WWE RAW 8/18/2025: 3 Things We Hated And 3 Things We Loved

Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s weekly review of "WWE Raw," the show where Naomi's final act as Women's World Champion was to cut an instant Promo of the Year contender after announcing she's pregnant! That's one way to go out on top, champ! Yes, technically Roman Reigns was also here, but Naomi was the real story, if we're being completely honest.

Don't worry though; obviously we'll talk both those things here in the column, along with Sheamus and Rusev getting a Clash in Paris match, Nikki Bella taking down Becky Lynch, and more! As usual, there are some things we're not getting to — sadly the WINC crew continues to just not really care about Mr. Iguana — but if you missed the show and need the full rundown, you shouldn't be here, anyway. That's what our "Raw" results page is for! This column is for our opinions and analysis of the things that drew our eye most strongly from Monday's programming. Which is to say, here are three things we hated and three things we loved about the 8/18/25 episode of "WWE Raw!"

There's a certain phrase that accompanies Sheamus that appears to be specifically apt for the bout confirmed for Clash in Paris between him and Rusev during "WWE Raw." 

The feud between Sheamus and Rusev has been nothing spectacular in truth, with the former League of Nations' stablemates just going at it for the recently returned Rusev's first significant storyline. Their saga going into tonight was 1-1-1 after two good matches and an alright bout marred by not getting a finish, but the double count-out did work to set the precedent for their next, and potentially last installment; Adam Pearce announced, after the pair continued to just fight on-sight, that they would get one more opportunity to face one another in a Donnybrook in Paris. 

But, with that match being announced at least there is the promise of an excellent fight between two wrestlers known for their brawling and sheer brute force. The stipulation is naturally tied to Sheamus' character as the "Celtic Warrior" and each and every one until this point has proved to be entertaining if nothing less. And at this time, both guys feel like they really need a match that lights that fire to propel them into the championship picture.

Rusev is still not getting much of a reaction from the crowd, especially a far cry from his "Rusev Day" days, and there's only one really established way to get yourself over. With Sheamus at this point, it is expected, he is an established veteran who could definitely use another statement piece, but would hardly muddy his already Hall of Fame-worthy career. A banger from Rusev has the opportunity to put him back on the map, having just returned to the company for the first time in five years after a stint with AEW – the latter half of which he spent more time on the sidelines than on the show. At the very least, the Donnybrook will surely be a fun time when the event rolls around.

Written by Max Everett

WWE missed yet another opportunity to change up Natalya's "just happy to be here" gimmick tonight into her more hardcore "Low Key Legend" Nattie personality that fans have seen in Bloodsport, NWA, and even AAA after Saturday's TripleManía XXXIII. I really thought we might have been getting somewhere tonight with the way commentary kept mentioning that Natalya hasn't won singles gold in WWE for eight years, but during that time, she's done everything to help the women's division. That sadly wasn't the case and commentary just seemed to be driving the point home that poor Natalya is just kind of there these days. But, that doesn't have to be the case if only WWE would just let her use the original idea that she had, rather than the crap they come up with.

I thought Women's Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch beating the hell out of her post-championship match tonight would be the inspiration she needed to just let lose and snap. Yes, she could still have lost, but the loss could have been the catalyst to set Natalya off. Maybe Lynch beat the hell out of her throughout the match, but she could have gotten up after and taken out the champion. It would have been a good visual of Natalya turning into a scary, violent Nattie and scaring both Maxxine Dupri and Tozawa at ringside. 

I was so caught up in hoping that we'd see "The Low Key Legend" tonight that I honestly forgot about Nikki Bella and the fact she set herself up for a Women's IC title match against Lynch that seems likely to happen at Clash in Paris. That storyline needed furthered and set up, so while it makes sense, it just still kind of stinks. Natalya is well beyond overdue for a gimmick change, and it's silly that she can use the Nattie gimmick in a WWE-owned property, but not on the company's main roster.

I'm hoping maybe we see something with Natalya next week, but now that the ladies of Alpha Academy seem to be done with Lynch, I don't see that happening. They're likely to fade back into the background, which I hate for Natalya. After all these years, and especially now that she's proven she's still got it when it comes to developing a character, she absolutely deserves better.

Written by Daisy Ruth

For the second consecutive week, a promo aired of Bayley. The video gave Bray Wyatt vibes (complimentary). She started off by saying she didn't know if anything she was saying made sense. The video distorted and the lighting changed to a cooler tone while her own voice in a higher pitch, answered her question with "of course you don't know if what you're saying makes sense because 'Ding Dong Hello!', it doesn't!" Evil Bayley reminded her of her accolades and told her she doesn't need friends because they'll stab her in the back while remembering the times she was turned on. The voice told her that if she listens to her, she'll be back on the right path. Bayley covered her ears, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. When she opened them, the voice stopped talking and the room came back into focus.

It's about time they gave Bayley something substantial. With Naomi now gone for the foreseeable future, they need a woman to help fill that void. Bayley is the perfect woman to do it. Much like Natalya, Bayley has been a workhorse who elevates the division while being completely underrated. I'm glad that this promo reminded fans that she was a double champion along with being the longest reigning "SmackDown" women's champion of all time. Due to the way she's been booked, especially missing both WrestleMania and SummerSlam, many fans forget some of her accolades.

Bayley had an excellent match with Becky Lynch just a few weeks ago. She is still one of the top wrestlers on the "Raw" brand and it's time they started treating her like one. Lynch has been attempting to get her former friend to turn heel (again). It seems like it's coming any day now and it's going to be so much fun to see.

Written by Samantha Schipman

This is nothing entirely unique to this week, but the fact of the matter is Grayson Waller doesn't belong in the same space as the New Day. He just doesn't. 

The New Day was well-documented last chance for the trio of Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Big E, and has since taken on a mythology of its own and propelled two of its members to win the WWE Championship alongside record-breaking tag title runs. 

Much had been said about the fact that, going against the grain of pro wrestling friendships, the New Day stayed together through the highs and the lows, supporting one another's singles pursuits, whether it be "KofiMania," Big E's Money in the Bank to title run, or Woods' run to become the King of the Ring. And that helped to make them feel special, a testament to the idea of prospering together in an industry that glorifies stabbing everyone in the back in the pursuit of fortune. Of course, the waters began to stagnate when the balance was truly disturbed, the longer that Big E spent on the sidelines after his broken neck (understandably, power to him) and the team of Kingston and Woods took loss after loss. Change was necessary, and the break-up was teased. 

But they went the direction of the New Day continuing without their fallen brother, and that heel turn turned them absolutely nuclear with the crowd. Their reward was a run with the World Tag Team Championship that spent most of its time during commercial break or backstage segments, ended with little fanfare to Finn Balor and JD McDonagh on weekly TV. In the time since, they have continued to mourn their titles, and it was a bit that made for some funny interactions that again, have had little to no tangible direction. Beyond the joke of the funeral attire and the state of mourning, Woods and Kingston are two tumbleweeds drifting through the desert. 

Except, they're not. They are two tumbleweeds drifting through the desert alongside Grayson Waller. The New Day has become just three guys coasting through weekly programming, one of which just came out of a tag team with Austin Theory, and none of it makes sense. The New Day turned on Big E, made a grand point of standing on their own, and now in the whole division of heels they could band with, replaced Big E with Grayson Waller. There is no reasoning, they have done nothing to portray any other form of reasoning than the fact Waller had nothing going and the New Day were there. Maybe the hope is that Waller's legitimate go-away heat is going to turn into New Day heat, but it won't. It just cheapens one of the most storied teams of all time.

Written by Max Everett

Although tonight's episode of "Raw" may have overall been pretty average, the highlight of the episode easily was Naomi sharing the news of her pregnancy with the WWE Universe in one of the most fun promos that the show has seen in weeks.

I won't lie: at first, I was a little reluctant about how this segment was going to go with the announcement of the special podcast episode of "What's Your Story?" with Naomi and Jimmy Uso. It felt like it was going to be a major spoiler of the news that Naomi was about to announce, and the showing of the clip to make the actual announcement was not the way that I would've done things personally. That immediately changed the second that Naomi kicked Adam Pearce out of the ring though, as it not only fit her character perfectly but set the tone for what was to come in the rest of this segment.

It's rare that WWE actually gets the perfect balance of humor, kayfabe, and heart but they struck absolute gold with this one. It's always bittersweet to say goodbye to any WWE Superstar for a prolonged period of time. The way that this was done allowed for Naomi to have the time she deserves to shine and celebrate her news with the fans. It was the perfect sendoff and kept a great balance of the Naomi character and the real person that's behind it, Trinity Fatu, whilst still providing her with an automatic spot in the Women's World Championship picture upon her return.

A huge congratulations to both Naomi and Jimmy as they enter this next exciting chapter of their lives!

Written by Olivia Quinlan

"Raw" has opened and closed the same way, the last two, if not three, weeks in a row, ever since Seth Rollins pulled off "The Ruse of the Century" at SummerSlam, and I am unbelievably tired of it all. The past two weeks have opened up the same way, with Paul Heyman introducing us to every member of The Vision. Which, according to WWE's website, Rollins' faction is officially called now, even though I don't really recall hearing commentary refer to them as such too often. Heyman goes down the line, lauding the accomplishments of Rollins, Bronson Reed and the "shoe-lafala," which I think is incredibly dumb and a rant for another day, and Bron Breakker. We get a promo that takes up at least ten to 15 minutes of the show that doesn't really accomplish anything, and then we move on.

I suppose tonight's set up a stipulation for the main event we already knew about, but that stipulation made it obvious as to what was going to happen. Every week on "Raw," the main event ends in a disqualification, but tonight, thanks to the Extreme Rules stip (because, Philadelphia, of course!) it was obvious there was going to be even more interference than usual, but it would all be legal, in the match pitting Breakker against Jey Uso.

And of course, that's what happened, and CM Punk, LA Knight, and Rollins interfered, because they're all involved in the fatal four-way match at Clash in Paris coming up here soon. Roman Reigns has also (shockingly) been consistently showing up to work since he's advertised for the premium live event, so he showed up to hit a spear and a Superman punch to help Uso win the match. He also set up a match against Reed, since Reed has been stripping him of her sneakers as of late.

While it was different enough tonight in the sense that no one got disqualified, it was really the same old song and dance. It's almost a safe bet that one can tune into "Raw" about 20 minutes late and not really miss anything. And, if you're not a fan of Rollins and whatever The Vision are doing, you're probably not going to like the main event every week. I don't see where this is going to go or how it's going to change after Clash in Paris, and I foresee even more opening promos by The Vision, because I'm almost certain Rollins is holding on to that title for awhile.

Written by Daisy Ruth