WWE Raw: Results, Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for February 5

Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter

Elias vs. John Cena vs. Braun Strowman

Result: Elias pinned John Cena to win the match

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

I’m disappointed in the Iowa crowd – how hard would it have been to organize an arena-wide “E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES” chant directed at noted New England native John Cena?

Enough of that, though – let’s talk about the elephant in the room. The broadcast team spent much of the evening discussing that most superstars who won their Elimination Chamber match entered in one of the last two spots. That’s raising a bunch of red flags for me – it’s almost telegraphing that the winner will enter earlier in the match. It’s not unprecedented for the winner to be one of the first two entrants – Cena himself has done that. But notice which of the five Chamber participants don’t have a shot to enter last. (*ahem* BIGDOG)

You know what? As chaotic as this match was, it was a lot of fun to watch. The temporary union of Elias and Cena to take out Strowman was beautifully put together. It was an unspoken kind of thing, but both guys knew exactly what needed to be done. Guitar shots, stair shots, plus a ridiculous looking AA on top of the steps all took Strowman out of the match.

Sadly, fun to watch doesn’t mean it was a particularly great match. Once Strowman was basically out of it, Elias and Cena had a typical John Cena match, circa 2007. You know the one – guy gets offense in on Cena, odds form, Cena comes back, five moves of doom, etc. The only difference here was the Five Knuckle Shuffle didn’t connect – Elias moved away and Strowman caught Cena with a powerslam.

Strowman looked to do the same to Elias, but vocal chords aren’t the only thing Elias has that move freely. The former Drifter wriggled out of the powerslam, tossed Braun to the floor, and swiped the pin to win the match. Now, Elias enters the Elimination Chamber last, and if he doesn’t spend the entire time he’s in the pod jamming, it’s a huge missed opportunity.

Braun did not take the loss kindly, and spent several minutes just spamming the running powerslam on both Cena and Elias. Good way to send the crowd home happy, but for TV it was just oddly paced. Don’t get me wrong, I love these BRAUN SMASH segments, but after attempted murder via set on multiple occasions, such repetition is almost a step backwards.

Next: WrestleMania: The Brock Lesnar/Braun Strowman Story

What are your thoughts on this week’s episode of WWE Raw?