Welcome one and all to the RAW RECAP presented by THE REVELLEUTION! The Elimination Chamber event is in the books, and it saw the expected results with Rhea Ripley retaining the Women’s World Championship while Becky Lynch won the Women’s Chamber match. Setting up a clash between the two at WrestleMania. So who will get the first advantage now heading on the Road to WrestleMania? And what’s in store for the rest of the women of Raw, including any potential challengers to the Women’s Tag Team Championships? Let’s get into it, and find out…
Women’s World Champion RHEA RIPLEY was introduced by Dominik Mysterio for an in-ring promo. Ripley bragged about her win at the Chamber but it didn’t take long before BECKY LYNCH interrupted to march down to the ring. Lynch piled on fake praise and mocked the fact that Ripley’s family wouldn’t need to fly over and watch her lose, before she shut down Mysterio for talking smack. Lynch ranted a bit and said she could do it all, including beating Ripley.
Ripley would dismiss the entire speech with a John Cena-like ‘fine speech’ remark of “You done? Cool.” Ripley mocked Lynch for finally winning something to get Lynch close to her level and claimed used a good line about ‘behind every great Man (The Man) is an even greater woman (Ripley)’ but that she was on top. Ripley and Mysterio left with the WresleMania opponents bad-mouthing one another.
That was until NIA JAX attacked Lynch from behind. Hitting two Leg Drops but before referees and officials came out to prevent The Annihilator being delivered. Jax left the ring after being threatened with fines.
JACKIE REDMOND interviewed Nia Jax, who ranted that she beat Becky Lynch clean in the past and that she wouldn’t let Lynch make it to WrestleMania. She vowed to do even worse to her opponent Liv Morgan tonight.
Singles Match
RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ defeated CHELSEA GREEN
Green had a promo before the match, complaining that she would have won last week’s Last Chance Battle Royal and mocked Rodriguez for losing at Elimination Chamber. Green unwisely slapped Rodriguez and got hit with the Rewind Clothesline soon after, followed by a Fallaway Slam. A second Fallaway Slam then led to the Tejada Bomb for the squash match victory.
CATHY KELLEY handled interview duties.
Rhea Ripley would voice obvious disapproval for Dominik Mysterio’s reckless challenge to Gunther.
Tag Team Match
SHAYNA BASZLER & ZOEY STARK Vs CANDICE LERAE & INDI HARTWELL
Baszler and Stark had an ‘earlier today’ promo as they ranted about not getting a tag title shot at Chamber, and warned The Kabuki Warriors to watch what happened tonight. Baszler and LeRae started, and LeRae got her spots in early with a Shin Kick, the Glimmering Warlock then the Step-up Sento. Soon after she hit a Con Giro off the apron to Stark after she’d been knocked down. LeRae tried for a Tornado DDT off a springboard but got tossed down to the mat to take a Low Knee Strike from Baszler.
Baszler hit the Arm Stomp before Stark was tagged in to work over the arm, badmouthing LeRae while roughing her up. A toss of a Half and Half Suplex got Stark a near fall. LeRae hit a One-Knee Codebreaker and was able to tag out. Hartwell hit her strike combo to Stark through the ropes from the apron and went into House on Fire mode with Clotheslines and punches. Baszler got a blind tag before Hartwell hit a Spinebuster on the now illegal Stark. Baszler locked in the Kirifuda Clutch for an instant tapout on Hartwell.
Singles Match
LIV MORGAN Vs NIA JAX ended in a no-contest
Morgan hit a Dropkick right after the bell then some strikes before being shoved off. Morgan hit the corner combo then tried for a Running ‘Rana but Jax overpowered it and turned it into a Samoan Drop. Jax applied a grounded Surfboard Stretch, then soon after a corner Splash then a Hip Attack. Jax used a Stretch Muffler grip to swing Morgan’s head into the corner. Jax missed the Leg Drop on the apron and soon after took a Suicide Dive from Morgan.
After a commercial break, Morgan hit her kick combo before, of course, Jax no sold to squash Morgan. Jax missed a Leg Drop before Morgan slipped through the ropes to avoid a corner Splash, following up with a Knee Strike from the apron then an inverted Hot Shot. Morgan hit a Missile Dropkick from the middle rope and soon after the MX for a nearfall. Jax would miss a corner charge and hit the ringpost, but she’d catch a dive from the apron by Morgan to use a Samoan Drop grip to back Morgan into the post (a much safer spot than what she did last week).
Becky Lynch appeared and hit a Forearm shot from off the crowd barrier to get the match thrown out. Getting payback on Jax with repeated slams into the announce table. Jax would retreat up the ramp while the referee held back an enraged Lynch, but on the outside Liv Morgan looked just as furious at the match being tossed out.
Briefly backstage, Liv Morgan got into Becky Lynch’s face and flatly told her that not everything was about Lynch, a remark that clearly ticked off Lynch.
Becky Lynch versus Nia Jax was made official for next week’s Raw.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
A standard enough Nia Jax match with slightly more bumps taken than usual, but Morgan carried the contest and showed she’s back and better than even. Lynch will likely get her win back next week over Jax but whether Morgan gets placed into any Mania match or programme is a different story. Her character is odd and going on about a Revenge Tour as her storyline isn’t working without being near the title picture now. She needs something else or soon enough she’ll be slumming it with Xia Li and Nikki Cross in catering. Elsewhere, Raquel got a squash win perhaps as a thank you for working through her health issues at Chamber (and tonight it appeared as well) and Baszler and Stark got a showcase win that made Hartwell look like a chump for losing a mere minute or so after being in the match. The Chamber pre-show match meant something to her as it should, but a loss like this along with that pre-show loss does her career no favours.
That’s your lot for this week. Be sure to stop by in seven days’ time for the next edition of the RAW RECAP! See you then!