The showdown happened, and the anticipation for WrestleMania 41 is heating up.
After the shocking events of the 2025 Elimination Chamber − when John Cena turned heel and joined forces with The Rock to go on a brutal assault of Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes − the two stars in the main event WrestleMania met for the first time since that unforgettable night.
It was a must-see event. Cena spoke about why he did it and what’s caused his frustrations. Rhodes responded and called Cena out.
The faceoff was tense and the electricity in the arena was undeniable, but it wasn’t the only thing that took place Monday in Brussels. The Intercontinental Championship was on the line, a no holds barred match took place and a wrinkle was added to a championship match at WrestleMania. Raw took place earlier than normal since WWE is on its European tour, so here’s a recap of the action from Monday.
Intercontinental Championship match: Bron Breakker (c) vs. Finn Balor
No matter the experience, Breakker has been able to use his wicked athleticism to quickly get ahead of competition, but Balor’s quick thinking helped him avoid an early defeat. The champion tried one of his running spears but Balor not only got out of the way, he made sure Breakker hurt himself in the process.
Balor had control early in the match before Breakker started to gain some momentum. When that happened, The Judgement Day members Dominik Mysterio and Carlito came ringside to distract Breakker and get Balor back on offense. It worked momentarily as Breakker used his speed for a vicious clothesline then leaped outside of the ring for a brutal hit on Balor onto the announcer’s table.
Eventually the distractions came from Mysterio and Carlito and while they tried to help Balor, it inadvertently resulted in Balor taking a hit. Breakker dealt with Mysterio and Carlito and executed the Frankn’steiner and spear to get the win and retain his title.
Mysterio and Carlito attacked Breakker after the match, but Penta came out to stop it from escalating. Breakker and Penta then had a staredown, heavily implying the will be meeting for a championship match soon, possibly at WrestleMania.
Seth Rollins speaks
Following the surprise attack from Roman Reigns last week, Rollins took shots at both the Tribal Chief and CM Punk, who he technically beat in the cage match. Rollins pointed out Reigns and Punk would be at SmackDown on Friday, so he decided he will also be there to deal with his heated rivals.
Creed Brothers vs. Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee
Mysterio and Lee attacked the American Made members earlier in the night, so Julius Creed started the match with no regard for a brutal hit. The Creed Brothers were in control as they went to work on Lee, and Mysterio was later able to get in the fold and turn the tide. Julius Creed tried to fight back and got teed up for a 619. Mysterio hit it and then the frog splash to get the victory.
As Lee and Mysterio celebrated, the masked luchador in an American Made mask attacked the victors and did a diving headbutt onto Lee. He left the ring before security could catch him.
Rhea Ripley argues for WrestleMania match
She signed the contract, but Adam Pearce isn’t having any of it. Rhea Ripley argued she should be in the Women’s World Championship match but Pearce said it’s not the case. Belair then came back to attack her. Iyo Sky then came to assault both stars but Ripley got the last laugh.
Jey Uso vs. Austin Theory
Well that was quick. The Yeet lasted longer than the match as it took just one simply super kick from Uso to end Theory’s night. Uso delivered one to Grayson Waller and took a dive outside of the ring, but Gunther emerged to try a sneak attack on his WrestleMania opponent. It backfired as Uso was able to strip the title away from the champion, and he held it above Gunther. Uso threw it back to Gunther as the Yeet party continued.
Iyo Sky and Bianca Belair sign contract for Women’s World Championship match at WrestleMania 41
After the spat between Sky, Belair and Rhea Ripley last week, the champion declared she will not be disrespected again and plans to retain her title against the ‘EST.’ Sky and Belair signed the contract and just as they were wrapped up, Ripley emerged.
Ripley and Belair began to argue and as Sky tried to break it up again, Belair headbutted Belair and then landed a Riptide on Sky. Ripley then grabbed the contract, looked at Raw general manager Adam Pearce and signed it. Pearce was upset and Ripley left, but as of now, it’s technically going to be a triple threat match at WrestleMania 41.
Dakota Kai vs. Ivy Nile
Nile showed some fierce aggression to start the night, but it was what happened outside of the ring that led to her downfall. American Made leader Chad Gable came out to get a view of the action alongside the Creed Brothers, but the group were taken out by Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee. Mysterio and Lee chased out Gable and Nile was distracted. By the time she turned her attention back to the ring, Kai met her with a swift blow and a GTK to get a quick victory.
No holds barred match: Penta vs. Ludwig Kaiser
The action went out of the ring quickly and Kaiser dropped Penta off the announcer’s table. There were plenty of shifts of momentum and not many weapons were used, even though the crowd clearly wanted it. Kaiser later used a chair to corner Penta but it didn’t last long, as the luchador used the chair for some extra damage superkicks. Kaiser was rattled and Penta used the Penta Driver to get the victory.
Cathy Kelly came to interview Penta and asked him what’s next, and he said he will be going for the Intercontinental Championship next.
Cody Rhodes and John Cena meet in the ring
Rhodes admitted he and the fans were willing to hear Cena out, but his reasoning was pathetic. He asked what happened to the man he thought he was going to face at WrestleMania before he called Cena a ‘whiny (expletive).’ He left the ring while Cena stared him down. As Cena made his way out of the ring, the crowd sang, ‘Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.’
Cody Rhodes emerges to face John Cena
The Undisputed WWE champion didn’t let Cena talk much longer, emerging down the ramp as the crowd sung ‘Kingdom’ and made their presence known with the iconic ‘woah’ line.
John Cena takes the mic
After soaking in the moment, Cena finally spoke and said he was tired of being a puppet for the crowd for his entire career. He said he isn’t a babyface or heel, but a human being and fans have been ‘awful’ to him. The crowd had some expletive-filled chants for him in between words.
He added he wasn’t liked when his career started and by the time fans started to like him, it quickly became negative and the amount of times he won still didn’t satisfy people. When he started his farewell tour, he wanted to give back to the fans but he said they easily ruined it. Alluding to his entrance song, he said his time is now.
‘No matter what I do, it’s never enough and you should all be ashamed of yourself. All you ever do is take,’ Cena said. ‘Not one of you sons of (expletive) asked how I feel.’
Even though there were some fans still voicing their support for Cena, the 16-time WWE champion called them out. He said they were just as bad as the ones booing him since he believes he was just their toy, and even referenced the long running joke of Cena being invisible. He said you can’t buy hustle, loyalty and respect while he lives it.
‘I’m breaking up with you. I’m done,’ Cena said as he looked into the camera and crowd. ‘I don’t care about you. You don’t matter to me.’
John Cena makes entrance, gets heavily booed
He has arrived.
Cena kicked off the show and was met with heavy boos as his iconic entrance music played. The crowd re-ignited the ‘John Cena sucks’ chant as his song played.
When time is Monday Night Raw today?
Monday Night Raw on March 17 begins at 3 p.m. ET.
Where is Monday Night Raw today?
Monday Night Raw will be taking place at Forest National in Brussels, Belgium.
How to watch Monday Night Raw
Monday Night Raw is available only on Netflix. Viewers will need a Netflix subscription to watch the event, and it’s available at no additional cost. Fans with any Netflix subscription tier will be able to watch.
Monday Night Raw match card, scheduled events
- Cody Rhodes and John Cena meet face-to-face
- Iyo Sky and Bianca Belair sign contract for Women’s World Championship match at WrestleMania 41
- Intercontinental Championship match: Bron Breakker (c) vs. Finn Balor
- No holds barred match: Penta vs. Ludwig Kaiser
- Jey Uso vs. Austin Theory
- Dakota Kai vs. Ivy Nile