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The go-home episode of WWE RAW before Elimination Chamber had a few major surprises in store for fans. The Miz kicked off the show and ended his segment with a major announcement that changed the WWE Championship match for Sunday.
He wasn’t the only one to make a major announcement, as Alexa Bliss returned on WWE RAW and sent another warning to Randy Orton and the WWE Universe. Lacey Evans also made a big announcement on WWE RAW that shook up the WWE Universe. The creatives have certainly found an odd, but tried and tested way to continue her alliance with Ric Flair.
Lana competed in a match against Shayna Baszler on WWE RAW but failed to take out The Queen of Spades during the night. Also, Bad Bunny won his first Championship in WWE after he managed to become the new 24/7 Champion.
With the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view a few nights away, WWE RAW could have done better to book some matches for the event, or build towards the matches that have already been announced. Let’s take a look at the five things WWE got right on RAW before Elimination Chamber.
#5 The Miz opted out of the Elimination Chamber match on WWE RAW
The Miz kicked off WWE RAW and introduced Drew McIntyre as the guest on Miz TV. Miz tried to mock the WWE Champion, and continued to call him "Andrew” and “Andy.” Then Miz turned his attention to Bad Bunny for no reason, making the segment fall apart a little bit.
The A-Lister then recapped Sheamus’ betrayal from a couple of weeks ago and talked-up the Gauntlet Match scheduled for later on WWE RAW. McIntyre got tired of Miz’s words and rocked him with a Glasgow Kiss.
The WWE Champion walked out after dropping Miz, before The A-Lister revealed he was pulling out of the Elimination Chamber match. The Miz finally realized that he had the Money in the Bank briefcase and that he did not need to compete inside the steel structure.
The RAW creatives finally seem to have realized their mistake and did the right thing by pulling Miz out of the match. The Miz already has the Money in the Bank briefcase, and it was questionable to put him in the match in the first place.
Having some other Superstar compete in the match and then bringing Miz out to cash-in his briefcase could turn out to be a better spot for the pay-per-view.
#4 Bobby Lashley took down Riddle once again on WWE RAW
Riddle teamed up with The Lucha House Party’s Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado once again to take on The Hurt Business on WWE RAW. MVP, Cedric Alexander, and Shelton Benjamin represented The Hurt Business in the contest.
WWE could have booked a match between the WWE RAW Tag Team Champions and the team of Riddle and Keith Lee instead. However, they decided to go down a safer route.
The Hurt Business took control of the match and continued to retain it for some time, as they isolated Metalik and cut him off from his partners. Riddle exploded into the match soon after and took down everyone in his sight.
Riddle rocked MVP with a jumping knee and finished him off with The Floating Bro to pick up the victory for his team. After the match, Lashley attacked Riddle and his team, before trapping The Original Bro in the Hurt Lock.
The All Mighty was clearly unhappy with the result and did not seem pleased with The Hurt Business’ loss. This was a good way to build towards Elimination Chamber, where Lashley could finally lose his title. Lashley has trapped Riddle in the Hurt Lock for several weeks now, and it looks like the creative team are building towards a victory for the Original Bro at Elimination Chamber.
#3 Kofi Kingston qualified for the Elimination Chamber match on WWE RAW
A backstage confrontation between The Miz and Kofi Kingston backstage on WWE RAW led to a match with an interesting stipulation. A win for Kofi would earn him a spot in Sunday’s Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship. A win for Miz would earn John Morrison the spot. Why Morrison did not compete in the match on WWE RAW himself was the big question here.
Kofi and Miz have had countless matches against each other in the past and knew how to work each other in the ring. Kofi tried to win the match early with near-falls, but Miz got back in the match with some neckbreakers outside the ring.
After Miz worked on his opponent for some time, Kofi got back in the match with a Boom Drop and set up Trouble in Paradise. But the A-Lister countered and almost stole the victory with a roll up.
Miz worked on Kofi’s knee and applied the Figure Four leg-lock. After Kofi fought back, Miz tried to hit the Skull Crushing Finale. However, Kofi countered and hit Trouble in Paradise to pick up the victory and build towards KofiMania once again.
The match between the two veterans on WWE RAW was decent and gave fans something different to look forward to. The Elimination Chamber now has a much more balanced look as compared to before, and it will be interesting to see if Mustafa Ali and RETRIBUTION try to take out Kofi before or during the match.
#2 Alexa Bliss continued to haunt Randy Orton on WWE RAW
Alexa Bliss has been one of the top Superstars of WWE RAW for several weeks now. Even with ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt away, Bliss has controlled and continued his rivalry with Randy Orton to perfection.
This week, Orton was seen cutting a promo ahead of Elimination Chamber. He spoke about burning The Fiend down and taking him away from WWE RAW, and looked to win the WWE Championship on Sunday.
The Goddess interrupted The Viper’s promo from The Firefly Fun House. Bliss was sitting in the center of a pentagram, and it looked like she was up to something evil. Bliss addressed The Viper and the WWE Universe with a worrying look on her face.
She promised that The Fiend would soon be resurrected, even though he was destroyed by fire.
Another top promo from Bliss helped take this rivalry to another level. She has been incredible in recent months and has taken every promo and segment to another level. The Fiend will likely return to WWE RAW soon or appear at Elimination Chamber. Will he be the one to take Orton away from the WWE title?
#1 Sheamus earned the advantage for Elimination Chamber on WWE RAW
The final match of WWE RAW was held between the members of Sunday’s Elimination Chamber match. The Gauntlet Match gave the winner a chance to enter the Chamber match last.
AJ Styles kicked off the match along with Kofi Kingston. Styles knocked Kofi out with The Phenomenal Forearm to move onto the next opponent.
Drew McIntyre came in and did not take too long to Claymore Kick the former WWE Champion and progress in the match. Jeff Hardy was the next man in the match, but as expected, he could not take out McIntyre and fell prey to the Claymore Kick.
Randy Orton came out for the match next and was counted out after he was distracted by Alexa Bliss. McIntyre planted him with a Claymore Kick for old time’s sake and sent him on his way.
Sheamus was the last man to face McIntyre in the Gauntlet Match. The Celtic Warrior attacked McIntyre early and then hit a Brogue Kick to win the match and earn the opportunity to enter the match last on Sunday.
WWE RAW did not need to give McIntyre another superhero run in the match, but it was good to see Sheamus come out as the winner. It will be interesting if he is the last man left in the Chamber against McIntyre on Sunday.
