Warning: The following copy has SPOILERS for WWE SmackDown (Mar 1st, 2025)
Monday Night Raw comes after one of the most explosive weekends inWWEhistory, asall the fallout to John Cena’s heel turn atElimination Chamberis still echoing around the wrestling world. CM Punk will be in the house, as will the man who cost him at Saturday’s PLE, Seth Rollins. World Champion Gunther will also be in the house, as will his challenger atWrestleMania, Jey Uso.
Raw also futures a host of Championship matches, as Lyra Valkyria defends her Intercontinental Championship against Ivy Nile, and her American Made teammates The Creed Brothers face The War Raiders to try and win the Tag Team titles.Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky will compete for the Women’s WWE Championshipin the night’s Main Event, with Bianca Belair waiting for the winner atWrestleMania. Expect Penta, AJ Styles, Ludwig Kaiser, American Made and more to fill out the first Raw on the road toWrestleMania.
Iyo Sky Shocks The World
A New Women’s Champion Is Crowned On The Eve Of WrestleMania
Not to take away anything at all from one of WWE"s best competitors, butIyo Sky stunned the world with her victory over Rhea Ripley. It is a win that tears up the script forWrestleManiayet again, as Bianca Belair will now meet the Damage CTRL member for the gold at The Showcase Of The Immortals. It is jubilation for Sky who is now 4-0 against Ripley, and captures the title for the first time since dropping it to Bayley at last year’sMania. As for Rhea Ripley, she only has herself to blame.
After owning 2023 and the beginning of last year, The Eradicator has had a far less dominant last twelve months. Ripley has suffered injury and playing secondary to Liv Morgan on Raw. To lose the title through her own negligence after being drawn into an entirely needless physical encounter with Belair will eat Rhea alive. Ripley is out of the title picture, has no immediate feud on the horizon, and has nobody to blame but herself onone of the worst night’s of Ripley’s main roster career.
Punk And Rollins Will Not Be Stopped
Next Stop: Madison Square Garden
CM Punk started Raw like a screaming bansheeout of hell. He is prone to a superb line and saying he will address his enemies “and that means everybody” made every viewer sit up to attention. Punk had his most furious pipe bomb since returning, calling The Rock a “bald fraud” having a “midlife crisis”, saying he “always knew Cena was full of bullshit” and Punk promises they will both “make a wish” they had never crossed him. When Punk turns his attention to Rollins, Seth’s music hitting was instantaneous. Then all hell breaks loose.
A big brawl to start Raw is standard fare, but Punk and Rollins’s pile-on was legendary. At the first Madison Square Garden Raw since the company’s big move to Netflix,CM Punk vs Seth Rollins in a Steel Cage was madeofficial by Adam Pearce.Expect Roman Reigns and his Wisemanto be in the NYC area, asWrestleManiacomes six weeks early on next week’s Raw.
Raw was dominated by Seth Rollins and CM Punk, the physicality of their bitter rivalry reaching new heights at the start of the show in a fantastic spot. Their cage match in Madison Square Garden will be unmissable. Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky put on another superb match in their increasing collection of bangers for Raw’s Main Event, asIyo pulled off the shock of the season to beat Ripleyand become the new WWE Women’s Champion. Sky and Belair will now face off atWrestleMania. Keep a close eye on something brewing between Bron Breakker and The Judgment Day, and AJ Styles could be set to challenge Logan Paul atWrestleMania.
