. They’re dressed to wrestle, so I’m thinking we’ll see them in some sort of action. Rhea welcomes us to Monday Night Riyo. Her face is a little sore and their bodies are banged up, but they won the war. It took a little time to get everyone on the same page, but they came out victorious. The fight isn’t over. The Kabuki Warriors decided to betray her best friend, so they still want revenge. It starts by taking the Tag Team Championship from the Warriors. IYO says that nobody is ready for Riyo. Rhea asks for them to come to the ring, but instead we hear Charlotte Flair’s music. She pauses on the stage while Alexa Bliss’s music hits, and they make their way to the ring.
The fans woo. Alexa wants them to pump the brakes on the Tag Team Championship thing. Charlotte explains that they were the former champions, and they never got their rematch. Rhea & IYO can face the Kabuki Warriors afterward. Rhea respects them, but respectfully, they couldn’t beat the Warriors so they can go to the back of the line. Charlotte says she doesn’t step aside for anyone. If they want to act like they’re better than Charlotte & Alexa, prove it! Alexa suggests that they have a tag team match tonight. The fans approve of the idea. IYO accepts the challenge, so we’ll see that later tonight!
Adam Pearce is on the phone with Nick Aldis, and he makes the tag match official. Ivy Nile says she’s never lost to Maxxine Dupri and deserves a title match. Adam says she’ll get the first shot. Ivy says Maxxine can train wherever and with whoever she wants, it won’t matter. Paul Heyman & Bron Breakker appear. Heyman says he has no idea who was under the mask at Survivor Series. Bron Breakker pinned CM Punk, so they have a lot to talk about in Pearce’s office.
(Maybe I shouldn’t admit this, but this marks two straight weeks I didn’t recognize Ivy Nile. Nothing personal, it’s just been awhile and she looked much different this week.)
CM Punk claims to be John Cena’s greatest rival. We see some clips of their interactions over the years. Cody Rhodes calls it a special series of matches. Kofi Kingston didn’t know who to root for. Punk says the two of them together were magic.
The Last Time Is Now Tournament Semi-Final: Jey Uso vs. LA Knight: Jey & LA go for their big moves right away. LA with some yeah kicks in the corner, Jey fights back, kicks LA down but misses the hip attack. Yeah punches by LA, Jey responds with some Yeet punches. LA sails over the top rope, Jey follows him with a tope suicida. We go to commercial!
LA goes for a superplex, but Jey breaks it up and they exchange punches. Both men end up tumbling down to the floor. They get on the apron at the eight count. Jey kicks LA into the ring and goes up top. LA evades the Uso Splash and hits a burning hammer for two! Jey hits a spear off the ropes for a two count. Jey goes back up top, LA slips on the jump attempt, but hangs on and hits the superplex for two. Jey blocks the BFT and rolls LA up for two. Superkick and a spear, and Jey goes up top. Uso Splash! LA works Jey into a crucifix and gets the three count!
Winner: LA Knight (6:48 shown via pinfall)
Match Rating: **1/2
A little sloppiness throughout, but the crowd was into it the whole way. That’s why you don’t see me whining about Jey’s work like a lot of people do…as long as the people buy into him it doesn’t matter. Good to see Knight get the win though, I’m not sure he’ll win on Friday but he’d be a deserving opponent for John Cena.
LA celebrates in the entranceway and exits while Jey sits in the corner and ponders life, the universe & everything. The fans applaud his effort. Jey destroys the Prime hydration station and throws the steps over before leaving.
Bayley asks Adam Pearce how she & Lyra Valkyria can get in the Tag Team Championship picture. Pearce doubts that Bayley is in the right headspace, but Lyra says that they’re good most of the time. Pearce will take it into advisement. Asuka & Kairi Sane appear. Asuka blames Bayley for not joining her War Games team, they would have won the match with her. Bayley calls them idiots. Asuka says Bayley is nothing, while Charlotte Flair is in the main event. Kairi presents Bayley with a green chain before being yelled at by Asuka.
The Judgment Day make their way to the ring. Dom shows off John Cena’s side plate on the Intercontinental Championship belt. They’ll speak next!
Dirty Dom takes the microphone when we return. Finn, JD, Roxanne & Raquel are with him. Dom says he just beat the Greatest of all time, so that makes him the greatest Mysterio & luchadore of all time, the king of the luchadores, and the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time. He couldn’t have done it without JD, Finn, Roxanne & Raquel, but there’s one person in particular he couldn’t have done it without. He brings out Liv Morgan. Liv takes the microphone and lets us know she’s back. They didn’t see her coming, and neither did John Cena. Dom says that they knew that Cena would figure out the Judgment Day plan, but once that failed they played the ace up their sleeve, and he got his two favorite things in the world back. Liv is happy to be back with Raquel, Finn, JD & Roxanne, but since she’s been gone she’s heard some things about the Judgment Day. She’s heard that they’re weak, they’ve lost some of their gold, that they’re falling apart. That all changes now since Liv is back. The Judgment Day is back and coming for everything that’s theirs. As of right now, they officially run Monday Night Raw. Liv & Dom engage in some kissyface and Liv’s music plays.
We see footage of Maxxine Dupri training in Natalya’s dungeon. After taking out her first opponent with the ankle lock, Maxxine & Natalya go at it. Natalya locks in the Sharpshooter. Natalya slaps Maxxine down and tells her to get out of her ring. Maxxine yells AGAIN and Natalya smiles.
Adam Pearce talks to Referee Eddie Orengo and wants him to report back on the situation involving the masked man from Survivor Series. Nobody’s talking to Pearce, so he thinks they might talk to Eddie.
Some Arizona Cardinals are shown. Not much of a pop from the Glendale fans.
World Tag Team Championship Match: AJ Styles & Dragon Lee (c) vs. Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston (w/Grayson Waller): Alicia Taylor & Charlotte Flair both wore denim jackets tonight. Must have been a sale somewhere. Xavier & Kofi attack right away, knocking Lee out of the ring and going after AJ. They clubber on him in the corner. Kofi targets AJ’s left arm with a stomp off the top rope, then flips him for a two count. Kofi misses a splash in the corner and AJ tags Lee. Rana by Dragon, then he ranas Xavier off the apron into Kofi & Grayson! That was pretty nifty. We go to commercial!
Styles & Woods tag in when we return. AJ gets the upper hand with the strikes. Forearm in the corner, Kofi tags Xavier and they hit a tandem Rocker Dropper for two. AJ reverses the Boom Drop into a roll up for two, then locks in the Calf Crusher. Xavier breaks it up, then tosses Dragon outside. AJ gets rid of Xavier, Kofi rolls him up for two. AJ with a rana, then tags in Lee. AJ sends Kofi into a sitout powerbomb by Dragon for two. Kofi headbutts Dragon and hits a couple of kicks. Xavier with some shots to Dragon, Dragon with a sunset flip bur Xavier rolls through and kicks AJ off the apron. Lee in the Tree of Woe, Xavier dives onto AJ on the outside, Kofi kicks Dragon and gets a two count. AJ whips Xavier into the steps. Kofi misses a kick and Lee kicks him down. AJ tags in, places Kofi on the ropes and Dragon kicks him, sending him into a Styles Clash position. AJ hits the move after Lee dives onto Xavier & Grayson on the floor. The champs retain!
Winners: AJ Styles & Dragon Lee (6:02 shown via pinfall)
Match Rating: ***
Fun little match here. AJ & Dragon make a good team and will be fun to watch as their reign continues. I feel like Xavier & Kofi would benefit from a change of scenery at this point, which is something I’ve said before and will continue to say if anybody asks.
We see highlights of Stephanie Vaquer’s victory over Nikki Bella at Survivor Series.
JACKIE REDMOND is with Stephanie and asks her what message her victory sends. Stephanie says when you betray her, you get burned, and she’s ready for whoever’s next. Liv Morgan appears and wants to say that she’s back. She congratulates Stephanie and walks off.
The Vision make their way to the ring. They get there during the commercial and Paul Heyman introduces himself. He has shoutouts. One for Brock Lesnar, who is still like no other human on the face of the planet. One for Drew McIntyre, it was a pleasure doing business with him. One for Big Bronson Reed, who Tsunamied everyone on the other side to the point where none of them would ever come back with a victory. One for the biggest mainstream star on the face of the planet today who fits in perfectly with his vision for the future of WWE, Logan Paul. One to WWE itself for listening to the Wise Man. On Monday January 5 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for the One Year Anniversary of Raw on Netflix. CM Punk will defend and lose the World Heavyweight Championship to Bron Breakker.
Bron says he’s upset tonight, not because of where they are, or the masked guy that tried to ruin his moment. He’s upset over how easy it was to pin CM Punk. He thought he’d have to find a different level that he’s ever been at before to beat the guy he watched as a kid, only to realize that CM Punk is nothing but a soft-ass bitch. Punk is no different than any veteran living on past glory, or than Rollins being a narcissistic bitch whose wife is a bigger star than he is. On January 5, it’ll be a different type of fight. Punk tried to break his neck and ruin his life on Saturday, so he’s going to ruin Punk’s life. He’s coming for it all. Bron tells us about how Punk congratulated him at WM last year and said he wanted to see if he could cut a promo with the big guys. On January 5, Punk will realize he’s not even close to the real Best in the World, Bron Breakker. Bron storms off as the rest of the Vision applaud.
JACKIE REDMOND asks Jey Uso how he’s feeling after his loss. Jey keeps on walking, so Jackie asks about the masked man, and then Bron Breakker. Jey doesn’t give a damn about Bron or the Vision. There’s a lot of people in his head that need to get out. The only person to blame is the man in the mirror. Roman said it best, those titles looked best on his shoulders, not Jey’s.
Rhea & IYO stretch backstage.
John Cena speaks about the passage of time. He doesn’t know what happened in 2006. Neither do I! The full interview with Tom Rinaldi will go up after next week’s Raw.
The Last Time Is Now Tournament Semi-Final: Gunther vs. Solo Sikoa (w/Talla Tonga): Wade mentions that Penta will be sidelined for an undetermined length of time after suffering the shoulder injury last week against Solo. Tieup into the ropes, Gunther with the shove. Solo misses a wild shot. Gunther with a headlock. A shoulderblock goes nowhere, and Solo with a headlock. They run into each other, neither budge. Forearms are exchanged. Shoulderblocks exchanged, Solo knocks Gunther to the mat. Gunther with a leapfrog and a big boot. Solo tumbles outside and collects his senses as we go to commercial!
Solo is on the advantage as we return, turns out that Talla tripped Gunther up during the break. Chops by Gunther. Solo responds with a bodyslam. Solo rests and recuperates from the chops. Solo with some shots to the head & back. Gunther blocks the slam, tries to slam Solo but falls down into a two count for Solo. Solo goes up top but Gunther meets him on the turnbuckle. Solo knocks Gunther to the mat, Gunther rises up and chops Solo. Gunther goes for the superplex, hits it off the middle rope. Gunther & Solo exchange chops & punches. Superkick by Solo, Solo finally brings Gunther down with a shot to the throat. We go to commercial!
Solo hit a spinning Solo slam just before our break ended. Hip attack in the corner by Solo. Solo sets up for another one, but Gunther hits him with a clothesline. Solo gets out of the powerbomb attempt, but Gunther hits another clothesline for two. Solo blocks the powerbomb and gets Gunther up for a Samoan Drop, but Gunther slips out and stretches Solo’s thumb. Solo hits the Samoan Drop for two. Solo sets up for the Spike, but Gunther chops him a few times. More chops in the corner! Solo hits the Solo Slam again, goes up top and hits a splash for two! The fans think it’s awesome. Solo misses with the Spike, and Gunther gets a sleeperhold! Solo finds the ropes, but Gunther hits a German suplex. Talla gets on the apron, Gunther follows him outside and eats a boot to the face. The referee is fixing the turnbuckle while all this is going on. He comes back over before Solo & Talla can hit a double team, and Gunther bounces Solo’s thumb off the apron. Back in the ring, the ref is still talking to Talla while Gunther low blows Solo! A powerbomb ends the match for the Ring General.
Winner: Gunther (12:57 shown via pinfall)
Match Rating: ***1/2
I liked this! Gunther’s run of impressive TV matches continues, and Solo looked as good as he’s ever looked. Gotta love it when two big guys beat each other up.
Gunther will face LA Knight in the finals on Friday Night SmackDown. Knight hits the ring and talks some smack to Gunther before wishing him luck and leaving. Gunther smiles.
Eddie wasn’t able to get any information for Adam Pearce, except that people have seen Seth Rollins. Hell, I have too, he’s on Good Morning Football once a week. AJ Styles & Dragon Lee show up and want another title defense. Dragon suggests the War Raiders since they never got a title shot after losing the titles, and Pearce approves. He likes having fighting champions!
Charlotte & Alexa are WALKING. The main event is next!
Next Monday, we’ll hear from the winner of the Last Time is Now Tournament! AJ Styles & Dragon Lee vs. The War Raiders! Rey Mysterio vs. Finn Balor!
JACKIE REDMOND is with Rey Mysterio and wants to know where his head is at. Rey’s main issue is with his bastard son Dom, but he’ll go through the Judgment Day one by one to go with him. Jackie asks if he’ll go after the IC title. Logan Paul enters and Rey says he’s the one guy that might be as big an ass as his son. Logan’s a great father, Rey’s a deadbeat dad, and the IC title belongs to the Vision. (It does?) Logan says he’ll retire Rey, and Rey slaps him. Referees & officials break things up while Logan yells about Rey’s financial situation. How would he know?
Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY vs. Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair: I hope Charlotte doesn’t turn against Alexa too soon, she seems to have so much fun slapping hands with the fans and accepting their adulation. IYO & Alexa start. Well, not for long, Charlotte tags in and uses Alexa to kick IYO down. Charlotte kicks Rhea off the apron accidentally after IYO ducks. IYO kicks Charlotte down and we go to commercial.
Alexa & Rhea go at it as we return. Rhea puts Alexa in the Prism Trap, Alexa knocks Rhea into Charlotte, shades of what we saw before the commercial. Back suplex by Rhea, IYO tags in and hits a kick. IYO misses the Meteora in the corner, but keeps Alexa from tagging Charlotte. IYO hits a flapjack on Alexa. Tags to Rhea & Charlotte, and they tease the upcoming fight. They each miss a shot, Charlotte sticks her tongue out. Go-behinds, then they exchange shots. Charlotte with some chops, Rhea finally ducks and hits a headbutt. Charlotte rams Rhea’s head into the turnbuckle, then walks into a kick. We go to commercial!
Flair flip in the corner, Charlotte hits IYO and knocks Rhea off the apron. IYO hits a running Meteora on Charlotte. Rhea tags in, tries a Razor’s Edge but falls over. They try again and Rhea hits the Razor’s Edge. IYO gets a two count with the top rope dropkick. Charlotte slips out of the Riptide and hits a DDT. Tag to Alexa, kick by Charlotte and DDT by Alexa to Rhea gets two. Rhea blocks Twisted Bliss and tags IYO in. Charlotte hits Natural Selection and Alexa hits Sister Abigail for two. Rhea clotheslines Charlotte off the apron. Rhea drags IYO to the corner and tags back in. Alexa slips out of a Razor’s Edge. Rhea blocks the DDT, then the Sister Abigail. Headbutt, then Riptide to Alexa. IYO up top, hits the moonsault but Charlotte breaks the pin by sending Rhea into IYO. The Kabuki Warriors run down and attack!
Winners: No Contest (8:58 shown)
Match Rating: ***
I usually get annoyed by non-finishes in main events, but as we’ll see here in a second, this one had a purpose.
Charlotte & Rhea are sent into ring posts. IYO gets kicked down. They’re about to attack IYO some more when Lyra Valkyria & Bayley run down! Lyra dropkicks Kairi on the floor, then mounts the announce table. Liv knocks Lyra off the table! Roxanne & Raquel are with her! Raquel Tejana Bombs Asuka! Pop Rox to Bayley! Roxanne & Raquel grab the tag belts…Roxanne hands the belt to Liv, but Liv tells her to keep it! Liv raises their hands as 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.
