Raw Recap: A Night Of Disappointment, Dumb Finishes, and One Very Shocking Win
We all know the “go-home” Raw before a major pay-per-view, sorry, “Premium Live Event,” is usually a toss-up. It is either an explosive final sell that has you reaching for your wallet, or it’s a tread-water episode designed to keep everyone healthy before the big payday.
This week’s trip to Toronto? It felt less like treading water and more like drowning in a shallow pool of bad booking for Raw. We were promised a dream match. We were promised high stakes. Instead, we got a disqualification finish that felt like a slap in the face to anyone who stayed up past 10 p.m. Let’s dive into the wreckage.
The Main Event Mess: CM Punk vs. AJ Styles
On paper, this was money. CM Punk vs. AJ Styles for the World Heavyweight Championship. It’s the kind of match you simulate in video games. Styles, whose career is potentially hanging by a thread with that “career on the line” stipulation for the Royal Rumble, getting one last shot at the big one? It writes itself.
The crowd in Toronto should have been unglued. Instead, they sat on their hands for about 80% of the match, and I can’t say I blame them. The chemistry just wasn’t there. It felt like watching two legends trying to recreate a spark that had long since faded. And then came the finish.
We all expected interference. Gunther is fighting Styles on Saturday, so a run-in from the “Ring General” would have been predictable, but logical. Instead, we got… Finn Bálor?
Yes, the same Bálor who seemingly turned babyface last week after a banger against Punk. The same Bálor who looked ready to ditch the dead weight of Judgment Day. Suddenly, he’s back to doing the classic heel beatdown, causing a DQ and ruining what could have been Styles’ final Raw match.
It’s confusing, it’s frustrating, and frankly, it just didn’t make sense. If this is how Styles goes out on Raw, it’s a crying shame.
A Miracle On the Canvas: Alpha Academy Wins!
Now, for the only thing that genuinely made me smile tonight. If you had told me yesterday that Alpha Academy would be challenging for the tag titles, I would have laughed in your face. Otis and Akira Tozawa hadn’t won a match on Raw since Nov. 2024. That is a losing streak that would make the Detroit Pistons blush.
But in a Fatal 4-Way that included the New Day, Los Americanos, and the dangerously underutilized Creed Brothers, the underdogs actually did it. Tozawa hitting that Senton Bomb for the win was a legitimate feel-good moment in a show devoid of them. Will they beat The Usos? Absolutely not. But seeing Otis and Tozawa get a moment in the sun was a nice reminder that sometimes, wrestling can still surprise you in a good way.
The “Vision” Gets Blurry
I have no idea what is happening with Adam Pearce and Bron Breakker. Two weeks ago, their segment was electric. It felt like Stone Cold vs. Mr. McMahon for a new generation. But last night on Raw? Pearce walks out, mumbles an apology, puts Breakker and the rest of The Vision in the Rumble, and that’s it. Breakker didn’t even grab the mic. It was the narrative equivalent of a balloon slowly deflating. If this feud is over, it was a massive waste of time. If it’s not, they have a funny way of showing it.
Spoiler Alert: Surprise Entrants Aren’t Surprises
Here is a free piece of advice for WWE creative: Stop announcing “surprise” entrants. We found out that Roman Reigns and Oba Femi are in the Rumble. Why tell us? Especially for a guy like Femi, who is a monster in the making. Imagine the pop if his music hit unannounced on Saturday. By announcing it ahead of time, you rob the fans of that visceral reaction. It is lazy, plain and simple.
The Verdict
Look, I love wrestling. I want every show to be a home run. But this was a bunt that went foul. Between the dead crowd, the baffling main event booking, and the anticlimactic storytelling with Breakker, this was a rough watch.
If the Royal Rumble on Saturday is the main course, last night’s Raw was a cold appetizer that left a bad taste in my mouth. Here’s hoping they save the good stuff for Saudi Arabia.
Final Grade: D+
