WWE Raw results, highlights (May 19): Seth Rollins, Gunther set sights on Jey Uso vs. Logan Paul winner

Yahoo

20-05-2025

"WWE Raw" in Greenville, North Carolina, continued the road to Money In the Bank with triple-threat qualifier matches Monday while also gearing up the WWE Universe for Saturday Night's Main Event.
The World Heavyweight Championship was the primary focus of this show, which is always nice to see. All the big storylines are beginning to intertwine nicely. Now it's just a matter of whether or not Jey Uso hangs onto the strap with all these challengers coming after him.
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Let's break it down.
World title turmoil
The more WWE progresses with the World Heavyweight title situation, the more I want to see Logan Paul beat Jey Uso at Saturday Night's Main Event this weekend. Talk about a sentence I never thought I'd write.
Aside from the appeal having a heel champion with mega heat like Paul, I have zero interest in running back Uso vs. Gunther so soon, which appears to be the plan. "The Ring General" is officially next, awaiting the winner, and he confronted Paul to start the show.
Paul's "fact" promo was partially actual facts mixed in with opinions meant to insult Uso. It was a promo devoid of substance until Gunther arrived and sold me a ticket on a fresh rivalry. Paul came off fearful while the former champ hyped him up, stating how good for business Paul as champion would be. It was an overall nice touch to see Paul buy into it all before Gunther twisted the differences between them to business vs. personal, promising he'll destroy him in their match if Paul wins.
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It ended with a tease and a surprise Uso super kick. That part was whatever, but I'll (partially) forgive the silly booking of a Gunther title shot off a Pat McAfee win if it's against a fresh face like Paul. Seeds were continuously planted on each side when Paul Heyman confronted Uso backstage, with Seth Rollins confronting Paul and Gunther separately.
To end the night, there was the typical DQ predictability. Uso beat Breakker in a solid match until Rollins attacked Uso, and then, of course, Paul punched him again once everyone scattered.
For a brief moment, it felt like we'd get the Sami Zayn turn once everything broke down, and CM Punk aided him in making the save for Uso. But WWE's creativity in 2025 really feels like it's hinging purely on those big viral moments. Obviously, The Rock's involvement with the John Cena heel turn comes immediately to mind.
Qualifier Chaos
As much as I miss the Money In the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania, I love qualifier season. The more triple threats the merrier, and after "WWE SmackDown" we got two more for the women's match, starting with Becky Lynch vs. Natalya vs. the new official main roster member, Roxanne Perez.
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It's hard to shake the image of the Natalya we recently saw outside the WWE, especially when Michael Cole mentions it on commentary. Why can't she be that version in WWE? I wish we knew. She was a great foil to this matchup, allowing many fun triple spots like a double Pop-Rox and double sharpshooter. But it was all about seeing Perez and Lynch go at it — before Lyra Valkyria prevented the Lynch win. Perez eventually got the pin on Natalya, and the big push begins.
As for the other match, it was Rhea Ripley vs. Kairi Sane vs. Zoey Stark before it effectively became a singles match because of a horrific injury to Stark. The former Pure Fusion Collective member landed terribly when going for the sniper missile drop kick that bent her knee in the wrong direction. I'll warn you now, don't watch if you're squeamish. We wish Stark a speedy recovery.
This was the official return of Sane, which was great to see despite WWE completely downplaying it like nothing, and revealing on social media earlier in the day that she was back. The former tag team champion didn't miss a beat and hit some fun kick spots with Ripley before ultimately falling short to the Riptide.
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There was zero chance that Ripley was losing the match, but I had a similar feeling to when Rey Fenix lost on "WWE SmackDown." Sane in the ladder match could have created a lot of wild moments. However, the long game here is clearly to get back to Ripley vs. Iyo Sky, and Ripley beating Sky's friend along the way is a good little wrinkle.
It's currently Alexa Bliss, Perez and Ripley in the ladder match. Just with those three, I'm hyped for it. Bliss and Perez are the frontrunners of the three, as Ripley doesn't at all need the briefcase. Bliss or Perez would be phenomenal winners, but the Charlotte Flair thing continues to play out with Bliss. She's also a past winner. So Perez is easily the best candidate as the new kid on the block, and arguably will end up being the best option regardless of the final three additions.
Interestingly enough, Finn Bálor recruited Perez into The Judgment Day after Ripley's win. If you needed any reinforcement in believing that Perez had a good chance of winning, there it is.
👍MONDAY NIGHT MONEY👍
1. Sheamus beat Grayson Waller in a surprisingly long but fun match. There were some pretty poor botches from Waller toward the end, but it was a good showcase for both.
👎RAW DEAL👎
1. Sorry, WWE. I couldn't care less about the NBA, and don't have a clue who Tyrese Haliburton is. Stop, please.
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As for the announcement, Haliburton is getting added to the WWE 2K game. What a waste of airtime.
2. Another week without Rusev on "WWE Raw." Instead, he'll take on ... Akira Tozawa next week. There is no need to slow-build someone like Rusev. WWE has flopped the start of Rusev's return outside of the great Otis match.
👑 Uncrowned Gem of the Night 👑
The Greenville crowd was hot for Penta and AJ Styles vs. The Judgment Day, and rightfully so. All four of these guys meshed together greatly, which wasn't surprising. But JD McDonagh, in particular, has really won me over since his injury in The War Raiders match. I don't mean that because of the injury, but because he's felt like he's been treated like a more serious wrestler and is delivering in the ring. This match was no different.
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Ultimately, your typical shenanigans cost a Judgment Day opponent a win when El Grande Americano headbutted Penta outside the ring. That led to a Bálor Coup de Grace. These recurring elements feel never-ending, but the match was solid, and McDonagh was the real star.
👑 I give this show a Crown score of: 7/10. 👑