Results
- Bronson Reed, Logan Paul & Austin Theory def. Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso & LA Knight (12:53)
- Asuka def. Bayley & Nattie (Triple Threat) (Elimination Chamber Qualifier) (10:28)
- Penta def. El Grande Americano (WWE Intercontinental Championship #1 Contender) (7:56)
- Je’Von Evans def. Gunther & Dominik Mysterio (Triple Threat) (Elimination Chamber Qualifier) (14:41) (Recommended)
Impromptu six-man tag opens the show
This week’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw from the FedEx Forum in Nashville, Tennessee, opened with an appearance from the reigning WWE World Tag Team Champions, The Usos.
The Usos made their way onto the stairs and started their entrance, but the party was crashed almost immediately by Paul Heyman and the rest of The Vision sans Bron Breakker, who is currently out with an injury.
Heyman, who was in a sour mood, said he felt awful due to the masked man reappearing last week and attacking Austin Theory during his Elimination Chamber qualifying match. Adam Pearce appeared on stage and asked for The Vision to come to his office to discuss what happened.
An irate Theory said Pearce “screwed” him last week and refused to leave the ring. Heyman replied: “You want your show back? I want Bronson Reed inside the Elimination Chamber.”
Pearce said Reed has to earn his way into the match, and will have that chance next week in a qualifying match. He asked The Vision to leave the ring again, but they weren’t budging.
This standoff was cut off by LA Knight, who won that qualifying match last week involving Theory. Knight prayed for Reed to make it into the Chamber match so he could beat him up in the match.
Knight pitched an idea for tonight: Even though he doesn’t “have the best track record” with The Usos, he’s willing to team up with them to face The Vision. Pearce liked this idea concept and made the match official for the opening bout of the night.
Very convenient that The Vision, The Usos, and Knight, all who weren’t booked for tonight, came to the ring wearing their gear. Action up next.
The Vision pin tag champs, the ‘Masked Man’ re-appears
In six-man tag action, The Usos and LA Knight joined forces to face Bron Breakker, Austin Theory, and Logan Paul. The commentary team was quick to bring up Paul’s headline-making Pokemon card sale this week, which made him $16 million richer.
Knight was isolated by the heel trio and teased a hot tag for minutes on end. It looked as though he would get out of the match after dodging a senton from Reed, but was stopped by Paul. After kicking Paul away, Knight was able to finally tag Jey into the match.
Jey scored a series of strikes then a hip attack in the corner for a two-count on Paul. He followed up with a spear, but Theory hit the ring to break up the second pin attempt. Knight got Theory out of the ring and hit him with a BFT on the floor. Reed then took out Knight, sending him through a barricade and into the timekeeper’s area with a tackle.
Paul reversed a superkick into a ZigZag, but it wasn’t enough to stop Jey just yet. Jey escaped a move from Paul and wobbled him with a superkick. Jimmy tagged into the match and hit a 1D with his brother, but Reed broke up a pin attempt that followed.
Reed sent the Usos out of the ring then scored a massive suicide dive to take them both out – this looked awesome. He threw Jey over the commentary desk and then tossed Jimmy back into the ring. Paul dropped Jimmy with his titanium-loaded right hand, then Reed tagged back into the contest and came off the top rope with a Tsunami for the pinfall win in 12 minutes.
Fun finishing sequence here. Curious to see what direction they go after this: The sequence between Knight and Reed has me thinking we can pencil the “Os-Zilla” in for the Elimination Chamber. However, the group also scored a clean pinfall win on the tag champs, and WWE could definitely circle back to that at some point, maybe even wait until we’re past Chamber and use that as a Mania storyline.
Paul snatched Michael Cole’s headset during the post-match ceremony to taunt the broadcast team. However, as he was doing this, the masked man appeared at ringside and gave Paul a Curbstomp onto the commentary desk. The man escaped to the crowd before any of The Vision could get to him.
The broadcast announced these qualifiers for next week’s Raw:
- Raquel Rodriguez vs. IYO SKY vs. Kairi Sane (Elimination Chamber Qualifier)
- Bronson Reed vs. Jey Uso vs. Original El Grande Americano (Elimination Chamber Qualifier)
Backstage, Adam Pearce was seen looking at a 10-foot-tall wooden crate, which was labelled: “DELIVER TO WWE. DO NOT OPEN UNTIL 2/28/26.” Pearce had no clue what this was and instructed a stagehand to send it to Smackdown so Nick Aldis could deal with it instead.
El Grande Americano (not to be confused with “The Original” El Grande Americano) approached Pearce about not being put in an Elimination Chamber qualifier. Pearce couldn’t do anything about getting him a spot in the last qualifiers, but said he can give him an opportunity later tonight which might lead to an Intercontinental title shot.
Asuka clinches Elimination Chamber spot
Tonight’s women’s Elimination Chamber qualifying match was next, with past Elimination Chamber winner Asuka battling in a triple threat with Bayley and the recently reinvented Nattie.
Bayley got a near fall at the five-minute mark after scoring with an elbow drop to Nattie’s back. She hit a superplex to Asuka just moments later, but had that pin attempt broken up by Nattie. The “Low-key Legend” similarly broke up a pin a minute later after Bayley came off the top with an elbow drop to Asuka.
Nattie took Bayley to the ring apron for a nasty German Suplex. Asuka caught Nattie off-guard moments later, dragging her back into the ring for an Asuka Lock. Nattie escaped the submission with a roll-up attempt, then hit a sit-out powerbomb to Asuka.
Nattie locked in a Sharpshooter on Asuka, but Bayley got back into the ring and broke up the submission. Asuka knocked Nattie off the ring apron with a hip attack, then Bayley dropped Asuka with a Bayley-To-Belly. However, Asuka kicked out at two!
Bayley countered a spinning backfist from Asuka into a roll-up pin attempt. Bayley tried for the Roseplant, but Asuka escaped it then transitioned into an Asuka Lock, which forced a tap at 10 minutes. Asuka is heading to the Elimination Chamber.
All three of these women aren’t necessarily in big positions currently, so it was hard to tell who was actually going to emerge with the win. I like Nattie’s current gimmick and Bayley & Asuka are also on a roll, so it didn’t feel like there was a wrong answer here. Anyway, these three had some really fun sequences, and I thought it was fun.
Maxxine Dupri attacked Nattie on the stage during the post-match, forcing a pull-apart.
Backstage, Oba Femi was seen getting offered a contract to join the Raw brand by Adam Pearce. Femi made it clear that he hasn’t decided which brand he’ll join just yet. He had an intense face-off with Rusev on his way out of the office. I assume Rusev was in the office to ask Pearce something like: “Hey, why haven’t I wrestled on Raw since November?”
Stephanie Vaquer brings Liv Morgan to tears
In the next segment, we were shown a sit-down interview with Liv Morgan hosted by Michael Cole. Dominik Mysterio also showed up despite not being invited.
Cole wasted no time, with his first question being if she has decided on her Wrestlemania opponent yet. The answer was no, with Morgan saying it’s not a decision she should rush.
This interview was cut off by WWE Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer, who angrily started to cut a promo in Spanish to Morgan. Mysterio played interpreter for Morgan, translating some of Vaquer’s trash talk and interjecting with his own replies. This went on for a minute or so.
Morgan was so taken aback by Vaquer’s trash talk that she burst into tears and stormed off? I don’t think that segment was meant to be hilarious, but everything about it had me laughing out loud. Cole so confidently thinking he secured the scoop for Morgan’s Wrestlemania plans, Mysterio and Vaquer both interrupting the interview within a minute of eachother, and Morgan crying over trash talk all made this feel odd.
CM Punk pushes back at Finn Balor’s ‘BITW’ claims
WWE World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk came to the ring for the next segment. Between his Elimination Chamber matchup against Finn Balor and a potential Wrestlemania match against Roman Reigns, Punk had a lot he could address.
Punk said that Balor earned his first title shot against him weeks ago, but this time around, he “deserves” the ass-whooping he’ll get. Moments later, Balor, alongside Dominik Mysterio and the returning JD McDonagh, interrupted Punk.
The Judgment Day members surrounded the ring, seemingly getting ready to initiate a three-on-one beatdown. But Balor was wielding a mic, so physicality wasn’t going to start just yet.
Balor said he came out to make one thing clear: He thinks he’s the best in the world (let’s not forget he lost to Punk like three weeks ago). And when he beats Punk for the title at the Elimination Chamber he’s not “jeopardizing” a super-fight at Mania, but instead making a better one.
Punk cut into Balor with a scathing promo: “I know who you are. Sorry, I misspoke: I know who you were … Something about those great things you did, you did it by yourself,” Punk claimed. “You used to mean something, man.”
Punk claimed that the rest of the Judgment Day drags him down. He said McDonagh’s head is big and Mysterio doesn’t defend either of their belts (in all fairness, he has been injured for two months).
Punk tried to call Balor’s bluff, claiming that he thinks the group came out with a plan to attack him. He turned his back to the trio and offered them a chance to get a shot at him.
“I know I’m the best in the world and I don’t need anybody’s help to prove it,” Punk said. “Maybe, maybe you do.”
McDonagh and Mysterio tried to attack Punk, but Balor held them both back.
I’m struggling to find any interest in a Balor and Punk rematch, considering how much the result is a foregone conclusion. With that being said, this was a great performance from Punk onthe mic, proving again why he’s one of the industry’s best talkers.
Penta capitalizes on ringside mayhem to earn IC title shot
The #1 contender for Dominik Mysterio’s Intercontinental Championship was determined in the next match, with El Grande Americano taking on Penta.
Penta came off the ropes with a hard lariat as the show went to a break during the early goings of the match. Penta was on a roll as the show returned, hitting a Slingblade, then a dropkick in the corner.
Americano dodged a Penta Driver, instead transitioning into his La Cavernaria submission. Penta escaped with a roll-up pin, but Americano remained in control with a Death Valley Driver.
Americano climbed to the top rope for a move but was yanked back down to the mat by Penta, who hit a Penta Driver for a two-count. Rayo Americano got on the ring apron to distract Penta. This brief pause allowed Americano to drop Penta with a diving headbutt.
As Rayo garnered the referee’s attention, Bravo attempted to try and slide a metal plate to Americano. However, Bravo was dragged under the ring by the original El Grande Americano, who emerged from under the apron.
This whole sequence got the attention of the other Americano, who then ate a Mexican Destroyer from Penta for the pinfall in just under eight minutes. After a wacky match that saw Penta, Americano, and the referee all get distracted at points, Mysterio’s next challenger for the IC title has been determined.
The two Americanos fought in the ring afterward, with the OG masked man delivering a huge German Suplex. He motioned that he was about to unmask the other Americano, but Bravo and Rayo prevented this from happening.
Backstage, Finn Balor and JD McDonagh were seen arguing, with Balor saying he doesn’t want any help from the group in his quest to take the world title. With everyone in the clubhouse upset about something, Dominik Mysterio grew nervous, as he still has a match tonight.
Kofi Kingston and Grayson Waller announced during the commercial break that Xavier Woods is out of action with a shoulder injury.
The latest – 9:51 p.m. ET: AJ Lee is in Becky Lynch’s head
AJ Lee, who is scheduled to face Becky Lynch for the women’s IC title at the Elimination Chamber, hit the ring for a promo in the next segment.
It’s been over a decade since Lee has competed in a singles match, she said, beginning a reflection about how much things have changed since then. She talked about how she changed the women’s division back when she was fighting for the Divas Championship: “There was a women’s division before AJ Lee, and there was a women’s division after AJ Lee. That was my gift to you, you’re welcome.”
Putting her attention back on Lynch, Lee said she doesn’t know why the champ has a grudge against her. She eventually called out Lynch, saying she had a receipt for the attack she had done on last week’s Raw.
Lynch thought the idea of Lee getting a title run off her at the Elimination Chamber was funny. Instead, she considers their upcoming match in Chicago a “send-off” for Lee.
“There was a division before AJ Lee, and there was one after, and your gift was leaving,” Lynch said. “Because for the last 10 years, I’ve been making history. And you, you’ve been making comic books.”
Lee offered for Lynch to hit the ring and “throw hands” with her. Lynch took off her outrageously huge jacket and looked like she was ready to hit the ring, but then decided against it, claiming that Lee was going to “sucker punch” her.
Lee kept trash-talking Lynch, eventually getting her into the ring and working her up more. Lee put her hands behind her back and continued to egg Lynch on to hit her. Lynch, clearly gotten-to, said that Lee is trying to get hurt so she has an excuse to not make it to Elimination Chamber.
“I don’t fight in Memphis,” Lynch said before storming off. The crowd was kinda dead for this segment but I liked it.
Along with the two previously announced Elimination Chamber qualifying matches set for next week’s Raw, WWE revealed that the episode will feature a send-off for AJ Styles, who retired after a loss to Gunther at the Royal Rumble.
Raw newcomer Je’Von Evans secures Elimination Chamber spot
The main event of the night saw Gunther, Je’Von Evans, and Dominik Mysterio battle it out for a spot in the Elimination Chamber match.
Evans tried to bounce off the top rope for a move onto Mysterio early, but was knocked off-balance by a chop from Gunther. A battle at ringside between Gunther and Mysterio was interrupted by Evans, who did an impressive dive over the top rope and to the outside onto both.
During the commercials, Mysterio was seen taking a hammer from the timekeeper’s area and placing it near the ring. Evans hit a springboard version of the Robinson Special we used to see Will Ospreay land in his junior heavyweight days, it looked great. Gunther took control of the match, taking out both Evans and Mysterio with huge powerbombs.
Evans dodged a move from Gunther then came off the ropes with a Busaiku Knee. Evans came off the top with a crossbody onto Gunther then tried for a moonsault, but Gunther countered it into a submission.
Evans tried for the OG-Cutter, but Gunther caught him mid-air with a sleeper. Mysterio stopped the submission with a top-rope frogsplash. Gunther was in position for a 619, which Mysterio tried, but the AAA champ ended up getting floored by a hard lariat from Gunther instead.
Mysterio grabbed the hammer he had placed at ringside and looked ready to use it. After kicking Mysterio off the ring apron, Gunther noticed the hammer and tried to retrieve it. At ringside, suddenly Dragon Lee came flying off the top of a barricade and hit Gunther over the head with a ring bell, taking him out for the remainder of the match.
Back in the ring, Mysterio hit a 619 to Evans. He tried to follow up with a frogsplash, but Evans dodged the move and instead came off the top with an OG-Cutter, earning him the pinfall victory in just under 15 minutes. Monday Night Raw rookie Evans is heading to the Elimination Chamber.
This was a super fun match, so much that I sort of wish it had gone a little longer. Evans is a fun choice here. I’m happy with this booking decision. The main event was certainly the highlight of the night for me.
