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WWE RAW REPORT
FEBRUARY 17, 2025
CHARLOTTE, N.C. AT SPECTRUM CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON NETFLIX (WORLDWIDE)
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee
Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor
Attendance: WrestleTix reports today that 14,125 tickets were distributed right before showtime. The arena has a capacity of 20,200 spectators when configured for pro wrestling. (The previous WWE event on Feb. 9, 2024 drew 13,168.)
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[HOUR ONE]
– The show opened with a recap of Kevin Owens assaulting Sami Zayn after his match against CM Punk two weeks ago. It ended with Kevin’s challenge for Sami to come find him in Toronto at Elimination Chamber.
– Sami Zayn made his way to the ring to address his history with Kevin Owens. Sami said that there were no other two wrestlers whose careers have been linked for so long. He said that this was different and there wouldn’t be forgiving or forgetting. Sami said that Kevin didn’t get the job done and he would be in Toronto to fight him. Adam Pearce interrupted to remind Sami that he wasn’t medically cleared to take the match. Sami said that he would not take no for an answer and threatened to not leave the ring until he gets his match.
– Pearce said that he couldn’t sanction the match and that Kevin could hit him with another Package Piledriver. Pearce asked Sami if he actually understood what it would mean to make the match official. Sami approached Pearce to tell him that he understood that Pearce couldn’t stop him from hurting Kevin. Pearce begrudgingly agreed to book Sami and Kevin in an Unsanctioned match at Elimination Chamber.
(Pomares’ Analysis: Sami Zayn is probably one of the most genuine people on the mic in all of wrestling and this was another great showing from him. I’m shocked that this Kevin and Sami match is actually taking place at Elimination Chamber and not WrestleMania. There is no report pointing to this, but the fact that it’s in Toronto and against Kevin Owens oddly gives me the vibe that Sami is being written off TV at the Chamber.)
– A recap of Nick Aldis showing Bianca Belair and Naomi footage of Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez at the scene of Jade Cargill’s attack.
– Backstage, Dominik Mysterio warned Liv Morgan about Bianca Belair and Naomi being here to find her. Dominik told Liv that they should find a new member, but Finn kept on shutting down the idea. Finn interrupted to say that after tonight there would be three members of Judgment Day in the chamber. Finn and Raquel Rodriguez had a tense stare-down before Finn told Dominik that they would be no new members.
– A recap of Bron Breakker hitting IShowSpeed with a Spear at the Royal Rumble was shown.
[Commercial Break]
(1) AJ STYLES vs. DOMINIK MYSTERIO (w/Carlito)
AJ put Dominik in a headlock and dropped him with a back suplex. AJ smashed Dominik’s head into the turnbuckle and nailed him with a chop to the chest, followed by a backbreaker. Dominik avoided a suplex, only for AJ to take him down with a dropkick. AJ clocked Dominik with a sliding knee strike and a forearm shot. Carlito tripped AJ off the top turnbuckle, setting him up for a suicide dive from Dominik, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Dominik nailed AJ with a slingshot senton and put him down with the Three Amigos. Dominik tripped AJ into the ropes, setting him up for a 619. AJ evaded a Frog Splash and turned Dominik inside out with a lariat. AJ attacked Dominik with a corner clothesline and a neckbreaker onto his knee before knocking Carlito off the apron with a running forearm strike. Dominik surprised AJ with a roll-up, only for AJ to knock him out with the Styles Clash.
WINNER: AJ Styles at 8:53
– After the match, AJ Styles avoided a Spear from Bron Breakker who took Dominik Mysterio out instead. AJ caught Breakker with an enzuigiri and tossed him out of the ring.
(Pomares’ Analysis: Decent match to get AJ Styles back in the mix, however it was just a backdrop to the real meat of this story. AJ and Bron should be an exciting program that could have easily taken place at WrestleMania, but I will gladly take it at the Chamber.)
– A recap of the Creed Brothers getting themselves disqualified in their match against the War Raiders.
– Backstage, Ivy Nile warned the Creed Brothers that they should have gold by the time Chad Gable got back. Nile stopped Dakota Kai as she passed by and told her that she would beat her, only for Kai to point out that she has faced tougher opponents than her.
[Commercial Break]
– Lyra Valkyria was seated at ringside to watch the next match.
(2) DAKOTA KAI vs. IVY NILE – Women’s Intercontinental Championship Contender’s Match
Nile kicked Kai away, only for Kai to take her down with a pair of arm drags. Kai caught Nile with a pump kick, but Nile blocked a headlock takeover and threw her out of the ring. Nile kicked Kai’s knee and smashed it into the apron. Nile targeted Kai’s knee with a flying kick, but she kicked out at two. Kai kicked Nile away and knocked her off her feet with a series of forearms and a dropkick. Kai blasted Nile with a sliding knee strike and a running boot to the face, setting her up for the unset flip backstabber and a nearfall. Nile pulled Kai’s head into the turnbuckle and dropped her with a powerbomb.
Kai caught Nile with a roll-up, only for Nile to trap her in an ankle lock. Kai reached the ropes to break the hold, only for Nile to blast her with a series of kicks to the chest. Nile withstood a pump kick and laid Kai out with a swinging side slam for a two count. Nile evaded a vertical suplex and hit Kai with a pair of German suplexes, followed by a Scorpion kick. Kai surprised Nile with a pinning combination before Nile put her in an ankle lock. Kai sent Nile out of the ring and spiked her with a Curb Stomp, setting her for the GTK and the win.
WINNER: Dakota Kai at 6:45
(Pomares’ Analysis: Fun little match while it lasted, but there is still a lot of work to be done to fix the lack of reactions for a lot of the undercard women’s division. Slightly surprised to see Dakota Kai win, but I don’t mind seeing her and Lyra in action again.)
– A video package for WWE Evolve was shown.
– A recap of Jey Uso officially picking Gunther as his opponent for WrestleMania was shown.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR TWO]
– Gunther made his way to the ring through the crowd while mocking the way the people move their arms for Jey Uso. Gunther said that it was a very simple move for very simple people. He said that he was sick and tired of stepping in the ring with people that couldn’t lace his boots. Gunther said that he tried to warned Jey, only for the fans to give Jey to confidence to dig his own grave. Gunther said that he would outclass Jey at every aspect of this sport.
– Once he reached ringside, Gunther told the crowd that Jey’s blood would be on their hands. Gunther stood on the announce table and asked Michale Cole and Pat McAfee if they actually think that Jey could win at WrestleMania. Gunther tossed a mic at Pat and Pat said that Jey could do it. Jey Uso showed up before Gunther could approach Pat. Jey ran past a group of security guards and started brawling with Gunther. Agents and referees showed up to separate Gunther and Jey.
(Pomares’ Analysis: A good follow-up to Jey’s challenge from last week and one of Gunther’s strongest promos in a while. The brawl angle was fun, but it doesn’t give me confidence that there is enough material for this feud to run for the next 2 months.)
– Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviewed Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez about the footage of them on the site of Jade Cargill’s attack. Liv refused to answer questions about Jade and said that Raquel would qualify to the chamber tonight.
[Commercial Break]
– A recap of Adam Pearce making Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn official for Elimination Chamber was shown.
(3) PENTA vs. PETE DUNNE
Dunne slapped Penta before they started exchanging forearm strikes. Penta caught Dunne with a hurracarrana and a rising kick. Dunne nailed Penta with a dropkick to the head and stomped his elbow. Dunne smashed Penta’s knee into the mat and stomped it down before clocking him with an enzuigiri. Penta caught Dunne with a backstabber and hit him with a chop to the chest. Dunne snapped Penta’s fingers and planted him with a slingshot facebuster on the apron. Ludwig Kaiser showed up at ringside, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Penta launched Dunne across the ring with a headscissors takeover. Penta dropped Dunne with a sling blade and a Jackhammer for a two count. Penta blasted Dunne with a thrust kick, only for Dunne to lay him out with a sitout powerbomb for a nearfall. Dunne withstood a thrust kick and hit Penta with an enzuigiri. Penta shocked Dunne with a Destroyer, forcing him to roll out of the ring. Kaiser distracted Penta, allowing Dunne to catch him with an enzuigiri and get a two count with a roll-up. Dunne and Kaiser argued, allowing Penta to shove Dunne into Kaiser and finish Dunne with the Penta Driver.
WINNER: Penta at 10:05
– After the match, Pete Dunne and Ludwig Kaiser brawled, until Penta crushed them with a Tope con Hilo.
(Pomares’ Analysis: Another fun match between these two that keeps on building this sort of three-way feud between them and Kaiser. I’m not sure what the direction is exactly, especially since Penta has already beaten both of them. This feels like the set up for a tag feud, but unless they somehow get Rey Fenix, I can only picture someone like Tyler Bate returning for a one-off match to end Penta’s involvement in this feud.)
– Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviewed Jey Uso about his chances of winning at WrestleMania. Jey said that people can doubt him, but he won the Royal Rumble and would walk out of WrestleMania as world champion.
– A video package was shown, recapping all of the accomplishments in Roxanne Perez’s career throughout NXT.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, the War Raiders warned the Creed Brothers that they made the worst mistake of their life.
(4) ROXANNE PEREZ vs. RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ (w/Liv Morgan) – Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match
Raquel lifted Perez while holding her wrist and withstood a slap from her before laying her out with a clothesline. Raquel tossed Perez across the ring, only for Perez to slap her. Perez ran around the ring and knocked Raquel off the apron with a dropkick. Raquel caught a suicide dive and drove Perez into the ring post with a Lawn Dart. Back in the ring, Raquel put Perez down with a press slam and dropped her face-first onto the turnbuckle. Raquel put Perez in a spinning headlock before Perez caught her with a hurracarrana into the turnbuckle. Perez nailed Raquel with a chop block, followed by a pair of uppercuts. Perez put Raquel in a sleeper hold, until Raquel drove her into the corner.
Raquel caught a high crossbody and put Perez down with a Fallaway Slam, setting her up for a Vader Bomb and a two count. Raquel missed a tackle in the ring post, allowing Perez to shut her down with a pair of suicide dives. Back in the ring, Perez blocked a Russian leg sweep, only for Perez to take her down with a DDT. Perez crushed Raquel with a springboard moonsault for a nearfall. Raquel caught Perez with a big boot, but she kicked out at two. Bianca Belair and Naomi showed up at ringside to confront Liv at ringside and beat her down. The distraction allowed Perez to beat Raquel with Pop Rox.
WINNER: Roxanne Perez at 7:30
(Pomares’ Analysis: A solid match to seemingly make Roxanne Perez’s move to the main roster official. Perez looked great here and already had one of Raquel’s best singles matches in a long while. The Bianca and Naomi feud with Liv and Raquel is a fun distraction before Jade Cargill returns to TV.)
– Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviewed Seth Rollins about his match against Finn Bálor. Rollins said that he couldn’t get into WrestleMania without taking Finn out and said that he needed this more than him. After Rollins left, Karrion Kross showed up Jey Uso for thinking that he could beat Gunther, Rollins for thinking he could win the chamber and Sami Zayn for choosing to face Kevin Owens.
[Commercial Break]
– A video package was shown, featuring Iyo Sky speaking about getting one last chance to get her WrestleMania match and how she beat Rhea Ripley the last time they faced off.
– A recap of the New Day’s attack on Rey Mysterio after last week’s show ended was shown.
– The New Day stood in the middle of the ring and called the fans out for cheering for a guy like Rey Mysterio. Kofi Kingston said that he had more titles than Rey and never left unlike him. Kofi said that he should be the locker room leader and said that the fans should be thanking them for not putting an end to him. The LWO interrupted to tell the New Day that they suck and chased them away from the ring.
(Pomares’ Analysis: A much better angle with the New Day that would have worked much better had it taken place shortly after the New Day anniversary show. New Day taking on LWO should have been done much sooner, but at least it seems like they are finally going in the right direction.)
– It was announced that Dakota Kai would fight Lyra Valkyria for the women’s Intercontinental title; and that Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodrigues would challenge Bianca Belair and Naomi to a tag team title match next week.
– Backstage, Bianca Belair and Naomi said that it would come down to the two of them at Elimination Chamber and that they would keep an eye on Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky.
– Seth Rollins made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Finn Bálor.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR THREE]
(5) SETH ROLLINS vs. FINN BÁLOR – Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match
Finn attacked Rollins before the match started and stomped his chest. FInn dropped Rollins with a Pedigree, but he kicked out at two. Rollins withstood a shotgun dropkick and evaded the Coup de Grace before taking Finn down with a sling blade. Rollins stomped Finn down and dropped him with a backbreaker. Finn evaded a Lionsault, only for Rollins to drive him into the barricade with a suicide dive. Finn avoided the Curb Stomp and planted Rollins with a sling blade before Rollins shut him down with a dropkick to the knee.
Rollins targeted Finn’s left knee with a series of kicks. Finn caught Rollins with a shot to the mid section, forcing him to roll out of the ring. Finn drove Rollins into the apron and stomped his back down. Rollins wept Finn off the apron and dropped him knee-first onto the announce table. Finn avoided a Curb Stomp onto the steel steps and tripped Rollins onto them, as WWE Raw went to its final commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Finn put Rollins in an abdominal stretch, until Rollins laid him out with a hip toss. Finn caught Rollins with a knee to the abdomen, only for Rollins to catch him with a forearm strike. Rollins nailed Finn with an enzuigiri before he retaliated with a Pele kick. They traded chops and forearm strikes, until Rollins put Finn down with a DDT. Rollins clobbered Finn with a knee strike, followed by a Lionsault for a two count. Finn surprised Rollins with a roll-through, only for Rollins to floor him with a buckle bomb. Finn blocked a Frog Splash with his knees and got a nearfall with an inside cradle.
They traded right hands, until Rollisn bit Finn’s head. Finn countered a bodyslam with a pair of sling blades. Rollins blocked a shotgun dropkick and trapped Finn in a Sharpshooter. Rollins stopped Finn from reaching the ropes and put him down with a Pedigree for a nearfall. Finn blocked the Curb Stomp with a strike to the stomach and climbed the top turnbuckle. Finn blocked a superplex and tripped Rollins off the top turnbuckle, setting him up for the Coup de Grace and a two count. Rollins went for a crucifix pinfall before Finn put him in a crossface. Rollins broke the hold and knocked FInn out with the Curb Stomp.
WINNER: Seth Rollins at 18:48
(Pomares’ Analysis: A pretty good main event hurt by the fact no one thought Finn Bálor had even the smallest chance of winning this. Both men performed really well and had a really fun final sequence, but I think we might have reached the point where Finn is no longer viable or credible as a top contender.)
Advertised Matches & Appearances
- Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor – Elimination Chamber qualifying match
- Roxanne Perez vs. Raquel Rodriguez – Elimination Chamber qualifying match
- A.J. Styles vs. Dominik Mysterio
- Penta vs. Pete Dunne
- Ivy Nile vs. Dakota Kai – Women’s Intercontinental Championship #1 Contenders match
- Bianca Belair & Naomi to appear
- Sami Zayn to appear
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