WWE RAW before Elimination Chamber - Best and worst - Stone Cold's in-ring return potentially set, Poor introduction for NXT star

WWE RAW before Elimination Chamber
WWE RAW before Elimination Chamber

With Elimination Chamber mere days away, we saw the final build-up to the show from WWE RAW's side. Some fun moments involved the participants in the two Chamber matches, including bouts and entertaining segments.

Several feuds were developed adequately on the show, which has nicely shaped up the Elimination Chamber card. We also found out the final entrant in the women's match inside the dreaded structure on WWE RAW.

So, without any further ado, here are the biggest positives and negatives of this week's WWE RAW episode. What did you think of the show? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.


#3 Best/Worst: The final build for the Women's Elimination Chamber Match

The five announced superstars in the Women's Elimination Chamber Match faced off in a gauntlet match. This is an annual Chamber tradition, and we saw the same tropes used over the years.

This year, Rhea Ripley took the Seth Rollins/Kofi Kingston spot, wrestling for nearly 45 minutes, and had a blinder of a night. The former WWE RAW Women's Champion put on a career-defining performance and lasted the entire match, losing out to Bianca Belair in the end.

While The EST of WWE won here, this may have impacted her chances of winning on Saturday. Belair is the ideal opponent for Becky Lynch at WrestleMania. Still, the winner of the pre-Elimination Chamber gauntlet has never won the big match since this concept was introduced in 2018.

We also found out that Alexa Bliss is the final participant in the Elimination Chamber Match. While she has been deemed cured by her therapist, she still has the soul of Lilly the Doll with her. This does not bode too well for those who want to see The Goddess return, even if she looks a lot more "human' now.

#2 Best: Brock Lesnar continues to entertain

WWE RAW opened with the standard promo train involving all the Men's Elimination Chamber Match participants. However, things got interesting when Brock Lesnar showed up. He was at his entertaining best here, hanging his jacket and cowboy hat on Austin Theory.

The Beast Incarnate then decimated the young star as the rest looked on. While Lesnar winning at the Elimination Chamber wouldn't be an ideal outcome, he has been great recently. To top it all off, the nine-time WWE world champion clicked a selfie with Theory, who was hurt from the beatdown.


#2 Worst: A lackluster introduction for Tommaso Ciampa on WWE RAW

WWE hasn't had a great track record with NXT stars moving to the main roster, but this is as uninspiring as it gets. While Tommaso Ciampa's appearance was a one-off to further his feud with Dolph Ziggler, the company should have done a better job in presenting him.

Ciampa should have entered to his music, at the very least. The Miz got to do that when he was a guest commentator later on the show. Also, the former NXT Champion was laid out by a superkick from Ziggler. Compare that to Grayson Waller's impressive cameos on WWE RAW last month!

#1 Best: Alpha Academy are the MVPs of WWE RAW

It has been great to see the amount of trust Vince McMahon has in Chad Gable. He had another stellar night on WWE RAW, with Otis supporting him well. Alpha Academy ruined Riddle's Bro-ga Party and attacked him before facing off against The Mysterios.

Gable got to cut an extended promo that brought him and Otis some severe heat before they defeated the father-son duo. The WWE RAW Tag Team Champions also made their presence felt at the end of the show, coming out to distract Randy Orton during his match with Seth Rollins.

The two of them brawled with RK-Bro as well, building their Tag Team Title rematch pretty nicely. This feud has quietly been one of the best things in WWE, and hopefully, once it is over, the spotlight continues to shine on Chad Gable.


#1 Worst: Kevin Owens plants the seeds for Steve Austin's return to the ring

Last week, Kevin Owens was denied entry in the Men's Elimination Chamber match on WWE RAW. This week, he had some harsh words for the state of Texas, the home of WrestleMania 38. This may seem like a standard heel promo, but there is more to it.

Recently, Sean Ross Sapp reported on Fightful Select that WWE is trying hard to get Stone Cold Steve Austin to return for a match at WrestleMania 38. If we put two and two together, we may be seeing KO take on The Texas Rattlesnake at The Show of Shows.

While the concept of a Stunner vs. Stunner match between the two is fantastic, let us remember that this would be 19 years after Austin retired from the ring. This potential feud doesn't seem like anything more than a desperate attempt to sell tickets.

Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE

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