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WWE RAW REPORT
APRIL 7, 2025
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. AT TARGET CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON NETFLIX (WORLDWIDE)
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, EDITOR
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee, Wade Barrett
Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor
Attendance: WrestleTix reports that 7,273 tickets were distributed headed into the day. The arena was set up for 8,589. The arena has a capacity of 20,500 spectators when configured for concerts.
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[HOUR ONE]
-They opened with a scene of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev. as Michael Cole hyped WrestleMania 41. Then they showed an aerial view of downtown Minneapolis including the Stone Arch Bridge, U.S. Bank Stadium, and the skyscraper skyline. He touted it as the longest running episodic TV show in history. Then he commented as clips aired of the arrivals of Gunther, New Day, The War Raiders, The Judgment Day, Penta, and Paul Heyman. In reference to the C.M. Punk favor reveal on Smackdown, Cole said, “You won’t believe what happened as we look back tonight.”
-A video recap aired of the Iyo Sky vs. Rhea Ripley match for the WWE Women’s Title with Bianca Belair as the special referee.
-Raw G.M. Adam Pearce stood mid-ring and said he had to address the situation with the Women’s Title at WrestleMania. He introduced Iyo Sky who then made her entrance. Then Belair made her entrance. Pat McAfee said he thought she was very fair last week as referee “until she couldn’t take it anymore.” He said she was attacked by both wrestlers and a commentator. Cole noted he was speaking of last week’s guest commentator Wade Barrett. Ripley then made her entrance.
Pearce said he was wrong to put Belair in the match last week because he was wrong to think any of them could handle themselves like professionals. He then made the match a Triple Threat match. Iyo reacted like she hadn’t seen that as an inevitability. Belair said a couple of weeks ago this would have really pissed her off because she earned her way to WrestleMania. She said she did it all through blood, sweat, and tears, whereas Rhea can do what she wants and just be added to the match. She said she doesn’t care anymore. She said she’s not scared of Ripley. She said she can overcome a Triple Threat. A “Rhea! Rhea!” chant broke out. She said she’ll walk out of WrestleMania as champion and she’ll go through Rhea to get it. She signed the contract.
Ripley asked if Belair really thinks she’s scared. Belair told her to shut up with a nasty tone and shoved the contract folder at her aggressively. Fans ohhh’d. Ripley signed it and then threw it back at Belair equally aggressively. Iyo stepped between them. Ripley shoved her away with her left arm disrespectfully and went back to arguing with Belair. Sky stormed out of the ring. Pearce had a word with her. He asked if she was going to sign the contract. Sky landed a springboard dropkick and then signed it. Cole said she’s sick and tired of playing second-fiddle to Rhea and Belair and is demanding respect.
(Keller’s Analysis: This story has been a mess, but the bright side is Belair is now so unlikable that turning her heel should be easy, and Ripley’s popularity might be able to withstand her coming across as a petulant disrespectful child the last few weeks. Sky standing up for herself has given fans something to rally behind. Pearce has looked bad in this, too. And while there’s a story to explain it, it cheapens Belair earning the title match at WrestleMania to have Ripley added to it this way. Pearce’s credibility has taken a hit through all this.)
-A clip aired of Bron Breakker inadvertently spearing Penta and then Finn Balor pinning Penta. Cole then announced Breakker will defend his IC Title at WrestleMania against Penta, Balor, and Dom.
-Backstage, Balor told Dom he cannot believe that both of them get a shot at the IC Title at WrestleMania. Liv took credit for getting Dom added. Balor said he didn’t know Dom wanted a shot at the title. Liv said they have now double the chance. She said it’s all good as long as one of them wins. Balor told Dom that people think he doesn’t think he has the killer instinct and he isn’t tough enough to win at WrestleMania. He said tonight he can prove them all wrong when by beating Penta all by himself. Balor told Dom he believes in him. Carlito told Dom he’s got his back. He then said he went to the Mall of America earlier in the day, the biggest mall in the country.
-They showed Lyra Valkyria backstage as Cole hyped her match. [c]
(1) LYRA VALKYRIA vs. BAYLEY – Intercontinental Title match
The bell rang 22 minutes into the hour. Cole wished Kevin Owens well as he has to miss WrestleMania to undergo neck surgery. Cole said Bayley has been increasingly frustrated. He said she noted she hasn’t won a match in two months. During a “Let’s Go Bayley / Let’s Go Lyra!” dueling chant, McAfee said Minneapolis “was firmly in the camp of Bayley.” Cole touted how much Valkyria is improving. Bayley went for a sunset bomb into the corner, but she lost her grip and Valkyria countered with a leverage pin attempt. It looked botched. Valkyria landed a wrecking ball dropkick to Bayley at ringside and then back in the ring landed a top rope bodypress for a two count at 5:00. They cut to a break. [c]
Bayley had Valkyria in a half crab. A minute later she dove through the ropes, but Valkyria moved. Bayley caught Valkyria diving at her through the ropes and landed a Bayley-to-Belly. The ref began counting. Cole noted a countout wouldn’t help Bayley. They both dove into the ring at the count of nine. Valkyria landed Knight Wing for a near fall. Cole said she didn’t get all of her finishing move. They replayed it on slo-mo. Bayley landed a running knee to the face and scored a near fall.
At 12:00, Bayley landed a sunset buckle bomb into the corner and landed it this time. Valkyria landed a rolling DDT and then a fisherman’s suplex for a near fall. Bayley caught Valkyria leaping at her and turned it into a Lion Tamer. Valkyria held on. Bayley switched to a Rose Plant attempt, but Valkyria countered with a leverage three count.
WINNER: Valkyria in 14:00 to retain the IC Title.
-Cathy Kelley interviewed Bert Kreischer backstage, a comedian. As he began to hype his Netflix special. Chad Gable interrupted with the rest of American Made and said he came to Minnesota to see them. Bert said he didn’t come to see them. Otis, Akira Tozawa, and Maxxine walked in. Otis and Bert tore open their shirts and exposed their big bellies and roared. Bert told Otis that tearing off his shirt is his thing. Otis said, “It’s our thing now.”
-Cole plugged that Dark State would be in action on NXT tomorrow night on The CW. [c]
-They went to Cole and McAfee at ringside who plugged some stuff.
-Jackie Redmond interviewed A.J. Styles about facing Logan Paul at WrestleMania. Styles said he’s in a good place now because he has a chance to embarrass Paul on the Grandest Stage of Them All “because you can’t beat experience.” Karrion Kross walked in and asked how experience helped him last week. Styles asked what he wants from him. Kross said he wants to help him. He said he wants the version of Styles needed to beat Logan. Kross said they need him to win. Styles said he’ll talk to Pearce and give him a taste of that Styles next week. Cole said Styles can shut up Kross too.
(2) DRAGON LEE & JOAQUIN WILDE & CRUZ DEL TORO (w/Rey Mysterio) vs. THE CREED BROTHERS & EL GRANDE AMERICANO (w/Ivy Nile)
Cole said Gable is upset that he can’t perform in front of his hometown audience, but he gets the opportunity after all, but under a mask. The bell rang 49 minutes into the hour. McAfee said he heard rumors that Americano chewed on steel as a kid to strengthen his jaw. At 2:00 Wilde, Del Toro, and Lee landed a running leap onto the Creeds and Americano at ringside. American Made came back with three top rope suplexes out of three of the corners. They cut to a break at 3:00. [c]
Lee landed a sitout powerbomb on Americano, but Julius landed a shooting star press to break up the cover. A “This is awesome!” chant broke out. Wilde landed a flying dive onto Brutus at ringside. Del Toro then landed a leaping springboard corkscrew dive onto Julius. Ivy handed something to Americano who shoved it into his mask. Cole wondered if it was a piece of metal. Rey stood on the ring apron. Americano headbutted him. Lee then met him at the top, but Americano headbutted him. Lee scooted into position for a diving headbutt which was good for the pin.
WINNERS: Americano & the Creeds in 10:00.
[HOUR TWO]
-Cole and McAfee plugged WrestleMania weekend happenings.
-A video package aired on the Gunther bloody beatdown of Jimmy Uso.
-A video aired on the DX chapter of Triple H’s career.
-Cole and McAfee talked about hosting the Hall of Fame ceremony a week from Friday.
-Gunther made his ring entrance. He stood on the announce desk. Cole and McAfee stepped back. Cole said Gunther gave him the dirtiest look earlier. Gunther entered the ring as fans chanted, “We want Jey!” Jey’s music played and he came out through the crowd. Jey entered the ring. Gunther laughed at him. Jey slapped the mic out of his hands. Jey stared at Gunther who appeared to not be taking him seriously and taking delight in how angry Jey appeared to be. Fans loudly chanted, “Uso! Uso!”
“Gunther, do you have a mother,” he asked. “Do you have a mom? Do you talk to your mom? What do y’all talk about? Family stuff? Does she ask how the wife and grandson are doing? … Regular family stuff?” Jey said he has a mother, too. He said what they talked about this week was how Jimmy was laid up in a hospital bed with 15 stitches across his forehead.
He said she asked him, “Why didn’t you protect him, Joshua?” He said he has never lied to his mom as a grown man, and he told her it was because he was afraid of Gunther. He said Gunther had him and he was three steps ahead, but it wasn’t enough. “You had to go get my family involved,” he said. “Especially Jimmy.”
Jey paced and said as he watched Gunther wipe his brother’s blood all over his body, he had never felt so disrespected or scared. “You made the whole damn world stop,” he said. “Violating my twin in front of me, making my heart stop.” He said the crazy thing is, in his darkest moment, a light bulb went off. “Ain’t that somethin’,” he said. “Do you know what I realized? I’m not afraid of you no more.” He stepped toward Gunther and said: “Before WrestleMania, hug and kiss your family.” He said the night before WrestleMania, he’s going to lay his head down and say a prayer and ask the Lord to forgive him for the man he’s about to become. He said, “At WrestleMania, I’m going to get you. I’m going to get you for me, for Jimmy, for my whole damn family, and I will take the World Heavyweight Championship.” Gunther seemed rattled.
(Keller’s Analysis: Excellent performance from both. I wouldn’t change the setting, but there was something about Jey standing there for ten minutes within a few feet of the man who beat his brother and he was willing to vent and then wait two weeks to get his hands on him. But Jey was spectacular there, and Gunther played off of him really well too.)
-Cole and McAfee reacted. Then they talked about the C.M. Punk-Paul Heyman-Seth Rollins-Roman Reigns situation.
-A video recap aired of that segment on Smackdown.
-The War Raiders made their ring entrance. [c]
-A teaser clip aired of “Stephanie’s Places” with Rhea Ripley where Stephanie wore make-up like Ripley.
-Natalya and Maxxinne Dupri talked with Pearce backstage about teaming together for the Women’s Gauntlet match on Smackdown this Friday. Rey walked in. Pearce said he’ll give him a match against Gable. Rey said no, he wants a match against Americano, who is making a mockery of what he stands for and he wants to expose him for the fraud that he is. He said he wants to face him at WrestleMania.
(3) THE WAR RAIDERS (Ivar & Erik) vs. THE NEW DAY (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) – WWE Tag Team Title match
The bell rang 37 minutes into the hour. Tony Hinchcliffe did guest commentary (and a whole new audience Googled the same thing everyone else does when they see and hear him for the first time). They cut to a break at 3:00. [c]
At 8:00, Xavier brought a chair into the ring. Ivar yanked it from him and hit him with it. The ref DQ’d him.
WINNERS: The New Day via DQ in 8:00 so The War Raiders retained the WWE Tag Team Titles.
-Kofi bashed Ivar across his back and neck with the chair. Erik went after him, but Xavier took him down. Kofi wedged a chair in the corner. Cole talked about the neck surgeries and injuries the War Raiders have had. They drove Erik head-first into the chair. Hinchcliffe took New Day’s side throughout the match and post-match angle. Xavier put Erik’s head on a chair. Officials ran out before Kofi could leap off the top rope onto him.
-Cole plugged more WrestleMania weekend happenings.
-A video recap aired of the Cody Rhodes-John Cena saga with vintage footage of both Cena and Cody over the years.
-Penta made his ring entrance. [c]
[HOUR THREE]
(4) PENTA vs. DOMINIK MYSTERIO
The bell rang at the start of the hour. Fans chanted, “Dom, you suck!” McAfee said Minneapolis was telling the truth. Cole noted this is their first-ever one-on-one match. They cut to a break at 2:00. [c]
Penta finished Dom with his Penta Driver.
WINNER: Penta in 9:00.
-Afterward, Carlito attacked him from behind. When Carlito began to leave, Breakker charged out and speared him. Cole said he ended up half way to Duluth. Breakker flexed and seethed. Dom took a swing at him, but Breakker ducked and speared him in the ring. Breakker then speared Penta. Penta coughed. Balor then came in and attacked him from behind. Balor held up the IC belt. Penta recovered and charged at Balor. Balor slipped out of the ring. Cole said this could be a sleeper match at WrestleMania.
-Cole said he thinks for the first time in their rivalry, Gunther has lost the upper hand with Jey. He then plugged Raw next week in Sacramento. [c]
-Paul Heyman said he will always be loyal to his Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. He said he will also always be loyal to his best friend in the world, C.M. Punk. He said he can be loyal to both without being disloyal to either. He said when it comes to WrestleMania, he wants to get one thing perfectly clear. Seth Rollins’s music then played and he came out to his music. “A lot of waffling going on,” said Cole.
Seth told Heyman he wanted to ask him the question that has been on everyone’s mind the last few days: “Paul Heyman, whose side are you on?” He asked if he’d side with Punk. A loud “C.M. Punk!” chant broke out briefly. Seth asked if he’d instead be loyal to Reigns. An “OTC!” chant started, but softer than the Punk chant. Seth said he can’t do both at the same time.
Seth said he doesn’t think Reigns gives a damn about him. He said he uses him. He said he likes him to book his flights and shine his shoes and order his steaks and hand him his Ula Fala. “Roman Reigns doesn’t respect you,” he said. Seth said Reigns lost his WWE Title in the main event “thanks to some well-dressed visionary.” He said Reigns disappeared into the ether, and he didn’t take Heyman with him. “He left you in the very caring, loving hands of his family member, Solo Sikoa, and the rest of the Bloodline. And did they treat you well?” He said they didn’t. He said they treated him like he was the scum of the Earth. He said they wondered if Reigns would come save Heyman. “Let me ask you?” he said. “Did Roman Reigns come to rescue you?” Heyman shook his head and mouthed no. Seth said Reigns left him to be massacred in his hometown in front of his children. He said Jacob and Azalia had to watch their father get put through a table because Roman doesn’t care about him.
Seth said Punk wasn’t there to rescue him, either. He said best friends are there for each other and don’t use each other. He said Punk walked out ten years ago on everybody including Heyman. He said he tried to tear down everything he was building there. He said he didn’t come back to embrace Heyman. He said they love to reminisce and romanticize about War Games. He said Punk wasn’t the first choice to be on Team Roman at War Games. “I was,” Seth said. Heyman nodded in confirmation. Seth said, “Stop me when I’m telling lies.” He said he declined. He said Punk was the last choice. “Did he join Team Roman out of the goodness of his heart because he loved his best friend, Paul Heyman?” he said. “No. He did it because he knew he could use it to get a favor out of you.”
Seth told Heyman that Punk is not his best friend and he loves no one but himself. He said he has to be honest with Heyman and all of Minneapolis. “I feel bad for you, Paul Heyman,” he said. “You are in a very difficult, unenviable position. You are between a rock and a hard place.” He suggested Heyman step aside and let the three of them “fight for the soul of the industry.” Heyman said he can’t do that. Seth said he understands that. “If only there was a solution,” he said. “If only there was a way we could remove you from the situation.” Seth walked ominously behind Heyman. Seth leaned in and said: “Paul, it’s for your own good. I would take it as a privilege to remove you from the situation right here, right now.” He said a boot to the back of the head and one quick stomp and it’s over. He said no one is there to save him – not Reigns or Punk. Seth reminded Heyman that Punk likes to say he’s not there to make friends, he’s there to make money.
Seth began lightly slapping Heyman and poking his chest and he asked how much he was worth after each swipe. Heyman yelled, “Don’t put your damn hands on me again!” Seth shoved Heyman into the corner. Punk then ran out to his music and tackled Seth. Seth eventually fought back and landed a Stomp on Punk. Heyman kneeled and told Punk, “I’m so sorry.” Seth moved in for a Stomp. Heyman moved, but Seth stopped short anyway. Seth then said, “Now you owe me a favor.”
(Keller’s Analysis: Great promo from Seth. That reminder that Punk said he’s not there to make friends, but just to make money landed well. Heyman standing up to Seth was a big moment, and it made even more sense when Punk ran out, since Heyman certainly knew Punk was there. The crowd reaction to Punk attacking Seth wasn’t what you’d expect, though. I think fans are a little tired of having to choose among wrestlers they largely like this year. That said, this story has really stepped up recently and this segment is a big part of that.)
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
PWTorch editor Wade Keller is joined by PWTorch’s Mauricio Pomarez to review WWE Raw LIVE tonight right after the show ends. Join us and let us know your thoughts on Raw during the show.
Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Raw. We’ll read your emails live during the post-show.
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