WWE Monday Night Raw 5/26/2025

WWE Monday Night Raw 5/26/2025

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/05/wwe-monday-night-raw-5192025.html

Next week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/06/wwe-monday-night-raw-622025.html

We are in Tampa, Florida.

We see various wrestlers arrive.

Seth Rollins' new group comes to the ring. Paul introduces everyone. Paul says if you asked a terminator who was sent to earth who will main event future Mania's, he says it's Bron Breakker. The crowd chants for Punk and Paul says he's not here due to Bronson Reed. Paul says the people behind the scenes wouldn't let Reed fight the top guys so he targeted Seth. He said Reed put a bigger beating on Seth than Punk and Roman did. Paul says to acknowledge Seth.

Seth says this is his vision and the way forward - through total domination and complete power. Seth said he told everyone what he would do at Mania and he did it. He gets mad at the fans insinuating he's the bad guy. He says he's the only guy who can carry the company into the future. Seth said Punk found out on Saturday when you underestimate him. He said he found something more important than titles and looks up at the MITB briefcases. He says he will win at MITB. He says he will cash in whenever he wants and says nobody can stop him.

Men's MITB Qualifier - Penta vs Dragon Lee vs Chad Gable

Lee has a cool dragon jacket that he wore out. We see El Hijo del Vikingo in the crowd.

Chad takes a double superkick and is stomped by both opponents. Penta and Lee shove each other and throw Chad out. Penta rolls up Lee for 2. Lee hits combinacion cabron in the corner then corner dropkicks both opponents. Chad exploders Lee then catches Penta's springboard and germans him.

Lee slingshots in and is northern lights suplexed. Penta slingblade bulldogs Chad then superkicks Lee in the corner. Penta does a super dangerous jay driller + gori bomb and drops Gable right on his face in a bad moment. Penta tope con hilos both outside.

We go to break and return. Penta superkicks Lee. Chad bangs Penta's head off the commentary table. Chad then has words for Vikingo. Penta is on the table and Lee does a wild tope con hilo into him. Chad then beats up Vikingo.

Lee hits a pumping knee and poisonrana on Penta. Lee sitout powerbombs Chad for 2. Penta has Lee up for a made in Japan then Chad germans both. Chad top rope moonsaults Penta for 2. Lee is belly to belly suplexed into the buckles. Vikingo enzugiri's Chad and Chad goes into tree of woe. Lee top rope double drops Chad as he hangs and is hit with a canadian destroyer by Penta. Penta hits a made in Japan on Gable and wins.

Thoughts: This was a wild one. Lee's dive was fantastic here. Chad got dropped on his head and Chad's double german spot was cool. They also got things started for Chad vs Vikingo at World's Collide, so a lot got done here. I liked this and it was full of action.

The Judgment Day talk in the back. Roxanne Perez has chicken nuggets for Dom. She then adjusts his belt. Liv Morgan then returns and stares down Dom. She wants to know what's going on. Liv says not to explain and says Raquel has explained everything. Liv says things are about to be very interesting. She says she's going to get herself a MITB qualifier first. Finn smiles the whole time and they talk about how grat it is to have Liv back awkwardly. Carlito says he can't keep eating those nuggets.

Akira Tozawa vs Rusev

Akita rips his shirt off. Rusev pushes him. Akira hits a top rope dropkick then is lariated. Rusev hits a pump kick. Rusev then submits him with the camel clutch.

Thoughts: It was a short one and not much else. 

Rusev keeps the hold on after and falls back. Sheamus comes out to make the save. Sheamus and Rusev stare down and Rusev leaves without any trouble.

Cathy Kelly interviews two comedians - Bert Kreischer and Tom Segura. They said they had Cody Rhodes on his podcast and they say they are here to have a good time. Bert goes to plug his special and then runs as he says he will be back. Tom says he has a new series. Bert then finds The War Raiders. They do the "war" chant and Bert takes his shirt off. 

Sami Zayn says he can't stand listen to Seth's crew talk. He said he should have ran out there and idd something about it. Jey Uso says, "for what?". He says they gotta be smart and pick their battles. Jey says they stop them by Sami winning the MITB qualifier. Jey says he has his back if it gets messy out there.

WWE Tag Titles - The New Day (c) (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) vs The War Raiders (Ivar and Erik) vs The Creed Brothers (Brutus and Julius Creed)

BC = Brutus Creed, JC = Julius Creed)

Everyone fights to start. Woods is slammed and Kofi is thrown out by The War Raiders onto other opponents. Erik slams Ivar onto everyone outside from the apron. 

Ivar sits up top and is dropkicked by JC. Erik is sent into the rails. Erik is sent into the rails. We go to break and return. Erik is hanging over the 2nd rope and Woods top rope double stomps him. Woods then struts. Erik forearms over Woods and both go down.

Ivar is tagged in and beats up on all opponents. Ivar side slams Kofi onto BC then crossbody splashes both. Ivar does a butt drop in the corner and lariats BC over the top. Kofi is back body dropped onto everyone. Ivar goes up top and is kicked. 

JC jumps up to the top and superplexes Ivar. Woods top rope elbow drops Erik then Ivar top rope splashes Woods for 2. The Creeds shoulder Erik over. Ivar does a double handspring back elbow. Ivar spinning heel kicks Kofi.

Ivar is thrown out. BC does a brutusball onto Erik. Kofi tries to tope Ivar but is sent into the LED board ring skirt. Ivar then crossbodies Kofi against it. JC jumps off of Woods' back to flying knee Ivar then woods rolls up JC and pins him to win.

Thoughts: It was a good tag full of action and big spots here. Everyone got thrown around a good bit here.

Liv Morgan and Raquel run into Kairi Sane and Iyo Sky in the back. Liv says she thought Damage Ctrl was dead. Iyo tells her to keep walking. Liv says she will and will get herself an MITB qualifier. She says she will cash in on her and says it's something Kairi can never do. Kairi challenges her to a match tonight.

Jey Uso comes out to talk. He says everyone wants him and it's a busy week for the champ. Gunther comes out. Gun says congratulations on the 50 year jubilee of the Uso's in WWE and on his first successful title defense. He says he's holding onto the title longer than he expected. Gunther says Jey is there when his friends need him. He says those are great qualities for a human being but terrible qualities for a great champ. Gun says Jey being a great champ doesn't come natural to him.

Gun says he was able to be champ for a year as he only cares about himself. He says he will relieve Jay from his position in 2 weeks and choke him out. He says he will put the title back around his waist.

Jey asks if he's done. Hey says he's done with everyone saying his days as champ are numbered. He says he has friends and family and they fight for each other. Jey says he's not overlooking him but will make him tap out again in Phoenix.

Liv Morgan vs Kairi Sane

They lock up and go into the corner. Liv pushes her then throws her down backwards. Liv boots her in the corner and bangs her head off the buckles. Sane hits shots on Liv. Sane headscissors her while using the ropes. Sane sliding forearms her against the bottom rope. Liv does a stiff sunset bomb on the floor.

We go to break and return. Liv hits 2 suplex. Sane hits a spears. Sane crossbodies Liv then headhunters her. Sane hits a top rope flying forearm for 2. Sane ties up Liv's legs and bridges back. Liv pulls her hair to escape. Sane forearms her.

Liv double boots her out of the corner. Liv diving codebreakrs her off the 2nd rope for 2. Sane urakens her then running forearms her for 2. Liv hits a backcracker. They botch a spot and Sane gets a 2 count on her. Sane hits a bad alabama slam. Sane goes up top, Raquel distracts the ref and Roxanne Perez pushes Sane off the top. Perez and Raquel argue. Sane blocks Liv's oblivion and rolls her up for to win.

Thoughts: Minus the botch it wasn't that bad. I'm not sure why Raquel was mad at Perez here. Sane beating Liv was a surprise. 

Rhea Ripley does a video. She says she's always on top but it hasn't been a reality recently. She says that will change at MITB. She tells Iyo and Tiffany to hold their titles tight as no oen is sae from mai in the bank.

The Judgment Day talk in the back. Raquel says Liv would have won without Perez. Liv says Raquel was the veteran and should have known better. Finn smiles.

Lyra Valkyria comes out to talk. She says Becky Lynch talked herself into a rematch with Lyra at MITB. Lyra says she beat her twice and has nothing left to prove. She said she didn't feel any satisfaction when she beat Becky as Becky's ego was still through the roof. She said Becky talked like she won the match.

She says now it's personal with Becky. She says she will hurt her and break her ego. Becky Lynch comes out. Becky says Lyra cost her the opportunity. She said she won the night at the last PPV and said she went home with her hot husband while Lyra went home with her ugly husband.

Becky says she's the best thing that has ever happened to Lyra. Becky says if Lyra can beat her at MITB, she will never challenge for the title again. Lyra says she beat her twice and the last time, she did it with her eyes closed. Becky says when she wins, Lyra has to raise her hand. Lyra syas she never has a problem raising the hand of someone who is better than her, but that's not Becky yet.

Karrion Kross talks to Sami in the back. He says Sami could have went to SD and took the deal but he has to do it his way. Kross says Sami knows he will never win the title right. Sami says he will deal with him later.

Men's MITB Qualifier - Seth Rollins vs Finn Balor vs Sami Zayn

Sami lariats Seth over the top. Finn bangs Sami's head off the buckles and pounds on him. Sami ducks a clothesline and topes Seth. Finn forearms Sami from behind. Sami hits mounted punches in the corner. Seth lariats Sami.

Finn its a ddt + reverse ddt combo on both opponents. We go to break and return. Finn hits shots on Sami. Sami exploders Finn. Sami hits punches on Seth. Sami throws Seth over the top. Sami seated springboardm oonsaults both opponents outside and does the Sabu pose. Seth falcon arrows Sami for 2.

Sami knocks Seth off the buckles. Seth runs up the buckles then Sami sunset bombs him for 2. Seth kicks Finn in the head and spinning forearms Sami. Finn slingblades Seth. Sami superplexes Finn then Seth top rope splashes Sami.

We go to break and return. Seth stomps Sami in the corner. Seth wants to work with Finn. Sami back body drops Seth over the top. Finn rolls up Sami for 2. Finn final cuts Sami for 2. Seth pedigrees Finn and Sami for 2 counts. Sami blue thunders Seth for 2. Sami and Seth trade. Seth slap flurries him.

Sami exploders Seht in the corner. Finn slingblades Sami then dropkicks him into Seth. Seth curbstomps Finn and Sami helluva kicks Seth for 2 when Bron Breakker pulls Sami out. Reed then pounds on Sami with Bron. Jey Uso jumps off the rail onto Reed then he hits bunches on Breakker. Jey superkicks both. Jey punches Seth then is speared by Breakker. Dominik Mysterio comes out and gives Finn a chair. Seth curbstomps Finn into the chair and pins him.

Thoughts: It was a good 3-weay as expected with a lot of shenanigans at the end that helped out storylines. This was what you would expect and I thought they did a good job with it.

CM Punk's music hits. He appears from behind Seth then hits a GTS on him. He then runs from Reed and Breakker.

Overall thoughts: It was a mostly good Raw. The talking segments weren't that great. The main was good though and the Chad Gable 3-way was entertaining. I also liked the Tag Title match and Liv/Sane beat my expectations. I'd give it a 6 out of 10 as it had some issues but was definitely better than average.