Opening for March 18 WWE RAW Revealed

Monday Night RAW on March 17, 2025, is shaping up to be a must-watch event, and now the biggest question of the night has been answered—who’s kicking off the show?

According to Fightful Select, John Cena and Cody Rhodes are set for the opening segment/ That means the first thing fans will see is Cena stepping into the ring, face-to-face with the Undisputed WWE Champion, after his shocking heel turn at Elimination Chamber.

Cena’s betrayal at the Chamber event left the WWE Universe in disbelief, and now he has a lot to answer for. Meanwhile, Cody Rhodes is walking into RAW as the top champion, and with WrestleMania 41 just weeks away, there’s no doubt tensions will be sky-high when the two stand across from each other. Will Cena double down on his new attitude, or is Rhodes about to put him in his place?

Beyond that massive opening, RAW has a stacked lineup. Dakota Kai will take on Ivy Nile after Nile’s post-match ambush last week. Bron Breakker is defending his Intercontinental Championship against Finn Balor, thanks to Dominik Mysterio pulling strings with Adam Pearce. Penta and Ludwig Kaiser will settle their brutal feud in a No Holds Barred match, while Jey Uso looks for payback against Austin Theory.

Also on deck is a major contract signing between IYO SKY and Bianca Belair for the Women’s World Title at WrestleMania 41. With Rhea Ripley still looming over the division, things could easily spiral out of control. Seth Rollins is also set to appear after Roman Reigns blindsided him last week—expect some strong words from the former World Heavyweight Champion.

RAW will air live from Forest National in Brussels, Belgium, kicking off at 3 PM ET, exclusively on Netflix.

WWE RAW Lineup for March 17, 2025 Episode:

• Dakota Kai vs. Ivy Nile
• Intercontinental Championship: Bron Breakker (c) vs. Finn Balor
• No Holds Barred Match: Penta vs. Ludwig Kaiser
• Jey Uso vs. Austin Theory
• John Cena Appears
• Seth Rollins Appearance
• IYO SKY and Bianca Belair contract signing.

Ringside News will be providing live play-by-play coverage of this week’s show over in our WWE Monday Night RAW coverage hub. It promises to be a memorable episode for many reasons, so it remains to be seen how the episode will turn out.

What do you think is going to happen when Cena and Rhodes go face-to-face? Will Cena try to justify his actions, or is he about to escalate things even further? Let us know in the comments!