Two nights after John Cena’s final match at Saturday Night’s Main Event, Raw (live from the GIANT Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania) felt like WWE exhaled—then immediately clenched its jaw again. 

Because the man who made Cena tap didn’t come to mourn a legend. Gunther came to celebrate himself—to rub salt in the wound, to stand on the announce table and soak in the rage, and to dare the WWE Universe to do something about it. And by the time the night ended—with Logan Paul pinning Rey Mysterio, a masked conspirator revealed, and Bron Breakker spearing CM Punk in half—the “Road to Royal Rumble: Riyadh” wasn’t just underway… it was already getting mean. 

Here are the full results

• The Usos (Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso) def. The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods)  
• WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Maxxine Dupri (c) def. Ivy Nile (Maxxine retains)  
• WWE Women’s World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez ended in a no-contest (Nikki Bella interfered)  
• Logan Paul def. Rey Mysterio (masked interference; masked man revealed as Austin Theory after the match)  

Results & recap

Gunther opens Raw, twists the knife… and gets thrown out

Raw opened with a look back at Saturday Night’s Main Event and the end of Cena’s in-ring career—then the arena turned venomous the second Gunther stepped out. 

Gunther didn’t try to win people over. He weaponized their hatred—declaring he did exactly what he promised, making John Cena give up, then repeating the line that detonated the building. The backlash followed him out of the ring and through the back, where Adam Pearce finally drew a hard line and sent him home—a rare “get out” moment that made the message clear: you retired Cena, but you don’t get to hijack the entire night. 

And just before he left the arena, Gunther crossed paths with AJ Styles and punctuated the moment with the cruelest kind of mimicry—Cena’s “You can’t see me”—like a villain signing his name on the scene of the crime. 

The Usos vs. The New Day feels familiar… until it doesn’t

Some rivalries don’t need hype. They just need a bell.

The Usos and The New Day slid right back into that old rhythm—fast tags, timing, pride—until outside interference threatened to tilt the table. When the chaos finally cleared, The Usos struck with 1D and took a statement win to keep their reunion hot. 

Rhiyo interrupted, chaos in the women’s division

The night’s tensions weren’t limited to one feud. When Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY hit the ring, they didn’t get long to speak before Asuka’s green mist changed the temperature instantly and the Kabuki Warriors followed with a full-on attack—setting the tone for what’s coming on January 5. 

Maxxine Dupri retains—and proves the training wasn’t a gimmick

Maxxine’s first defense as Women’s Intercontinental Champion wasn’t presented as a fluke. Ivy Nile pushed hard, hunted limbs, and threatened to out-muscle the champ—but Maxxine kept surviving… then flipped the script with the very weapon she’s been showcasing in training: the ankle lock for the submission win. 

Vaquer vs. Raquel ends in a storm

Stephanie Vaquer and Raquel Rodriguez had the kind of title-match tension that builds the division—until Nikki Bella blew it up, attacking both and forcing a no-contest. It wasn’t subtle. It was a declaration: the championship scene has more than one “main character,” and Nikki intends to be unavoidable. 

Main event: Logan Paul pins Rey… and the mask finally comes off

Rey Mysterio came into the main event with heart, urgency, and even a promise of backup—CM Punk told Rey he’d have his back. But “having your back” gets complicated when The Vision and a mystery ally are lurking in the shadows. 

During the match, interference hit like a tide. Punk managed to fight through some of the chaos—but not all of it. The crucial moment belonged to the masked man, and it gave Logan Paul the opening he needed to pin Rey Mysterio. 

Then came the payoff: the masked figure revealed himself as Austin Theory—and that split-second shock was all the opening Bron Breakker needed. Breakker stormed in and speared CM Punk, closing Raw with the champion laid out and the message delivered loud and clear: January 5 is coming, and Punk is not walking into it on his terms. 

The road ahead: Royal Rumble goes global

WWE isn’t easing into the new year. The company has officially confirmed Royal Rumble 2026 will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, January 31, 2026, and Raw’s chaos tonight felt like the first hard shove toward that destination.

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