WWE Raw aired from Düsseldorf, Germany as the road to the Royal Rumble continued to take shape, with several major storylines advancing and a controversial main event closing the night.

The show opened with the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions addressing the crowd. Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY reflected on what they described as a physical and mental war with The Kabuki Warriors and made it clear they see themselves as the standard for the division. IYO said Asuka and Kairi Sane showed no respect, so they were forced to take it. Ripley followed by issuing an open challenge, which quickly drew Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez to the stage.

Morgan congratulated the champions before claiming the titles never stopped being hers. She insisted she never lost them and demanded they be handed over. Bayley and Lyra Valkyria then interrupted, with Bayley pointing out that Roxanne was already beaten and that she and Lyra deserved the next shot. The segment broke down into chaos when The Kabuki Warriors jumped Ripley and IYO, leading to a brawl that set the tone for the night.

Backstage, AJ Styles explained why his upcoming clash with GUNTHER had become personal. He framed the match as a matter of respect, saying GUNTHER showed none toward John Cena. Styles promised to make GUNTHER tap out, adding he would do it “like a little bitch.”

Je’Von Evans picked up an impressive win over Bravo Americano in his Raw debut, surviving outside interference before countering a top rope attack into a Spanish Fly and cutter combination. After the match, Evans narrowly escaped a post match ambush, showing resilience that earned him a strong reaction from the crowd.

CM Punk later made his way to the ring and addressed his future as World Champion. He said his goal was simple, to remain champion forever, and vowed to be a fighting champion as WrestleMania season approached. Finn Bálor interrupted, making it clear he was done waiting. Punk questioned where Finn had been over the past two months and accused him of hiding behind Judgment Day drama and video games.

Despite the verbal shots, Punk accepted the challenge for next week in Belfast. Finn promised there would be a new Irish World Champion. Punk responded by apologizing in advance to Ireland, saying he would put Bálor down with a GTS.

A chaotic triple threat number one contender match followed, featuring The Kabuki Warriors, Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez, and Bayley with Lyra Valkyria. The bout broke down into repeated near falls and multi woman sequences. The finish came when Roxanne hit Pop Rox on Bayley, only for Kairi to break it up, before Liv caught Bayley with ObLIVion to secure the win. Morgan and Perez earned the next shot at the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Raquel Rodriguez later addressed her attack on Stephanie Vaquer from last week, saying she was done waiting her turn and done being told to smile. When Stephanie appeared on the stage and dared Raquel to come for her title, Raquel accepted by attacking her again and targeting her injured ankle with the championship belt.

Tag team action ended in chaos when Bron Breakker interfered in Penta and Dragon Lee’s match against Austin Theory and Bronson Reed. Breakker’s repeated spears and confrontation with Adam Pearce finally crossed the line. Pearce announced Breakker was suspended indefinitely after Bron put his hands on him, drawing a sharp response from Paul Heyman backstage.

The main event delivered a brutal first time singles match between AJ Styles and GUNTHER. Styles focused heavily on GUNTHER’s leg and repeatedly locked in the Calf Crusher. In the closing moments, Styles claimed GUNTHER tapped while the referee was distracted. GUNTHER took advantage of the confusion, landed a low blow and followed with a powerbomb to steal the win.

Raw went off the air with controversy surrounding the finish, and tensions escalating across multiple divisions as the Royal Rumble drew closer.