WWE Raw live results: Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor
Date: February 17, 2025
Location: Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC
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The Big Takeaway —
Raw was capped off by an excellent main event, which saw Seth Rollins beat Finn Bálor to qualify for the Men’s Elimination Chamber. Rollins will join John Cena, CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, Damian Priest, and Logan Paul in Toronto.
Roxanne Perez beat Raquel Rodriguez to qualify for the Women’s Chamber thanks to a distraction by Bianca Belair and Naomi. Belair and Naomi will defend their tag titles against Liv Morgan and Rodriguez next week.
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens will have an unsanctioned match in Toronto.
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Show Recap —
Seth Rollins, Finn Bálor, Roxanne Perez, Judgment Day, Ivy Nile with the Creed Brothers, and Dakota Kai were shown arriving.
AJ Styles arrived in a Chevy NASCAR, driven by Daytona 500 winner William Byron.
Michael Cole welcomed Pat Acfee back from vacation. Cole said McAfee was out of the country, and McAfee told him that he was not out of the country, he was in Puerto Rico.
There was a video package for Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. They both agreed that they had to fight, and Owens laid the challenge down for Elimination Chamber in Toronto.
Sami Zayn segment
Sami Zayn entered. The fans chanted for him. He said it’s been a tough couple of weeks so that was nice to hear. He’s had time to think about his history with himself and Owens. He couldn’t think of any two other wrestlers in history whose careers have been tied so closely together. (Zayn sold his neck as he spoke.)
In a story that long, there would be betrayal, forgiving and forgetting. However, there was no forgiving and forgetting Owens this time. Owens tried to end his career. The problem for Owens was that he did not get the job done. Zayn wouldn’t pretend his neck was 100%, but he had enough for a fight. Zayn would see Owens in Toronto.
Adam Pearce interrupted. He knew everyone wanted the match, but everyone in charge (Nick Aldis, Pearce, the board, and medical) had already told Zayn the answer was no. Pearce told him the answer was still no. The crowd booed. Zayn would not take ‘no’ for an answer and would not leave the ring until he was given the match.
Pearce said he couldn’t sanction a match between them. If they had an unsanctioned match, Owens could do whatever he wanted. He could wrap a chair around Zayn’s head or piledrive him over and over and there was nothing WWE could do about it. Even if Zayn won, he would still lose. He warned Zayn this could be the last fight of his career. Pearce asked if he understood what that (an unsanctioned match) meant.
Zayn marched out of the ring to answer Pearce to his face. Zayn said he knew what it meant. He could wrap a chair around Owens’ head or piledrive him on his head. Zayn told him to give him the match. Pearce agreed and made it an unsanctioned match.
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Judgment Day met in the back. Dominik was worried about Bianca Belair and Naomi coming after Liv Morgan, but Morgan wasn’t worried about it. Morgan said she was proud of Dom lately. Dom wished Finn Bálor saw it that way. He wanted to add a new member, but Bálor refused.
Bálor joined them at this moment. He was confident he would beat Seth Rollins tonight and said it would be embarrassing if Raquel Rodriguez lost to Perez tonight. She told him to handle his own business and she would handle hers. Bálor was cool with that. Before leaving, he reiterated to Dom that there would be no new members.
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Vic Joseph ran down Bayley’s hectic schedule over the past week, including her participation in the NBA Celebrity game. Bayley then joined him for an interview and said she would win the Chamber. (They couldn’t have given her today off?)
(Joseph was filling in for Jackie Redmond. They didn’t say why she was absent because she’s at the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off, which is on right now.)
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Cole announced a sold-out crowd of 15,280. He also announced Michelle McCool’s upcoming Hall of Fame induction.
AJ Styles defeated Dominik Mysterio (w/Carlito) (8:54)
The announcers mentioned that Styles was a former TNA World Champion and X Division Champion.
Styles was about to put Dom away with a Phenomenal forearm early in the match, but Clarito tripped him as Dom distracted the ref. Dom hit a suicide dive to lead to break. Dom hit three amigos and a 619 but missed a frog splash. Styles fought back with a clothesline, forearm, corner clothesline, and neckbreaker.
Carlito tried to get in the ring, but Styles kicked the middle rope into his crotch and knocked him off the apron. The ref just stood idly by. Dom tried to use the distraction to his advantage, but Styles caught him with a Styles Clash for the pinfall win.
— Bron Breakker tried to spear an unsuspecting Styles, but Styles dodged it and Breakker speared Dom by mistake. Styles hit an enziguri and tossed Bron out of the ring. Bron was pissed that Styles got the better of him, so he ripped off his shirt and chucked it into the ring but Styles caught it effortlessly. (I don’t know if that was planned or not, but it was timed perfectly.) Bron grabbed his title and left.
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The Creed Brothers bragged about what they did to the War Raiders last week (attacking them with the belts). Ivy Nile reminded them that they didn’t win the titles, and they promised Chad Gable that they would all be champions when he returned. Nile planned on beating Dakota Kai tonight to earn an IC title shot.
Kai walked by and Nile told her that her Cinderella story would end tonight. Kai said many women bigger than Nile tried to take her down before. She planned on earning her IC title rematch tonight.
Rugby player Aaron Woods was shown in the crowd.
Lyra Valkyria entered to watch the upcoming match at ringside.
Dakota Kai defeated Ivy Nile to become the number one contender for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship (6:45)
Nile briefly worked over Kai’s previously injured leg, but Kai came back with running boots and a Kai-ropractor for two. Nile powerbombed her out of the corner. Kai kind of no-sold that and tried a counter, but Nile caught her in an ankle lock. Kai got a rope break, and the two exchanged strikes.
Nile hit a German suplex, but Kai reversed a second one into a cradle for two. Nile applied an ankle lock again, but Kai used the ropes to escape and hit a curb stomp (with Nile draped over the ropes). Kai followed with GTK for the pinfall win.
This match was alright, but it didn’t help that the crowd was dead.
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McAfee interviewed Austin Theory and Grayson Waller during a break.
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Gunther/Jey Uso segment
Gunther was on the concourse surrounded by fans who were Yeeting, mimicking Jey Uso’s entrance. Gunther entered through the crowd and did Jey’s pose, but the crowd did not participate with him. He called it a simple gesture for simple people.
He understood why Jey felt comfortable in the crowd because he was a simple guy himself. He understood why the fans didn’t appreciate him (Gunther) because his performances in the ring were like performing Shakespeare for a dog. He was the best wrestler in this company and was tired of wrestling people who couldn’t lace his boots.
He thought he could beat some sense into Jey, but because of the fans Yeeting along, that gave him a false sense of confidence and now Jey was digging his own grave. The crowd started Yeeting, so he told them to shut up and noted how badly it smelled in the stands.
He reminded them that the match would not happen in the crowd but in the ring, and he would outclass Jey. Jey’s blood would be on the hands of the fans. He wanted them to be honest and asked if they really thought Jey could win. The crowd chanted, “We want Jey,” before he finished his question.
Gunther decided to ask a professional instead and climbed the announce desk. He asked Cole and McAfee for their supposedly unbiased, professional opinion. McAfee didn’t want to answer, but Gunther chucked the microphone at him. Cole warned McAfee to be careful. McAfree responded, “Yeah, I hope he can beat you at WrestleMania.”
Gunther didn’t like that answer, so he began stepping closer to McAfee until Jey’s music hit. Jey entered through the stage, but three referees stopped him. Jey ran by them and attacked Gunther in the ring. This led to a pull-apart brawl with officials getting between them. Jey got the better of it and sent Gunther out of the ring. Jey led the fans along with his chant.
This was a strong segment. Gunther was great here.
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Cathy Kelley asked Morgan and Rodriguez about the footage that implicated them in Jade Cargill’s attack. Morgan said the footage doesn’t show them doing anything. Morgan said they didn’t have time for this, and Rodriguez would squish Perez like a bug tonight. Kelley tried pressing them on Cargill, but they blew her off. Kelley was annoyed and said, “Thanks so much for giving us nothing.”
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During a break, Jey walked through the back and was approached by the New Day. Kofi Kingston said nobody knew what he was going through more than he did as a former tag team wrestler going for a singles world title at WrestleMania. Xavier Woods said they hoped he lost at Mania. They laughed. Jey said KofiMania never would have happened if The Usos hadn’t forfeited. Jey said New Day sucks, and he left. Pete Dunne walked by, and Woods “mistakenly” called him Butch. Dunne also told them that they suck.
Various celebrities whose names I didn’t write down were shown in the crowd.
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Penta defeated Pete Dunne (10:06)
Penta kicked Dunne right in the face, but Dunne responded with a dropkick. Dunne pretty much immediately took control and began working over Penta’s extremities until Penta came back with a Codebreaker. However, Dunne snapped his fingers to take over.
Ludwig Kaiser entered to watch as they went to break. Penta came back with a superkick and flying crossbody, but Dunne cut him off with another dropkick. (This was almost a repeat of what happened earlier, perhaps because they knew they were in commercials.)
Penta fought back after the break with a DVD variation, but Dunne responded with a sit-out powerbomb for two. They traded kicks until Penta hit a Canadian Destroyer. Kaiser distracted Penta, which allowed Dunne to cut off his dive attempt. Dunne applied a cradle while holding the tights for two.
Penta chucked Dunne into Kaiser to knock him off the apron, and Penta followed with Penta Driver on Dunne for the pinfall win. The crowd popped for the win and they were into Penta all match.
(This was fine, I guess, but the finishing sequence was too similar to the Styles/Dom match.)
— Kaiser attacked Penta after the match, but Dunne was pissed at Kaiser, so he yanked him out of the ring. They traded right hands until Penta wiped them both out with a flip dive.
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Kelley interviewed Jey Uso. She asked about people’s doubts about him. Jey was fired up. He said people kept doubting him, but he was standing there as the Royal Rumble winner. He would shock the world again by beating Gunther and becoming the champion.
They showed clips of Bayley playing in the NBA Celebrity game. McAfee joked that this was the only positive thing about NBA All-Star.
There was a Roxanne Perez video package.
6’4” Vic Joseph interviewed 5’6” Dakota Kai while standing in the crowd. She wanted to prove that all the work was worth it and planned on walking out as IC champion next week.
There was a War Raiders video package. They warned the Creed Brothers that they made the worst mistake of their lives last week, and the next time they fought, it would be war.
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Elimination Chamber qualifier: Roxanne Perez defeated Raquel Rodriguez (w/Liv Morgan) (7:30)
Rodriguez used her size and power advantage over Perez. Perez slapped Rodriguez twice, which just pissed her off, so she launched Perez into the ring post. Rodriguez caught Perez in a guillotine and spun her around and around (a spot that could get over if she keeps doing it).
Perez chop-blocked her, hit a running uppercut and applied a rollup for two. Rodriguez caught Perez out of the air and hit a fallaway slam, followed by an elbow drop for two. Perez avoided a tackle, and Rodriguez went shoulder-first into the post. Perez followed with consecutive dives, a DDT and a springboard moonsault for two. Rodriguez blocked a Pop Rox attempt and hit a big boot for two.
Belair and Naomi entered to Belair’s music, and they attacked Morgan. This distracted Rodriguez, so Perez hit Pop Rox for the pinfall win. (Despite Perez being a heel, Cole said she was on a Cinderella run.)
— Belair and Naomi tried to attack Morgan again after the match, but Rodriguez pulled her to safety.
(The crowd was quiet because this was a match between two heels, but they popped for Perez getting the win. They worked well together, but Perez was on the wrong end of a beat-down for much of the match.)
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Seth Rollins told Kelley he planned on beating Bálor tonight.
After Rollins left, Karrion Kross (with Scarlett) had a message to share. Kross thought Jey and Rollins were both delusional. (Jey for thinking he could beat Gunther, and Rollins for thinking he could win the Chamber.) Zayn was, too, but Kross still had hope for him. Kross said Zayn knew that there was always time to “turn” things around.
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There was an IYO SKY video package.
The New Day segment
They aired a replay of New Day attacking Rey Mysterio last week. Woods wished him well. The crowd booed them, so Woods told them to shut up. He couldn’t believe the fans were mad about what they said to their own friend Big E when they told him to keep his lazy ass at home. They were mad about what they did to Rey Mysterio, a guy who sucked the life out of every new, fresh-faced luchador in the company.
Kingston said the fans put Rey on a pedestal, but he had more title wins than Rey had. Kingston had been in WWE longer than Rey, and Kingston never left the company as Rey did. If anyone should be the locker room leader, it should be Kingston.
He said it could have been a lot worse for Rey, and the fans should be thankful that they showed mercy. They could have given him the Old Yeller treatment, but instead, they gave him some extra time he could spend with his wife. Woods said the fans should be thanking them.
LWO interrupted. Dragon Lee called Rey the greatest luchador of all time, and what New Day did was unforgivable. He said New Day sucks, and they ran down to attack them. It was a three-on-two beatdown by the babyfaces over the heels. LWO knocked New Day out of the ring, and Dragon Lee was about to go for a dive, but New Day sprinted away to safety.
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Next week on Raw:
- Lyra Valkyria vs. Dakota Kai for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship
- Bianca Belair & Naomi vs. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez for the Women’s Tag Team Championships
Belair and Naomi cut a quick promo about the tag title match. They also spoke about the Chamber and the possibility of facing either Rhea Ripley or Iyo Sky at WrestleMania.
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Elimination Chamber qualifier: Seth Rollins defeated Finn Bálor (18:47)
Bálor attacked Rollins before the match. The ref checked on Rollins, who told him to start the match. Bálor was all over him and hit a Pedigree for nearfall about a minute into the match. (This was one of those Pedigrees where he didn’t let go of his opponent’s arms at all.) Rollins avoided a Coup de Grace, but Bálor remained in control until Rollins fought back and hit a suicide dive.
Bálor avoided a stomp and hit a slingblade, but Rollins kicked his leg out of his leg to take over. Bálor tried fighting back but Rollins dropped him knee-first onto the announce desk. Rollins tried to stomp Bálor’s head onto the steel steps, but Bálor avoided it. Bálor shoved him into the ring post and dropped him on the steps. Bálor targeted his midsection during a break.
Rollins fought back, and they exchanged strikes until Bálor hit a Pelé kick. Rollins fought back with chops (as the crowd randomly started waving their phone flashlights). Rollins hit a DDT and Lionsault for two. Rollins followed later with a buckle bomb, but Bálor got his knees up on a frog splash attempt and transitioned into a cradle for a nearfall. The crowd chanted, “This is awesome.”
Bálor hit consecutive slingblades, but Rollins caught his dropkick attempt and applied a Sharpshooter. Bálor almost got a rope break, so Rollins let go and hit a Pedigree for an extreme nearfall. This was really a three-count, but Bálor kicked out late. The crowd thought it was over, so they chanted, “Ref, you suck.” Rollins gave him a DX crotch chop.
Rollins went for a superplex, but Bálor dropped him onto the top rope and hit a Coup de Grace for a nearfall. They traded counters until Bálor applied a crossface. Rollins slipped out and hit a curb stomp for the pinfall win. (Rollins shook hands with the ref after the match.)
This was an excellent match. It was so good that it felt like Rollins accomplished something by beating Bálor. The crowd got more and more into it as it went, and some people were screaming by the end of it.