Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! The Elimination Chamber event is in the history books and Asuka has punched her ticket to WrestleMania after winning the Women’s Chamber Match. Set to face Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s Championship. How will the champion and challenger interact just weeks away from the biggest show of the year? And what fate will be in store for the Women’s Tag Team Championships? Let’s get into it, and find out…
RHEA RIPLEY (oh, and Dominick Mysterio too) had a sit-down interview where Ripley brushed off the Elimination Chamber match loss. She also dismissed her WrestleMania opponent Charlotte Flair’s repeated references to beating Ripley years back at WrestleMania. Ripley saying she doesn’t make the same mistake twice, and that being ‘put in her place’ just meant her standing over Flair as the new Smackdown Women’s Champion. She ended the interview by saying people would have to wait and see what happened when she went face-to-face with Flair on Smackdown this week. Oh, and Mysterio said he’d tag along because his dad had a match on the show.
CATHY KELLEY handled interview duties.
MARYSE briefly appeared in a backstage skit to hand her husband The Miz an anniversary gift.
Singles Match
ASUKA defeated NIKKI CROSS
Once again, as always, BIANCA BELAIR invited herself out to steal the spotlight with her entrance before the women could even lock up. Watching from a chair at ringside as Cross got the edge early with a hair pull then raining down strikes. Asuka dodged a wild running strike, and followed up with the Sliding Kick to a downed Cross. Asuka hit a round of MMA Knee Strikes, but trying for a Suplex got countered as Cross tried to set Asuka up on the ropes for the Neckbreaker. Asuka escaped to the apron, and lured Cross in to allow her to hit some kicks to Cross as she was through the ropes.
Asuka impressively hit the Pop-up Knee on the apron, but going for a Head Kick only hit the ring post. Cross followed up with a Reverse DDT to plant Asuka into the ring apron. The match then went into in-picture (sigh) as adverts played. When the match eventually returned to live-action Asuka fired off her flurry of strikes with Backfists to Cross, finishing with Head Kicks from one side then the other. A different wrinkle from Asuka as instead of the usual Release German, Asuka kept the waistlock to hit a hat trick of Bridging Germans but only getting a two count off the last one.
Cross countered a Baseball Slide with her pulling the apron trick, allowing her to hammer away with strikes. Moments later, Asuka hit a Super Implant DDT from the middle ropes but only got a two count. Asuka peppered Cross with kicks as Cross manically laughed and called for more. Cross managing to escape out of an Asuka Lock attempt, hitting a MD2 from off the shoulders but only getting a near fall. Cross tried for the Swinging Neckbreaker but Asuka countered, hitting her takedown and locking on the Double Armbar. Forcing Cross, with a deranged smile on her face, to submit.
After the match, Belair got in the ring to face-off with her future opponent as both Superstars did the mandatory WresleMania sign pointing. But Belair was left freaked out when Asukla choked up some Mist liquid and began cackling.
CARMELLA was interviewed backstage as she vowed to get payback on Asuka. She would get her wish with WWE Official Adam Pearce booking the match for next week. before Pearce’s night was soured by having to take more complaints from CHELSEA GREEN as she called him by phone.
BAYLEY hosted her in-ring talk show Ding Dong, Hello with her guests DAKOTA KAI and IYO SKY. Bayley complained about not being Elimination Chamber and buttered up her girls, and Dakota Kai returned the favour (although Sky didn’t seem completely on board with this all, looking bored).
Eventually, BECKY LYNCH interrupted and claimed that Damage CTRL hadn’t defended the tag titles for so long the titles were dusty now. Lynch saying she wanted to walk into WrestleMania as tag team champion, but Bayley mocked the fact that Lynch didn’t have any friends. Que LITA making another surprise appearance as the two entered the ring. Lita claiming she and Lynch had sorted out their issues and said she wanted a fifth title reign, liking the idea of walking into Mania as tag champ. Eventually goading Bayley into accepting on behalf of her girls, something that left Kai and Sky furious. Lita and Lynch even stealing the titles from the waists of the champs to pose with them. The match would be officially confirmed to happen next week later in the show.
CANDICE LERAE was interviewed but she cut it short, chasing down Nikki Cross to demand answers about all the stalking. Saying she couldn’t focus on her match next week against Piper Niven when she had to worry about Cross. Cross only gave a mumbled answer which LeRae said was that all of Cross’ friends were gone and she was all alone.
MAXXINE DUPRE continued her mission to try and recruit Otis, coming down to ringside to hand her business card to Otis which unintentionally distracted Chad Gable, costing him a match against Bronson Reed.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
While Lita and Lynch might be a dream team, it’s still a quite random appearance alongside Lita having not competed in months. I can only assume that having this title match next week will be a set-up for some grander match of some sort at WrestleMania. There’s been plenty of rumours about possible six-woman tags or this exact tag title match happening at Mania while Bayley gets a different singles match. But there’s also been speculation that the tag titles will be defended against Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler at Mania. Granted it’s a two-night show, therefore needing plenty of matches but would it be possible to have two different women’s tag title matches across the weekend?
Elsewhere Asuka gets a showcase win and Belair perhaps looking a lot less confident than she usually is after being freaked out. Will that continue or will Asuka be the first to fire off a shot of her own at her title opponent?
That’s your lot for this week! Be sure to stop by in seven days’ time fore the next edition of the RAW RECAP! See you then!