Monday Night Raw Review - February 3, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

World Heavyweight Champion Gunther Confronted Jey Uso

Man, that crowd reaction Uso received while walking out and standing in the ring was special. I'm aware of the backlash his Royal Rumble win has received online, but you'd never tell any of that was the case based on how beloved he was here. Uso milked the cheers for as long as possible, which made the whole thing feel even more organic. I've taken issue with Uso's promos over the last year or so, but this was one of his better ones and I do think Gunther can help him with them heading into WrestleMania 41. I liked how Gunther logically dismissed the idea of Uso challenging him again because he's already beaten him multiple times.

Penta def. Ludwig Kaiser

Kaiser was quickly eliminated from the men's Royal Rumble by Penta, so that was how this bout came about. What we got was good, but I enjoyed Penta's previous matches on Raw a bit more. Interestingly, Kaiser attacked Penta afterward when Pete Dunne appeared, so it looks like Kaiser and Dunne might be forming an alliance. Perhaps Penta will call upon Rey Mysterio for some backup?

Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley Confronted Charlotte Flair

Despite Flair being out injured for over a year, the crowd clearly didn't care and booed her, regardless. It's a shame because I think she'd come off as more sympathetic if she didn't sound so damn robotic and scripted. What she said here was perfectly fine, but her delivery was awful. Ripley actually had to carry the segment. I appreciate all the history these two have, but Flair vs. Tiffany Stratton is the match that makes the most sense for WrestleMania 41.

The New Day def. The LWO (Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee)

New Day getting new entrance music is long overdue. I maintain that WWE hasn't done nearly enough with them since the heel turn, but if nothing else, this feud with The LWO has given them something to do. This was a solid match, but the focus was mostly on Logan Paul costing Mysterio the win ahead of their Elimination Chamber qualifier next week. At least New Day won for a change.

Liv Morgan def. IYO SKY by Disqualification to Qualify for the Women's Elimination Chamber Match

This was a rematch from Saturday Night's Main Event back in December. They have quality chemistry, so this was a nice match. I thought SKY would avenge the loss and punch her ticket to Chamber since there's zero chance of Morgan facing Ripley again at WrestleMania, so Morgan going over instead (albeit by disqualification) surprised me. The execution of the finish was lame. This better be building to Ripley vs. SKY at WrestleMania. Yes, we could get it at Chamber, but that's a WrestleMania-worthy encounter to me.

Seth "Freakin" Rollins Addressed the Audience

Rollins was ruthless in his assault on Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble, and yet he came out here looking ridiculous as ever (albeit a little less so than usual). I don't understand why he can't show his serious side more consistently. Nonetheless, this was an effective promo from him addressing Reigns as well as Sami Zayn before his qualifier with CM Punk. Rollins will have his own qualifier against Finn Balor on next week's Raw.

CM Punk def. Sami Zayn to Qualify for the Men's Elimination Chamber Match

Punk vs. Zayn is a main event I never expected to see on Raw, but I'm so glad we got it. Punk wrestling more matches is awesome and he's killing it every time. This was a very fun main event with both guys having strong showings. The finish in particular was fantastic. I didn't think we'd see Kevin Owens so soon after the beating he took at the Rumble, but I loved him coming out afterward to hit Zayn with a Package Piledriver to close the show. Zayn vs. Owens feels like a lock for Chamber in Toronto.

Overall Show

Not only was there plenty of Royal Rumble follow-up, the build to Elimination Chamber is already underway and the qualifiers will give some matches more meaning in the coming weeks. This was another above-average effort from the red brand as the two-and-a-half hours were filled very well and I was thoroughly entertained throughout. Here's hoping Raw can keep it up en route to WrestleMania.

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