The 5 Things We Learned From RAW Last Night

To WWE’s credit, there may not be a machine that maintains a perpetual forward motion more than Vince McMahon’s wrestling company. Even though the historical Royal Rumble and Ronda Rousey’s arrival are just a week old, WWE barely mentioned them on Monday’s episode of RAW. Instead, it was all about Elimination Chamber.

While this may not be an astute observation, it served as a firm reminder to me that WWE knows exactly what it’s doing. It also hints that Ronda Rousey isn’t showing up anytime soon. However, WWE seems happy to move on without her as most of RAW was dedicated to the women of WWE.

And Roman Reigns.

That pair of motifs will be the pillars or WWE’s 2018 and we’ll point to the February 5th episode of RAW as a dead giveaway as to who WWE is most dedicated to this year.

But it wasn’t all about Roman and the female Superstars, so let’s get into it, here are The 5 Things We Learned From RAW Last Night:

Here Comes Roman

You may have missed it, but Roman Reigns dominated RAW on Monday. Sure, he didn’t close the show, but that was WWE’s way of being modest.

Reigns’ night began with an inspirational promo that Hulk Hogan may have written. After that, the Big Dog booked his spot in Elimination Chamber by defeating longtime rival Bray Wyatt in a highly entertaining match. But he was just getting started.

Reigns would pull double duty as he would fill in for the injured Jason Jordan and team up with his mate, Seth Rollins. While Reigns and Rollins were eventually foiled by Jordan, watching the former Shield compadres work together was fun, per usual.

All of this adds up to one single bullet point: WWE is heating up Roman Reigns. They’ve made a concerted effort to keep him out of the main event for all of 2017, but now, it’s time for Reigns to assume his post at the top of WWE. This week, WWE used fun matches and old relationships to remind you that Roman is still cool.

WWE’s rehabilitation of Reigns character has been masterful. However, building him for WrestleMania will remain a tricky task as WWE tends to be leery of Reigns and his pushes.

WWE Continues to Fuel Bayley vs. Sasha Banks

We’re not sure how far WWE is willing to take this falling out of friendship, but history has taught us that Banks and Bayley can tear the house down if given the opportunity.

We’ve been here before, though. Since sharing time on the main roster, Banks tends to be cold to Bayley, but for years, Bayley has taken it on the chin. However, after being eliminated by Banks at the Rumble, and being insulted by her on RAW, Bayley may have to put her foot down soon.

This smells like a WrestleMania match, but there may not actually be room. Personally, I’d rather see this story get its proper due, rather than be rushed into a ‘Mania storyline. Regardless, look for Elimination Chamber to be the start of a bitter feud.

Hello, Alexa. It’s Been a While

Alexa Bliss used to be my favorite part of RAW.

But as Kurt Angle pointed out, she hasn’t been relevant as a champion since October. Well, Angle’s sass stirred Bliss and she reminded us of her ability diabolically undress people on the microphone.

With no interesting opponents, the arrival of Asuka and the landing of Ronda Rousey, Bliss has been treading water since this fall. Hopefully, last night marks the resurgence of the RAW Champion.

Not Like Most

Most of RAW’s Women will compete in the first-ever Women’s Elimination Chamber Match. But not Nia Jax.

What looked like blatant omission by Kurt Angle turned into a WrestleMania opportunity for Jax. At the Elimination Chamber event, she’ll fight Asuka for the right to make the RAw Women’s Championship Match in New Orleans ad Triple Threat.

However, there’s no chance she ends Asuka’s winning streak right before Mania and barring some type of screwy finish, Asuka will beat Nia.

WWE is Really Into Elias

Elias pinned John Cena to earn the right to be the last entrant in the Elimination Chamber. While that won’t keep Roman Reigns from winning the match, WWE continues to go out of their way to make us remember Elias.

With so much talent spilling from NXT to WWE, Elias promotion to the main roster was all but dismissed. However, in just a few months, Elias has created not only a consistent relationship with WWE’s audience, but a loud one. This guy was made for WWE and 2018 is going to be a fruitful year for him.

Look for Elias to be Intercontinental Champion by SummerSlam.