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The latest episode of WWE RAW was much better than the previous week's offering, mainly due to the Gauntlet match being in the final hour of the show. The show began with The Miz withdrawing from the Elimination Chamber in hopes of finding an easy way to cash-in his Money In The Bank contract.
Lacey Evans dropped a bombshell on everyone by making an announcement that left the fans bewildered. Kofi Kingston took on The Miz in the hopes of finding a place in the Elimination Chamber match, while the latter wrestled for his tag team partner John Morrison to take up the spot vacated by him in the bout.
Alexa Bliss had an eerie segment where she gave us a cryptic message about The Fiend's return and the aforementioned Gauntlet match ended with a surprise winner. That said, let's look at all the developments from this week's WWE RAW that has got the fans buzzing.
Don't forget to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
#5 Sheamus wins the Gauntlet match in the main event of WWE RAW
In the main event of this week's WWE RAW, a Gauntlet match to determine the final entrant in the Elimination Chamber match took place. AJ Styles started off the proceedings against Kofi Kingston, who fought The Miz to find his way into the bout earlier on the same night. As a result, Styles was able to pick up the victory, and the WWE Champion Drew McIntyre was the next one to enter the match.
The two had what was possibly the best one-on-one encounter of the night, with Styles getting enough offense. Ultimately, McIntyre was able to eliminate The Phenomenal One.
Jeff Hardy came out next, and he had a fun back and forth with McIntyre, but the WWE Champion prevailed yet again. The Scottish Warrior's old rival, Randy Orton, made his way next to the match. However, he was quickly distracted by Alexa Bliss, resulting in The Viper getting eliminated by a count-out.
The final entrant was Sheamus, and the Celtic Warrior wisely took advantage of a worn-out WWE Champion to score a momentum-boosting pinfall victory over him. Post-match, Sheamus delivered a promo where he boasted about his win over McIntyre and that he would do the same at Elimination Chamber.
If the company has plans to extend the feud between the Celtic Warrior and McIntyre until WrestleMania 37, it will make sense to have a Championship change at the PPV.
That said, this might have been the right opportunity for The Miz to cash-in his Money in the Bank contract, considering the WWE Champion just wrestled such a grueling bout on WWE RAW. That didn't happen, and it seems like there's no way he's cashing in his contract successfully.
#4 Lacey Evans leaves her tag team match mid-way after dropping a bombshell on RAW
The feud between Lacey Evans and Charlotte Flair on WWE RAW has been criticized by wrestling fans across the globe. In yet another twist in the rivalry, Lacey Evans revealed that she's pregnant, while Ric Flair was seen dancing.
During the tag team match between Charlotte and RAW Women's Champion Asuka against Evans and Peyton Royce, The Sassy Southern Belle stopped The Queen from attacking her and then made this stunning revelation. Reports have emerged saying Lacey Evans is actually pregnant, and WWE has decided to use this real-life situation for storyline purposes.
While it might be a way to write her off TV for the time being, the company could have found a better way to deal with this situation. That said, it has opened the doors for a clash between Asuka and Charlotte Flair, which a lot of fans have been clamoring for.
#3 Does The Miz's withdrawal from the Elimination match on WWE RAW mean he'll cash-in the MITB briefcase at PPV?
During last week's RAW, when The Miz was announced as one of the participants in the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match, fans were quite skeptical about the development. While nobody questions the abilities of The A-Lister, he has been booked poorly in recent months, and it didn't make sense for him to challenge for the WWE Championship. Given that he is the current holder of the MITB briefcase, many felt that he doesn't need to be inside the demonic structure.
However, on this week's RAW, the company made some much-needed changes. Not only did they take out The Miz from the Elimination Chamber match, but it has also opened doors for a possible cash-in opportunity in the same bout. The Miz also made several attempts throughout the show to convince Adam Pearce to announce John Morrison as his replacement.
It's clear that The A-Lister is looking to cash-in his contract at the Elimination Chamber, and it's about time the company does something with it. While The Miz being the WWE Champion seems unviable at the moment, he can lose his match in such a manner that he doesn't look. Maybe an interference from Bad Bunny and Damian Priest might do the trick.
#2 RAW's Kofi Kingston has officially joined the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match
Kofi Kingston has replaced The Miz in the Elimination Chamber after defeating him on WWE RAW. While The A-Lister decided to pull out from the match this Sunday, he was wrestling so that his tag team partner, John Morrison, could find his way into the mix.
The addition of Kofi in the bout is a welcome move by the creative team. His performance in the 2019 Elimination Chamber match is fondy remembered by the WWE Universe. While nobody is expecting that sort of a performance during the weekend, he lends an experienced hand.
He's a much better choice than The Miz due to his positioning on the card, and his inclusion also balances out the heel-face dynamic in the match. Most importantly, it keeps Kofi Kingston away from Mustafa Ali on WWE RAW, as that match is definitely worthy of a stage like WrestleMania 37.
#1 The Fiend might return at Elimination Chamber after Alexa Bliss delivers a cryptic message about him on RAW
During this week's WWE RAW, Alexa Bliss had a segment where she delivered a cryptic message about The Fiend's impending return. It was a genuinely creepy development, and Bliss' performance was terrifying and disturbing as usual.
Considering that The Fiend has been away from WWE programming for nearly two months now, there's every chance he might show up at the Elimination Chamber match and cost Randy Orton a chance to become the WWE Champion.
Even during the gauntlet match on RAW, The Viper was eliminated after the lights went off, and Alexa Bliss' face appeared on all the screens in the arena. It's been months since the rivalry began, and it needs to conclude at WrestleMania 37.
While these segments on WWE RAW have been quite fun, The Fiend needs to make an appearance to further intensify the feud. Even if he doesn't appear in person, he can make his presence felt by appearing on the screen and distracting Orton.
