Best and Worst of WWE RAW this week (June 16, 2025)
Asuka made good on her return to RAW, advancing in the Queen of the Ring Tournament. Jey Uso did the same in his qualifier, setting up a semifinals showdown with his friend, Cody Rhodes.
Rhodes saved Jey when Seth Rollins, who was only on RAW for about five seconds, tried to attack Jey. Goldberg returned to challenge Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship at Saturday Night's Main Event, not at Night of Champions.
Dominik Mysterio kept digging his hole deeper for when Finn Balor inevitably betrays him, constantly reminding The Prince of his inability to beat AJ Styles.
JD McDonagh didn't fare much better against The Phenomenal One. With the semifinals for the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments set, here's the best and worst of RAW (June 16, 2025).
#2. Best - Karrion Kross may finally get a match on RAW
Karrion Kross has grown in popularity over the last eight months. Despite that, it's only led to one match on RAW, one he ended up losing.
He's been relegated to minimal appearances and backstage segments with AJ Styles and Sami Zayn, lasting only about three minutes.
Sami Zayn had had enough with Kross' manipulations on the latest edition of RAW, and claimed the two would fight after the King of the Ring tournament was over.
Doing so is long overdue, but will Kross get the match and a chance to win? Zayn has been putting himself in danger at every point, so it would be pointless if Kross loses again.
#2. Worst - An unfortunate injury to Liv Morgan muddles up plans
Liv Morgan was heavily featured again on RAW, but none of that spotlight involved the WWE Women's Tag titles. Instead, she opened the show demanding a shot at IYO SKY and the Women's World Championship.
SKY came out and obliged, but Morgan wasn't finished for the night. She expressed disappointment in Raquel Rodriguez for failing to win her Queen of the Ring qualifier.
The worst part of her night was when she suffered a dislocated shoulder in the early stages of her planned match with Kairi Sane. Morgan hit the mat awkwardly after a move from Kairi.
It was disappointing because her confrontation with Nikki Bella was finally setting up the first defense with Rodriguez for Evolution. With the injury, the plans may be off. It was a rough night for the former Women's World Champion.
#1. Best - Making the most of a return
Stephanie Vaquer, Asuka, Raquel Rodriguez, and Ivy Nile battled for the final spot in the semifinals of the Queen of the Ring tournament. Asuka wrestled for the first time in 13 months after enduring an injury last May.
La Primera and The Empress of Tomorrow had several staredowns, teasing a future clash. They were the only two logical winners since Ivy Nile and Rodriguez haven't done anything of note lately.
Rhea Ripley's interference was predictable since Rodriguez cost her on last week's RAW. Regardless, it's nice to see Asuka advance after such a long layoff.
It's not an automatic title shot like winning the Royal Rumble, but it would have made her return seem less important had she shown up and lost.
#1. Worst - Jey Uso wins in an overbooked mess
When Jey Uso was named the mystery competitor in the final King of the Ring qualifier, it took all the intrigue out of the match. Had someone like Austin Theory, AJ Styles, or even Kross been added instead, it would have truly been up for grabs.
Sheamus, Rusev, or even Bronson Reed could have had a legitimate chance of advancing. To make Jey seem all the more heroic, not only did he advance a week after losing ot Gunther, but he did so again with taped ribs.
The finish makes the rest of the stars look inept if they can't beat a guy who has stretched himself thin. The finish also killed Reed's aura as an unstoppable monster since he ate the pin.
Sheamus could have taken it and still recovered. The ending was an overbooked mess with Bron Breakker, Sami Zayn, LA Knight, and Penta interfering at various points. Cody Rhodes also came down to prevent Seth Rollins from attacking Jey.
#1. Best/Worst - Who has the bigger chip on their shoulder?
Bayley returned to RAW to address everything about missing out on WrestleMania 41 and returning to exact revenge on Becky Lynch. She cut a passionate promo about how she will always have a chip on her shoulder like Lynch.
However, The Man has forgotten what made her such a successful star. Lynch played the smug heel well, standing against the ropes as Bayley got in her face. The slight issue was that Bayley stumbled on the biggest line of her promo.
They also exchanged some weak-looking punches. The former Hugger had an awkward segment backstage with Lyra Valkyria, whose calls she ignored for two months.
It's strange that Bayley would ignore someone who was happy to team with her. Lyra also stood up for herself, claiming she'd be looking out for herself if Bayley won the Intercontinental title from The Man.
