 Intercontinental Champion and AAA Mega Champion Dominik Mysterio Confronted John Cena and Triple H; Cena def. Mysterio to Win the Intercontinental Championship (AAA Mega Championship Was Not Defended)Triple H being out there to start the show was incredibly unnecessary (and hardly changes the perception that he craves the spotlight), but I can understand the argument that he was out there to ensure the impromptu match was made official between Cena and Mysterio. Truthfully, as someone who was in the building, I can tell you that there really wasn't anything out of the ordinary about the match. It was basic at best, but the crowd didn't mind in the slightest. They were insanely hot for everything Cena did and popped huge for the finish. There have been rumblings that Cena might win the Intercontinental Championship before retiring, and while I'm not a fan of the move personally, it was admittedly a cool moment, especially to see it live. Rusev def. Damian Priest in a The Last Time Is Now Tournament First-Round MatchThese guys were put in a tough spot because the crowd was clearly exhausted from how the show started. The crowd probably sounded worse on television than they did in person, but they were relatively quiet, regardless. To their credit, they had a solid match. Priest selling the eye (which his rival Aleister Black previously targeted) was his out for losing, but I'm still surprised Rusev won as decisively as he did. Jey Uso and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes Saved World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk from Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed and Logan PaulI'm confused as to whether Breakker, Reed and Paul Heyman are still going by The Vision based on the "vision" talk from Paul. Nonetheless, this was good stuff to set up the men's WarGames match at Survivor Series. They established right after the opener that Rhodes was in the back because he congratulated Cena on his victory and told him he wouldn't miss his final Raw in Boston, but it's still rather random he'd want in on WarGames when he has no issue at the moment with any of these guys. Sure, it will be a star-studded match, but the build is lazy and further reinforces my point about WarGames not needing to happen every single year. Women's World Champion Stephanie Vaquer def. Raquel RodriguezRodriguez has been well protected in recent months and has made some noticeable improvements, so I was bummed the crowd wasn't more into this. Vaquer and Rodriguez had a nice match, but I don't think the predictability surrounding the outcome helped. The focus was more so on Nikki Bella finally turning heel on Vaquer afterward. I can't say it's the most exciting feud, but it does make sense and should keep Vaquer busy for a while. Sheamus def. Shinsuke Nakamura in a The Last Time Is Now Tournament First-Round MatchI remember these two first faced off when Sheamus returned from injury in the spring of 2024, but that was definitely more of a squash. This was competitive and more of what they were capable of. Nakamura hasn't meant much in years, but I enjoyed their outing, particularly the hard-hitting nature of it. Sheamus has much more history with Cena and was the correct choice to advance. The Kabuki Warriors def. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss to Win the WWE Women's Tag Team ChampionshipThe WWE Women's Tag Team Championship has taken center stage on Raw lately and it's been wonderful to see. As I've said before, this is the most important the division has felt in years. This was a quality contest with a welcome title change. Flair and Bliss had a great run and this was an appropriate time to have them lose the belts. We got the expected angle afterward with IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley returning to help Flair and Bliss fend off Kabuki Warriors, Nia Jax and Lash Legend before Ripley challenged the heels to WarGames at Survivor Series. Overall ShowThis was an excellent edition of Raw and one of the strongest all year as it accomplished multiple things. Of course, the Cena title win was the biggest highlight and had the crowd losing their minds. Nothing else came close to that, but there were plenty of Survivor Series/WarGames developments, the kickoff to Cena's tournament, two title changes and a notable heel turn from Bella. I had a blast being there live and hope next week's show in Madison Square Garden is equally entertaining.
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