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Credit to WWE for putting together an Elimination Chamber show that exceeded its lacklustre expectations on paper card, though there were still some problems with the show.
Why did Lacey Evans walk down the ramp and back up it for no reason? Why did Becky Lynch appear when she's still supposed to be suspended?
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Other people had a much bigger night, however. Who were the biggest winners and losers of this pitstop on the road to WrestleMania? Let's take a closer look.
Winners: Sasha Banks and Bayley
Credit to WWE for doing the right thing here. There was no better choice than Sasha Banks and Bayley to elevate and legitimize the fledgling women's tag team championships.
In truth, there was no other choice. The only other cream of the crop women's tag team in WWE at the moment is the Sky Pirates in Io Shirai and Kairi Sane, and they're still in NXT.
Sasha Banks and Bayley will have their work cut out for them, but they were the ones who took the women's division to a peak it's only now begun to catch up to again, and if anyone can do it, it's them.
We'll have to see how WWE lines up challengers in the coming weeks and months, but as of now, their reign should be a long one.
Winners: The Usos
In an unexpected decision, WWE pulled the plug on the "Best Tag Team in the World" faster than I expected them to.
I suppose it's safe to say that The Usos avoided punishment (though it appears that Naomi didn't).
The Miz and Shane McMahon are on a collision course for WrestleMania and now it remains to be seen what The Usos will do, but the tag team division on Tuesday nights is in good hands with them at the helm.
Winner: Finn Balor
In another unexpected decision, Finn Balor gained his first Intercontinental Championship last night. It's hard to argue with it.
Raw's mid-card is in better hands with him carrying the title than it would be with Bobby Lashley carrying it. He's the better choice to have exciting matches on the road to WrestleMania.
For Balor, it's a validation of sorts. The company clearly doesn't see him as a top main event talent, but it's his first gold in nearly three years.
The standards of the title have been raised in the past couple of years, and Balor can maintain those standards with his matches.
Unfortunately, Balor pinned Lio Rush to get the title. Why WWE decided to protect Lashley after what they did with him later, I'm not sure.
It doesn't appear that Lashley will be feuding with Balor in the coming weeks, and the breakup of the alliance with Rush will damage his act.
Losers: Everyone in the Raw women's title picture
Sorry, but this angle stinks. At this point, I just can't wait until it's over. They've butchered something that could have been magical. Nothing makes sense and nothing else is getting a big build because of the overexposure of this angle.
Becky Lynch's suspension was again not a real suspension. Ruby Riott, as expected, was an afterthought.
Even Ronda Rousey herself now feels like a third wheel in this angle, with the real feud being between Flair and Lynch, even though we've been saturated with that up to now. It was good last year, but is it really necessary here?
The fact that this feels like an imitation of the Daniel Bryan story arc just a few years ago doesn't help things either.
Crowds might still be liking it for now, and that's what WWE is relying on, but it's a chore to watch it from home.
Losers: Braun Strowman, Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, and Drew McIntyre
I got more than I was asking for when I thought that a stipulation would be appropriate for this match. Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, and Drew McIntyre are randomly aligned to randomly destroy Braun Strowman for reasons that are still random to me.
It looks like Braun Strowman has his WrestleMania feud. It stinks. It's a tremendous waste of Drew McIntyre in particular, who was one of the few well-booked people on Raw last year.
Assuming that Seth Rollins wins the Universal Championship on April 7th, McIntyre would be a natural contender for it, and this isn't doing him a service on that journey. It's as filler as filler gets.
For Strowman in particular, it's yet another indication of how far his star has fallen since last year's show when he eliminated everyone in the Chamber match except for Roman Reigns. That told too much because he bumped into his proverbial ceiling.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Well, it looks like Daniel Bryan will have a title contender - the question is whether this is for Fastlane or WrestleMania.
Kofi Kingston was riding off the high he got in the gauntlet match last Tuesday. The last in the Chamber, he eliminated Randy Orton along the way.
He and Daniel Bryan were the last two men left in the contest, which was rightly the night's main event. Kofi Kingston battled and came close, but Daniel Bryan got him in the end to retain his title.
It still feels like Kofi Kingston is just an occupant of the spot Mustafa Ali was supposed to be in, but Ali's loss might be Kingston's gain.
We'll simply need to see where this leads, but a week ago, nobody would have been talking about Kofi Kingston in this way. That's what happens when you get a superb booking. If only the company could do it more often.
