WWE RAW 9/15/2025: 3 Things We Hated And 3 Things We Loved

Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s weekly review of "WWE Raw," the show that finally gave us the schizophrenic Bayley character coming out to the ring and doing stuff! Hooray! Okay fine, you may have been excited about other stuff on this episode, like AJ Lee and CM Punk confronting Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, or John Cena's final appearance in what's not exactly his hometown, but isn't very far away from his hometown. And don't worry — the WINC staff have opinions on those segments, too.

We have opinions on most of the segments from "Raw" this week, with apologies to Penta's win over Kofi Kingston. If you missed that match and really need to know what went down and how, feel free to check out our "Raw" results page, which is a great objective place to get caught up on all the Monday night action. If you'd like to know what the WINC staff thought of this week's events, however, this is the place to be. Here are three things we hated and three things we loved about the 9/15/25 episode of "WWE Raw."

I feel like I haven't said this in awhile, because while I'm not sold on his Wrestlepalooza match against Brock Lesnar this weekend, at least it's given "The Never Seen 17" John Cena something to do and given his remaining dates on his farewell tour some meaning. If they're gonna do that match, they can at least do it right with some amount of build, I guess. But, tonight, despite Cena being so close to his hometown with his family and friends in attendance, the appearance was an absolute waste of the very few he has left.

Cena appeared in front of the Springfield, Massachusetts crowd to hype up his match against Lesnar on Saturday, and to make sure everyone knew it was going to be historic on ESPN's new streaming platform and everything else you'd expect babyface corporate guy Cena to say. He said he was indeed afraid of Lesnar, but he was never going to back down or surrender and hustle, loyalty, respect, and all that jazz. Then he basically waved to the crowd, which was an absolute sea of Cena t-shirts, and went to the back. I may be wrong, but I highly doubt Cena is worked a dark match or anything after the show, so this appearance really was just that. An appearance to get him out in front of the Massachusetts crowd for the last time.

It also makes me think Cena is going to lose to Lesnar on Saturday since "The Beast Incarnate" wasn't around tonight to lay him out. Maybe Cena didn't want to be beaten down in front of his friends and family, but the fact that absolutely nothing happened tonight just made it seem like a total waste for Cena. He even mentioned himself how few dates he has left, and it will be only five after Wrestlepalooza. That's partially why I'm convinced Lesnar is going to win; maybe he writes Cena off for awhile and he shows up as the "surprise" member of the babyface WarGames team in November.

Whatever happens Saturday will happen, I guess, but tonight just felt like a total waste of a date. Cena's retirement tour hasn't been booked well at all, in my opinion, and it's sad that only continues to roll on as his dates get fewer and fewer. I really hope the Springfield crowd got some more of Cena after the show went off the air tonight, because I think most of us at home were pretty disappointed.

Written by Daisy Ruth

You've got to be kidding me.

On Monday's episode of "WWE Raw," Dragon Lee was the next person in a line of legitimate luchadors to try and pump the brakes on El Grande Americano's recent run of cultural appropriation and luchador burials. Of course, being WWE's darling (can you hear my vitriol?), Lee succumbed to the forces of El Grande Americano. Yeah, that's right. Forces. Multiple. There are three El Grande Americanos now. 

It gets to a point.

If you're a frequent reader of these columns, you'll know that we at Wrestling Inc. are not big fans of the El Grande Americano storyline, and as a Southern California native, the art of lucha libre is especially important to me. You can imagine, then, how passionately anti-El Grande Americano I am, and how badly I'm about to crash out. The situation is ridiculous. Why does WWE have these amazing performers (including the people underneath the costumey El Grande Americano masks), just to pedal uninspired, lazy triplet nonsense? It's ridiculous. It's so crazy; I'm not even totally opposed to overbooked, ridiculous nonsense — it's one of my favorite things about WWE's rival promotion. However, when the overbooked, ridiculous nonsense makes a mockery out of lucha libre, a revered Mexican in-ring artform, the overbooked nonsense goes from a joke I can poke fun at to something I legitimately dread. I'm not a hard woman to please! Just give me AJ Styles and two guys in Styles-style Spirit Halloween wigs, and I'll put a Loved on your segment!

It's crazy how deep my hate for El Grande Americano runs, because this match would have been right up my alley if you just took out the red, white, and blue nonsense out of the equation. I will never complain about Dragon Lee being on my screen, and he was a pleasure to watch. He had a certain edge to his moveset tonight that was understandable, considering he was going up against the incredibly disrespectful Americano. The dark eyeshadow, a la Robert Pattinson's Batman, was a great touch that added to his more aggressive presentation. This whole match could have been Dragon Lee's kick back into the spotlight after a while stuck in catering; having him kick out of the second Americano's interference was a move I did not expect, but fully appreciated. It's like they're teasing a Lee push, and I fully believe that he's capable of living up to the hype WWE seems to be putting behind him. I just need WWE to pull the trigger.

Styles' interference on the side of Lee further adds to my theory (one I conjured out of desperation, I will admit), and, again, it just goes to show how badly El Grande Americano can ruin the entire vibe of the match. I swear, if he wasn't there (all three of them), I would have easily Loved this match. Alas, WWE loves their racially insensitive mascots. I hope someone in the back is having fun, because I am wholeheartedly not.

Written by Angeline Phu

For the last few weeks, we've seen Bayley at war with herself trying to decide which version of her past selves she is. "Hugger" Bayley talked about the titles and hearts she won. Evil Bayley reminded her that everyone turned on her and when she went to a darker side, she was the longest reigning women's champion. The two versions constantly argued, leaving Present Bayley exhausted and confused.

Tonight, she returned to help Lyra Valkyria from a postmatch beatdown. Clad in AJ Lee's new shirt, she took out Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez. She did Bayley to Belly and pulled out some of her "Hugger" mannerisms. Afterwards, she hugged Joe Tessitore, Corey Graves, Alicia Taylor, Jessika Carr, and a few fans. Later when Valkyria went to her dressing room to thank her, she heard loud yelling. Bayley was once again arguing with her two sides. Valkyria knocked on the door and entered. Bayley was sitting on a couch in all black, except for a white shirt she was partially wearing on one side (which was a nice touch). She asked who she was talking to and Bayley appeared to not know what she was talking about. Valkyria thanked her for her help, especially after what she had said before. That made Bayley irate and she yelled at her for coming into her dressing room without permission and told her to stay away from her before calling her an idiot.

It's fun to see Bayley having a storyline with some meat to it. She is harnessing both sides of herself; each one has made her successful, but also cost her. It'll be interesting to see if present Bayley will integrate both sides of herself and become an even more powerful version or if she will choose one side over the other. Will anyone in the locker room realize what's going on with Bayley? Will only Hugger Bayley be the public persona or will Evil Bayley spill into her matches? Right now, Becky is doing some of her greatest heel work while Charlotte (and Alexa Bliss) are playing tweener roles and learning to coexist as a team. It's good to see Bayley back in the mix with something new and fresh.

Written by Samantha Schipman

If one thing can be said it's that during the generational feud between Seth Rollins and CM Punk, each guy has done more than their fair share of talking. So it was refreshing, ahead of their mixed tag team match alongside respective wives Becky Lynch and the returning AJ Lee, to hear more of what the ladies had to say on the matter. 

Realistically, in my own opinion, the Punk and Rollins feud has long run out of steam to be extended in the way WWE clearly wants it to be, so it was just better to see a dream feud between Lee and Lynch set up and developed as opposed to them running over the tired tropes of their characters. 

Don't get me wrong, they did do that, and there was an underlying sense that they were just extensions to the men in the segment – that is unfortunately predicated by the fact that is effectively their established roles in this story, doesn't make it any less grating. But they absolutely had the more compelling stuff to say, and freshness will obviously be playing a factor into that rationale but it doesn't change the fact that coming out of this segment, I was more than ready to say that I wanted to see the next chapter in their story rather than that of Punk and Rollins. 

It's not to say Punk and Rollins are even doing anything wrong in themselves and honestly just feel hampered by the lack of material left to explore between them, and it's not like anything they were saying or doing was bad. They mostly let the women take control of the segment, and it worked for what it was for their parts. 

I just cannot stress how compelling the idea of a Lynch vs Lee feud is, and exactly the sort of thing that could benefit the Women's Intercontinental Championship, and there was just more for them to get into on this night. When all was said and done a bow was wrapped in the form of a Manhandle Slam, closing the loop on the thread that Lynch had pulled just moments before – Lee's neck condition. 

For a brief moment in time during this show, everything seemed to slot into place perfectly and worked to actually thread some intrigue into the incumbent bout. Everyone played their parts, but the stand outs for me were definitely Lee and Lynch, and they've been a welcome injection of life into this feud, more than deserving of their own spotlight after this coming weekend is through.

Written by Max Everett

Welcome back, Stephanie Vaquer.

After a few weeks off of "WWE Raw" programming, Vaquer made her triumphant return to the red brand in a match with Kairi Sane during the second half of Monday's show. After what was an entirely meh show up until that point (whether or not you missed the first hour like I did), Vaquer and Sane's match was certainly a breath of fresh air. Yet again, WWE's women division stole the show.

This match literally had everything. You like mat-based grappling work? Vaquer and Sane elevated a wrestling match's typical opening holds with their innovative movements, and Sane seemed to have "La Primera's" number for a bit of the exchange, which is a refreshing break from what would otherwise be a match of Vaquer domination. You like strikes? Vaquer withstood two Cutlasses from Sane, just to return with her own strike exchange that saw Sane double over from a crisp side kick. You like high-flying moves? Vaquer absolutely leveled Sane on the outside with a Crossbody. You like selling and subversion? Sane seemed to have the upper hand over Vaquer during a series of elbow strikes, and Vaquer was willingly taking flat back bump after flat back bump. You like storytelling progression? The presence of Asuka at ringside saw "The Empress of Tomorrow" shrilly shriek at Sane as "The Pirate Princess" attempted to shake Vaquer's hand early on in the match, and Sane's immediate change in disposition was just another example of the dramatic acting that has made the Kabuki Warriors tension storyline what it is. No matter what you like, Vaquer and Sane's match had it. It's so rare to have a match that ticks all of the possible wrestling boxes in a fan's internal checklist. It's even more rare to have a match that ticks those boxes, and does it well. Both women looked phenomenal in that match, and while Vaquer ultimately got the victory (as she should, ahead of WrestlePalooza), Sane didn't look half bad either.

What I especially appreciated was the way in which Asuka is returning to the forefront of the women's divisions storylines, even without gold around her waist. Her shriek at Sane was only the tip of the iceberg in Monday's heelish displays; she attempted to confront Vaquer after the match, only to be disrupted by IYO SKY, who she had an all-out screaming match with in the ring. It's clear that Asuka's mind is singularly focused on gold, and that she is willing to delve to any low in order to achieve it. Everything, from the tone of her voice to her body language to her look, is adding to the body of this heel turn, and I am loving how she is being prioritized in the women's division once again. I just need WWE to pull the trigger on her.

These ladies continue to deliver week in and week out. WWE has absolute gold on their hands, and come Wrestlepalooza, they need to cash in on it.

Written by Angeline Phu

I'm going to be fully honest here: The Usos reuniting in 2025 only for them to be heading towards a break-up once again would not personally be my first choice for a storyline in WWE to begin with. If it's going to end up happening though, I can appreciate WWE adding in the new element of Jey Uso showing shades of Roman Reigns but that shouldn't come at the expense of building up the storyline in a manner that is convoluted and doesn't necessarily make a ton of sense.

Jey and Jimmy Uso having a backstage disagreement with one another is fine and all, but to have Jey be on a secret phone call, be extremely secretive about it, get into a disagreement with Jimmy (of which I can already barely even remember the details merely a couple of hours later), and Jimmy choose to seek his retribution for a lack of a better term by agreeing to team up with LA Knight was really hard to follow. The Usos only have a couple weeks worth of history with Knight, so to have Knight distrust Jey this much and Jimmy agree to tag with him out of spite after initially turning him down just feels like it's sudden and happening a little too fast. Not only does there needs to be time to let everything breathe for the fans, but it feels like WWE is trying to jam two storylines together with the tensions between Jimmy and Jey as well as Jey and Knight rather than having them merge smoothly together.

Written by Olivia Quinlan