The Best and Worst of WWE RAW ahead of Night of Champions (June 23, 2025)

With some uncertainty surrounding Night of Champions, the final episode of RAW before the upcoming premium live event had to address some issues. Seth Rollins accused the fans of not knowing what they wanted.

They sing his song, but then cheer for CM Punk and Roman Reigns two seconds later. Goldberg claimed he confronted Gunther because the latter embarrassed him at Bad Blood.

The Ring General promised to embarrass Goldberg once again when they face off in Atlanta. Raquel Rodriguez put her rival, Rhea Ripley, through a table thanks to help from Roxanne Perez.

Rodriguez then accepted The Prodigy after she put herself on the line. A street fight between Raquel and Ripley was later added to Night of Champions, as was Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross. Here's the best and worst of WWE RAW ahead of the event.

---

#4. Best/Worst - Bron Breakker beats Penta on RAW

Any time fans get to see Bron Breakker and Penta face off, it's a treat. They have good chemistry and a varied arsenal of moves. Both are over with the crowd, and either could feasibly win.

The problem with their matchup on RAW was that Penta lost yet again. Having a messy finish with outside interference seemed possible, as it happens every week.

Not doing it when it could have protected someone who has been pinned more than he should was a mistake. Even if Paul Heyman cheated somehow, it would have protected the fearless Luchador.

---

#3. Best/Worst - Jade Cargill advances to Queen of the Ring finals

When it was determined that Jade Cargill and Roxanne Perez would face off in the semifinals of the Queen of the Ring, things didn't look good for The Prodigy. Cargill has been heavily protected, suffering minimal pins in her time on the main roster.

Perez previously qualified for the Elimination Chamber and Money in the Bank, but fell short both times. As they faced off on RAW, however, Perez led The Storm to one of the better matches of her career.

There were a few moments when it seemed like Perez could pull off the upset. It was all for naught, however, as the potential Queen of the Ring messed up the finishing sequence of the match.

She powerbombed Roxanne and paused as if she forgot the next move. Cargill didn't go for the pin but instead picked Perez back up and hit Jaded. That and her incessant need to showboat made it seem like she was the heel, and the scrappy Perez should be the face.

---

#2. Best/Worst - Chaos reigns for Becky Lynch, Lyra Valkyria, and Bayley

The situation on RAW between Becky Lynch, Bayley, and Lyra Valkyria is a jumbled mess. The Man turned on Valkyria after attacking Bayley and taking her spot at WrestleMania.

Lynch then goaded Lyra several times after winning the Women's Intercontinental title. Bayley apparently ignored all of Lyra's calls and texts for two months after the attack. When she returned, it was for revenge on Lynch.

The former Hugger acted as if their partnership meant nothing. Bayley and Lynch had a good match on RAW, but tensions arose when Lynch pitted the two former tag partners against each other.

Lyra cost Bayley the win on RAW, but Bayley didn't exactly treat Lyra respectfully. It will probably lead to a Triple Threat match at Evolution.

---

#1. Worst - Not addressing the WWE Women's Tag titles

Ever since Asuka and Kairi Sane lost the WWE Women's Tag Team titles, the belts have been hot-potatoed over the last year. Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill cleaned out the division after winning the titles.

Fans were supposed to believe teams like the Unholy Union or an NXT squad would have a chance to beat them. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez won the belts from Belair and Naomi before WrestleMania.

They lost them at the big PLE, reclaimed them on April 22nd, and haven't defended them since then. It would have been a smart decision to vacate them or let Perez take over with Morgan's injury. This happened with Chelsea Green and Piper Niven.

All Adam Pearce did was briefly mention the situation on the phone with Nick Aldis. The Judgment Day all have titles that they don't defend, as AJ Styles' match was removed from Night of Champions due to a rib injury suffered by Dominik Mysterio.

---

#1. Best/Worst - Cody Rhodes advances to the King of the Ring finals

Fans in attendance love to sing along with the entrances for Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso. For everyone else watching from home, it's a lot to have to sit through 10 minutes of entrances.

Jey's Yeeting encore has become a time-waster, especially when RAW's Women's Champion, IYO SKY, is nowhere to be found. The ensuing match was a decent showing, but it reiterated that the age of finishers is long gone.

Both stars hit Superkicks, Spears, and numerous cutters, but kicked out. Luckily, Rhodes advanced to face Orton at Night of Champions. Jey won the Royal Rumble and won the World Heavyweight title at WrestleMania.

His title reign was mediocre. Rhodes didn't get another shot at John Cena and was actually cheated out of his title. Sami Zayn would have been the best option due to never winning a title, but this is how things played out.