'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The first episode of WWE Raw after Elimination Chamber took place in Anaheim, California on Monday night.
The show featured five matches, including a rematch for the Raw Tag Team titles between The Bar and Titus Worldwide, as well as newsworthy in-ring promos involving John Cena, Roman Reigns and Ronda Rousey.
In this article, we take a look at all eight major segments from the show and analyze what was good and bad about the first Raw on the road to WrestleMania 34.
#1 Asuka, Sasha Banks & Bayley def. Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax & Mickie James
Storyline: Alexa Bliss retained her Raw Women’s title at Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, while Royal Rumble winner Asuka defeated Nia Jax (Alexa’s best friend) at the event but was viciously attacked by her opponent after the match.
Segment: Alexa, accompanied by Mickie James, kicked off Raw gloating about her victory before claiming she will break Asuka’s streak at WrestleMania. When “The Empress of Tomorrow” emerged, she was quickly joined by Nia, and a 3-on-1 assault soon became 3-on-3 when Bayley and Sasha Banks intervened. A tag match then took place, with Bayley refusing a tag from Sasha before Asuka made Mickie tap.
Verdict: Credit to WWE – this was certainly a different and refreshing way to start Raw. Alexa had the crowd in the palm of her hand during her promo, as she often does, and the story between Bayley and Sasha has been told brilliantly over the last couple of shows. The question remains, though: will Asuka really face Alexa at ‘Mania?!
Grade: B
#2 John Cena addresses his WrestleMania status
Storyline: With no clear opponent in sight, a sombre John Cena said on RAW Talk following his Elimination Chamber defeat that he may have to do something “outside the etiquette of the WWE” in order to carve himself a road to WrestleMania.
Segment: Cena addressed his recent failures at the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber but said he’s figured out what he wants to do next: challenge The Undertaker to a match at WrestleMania. With the Anaheim crowd making it clear they want to see the match, Cena revealed that he’s been told “it’s not possible” and that the match won’t happen, so he’ll appear on SmackDown on Tuesday to do whatever it takes to earn a spot on the ‘Mania card.
Verdict: The long-awaited Cena vs. Undertaker match will still surely happen, just with the build taking place on SmackDown as opposed to Raw. The Raw card is stacked right now and SmackDown could definitely do with some compelling stories, so it makes perfect sense to switch Cena to the blue brand.
Grade: B+
#3 Bray Wyatt destroys Heath Slater and Rhyno
Storyline: After three months of back-and-forth promos and confrontations, Matt Hardy finally defeated Bray Wyatt one-on-one when the two men met at Elimination Chamber.
Segment: Bray’s singles match against Heath Slater never got started, with “The Eater of Worlds” unleashing attacks on both Heath and Rhyno before the bell rang. A maniacal, wide-eyed Bray claimed Hardy made him act that way and he then declared that “The Great War” with his long-term rival is far from over.
Verdict: On paper, a three-month rivalry between Wyatt and “The Woken One” sounds great. In execution, this feud has felt a little flat since December. If this is going to run and run and culminate at WrestleMania, let’s hope Jeff Hardy returns to spice things up a bit!
Grade: C
#4 Seth Rollins def. The Miz; Finn Balor def. The Miz
Storyline: Intercontinental champion The Miz was the first man to be eliminated from the Elimination Chamber match, meaning he failed in his quest to hold both the IC and Universal titles at once. Seth Rollins and Finn Balor were also defeated in the Chamber match and, like Miz, were in need of opponents for ‘Mania.
Segment: Miz felt “disrespected” after being told by Kurt Angle that his Raw opponent might be the man he faces at ‘Mania. His opponent turned out to be Rollins, who picked up the win with an incredible frog splash from three-quarters of the way across the ring. Balor then interrupted Rollins and, with The Miztourage and The Club banned from ringside, also defeated the IC champion.
Verdict: Both matches were good, especially the first one, but it did seem a little underwhelming when Seth said in his post-match interview that he was challenging Miz (someone he has faced many times before) at ‘Mania. With Balor also in the mix, one imagines this will turn into a multi-man match in the coming weeks.
Grade: B-
#5 Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar ‘face-off’
Storyline: Roman Reigns outlasted six other men to win the Elimination Chamber match on Sunday, setting up a match with Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 34.
Segment: Lesnar was advertised to appear on Raw but Reigns revealed before their scheduled ‘face-off’ that the Universal champion no-showed the event. He said his opponent only shows up when the money and city are right, unlike Reigns and the rest of the locker room, and dismissed him as nothing more than an “entitled piece of c**p who hides behind his contract”.
Verdict: When an arena desperately wants to boo Reigns but they end up cheering for him, you know a segment has been booked to perfection. “The Big Dog” brilliantly summed up many people’s view of Lesnar during this promo, making their WrestleMania match tons more interesting than it felt before.
Grade: A
#6 The Bar def. Titus Worldwide (2 out of 3 falls match for the Raw Tag Team titles)
Storyline: After three non-title losses against Titus Worldwide in recent weeks, The Bar defeated Titus O’Neil and Apollo with the Raw Tag Team titles on the line at Elimination Chamber.
Segment: In a rematch from the previous night, only this time with a 2 out of 3 falls stipulation, Sheamus and Cesaro picked up a 2-0 victory over their opponents, seemingly ending Titus Worldwide’s two-month chase for the titles.
Verdict: This match was better than the one that the two teams had at Elimination Chamber. The only problem? With The Revival and The Club due title opportunities soon enough, it’s a shame that Titus and Apollo lost their third (and probably final) chance at the tag titles.
Grade: B-
#7 Braun Strowman def. Elias, via disqualification
Storyline: Braun Strowman eliminated five men, including Elias, at Elimination Chamber. The two Superstars have been involved in an on/off rivalry ever since the man formerly known as “The Drifter” won a Triple Threat against Strowman and John Cena in early February.
Segment: Elias’ pre-match mocking of the Anaheim crowd was brought to an end when Strowman’s music hit and the increasingly popular “Monster Among Men” made his way to the ring. Strowman got the win via disqualification after Elias sprayed a fire extinguisher in his face, and the two fought into the backstage area until Elias was able to escape.
Verdict: This segment was okay but we’ve come to expect so much from Strowman every week on Raw, so this was a little underwhelming compared to what we’re used to seeing. Let’s just hope his road to WrestleMania is more exciting than last year!
Grade: C+
#8 Ronda Rousey interrupts Stephanie McMahon
Storyline: Kurt Angle claimed at Elimination Chamber that Triple H and Stephanie McMahon only wanted to sign Ronda Rousey so they could “own her” as revenge for her actions at WrestleMania 31. Ronda reacted by throwing Triple H through a table before she received a huge slap in the face from Stephanie.
Segment: Stephanie claimed Kurt has been suffering from double pneumonia and that’s why he said what he said at Elimination Chamber. Ronda then marched down to the ring but she was interrupted by Kurt, who said Stephanie was right and he lied about what they'd said about her. Ronda demanded an apology from Stephanie for slapping her and Stephanie duly obliged, only for Triple H to then floor Kurt with a punch to the head.
Verdict: After such a great segment at Elimination Chamber, it’s fair to say everybody expected more than what we saw on Raw. Ronda was significantly better on the mic here than she was the night before. But, after so much hype and so many video packages all throughout the show, the final segment just felt a bit flat.
Grade: C
