WWE RAW 11/10/2025: 3 Things We Hated And 3 Things We Loved

Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s weekly review of "WWE Raw," and what an action-packed episode it was! Between John Cena finally winning the men's Intercontinental title to Nikki Bella turning heel on Stephanie Vaquer to two Last Time Is Now tournament matches (and at least one more we're really looking forward to watching) to Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY coming back to set up women's WarGames after the women's tag titles changed hands, the Wrestling Inc. crew barely had time to sort our likes from our dislikes, so much was happening! We're not even going to talk about Cody Rhodes showing up on "Raw" and William Regal announcing that the men too would have a WarGames match, thank you very much. Like not even a little bit. That's how stacked this show was.

As always, if you missed the festivities and need to catch up on everything that happened with an objective eye, be sure to check out our "Raw" results page. If you want to know what we finally decided we had feelings about after this particular Monday night roller coaster, here are three things we hated and three things we loved from the 11/10/25 episode of "WWE Raw!"

WWE's title plate guy is in for a big payday.

Monday's episode of "WWE Raw" saw three matches with title implications, and only one of those champions walked out with her gold still around her waist. John Cena bested long-time Intercontinental Champion "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio for his Intercontinental Championship to hold every title the WWE has had to offer, to date, and The Kabuki Warriors snatched the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships from Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss in Monday's main event. While new champions should be a cause for celebration, and are a chance to glimpse into the company's future, I can't help but think that the previous champions — the people left looking up at the lights — have been a tiny bit disrespected by the sudden title shifts.

It's a continuation of a pre-existing problem. Recently, Jade Cargill squashed Tiffany Stratton — a woman who, at the time, was the longest-reigning active champion in the company — in five minutes. For a woman who had been carrying WWE's blue brand on her back, it was certainly a disrespectful way for WWE to end Stratton's reign. You could make the same argument for the Intercontinental Title. Mysterio, who was the company's longest-reigning active champion after Stratton, was a similar workhorse — not just with WWE, but with AAA — and while Mysterio still holds his AAA Mega Championship, his Intercontinental Title reign, one that earned him raucous applause when he won the title in Vegas, was over in one night. I really mean one night. Cena had no program with Mysterio. The match had no stakes. WWE impulsively realized they should give Cena every title in the company, and decided that their poor planning was Mysterio's problem. Hold onto that AAA Mega Championship, Mysterio. WWE might wake up and decide they want to give it to Alberto del Rio.

Flair and Bliss have put the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships back on the map, with a whopping six title defenses (including Monday's) in 100 days. Flair and Bliss have featured a significant portion of WWE's women, from all brands, in their defenses, and what do they get? They get Lash Legend and Nia Jax distracting them so The Kabuki Warriors can get a third title reign. I'm happy for Asuka and Kairi Sane, but again, there was just no build-up to this title exchange. Of course, there's the rise of Asuka and Sane up to "Raw" food chain, but what claim did they really have to the tag titles, except being a tag team? It feels like Flair and Bliss were sacrificed to make The Kabuki Warriors look more dangerous.

A shock title exchange is not inherently evil. Three in a row? That's worrisome.

Written by Angeline Phu

He certainly left it a little late, but John Cena captured the one meaningful title he had yet to hold in WWE during Monday's "Raw." Is it a little rough that Dominik Mysterio spent the better half of the year as Intercontinental Champion, beating the likes of Penta, AJ Styles, and Rusev repeatedly, only to drop the title to a retiring part-timer? Perhaps. But John Cena is Intercontinental Champion. Could Styles have maybe won the title and dropped it to Cena in their really good Crown Jewel match? Perhaps. But John Cena is Intercontinental Champion. 

There are a litany of things one could take an issue with if they were so inclined to. But John Cena is Intercontinental Champion, and as a writer born in 2000 with a passion for the wacky world of professional wrestling, one doesn't feel so inclined. It was abrupt. It was, in the moment, unexpected, and it was at the right time in the right place. And the fact that crowds react both for Cena and Mysterio in such an animated way only added to the already rampant Boston crowd there to see their hometown hero for the last time. 

The match itself was exactly what you would envision if one was to imagine it, with a really well-done ending drawing the crowd into believing Mysterio was going to cheat Cena out of winning, only for Cena – as Cena does – to power out of things and win the match with an Attitude Adjustment. As a result, Cena is Intercontinental Champion, and he finally has the one title that Ezekiel Jackson managed to hold before him. It also sets the stage for his retirement match, and thus the tournament to determine his opponent in said match, to have an additional stake aside from the obvious "Getting to retire John Cena" boon. 

It added an interesting layer to Sheamus' story within the tournament already, as well as Rusev's, with both guys advancing on Monday and having made the Intercontinental title, a title they have similarly never held, their career goal over the recent months; Sheamus obviously far more-so given he is just that one title away from the Grand Slam, like Cena, and notably won his first WWE Championship from Cena in 2009. 

And that's the main point. Cena winning the title has already injected new life into the belt that had become more of a prop in the hands of Mysterio – a device for him to get another sneaky victory with seemingly no endgame. It's fitting that the one title that had eluded him for so long is the one he holds as his swansong is sung.

Written by Max Everett

Let's do a roleplay exercise. So, you're a former WWE World Heavyweight and US Champion, a former Money in the Bank holder, and someone who has worked with legends like Edge, Drew McIntyre, and Cody Rhodes. I'm a WWE writer, and I'm telling you that a guy who has failed to win the Intercontinental Championship three times in the past three months should beat you in the opening match of John Cena's final opponent tournament. Thoughts?

The opening round of John Cena's "The Last Time is Now" tournament saw Damian Priest take on Rusev in his "WWE Raw" comeback, and I gotta say, having Rusev go over Priest is...a choice! It's definitely a choice to have the guy whose character can be boiled down the "angry Bulgarian" go over a guy who once ran the red brand, either as its champion or as the leader of its top heel faction, The Judgement Day. It's definitely a choice to have Rusev, a wrestler who couldn't even beat Dominik Mysterio when a ring bell hammer and a steel chair were involved, go over a former world titleholder, just so you can run back Rusev and Sheamus. Rusev shirts must be making a lot of money.

If you're one of the few who have Rusev in their Mount Rushmore list of wrestlers, I'm very happy for you. I, however, cannot condone the Priest disrespect. What do you mean Rusev went over Priest? Granted, I wouldn't have either of these guys be Cena's last opponent, so Priest was going to take a loss even if he overcame Rusev tonight. However, putting Rusev over Priest is crazy work, and is just another frustrating moment in the long list of Priest's losing streak.

Where has the allure of Priest gone? Over on "WWE SmackDown," he's only been winning by disqualification — every other match, he's left looking up at the lights. Priest is accomplished, yeah, but he still has so much life in his career. He's not in a position to be taking losses. I know that the beauty of wrestling is in its community, and in its willingness to take a loss in order to put another guy over. If anything, though, Rusev should be the one putting Priest over. I know I just said that I don't see either of these guys being the guy to retire Cena, but who would you rather see lock up with Cena?

WWE has been known (and criticized) for its "long-term storytelling." However, this booking decision was made with extreme short-sightedness. Priest was eliminated from a tournament he could have thrived in, just so WWE could run back...Sheamus/Rusev. Rusev isn't winning this tournament. Priest put him over for what?

Written by Angeline Phu

Tonight was a pretty major episode of "Raw," one of the biggest in awhile, and I was already excited that Stephanie Vaquer was getting to defend her Women's World Championship on the show, one that I knew a lot of eyes would be on thanks to John Cena's last appearance in Boston, as well as the start of the "Last Time is Now" tournament. I know Vaquer was actually sick for that period of time where I was all upset that she wasn't on the show, but I'm still not going to soon forget that. So, I was really happy for her here, even though it was a foregone conclusion that she'd be retaining the title over Raquel Rodriguez.

That's no slight to Rodriguez. I think she's really improved over the last year or so, and this was an exciting spot for her to be in, as well. While this could of have been a little later on the show, at least those who were watching it live and may have tuned out as it got later got to see the match. Now that we know the Women's Tag Team Championship match was the main event for a reason, the title change in addition to the WarGames announcement, the match did make perfect sense here.

I had initially written down how much I liked Nikki Bella in this spot, almost like a valet for Vaquer to help even the numbers game against the women of Judgment Day. The champion doesn't exactly need Bella, but she's a Hall of Famer and brings eyes to the show, so it was nice to have them team up. And that team-up came to its end tonight when Bella cracked Vaquer with the championship after she retained over Rodriguez. Bella also hit a perfect heelish move when she ripped off her red top to reveal the heelish black underneath, which I thought was a nice little callback to the heel Bella Twins days.

It also makes sense that Vaquer and Bella will likely clash for the title at Survivor Series, as it's close to San Diego, one of the places that Bella has called home in recent years (thank you, "Total Divas" knowledge for that one) and she might help drive some ticket sales there. I think this is another match where it's inevitable that Vaquer retains her championship, but it's nice to see WWE doing something with Bella since she's been floundering a bit since Liv Morgan got injured toward the beginning of the year. I like the different eras of women's wrestling in WWE clashing here, and while it's not going to be the biggest in-rang banger, it should at least be interesting.

Written by Daisy Ruth

The lines have seemingly been drawn for WWE's upcoming Women's WarGames match, with Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY, Charlotte Flair, and Alexa Bliss poised to take on new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Asuka, Kairi Sane, Nia Jax, and...Lash Legend?

Alright, so Legend's main roster debut is nothing new. Neither is her coalition with Jax. The idea of an "NXT" star coming up from WWE's developmental program to be the sidekick of a main roster talent otherwise stuck in catering is nothing new. None of this is new, and that is exactly the reason it irks me. Legend is just the next "NXT" star set to lose her sparkle with a main roster call-up, all because WWE can't think of a way to debut one of their developmental stars past "smack them together with a washed-up midcarder."

Before you tell me I'm catastrophizing, let me point you to a very recent case. Carmelo Hayes made his main roster debut as a first-round pick in the 2024 WWE draft, but before long, Hayes was going from challenging Cody Rhodes for the WWE Universal Championship to being The Miz's lapdog. As a Hayes fan, I'll be the first to admit that his coalition with The Miz was the worst thing WWE could do for his career. He was washed of all personality, made instead into a shell of the boisterous, flashy and nerve-frayingly cocky man he was in "NXT." Even though Hayes is transitioning out of his Miz alliance, I'd argue the damage is done — unless you're a Hayes fan, the chances of you really rooting for this guy are slim. That is exactly what's already happening to "The Boujee Bully."

While Legend might not have claimed any titles during her "NXT" run, she has stunned since the very beginning. From being arguably the most interesting person in "NXT's" Meta Four stable to lifting up Otis in a standout mixed 6-Person tag team match, Legend (typically) commands the attention of all she is around. How could she not? She is explosive, strong, charismatic. She has a noticeable brand, with money-printed bodysuits and long, ornate eyelashes. Have we seen any of that in her alliance with Jax? Nope! We are watching her become a shell of who she was in "NXT," in real time. If a former NXT Champion, former NXT North American Champion, first-round draft pick, and WarGames winner Hayes became washed out during his alliance with a middling main roster midcarder, what do you think is going to happen to Legend?

Legend has the "it" factor. She is distinctly her — at least, she was in "NXT." I am watching someone who could thrive under her own brand get washed out by the minute.

Written by Angeline Phu

I'm gonna be honest: I initially didn't know how I felt about Asuka and Kairi Sane dethroning Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss as WWE Women's Tag Team Champions. I love both women and think that they're immensely talented, but I've also grown quite the soft spot for the team of Flair and Bliss. They had also just freshly released a storyline to eventually build up to a match that would have Flair and Bliss defend the Women's Tag Team Championship against Lash Legend and Nia Jax.

None of that mattered though when IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley made their return for the Women's WarGames challenge to be thrown out.

In my opinion, I actually thought that this was more built up and well thought out than the Men's WarGames challenge. Not only did the hype of SKY and Ripley's returns contribute to the excitement for the Women's WarGames match, but multiple storylines ultimately ended up converging here with Ripley and SKY's unfinished business with The Kabuki Warriors as well as Legend, Jax, Bliss, Flair, and The Kabuki Warriors all being involved in the Women's Tag Team Championship picture. While I had no idea what the Women's WarGames match was going to end up being nor did I get why WWE had been keeping Ripley and SKY off television, everything came together perfectly. I thoroughly ended up enjoying this entire segment (if it wasn't already very clear) and thought it was a great way to leave an impression on a "Raw" that was full of newsworthy moments for better or for worse.

Written by Olivia Quinlan