Posted on 9/23/125 by Bob Magee
Date: September 22, 2025
Location: Ford Center in Evansville, IN
The Big Takeaway —
Asuka and Rhea Ripley wrestled for the first time in almost
three years, and the show’s closing angle saw Asuka turn
heel on Iyo Sky. (See more below.)
Jey Uso beat LA Knight, and a heel turn may be around the
corner for Jey, too. (It could be leading to something else,
but the teases are increasingly less subtle.)
As expected, WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and World Champion
Seth Rollins will wrestle at Crown Jewel, while Women’s
World Champion Stephanie Vaquer will wrestle the winner of
SmackDown’s triple threat title match between WWE Women’s
Champion Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill and Nia Jax. While
it ultimately doesn’t matter who the Crown Jewel Champion
is, Rhodes and Rollins had a long talking segment to add
some intrigue to their match.
**********
Show Recap —
A new signature video opens the show (as it did at
Wrestlepalooza), and the clips focus on the company’s more
recent history.
There was a Wrestlepalooza video recap, in which they also
spliced in clips from wrestlers and personalities making the
rounds on ESPN leading up to the show.
The Vision, Stephanie Vaquer (and her father), The New Day
and Grayson Waller, Bayley, and LA Knight arrived at the
arena. As Knight arrived, Rusev confronted Dominik Mysterio
and shoved him into some equipment boxes.
Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett are tonight’s announcers.
They announced that Cody Rhodes would face Seth Rollins for
the Men’s Crown Jewel Championship in Perth, Australia.
Cody Rhodes kicks off Raw
Rhodes showed off his inaugural Crown Jewel championship
ring and said he would love to win another.
Rollins and the Vision (minus Becky Lynch) interrupted.
Rollins told his partners to remain in the aisle as he
entered the ring alone. The crowd sang Rollins’ song before
switching back to chants for Cody.
Rollins said he had Crown Jewel circled on his calendar
since they both walked out of SummerSlam as champions. Two
of the best in the world in their primes would go one-on-
one, and may the best man win. At least it should be that
simple, but it wasn’t. It was deeper than that and bigger
than that.
Rollins knew what everyone (the fans, wrestlers, and “the
internet”) thought about him, but he didn’t give a damn. The
fans didn’t know what was good for them. (The fans chanted
for CM Punk, and Rollins shut them down by saying Punk
didn’t matter here because he didn’t have a championship.)
Rollins wanted to know what Rhodes thought of him.
Rhodes said Rollins has recently made some questionable
choices, including aligning with Paul Heyman. But Rollins
also changed his life. Rollins changed his life because
Rhodes wouldn’t have known what he was capable of if not for
their Hell in a Cell match. Rollins changed his career by
being his shield at WrestleMania and helping him bring the
world title to the Rhodes family.
Rhodes knew it was pro wrestling 101 to run Rollins down
right now to hype up their match, but Rhodes wanted to know
what Rollins thought of himself. Rhodes said Rollins could
be the absolute best in the business. But that version of
Rollins wouldn’t be hiding behind the three Vision goons.
Rollins pointed out his wristwatch, the one Rhodes gifted
him after WrestleMania 40. Rollins hadn’t worn it until
tonight. Rollins wondered if that was a real gift or a token
gesture because Rhodes was fantastic about saying all the
ring things about him, but only when it suited Rhodes.
Rhodes undermined everything Rollins stood for.
Rollins didn’t appreciate Rhodes going on interviews and
saying he was the guy to take this business into the future.
Rhodes called himself QB1, so Rollins wondered what that
meant for him. Either Rhodes thought Rollins wasn’t good
enough, or just not as good as him.
Rollins said the Vision weren’t goons, they were the future
of the business, and he was the tip of the spear, not
Rhodes. Rhodes could be the quarterback if he wanted to, but
he would be Rollins’ quarterback. It didn’t matter what
Rhodes thought, because they would get the answer at Crown
Jewel. This wasn’t a two-man show. Rollins stated, “I’m the
alpha.”
Rhodes reminded Rollins that they’ve had three matches, and
they’ve all been one-on-one. Rhodes peered over at the
Vision and asked if it would be the case again in Perth.
Rhodes concluded with a question: “In the three matches that
we’ve had, Seth Rollins, how many of those have you won?”
Rhodes left the ring, and the Vision cleared a path for him
to leave.
********
Jimmy Uso met with Jey Uso backstage. (Jey had tape over
stitches on his forehead.) Jimmy said their loss was trash
because he knew they could beat the Brons. Jimmy went to
Adam Pearce to request a rematch, only to learn that Jey was
already busy tonight because he had asked for a match
against Knight.
Jey was red-hot and said they would have won if not for
Knight being the referee. Jey was also pissed about Jimmy
tagging with Knight last week (and losing). Jimmy asked if
he was being blamed for their loss. Jey settled down
(realizing he didn’t want to upset Jimmy) and said no, but
he planned on beating up Knight tonight.
********
Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods cut their usual ad-break
promo.
No disqualification six-man tag match: The New Day & Grayson
Waller vs. The War Raiders & Penta
Woods wore a gigantic black hat a few weeks ago, so all
three heels had a hat this week. They put the hats on during
the break, so the babyfaces stole the hats and posed with
them. The heels attacked them from behind to gain the heat.
Kingston hit Penta with a diving leg drop off the top
turnbuckle through a table outside the ring. The camera
missed it because Woods blocked the cameraperson, so they
immediately showed a replay. Erik brought both members of
New Day by himself off the ropes, and Ivar went for a
moonsault, but New Day dodged it.
Penta avoided going through a corner table and instead
suplexed Kingston through it. Waller cracked a kendo stick
over Penta’s back, but Penta fought him off and hit an
avalanche Canadian Destroyer for the pinfall win.
Match result: Penta & The War Raiders defeated Grayson
Waller & The New Day (10:15)
This was pretty fun for the time they had, and the crowd was
super into it. They popped huge for Penta’s finish.
********
Dominik approached Judgment Day backstage. He wanted their
help with Rusev, but Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh weren’t
interested. Bálor wondered why El Grande Americano didn’t
help Dom, but Dom said he was back in Mexico. Bálor claimed
he was busy and began doing something on a tablet.
Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez talked McDonagh into
helping Dom. McDonagh only agreed because it would be best
for Judgment Day. McDonagh said he would speak with Peace,
but Dom told him he already got McDonagh a match against
Rusev. McDongh (and Bálor) weren’t thrilled to hear this,
but Dom was sure pleased with himself.
********
Bayley met with Lyra Valkyria backstage. Bayley had
selective memory, and Valkyria was surprised to learn that
Bayley wasn’t mad at her after calling her an idiot last
week. Bayley was all smiles and said she didn’t know what
Valkyria was talking about. Bayley asked her to be at
ringside for her match tonight. Valkyria wasn’t sure, but
she eventually agreed. (Bayley wore Punk’s “AJ’s husband”
jacket.)
********
During a break, Byron Saxton asked Heyman about seemingly
being Brock Lesnar’s advocate again. Heyman ignored the
question and instead said Rollins would beat Rhodes at Crown
Jewel.
Heyman cut the promo on behalf of Rollins, but did so as if
he was talking about Lesnar (using a lot of the lines he
normally uses for Lesnar promos). Heyman said Rollins
winning wasn’t a prediction or even a spoiler—it was a
prophecy.
********
Stephanie Vaquer promo
Vaquer entered to a good reaction. Pearce congratulated her
on winning the Women’s World Championship. Vaquer called
this a dream come true. At times, it seemed impossible, but
she worked hard for it and accomplished it. She beat one of
the best in Iyo Sky and had her dad as inspiration. She
pointed out her dad in the crowd.
Vaquer said this championship represented the motivation and
support the fans gave her. They celebrated with her at
Wrestlepalooza. She thanked them. Vaquer said her fire would
keep making history, and nobody could stop her.
Pearce told Vaquer that Tiffany Stratton was defending her
title against Jade Cargill and Nia Jax in a triple threat on
SmackDown, and the winner would face Vaquer at Crown Jewel.
Vaquer looked forward to being there.
Fireworks went off as Vaquer posed with her title belt.
— Nikki Bella and Rhea Ripley approached Vaquer backstage to
congratulate her. Ripley gave her a friendly reminder that
she was coming for the title.
Asuka (with Kairi Sane) confronted Vaquer. Asuka said Sky
deserved to be champion, not Vaquer. Vaquer said she would
fight Asuka any time she wanted. Vaquer left (with Bella).
Ripley was tired of Asuka. Asuka told her to stay away from
Sky, or else. Ripley challenged her to a match tonight, and
Asuka accepted. The crowd popped for that. (The match was
made official later on.)
********
Bayley (w/Lyra Valkyria) vs. Roxanne Perez (w/Raquel
Rodriguez)
Barrett noted that Perez was tied with Knight for most
matches in WWE in 2025, and they spoke about how the
experience was helping Perez get better and better. (Perhaps
a lesson to be learned there.)
Bayley was in control and went to the middle rope, but she
distracted herself by watching Rodriguez at ringside. Perez
kicked her leg out of her leg and took control ahead of a
break. Rodriguez also took a cheap shot at Bayley during a
break.
Bayley fought back after a break, but Perez cut her off.
Perez went for a suicide dive, but Bayley blocked it with a
forearm. Perez fought her off and hit a Pop Rox outside the
ring, and Bayley just barely beat the ten count.
Rodriguez booted Bayley as Perez distracted the referee, so
Valkyria attacked Rodriguez and drove her into the ring
post. Perez then wiped out Valkyria with a suicide dive.
This caused Bayley to snap into another personality, I
guess, and she nailed Perez with a Bayley-to-belly, a
running boot, and Rose Plant for the pinfall win.
(Tesstitore tried to convince us that this was a violent
attack, but it was really just one wrestler hitting another
wrestler with their big moves for the win.)
— Valkyria was pumped up for Bayley and gave her a hug.
Bayley suddenly had no interest in Valkyria being there and
shoved her down. Valkyria was shocked as Bayley screamed at
her and told her to stay out of it.
The crowd was into Bayley during the match, but they booed
her in the post-match (which was the idea).
Match result: Bayley defeated Roxanne Perez (10:46)
********
Jimmy congratulated Rhodes on his Wrestlepalooza win. Rhodes
asked how Jey was doing. Jimmy said Jey was in his own head
and wouldn’t listen to him. Jimmy asked Rhodes if he would
talk to him, so Rhodes agreed.
Rhodes approached Jey after a break. Rhodes said Jimmy was
worried about him. Jey said Big Jim was always tripping and
told Rhodes not to worry. Rhodes said he knew what Jey felt
like. There were highs and lows, wins and losses. People in
their position isolate themselves, but Rhodes reminded Jey
that he has his family, friends and fans. Rhodes told him,
“We believe in you.”
Jey told him not to worry. “Imma find my way back to the
top, Cody.” Rhodes left, and Jey stared at him as he did.
********
Rusev’s entrance happened during a break.
Rusev vs. JD McDonagh (w/Intercontinental Champion Dominik
Mysterio)
Rusev was in complete control until McDonagh kicked the
steel steps into his legs. McDonagh followed with an Asai
moonsault ahead of a break. McDonagh continued to shine with
a few spots after a break, including a moonsault for two.
McDonagh hit Rusev with multiple clotheslines, but couldn’t
knock him down. Rusev nailed him with a body slam and Matcka
Kick. Rusev applied the Accolade, and Dom hopped on the
apron. Dom considered breaking it up, but was too afraid to
get involved, so McDonagh taped out.
— Rusev wouldn’t let go of the hold after the match as Dom
just stood there, so Bálor ran out and gave Rusev a reverse
DDT (which got a modest pop). Before Rusev could get up,
Judgment Day escaped while Bálor admonished Dom.
Match result: Rusev defeated JD McDonagh (10:12)
This match was between two heels, so the crowd wasn’t super
into it, but they did get into McDonagh a bit thanks to his
offence.
********
Sky approached Asuka and Sane backstage, but Asuka didn’t
want advice from someone who lost. Asuka left. Sane was in
agony over all of this, but told Sky that Asuka was the
reason they were there, so they had to listen to her.
********
Jackie Redmond interviewed Knight. Redmond’s question was
taking too long to get out, so Knight cut her off. Knight
said Jey should be worried more about his own health. Knight
was only checking on Jey’s well-being during the
Wrestlepalooza match before he got speared through the
table.
Knight wasn’t trying to hurt Jey before—but he would
tonight. Jey might’ve brain’ed himself on Saturday, but if
he hadn’t, Knight would do it for him with a BFT.
Jey Uso vs. LA Knight
Jey wore all black (with white sneakers) and did his full
entrance. Knight did his entrance, but as he jumped down
from the middle rope, Jey punched him before the match
officially began. The ref called for the bell to begin.
Jey was all over Knight until Knight cut him off with a
neckbreaker. Jey avoided a baseball slide and clotheslined
Knight to regain control during a break. After the break,
Knight scaled the ropes to bring Jey down with a superplex.
They traded strikes until Knight ducked one and hit a
reverse DVD for two. Jey followed later with a suicide dive
and superkick for two. Knight responded with a DDT and
flying elbow drop for two.
Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed ran out, so Knight attacked
them both before they could enter the ring. The referee just
watched this all transpire.
Knight re-entered the ring but ran into an Uso spear. Jey
followed with an Uso Splash for the pinfall win.
— Jimmy joined Jey on stage after the match. Jimmy thought
they should help Knight because he was about to be attacked
by the Brons. Jey didn’t care, so he left.
Jimmy grabbed a chair and sprinted to the ring. Jimmy
invited the Brons into the ring, but Heyman talked them
down, and they left.
Match result: Jey Uso defeated LA Knight (8:36)
This was good, although I hate these distraction finishes.
The referee looked like an idiot, letting things just
continue normally after the Brons got involved. The match
itself went at a fast pace, with the crowd into it all the
way, and it felt like a fight between two guys with building
animosity.
********
Becky Lynch ranted backstage while Rollins was in deep
thought as he looked at his wristwatch. Lynch ranted about
Rhodes, the Usos, and the fans. Lynch said the fans were
thieves trying to steal the things they built. Lynch wanted
to make an example. She left. (Rollins didn’t say a word.)
********
Sky approached Ripley. Ripley, a grown adult, asked if they
were allowed to be around each other. Sky wanted Ripley to
cancel her match against Asuka. Ripley said she was sick of
Asuka’s disrespect. Ripley hoped they could beat the respect
into each other like she did with Sky. Sky said, “Fine.”
Before Sky could leave, Ripley told her to be careful around
Asuka. Sky was offended by this comment. Sky said Asuka was
family and was the reason she was there. Sky said she could
trust Asuka, but didn’t know if she could trust Ripley. Sky
left, and Ripley was upset.
********
Raw next week (7 pm ET/4 pm PT start time):
Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. Rusev for the Intercontinental
Championship
Bayley vs. Raquel Rodriguez
The Usos vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed in a tornado tag
match
********
There was a video package for Los Americanos, trying to make
it seem like they were a deeply rooted part of lucha libre
history. Of course, they used gross-looking AI for the
video.
Maxxine Dupri asked Pearce for a match because she wanted to
prove herself. Pearce told her to keep working until he
finds someone.
AJ Styles and Dragon Lee approached Pearce next. Styles said
the Americanos were pissing him off and admitted to being a
petty man. Dragon Lee wanted them in a tag match next week.
Pearce said he would talk to them. (So he knows who they
are?) Styles told Pearce not to sign any more Americanos for
a while.
********
Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka (w/Kairi Sane)
This was their first match since December 2022, and the
announcers built this up as a PLE-level match. They went to
commercial break a minute into it.
Asuka was in control while targeting the leg, but Ripley
came back with clotheslines, a thrust kick, a dropkick, and
a Northern Lights suplex for two. Asuka avoided a Razor’s
Edge, dropkicked her leg, and hit a sliding kick for two.
Ripley responded with a boot and cannonball off the apron,
leading to a second break.
Ripley maintained control through a break and hit a
superplex when they returned. They traded strikes until
Asuka applied a jackknife cover for two. Ripley followed
with a thrust kick, Razor’s Edge, and shining wizard for
two. Asuka went for an armbar, but Ripley managed to escape.
Ripley missed a charge and collided with the turnbuckle, and
Asuka followed with a kick to the head for two. (The crowd
chanted for Ripley.) Asuka knocked Ripley out of the ring
and bounced her head off the table. Asuka said something to
Sane before getting back in the ring.
Ripley tried another kick, but Asuka caught her in a leg
lock. Ripley tried getting to her feet, so Asuka nailed a
German suplex. Asuka came off the top, but Ripley nailed her
mid-air with a dropkick. (The crowd chanted, “This is
awesome.”)
Asuka shouted orders to Sane, so she reluctantly jumped on
the apron with her fist clenched. Sane went for a back fist,
but Ripley blocked it. Asuka went for a running hip attack,
but Ripley moved, and Asuka knocked Sane off the apron by
mistake.
Ripley grabbed Asuka in a small package for the pinfall win.
— Asuka blew mist in Ripley’s face immediately after the
match. Asuka commanded Sane to attack, so she did
hesitantly. They attacked Ripley until Sky quickly ran out
to make the save.
Sky settled Asuka down. Asuka was in tears, and they hugged.
Asuka suddenly dropped Sky with a spinning back fist, and
the crowd booed.
Asuka commanded Sane to attack Sky. Again, Sane didn’t want
to, but she did. Asuka saw Ripley getting to her feet, so
she knocked her down with a spinning heel kick. Asuka held
Sky as Sane (still in anguish over all of this), hit an
Insane Elbow.
The crowd booed as Asuka stood tall (while holding Sane),
with Sky and Ripley laid out.
Match result: Rhea Ripley defeated Asuka (17:15)
This was excellent, although they relied yet again on an
interference/distraction spot. Given the story being told,
this was an appropriate spot for it, but it was hindered by
the fact that they do this in 80% of TV matches.
The match and the post-match were great, and they have built
well to Asuka finally turning heel. Asuka and Lynch have
both turned heel before to their detriment, but this one
felt more purposeful. Asuka has looked awesome since
returning, and her inevitable match with Sky feels like a
big one.