WWE RAW: CM Punk battles Finn Balor in title showdown; Becky Lynch in action; Special start time & more set for next week (January 19, 2026)
(Courtesy : WWE)
Finn Balor challenged CM Punk on the January 12 show.
The January 12 show of Monday Night Raw took place at the PSD Bank Dome in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Multiple stars, including Gunther, AJ Styles, CM Punk, Logan Paul, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed, among others, were advertised for the show.
In the first match of the show, Je’Von Evans pinned Bravo Americano, while Liv Morgan & Roxanne Perez defeated Bayley & Lyra Valkyria & The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane) in a #1 Contenders match for the Women’s Tag Team titles to secure a title clash against the Champions at the upcoming SNME.
The tag team clash between Penta and Dragon Lee and Austin Theory & Bronson Reed ended in a disqualification after Bron Breakker interfered. This led to a heated confrontation with GM Adam Pearce, where Breakker shoved him off, leading Pearce to suspend Breakker indefinitely.
In the main event of the show, Gunther managed to cheat his way out of a submission to land a low blow and pin AJ Styles, to win their first meeting ever on WWE programming.
Two title showdown is set for next week in Belfast
In their next stop on the European tour, WWE will arrive in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to deliver the January 19 episode of WWE Raw. This will be the final stop for the weekly shows on the tour, which will conclude on January 20th with a House show in Belgium, as WWE travels to Canada for SNME.
The show is set to take place at The SSE Arena in Belfast. Additionally, the show will have a special early start time of 8 PM GMT (Belfast), 3 PM ET, and 12 PM PT.
Finn Balor confronted World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk during this week’s show, asking for a title shot, which Punk immediately granted, but Balor wanted home-field advantage and instead wanted it for next week in Belfast.
The Champion agreed, with the promotion later confirming the World Heavyweight showdown between the two for next week in front of a red-hot Irish crowd.
On the other hand, Becky Lynch and Maxxine Dupri will run their most recent encounter back, where Lynch regained the Women’s Intercontinental title.
Both women had some fierce words for each other during the show and will now once again come face to face inside the ring. Dupri currently leads the scoreboard with 3-2.
Announced for WWE Raw next week (January 19, 2026)
- Becky Lynch (c) vs Maxxine Dupri – Women’s Intercontinental title match
- CM Punk (c) vs Finn Balor – World Heavyweight title match
When and where will the January 19, 2026, episode of Raw take place?
The January 19 show is set to take place at The SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K.
Will the show have a special start time?
Yes, the show will have a special early start time of 8 PM GMT (Belfast), 3 PM ET, and 12 PM PT.
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Abhijit Singh is a budding sports journalist with over three years of experience in the field, and a photographer capturing stories through his lens since 2018. With a background in philosophy and political science, he brings a thoughtful, analytical edge to his reporting where every word is guided by curiosity and intent. Whether he's capturing the emotion of a moment or unpacking the deeper narratives within the game, Abhijit’s work is rooted in insight and passion. When he’s not covering sports, he’s often exploring new ideas through reading, traveling or just procrastinating.