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After a very memorable Royal Rumble over the weekend, we saw all the fallout from it unfold this week on Raw. As the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble winners are set, there’s still openings for the other championships the Rumble winners won’t challenge for at WrestleMania. For six men and six women, they get one more chance to punch their ticket to the show of shows. To determine who those challengers will be, qualifying matches for next month’s Elimination Chamber started this week with one match taking place for the men and another for the women. By the end of the night, two people took one step closer towards their WrestleMania aspirations.
While one match had a controversial finish, the other featured a post-match attack that set the wheels in motion for a potential grudge match at WrestleMania. In addition to that, we had both Rumble winners tease which championship they’ll challenge for, Penta continue his winning ways, and the New Day finally pick up a win with help from someone even more hated than they are. With WrestleMania season now in full swing, this week’s Raw helped build a lot of interest in what potential matches we could see there.
Gunther vs. Jey Uso
Latest Developments:
On January 25 at Saturday Night’s Main Event, Gunther successfully defended the World Heavyweight Championship in a match against Jey Uso that could’ve gone either way. Despite the loss, Jey came out on Raw the following Monday and said that he knew he could beat Gunther and vowed to win the Royal Rumble. At the Royal Rumble last weekend, Jey made it all the way to the final two along with heavy favorite John Cena. After a close back and forth between the two, Jey knocked Cena off the apron onto the floor to win the 2025 Royal Rumble. The win grants Jey a title shot against any champion he chooses at WrestleMania, and it made him the fourth Anoa’i family member to win the Rumble along with Yokozuna, The Rock, and Roman Reigns.
This week, Jey opened the show with his grand entrance that he even granted the audience an encore of after they chanted “one more time.” An emotional Jey to the point where he was in tears thanked the audience and said it was because of them that he won the Royal Rumble. Gunther came out to interrupt and said that defeating Jey at WrestleMania does nothing for his legacy. He told Jey if he chooses to challenge him, it’s going to be hell for him every week until WrestleMania and it will be there where he puts him down like a diseased dog. As Gunther was about to leave, Jey stopped him and said that whoever he chooses to face at WrestleMania, he guarantees to walk out as champion.
Analysis:
While Jey winning the Royal Rumble was a surprise, this segment made it very hard not to be happy for him. The genuine emotion he showed here and the crowd reaction he got is a clear example of why despite not being one of the heavy favorites, he was not the wrong choice. From how much we’ve seen him grow over the last four years, it’s gratifying as a fan to see someone like him get to where he is now. Considering that Gunther has defeated him multiple times and the fact that that’s been brought up a lot recently, who Jey chooses to challenge for the title is a forgone conclusion. After what we saw between the two of them here, this feud is on the fast track to being one of the most compelling storylines heading into WrestleMania.
As great as their segments were heading into their match at Saturday Night’s Main Event, the segments we could expect between them in the coming weeks will probably outshine those. Especially after what Gunther said about making Jey’s life hell if he chooses him, there’s already a lot of suspense surrounding what he meant by that. Jey is as white hot as anyone in the company right now and with a heel as strong as Gunther to have to overcome, it’s a story that writes itself. While this is a title match for WrestleMania none of us would’ve guessed we would be getting six months or even a week ago, what we saw here feels like they really have something special to build off here.
Grade: B+
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Penta vs. Ludwig Kaiser
Latest Developments:
On the January 13 Raw, Penta made his debut with an impressive win over Chad Gable. The following week, he continued that momentum with another win over Pete Dunne. Last week, Ludwig Kaiser mentioned to Dunne backstage that someone should show Penta how they do things in the WWE. In the Royal Rumble match, Penta entered at number 2 and went on to last over 40 minutes in it. In that time, Kaiser came into the Rumble only to be eliminated by Penta in six seconds.
This week, Penta and Kaiser went one on one. While Kaiser kept the advantage for the first half of the match, Penta eventually rebounded with a lead onto Kaiser over the top rope and a Cross Body. After Kaiser attempted a School Boy, Penta reversed it and hit him with the Sacrifice followed by the Penta Driver to pick up the win. As Jackie Redmond was interviewing Penta after the match, Pete Dunne came out to interrupt. As Penta was distracted by Dunne, Kaiser attacked him from behind and hit him with the Swinging DDT.
Analysis:
Once again, Penta continues to impress with quality matches and a great presentation. After Kaiser mentioned him previously and their brief encounter in the Rumble match, it was inevitable that we were going to see a match between these two. While the match was a good one to no surprise, the real story was the post-match beat down. Considering that that happened, it’s clear that this feud is going to continue with Pete Dunne also involved in some way. As someone who is still new, an actual feud for Penta will be good in further building him up.
While the impressive wins in competitive matches have been a good start, Penta was eventually going to need people to have long term feuds with. Someone like Kaiser is a good place for him to start as Kaiser can not only deliver by telling a story in the ring, but also on the mic. With the timing of all this, it could all potentially lead to a rematch between these two at Elimination Chamber. As great as Penta’s performance was in the Rumble match, he needs to consistently be featured on PLE’s to maintain the momentum he has right now. With a feud like this that could be built towards a PLE match, that is exactly what is needed to keep Penta feeling like a big deal.
Grade: B
New Day vs. Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee
Latest Developments:
Two weeks ago, Kofi Kingston went one on one with Rey Mysterio. Before the match, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods asked for their music to be cut off and said they would no longer be coming out to their old theme song. In addition to that, Kofi wrestled the match in all black and not in the traditional colorful gear that the New Day has worn for the last decade. The match resulted in a loss for Kofi as Mysterio rolled him up for a pin out of nowhere. Last week, Xavier’s luck wouldn’t be any better as a distraction from his family in the front row wearing “New Day Sucks” shirts allowed Mysterio to take advantage and pick up the win.
This week, Kofi & Xavier came out wearing new gear and to new theme music for their match against Mysterio & Dragon Lee. In the middle of the match, Mysterio’s opponent for next week’s Raw Logan Paul came out to sit at ringside. As Mysterio & Lee had the advantage, Paul got in Mysterio’s face and Mysterio responded by shoving him down. As Mysterio attempted to go back into the ring, Paul pulled him out of it hard onto the floor as the referee was distracted and threw him back in.This allowed Kofi to finish off Mysterio with the Trouble in Paradise and pick up the first win for New Day since they turned on Big E.
Analysis:
This match succeeded in giving the New Day a much-needed win, while also setting up the Mysterio and Paul match for next week. While in a way that story may have taken away from the New Day’s, what happened here accomplished everything it needed to. What was noticeable about this match was the new gear and theme music that Kofi & Xavier came out to. With the new direction they’re going in now with their characters, these changes were much needed and ones that are for the better. Those changes combined with a win here was a step in the right direction after the recent losses they’ve suffered.
Paul continues to get arguably the most heat out of anyone in the company. Having a match with someone as beloved as Mysterio, one can only imagine the amount of heat he will have when that match happens. Regardless of what anyone thinks of him personally, Paul knows how to put on a good match and really knows how to get the audience to hate him. All of that combined with the fact he’ll be facing Mysterio and the added prize of a spot in the Elimination Chamber makes this one of the main reasons to watch Raw next week. Coming out of this match, you felt optimistic about the direction for New Day and at the same time eager to see Mysterio potentially get revenge on Paul.
Grade: B
Liv Morgan vs. Iyo Sky
Latest Developments:
In the Royal Rumble match last weekend, Iyo Sky and Liv Morgan entered as number 1 and 2 respectively. Despite being in the match for over an hour, they both fell short and were eliminated. With another title to challenge for, it was announced that there would be qualifying matches to see who enters the Elimination Chamber. The first qualifying match for the women was made official for this week between Iyo and Liv. Liv attacked Iyo backstage before the match and as Rhea Ripley showed up to chase Liv away, Raquel Rodriguez attacked Rhea from behind as she was checking on Iyo.
Despite the brutal attack, Iyo made it out for the match. In a competitive match that saw each woman hit each other with their best shot, Raquel constantly jumped onto the apron as Iyo was about to finish off Liv with the top rope Moonsalt. Rhea came out to even the odds and attacked Raquel before Liv grabbed her by the hair. Rhea countered by hitting Liv with a right hand, but it happened right in front of the referee. This resulted in Liv winning the match by disqualification and then after the match, Iyo yelled at Rhea in Japanese for getting involved and stormed off in anger.
Analysis:
Even with the disqualification finish, this turned out to be one of the best matches on the whole show. Iyo went out once again and showed that she can have a great match with just about anyone she’s put in the ring with. While many may have thought that Liv would be pushed to the side after losing the title last month, her performance in this match is a clear example of how much she still has to offer. The effort from these two here really sold the importance of getting a spot in the Elimination Chamber and having another chance at going to WrestleMania. That importance can be seen very clearly from how upset Iyo was at Rhea for costing her the match.
While disqualification finishes are usually a letdown, this was one of the rare cases where it worked perfectly. Considering that Rhea was just trying to fight off Liv and it ended up costing Iyo the match, that now sets things up for an eventual match between Iyo and Rhea. With Iyo now out of contention from the Elimination Chamber, the big question is where that match would take place. While there’s a chance Iyo could get put into another qualifying match in a few weeks, this match could also potentially happen at the show itself. With there still being two months until WrestleMania, having a match between these two in the meantime would be a huge PLE attraction.
Grade: B+
C.M. Punk vs. Sami Zayn
Latest Developments:
Two weeks ago, C.M. Punk cut a promo hyping up how he was going to win the Royal Rumble and mentioned during it that Sami Zayn wasn’t on his level. Last week, Sami confronted Punk backstage and reminded Punk that unlike him, he actually main evented a WrestleMania before. In the Royal Rumble match, Sami was eliminated by Jey Uso. Despite eliminating Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins simultaneously, Punk was eliminated by Logan Paul. It was announced on Monday afternoon that Punk and Sami would face each other this week in a qualifying match for the Elimination Chamber.
In the show’s main event and also their first ever one on one match in WWE, Sami and Punk put on an excellent match that saw Sami miss a Helluva Kick but then reverse a GTS attempt from Punk into a Small Package. Punk stopped another Helluva Kick attempt and turned it into the GTS to pick up the win and qualify for the chamber. In a sign of respect, Punk offered to shake Sami’s hand after the match and Sami accepted. Immediately after this, Kevin Owens showed up to attack Sami and caused Sami to knock Punk out of the ring in the process. Owens then proceeded to hit Sami with a Packaged Piledriver, and the show ended as Sami was left lying on the mat.
Analysis:
Much like the women’s qualifying match, this match between Punk and Sami was another great one that sold the importance of getting another shot at the WrestleMania main event. One great thing about Punk being back is all the different people he could work with that he never has worked with in WWE before, so this match with Sami in a way was a dream match. The reversals and counters both men did towards the end really had you on the edge of your seat. With Punk getting the win here, there’s still a chance he could main event WrestleMania after all. Even though he didn’t win the Rumble, Punk has had too much momentum over the last year to be completely left out of the main event this year. For a match as great as this one, the handshake between these two afterwards was the right cap off.
Another question we had answered from this was the potential direction for Sami at WrestleMania. Considering that Owens was trying to manipulate him into helping him win the title at the Royal Rumble and it didn’t work, it was only a matter of time before Owens would come looking for him. The Packaged Piledriver spot was the perfect cliffhanger to end the show with, as it sets up what will be another blood feud between Sami and Owens. With the injury angle they did here, this will probably keep Sami off TV until we get closer to WrestleMania. From the match we got here to the Owens attack on Sami afterwards, there was no reason for anyone to walk away from seeing this unsatisfied.
Grade: A
Other Highlights
Charlotte Flair’s Promo Gets Interrupted by Rhea Ripley
After winning the women’s Royal Rumble last Saturday, Charlotte Flair showed up on Raw this week to cut a promo and despite diving into how hard the last year was for her as well as how much she missed the audience, they still booed her. She told them in response that she still loves them despite that because whether they love her or not, she’s still the greatest superstar in WWE history. Charlotte was interrupted by Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley, who pleaded with her to pick her as her opponent for WrestleMania. Charlotte said that she was going to take her time to decide who she would pick and claimed that Rhea was still just a kid like she was when they faced at WrestleMania the first time for being so impatient about it. As Charlotte tried to leave, Rhea stopped her and said it’s clear that she doesn’t respect her the same way that she does and pleaded with Charlotte to pick her as her opponent so that she could beat that respect into her.
Analysis:
While the chances of this match happening again are slim, this segment sold it as an actual possibility. With the two tied at one a piece in matches against each other at WrestleMania, a three-match series between them would be the female equivalent of the WrestleMania series between Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. From what we saw here with the audience reaction, it is clear now that Charlotte will be a heel going into whichever match she ends up having at WrestleMania. Even though she just came back from being out for a year, her character of being the queen and the fact that she was showing off her lavish lifestyle in her comeback vignettes makes it hard for anyone to cheer for her. Even if it doesn’t happen at WrestleMania, this segment really made you eager to see another Charlotte and Rhea match eventually.
Seth Rollins Gloats About Putting Out Roman Reigns
Before the main event, Seth Rollins came out to cut a promo about how he was happy for Jey Uso winning the Royal Rumble and also happy that C.M. Punk didn’t win. After telling the audience they weren’t going to like some of the things he had to say, he turned his attention to Roman Reigns and mentioned that he may not make it to WrestleMania because he was hurt. He then said Roman was hurt because he was the one who hurt him, and he wasn’t wrong for doing it because of everything Roman had done in the past. He then called out Sami Zayn and gave him a motivational speech before his match with Punk. He told Sami that he wasn’t on Punk level because he’s levels above him and he wants to see him in the Elimination Chamber match with him.
Analysis:
This promo from Rollins sold the fact that he still has issues with Punk and especially with Roman. Considering that Sami still lost after the speech he gave him and then shook hands with Punk afterwards, he’s probably going to have issues with Sami too. With the attack on Roman after they were eliminated from the Rumble and how he gloated about it here, the Rollins heel turn is slowly happening right in front of us. The first signs of it began when he refused to be on Roman’s team at Survivor Series and now that he’s put Roman on the shelf, it’s all coming together perfectly. While Rollins and Punk felt like the WrestleMania match a few months ago, one with Rollins and Roman considering their history is a much more compelling direction to go in.
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