RAW on Netflix: Gunther Regains WWE World Heavyweight Title

When it was time for someone to stand up to heel Cena, the music that hit belonged to CM Punk, who has circled Cena in promos but has yet to set up anything substantial—tonight was substantial. Punk invoked narratives that harped on their historical rivalry while touching on the new dynamics that have created a full-on role reversal. Punk harped on themes of capitalism and billionaires and how Cena represents a completely different set of ideals that separate their characters in every way.

The promo battle was not the most epic, but the building came alive when Cena threw down the gauntlet for Night of Champions at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—a point of clarification that Cena reiterated to Punk, almost as if Cena was taking credit for Punk performing in an event that he has criticized prior to his return to the company.

The epic showdown has just under 3 weeks to thoroughly promote and build up this match.

The WrestleMania Redux

If running back WrestleMania in Las Vegas after announcing it in New Orleans wasn’t enough, we rolled the months back and got the rubber match between heavyweight champion Jey Uso and Gunther. The latter, who lost the title to Jey by tap out, was cemented as the challenger to the heavyweight title weeks ago but had to wait for Jey to defend against Logan Paul at SNME.

Gunther and Jey have received plenty of TV time to further their program, but not many have enjoyed the story that felt final for now before it was re-booked. The world expected Jey to retain, but many felt as though Seth Rollins would use this moment to cash in his newly won briefcase.

Instead, Gunther was able to choke out Jey to become a two-time heavyweight champion. Gunther’s heavyweight title run perfectly pairs with the ‘longest reigning IC champion.’ Gunther and Jey had a better match than expected, and the main event segment was heightened by the presence of Jey Uso’s kid, who walked out the champ through a YEET storm in the crowd.

Ron Killings To Know The Truth

The ‘work or nah’ debate has raged on social media since R-Truth returned on Saturday. Rumors swirled about the lack of details, but that has not stopped stories about Khan’s involvement in getting Truth back under contract after ghosting WWE earlier in the week or Triple H’s discontent with ‘booking’ based on fan outrage. He came out from the crowd during a televised break and stood atop the commentary desk to thank the crowd and show them proof of their power. It was a feud-less promo that failed to launch any real direction, but that is typical for R-Truth. However, Ron Killings was serious in tone and fueled by a different motivation following his Saturday Night’s Main Event against Cena.

Men’s King of the Ring Qualifier

Bron Breakker vs. Sami Zayn vs. Dominik Mysterio vs. Penta

The match was stiffly booked, and with the winner of the crowns earning a title shot at SummerSlam, each participant offered an interesting possibility as a challenger to either John Cena or any current heavyweight champion but, more than anything, also represented the future of the company.

Breakker received zero help from the crew even though he and Reed were first out the gate when Seth needed the ladder match assistance. Breakker did not need the help. He was very dominant with his own bare hands, but LA Knight came out to interfere by taking Bron out long enough for Zayn to gain the upper hand.

Zayn won the match, but both Penta and Dom shined in the loss, while Breakker was the only one given a future booking against LA Knight. Zayn, later in the evening, was once again pressed by Karrion Kross in an interesting backstage conversation as the dark forces of WWE continued to pressure Zayn’s character.

Women’s Queen of the Ring Qualifiers

Rhea Ripley vs. Kairi Sane vs. Liv Morgan vs. Roxanne Perez

Between Ripley, Sane, and Liv, it felt like the odds were mostly divided evenly amongst them while Perez existed in the match to continue stacking up experience. But somebody forgot to tell Perez that she was the biggest dog in the match as she escaped with the win to advance to the Queen of the Ring semi-finals.

The match worked to further the wedge between Roxanne and Liv, and even though Roxanne saved Liv from a pinfall earlier in the match, her win divided The Judgement Day’s newest recruit from Dom’s main squeeze.

They Won’t Let Nikki Bella Liv

Nikki Bella returned tonight after it was announced at MITB that she would be on the show. Her segment was saved for the top of the final hour, and she came out to talk about the all-women’s show Evolution in Atlanta next month. She made mention of the new guard led by Ripley and even gave the rub to a few up-and-comers like Perez.

But it did not take long before Liv Morgan came out to confront Bella for leaving her name off the impromptu list. Liv took exception to the snub and took a shot at Nikki’s relationship issues—well documented by TMZ. Liv’s cheap shot sparked something from Nikki, but by the time she realized it was coming, Liv took her out just before Nikki left the ring.

This will probably set up a match between the two, but more interesting would be a match featuring both Nikki and Brie Bella against the tag team champions of Liv and Raquel Rodriguez, but it is unknown if Brie’s husband’s (Bryan Danielson) ties to AEW.

Other Tidbits/In-Ring Action

• AJ Styles defeated Chad Gable in singles action. This was another banger from Gable, who has to be considered the early favorite for June’s MVW (Most Valuable Wrestler).
• Becky Lynch received her first feud for her newly won IC title. After defeating Lyra at MITB, Lynch came out to cut a promo and then found herself in the center of Bayley’s aggressions, likely signaling a future title match.