6 Ups & 4 Downs For WWE Raw (22 Sept - Results & Review)
Jey's descent continues, Asuka finally turns on her friends, and another impromptu main event.
Days after an average-at-best showing from WWE with Wrestlepalooza, the sports entertainment juggernaut got back in the saddle Monday night with an episode of Raw.
To be clear from the jump, just because WWE is turning out a program with more “ups” than “downs,” it’s not a definitive statement on the quality of the show. WWE programming in 2025 has far fewer – if any – highs that reach the level of 2023 and 2024’s shows, and the negatives are becoming more pronounced. More of the show is falling into a middle that reeks of ennui. But saying, “the show was technically fine but sometimes boring” is not the kind of analysis that should be served here.
Raw Monday night did deliver some pretty good moments. Asuka’s heel turn was well-executed – if you overlook the booking of the impromptu main event. Seth Rollins’ insecurity shone through his verbal confrontation with Cody Rhodes, but the guy has been so overexposed and overleveraged as a top guy for so long that fans would be forgiven if they just glossed over the lengthy exchange.
Once again, the wrestling was fine, but with this roster, “fine” should be the floor. However, the wrestling is often secondary to what happens after the bell. This was abundantly clear with both women’s matches and at least one other bout.
Unlike 2023-24, when it was easy to be excited about the product, or even 2016-21, when you could just groan at the inconsistent, nonsensical booking, this is a difficult era to effectively pin down. It’s hard to get excited week to week, and you truly don’t know what you’re getting when you turn on the television.
Let’s get to it…
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