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This week's episode of WWE RAW took place live from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN, and served as the go-home show for the Elimination Chamber event this Saturday.
It was the last day the company would be on the road before heading to the Middle East for the colossal showcase. This week's edition of SmackDown was taped last Friday, allowing for the WWE crew to make their way over to Jeddah in good time.
The card is now complete for the event, and Elimination Chamber will be the last stop on the road to WrestleMania. The company usually hosts a Fastlane event leading into the show of shows, but this has yet to be announced as of this writing.
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This week's episode aired on the Syfy channel in the United States. The move was made to make way for the 2022 Winter Olympics on the USA Network. However, the red brand will return to the USA Network next week.
It was announced prior to the broadcast that Brock Lesnar would be making his way to RAW ahead of the huge WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match. This resulted in Lesnar delivering a devastating F5 to Vince McMahon's hands-on project Austin Theory.
Also announced prior to RAW was that RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch and challenger Becky Lynch would appear. Their segment ultimately became a contract signing for their clash this weekend.
That being said, let's take a look at the five biggest news stories coming out of this week's WWE RAW.
#5 Damian Priest retains his WWE United States Championship against AJ Styles
The United States Championship was on the line as Damian Priest defended against AJ Styles. Styles won a Championship Contender's match last week to earn his match.
Heading into the contest, Priest had succumbed to defeat in his previous four matches on RAW. Styles, on the other hand, had built some momentum over the last few weeks, and was certainly the favorite.
In the end, despite some great back-and-forth action from both competitors, Priest rolled Styles up for the win. The victory will no doubt come as a huge relief for the Champion managing to conquer someone of the caliber of AJ Styles.
#4 The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio is set for WWE Elimination Chamber this Saturday
The Miz and the Mysterios have come to blows over the last few weeks and the score will finally be settled this Saturday at the Elimination Chamber.
Last week, Dominik Mysterio managed to pick up a victory against the two-time WWE Champion, with some help from his father. This week, The Miz and his wife Maryse sat on commentary as the Mysterio's battled the Alpha Academy.
After some mischievous antics from The Miz, Gable managed to pin Dominik to the delight of the A-Lister. After the match, he hit the ring to deliver a Skull-Crushing Finale to Rey as he was tending to his son. This one is finely poised heading into Saturday.
#3 Rhea Ripley competes in a Gauntlet Match for 44 minutes on WWE RAW
On RAW, a Gauntlet Match took place between the WWE Superstar competing in the Women's Elimination Chamber match this weekend. The match took place to determine who would enter the Chamber match last to gain an advantage.
There was one particular superstar who put in an all-mighty performance, but sadly came up short in the end: Rhea Ripley. Rhea lasted 44 minutes in the Gauntlet Match, overcoming Nikki A.S.H., Liv Morgan and Doudrop before ultimately being defeated by Bianca Belair.
It was a stunning performance by the former RAW Women's Champion, who will now look to use that endurance inside the Elimination Chamber.
#2 Alexa Bliss added to the Women's Elimination Chamber match this Saturday at WWE Elimination Chamber
The final entrant into the Women's Elimination Chamber match was confirmed on WWE RAW. There had been much speculation that the mystery entrant spot would be left open until the night and used as a surprise. Names such as Bayley and Asuka were touted.
Instead, we saw Alexa Bliss during one of her therapy sessions, ultimately completing them this week, and then being entered into the Elimination Chamber match.
It will be Bliss' first match since Extreme Rules in September 2021 where Charlotte Flair defeated her with the RAW Women's Title on the line. The field is wide open, and Bliss has every chance at winning the whole thing this Saturday.
#1 Stone Cold Steve Austin to return to the ring for the first time in 19 years?
Whilst RAW was on the air; a breaking news report was posted by Fightful indicating that WWE had made an overture to get Stone Cold Steve Austin for a WrestleMania. That's right, Stone Cold Steve Austin in a WrestleMania match.
The last time Austin competed in the ring was at WrestleMania 19 in 2003, where he faced The Rock one last time. Since then, the Texas Rattlesnake quietly retired from the ring due to a neck injury that had been troubling him since he broke his neck at SummerSlam in 1997.
Whilst nothing is confirmed at all, it has been suggested that Austin may face Kevin Owens at the event. Both men use The Stunner as a finishing move, plus KO referred to Austin's home state of Texas in a promo on RAW.
Will we hear the glass shatter one more time at WrestleMania? We'll soon learn more in the next few weeks.
Do you want to see Stone Cold Steve Austin return to the ring if he is able to? Let us know in the comments below!
