WWE Monday Night RAW in Belfast, Ireland, UK, Streaming Live on Netflix | January 19th, 2026 — The Episode Recap:

A massive show of respect by the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, CM Punk, as he retained his title against Finn Balor in the Main Event of Monday Night RAW in Ireland. (Image courtesy of WWE)

The January 19th Episode of WWE Monday Night RAW — The Match Results:

The Opening Match: Becky Lynch (c) defeated Maxxine Durpi (with Natalya) in a WWE Women’s Intercontinental Title Match | via Pin-Fall — (11:34)

The 2nd Match: Dragon Lee, Penta & Rey Mysterio defeated The Vision (Austin Theory, Bronson Reed & Logan Paul) in a Six-Man Tag Team Match | via Pin-Fall — (15:02)

The 3rd Match: El Grande Americano (with Bravo Americano & Rayo Americano) defeated Je’Von Evans in a Singles Match | via Referee’s Stoppage — (06:22)

The Main Event Match: CM Punk (c) defeated Finn Balor in a WWE World Heavyweight Title Match | via Pin-Fall — (16:14)

My Thoughts on the January 19th Episode of WWE Monday Night RAW:

My Thoughts: A very fun show, and the Irish crowd was on fire as they cheered on the WWE Superstars. Gunther challenged AJ Styles to put his career on the line at the Royal Rumble, and later in the show, AJ Styles agreed. I don't think AJ Styles is retiring anytime soon, but I do think something crazy will happen at the Royal Rumble. The opener was okay. Maxxine Dupri tried to win back her WWE Women's Intercontinental Title but failed, as Natalya, in a big 2026 moment, turned heel. Now, a program between the two will be happening. I don't really want that, but it is what it is. Maxxine Dupri will probably go over, but now that Becky Lynch is done with Maxxine Dupri, we all know her pending singles match against AJ Lee is coming. Dragon Lee, Penta, and Rey Mysterio took on The Vision in a fun All-Star Six-Man Tag Team Match. I thought this match was a lot of fun, something WWE weekly shows need. The crowd was into it, the people on the internet were too, and I really love how Dragon Lee is in the upper card now and in the biggest program on RAW. This was a lot of fun, and I loved the ending with Rey Mysterio using the brass knuckles and getting payback to secure the win for his team. El Grande Americano got the win as the referee had to stop the match due to Je'Von Evans getting injured. But we later found out it was nothing serious, he's okay, which was great news to hear. In the main event, we saw Finn Bálor use his babyface entrance and walk out in front of his home country of Ireland, and CM Punk knew the assignment and played the heel. This was probably Finn Bálor's best singles match since his match with Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2023. This match also showed he can still be a red-hot babyface and someone who can be a World Champion. This was a lot of fun, and we can see the seeds being planted for a Finn Bálor face turn, and I'm excited to see how it plays out. CM Punk has been on a fun run, and I hope they keep this up. Overall, this was a very fun show, and I can't wait for next week’s episode, which will be the go-home show before the Royal Rumble.

The January 19th Episode of WWE Monday Night RAW — The Match Ratings:

The Opening Match: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Maxxine Durpi (with Natalya) in a WWE Women’s Intercontinental Title Match | The Match Rating: **.25 — It was an okay match, but I'm so happy this feud is over because I can't even count how many times this matchup has happened. But there were some botches on the end of Maxxine Dupri, and Becky Lynch did the best she could do in this match, but the spinning kick by Maxxine Dupri didn't connect. Then, we saw Natalya turn heel in 2026, which we didn't need. Which cost Maxxine Dupri her chance to regain the title she lost. Natalya beat the living daylights out of Maxxine Dupri. Now we know this is the next feud for Maxxine Dupri, and I really hope it doesn't overshadow some of the other great stuff that's happening on the RAW Women's Side.

The 2nd Match: Dragon Lee, Penta & Rey Mysterio vs. The Vision (Austin Theory, Bronson Reed & Logan Paul) in a Six-Man Tag Team Match | The Match Rating: ***.75 — This was such a fun all-star tag team Six-Man Tag Team Match. The team of Dragon Lee, Penta, and Rey Mysterio was electric. This man, Rey Mysterio, is a 50-year-old, and he's performing springboard moves like he's flying from the 1990s back in WCW. But this was great, I love this type of match, and The Vision was solid in this match. Austin Theory was doing his thing, which is something I rarely say, the same with Bronson Reed and Logan Paul. I want these All-Star Six-Man or Woman Tag Team Matches to happen more frequently as they did in 2023. I'm glad the Team of Dragon Lee, Penta & Rey Mysterio got the win.

The 3rd Match: El Grande Americano (with Bravo Americano & Rayo Americano) vs. Je’Von Evans in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: N/A — The unfortunate injury of Je’Von Evans caused this match to be called off as he suffered a shoulder injury. El Grande Americanio gained the victory, but I wish Je’Von Evans a speedy recovery, hoping it’s nothing too serious. He’s easily one of the bright spots in WWE, and hoping it’s a little injury that won’t have him miss time.

The Main Event Match: CM Punk (c) vs. Finn Balor in a WWE World Heavyweight Title Match | The Match Rating: ****.25 — This was such an all-around great Main Event. Finn Balor was in Balor Country as he reverted to his babyface theme and entrance walk, which was a great sight to see because, as of recent weeks, we've been seeing the seeds being planted for the Finn Balor babyface turn, and tonight was one of the glimpses of it. The crowd blew the roof off this place for Finn Balor. CM Punk, the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, saw that and played the villain in the match as the fans were chanting for Finn Balor to win. I liked the in-ring chemistry, I liked how the back-and-forth action was going. This match also showed that Finn Balor can definitely be a World Champion again. He looked great and was putting on a performance; it was like he went back in time and was wrestling like Prince Devitt. Loved the sportsmanship after the match, which is planting more of the seeds of the face turn. I'm really excited to see how Finn Balor goes from here and how the destruction of The Judgement Day happens.

The January 19th Episode of WWE Monday Night RAW — The Match of the Night: CM Punk (c) vs. Finn Balor in a WWE World Heavyweight Title Match | The Match Rating: ****.25

The January 19th Episode of WWE Monday Night RAW — The Episode Grade: 7.25/10 (B-) — This was a very fun episode. I enjoyed the opening segment with AJ Styles as he put his career on the line against Gunther at the Royal Rumble. I hope AJ Styles wins because I’ll be shocked if he loses. The matches on the show were okay besides the opener and Je’Von Evans' Match, where a referee stoppage occurred due to the injury of Je’Von Evans, hoping everything is okay with that. The Main Event was a lot of fun, seeing Finn Balor portray himself as a babyface, and this match really showed Finn Balor can still be at the top of the card.

Next Week WWE Monday Night RAW January 26th Episode in Toronto, Ontario, Canada — The Announced Matches & Segments for Next Week:

1. Alpha Academy (Akira Tozawa & Otis) vs. American Made (Brutus Creed & Julius Creed) vs. Los Americanos (Bravo Americano & Rayo Americano) (with El Grande Americano) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) (with Grayson Waller) in a Fatal-Four Way Number One Contendership Match for the WWE World Tag Team Titles.