Monday Night Raw Review - May 12, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso and Sami Zayn Saved from CM Punk from Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker

This was Punk's first promo since WrestleMania 41 and I appreciated that he acknowledged how he was betrayed by Paul Heyman once before. He and Rollins had a solid exchange on the mic, but it wasn't much different than what we've heard from them before. The subsequent brawl was was well done and set up Punk and Zayn vs. Rollins and Breakker for Saturday Night's Main Event.

Penta def. Chad Gable

These two haven't mixed it up since Penta debuted back in January, so I'm glad they had a chance to run it back. They had another enjoyable outing and made the most of the time they had. Penta was able to score a measure of revenge on Gable after El Grande Americano's interference in his Intercontinental Championship match at Backlash, but I get the feeling this feud isn't over yet.

The Creed Brothers def. The War Raiders

This was along the same lines as their encounters over the World Tag Team Championship earlier this year in that it was well worked and featured some fun, impressive offense from both teams. The New Day cost War Raiders the win, so that rematch should be coming at some point. Could we see the Creeds challenge New Day for the tag titles in the meantime?

Gunther Confronted World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso

Uso vs. Logan Paul for the World Heavyweight Championship was confirmed for Saturday Night's Main Event, but that was already obvious. What surprised me was Gunther coming out and rekindling his rivalry with Uso. I understand the Gunther character would want the belt back, but I'm not a fan of him likely losing to Uso again. This was a solid segment, but I'm skeptical of where it's headed.

AJ Styles def. Finn Balor

Every match Styles and Balor have had has been great and this was no exception. It thankfully went for a while and the action was entertaining. Neither of them are what they once were in the ring, but they're still very much capable of delivering at a high level. Penta thwarted The Judgment Day's interference at ringside, so we're getting Styles and Penta vs. Balor and JD McDonagh next week. Penta and Styles teaming up (I believe for the first time should be a blast).

Becky Lynch Addressed the Audience

Lyra Valkyria was off the show selling the attack from Lynch at Backlash. However, Lynch didn't spend a majority of this promo talking about Valkyria. I assume their rivalry will continue (and it should), but Lynch had more to say about the audience and justifying her heel turn. It was a well-delivered promo (despite running a little long), but it did leave me wondering if she's already moving on.

Rhea Ripley and Women's World Champion IYO SKY def. Giulia and Roxanne Perez

This marked Giulia's in-ring debut on the main roster and it was the main event of Raw. That's pretty cool. They had a top-notch main event, as you'd expect from these four. My only issue is that Giulia and Perez lost decisively once again. They've been getting a ton of exposure as of late between Raw and NXT, but they've been losing a lot and aren't establishing credibility for themselves. That needs to change soon. Meanwhile, I suspect that SKY vs. Ripley rematch is imminent, and I doubt they'll wait until Crown Jewel in October (which will emanate from Australia) to do it.

Overall Show

Between Dayton for Friday's SmackDown and this show in Louisville, these crowds have been quiet as hell. The one thing both shows had in common was that they were wrestling-heavy, so I hope WWE doesn't see this as a sign that focusing more on the action is a bad thing. I actually thought this was a thumbs-up episode, even if it wasn't on the same level as last week's. We were treated to some quality matches and the usual storyline advancement. This show breezed by for me.

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