WWE Raw results and recap: On the road to... Elimination Chamber

The latest episode of WWE Raw came to fans live from Cincinnati, Ohio. And to say that it was an episode filled with intriguing potential storylines would be an understatement.

First to the main event segment. Ronda Rousey, the Royal Rumble 2022 winner, was going to supposedly pick her choice of champion for WrestleMania.

She came to the ring and cut an… interesting promo where she called out Becky Lynch – or Rebecca – many times. Of course that prompted Lynch to come out to the ring and goad Rousey.

Lynch laid down the gauntlet for WrestleMania, but Rousey judo-tossed Lynch and said she’d announce her decision on SmackDown. Umm… okay?

This was promoted as an announcement and she simply said “I’ll say it on Friday instead”. Not the kind of swerve anyone wanted.

Anyway, what was more noteworthy was what happened after the match. Lita came out to praise Lynch, but subtley goaded her into a championship match. And Lynch agreed!

“If you want a match at #WWEChamber, you’ve got it!”#WWERaw Women’s Champion @BeckyLynchWWE vs. @AmyDumas

LITA is BACK!!! pic.twitter.com/W6UQZrRy6e

— WWE (@WWE) February 1, 2022

The two will thus face off at Elimination Chamber, the live event happening in Saudi Arabia. It’s a definite dream match for many, and it is a good way to fill out a big card.

But that wasn’t the only major match announced for the event…

Elimination Chamber match for WWE championship announced

Yes, newly-crowned WWE champion Bobby Lashley will defend his title in the titular match. But before we get into this, it is worth looking back at the way WWE Raw opened.

Lashley and manager MVP came out to celebrate the title reign of ‘The All Mighty’. But they were interrupted by an amped up Brock Lesnar.

Lesnar, never one to mince his words, threatened them both with violence. And simply asked Lashley how, as an athlete, he could celebrate a hollow win like that.

Lesnar, the Royal Rumble match winner, also announced he would face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. Not a big shock, but hey it’s better than saying “I’ll say it on Friday” right?

BREAKING NEWS: @BrockLesnar will face #UniversalChampion @WWERomanReigns at #WrestleMania!#WWERaw@HeymanHustle pic.twitter.com/u46TIWZuuo

— WWE (@WWE) February 1, 2022

What was a little more strange was how the Elimination Chamber match participants were determined. A raft of qualifying matches were set after Adam Pearce announced the Chamber match.

But Lesnar simply asked to be in the match was added in. Which begs the question why others didn’t simply ask? But I digress. He wasn’t the only one simply included in the match either – Seth Rollins was too.

Still, as we’ll find out, the Chamber match set up is a very good one.

WWE Raw – best of the rest

• Chad Gable and Riddle did 50 laps around the arena on scooters, that was interspersed through the show. Gable won when Otis bulldozed Riddle near the finish line and allowed his partner to cross the line. Meanwhile, next week we get a Quiz Bowl between the teams.
• Riddle beat Otis in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match. This was fine for what it was.
• Rhea Ripley beat Nikki A.S.H. in a singles match. Cool.
• Bianca Belair beat Carmella in a singles match. Again, cool.
• AJ Styles beat Rey Mysterio in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match. This was the best match of the night; seek it out if you must.
• Austin Theory beat Kevin Owens in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match. But the key takeaway was Owens’ reaction prior to Rollins saying he was in the match already. Do we sense a feud…?
• The Miz beat Dominik Mystero in a singles match. Alright then.
• And last but not least, Angelo Dawkins picked up a big win in his hometown over Dolph Ziggler. Shocker, I know.

Now this was an interesting show. While some of the matches fell flat, the overall action was pretty good. What’s more, the build to the Elimination Chamber is very interesting.

Grade: B