Monday Night Raw Review - June 9, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

CM Punk Confronted Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena

Finally! Many of us have been eagerly awaiting the day Punk and Cena faced off since Cena turned heel (and just in general) and it was every bit as exciting as I had hoped. Hopefully the best is yet to come from them and Punk can bring the best out of Cena on the mic because his heel promos have left a lot to be desired so far. This was a strong segment to start the show, though I'm a little less than thrilled that their first match in 12 years (and probably their last ever) is happening at Night of Champions at Saudi Arabia instead of almost anywhere else.

AJ Styles def. Chad Gable

Styles and Gable have had a match or two against each other before, but they never cease to work well together. This was a ton of fun for as long as it lasted. It was logical for Styles to get his win back over Gable after his alter ego El Grande Americano pinned him in a Money in the Bank qualifier last week, but I don't know where Styles goes from here. I assume he's headed for an opportunity at the Intercontinental Championship, which he has teased previously.

Roxanne Perez def. Kairi Sane, Rhea Ripley and WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Liv Morgan in a Queen of the Ring Quarterfinal Fatal 4-Way Match

The in-ring action was enjoyable, but what this match really had going for it was the story. Ripley and Morgan obviously have history, Morgan and Perez have been teasing tension as of late and Sane beat Morgan a few weeks ago. It would have been silly for Ripley to win the whole thing, so I'm glad she didn't even advance. Instead, Perez stole the win from Morgan, so this was well done.

Women's Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch Was Interrupted by Lyra Valkyria and Attacked by Bayley

I maintain that Lynch vs. Valkyria has quietly become WWE's best feud of 2025 so far. That might sound ridiculous, but if you honestly think about, what's been better? This program has been consistently great since it started the night after WrestleMania 41 and this was another quality segment from them featuring Bayley's return. Now the question is if it will be Lynch vs. Bayley or (more than likely) a Triple Threat with them and Valkyria for the Women's Intercontinental Championship at Evolution.

Ron "The Truth" Killings Addressed the Audience

On such a stacked show, this was the highlight of the night for me. It was so refreshing to get a serious version of R-Truth for the first time in almost 15 years. He clearly spoke from the heart here in what was a super passionate promo. He made very little (if any) mention of Cena, so I don't know what's in his immediate future, but they've got my attention, to say the least. The cutting of the hair was a nice touch, too.

Sami Zayn def. Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio, Penta and Bron Breakker in a King of the Ring Tournament Fatal 4-Way Match (Non-Title)

Doing even more multi-person matches after all the Triple Threat qualifiers we got heading into Money in the Bank was lazy enough, but then I realized that this was the exact same Fatal 4-Way we got at WrestleMania except with Zayn replacing Finn Balor. On the bright side, this was very fun and LA Knight costing Breakker the win (after Breakker and Bronson Reed cost him the Money in the Bank briefcase) was encouraging because it means Knight will be feuding with Seth Rollins going forward. With Gunther winning the World Heavyweight Championship later on, Zayn becomes an early favorite to win King of the Ring.

WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Liv Morgan Attacked Nikki Bella

Bella originally returned in the women's Royal Rumble earlier this year and was rumored to have signed a new deal with WWE but was M.I.A. until now. It makes sense for her to compete at Evolution, and I'd be totally fine with her facing Morgan one-on-one, but I get the feeling this is leading to a Bella Twins reunion so they can challenge for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. Either way, this was a solid segment to set up whatever they have planned.

Gunther def. Jey Uso to Win the World Heavyweight Championship

While I didn't think this was on the same level as their WrestleMania encounter (which also had the benefit of a more electric atmosphere), it was still a very good main event and they did a fantastic job telling the story of Uso coming in at a disadvantage with everything he's been involved in recently. I figured he'd find a way to overcome the odds and retain (presumably with an assist from a returning Goldberg), so Gunther winning clean instead was a sweet surprise. I actually have no issue with Uso losing the title so quickly just given the nature of his character. I also have no idea where they go from here with either guy and that's what intrigues me.

Overall Show

Damn, this was quite the hot follow-up show to Money in the Bank. Bayley and Nikki Bella returned, the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments kicked off, Killings cut his first promo since resurfacing at Money in the Bank, Cena vs. Punk was made official for Night of Champions and, oh yeah, the World Heavyweight Championship changed hands. This was an excellent edition of Raw that left viewers with a lot to look forward over the next month.

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