Sparks flew and bodies hit the mat at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence as WWE Raw stormed through its final stop before this weekend’s double bill of Saturday Night’s Main Event and Evolution. The July 7 episode wasn’t just your average go-home show. It was a loud, fast-paced warning from a new dominant force—and a sharp reminder that even empires have enemies waiting in the shadows.
Seth Rollins, flanked by Paul Heyman, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed, made a serious statement. Together, they swept their matches, bullied backstage segments, and drew a line in the sand. But the final moment of the night belonged to someone else entirely.
Rollins’ New Faction Doesn’t Wait for Permission
This wasn’t the Seth Rollins of sequin jackets and endless promos. This was cold, strategic Rollins. Calculating. Lethal.
Bron Breakker opened the floodgates with a ruthless performance against Sami Zayn. But it didn’t start clean. Karrion Kross took out Zayn before the bell even rang, setting the stage for Breakker to hit three Spears and score the pin in under five minutes. It was ugly. And it was very, very effective.
Backstage, Breakker and Reed—calm but intense—pledged themselves to Rollins and Heyman. Reed growled that Jey Uso would get “Tsunami’d back into respect,” while Breakker promised to wipe Zayn off the board completely. No fluff. Just intent.
Reed vs. Jey Uso Breaks Down in Brutality
Bronson Reed didn’t win clean, but he didn’t care. Against Jey Uso, the big man brought unfiltered violence. The match went off the rails fast.
Reed slammed Jey around like a ragdoll for most of the bout, but when the tide started to shift, he snapped. A steel chair turned the match into a disqualification loss, but Reed was just getting started.
Then came two thunderous Tsunamis. Post-match. For good measure.
And just like that, Jey Uso looked like yesterday’s news.
The Main Event Ends Dirty, and LA Knight Makes It Dirtier
Seth Rollins vs. Penta was billed as a wrestling clinic. It delivered—until it didn’t.
Rollins scraped through the match with a low blow and a curb stomp to seal the win. The crowd didn’t love it, but that wasn’t his concern. He raised his hand, smirked, and prepared to cut a promo.
That’s when LA Knight’s music hit.
The arena popped. Knight marched down, didn’t say a word, and hit Rollins with a brutal BFT. Quick. Precise. The message was loud and clear: whatever faction Rollins was building, Knight wasn’t planning to stand in the back of the line.
Just like that, the momentum ahead of their Saturday clash flipped.
Heyman Calls It an “Empire,” and the Name Might Just Stick
If Paul Heyman calls something an empire, best believe it’s more than just hype.
In one of the most replayed backstage moments of the night, Heyman dubbed the new faction a “strike-first empire,” built on action, not catchphrases. And unlike The Bloodline or The Judgment Day, Rollins’ group didn’t need three months to click.
They dominated Raw in a single night.
What they’ve got:
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A veteran in Rollins who knows how to win dirty
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A monster in Reed who doesn’t care about rules
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A wrecking ball in Breakker with unmatched intensity
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Heyman pulling every string behind the curtain
It’s early, but the vision’s clear—and scary.
Goldberg Returns to Toss Gunther, Nostalgia Explodes
And then… BOOM.
No tease. No vignette. Just music, pyro, and Goldberg.
The Hall of Famer showed up unannounced, charged the ring, and caught everyone off-guard—including Intercontinental Champion Gunther, who got tossed like a sack of potatoes.
It wasn’t a match. It wasn’t even a fight. It was a moment. The kind WWE lives for.
Gunther looked shocked. The crowd lost its mind. Commentary leaned into the nostalgia hard, and just like that, Goldberg was back in the spotlight again. Whether it was a one-off or something more? No one knows. But for a second, it was 1999 again.
Women’s Division Shifts Gears as Asuka Returns
Roxanne Perez and Kairi Sane opened up the night with a decent match, but things escalated quickly after the bell.
Raquel Rodriguez interfered post-match, setting off a chaotic brawl. Then the lights dropped, and Asuka returned.
She didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to. A few swift kicks and a death stare later, and suddenly the women’s division had a new storyline to chew on. Three minutes of screen time was all it took.
This wasn’t the usual slow build—this was Raw throwing gasoline on an already smoldering fire.
Weekend Showdown Card Starts Taking Shape
With Raw wrapped, the weekend matchups are almost locked. Saturday Night’s Main Event and Evolution both look stacked, and Monday’s chaos only intensified the hype.
Here’s a snapshot of what’s confirmed and what’s coming:
Match | Show | Stakes |
---|---|---|
Seth Rollins vs. LA Knight | SNME | Momentum, ego, future title talk |
Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed | SNME | Grudge match turned personal |
Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker | Evolution | Redemption or humiliation |
Roxanne Perez, Asuka & ? vs. Kairi, Raquel & ? | Evolution | Factions forming in real time |
Gunther vs. Goldberg (TBD) | Possibly SNME | Not confirmed but teased |
There’s still time for last-minute chaos—this is WWE, after all. But if Monday was any indicator, the “empire” plans to strike first and keep the crown.