WWE Raw arrived at Arena CDMX in Mexico City with a major championship atmosphere surrounding the show. Roman Reigns was scheduled to defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Penta, while Chad Gable was set to put the Intercontinental Championship on the line against Dragon Lee. The night also followed Stephanie Vaquer’s Women’s World Championship victory over Liv Morgan in Chile, giving Raw a distinctly international focus before the in-ring action began.
Mexico City’s crowd made its presence felt immediately, with Penta and Roman Reigns featured prominently before the show’s opening segment. Penta had earned his opportunity by defeating Rey Fenix, and the challenger’s arrival was presented with the kind of fanfare expected for a hometown hero. Reigns, meanwhile, was shown arriving by airplane and car ahead of a title defense that carried considerable emotional weight for the Arena CDMX audience.
Joe Tessitore and Corey Graves called the action as Raw opened with Rey Mysterio making his way to the ring in a neck brace and wearing an Eddie Guerrero shirt. Adam Pearce joined Mysterio in the ring as Rey welcomed Raw back to Mexico and spoke proudly about his heritage. Rather than making the segment strictly about his own condition, Rey turned the attention to Vaquer and her championship win.
Stephanie Vaquer celebrates her Women’s World Championship win
Rey highlighted Vaquer’s victory over Liv Morgan in Chile, where Becky Lynch served as the special guest referee. Vaquer then entered in her wrestling gear to a loud reception, with the crowd chanting, “Ole Vaquer,” as she entered the ring with the Women’s World Championship.
For more background on this topic, read Sami Zayn’s WWE Title Win Positions Him for Potential Roman Reigns Showdown at Crown Jewel.
Vaquer told the audience that she had reclaimed her title and thanked the fans who supported her. She described winning the championship in Chile as a dream and said it was an honor to celebrate the accomplishment in Mexico City. The moment did not last long before Morgan and Dominik Mysterio interrupted.
Morgan offered a sarcastic congratulations before accusing Vaquer of hypocrisy. She insisted that Becky Lynch’s officiating had cost her the championship and argued that Vaquer’s win came only because Morgan had been “screwed.” Morgan further claimed that she remained the greatest Women’s World Champion of all time.
The confrontation became more personal when Morgan insulted Rey, calling him a deadbeat father. Dominik followed by taking shots at Rey and Vaquer, describing them as a deadbeat and a cheater before claiming that Morgan was what a real champion looked like. Rey fired back by asking Dominik whether he had lost his own championship the previous day, referencing Dominik’s defeat to El Grande Americano at TripleMania.
Dominik then challenged Rey and Vaquer to a mixed tag match on the spot. Pearce noted that Rey was not medically cleared to compete, but Dominik dismissed the injury as fake. That opened the door for El Grande Americano, who entered to a strong reaction from the Mexico City crowd. After he offered to take Rey’s place, Pearce made the mixed tag match official in Spanish.
El Grande Americano and Vaquer win by disqualification
El Grande Americano teamed with Vaquer against Morgan and Dominik in the opening match. Americano began against Dominik and quickly took control with corner strikes, a spinning kick and a near fall. Morgan tagged in and attempted to throw off Americano, only for Vaquer to enter and answer with a flying headscissors and a rollup attempt.
The momentum shifted when Dominik pulled down the ropes while Vaquer was near the ring, sending her to the floor. Morgan capitalized outside the ring and then continued working over Vaquer after returning to the match. Morgan used strikes in the corner, a running dropkick and a series of suplex attempts as she looked to keep Vaquer from gaining separation.
Vaquer eventually halted Morgan’s momentum with a kick before Americano and Dominik resumed their rivalry. Americano hit a middle-rope blockbuster for two and later delivered an Air Raid Crash that nearly ended the contest. Morgan repeatedly created openings for Dominik, including pulling Vaquer from the apron to prevent Americano from making a tag.
Vaquer received the hot tag and immediately went after Morgan, hitting a suplex and a powerslam. She escaped a counter attempt, punished Morgan with a dragon screw and followed with Devil’s Kiss and a Meteora in the corner. Dominik returned to the ring as Morgan hit a backstabber on Vaquer amid the distraction. The heel pair briefly embraced, only for Americano to break up their momentum.
The closing stretch saw Morgan slap Americano and Vaquer answer with a superkick. Morgan and Dominik were left in position as Vaquer connected with a 619. Vaquer and Americano climbed to the top rope, seemingly ready to finish the match, but The Judgment Day rushed in and attacked to force the disqualification.
El Grande Americano and Stephanie Vaquer defeated Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio by disqualification.
The post-match attack added another layer to the feud. Dominik dragged Rey into the ring by the neck brace, escalating the situation until Americano intervened. JD McDonagh stopped Americano’s attempted running headbutt with one of his own, then hit a moonsault. Morgan dropped Vaquer with Oblivion, while Dominik delivered a frog splash to Rey. Morgan and Dominik then held up the championships that they had lost before tossing the belts toward Vaquer and Americano.
The scene left Vaquer standing as the official Women’s World Champion, but it also made clear that Morgan and The Judgment Day were unwilling to accept the title change quietly. Rey’s involvement despite not being cleared also puts additional attention on his condition and on the increasingly volatile relationship between Rey and Dominik.
Je’Von Evans secures a Money in the Bank spot
Raw’s first Money in the Bank qualifying match featured Big Cass, Je’Von Evans and Austin Theory. Theory was accompanied by Maxxine Dupri, and he initially attempted to make a deal with Evans before quickly abandoning that strategy and attacking him.
Cass used his power advantage early, throwing Theory into the corner and splashing him. Evans responded with quick striking offense against both opponents, then escaped a chokeslam attempt by sending Cass outside with a hurricanrana. Evans scored an early near fall on Theory with a sunset flip before the action spilled to the floor.
Evans dove onto Cass, but Theory’s attempt to charge into the situation backfired. Cass caught Evans’ dive toward Theory and drove him down onto Theory with a chokeslam. The match remained built around the contrast between Cass’ size, Theory’s opportunism and Evans’ speed throughout the commercial break and into the closing minutes.
At one point, Theory got Cass into a rack position and hit a rack bomb. Evans immediately answered with a frog splash to Theory. Evans later landed a dive on Theory outside the ring, while Cass regained control inside with a Black Hole Slam on Evans. Dupri became a factor when she pulled Cass away as he was preparing to attack Theory in the corner.
The final exchange moved quickly. Evans went for a cutter, Cass blocked it, and Evans escaped into a pin attempt for two. Cass connected with a big boot on Evans, but Theory pulled Cass to the floor and covered Evans for a close near fall. Cass then threw Theory into the barricade and planted Evans on the apron with a chokeslam.
Once all three men returned to the ring, Theory knocked down a charging Cass. Evans used Theory’s positioning to send him into Cass, creating the opening he needed. Evans hit the OG Cutter on Cass and scored the pinfall.
Je’Von Evans defeated Big Cass and Austin Theory to qualify for the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match.
Evans joins Bron Breakker in the Men’s Money in the Bank field. The qualification is a major development for Evans, but it also creates a daunting potential collision with Breakker in a match where ladders, timing and survival can be as important as momentum. Evans showed that he can create an opening against larger opponents, a skill he will need against the rest of the eventual field.
Bloodline tensions and championship matches still ahead
Elsewhere, The Usos addressed the attack by Royce Keys and OTM on their Cadillac the previous week. Jey and Jimmy Uso wanted immediate payback, but Jacob Fatu urged caution because of Reigns’ World Heavyweight Championship defense against Penta later in the evening. The Usos argued that they needed to protect Reigns, while Fatu laid out a different plan: deal with their opponents one at a time and make Reigns the final target.
The exchange adds uncertainty to Reigns’ title match. Penta has the full backing of a Mexico City audience that is expected to be firmly behind him, but Reigns also enters with concerns around his allies and the threats building around his side of the family. Whether those issues remain separate from the main event could prove decisive.
Dragon Lee and Penta were also shown encouraging each other before their respective championship matches. Dragon Lee’s challenge to Gable represents another opportunity for Mexico City to rally behind one of its own, while Penta’s World Heavyweight Championship challenge is the night’s centerpiece.
As Raw continued, Gable’s Intercontinental Championship defense against Dragon Lee remained scheduled, as did Reigns’ high-stakes defense against Penta. Vaquer’s celebration may have been interrupted by The Judgment Day, but her championship reign now moves forward from a position of strength. Evans, meanwhile, leaves the opening portion of Raw with a career-changing Money in the Bank opportunity secured.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.