Welcome to Bleacher Report's coverage and recap of WWE Raw on January 31.
This was the post-Royal Rumble episode, so that means this was the first official Raw on The Road to WrestleMania 38 on April 3.
Following his huge victory over Brock Lesnar on Saturday, Bobby Lashley arrived at Raw to celebrate his second reign as WWE champion alongside his loyal manager, MVP.
Speaking of The Beast, after he lost to Lashley at the Royal Rumble, he entered the men's Rumble match at No. 30 and proceeded to win the whole thing. Monday night, he chose his opponent for WrestleMania.
We also saw the return of Ronda Rousey during the women's Rumble. Not only did she make a comeback, but she also ended up winning the match. She showed up Monday night to celebrate her win and let everyone know exactly how she feels.
Let's take a look at everything that happened on Monday's episode of WWE Raw.
Adam Pearce opened the show and said Lashley would be defending the WWE title inside Elimination Chamber. This brought out the sharply dressed WWE champion and MVP to respond.
The All Mighty proclaimed himself to be better at everything than Lesnar and voiced his displeasure at having to defend the title against five opponents at once.
The Beast made his way out in his gear like he was ready to fight. He mocked Lashley for taking pride in a win that was facilitated by Roman Reigns. He said he's actually not mad at Lashley. He's mad at Reigns and Paul Heyman.
Lesnar declared he would face Reigns at WrestleMania, but he also said he expects it to be a title vs. title match, so he challenged Lashley to a WWE Championship match on Raw. MVP told him to go to the end of the line. Lesnar called Lashley a chicken s--t, but MVP talked Lashley out of engaging.
Pearce named Lesnar as one of the participants in the Elimination Chamber to end the segment.
Grade: B-
Analysis
The tease of seeing Lesnar's first match on Raw in almost 20 years clearly got the crowd excited, so there was genuine heat when Lashley and MVP walked away.
Everybody did a good job in this segment. Lashley looked irate, MVP played the voice of reason and Lesnar looked as confident as ever.
While the fans in attendance might be disappointed we didn't get a rematch, the segment worked because it set up Lesnar's bout for WrestleMania and created the possibility of a title unification at the show if he wins the WWE title back.
The two former partners and women's tag team champions stepped into the ring to settle their differences this week on Raw.
Nikki A.S.H. ran at Rhea Ripley after the bell, but the powerhouse easily knocked her down with a shoulder block. She picked up the Almost Superhero and slammed her before Nikki hit a low dropkick.
Ripley powered her up for a vertical suplex and walked around with her before dropping Nikki on her back. The masked fighter suckered Ripley into a trap with the ring apron and beat her down mercilessly.
We returned from a break to see Nikki still in control. She climbed to the middle rope for a tornado DDT, but Ripley pushed her away and started to make her comeback.
She drilled the Almost Superhero with a hard dropkick to the side of the face. She scored a two-count with a northern lights suplex before Nikki hit the tornado DDT she attempted earlier. Ripley countered a suplex and hit the Riptide for the win.
Grade: C+
Analysis
This was a decent match, but it did not feel like the blowoff to a feud. It felt like a random match on any other Monday.
We have seen both Nikki and Ripley put on much better performances, and we have seen both women go to extremes at times, so it was clear they held back in this one.
Knowing WWE, there is a good chance this feud is not over yet, so maybe their next encounter will up the intensity to levels both women can easily reach.
In a somewhat random matchup, The Miz took on Dominik Mysterio in the second match of the night. Rey was there with his son, but Maryse was nowhere to be seen.
The A-Lister taunted Rey before he and Dom locked up and he forced the younger star to the corner. Dom hit him with a hard right hand, and The Miz almost looked impressed.
The Miz avoided the 619 and got into an argument with Rey before hanging his son up on the middle rope. He shoved Rey and ran back to the ring to avoid his response. The Miz pretended like Rey tripped him and got him removed from ringside.
The distraction allowed him to hit Dom with the Skull-Crushing Finale for the win.
Grade: C+
Analysis
This was a short match, but it displayed why The Miz is a great heel. He knows exactly what his job is and does what he needs to do to make his opponents look like the hero.
The dirty way he won is perfectly in line with his character, but it seems like this was more than just another random match. This could be the start of a feud between The Miz and the Mysterios.
This bout wasn't anything special in terms of the in-ring action, but it opened the door for a potentially interesting storyline to develop.
Kevin Owens and Austin Theory battled for one of the four remaining spots inside the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship. Before the match took place, Seth Rollins and Owens had a quick promo segment.
The match got started, and Owens went after Theory with a barrage of chops to the chest. He knocked Vince McMahon's pet project down with a shoulder tackle and followed up with a senton.
Theory began to fight back and cornered Owens for a series of body shots, but Owens used his veteran experience to regain the upper hand almost immediately.
The egg thief avoided a cannonball, so KO followed him out of the ring, threw him into the barricade and hit the cannonball anyway. Theory slammed Owens onto the stairs as the show cut to a break.
We returned to see Theory setting up for a superplex. KO fought him off but missed a moonsault and ended up on the receiving end of a backbreaker. They traded big moves back and forth without either man scoring the pin.
Owens stuck him with a superkick and hit a senton bomb for a close two-count. The Prize Fighter hit a fisherman's buster from the middle rope, but Theory got his foot on the bottom rope to break the pin.
Theory avoided a powerbomb on the apron and hit his finisher for the win.
Grade: B+
Analysis
This was a fun performance that allowed both Superstars to show off their complete sets of skills. We even saw Owens do a moonsault, and he barely ever breaks that move out anymore.
Theory winning isn't surprising, but KO might have been a better choice for the Chamber since he clearly likes to take risks from time to time.
With how well they worked together, it would be easy to imagine WWE making this a feud at some point. They had a lot of chemistry.
Dolph Ziggler almost won the match within seconds, but Angelo Dawkins was able to kick out. The Showoff remained in control for a little while as he tried to keep the big man down.
Dawkins hit a hard right hand out of nowhere to give himself some time to recover. Montez Ford tried to get the crowd fired up as his partner got to his feet and started building up a head of steam.
Dawkins hit Ziggler with a few running shoulders and a bulldog for a near-fall. Ziggler spiked Dawkins with a DDT and prepared for the superkick. Dawkins blocked and hit a double underhook slam for the pin.
Grade: B-
Analysis
This was a quick match, but it had good energy and allowed Dawkins to be the star for once. Unfortunately, being the partner of Ford means he is often overshadowed.
Ziggler is a pro and made Dawkins look good by putting him over. It was weird that Robert Roode wasn't at ringside to support his partner, but that isn't a complaint. Just an observation.
If we ever get the chance to see Ziggler take on Ford in singles competition, it will probably steal the show.
Otis prevented Riddle from winning a scooter race against Chad Gable, so Otis and Riddle ended up having a match. Pearce made this an Elimination Chamber qualifier before the ref called for the bell.
The Dozer immediately took control and knocked Riddle head over heels before crushing him in the corner. Riddle kept trying to build some momentum, but Otis stopped him every time.
The former Mr. Money in the Bank punished Riddle for a long time before The Bro was able to yank his head over one of the ropes. Riddle hit a few strikes before Otis put him down with a stiff clothesline.
Riddle was able to connect with a few knees and the Floating Bro. He landed on Otis' knees, but it seemed to hurt Otis more than him. Otis countered the RKO, but Riddle hit a twisting senton for the win.
Grade: B
Analysis
Otis is a great wrestler who hasn't been given enough chances to display his skills outside of tag team matches, especially in recent months.
Sometimes, it's just fun to watch a big dude knock the stuffing out of a smaller competitor. Otis hits hard and makes every move look good, which is impressive because a lot of guys his size don't move as well as he does.
Riddle sold well for Otis and made him look like a beast for most of the match, but The Bro ultimately ended up earning a spot in the Chamber. At least Gable won the scooter race, right?
Bianca Belair took on Carmella, but to continue the trend of partners not being at ringside tonight, Queen Zelina was not there to offer her support.
The EST took Mella down in a waistlock as soon as they connected. Carmella asked if she was still pretty as Belair kept her grounded.
The Most Beautiful Woman in WWE slapped Belair, so The EST chased her around the ring. Carmella caught her getting back in the ring and stomped her to the mat. Belair got right back up and knocked her down with a shoulder tackle.
Carmella pulled Belair into the middle turnbuckle and slowed the pace down with a rear chinlock. The EST recovered and hit the K.O.D. for the pin.
Grade: C
Analysis
Nothing in this match looked especially bad, but Belair and Carmella do not appear to have much in-ring chemistry. There was just something off about this one.
At times, it felt like both women were working at different paces, so it led to a few exchanges looking a little awkward. For some reason, commentary seemed to be all over the place during this bout, too.
It was a nice clean win for Belair, but it didn't accomplish much in the grand scheme of things unless she gets a partner and goes after the women's tag titles.
For the first time in over two years, AJ Styles and Rey Mysterio competed in a singles match, but this time it was for a spot in the Elimination Chamber.
Rey quickly went behind Styles for a waistlock, but Styles reversed the hold and took him down. They made a clean break when Rey got to the ropes and locked fingers for a test of strength. The Master of the 619 hit a sunset flip for a quick two-count before Styles put him in a side headlock.
Rey took him down with a hurricanrana and hit a headscissor takedown from the middle rope. The Phenomenal One hit a backbreaker to kill all his momentum.
Styles blocked a sliding splash with his knees, but Rey was able to put him into the barricade with a hurricanrana as we went to a break. We returned to see Styles holding Rey down in a rear chinlock.
Rey fought out of it and hit a DDT. He scored a near-fall with a hurricanrana and a springboard crossbody. They started picking up the pace a bit as both men became more desperate to put the other away.
The Phenomenal One countered a hurricanrana from the top rope, but he couldn't avoid the second one. Rey hit the 619 but missed his usual splash. Styles nailed him with a Pele Kick and eventually hit the Styles Clash for the win.
Grade: A-
Analysis
This was a good, clean match between two of the best high-flyers ever to do it. While we all know they could have done even more with more time, they made the most of every minute without making this feel bloated with too many high spots.
Styles' performance here should confirm his status as a babyface moving forward. He played to the crowd a bit, never cheated and even shook Rey's hand before the bell. His run as a heel is officially over.
With Styles earning the final spot in the Elimination Chamber, we now know who will be challenging Lashley for the WWE Championship on February 19. Styles and Lashley will be joined by Riddle, Lesnar, Theory and Rollins.
Rousey closed the show by coming out to a big pop. While the crowd was excited to see her, Rowdy Ronda did not seem to reciprocate the feelings judging from her body language.
She said she has been thinking about which champion to challenge at WrestleMania because she has unfinished business with both women.
Becky Lynch came out and mocked Rousey a bit as she made her way to the ring. She asked Rousey who she plans to challenge at WrestleMania. Rousey responded by taking Lynch down with an arm drag and promising to answer her question Friday.
After Rousey left, Lita came out and gave Lynch some compliments, but it was clearly leading to something else. Lita challenged Lynch to a match at Elimination Chamber. After some stalling, Lynch accepted the challenge.
Grade: C
Analysis
This was a segment that happened. Nobody can deny that.
Rousey has never been the strongest on the mic, but it almost seemed like she regressed during her time away. She may have been trying not to act like a heel or babyface, but it just made her seem a little wooden in her delivery.
Lita coming out actually helped the segment toward the end. Hearing that she will face Lynch for the Raw Women's Championship at Elimination Chamber will likely make a lot of fans happy.
This week's show was the usual mix of uneven segments with mostly solid in-ring work. Raw isn't always great, but the men and women of WWE usually try their best with what they are being given.
