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With Elimination Chamber less than three weeks away, this week’s Raw continued to set the stage for it. As several qualifying matches happened last week, we had two more this week for the men and the women. By the end of the show, we had four men and four women officially a part of each chamber matches with two more still to be decided over the next week. With the star power and uncertainty that surrounded the Royal Rumble, the Elimination Chamber now has a similar feel to it. The way both are shaping up are making this year’s Road to WrestleMania one you can’t easily predict.
For as interesting and chaotic as this time of the year usually is, what we’re seeing so far is more than living up to those expectations. In addition to that, we had Jey Uso pick which champion he’ll face at WrestleMania, Iyo Sky gain a measure of revenge for last week’s disqualification loss, Dominik Mysterio attempt to ruin AJ Styles’ first night on Raw, and a confrontation between C.M. Punk and Logan Paul. From angles to top notch wrestling, this week’s Raw had a little bit for everyone.
Gunther vs. Jey Uso
Latest Developments:
Jey Uso shocked the world when he last eliminated John Cena to win the 2025 Royal Rumble. Last week on Raw as he was in the ring, an emotional Jey expressed how much he appreciated the crowd’s support and how it was because of them that he won the Rumble. In the middle of his promo, Jey was interrupted by World Heavyweight Champion Gunther. Gunther told Jey that defeating him at WrestleMania does nothing for his legacy and that he will make his life hell if he does choose him as his WrestleMania opponent. Jey mentioned that he would confront WWE Champion Cody Rhodes on that Friday’s Smackdown but regardless of who he chooses, he will leave WrestleMania as champion.
This week, Jey opened the show with his entrance through the crowd. As the crowd chanted “one more time,” Jey continued his entrance and stood on top of the announce table. In the middle of all this, he was tripped on top of the table by Gunther. Gunther then hit Jey with multiple chops and laid him out with two Powerbombs. As Gunther left the ring, Jey got on the mic and said “I shouldn’t say this” before telling Gunther he was choosing to challenge him at WrestleMania. Jey then hit Gunther as he tried to get back into the ring and jumped over the top rope onto him and all the security that tried to separate them.
Analysis:
This segment was one hot way to open the show. Having Gunther attack Jey while he was doing his entrance was a great swerve and made for really great heel heat. What we saw here gave us a good twist compared to the segment between them last week and most importantly, it gave us the answer for who Jey will face at WrestleMania. While Jey choosing Gunther was pretty much a forgone conclusion, at least we all know for sure what the destination is. From what we’ve seen between these two the last few weeks, it is slowly turning into one of the best feuds in the company.
Even though the match is official, WrestleMania is still over two months away. After what Gunther said last week about making Jey’s life hell, what he did to him this week felt like just the tip of the iceberg. How Gunther continues to build on that from now until April is going to be a long-term story he’s never really done in his past feuds. For the mixed reviews his title reign has received since he’s been champion, this feud with Jey Uso is exactly what Gunther needed to make his reign feel more meaningful. From what we’ve seen so far and here especially, this should be one of the most compelling stories that is told going into WrestleMania.
Grade: A
Iyo Sky & Dakota Kai vs. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez
Latest Developments:
Last week, Iyo Sky went one on one with Liv Morgan in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match. Despite having the match one multiple times, interference from Raquel Rodriguez kept Iyo from finishing Liv off. Rhea Ripley eventually came out to even the odds and attacked Raquel. Liv grabbed Rhea by the hair to stop her before Rhea responded with a right hand, which happened right in front of the referee. Liv won the match by disqualification due to Rhea’s interference and that led to Iyo being upset at Rhea for getting involved.
Liv & Raquel faced Iyo & Dakota Kai in a tag team match this week where Liv & Raquel had the advantage until Dakota tagged in Iyo, who took them both out with a Suicide Dive. Liv & Raquel regained the advantage when Raquel held up Iyo as Liv hit her with a Code Breaker, but Iyo kicked out. Raquel swung Liv around to knock down their opponents and Liv hit Dakota with an ObLIVion, but Iyo interrupted Liv’s pin attempt. After stomping onto Liv’s chest and then kicking her in the face, Iyo hit her with the Over the Moonsault for the win. Backstage after the match, Rhea confronted Iyo and told her that Adam Pearce signed a match between the two of them on the Raw after Elimination Chamber for the Women’s World Championship.
Analysis:
On a show that had a lot of good wrestling, this was the best match of the night. The women’s tag team division in WWE would be taken a lot more seriously by the audience if we got more showings like this. All four women worked well together here and with the time they were given, they really gave us something worth being invested in. While all four women were great, the star of this match was Iyo Sky. Week after week, she continues to put on incredible performances that display how valuable she is to that women’s division. While it felt as if she was going to somehow find her way into the Chamber match despite what happened last week, it doesn’t look like that will be happening anymore.
With the news of her facing Rhea for the title in three weeks, it would look on paper as if a match between them won’t be taking place at WrestleMania like many would’ve thought. While that could be the case, this upcoming match could also act as a swerve that leads to Iyo being included in the title match at Mania anyway. Regardless of how this all plays out; Rhea vs. Iyo is a fresh match that we’ve been teased with in recent months. After the brief face off they had on the December 9 Raw when they both held up the title, it really felt like they were planting a seed for what we’re seeing between them now. The Raw when they face each other will be one to watch not only for how the outcome will play out, but especially for the match itself.
Grade: B+
Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria
Latest Developments:
Bayley and women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria were both participants in the women’s Royal Rumble match. Shockingly, Lyra was the second woman eliminated from the match as she was thrown out by Ivy Nile. Despite being in the Rumble for over 40 minutes, Bayley failed to repeat as Rumble winner as she was eliminated by Nikki Bella. Afterwards, it was announced that there would be qualifying matches for the women’s Elimination Chamber taking place over the next few weeks. One of those qualifying matches announced was Bayley against Lyra, which would take place this week on Raw.
Both women felt each other out early on as Lyra reversed an elbow to the back attempt by Bayley into a backslide, but Bayley kicked out. Later in the match, Lyra blocked a top rope Elbow Drop by putting her knees up, but Bayley quickly rebounded and hit Lyra with the Bayley to Belly for a close near fall. Lyra then hit Bayley with a Tornado DDT onto the floor followed by a Fisherman’s Suplex and then another one inside the ring, but it still wasn’t enough. When Lyra attempted a pinning combination, Bayley reversed it and grabbed her legs to get the pin and qualify for the Chamber. After the match, both women shook hands and embraced.
Analysis:
While this match did have certain points where it didn’t feel like it was flowing right or if the crowd was into it, it was still a solid effort from both women. This match was another example of how Bayley is one of the true leaders of the women’s division that sometimes doesn’t get enough credit. One of the highlights of this match was when she did the Tornado DDT and the Fisherman’s Suplex to Bayley on the floor. The way Bayley won kind of came out of nowhere, but perhaps it was designed that way to protect Lyra since she has a title. Since Lyra already has a championship, there wasn’t much of a need for her to be in the Chamber match.
While she is great in the ring, the lack of crowd reaction throughout this match is a sign that Lyra doesn’t have much of a connection with the audience. What could potentially help with that is developing more of a character with her and an actual feud that the audience can get invested in. So far, the lineup for the women’s Elimination Chamber is shaping up well. With Liv, Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, and now Bayley already a part of it, this one could be potentially the best Chamber match we’ve ever seen involving the women. Especially with Iyo now challenging Rhea in a singles match instead of being in the Chamber, the outcome to this one feels more unpredictable than any we’ve seen in recent memory.
Grade: B-
C.M. Punk and Logan Paul Segment
On the January 31 Smackdown, C.M. Punk had a back-and-forth promo with Kevin Owens. During the promo, Punk insulted Owens when he said that unlike him, he never lost to Logan Paul. In the Royal Rumble match, C.M. Punk eliminated Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins at the same time. Immediately after, Punk was eliminated by Logan Paul. Despite not winning the Royal Rumble, Punk defeated Sami Zayn in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match last week to give himself one more shot at the WrestleMania main event.
Punk came out to the ring this week to cut a promo about how he’s going to win the Chamber match and how WrestleMania belongs to him. He was then interrupted by Logan Paul, who had a Chamber qualifying match against Rey Mysterio coming up. Paul brought up how Punk made fun of Owens for once losing to Paul, only for Punk to be eliminated from the Rumble match by him 24 hours later. Punk responded by saying he would’ve mentioned Paul earlier, but laughed as he said he honestly forgot that he was even in a match. Before Punk left, he told Paul that he needs to focus on Mysterio and if he’s lucky enough to get past him, he’ll see him in Toronto where he’ll put him to sleep.
Analysis:
For as short as this segment was, you could tell that these two have good chemistry. Coming out of this, it made you really want to see these two face each other at some point. The only criticism for this segment is the fact that it basically gave away the outcome for the Mysterio and Paul match. Looking back at the segment Punk had with Kevin Owens the night before the Royal Rumble where he made fun of him for losing to Paul, it now makes sense that Paul ended up eliminating him. As appealing of a match as this is, this shouldn’t be the WrestleMania destination for either man.
Considering that Punk specifically mentioned Cody Rhodes and John Cena here, a three-way involving all of them feels like the right direction to go in. Despite his history with both men and the fact that he eliminated them from the Rumble, having Punk in a three-way match with Roman and Rollins doesn’t make any sense with no title or prize on the line. After the segment Punk had with Cody two weeks ago, his history with Cena, and the fact that he’s never main evented WrestleMania, a match involving these three as the WrestleMania main event just feels right. As we still have the Chamber before that, what we saw here from Punk and Paul succeeded in building anticipation for it. With the people that are already in it so far, it really feels just as unpredictable as the Royal Rumble did.
Grade: B
Rey Mysterio vs. Logan Paul
Latest Developments:
At Crown Jewel in November 2023, Logan Paul defeated Rey Mysterio to win the United States Championship. In the Royal Rumble match a little over a week ago, both Paul and Mysterio failed to win as they were eliminated by John Cena and Jacob Fatu respectfully. The following Monday on Raw, it was announced that Paul and Mysterio would face each other this week in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match. As Mysterio & Dragon Lee were in the middle of a match with the New Day, Paul came out to sit at ringside. After Mysterio shoved him down for getting in his face, Paul pulled him out of the ring hard as he attempted to get back in, which led to New Day picking up the win.
In the main event of Raw this week, Paul and Mysterio went one on one for the first time since their Crown Jewel 2023 meeting. Paul took the advantage in the early part of the match and despite Mysterio making a brief comeback, Paul hit him with the Moonsault N’ Battery to take back control. After Paul ruined a 619 attempt from Mysterio with a Big Boot, Mysterio fought back and succeeded with his second attempt at it. As Mysterio was about to finish him off with the Dropping the Dime, Paul put his knees up, hit him with the Titanium Right Hand, and nailed him with what is now known as the Paulverizer for the win. As Mysterio was getting back up in the ring following the loss, he was attacked from behind by the New Day as the show went off the air.
Analysis:
For the second straight week, these Elimination Chamber qualifying matches gave us a great main event. From the segment with Punk earlier to this match with Mysterio, Paul continues to show how much of a natural he is at this. Even though we’ve seen these two wrestle each other before, this was leaps and bounds their best match together. For as great and innovative as Mysterio is, Paul held his own with the Moonsault N’ Battery and the Paulverizer finish. While the outcome may have been predictable (especially after Paul had the segment with Punk right before), everything that led to it was worth being invested in.
From what we saw of him here, Paul is going to make a great addition to the Chamber match. The moves that he’ll be able to do in that kind of match combined with the talent that he’ll be in there with, it will be hard for him not to be one of the standouts in it. Something else that stood out was how the New Day attacked Mysterio literally as the show was going off the air. Having the attack happen as the show was playing the closing credits was well done and timed perfectly. With the show ending on that kind of cliffhanger, it’s obvious that Mysterio’s feud with New Day is far from over.
Grade: B+
Other Raw Highlights
A.J. Styles Gets Interrupted by Dominik Mysterio
Coming off his return in the Royal Rumble match, AJ Styles came out to cut a promo about his return in the same place (Nashville) where he was injured four months ago. As he was talking about how he was back with a long “to do” list, Dominik Mysterio & Carlito came out to interrupt him. After asking about the whereabouts of former Judgment Day members Damien Priest and Rhea Ripley, Styles told Dominik that he would always be Rey Mysterio’s punk ass kid. Dominik kicked Styles while he was down after he took down Carlito and attempted a 619, but Styles got back up and scared him off. Carlito then attacked Styles from behind, but Styles recovered quickly and took him out with a Phenomenal Forearm. Adam Pearce told Styles later backstage that he and Dominik will go one on one next week and as Styles walked away, he came face to face with Bron Breakker, who told him that he would see him around.
Analysis:
While this doesn’t feel like something long-term, AJ and Dominik feels like a feud that could be interesting for however long it lasts. Considering how bad AJ’s injury looked when it first happened, it’s miraculous that he’s already back so soon. Despite his age, it’s clear from how he looks and the way he moves around that he does have gas left in the tank. A match with Dominik is something fresh that will get him re-established as a part of Raw and with the amount of heat that Dominik gets usually, the atmosphere for it should be fun. Even if this match isn’t just a one off, Dominik’s issues with Finn Balor and the brief confrontation AJ had with Bron Breakker are clear signs that this feud likely won’t go on past Elimination Chamber.
War Raiders vs. Creed Brothers
In their second title defense, the War Raiders defended the World Tag Team Titles against the Creed Brothers this week. The champions had the advantage early on as Eric hit Julius with a Sit Down Powerbomb, but to on avail. The Creeds regained the advantage until Eric made the hot tag to Ivar. As Ivar attempted to tag Eric back in, Julius pulled Eric off the apron and Brutus hit Ivar with an Angle Slam for a near fall. The Creeds then hit Ivar with a Superplex and a Moonsault, but Eric interrupted the count. The War Raiders regained the advantage and were about to finish off Brutus with the War Machine, but Julius hit Ivar with one of the tag titles for the disqualification. Brutus then hit Eric with the other title and the segment ended with the Creeds holding the titles up.
Analysis:
This was the second straight week where we got a great match that ended in a disqualification. Also like the match last week, the disqualification finish worked. The Creed Brothers arguably had their best match here and with the way it ended, a rematch down the road is a certainty. The War Raiders have needed another team other than Judgment Day to feud with since they won the titles and from what we saw in this match, the Creeds fit that role perfectly. While Chad Gable was on their case about winning the titles and told them not to let him down, the fact that the Creeds stood tall here despite the DQ finish could be a way of making him proud.
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