This week’s episode of WWE Raw emanates from Madison Square Garden in New York City! Seth Rollins and CM Punk battle inside a steel cage. Jey Uso takes on Grayson Waller. The New Day meet the LWO in a tornado tag match, and more.
We break it all down in this week’s WWE Raw recap!
Jey Uso vs. Grayson Waller (w/ Austin Theory)
Waller and Uso lock up, with the former knocking down the latter. Uso returns the favor with an elbow and a slam. Waller lays in several punches, then rams Uso into the corner. Waller whips Uso into another corner, but Uso rocks him with a step-up enziguri. Waller spills to the outside, prompting Uso to take him down with a dive. Theory grabs a hold of Uso’s foot as the referee is distracted. Waller capitalizes.
Back from break, Uso connects with a series of punches, then drops Waller onto the mat. Uso follows up with a hip check in the corner. He goes up top, but Theory distracts him. Uso drives Waller out of the ring with a kick. Waller catches him with a rolling cutter. Waller rocks Uso with a roundhouse right hand. Uso responds with a superkick and a spear for the win.
Winner: Jey Uso
After the match, Theory and Waller double team Uso. Uso sends Waller over the top rope, then spears Theory. He follows up with an Uso Splash. Gunther sneaks up behind Uso, again applying a sleeper hold.
Backstage, Otis, Akira Tozawa, and Maxxine Dupri apologize to Uso for not being there when Gunther attacked him.
We Hear From Logan Paul
Logan Paul says nice guys finish last and tells The Rock that his soul is for sale. Paul says real recognizes real, and talent recognizes talent. Paul then points to Andrew Schulz in the crowd. Schulz says he came to Raw to see the steel cage match with CM Punk and Seth Rollins, not Paul. Schulz then says he wants to see AJ Styles. Paul drags Schulz over the barricade and into the ring. Styles runs down to make the save. He rocks Paul with a Phenomenal Forearm. Paul rolls out of the ring. Styles tells Paul to get back in the ring, as he isn’t done with him. Paul instead retreats to the back. Styles and Schulz celebrate in the ring.
Tornado Tag: Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods vs. Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee
All four men square off, with Rey and Lee whipping Kingston and Woods into the corners. Rey and Lee then rain down with right hands. Rey kicks Woods on the outside, then bounces his head off the announce table. He rams Woods into the ring post as well. Rey and Lee retrieve a table from under the ring. Kingston and Woods seize control and slide the table back under the ring. Rey whips Woods into the barricade. He then lands a West Coast Pop on Kingston. Lee and Rey drag the table back out and set it up on the outside. Woods sweeps Lee off his feet. Kingston sends Rey to the outside. He and Woods send Rey crashing into the steel steps, then slam Lee to the floor.
Back from break, Rey sweeps Kingston off his feet in the corner. Woods takes down Rey. Woods and Lee trade strikes. Rey lands a hurricanrana on Woods. Lee drops Kingston with a double stomp for a near fall. Lee sends Woods crashing through a table. Kingston rolls up Rey for a two count. Rey crossbodys him for a two count of his own. Rey sets Kingston up for a 619 and hits it. Rey leaps off the top with a splash. Lee sends Kingston to the outside, then takes him out with a dive. A masked assailant (likely Chad Gable) wipes out Lee and Rey at ringside, then is chased after by security. Woods and Kingston double team Rey for the win.
Winners: Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods
Backstage, Finn Balor says Bron Breakker is rubbing him the wrong way. Dominik Mysterio, Liv Morgan, and Raquel Rodriguez enter the frame. Morgan reveals Raquel will face Bayley tonight. Dominik then tells Balor he got him an Intercontinental Championship match next week.
We Hear From Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes says John Cena is not here tonight. Rhodes encourages the crowd to chant “John Cena sucks.” Rhodes calls out one of Cena’s social media posts mentioning discipline. Rhodes says at a certain point, Cena needs to sit down. Rhodes says the business has changed. He calls Cena’s potential 17th world title win a delusion, as it won’t be happening. Rhodes says he is the captain now.
Raquel Rodriguez (w/ Liv Morgan & Dominik Mysterio) vs. Bayley
Raquel slams Bayley to the mat. Bayley lays in right hands. Raquel runs her over with a series of shoulder tackles. Bayley connects with an arm drag. She then looks for a spear, but Raquel catches her and swings her around. Raquel follows up with a fallaway slam. Bayley sweeps her off her feet and connects with a big knee. Raquel kicks her away. Bayley elbow drops her onto the apron.
Back from break, Raquel tosses Bayley across the ring. Bayley rolls her up for a two count. Bayley goes up top and descends with an elbow drop. Bayley sends Raquel crashing into the corner, then lands a back suplex. Bayley sends Raquel to the outside. Raquel rocks her with a right hand. Bayley drives Raquel into the ring post. Dominik and Morgan distract Bayley, allowing Raquel to slam Bayley onto the announce table. Bayley returns to the ring and eats a big boot from Raquel. Raquel follows up with a Tejana Bomb for the win.
Winner: Raquel Rodriguez
Backstage, Chad Gable denies being the mystery assailant during the LWO match. In the background, a guy in the same mask and black outfit is being escorted out by police.
We Hear From IYO SKY
Michael Cole introduces the new WWE Women’s World Champion IYO SKY. SKY says it is a dream to be in MSG as champion. She says she proved that the impossible is possible. SKY is over the moon to be champion heading into WrestleMania. Cole says she’ll have her work cut out for her. He then introduces Bianca Belair, the Women’s Elimination Chamber winner. Belair congratulates SKY on her win last week. Cole asks if Belair wasn’t there last week, if Rhea Ripley would still be the champion. Belair says she was just out there to see who her WrestleMania opponent was going to be. Belair says she’s just trying to focus on WrestleMania.
Rhea Ripley’s music hits. Ripley comes out and asks Belair for her reasoning in being ringside last week. Ripley says Belair should have let her handle her own business with SKY, while Belair could have handled hers with Naomi and Jade Cargill. Belair says Ripley is being defensive because she knows she can’t beat SKY. Ripley pushes SKY out of the way, then accuses Belair of hiding behind SKY and Jade. Belair pushes SKY back out of the way too. Ripley and Belair continue to trade words. SKY slaps both Ripley and Belair.
Steel Cage: Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk
Rollins and Punk trade strikes. Rollins tears Punk shirt. They trade more chops and slaps. Rollins catches Punk in the corner, then throws him against the steel cage.
Back from break, the door opens, providing a chance for Rollins to escape, but instead, he taunts Punk. Punk responds with a GTS. Punk follows up with a knee to the back of Rollins’ neck. The door opens again. Punk encourages Rollins to try and escape through it. Rollins flips off Punk. Punk lays in with several elbow drops. He then goes up top and descends with a flying elbow. Punk goes up top again, flips off Rollins, and delivers two more elbow drops. Punk goes to the top of the cage. Rollins scales the cage to meet him there. They trade strikes atop it. Rollins slips, but catches himself. He sets up Punk for a superplex and hits it. He covers Punk, but Punk kicks out at two.
Punk lays in more punches on Rollins. He follows up with a GTS for a near fall. Punk sets him up for another GTS, but Rollins counters into an STF. Rollins tells him to go to sleep. Punk reverses into the Anaconda Vice. Rollins reaches the rope and rakes Punk’s eyes. Rollins hits a stomp. Punk kicks out of his subsequent pinfall attempt.
Rollins goes to the second rope. Punk sweeps him off his feet and delivers another GTS for a near fall. Punk stomps Rollins and covers him again. Rollins kicks out. The referee opens the door, but Punk doesn’t go through it. He instead looks for another GTS. Rollins counters with a GTS of his own and a stomp for a near fall. The referee opens the cage door again, but Rollins doesn’t go through it either. Instead, he nails Punk with a stomp from the top. Rollins is leaning against the ropes. Roman Reigns sneaks up from behind, dragging Rollins out of the cage.
Winner (via escape): Seth Rollins
Reigns nails Rollins with a Superman Punch, a spear, and a stomp. Reigns sets Rollins up against the steel steps. Adam Pearce and WWE officials stop before he can inflict anymore damage. Meanwhile, Paul Heyman is comforting CM Punk in the ring. Reigns throws Punk against the cage and spears him.