Monday Night Raw Review - October 13, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins Addressed the Audience​

Rollins had the rest of The Vision in the ring with him, but he was the only one who spoke. It was interesting when he said he didn't need anyone to beat Cody Rhodes at Crown Jewel but himself, and obviously that was foreshadowing what would happen at the end of the night. This promo was well delivered regardless, but I liked how it planted the seeds for The Vision's betrayal of him later on.

Intercontinental Champion and AAA Mega Champion Dominik Mysterio def. Penta (AAA Mega Championship Was Not Defended)

Mysterio already beat Penta twice before back in the spring to retain his Intercontinental Championship and I can't say this was much different than those encounters. The hot Aussie crowd was into both guys, but the outcome felt predictable with Rusev previously teasing that he was going to interfere. This was a good match, but I'm curious what WWE's endgame is with Mysterio as champ and if he's headed for some sort of a multi-man match with Penta, Rusev, AJ Styles and maybe Dragon Lee for the title.

Rhea Ripley def. Kairi Sane

It was only fitting to get Ripley in a singles match while they're still in Australia. I realize Sane ate the pinfall loss in the tag team matchup at Crown Jewel, but it helped that she beat IYO SKY on last week's Raw so it's not as if she's always getting beat. I appreciated they were allotted as much time as they were as it was a nice outing. The heels immediately got their heat back by laying out Ripley and SKY afterward.

Bronson Reed def. Jimmy Uso

Uso was a clear step down in competition for Reed after he beat Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel, but it was a logical match to do. There wasn't much to it, mind you, but there didn't need to be. This was all about further establishing Reed's dominance. I'd like to see him really be elevated after being one of the only people to pin Reigns one-on-one in recent years and this was a fine step in that direction.

Bayley and Lyra Valkyria def. The Judgment Day (Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez)

This is what the feud has been building to since Bayley returned to Raw last month. It was a solid match with quality work from both teams. It isn't anything most people will remember a week from now, but the main focus was on Bayley and Valkyria managing to coexist and pick up the victory. Will they sight their sights on the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship from here?

The Judgment Day Interrupted Women's World Champion Stephanie Vaquer

I'm glad Vaquer was given some promo time as she hasn't done much on Raw since winning the Women's World Championship, and it was important to follow up on her winning the Women's Crown Jewel Championship. I'm also glad they established her next possible challengers in Rodriguez and Perez, but the timing was terrible because they just lost their tag team match right before this.

CM Punk def. Jey Uso and LA Knight in a World Heavyweight Championship No. 1 Contender's Triple Threat Match; The Vision Attacked World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins

Okay, a lot to dissect here. The Triple Threat itself was entertaining. They set it up without announcing it on last week's Raw, and I'm digging the continued tension between Punk and Knight specifically. Punk winning made total sense given his unfinished business with Rollins, but then again, are they even going to face each other at Saturday Night's Main Event considering the apparent injury to Rollins? If Rollins is actually hurt and will be out for the foreseeable future, then they made the right call by having the rest of The Vision exile him with Bron Breakker leading the charge. Even if he isn't injured until WrestleMania 42, this was a huge (and extremely well-executed) angle to shake things up on Raw, which many viewers would say was desperately needed. It definitely leaves me intrigued to see where they go next and how they intend to follow up on it, that's for sure.

Overall Show

Honestly, this was a very ho-hum show until the final few minutes. I'm not entirely surprised because WWE was well aware this would be airing on Netflix so early in the morning due to it emanating from Australia, but that show-closing angle will absolutely be enough to keep viewers buzzing and talking for days to come and to leave them looking forward to the fallout. Everything else was average at best, but I hope the development with The Vision is a sign that WWE truly is serious about putting more effort into improving their programming amid recent fan frustration and dissatisfaction.

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