Tonight’s Monday Night RAW comes to you live from the Honda Center in Anaheim — the final stop before WWE’s big Peacock special, Saturday Night’s Main Event on Saturday, November 1 in Salt Lake City. Expect a high-energy, storyline-heavy episode built to put the spotlight on title matches and key grudge threads that will define the main event card this weekend. 

Here is everything advertised for tonight show:

• CM Punk & Jey Uso face-off — a tense, high-stakes confrontation as Punk and Uso head into their World Heavyweight Championship fight this Saturday.  
• Penta vs. Rusev — No.1 Contender’s Match for the Intercontinental Championship (winner earns a rematch vs. Dominik Mysterio).  
• Nikki Bella vs. Roxanne Pérez — spotlight singles match with backstage and legacy implications.  
• Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss (WWE Women’s Tag Champions) vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria — Women’s Tag Team title defense/feature.  

(These matches and segments have been reported and promoted for the Anaheim show; WWE’s live event page and trusted wrestling outlets list the Honda Center as tonight’s venue and the advertised lineup. ) 

Why tonight matters — the booking logic

This RAW functions as a classic go-home show: it must do three things simultaneously — sell the Saturday special, resolve (or escalate) tangibles so payoffs land on PPV-quality TV, and create last-minute intrigue that makes viewers feel they can’t miss the weekend. With CM Punk vs. Jey Uso for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship and Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship already set for SNME, Raw’s primary job tonight is to give both singles programs sharper edges — physicality, mind games, sneak attacks, and anything that raises doubts or temperature heading into Salt Lake City. 

The Intercontinental No.1 Contender’s stip keeps the IC title scene dynamic: Dominik Mysterio has been defended against credible threats, and Penta vs. Rusev is structured to crown a challenger who either legitimizes Mysterio through a clean win or sets up controversy (interference, shenanigans) that keeps the feud alimented. That match has direct, immediate consequences for the SNME undercard and provides a must-watch mid-card narrative for tonight. 

Key storylines & angles to watch during the show

1. CM Punk — psychology vs. desperation.

Punk’s greatest strengths are promo control and unpredictable in-ring volatility. Tonight should be heavy on words — Punk will want to land a psychological blow on Jey Uso, forcing a mistake or a heat spike that can be exploited on Saturday. If Punk plays the heel mind-games and leaves with the crowd boiled over, the SNME match gains extra emotional weight. 

2. Jey Uso’s resiliency and family stakes.

Jey’s path into a world title scene has often leaned on Samoan family mystique and his ability to absorb punishment. A credible, violent face-in-danger portrayal tonight helps make the title match feel like a true test rather than a foregone conclusion. Watch for interference teases (Bloodline pieces) or last-minute involvement that would complicate Saturday’s booking. 

3. Intercontinental turmoil — will Penta or Rusev be the canonical challenger?

Penta offers high-risk lucha flash and viral moments; Rusev (a powerhouse) provides the smash factor. Whoever wins gives Dominik Mysterio a different stylistic problem to solve on the SNME undercard — expect both men to pull out signature spots designed to play over in Peacock promos. 

4. Women’s division continuity and star placement.

Charlotte & Alexa defending the Women’s Tag straps on a go-home night tells us WWE intends to keep those belts visible on the SNME special or ensure the challengers are credible enough for subsequent storytelling. Nikki Bella vs. Roxanne Pérez feels like a dual purpose match: a nostalgia/utility bump for Bella and a rub/resilience test for Roxanne. 

Predictions & booking scenarios (what I expect)

• CM Punk/Jey Uso face-off will end in a brawl or physical altercation that leaves one man with a visible limp or knocked into the crowd — classic go-home escalation to drive urgency and sell tickets/streams.
• Penta vs. Rusev will likely be treated as a hard-fought classic where interference is possible but a clean winner (probably Penta) is preferable to give Dominik a fresh, stylistically interesting opponent.
• Nikki Bella vs. Roxanne Pérez will be used to spotlight Roxanne as a future singles title piece; expect Roxanne to pick up the win or at worst a decisive finish that keeps her momentum.
• Women’s Tag match will either be a clean defense to keep champions strong going into SNME or end with a chaotic finish that sets up rematches on the special.

These predictions reflect how WWE tends to structure go-home programming: escalate the rivalry that needs momentum, protect assets they want hot for the big show, and use the undercard to build future options. 

Final take 

If you’re watching tonight: zero in on how physical the Punk-Jey exchange becomes and whether the Intercontinental No.1 Contender match produces a clean winner — those two outcomes will mostly determine whether Saturday’s Cody vs. Drew and Punk vs. Jey cards feel like definitive payoffs or the opening acts of longer feuds.

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