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WWE RAW REPORT
FEBRUARY 24, 2025
CINCINNATI, OHIO AT HERITAGE BANK CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON NETFLIX (WORLDWIDE)
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee
Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor
Attendance: WrestleTix reports that 12,267 tickets were distributed right before showtime. The arena has a capacity of 17,556 spectators. Over 2,000 tickets have moved for tonight’s show in the last 2 days (The last time in this venue on Apr. 26, 2024 they drew 13,110.)
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[HOUR ONE]
– The show opened with Logan Paul making his way to the ring. Logan insulted the Cincinnati audience and said that he would go on to face Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania. CM Punk interrupted, only for Logan to claim that he was jealous of him. Logan mocked Punk for failing on everything that he does outside. Punk said that he doesn’t care about Logan and that this was about business. Punk said that he doesn’t see anything special and no character when looking at him.
– Logan mocked Punk for getting injured and said that the people would eventually chant for him. Punk said that he has made history while Logan is barely a flash in the pan. Punk said that he would eliminate Logan and he would be history. He said that he would face Cody at WrestleMania and that he was the devil himself. Logan slapped Punk and walked away, only for Punk to warn him that he would be locked in a cage with him.
(Pomares’ Analysis: A very by numbers segment for the go-home show to Elimination Chamber. Punk did as good as he could, but Logan’s performance was lacking and unmemorable. Hopefully there is something with more substance to build the Chamber match on this show.)
– Ludwig Kaiser made his way to the ring, ahead of his match against Penta and Pete Dunne.
[Commercial Break]
(1) PETE DUNNE vs. PENTA vs. LUDWIG KAISER
Dunne took Kaiser out with an enzuigiri, only for Penta to send him out of the ring with a hurracarrana. Penta targeted Kaiser’s legs with kicks and dropped him with a backstabber. Dunne nailed Kaiser with a flying knee strike before receiving a cannonball off the apron from Penta. Kaiser drove Penta into the barricade and crushed Dunne’s arm with a dropkick into the steel steps. Penta caught Kaiser with a rising kick and clotheslined him out of the ring. Penta knocked Kaiser and Dunne with a high crossbody at ringside, as WWE Raw went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Penta dropped Kaiser and Dunne with a Tower of Doom. Penta blasted Dunne and Kaiser with chops to the chest, followed by inverted sling blades. Penta hit Kaiser with an elevated dropkick and stopped Dunne atop the turnbuckle with an enzuigiri. Kaiser sent Penta to the apron, only for Penta to launch Dunne onto him with a headscissors takeover. Penta crushed Dunne and Kaiser with Topes con Hilo and laid Kaiser out with a Jackhammer, but Dunne broke the pinfall with a double stomp.
Penta caught Dunne with a thrust kick before Kaiser grabbed this mask. Dunne knocked Kaiser off the apron and hit Penta with the Bitter End, only for Kaiser to break the pinfall. Dunne snapped Kaiser’s fingers before receiving a Destroyer from Penta. Penta took care of Kaiser with a thrust kick and snapped Dunne’s arm with The Sacrifice. Kaiser threw Penta out of the ring and beat Dunne with a twisting DDT.
WINNER: Ludwig Kaiser at 9:21
(Pomares’ Analysis: Pretty fun encounter to showcase everyone, but especially Ludwig Kaiser. Dunne is probably out of this story, only leaving Penta and Kaiser to have a rubber match in the near future.)
– A video package was shown, recapping John Cena’s declaration to the Elimination Chamber.
– Jackie Redmond interviewed Rhea Ripley about the Elimination Chamber. Ripley said that she would keep an eye on the Chamber, but she was focused on her match against Iyo Sky next week. Ripley said that 5 years have passed since their last match and she has become the most dominant women in WWE. She said that she has beaten everyone and next week she would add Sky’s name to the list. Sky showed up to face Ripley and claim that she would beat her next week.
– A recap of Road Dogg on LFG was shown.
– The New Day made their way to the ring, ahead of their match against the LWO. A recap of the New Day injuring Rey Mysterio two weeks ago was shown.
[Commercial Break]
(2) LWO (Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro) vs. NEW DAY (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods)
Wilde cornered Woods with a bunch of stomps and caught him with a boot to the face. Wilde put Woods in a headscissors lock using the top rope, setting him up for a springboard dropkick. LWO hit Woods with a double back elbow, followed by a splash and a Lionsault. Cruz nailed Woods with an enzuigiri atop the turnbuckle and launched him across the ring with a hurracarrana. Kofi low-bridged Cruz before he and Woods stomped him down. Cruz surprised Woods with a roll-up, only for Woods to retaliate with a discus elbow strike.
Cruz hit Kofi with an enzuigiri, reaching Wilde for the hot tag. Wilde attacked Kofi with clotheslines and forearms, followed by a jawbreaker on Woods. Wilde spiked Kofi with a pendulum DDT and Woods with a Tornado DDT. LWO crashed into New Day with stereo Topes con Hilo. Woods distracted the referee, allowing Kofi to gouge Cruz’s eyes and drive Wilde out of the ring. New Day crushed Cruz with a backbreaker and double stomp combination for the win.
WINNERS: New Day at 5:27
– After the match, Dragon Lee saved LWO from a post-match assault. Lee clotheslined Kofi out of the ring and hit Woods with a dropkick in the corner. Woods caught Lee off-guard with a boot to the face, setting him up for a double powerbomb.
(Pomares’ Analysis: Quite good while it lasted, but this was more about adding another decisive win for the New Day and giving Wilde and Cruz some rare TV time. I’m assuming New Day aren’t done with the LWO, but I hope once they are, they jump into the title picture.)
– Backstage, Finn Bálor said that last week was the most embarrassing week of the Judgment Day because of Dominik Mysterio. Finn called Dominik out for losing last week, only for Dominik to remind him that he got him the qualifying match which he lost. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez interrupted to tell them that they need to focus on the title match tonight. Finn called Liv out for attacking Jade Cargill and bringing trouble to them, only for Liv to claim that she wasn’t involved.
[Commercial Break]
[HOUR TWO]
– Gunther stood in the middle of the ring to confirm that he would be in action tonight. Gunther said that he would show Jey Uso what he could before revealing Akira Tozawa as his handpicked opponent. He said that he picked Tozawa because he saw him earlier tonight doing TikTok dances. Gunther said that him and Tozawa have similarities, but he was wasting his talent. Gunther said that he would give him the chance to earn his respect.
(3) GUNTHER vs. AKIRA TOZAWA (w/Otis & Maxxine Dupri)
Tozawa nailed Gunther with an enzuigiri and a dropkick, only for Gunther to shut him down with a big boot. Gunther laid Tozawa out with a chop to the chest, but Tozawa put him in a Guillotine lock. Tozawa caught Gunther with an enzuigiri, only for Gunther to blast him with a shotgun dropkick. Tozawa shocked Gunther with a sunset flip for a close two count. Gunther blocked a missile dropkick and trapped Tozawa in a Boston Crab, until he was able to reach the ropes. Tozawa attacked Gunther with chops, but Gunther shut him down with a single chop. Gunther dropped Tozawa with a powerbomb before breaking his own pinfall. Gunther put Tozawa in a standing sleeper hold to make him pass out.
WINNER: Gunther at 2:49
– After the match, Gunther put Akira Tozawa in a sleeper, until Otis made the save. Otis forced Gunther to retreat and turned around to check on Tozawa, only for Gunther to put him in a sleeper hold. Jey Uso showed up to make the save while Gunther retreated.
(Pomares’ Analysis: A really heated squash match to put over Gunther as the monster he should have been portrayed as throughout his entire title reign.)
[Commercial Break]
– A recap of Dakota Kai defeating Ivy Nile to earn a title shot was shown.
(4) LYRA VALKYRIA vs. DAKOTA KAI – WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship
Lyra drove Kai’s arm into the mat, only for Kai to kick her away. Lyra blocked a headlock takeover and Kai blocked a dropkick through the ropes. Kai swept Lyra off her feet on the apron and crushed her with a diving cannonball, as WWE Raw went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Lyra kicked Kai away to block a diving double stomp. Lyra dropped Kai with a delayed vertical superplex. They traded strikes, until Kai caught Lyra with a Scorpion kick. They exchanged pinning combinations before Kai caught Lyra with a jackknife pinfall. Lyra floored Kai with a powerbomb, but she kicked out at two. Kai caught Lyra with a thrust kick, followed by a running boot to the face and a sunset flip backstabber for a nearfall. Lyra avoided a Curb Stomp and pulled Kai off the top turnbuckle, setting her up for the Nightwing.
WINNER: Lyra Valkyria at 7:41 (Still Women’s Intercontinental Champion)
– After the match, Ivy Nile drove Dakota Kai into the barricade and laid Lyra Valkyria out with a German suplex. Nile dropped Lyra with a twisting side slam and stood tall with her belt.
(Pomares’ Analysis: Pretty good title defense that lacked crowd reaction in the first half, but really got them involved by the end. This division has been in a weird place where sometimes it feels like it has no direction. Hopefully, this feud with Ivy Nile has some actual substance and helps establish this title.)
– A recap of the rivalry between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn was shown.
– Earlier today, Jackie Redmond interviewed Sami Zayn about what happened with Kevin Owens last week. Sami said that he actually went to his house, but he couldn’t find him. Sami said that he felt ashamed of himself and that he didn’t recognize either of them. He said that he knew that they would cross a line at the Chamber and that he hoped that Kevin knew that it would be a bad time for both of them.
(Pomares’ Analysis: Once again, Sami Zayn is excellent at giving this genuine promos that feel like a real heartbroken man speaking. I don’t know what is happening at Elimination Chamber, but this Unsanctioned match is already my most anticipated one for the show.)
[Commercial Break]
– A video package was shown, hyping up the women’s tag title match on the main event.
(5) BRON BREAKKER vs. DOMINIK MYSTERIO (w/Finn Bálor & Carlito)
Breakker shoved Dominik down and tossed him out of the ring. Breakker blocked a punch and turned Dominik inside out with a lariat. Finn and Carlito pulled Dominik out of the ring, only for Breakker to throw him back in and lay him out with a belly-to-belly suplex. Carlito pulled Breakker out of the ring, allowing Dominik to hit him with a suicide dive. Back in the ring, Dominik crushed Breakker with a slingshot senton, but he kicked out at one. Carlito distracted Breakker, allowing Dominik to knock him down with a dropkick and clock him with 619. Breakker stopped Dominik atop the turnbuckle and put him down with a Frankensteiner. Finn and Carlito pulled Breakker out of the ring and drove him into the steel steps.
WINNER: Bron Breakker at 3:18 via DQ
– After the match, Judgment Day pummeled Bron Breakker down, until Breakker launched Dominik out of the ring and hit Carlito with a Spear. Breakker stopped Finn from using a chair, forcing him to roll out of the ring.
(Pomares’ Analysis: Just a squash match to finally get Bron Breakker wrestling on TV in a long while. I like Breakker standing tall on his own against three, but based on how people like Finn, Dominik, AJ and Logan are interacting with him and each other, I’m getting the feeling that they are setting up a multi-man title match at WrestleMania.)
– A recap of The Rock calling out Cody Rhodes and asking him for his soul on SmackDown was shown.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviewed Ivy Nile about her attack on Lyra Valkyria. Nile said that they were all coming for championship gold. The War Raiders attacked the Creed Brothers from behind, as agents tried to separate them.
[HOUR THREE]
– Cody Rhodes made his way to the ring to address what The Rock told him. Cody said that this was a decision that he couldn’t make on his own, listing every person in his family as important to it. Seth Rollins interrupted to ask Cody what the hell he was thinking. Rollins pointed out that a year ago that they were going to war against The Rock. Rollins told Cody that the fact that he didn’t slap the Rock was a slap on his face.
– Cody called Rollins out for what he had done in the past, but still recognized him as his shield at last year’s WrestleMania. Rollins said that he wasn’t here to judge Cody and wanted to stop him from making his mistakes. Rollins said that he wanted to face the best version of Cody and not a soulless shell of himself. He finished by telling Cody that he wasn’t coming for his soul, but he was coming for his title.
(Pomares’ Analysis: A strong and grounded follow-up to the bizarre Rock segment from SmackDown. The direction for WrestleMania seems to be up in the air at this moment, but segments like this help maintain these characters compelling and leave various possibilities open for WrestleMania.)
– The commentary team ran down the match card for Elimination Chamber.
– A video package was shown, recapping the issues between Bianca Belair, Naomi, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez, as well as the mystery attack of Jade Cargill.
– Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez made their way to the ring, ahead of their match against Bianca Belair and Naomi.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Jey Uso showed respect to Akira Tozawa for stepping up to Gunther. A-Town Down Under confronted Jey to tell him that nobody believed he could beat Gunther. Jey taunted them with his ‘yeet’ hand signal and nailed Grayson Waller with a superkick.
– It was announced that Rhea Ripley would take on Iyo Sky; and that the War Raiders would face the Creed Brothers in title matches next week.
(6) BIANCA BELAIR & NAOMI vs. JUDGMENT DAY (Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez) – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
Belair and Naomi attacked Liv and Raquel before the bell ran and threw them into the barricade. Belair attacked Liv with a series of shoulder thrusts, followed by a double Russian leg sweep and a double elbow drop. Naomi and Belair crushed Liv with a leg drop and standing moonsault combination for a two count. Belair clobere Liv with a forearm strike, only for Raquel to trip her off her feet. Raquel pulled Belair out of the ring and threw her into the barricade, as WWE Raw went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Naomi blasted Raquel with a leg lariat and a bulldog. Naomi took care of Liv with a leg drop to the back and planted Raquel with a slingshot facebuster. Raquel blocked a high crossbody, but Naomi cracked her with a kick to the head. Naomi knocked Raquel down with a blockbuster, reaching Belair for the hot tag. Belair crushed Raquel with a 450 Splash, but she kicked out at two. Raquel caught Naomi with a big boot and blocked Belair’s KOD by raking her eyes. Liv and Raquel hit Belair with a tag team diving Codebreaker for a nearfall.
Belair blocked Oblivion, allowing Noami to crack her with a roundhouse kick. Dominik Mysterio showed up to distract the referee, allowing Raquel to save Liv from a double KOD. Raquel planted Naomi with the Tejana Bomb, setting her up for Liv’s Oblivion. Belair managed to break the pinfall and take Raquel out with a Spear. Naomi dropped Liv with a jawbreaker, reaching Belair for the tag. Belair knocked Raquel off the apron and floored Liv with KOD, but Raquel broke the pinfall. Naomi spiked Raquel with a Heat Seeker on the apron before her and Belair hit Liv with a double KOD.
Dominik put Liv’s foot on the rope to break the pinfall. Raquel blocked the KOD and dumped Belair onto the announce table. Naomi knocked Raquel down with a plancha and blocked Oblivion. Naomi kicked out of a roll-through and caught Liv with the Rear View. Raquel stopped Naomi atop the turnbuckle and smashed her head into the ring post, allowing Liv to score the win.
WINNERS: Judgment Day at 12:12 (Still WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions)
(Pomares’ Analysis: Really strong main event and arguably the best women’s tag title match in a long time. Liv Morgan has improved massively since losing the title and going back to the tag title scene. Meanwhile, this feels like WWE is officially writing Bianca and Naomi out of the tag division ahead of the Elimination Chamber which already makes Bianca a huge favorite to win the Chamber and challenge for the title at Mania.)
Advertised Matches & Appearances
- Bianca Belair & Naomi vs. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match
- Lyra Valkyria vs. Dakota Kai – WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship match
- Penta vs. Ludwig Kaiser vs. Pete Dunne
- The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. LWO (Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro)
- Gunther to speak
- C.M. Punk, Seth Rollins, and Logan Paul to appear
- Rhea Ripley has message for Iyo Sky
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