The first Monday Night Raw after John Cena’s final match was never going to be easy. You could feel that weight hanging over the show before the bell even rang. A quiet Pennsylvania crowd did WWE no favors, but one truth still cut through the silence loud and clear. Gunther is nuclear.

The reaction he received was not polite heat or respectful boos. It was the kind of venom that only exists when a villain is fully accepted by the audience as the man who ended an era. Cena’s farewell chapter is closed. The heat now belongs to Gunther, and Raw made it clear that WWE is leaning into that reality without hesitation.

Across the week, the picture sharpened. Raw positioned its next power players and made Punk vs Breakker feel like a legitimacy fight. NXT delivered one of its messiest and most fascinating episodes of the year, capped by a title change that sparked real debate and a main event that launched Leon Slater into the spotlight. SmackDown’s ripple effects are still felt here, especially as the women’s divisions on both brands continue to collide with momentum and uncertainty.

This newsletter is loaded by design. Reviews. Direction. Fallout. Debate.

Before you dive in, make your voice heard. The Blake Monroe vs. Thea Hail subscriber poll is live, and it is one of the most important reader votes we have run all year. Then stick around for Darrion’s Drop at the bottom, including his favorite John Cena feature, a piece that hits differently now that the farewell is real.

Cena is gone. The heat is here.
Straight Shoot rolls on.

P.S. Want to listen instead? Hit Listen Online at the top right of your email.

Hershey, Pennsylvania | December 15, 2025

The first Raw after John Cena’s final match should have felt like a reset moment. The emotional bridge between eras. The night where the torch officially moves forward.

Instead, it exposed two very different truths.

First, the Pennsylvania crowd was one of the flattest WWE has had all year.
Second, Gunther is officially a made man.

The energy in the building never fully matched the significance of the moment, but the direction WWE is taking could not be clearer.

🔥 Gunther Opens Raw, Nuclear Heat Earned
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gunther opened the show and immediately soaked in boos that felt personal, loud, and relentless. He did not rush. He did not explain. He simply reminded everyone of one thing.

He made John Cena tap out.

This was not about shock value. This was character construction at the highest level. Gunther did not steal Cena’s moment. He inherited the heat that comes with ending a legend’s career, and that is exactly what Cena and WWE intended.

The internet was never going to agree on the finish. Cena had the final say. The story now belongs to Gunther, and the reaction inside the building confirmed it worked.

🏷️ The Usos vs The New Day, Tag Wrestling Done Right
⭐️⭐️⭐️½

Jimmy and Jey Uso facing Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods felt important the moment it started, and the match delivered.

This was easily the best in-ring action of the night, built on pacing, experience, and believable near-falls. Once the chaos kicked in late, the crowd finally woke up. The Usos closing things with the 1D was the right call.

If WWE is serious about restoring the tag division, this is the blueprint.

☠️ Kabuki Warriors Ambush Ripley and Iyo
⭐️⭐️½

Short. Violent. Effective.

The mist attack and beatdown did exactly what it needed to do. Heat on the champions. Stakes raised for the upcoming title match. No wasted motion and no overthinking.

👑 Women’s Intercontinental Championship
Maxxine Dupri vs Ivy Nile
⭐️⭐️

Maxxine continues to show improvement, particularly in aggression and submission work, but the crowd simply was not invested. The Ankle Lock finish was clean, yet the match never felt urgent.

The progress is visible. The emotional connection is still missing.

🎤 CM Punk Sends a Message
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Punk’s promo was sharp, personal, and purposeful.

He addressed Bron Breakker directly, shut down the cheap shots, and reframed January 5 as more than a title defense. This is about legitimacy. Punk did not need interruptions or theatrics. He sold the fight with words alone.

That is what top-level promos do.

🔥 Main Event, Logan Paul vs Rey Mysterio
⭐️⭐️⭐️¼

This was better than it had any right to be.

Rey still moves at an unreal pace, and Logan continues to prove he belongs in major spots. The interference-heavy finish was expected, but it served its purpose.

The reveal of Austin Theory as the masked attacker was the correct call. New look. New positioning. New opportunity.

The closing spear on Punk drove the point home. The Vision is not finished growing.

🏆 Three Stars of the Night

🥇 The Usos
🥈 Gunther
🥉 CM Punk

Final Thoughts

This Raw was not electric, and the crowd did it no favors, but the direction is strong.

Gunther is the villain of the next era.
Punk vs Breakker is the fight to watch.
Austin Theory just received a second chance the right way.

Not every show needs to peak emotionally. Some episodes exist to move the board forward.

This one did exactly that.

Final Score: 7 out of 10

Straight Shoot Approved

WWE Performance Center | Orlando, Florida
Tuesday, December 17, 2025

With only three NXT episodes left in 2025 before New Year’s Evil on January 6, this show felt like a pressure point. Championships are lining up, contenders are being crowned, and character directions are becoming clearer by the week.

Several NXT talents are also coming off strong showings at Saturday Night’s Main Event, which gave this episode added momentum, especially for names like Sol Ruca, Oba Femi, Je’Von Evans, and Leon Slater, all of whom now feel closer to the main roster than ever.

That said, not everything went according to plan.

👑 NXT Women’s North American Championship
Blake Monroe (c) vs Thea Hail
⭐️⭐️½

This match will be remembered more for how it ended than what came before it.

Blake Monroe looked every bit the established champion early. Calm, composed, and firmly in control. Thea Hail brought her trademark intensity, attacking with urgency and feeding off the crowd as the challenger fighting uphill. The match itself was shaping up nicely, with Blake grounding Hail and Hail refusing to slow down.

Then came the finish.

A stiff bump, a fast count, and visible confusion led to the referee counting three while Blake appeared to be kicking out. The result felt shocking, not in a storyline way, but in a clear “something went wrong” moment.

Winner and NEW Champion: Thea Hail

This was not Blake Monroe dropping the ball, and it was not Thea Hail being undeserving. This was one of those rare moments where timing, positioning, and human error collide. It happens, especially in live wrestling.

Thea Hail winning her first singles title is still a well earned milestone. Blake Monroe remains one of NXT’s most reliable performers, and this very clearly is not the end of her story. Expect creative adjustments sooner rather than later.

🔥 Ethan Page Confronted by Moose
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ethan Page attempted to carry himself like the dominant dual champion he has become, but the night shifted quickly when Moose arrived with a clear mission. Bring gold back to TNA.

Moose did not waste time talking in circles. He made it clear that Page will defend the NXT North American Championship at the upcoming NXT Awards show, then backed it up by dropping Page with authority.

Short. Physical. Purposeful.

Page continues to feel like one of NXT’s most complete performers, and Moose is the perfect opponent to test that aura.

🎤 Ricky Saints Explains Himself
⭐️⭐️⭐️½

Ricky Saints came out flanked by security and did exactly what a newly turned heel should do. He explained why.

Saints framed his betrayal of Je’Von Evans as frustration, entitlement, and obsession. He believes Evans jumped the line. He believes he was overlooked. And most importantly, he believes that being liked does not make you great.

When Evans charged the ring, Saints stayed one step ahead, ending the segment by driving Evans through the commentary table.

This was a strong heel promo rooted in logic. Saints did not sound cartoonish. He sounded bitter, focused, and dangerous. Evans vs Saints at New Year’s Evil now feels inevitable and meaningful.

🏷️ Hank & Tank vs OTM
⭐️⭐️⭐️¼

What began as a standard tag match quietly turned into one of the night’s more enjoyable surprises.

OTM looked dominant early, but Hank and Tank leaned into their chemistry, timing, and crowd connection. The longer the match went, the more it worked, especially once the hot tags and near-falls kicked in.

Winners: Hank & Tank

This did more for both teams than a quick squash ever could. OTM still feel like future tag champions, but Hank and Tank continue to prove why fans gravitate toward them.

👥 Women’s Tag Team Match
Wren Sinclair & Kendal Grey vs Fatal Influence
⭐️⭐️⭐️

This match served one primary purpose. Continue Kendal Grey’s rise.

Grey looked sharp, aggressive, and confident throughout. Wren Sinclair played her role perfectly. Fatal Influence brought the necessary resistance, but once Grey locked in the submission, the message was clear.

Winners: Sinclair & Grey

Grey is being positioned carefully and deliberately, and it shows. With her NXT Women’s Title match set for New Year’s Evil, this win added credibility without overexposure.

🔥 MAIN EVENT
NXT Championship Number One Contender Fatal Four Way
Joe Hendry vs Dion Lennox vs Myles Borne vs Leon Slater
⭐️⭐️⭐️½

This was fast, chaotic, and unpredictable, exactly what a contender match should be.

Joe Hendry felt like the favorite for long stretches. Borne and Lennox each had moments to shine. But it was Leon Slater who stole the show with fearless aerial offense and pure momentum.

The finish came suddenly and decisively.

Winner: Leon Slater

A surprise, but a welcome one. Slater earning a title shot against Oba Femi adds real intrigue to New Year’s Evil. Femi remains the favorite, but Slater’s speed and athletic contrast make this matchup genuinely interesting.

The closing staredown felt earned. Power versus speed. Certainty versus opportunity.

🏆 Three Stars of the Show

🥇 Leon Slater
🥈 Joe Hendry
🥉 Kendal Grey

Final Thoughts

This was a solid to strong episode with clear direction heading into New Year’s Evil.

The Blake Monroe situation was unfortunate, but not damaging long term. Ricky Saints’ heel turn gained depth. Leon Slater’s win injected freshness into the title picture. Multiple performers continued proving they are ready for bigger stages.

NXT is not about perfection. It is about progression.
And this episode moved several stories forward in meaningful ways.

Final Score: 7.25 out of 10

The road to New Year’s Evil is officially locked in.

I love John Cena. Truly. He was a massive part of my teenage years. The “You Can’t See Me” era. The Doctor of Thuganomics. The oversized chains, the freestyles, the confidence that felt larger than life. The promos. The matches. The presence. The way he made wrestling feel important even when the booking around him sometimes was not. That list is long, and that list is great.

That is exactly why this hurts to write.

The “Last Time Is Now” retirement tour just was not good.

Not because Cena suddenly forgot how to perform. Not because he lost his aura. The failure came down to booking, and it lands squarely at the feet of Triple H.

Triple H struggles with long-term storytelling. He excels at moments. Viral clips. Shock turns. One-night reactions. Instagram buzz. The issue shows up when stories need patience, structure, and payoff. Those elements keep falling short.

Cena turning heel should have been electric. For a brief moment, it was. The immediate question followed quickly. Why?

Nothing came of it. No lasting consequence. No meaningful shift. Cena turned heel, fans were confused but curious, and then everything snapped back to normal. The explanation landed on R-Truth. That is not storytelling. That is a shortcut. The arc had no weight, no destination, and no impact.

Then came the losses.

Not meaningful losses. Not legacy-building moments. Just losses.

The Brock Lesnar squash is the clearest example. The message felt obvious. Brock is back. Fans assumed it would lead somewhere. History taught them to expect another chapter. That chapter never arrived.

WrestlePalooza followed. A one-star match that burned both Brock and Cena in exchange for social engagement. TKO got the reels, the shares, and the clicks. Wrestling fans got nothing that mattered.

That pattern keeps repeating.

Wrestling works best as athletic storytelling. Promos need purpose. Arcs need beginnings, middles, and endings. TKO prioritizes virality. Those priorities rarely align. Austin Theory’s mask reveal to a silent crowd is another reminder. Big idea. No payoff.

Cena’s final run suffered from the same problem.

The Grand Slam win felt reactive. Fans wanted it, so it happened. Cena won the Intercontinental Title, held it briefly, and dropped it back to Dominik. The moment existed, then vanished. Countless better matchups and stories were left untouched.

The biggest disappointment sits here.

The farewell tour was sold as Cena elevating the next generation. Passing the torch. Giving younger talent the spotlight. Most of those so-called showcases ended in losses. That raises a real question. Was the promise empty, or did the early leak about Gunther retiring Cena months in advance undercut the entire plan?

That leak mattered. It drained suspense and flattened anticipation. Triple H has allowed that to happen far too often. The 2025 reset has quietly felt less like a renaissance and more like creative drift.

Cena likely had input. That cannot be ignored. The larger issue remains impossible to shake. Triple H and TKO overmanaged the moment and lost sight of what they were handling.

This was John Cena. A Mount Rushmore-level figure. One of the most important stars WWE ever produced. A performer who carried the company through eras of transition, criticism, and change.

He deserved better.

The fans did too.

The Drop?
John Cena gave everything to this business. The least it could have done was give him a farewell that actually meant something when the lights went out.

Be Good People🤘
mr.teshk

P.S. not signed up yet?
SUBSCRIBE HERE for raw takes and no-filter wrestling talk multiple times a week.