Will the Irish strike gold?

Raw is live in Belfast as Becky Lynch defends the Women’s Intercontinental Championship and Finn Balor goes after THE World Heavyweight Championship!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Becky Lynch VS Maxxine Dupri; Becky wins and retains the title.
• Six Man Tag: Rey Mysterio, Dragon Lee & PENTA VS The Vision; Rey, Dragon & Penta win.
• Je’Von Evans VS El Grande Americano w/ Los Americanos; Grande wins, by injury stoppage.
• WWE World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk VS Finn Balor; Punk wins and retains the title.

PLAY BY PLAY

Gunther opens Raw!

Belfast is a bit torn as Der Ring General makes his way to the ring, but Gunther is all smiles. Gunther soaks up the cheers and jeers as he steps into the ring, and he grabs a mic while the fans chant, “You Tapped Out! You Tapped Out!” Gunther grins, the fans boo, but Gunther says, “It’s okay, calm down, everybody. AJ made a mistake last week. He walked into our match with blinders on. He was so focused on making me tap out, that he totally forgot that he was in the ring with the greatest professional wrestler in this company! With the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time! And TWO-TIME World Heavyweight Champion!

“With the man that put Bill Goldberg to sleep, and the man that made John Cena tap out!” The fans boo more, but Gunther just laughs. Gunther says even they can tell that his future is very, very bright. It will lead him straight back to the World Heavyweight Championship. Gunther says he is officially declaring himself for the Royal Rumble match! The fans still boo, but Gunther says as the man who lasted one hour, 11 minutes and 40 seconds- WAIT! AJ Styles is here! The fans cheer as The Phenomenal One makes his way down to the ring. Styles grabs himself a mic and the fans cheer him on while he stares Gunther down.

Styles takes a moment before he says, “I know you wanna move on. I don’t. You and me, rematch, Royal Rumble!” Gunther smirks and says, “As I just said… I’m going to win the Royal Rumble, and I really don’t plan on pulling double duty. So my answer is no.” Gunther goes to leave, but Styles says, “Sounds like you’re scared.” The fans cheer that, and Gunther turns around. The fans chant, “YOU TAPPED OUT!” Styles says yeah, Gunther’s hand was raised, but he didn’t beat Styles. Styles beat Styles when he showed mercy. He should’ve ripped that leg off and beat Gunther with it! So remember: Gunther tapped out like a little b*tch!

The fans cheer while Gunther scowls. Gunther paces but Styles tells him he can just admit he’s scared. Then they can both move on. Gunther frowns again, the fans chant, “LITTLE B*TCH!” Gunther gets mad at that! Gunther says last week, he proved he is the smarter and better wrestler than Styles! There is no incentive to wrestle Styles again, so the answer remains, “NO.” Gunther steps out to the apron, even as the fans taunt him more. Gunther steps back inside to say, ‘Actually, AJ, there might be something you could do.” Styles says name it! The fans sing, “OH~ Gunther’s a Wanker~!” Gunther says when he talks, everyone shuts up and listens!

The fans boo again, but Styles dares Gunther to name the stipulation. Gunther says if Styles wants his rematch at Royal Rumble, then Gunther wants Styles to put his CAREER on the line! The fans are torn now, but Gunther says it is okay. Think about it. Think about if this is the hill worth dying on. Gunther expects Styles answer by the end of tonight. Unless Styles is scared. Gunther leaves, the fans still call him, “LITTLE B*TCH!” but the ball is in Styles’ court. Styles announced 2026 was his retirement year, but will he risk ending it early?

Maxxine Dupri warms up.

And Natalya is here! Maxxine is so happy to see her but asks why she’s here. Natty says she is going to make sure what Becky Lynch pulled last time won’t happen again. Maxxine thanks Natty and says she is so ready for this. See you out there! The Dungeon Doll heads out, will The Queen of Hart help her win back that gold? Or will The Man just hold Maxxine down again?

WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Becky Lynch VS Maxxine Dupri w/ Natalya!

Raw returns as Maxxine makes her entrance. The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who is really ready for The Big Time!

The bell rings and the fans rally as the two circle. They tie up, Maxxine’s height is leverage, but Becky THROWS Maxxine down by her hair! The fans boo, Becky and Maxxine reset, and they tie up. Becky kicks low, bumps Maxxine off buckles, then runs her side to side for another bump! Becky stomps Maxxine, talks trash right in her face, then backs off. The ref and Becky argue while the fans duel. Maxxine hits a THESZ PRESS! Maxxine rains down fists, then waistlocks. Becky switches, but Maxxine victory rolls into an ANKLE LOCK! Becky BOOTS Maxxine away, gets up, but Maxxine DROPKICKS her down!

Becky bails out, the fans rally, and Maxxine WRECKS her with a dropkick! The fans fire up as Maxxine hits the CANNONBALL! Maxxine roars, the fans cheer, and Natty smiles as her pupil gets Becky in the ring. Becky goes out the side, so Maxxine climbs the corner. Maxxine drags Becky up the corner, and up higher, but Becky fires body shots. They go to the apron, and Becky NECKBREAKERS Maxxine off the post! Maxxine flops down in a daze while Raw goes to break.

Raw returns and Becky pie faces Maxxine, SLAPS her, but Maxxine shouts, ‘AGAIN!” And then Maxxine ROCKS Becky! And LARIATS! And LARIATS! And LARIATS again! Then she runs to BOOT Becky to a corner! Maxxine runs up, SPLASHES, and stomps a mudhole! Then JUMP KICK! Maxxine reels Becky in, FISHERMAN PLEX! And a kip up so smooth! The fans fire up as the straps come down! Maxxine runs, STEP-UP LEG DROP! Cover, TWO! Becky survives, Maxxine is shocked, but Natty says to stay calm and keep going. Maxxine goes for a leg while the fans rally, but Becky kicks her away again.

Maxxine returns to ROCK Becky, but Becky dodges the boot! DRAPING EYE OF THE HURRICANE! Cover, TWO! Maxxine survives, the fans rally up, and Becky waits on Maxxine. Clinch and- NO, Maxxine arm-drags then covers, TWO! Ghost pin from Becky, TWO! Both women stand, Becky kicks low and reels Maxxine in, BUTTERFLY SLAM into the ARMBAR! Maxxine fights around, high stacks, TWO! DISARM-HER!! Maxxine reaches out as Becky pulls! Maxxine flips Becky back over, has the stack again, TWO! ANKLE LOCK!! Becky flails and the fans fire up! Becky reaches out, crawls around, then rolls to get a victory roll, TWO!

Both women stand again, Becky ducks a heel kick, but not the ROUNDHOUSE! Cover, TWO!! Maxxine is beside herself, but Natty again encourages her to keep fighting. The fans rally, Maxxine climbs, but Becky trips Maxxine up! The fans are torn as Becky climbs, and the two brawl up top. Maxxine and Becky trade body shots and furious fists! Becky windmills those body shots, then she brings Maxxine up! SUPERPLEX! Roll through a la her hot husband, DDT! Cover, TWO! Maxxine survives and Becky is shocked! The fans fire up all the same while Becky snarls. Becky argues with the ref, but two is two, so she HAMMERS away on Maxxine!

The fans boo but the ref wants to check Maxxine. Becky says okay, and she goes fo ra buckle pad?! Maxxinen rolls her up for it, TWO! Becky kicks low, whips, but Maxxine reverses! Becky avoids the bare steel, but Maxxine GERMAN SUPLEXES! The fans fire up, Maxxine rises, and Natty cheers as Maxxine goes up! CROSSBODY! Cover, but Becky rolls it through, TWO!! Maxxine survives, Becky is beside herself, but she goes to clinch. MAN- NO, victory roll and ANKLE LOCK!! Becky reaches out, the fans rally, amd Becky rolls! Maxxine voids bare steel now, then dodges Becky! Becky hits buckle! HEEL KICK! Just enough to take Becky down!

Maxxine covers, but NATTY gives Becky the ROPEBREAK?! Why, Natty, Why!? The fans boo, Maxxine is confused, and Natty shakes her head. Is this Natty being jealous of Maxxine or something?! Becky clinches, MANHANDLE SLAM!! Cover, Becky wins!!

Winner: Becky Lynch, by pinfall (still WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion)

Natty just stares at her protege, but it makes no sense why she’d do this! And then Natty TACKLES Maxxine to HAMMER away! Natty stomps Maxxine, rains down fists, and then BOOTS her down! The Queen of Harts says Maxxine is never going to learn, is she? Maxxine pushes Natty, Natty SLAPS her, but Maxxine SLAPS back! Natty LARIATS Maxxine down! Natty stands over Maxxine, the fans boo more, but then Natty goes for the legs! She puts on the SHARPSHOOTER! Maaxxine taps, the ref tells Natty to stop, but Natty holds until SHE is ready! Then she HAMMERS Maxxine more!

The ref tries to get Natty to stop, and has to drag her off of Maxxine! Natty has a sinister smile, and she goes after Maxxine again! The ref stands between them now, but Natty doesn’t seem at all satisfied. Will she only be satisfied once SHE holds gold again?

Adam Pearce talks with AJ Styles backstage.

The Raw General Manager wants Styles to understand, just because Gunther issued that challenge doesn’t mean Styles has to take it. Especially one as high stakes as this. Styles says he’ll call his wife. Pearce says yes, good move, they’ll talk again later. Styles leaves, and Paul Heyman walks in. Pearce chuckles, and The Oracle asks how his week was. Yes, it was a great week, how about Heyman’s? Heyman asks again about that, and Pearce says he’ll take a guess and say Heyman wants to talk Bron Breakker. He does. Bron is suspended, just like last week. And now they’re in Belfast! Heyman asks, “You couldn’t find an arena in London?”

Pearce sighs and asks what Heyman wants. A lot. Oh, that’s true. But Heyman says he’ll settle for tonight, The Vision in a Six Man Tag Match. Heyman says he has to get ready for that. Yes, and while he does, tell The Vision that they better be on their best behavior, and here’s why. Heyman assumes they’re guilty until proven innocent, is that it? Yes, just like last week. Is Heyman gonna be out there? Yes. Then so will Pearce. See you out there. Pearce leaves, but that look on Heyman’s face… Will the Raw GM be able to maintain law and order? Or are things about to get dangerous?

Judgment Day is in the clubhouse.

Liv Morgan & Roxanne Perez are still beaming after becoming #1 contenders to the Women’s Tag Team Championships, but Finn is stoically preparing for his World Heavyweight Championship main event. Raquel Rodriguez then walks in and she says bad news. That Stephanie Vaquer still hasn’t been cleared, and management doesn’t know how long she’ll be out. But it doesn’t matter, because when Vaquer is cleared, and when she finally puts that title on the line against Raquel, she will beat her worse than before! Raquel WILL get her title! Liv says yes, Raquel will be the NEW Women’s World Champion!

Liv says it might just be her, but she feels 2026 is the year of the Judgment Day! Raquel’s gonna be world champion, Finn’s gonna be world champion, and she cannot lie, when Roxie was first brought into the group, she thought Roxie was a liar, schemer, and very shady. But now, Liv sees why they need her. Roxie isn’t just The Prodigy, she is THEIR Prodigy and friend. And after Saturday Night’s Main Event, they will be the NEW Women’s Tag Team Champions! Roxie is so happy Liv has accepted her. Roxie won’t let her down! And Finny, how you feeling? Finn says tonight, they’re on HIS island! With the world title on the line! And he ain’t leaving without it.

Finn head out, the ladies are feeling good, but will the Luck of the Irish be on Finn’s side? Or will luck have nothing to do with it when it’s clobberin’ time?

Jey Uso is here!

Main Event Jey Uso asks they please, please, hit his much! Oh yeah, UH UH, YEET! Belfast fires up and bounces along as Jey makes his entrance through the crowd! Jey then gets the mic to say, “I said, Main Event Jey Uso is now in your citaaaaay~! And look, check it. I didn’t like last week. We put the whole tag division on notice. Usos in the house! Yeah, but I’m here this week, Uce. Belfast.” “YEET!” Zoom in, Uce! This week, Jey Uso is officially declaring his spot in this year’s Royal Rumble, Uce! The fans cheer that! Jey says yeah, your boy about to be back to back! #BigJim, Naomi, we love y’all! This is a warning shot! POW! Four letters, one word: YEET!

The fans fire up for that! Will Jey join Cody Rhodes, Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold and Hulk Hogan in the double Rumble winners club? Will he be able to YEET all 29 other men once again to head back to WrestleMania?

The New Day find Adam Pearce.

And they complain to him about Jey declaring for the Rumble! New Day is in Belfast on their favorite holiday, MLK Day, just for this? Grayson Waller adds it is his favorite holiday, too. They wanted the tag team open challenge promised last week, so what now?! What about The New Day?! They demand- Okay, okay, they get their shots. Just not tonight! What?! Next week, Fatal 4 Way #1 Contender’s match! Okay, gotta go, have a good day. New Day is still upset, but will Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods just have to win the golden tickets to the top?

Six Man Tag: Rey Mysterio, Dragon Lee & PENTA VS The Vision!

The King of Lucha, The Boy Wonder & The Man with Zero Fear certainly showed no fear in making sure Logan Paul, Austin Theory & Bronson Reed could NOT help Bron Breakker take the world title from CM Punk. And now they show no fear in taking those men on 3v3 tonight. Will Rey, Dragon, and Penta continue to show #CeroMiedo in the face of their enemies? Or will a Tsunami hit Belfast tonight?

Raw returns as Rey leads the way for his team in their entrance. Heyman and Pearce are both ringside, and Pearce smiles as he takes a seat. The trios sort out and Dragon starts against Theory. The fans rally up as Dragon and Theory step up. They circle, feel things out, and tie up. Theory powers Dragon to a corner, talks trash right in Dragon’s face, but backs off. Theory swings, Dragon ducks, and the fans cuss Logan out. Things speed up, Dragon wheelbarrows to victory roll, TWO! Dragon avoids a boot to CHOP Theory! Theory snarls, shoves Dragon, then ELBOWS him down! Theory talks more trash while he pulls Dragon’s mask.

The ref reprimands, Theory lets go, and the two back off. Tags to Penta and Logan! The fans boo Logan and cheer Penta, but Logan just smirks. Logan swaggers like Penta but he’s not good at it. Penta shows Logan how it’s done and the fans fire up. But Logan kicks low! Logan CLUBS away on Penta, then whips him to ropes. Penta KICKS Logan first, then dodges to kick a leg! Logan staggers, Penta hits the SLING-DOG! The fans fire up with Penta, he talks trash on Theory, but Logan BOOTS Penta back! Logan goes up, BLOCKBUSTER! Logan drags Penta up to talk trash again, then whips. Penta reverses, then he SUPERKICKS Logan!

Penta says, “Listen, perro! Cero! Miedo!” Penta springboards, but into an UPPERCUT! Both men are down, Logan tags Bronson, but Penta hot tags Rey! The fans fire up for Rey as he steps to the Colossal Aussie. Reed shoves Rey, the fans still cheer “6 1 9!” Rey fires hands, then runs, ducks under, and UP KICKS! Rey runs, leaps, but into Reed’s arms! Pop-up, but Rey pops free! Rey ducks ‘n’ dodge, wheelbarrow and- NO, Reed makes it a BIG back suplex! Heyman smirks, Pearce admits that wa good, and Theory tags in. LARIAT in the corner! Tag to Logan, Theory sends him in, and Logan UPPERCUTS!

Tag to Reed, they send him in and he SPLASHES Rey! Rey sputters as he falls, then Theory tags back in. Theory puts Rey in a corner, CHOPS and ROCKS him, then whips corner to corner. Rey goes up, but Theory catches him! Rey slips free, RAMS Theory into buckles, hot tag to Penta! GAMANGIRI! He sits Theory down, tags Dragon, and Penta headstands on then corner while Rey DROPKICKS Theory! Penta adds his DROPKIK, then Dragon DROPKICK! The fans fire up for the hattrick, but Logan runs up! Rey DUMPS Logan out! Reed tries, Dragon & Penta DUMP him out! Then Dragon and Penta build speed! Rey coordinates, ASAI MOONSAULT and DOUBLE TOPES!

The fans are thunderous as Rey’s team stands tall, and Raw goes to break!

Raw returns and Dragon CHOPS! Theory ROKCS and KNEES Dragon to a corner, then LARIATS! Theory scoops to FALL AWAY SLAM! Dragon tumbles away but the fans continue to taunt The Vision in song. Theory stalks Dragon, brings him over, and he tags Reed. They mug Dragon, Logan taunts the fans back, but Reed HEADBUTTS Dragon down! Reed drags Dragon up, but Dragon kicks low! Dragon reaches out, Reed keeps him from his team, but Dragon still fights! Dragon slips through a lariat, but he can’t lift Reed! Reed BACKDROPS, Dragon sunset flips, but Dragon avoids the hip drop!

The fans rally up while Dragon and Reed crawl, but Reed gets up to BLAST Rey & Penta! The fans boo, but Reed reels Dragon in. Reed lifts, POWER POWER SLAM! Cover, Rey & Penta break it! Heyman protests right to Pearce but Perace says that’s not outright illegal. Reed gives last rites, but Dragon avoids the senton! The fans fire up while both men crawl! Logan tags in, he drags Dragon back, and he taunts Rey. Rey tells Logan to do something. Dragon DROPKICKS Logan! Theory tags in, he HAMMERS away on Dragon! The fans boo, Theory taunts them all, and Theory drags Dragon up. Theory suplexes to GOURD BUSTER on the ropes!

Dragon rebounds off the ropes into Theory’s arms, but Dragon makes it a RANA! The fans fire up while Theory tumbles out of the ring! Dragon crawls, Theory flounders, hot tag to Rey! The King of Lucha dodges and DROPKICKS Theory, then dodges again for a tilt-o-whirl RANA! Theory goes to a corner, the fans fire up, and Rey RAMS Theory! Rey climbs up to rain dwon fists! The fans count along, all the way to TEN! Then Rey gives some Latino Heat before he dropkicks the legs out! Theory is on the ropes! Rey dials it up, 619- BLOCKED! Theory has Rey up, but Penta tags in!

Penta spins Rey around to RANA Theory! Then Penta adds a LARIAT, GAMANGIRI, and a clinch! Pump handle and PENTA DRIVER!! Cover, Reed breaks it! Dragon V-TRIGGERS Reed! Logan LARIATS Dragon! The fans boo, but Rey RANAS Logan up and out! Rey builds speed and SLIDING- NO, Logan fireman’s carries Rey into a gorilla press! The fans boo as Logan shows off before the SNAKE EYES! The fans give thumbs down but then Penta & Dragon DOUBLE WRECK Logan! Reed has Dragon, but Penta SUPERKICKS! Dragon SUPERKICKS! Then DOUBLE SUPERKICKS send Reed tumbling! Dragon then FLIES! Down goes Reed in front of commentary!

Theory has Penta, but Penta mule kicks! Penta runs up, but into an ELBOW! Theory reels Penta in, fisherman for AOISHODO! Cover, TWO!! Penta survives, Theory is furious, but Heyman gets on the apron! Pearce is also there, they all argue, but Logan sneaks Theory the brass knuckles! Theory is ready, but the ref sees it! The fans cheer as Theory is caught! Pearce snatches the knuckles from Theory! The fans cheer the GM, but now Heyman gets in Pearce’s face! Pearce keeps stepping over the line! Pearce confronts Heyman about the knuckles, they argue more and more, and Pearce asks if Hyman is putting his hands on Pearce now!

The fans cheer as Pearce backs Heyman off, and Rey snatches the knuckles from the apron! Logan tries to point it out and the ref stops him! Rey KNUCKLE DUSTERS Theory!! Penta SUPERKICKS Logan! Then the DESTROYER on Theory!! Cover, Penta’s team wins!

Winners: Rey Mysterio, Dragon Lee y Penta, by pinfall

Turnabout is fair play! The Vision tried to use the knuckle dusters but that all backfired! Will karma continue to bite them in the butt? Or is Heyman gonna start building a case against management?

Backstage interview with CM Punk.

Jackie Redmond is with the Best in the World, and she brings up Punk promising to be a fighting champion. He certainly lives up to that, but when it comes to facing someone like Finn Balor, in Ireland no less, how does Punk plan on leaving here still champion and not just a fighter? Punk thinks on that, and says he just has to be the best. He is playing an away game, double OT, and he wants the game on his stick, as all the best players do. (That’s hockey analogy by the way) Punk says this is the kind of pressure that gets him out of bed in the morning, that helps him prove he IS The Best in the World, and not just the USA.

So why not be in Northern Ireland and prove he’s the best against the best Ireland has to offer? And what makes Punk best in the world is gonna break Finn Balor tonight. Punk heads out, ready as he’ll ever be. Will he be able to keep the gold around his waist? Or will The Prince soon have his crown?

WWE celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

There was a dream that one day, we’d live in a nation where we are not judged by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character. That dream lives on, as we all strive to treat each other better, as is our God given right. Only together can we reach the Promised Land. And as the song says, “Ain’t no better time than today.”

Paul Heyman follows Adam Pearce backstage.

The Oracle keeps trying to get the Raw GM to stop and listen, and it isn’t until he shouts right in the boom mic, “HEY!!” that Pearce stops! Pearce asks what Heyman wants to say already. Heyman says he feels Pearce is the best GM that Raw has ever seen, and how we’re all going to miss him when he’s fired. Is that a threat, Paul? No, no. That could be used against him. But Pearce may want to take this phone call. Pearce answers his phone, and he already sighs and smirks. Has Heyman already enacted some master plan to put Pearce on the street?

Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky are here!

Belfast fires up for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions as they make their way to the ring. Mami & The Genius are also preparing for that Saturday Night’s Main Event title match, but they’re here in Belfast to welcome them to Monday Night #RheYo! The fans cheer, and Rhea says in a few days, they will defend these titles against Liv & Roxie. The fans boo, and Rhea says yeah, it’ll be on Saturday. But the question she has is: Liv, Rox, when are you gonna learn that when it comes to RheYo and Judgment Day, RheYo is always on top! The fans cheer that! Rhea says honestly, that’s not all. They have a little announcement they’d like to make.

Once they beat Liv & Roxie and retain their Women’s Tag Team Championships, Rhea & Iyo will then enter the Women’s Royal Rumble match! The fans cheer that! Iyo says having the tag titles and the Royal Rumble win- Wait, Liv & Roxie interrupt. The fans boo, but Liv & Roxie already have mics so Liv can say, “Wow… Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow… You two must be more delusional than I thought. Because my little Roxie and I are taking my tag team titles-the titles that I never lost, by the way-back to the clubhouse this Saturday.” Roxie adds that both Rhea and Iyo entering the Rumble, how’s that gonna work?

Liv says no idea. But what she does know is that she has a very friendly piece of advice for her, that she strongly suggests Iyo follow. Iyo & Roxie go to the ring, and she says with Rhea Ripley, how it always works is that she’ll turn her back on her partner by the end of the day. Yes, she knows, because Rhea did it to her! And where Iyo lucks out is that Rhea’s selfishness will always get the better of her, leaving her with nothing and no one! But Liv digresses, it isn’t really her problem. But listen up, because her Roxie has something to say. Roxie says that Rhea & Iyo aren’t the only ones declaring. Liv, Roxie, AND Raquel are all entering the Royal Rumble!

That means it will be a member of The Judgment Day going on to main event WrestleMania! Liv squeals but Rhea mockingly laughs at her. That just seems like projection to her. The fans cheer for “RHE-YO! RHE-YO!” Rhea says maybe the fans didn’t hear, but Judgment Day is all in the Rumble. So… How is that going to work? But then Raquel CLOBBERS Rhea outta nowhere! Iyo DECKS Liv, fires hands on Raquel, but Roxie CHOP BLOCKS her! And Liv hits a CODE BREAKER! Raquel hoist Iyo up for a TEXANA BOMB! The fans boo, but Rhea is up! Rhea fires off on Raquel! The fans cheer, but that’s still 3v1!

The fans boo again, but then the Judgment Day sets Rhea up for Liv. Rhea BOOTS Liv first! She fires off on the others, but she turns around into OBLIVION!! Judgment Day stands tall, will they soon have it all? Or can Mami & The Genius come up with a fool-proof counterattack?

Bayley grumbles backstage.

The Role Model is frustrated at how close they were to winning that #1 contenders Triple Threat. Lyra Valkyria walks in and sees this. She looks up and says, “Not now!” Lyra goes to leave, but then decides to talk to Bayley after all. She wants Bayley to know, Lyra is finding it really hard to be positive. They started the New Year on a loss, they’re not really building momentum, and after getting so close… Lyra hates losing, but she hates feeling like she let Bayley down more. Bayley smiles and says, “Dude, what? You can never let me down! If you think about it, I technically didn’t get pinned. You technically didn’t get pinned. We have all of 2026 to look forward to!

“And you know what’s up next? The Royal Rumble! One of us could win, one of us could go on to WrestleMania, dude! It’s fine, we’ve got this.” Lyra says that is pretty exciting. But then Bayley wouldn’t be mad if Lyra won the Rumble? No, silly! Would Lyra be mad if Bayley won? No, of course not! Then okay! They hug and Lyra is still a little worried, but they’re back to being positive. Will #BayLyra turn things around on this Road to WrestleMania?

Je’Von Evans VS El Grande Americano w/ Los Americanos!

The Young OG is already 2-0 after defeating Bravo and Rayo, so now he looks to complete the set! Will Belfast get BOUNCY~? Or will the patriarch of the Americano family make up for his hermanos’ failures?

The bell rings, the two circle, and they tie up. Grande puts Je’Von in a corner, then pats him on the face. Je’Von shoves Grande, ties up again, but Grande wrenches and wristlock. Je’Von rolls, handsprings, and wrenches. Grande rolls, spins, and trips Je’Von. Fans sing, “OLE~ OLE OLE OLE~” for Grande as he whips Je’Von, but Je’Von reverses. Je’Von goes up, Grande tries to fireman’s carry but Je’Von sunset flips it. Grande rolls through but Je’Von ducks the kick to schoolboy, ONE! Grande trips Je’Von to a cover, ONE! Je’Von leaps up to sunset flip again, high stack, TWO! Je’Von tells Grande it was that close.

The fans cheer, Grande ROLLING- NO, Je’Von dodges the elbow to DROPKICK! The fans fire up, Je’Von goes up and over Grande, then dodges again! Je’Von keeps moving, redirects, SLAPS Grande, then dodges to the outside! Je’Von goes up and around, but both men go low! They hit heads, Grande stands Je’Von up, but Je’Von ROCKS Grande. Je’Von goes up and over, then returns, BOUNCY~ RANA! Grande staggers up, into a DROPKICK! The fans fire up, Je’Von catches his breath, but Bravo distracts. Je’Von chases him off, and Grande GAMANGIRIS! The fans boo but Grande sits Je’Von up to rain down fists!

Grande stomps Je’Von, then TOSSES him out! Grande goes out after Je’Von, talks some trash, then brings Je’Von up to whip. Je’Von hits barriers, Grande runs up, but Je’Von SUPERKICKS! Je’Von goes up onto the barriers, but Rayo rushes him! Je’Von leaps to the steel steps! Then he goes over Bravo to get to the apron! He ROCKS Grande, springboards, FLYING LARIAT! The fans fire up again while Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and it seems during break, Je’Von hurt his arm. Grande stays back while the medical team checks, and sadly, Je’Von is not able to continue, so Grande wins by forfeit!

Winner: El Grande Americano, by stoppage

This is certainly not how anyone wants a match to end, but Grande is pleased he gets the win through this. Will Je’Von be able to recover and settle the score? Or will Los Americanos move on to bigger and better?

Backstage interview with Finn Balor.

Jackie Redmond is now with The Prince, and she says he has the opportunity at the world title. It has been a minute since he’s had that, but it comes in his home country of all places. That is a lot of pressure for anyone, so how is he dealing with it? Finn says the magnitude of tonight is not lost on him. But perhaps it is lost on the champ. Punk is a fighting champ, Finn respects that. But Finn questions Punk’s judgment. See, Punk is on Finn’s turf now! This is FINN’S island, in front of FINN’s people! And tonight in Belfast, there will be a NEW Irish World Heavyweight Champion! Finn heads to gorilla, fired up as ever, but will that fire burn Punk down? Or only burn Finn up?

The Vision regroups backstage.

Theory, Reed, Logan & Heyman head for the exit, but Pearce is there. Heyman has the guys stand down, then asks Pearce what they can do for him. Pearce says in the interest of fairness, he would like Heyman to bring Bron Breakker next week. Because Pearce is going to lift the suspension? No, but so that Bron and Pearce can talk eye-to-eye like men. And maybe, they can smooth things over. Heyman says if he had gotten that phone call, he’d want to smooth things over, too. Pearce says this has nothing to do with that phone call. Pearce and Bron are grown men, so they can iron it out like grown men, if Heyman can get Bron to show.

Heyman says it’d be his honor to have Bron on Raw next week. But Heyman better be on his best behavior. Heyman leads The Vision out, and Styles steps back in. Styles says he did talk with his wife, and it was perhaps the hardest conversation they’ve ever had. It’s been a long time since she’s cussed, and they’ve been together 25 years. But she said just what he was thinking: Kick Gunther’s ass! So the Styles family realizes, there’s no coming back if they go through with this. Styles says yeah, they do. Then at the Royal Rumble, it is official. Styles and Pearce shake hands on it. But will Styles get even? Or will he be retired before he even starts his retirement tour?

Kairi Sane is stressing out backstage.

And then Asuka shouts for her and Kairi freaks out. Asuka complains in Japanese, and Kairi admits, she failed Asuka. Asuka says that Kairi did indeed fail her! Kairi apologizes, but Asuka calms down. Asuka says Kairi lost their tag titles, and Kairi lost last week. It almost hurts as much as when Iyo turned on Asuka! Kairi says she knows how Asuka feels, and she calls herself an idiot. Kairi promises to make sure Asuka wins the Women’s Royal Rumble! She’ll do anything it takes. Asuka says, “Good girl.” Now, don’t make Asuka have to yell at you again, okay? Kairi nods, Asuka leaves, and Kairi is shaking. But is it from fear? Or determination?

WWE World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk VS Finn Balor!

We have heard both sides, and now it is time to back those words with actions. Will the the Best in the World still be the best in the world? Or will The Prince finally take back the throne?

Raw returns and Finn makes his entrance, the fans already sing, “OH FINN~ OH FINN, OH FINN, OH FINN~!” The fans go even crazier hearing the OG Finn theme! The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who leaves Ireland with the gold!

The bell rings and the fans are again singing, “OH FINN~ OH FINN, OH FINN, OH FINN~!” Finn steps to Punk, they feel things out, and they tie up. They go around, Punk wrenches and wristlocks, and the fans boo. Finn rolls, hooks a leg, and the fans cheer. Punk wrangles Finn again, there is some dueling from the fans, but obviously this is a Finn heavy crowd. Finn kips up, wrenches through, and arm-drags Punk tot he armlock. Punk headscissors, Finn slips free, and the fans cheer the standoff. Finn and Punk reset, Punk raises his hand and gets booed. Finn raises his hand and is cheered.

The two go again, tie up, and Punk wrenches an arm to an ELBOW BREAKER! Punk then wrenches to a hammerlock, but Finn moves around to trip Punk. Finn floats to a headlock and the fans cheer. Punk rolls Finn, ONE, and Finn holds on. Punk tries again, ONE! Finn grinds the headlock, but Punk powers up and out. Things speed up, and Punk CALF KICKS Finn down! The fans boo, Punk whips Finn to a corner, and Punk runs up to SHINING WIZARD! The fans boo but Punk just smiles. BULL- NO, Finn powers out and CHOPS! The fans cheer and Finn fires hands! Finn BODY BLOWS, but Punk knees low.

Punk whips, Finn reverses, but Punk sunset flips, only for Finn to roll through and basement DROPKICK! Cover, ONE! Finn stays focused and the fans stay hot while Punk checks his face. Finn stands Punk up, but Punk fireman’s carries! Finn slips free, runs up, SLING- NO, Punk stuffs it, only for Finn to headlock through. Punk back suplexes to hit a BACKBREAKER! The dueling is stronger as the Punk fans get loud enough to match the Finn fans, and Punk TOSSES Finn out. Punk builds speed to DIVE! Down goes Finn, right into and even over the desk! Punk stands tall while the fans boo, and Raw goes to break.

Raw returns once again, and Punk clamps on with a chinlock. The fans rally, Finn endures, and Finn fights up to pries free. Finn fires body shots, then he ROCKS Punk! Finn backs Punk to a corner, whips corner to corner, but Punk reverses. SHINING WIZARD and BULLDOG! Cover, TWO! The fans rally again as Finn stays in this. But Punk stays on Finn with shoulder claws, then he KNEES Finn in the back! Punk is back with the chinlock but Finn still endures. The fans again sing, “OH FINN~ OH FINN, OH FINN, OH FINN~!” and Finn fights up. Finn fires more body shots, then he ROCKS Punk. Punk KNEES low!

Punk whips Finn to ropes, but Finn KICKS Punk back! Finn and Punk trade haymakers, but Finn gets the edge! Punk returns those in kind, then JABS, JABS, and JABS! Punk ROCKS Finn, but Finn CHOPS Punk! Punk ROCKS Finn, but Finn PELES Punk! The fans fire up again while both men are down! Finn and Punk stir as the dueling begins again. Punk rises first but Finn CHOPS Punk in the corner! Finn bumps Punk off buckles, CHOPS again, then puts Punk in another corner for fast hands and stomps! The ref counts, Finn stops at 4, but the fans fire up with Finn again. Finn whips corner to corner, Punk reverses, but Finn goes up and over!

Finn trips Punk, DOUBLE STOMP! Punk gets up, but Finn catches him for an EYE OF THE HURRICANE! Cover, TWO! Finn stays focused as Punk stays in the fight. The fans rally again as Finn goes to a corner. Finn hobbles a bit, but he storms up on Punk. But Punk fireman’s carries! Finn grabs ropes, so Punk puts him on the apron! Finn RAMS Punk, then GAMANGIRIS! Punk sputters, Finn GAMANGIRIS again, and Punk is down! The fans fire up as Finn climbs the corner! But Punk springs up to SHINING WIZARD again! The fans boo but Punk has Finn on the very top! SUPER DUPER PLEX! And yet both men leg cradle! TWO!!

Punk CLOBBERS Finn! The fans fire up while both men are down again! “This is Awesome!” as Punk and Finn slowly rise up. Finn staggers, Punk stalks him, and Punk CHOPS! Finn leans on the ropes, Punk CHOPS him again, and the fans duel as hard as they have all night. Punk whips Finn, Finn reverses to SLINGBLADE! The fans fire up again, and Finn LARIATS Punk up and out! Finn takes aim, builds speed, and he FLIES! Direct hit on Punk and the fans fire up again! Finn gets Punk in, he takes aim, and the fans fire up for the SHOTGUN! Punk hits buckles then falls into the drop zone! Finn goes back up the corner!

Belfast is thunderous as Finn takes aim! COUP DE- NO, Punk dodges! Finn hobbles, Punk fireman’s caries, G T S! Cover, TWO!?! Finn survives and shocks Punk, but Belfast is loving this! Punk ELBOW DROPS, ELBOW DROPS, and ELBOW DROPS again! Punk then gives some ground ‘n’ pound, even as the fans boo. Punk then wraps Finn up in the ANACONDA VICE! Finn endures, reaches out, and the fans rally as he fights! Finn drags Punk along as he heads to the side, but Punk pulls back on the hold! Finn’s leg reaches out for the ROPEBREAK! The fans cheer while Punk lets go in frustration. But Punk says time to go night-night!

The fans boo, but Punk stalks Finn. Finn stumbles to his feet, Punk fireman’s carries, but Finn fights with elbows! The fans fire up as Finn is free! Finn hobbles again, but he runs up to SLINGBLADE! Finn reloads in the corner, and SHOTGUNS! Punk is down again! Finn aims one more time, SHOTGUN! Punk is down, Finn goes up! Belfast is even louder now for the COUP DE GRACE!! Cover, TWO?!?! Punk survives and shocks Finn now! Finn hurries to get Punk up, but Punk fireman’s carries! G T- NO! Finn cradles! TWO!! Punk trips Finn, jackknife and roll through to the fireman’s carry! G T S!!! Cover, Punk wins!!

Winner: CM Punk, by pinfall (still WWE World Heavyweight Champion)

Finn gave it his all to make this an incredible match, but it just wasn’t enough to make this his crowning achievement. The fans are divided, but what is certain is that Punk still reigns. Punk looks to Finn, and he offers a hand. Finn is wary, but he accepts. The fans cheer as Punk and Finn stand together in sportsmanship and respect. They even hug it out! Finn fell short, but will he find his way back to the world title on this Road to WrestleMania? Who will test themselves against The Best in the World in the meantime?

My Thoughts:

A great episode for Raw in Belfast, and naturally status quo was kept since we’re just 12 days from the Royal Rumble. However, one of those title matches took a really dumb route to get there. I had a bad feeling Natalya was showing up just to betray Maxxine, I was proven right, and I do not like being right in this moment, I wanted to be wrong. Natalya betraying Maxxine after preparing her for all this is so dumb, even cliche. And now we’re getting Maxxine VS Natty, maybe they get that gritty “Bloodsport Nattie” going in WWE, but this is still not how I would’ve done it. The only silver lining is that maybe AJ Lee returns to challenge Becky for the title.

Another downer wasn’t even anyone’s fault, Je’Von Evans getting a shoulder injury during his match is just a freak accident. Hopefully he will be alright since it isn’t a leg injury. Not sure what Los Americanos moves on to, since Grande lost in AAA as El Hijo de Vikingo is the Mega Championship #1 contender thanks to Omos. We did get great stuff in this Vision VS Pearce story. Pearce playing a part in Rey’s team winning that Six Man was great, but Heyman is really making a point of Pearce’s “abuse of power.” Pearce and Bron will have a great promo next week, and I’m certainly sticking to my theory that Bron gets in the Rumble to wreck a lot of people.

This episode gave us great build towards the Rumble, such as some declarations for those matches. Jey Uso doing his while Jimmy is not around could be used for story, and I do like the follow-up promo where New Day is upset they don’t get a tag title match yet. A Fatal 4 Way being booked outta nowhere is good stuff, can’t wait to see who else is in that match and who actually wins it. Gunther declaring makes sense, but so does Styles confronting him. It was a devious move from Gunther to dare Styles to put his career on the line. We all know Styles said 2026 was his last year, but this can’t be where Styles stops wrestling, can it? Surely Styles wins at the Rumble to compel a tiebreaker at like WrestleMania or something, right?

This episode was also good as a go-home to Saturday Night’s Main Event. Rhea & Iyo each declare for the Rumble, Judgment Day does, too, but they also get some brawling in ahead of the tag title match. I would think Rhea & Iyo win after getting beat down like this. If Raquel is in the Rumble, then Vaquer’s ankle really isn’t going to be okay until after, so maybe Vaquer VS Raquel happens for Elimination Chamber, winner then going on to WrestleMania to face the Rumble winner. And at this point, that could be anyone, assuming they aren’t also someone who would instead challenge for the WWE Women’s Championship from SmackDown.

Also great stuff with Punk VS Finn. Very good promos, and so cool for Finn’s old theme to return. They had an awesome match, especially for being on a weekly Raw. As much as the fans wanted Finn to win, and as cool as that would’ve been, of course Punk retained here. Punk himself can have another challenger for Elimination Chamber since it is in Chicago, but Punk is certainly bringing this title to WrestleMania. Perhaps Punk even faces the winner of the Chamber match, depending on who wins the Rumble. Cody Rhodes said he wants his third Rumble win ever, maybe he gets it, maybe he doesn’t. At this point, it might be Punk VS Bron 2 if Vision gets their way.

My Score: 8.8/10