Takeaways From October 20, 2025

After a long week overseas, WWE Raw returned stateside for the Oct. 20 episode and kicked off the build toward the next Saturday Night’s Main Event. More importantly, it served as the follow-up to last week’s major angle, when The Vision turned on Seth Rollins.

The show also featured three championship matches, giving it a sense of importance reminiscent of how Raw felt earlier in the year when stakes were consistently higher each week.

So what stood out most from this pivotal episode? Let’s take a look:

WWE’s Follow-Up on Seth Rollins’ Injury Is A Mixed Bag

WWE delivered the news everyone dreaded: Seth Rollins is out with an injury and has been forced to relinquish the World Heavyweight Championship. It was expected, but still unfortunate, especially since he had just defeated Cody Rhodes and was in the middle of a strong heel run with The Vision, who finally felt like they were hitting their stride.

WWE wasted no time moving forward, holding a No. 1 Contendership Battle Royal to determine who would face CM Punk, who earned his shot by winning a contender’s match last week, at Saturday Night’s Main Event in November.

The result saw Jey Uso emerge as the challenger for Punk at next month’s Peacock special. The match told a compelling story: Jimmy Uso repeatedly saved his brother throughout the battle royal, only to be betrayed when Jey eliminated him before taking out Dominik Mysterio to secure the win.

This version of Jey is a far cry from the one-note “Yeet” persona. That character had its charm, but it lacked substance. Now, with Roman Reigns living rent-free in his head, Jey feels more layered, more driven, and more determined to succeed.

An edgier Uso challenging the fan-favorite Punk makes for a fascinating world title match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. It’s too early to predict how this will play out, as both men have a strong case. Uso has been steadily climbing the ranks and is clearly over with the fans, while The Second City Saint has always been a top guy.

Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed were also absent from the battle royal, which made decent storyline sense. Why would they be in line for a title shot after they were the ones who injured Rollins in the first place?

At the same time, that battle royal missed fresh faces. Breakker and Reed would have made it interesting. Instead, it contained most of the same faces that already dominate programming. WWE was forced into this situation, sure, but that match signaled a need to freshen the main event scene.

Bron Breakker Is Now, Not The Future

It’s not too soon to make Breakker a champion. He’s already that good in the ring, and his promo work is solid as well. He’s a natural heel who knows how to make fans dislike him, even if they still bark for him from time to time. There’s a legitimate argument that he should have been part of the match, and possibly even won it. The same goes for Reed.

At the same time, keeping Breakker out of the title picture for now allows him to continue establishing himself as the centerpiece of The Vision before eventually staking his claim to the championship. He can easily carry a high-profile singles feud on his own before stepping into the title scene, potentially leading into WrestleMania 42.

However, there’s also a strong case for striking while the iron is hot. Breakker has significant momentum, and while he’ll likely remain at this level through the end of the year, there’s always the risk of injury or of losing that spark if WWE waits too long.

It’s unclear exactly what direction WWE plans to take with him, but they need to keep that momentum going before the buzz around him starts to fade even slightly.

Nikki Bella Is Stephanie Vaquer’s Present

Stephanie Vaquer has been entangled in a feud with Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez in recent weeks, and once again scored a win over Perez. The match itself was solid and served its purpose in advancing the story.

After the bell, Rodriguez attacked Vaquer, only for Nikki Bella to run out and make the save. Backstage, Bella explained that La Primera needed someone in her corner, and she intended to be that person.

From a storytelling perspective, this has “heel turn” written all over it, potentially following a tag team match at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

That would naturally lead to Vaquer and Bella colliding in a high-profile Women’s World Championship match at Survivor Series in November. It’s a fairly straightforward, paint-by-numbers build, but a logical one that sets up a marquee opponent and adds more significance to Vaquer’s reign.