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

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Follow along with our live WWE Raw review. Who will earn a spot in one of the Elimination Chamber matches?

Previously on WWE Raw, John Cena made funny faces at Finn Balor and the crowd. It was weird. Asuka and Sasha Banks almost killed each other – but it was fun! Braun Strowman probably killed Kane – but it was fun! And some of the spots in the Men’s Elimination Chamber Match were filled.

Tonight, the build towards Elimination Chamber continues. The only match announced as of this writing is Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt in a qualifying match for the eponymous match at Elimination Chamber. Will the Big Dog seize his destiny and join Elias, Strowman, and Cena in the match? Or will Wyatt play spoiler and get back to the match in which he first became WWE Champion?

There’s a Women’s Elimination Chamber Match this year, too. It’s the first one for WWE, and besides announcing it last week there wasn’t a whole lot of build for it. So this week, we’re bound to get some – if not all – of the participants confirmed. It’s for the Raw Women’s Championship, so Alexa Bliss is heading in. Who will join the Goddess of WWE?

The Tag Team Division on Raw is picking up steam, even with Jason Jordan’s injury taking him – and Seth Rollins – out of the spotlight. New Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Sheamus picked up a win against Titus Worldwide last week, as they look to once again head into WrestleMania as tag champs. But The Revival is close behind, as is The Balor Club.

Speaking of Finn Balor, what’s next for him? The Miz is looking for a new challenger for the Intercontinental Championship. Could the leader of the Balor Club step up?

Related Story: Bold Predictions for Feb. 5; Finger Poke of Doom Coming?

Please join us for our live WWE Raw review for Feb. 5, right here at 8 p.m. ET.

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Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns

Result: Roman Reigns defeated Bray Wyatt via pinfall

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars

Wow, starting with a match? I don’t have the energy to look back and figure out the last time Raw started with actual wrestling, as opposed to a twenty minute promo that needed only ten.

Of course, we can’t really start with in-ring action. Both Wyatt and Reigns cut a backstage promo before making their way to the ring. Wyatt proclaimed the Elimination Chamber as the site of his greatest victory (he ain’t wrong) before calling Reigns a “failure.” Roman laughs it off because, well, look at him. What about Roman screams “failure”? Multiple world title reigns, former tag champ, former US champ, former Intercontinental champ, Royal Rumble winner – everything but Money in the Bank and King of the Ring, basically.

So how does this match lay out? A brief feeling-out period, Roman takes over until Wyatt counters the Drive By, Wyatt wears down Reigns, and Roman comes back. Ho hum. I could write this without watching closely, and finish before my chicken nuggets get cold.

That’s not to say that the match was bad. Even devoid of drama, both guys gave it a good go and didn’t hold anything back. Bray countered the Superman Punch with a terrific uranage followed up by a gorgeous senton. Of course, Roman kicked out – he would do the same after a vicious Sister Abigail that came on the heels of a spear reversal.

I think what bothers people about Reigns is the inequity of his resiliency. Reigns kicked out of Sister Abigail – but one spear was enough to put Wyatt down. There needs to be some kind of balance – maybe once or twice, Reigns doesn’t kick out of a finisher (perish the thought). Or, his opponent kicks out of the spear – it doesn’t make him any weaker when he goes up against Brock Lesnar, since people have kicked out of the F5.

After the match, Woken Matt Hardy deleted Bray Wyatt. Maybe. I don’t know. It’s hard to figure out why this feud keeps dragging on as long as it has.

Seth Rollins With Some Lousy Foreshadowing

Us smarks know what’s going on with Jordan’s neck – did Seth really need to lay things on so thick here?

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Finn Balor & Karl Anderson (w/ Luke Gallows) vs. The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder)

Result: Finn Balor & Karl Anderson defeated The Revival via pinfall

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

This was originally supposed to be a singles match for Balor, but The Revival announced that they were tag team specialists. And since they’re better at the whole tag team game than anyone on the planet*, they goad Balor into picking one of his “Club buddies” to join him for a good old fashioned tag team match.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/960689195751649280

There’s a lot of reasons to love this, not the least of which is The Revival understanding their strengths like no other superstars on the roster. They work better as a team than anyone – why should they go on a disadvantage in a singles match? Couple that with the fact that, while friends, Balor and Anderson aren’t a regular team, and now Dash and Dawson are way out in front before the bell rings.

For a big chunk of the match, Dash and Dawson did exactly what they proclaimed they would do – be the better unit. I’m a big fan of Dawson being such a student of the game that he’d work Balor’s arm and shoulder. How much of The Revival’s offense is arm based? Not much, but Balor has a well documented history of shoulder problems. Why not weaken the torubled area?

But Finn Balor is in that weird limbo between upper midcard and quasi main event. Sometimes he looks like he’s about to break through, others he stumbles back. This week, he’s more towards the former – he and Anderson withstood the onslaught from The Revival to set up a Coup de Grace for the victory.

Underrated highlight of the match – Karl Anderson channelling his Hot Asian Wife with a HIIIIIII-YA on the front kick in the corner. Dude has crazy charisma, but never really had the chance to show it – Gallows, too. Hopefully the Balor Club run will provide the much needed character rehab both need.

(* – planet means WWE Universe; I’m aware the Young Bucks exist, you know)

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Trouble in Paradisde

Sasha Banks keeps watching herself lose to Asuka, because she’s a masochist, I guess. Bayley tells her to lighten up, Sasha won’t. Sasha says she knows how to beat Asuka, but won’t share it with Bayley, who has a match against The Empress of Tomorrow later tonight. The two friends bicker, and god won’t one of you just turn on the other one already? This is worse than Jim Halpert and Pam Beesley.

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Cedric Alexander & Mustafa Ali vs. Tony Nese & Drew Gulak

Result: Cedric Alexander & Mustafa Ali defeated Tony Nese & Drew Gulak via pinfall

Rating: 2.75 out of 5 stars

Great to see Drake “Rockstar Spud” Maverick showing up on Raw, but that also highlights the ridiculous position 205 Live is in. Daniel Bryan – General Manager of SmackDown Live – revealed that 205 Live was getting a GM. Bryan himself introduced Maverick last week on the Cruiserweight-exclusive show. Now he’s popping up on Raw because the flagship show has the “rights” to the cruiserweight division. It’s too all over the place.

But leaving that aside, I like that WWE is actually advertising and pushing 205 Live all of a sudden. They just used a Raw segment to announce two matches for tomorrow night’s episode – and you know what? Roddy Strong vs. Hideo Itami is going to be off the hook. Maybe people will actually watch the show. Funny how that works…

What also helps is quality action. Alexander and Ali are on fire, Nese is perfectly cromulent, and Gulak – clearly reveling in the Super Bowl victory by his beloved Philadelphia Eagles – is the underrated best part of the entire division. This match is just a condensed form of what’s been happening on featured cruiserweight bouts of late – mostly exciting, fast paced action. Little down time keeps the audience engaged, which helps the superstars get more over.

And Maverick on commentary seems like he’s really excited for the opportunity to be a part of 205 Live. I don’t know if I like the whole “I’ve spent my whole life getting here” angle, but it’s not the worst thing in the world. He’s got the potential to be a great GM – and I especially appreciated the dig from Michael Cole about Coach’s tenure as GM.

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Who’s Entering the Women’s Elimination Chamber?

Kurt Angle had a rough night on the mic, didn’t he? I mean, no one’s immune to a bad day – hell, I have them at work. The trick is minimizing them, and moving on quickly when they happen. Angle had trouble getting his words out, and once he finally got going, he sounded just…off.

Anyway, Angle removes all drama from the situation and announces the five superstars joining Alexa Bliss inside the Chamber – Bayley, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Mickie James, and Sasha Banks. Immediately jumping on the “Where’s Nia Jax?” question everyone was going to have, Angle announces Jax vs. Asuka at Elimination Chamber. If Jax miraculously wins and ends the streak, she gets added to the Raw Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania, making it a triple threat.

Out comes Bliss to cry sexism. She demands to know why she has to defend her title inside the Chamber, but Brock Lesnar doesn’t have to defend his. She brings up the “WWE treats men and women equally” taking point from the authority figures to state her case.

Angle astutely points out that Bliss hasn’t defended the Raw Women’s Championship since TLC in October. Wait, really? Holy cow, that’s nuts. Okay, back on track, Bliss points out that she didn’t make that decision – Angle himself makes the matches, and she shouldn’t be punished for his incompetence. Another fair point. When did Raw turn into Crossfire?

Of course, as any good babyface authority figure should do, Angle turns to the crowd to make his decision about Alexa’s concerns. When they declare they want to see her in the match, Bliss bolts.

Alright, so what the heck is going on? Nia should 110% be in the Chamber match – the spots that she would be able to pull off are too good to pass up. Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville are going to be good, but I don’t think they belong here just yet. And Jax/Asuka at the Chamber pay per view? We’ve seen that match a bunch of times already – why do it again, especially if the streak isn’t ending? And if the streak is ending, WHY?

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Asuka vs. Bayley

Result: Asuka defeated Bayley via submission

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars

The last time I saw this match was at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II in 2016. It was Bayley’s sort of swan song with NXT, as she would shortly make the full time transition to the main roster. For Asuka, it was just another day at the office, winning a match and extending a championship reign.

But a year and a half later, a lot of things have changed. Bayley’s character has been shot to hell, Asuka maintained her undefeated streak throughout her NXT career and thus far on Raw. The Women’s Divisions within all of WWE have grown by leaps and bounds, as well.

I can’t express how much I loved some parts of this match. Asuka used Bayley’s ponytail to grab her and bring her closer for a stiff kick. Bayley getting a chance to be in control for a bit was some good character rehab. Seeing Asuka have to start working a bit harder for her victories is a good progression for the character as well.

This wasn’t quite as good as Sasha/Asuka from last week. But it was still a great match. Bayley demonstrated her strength – you don’t see that often anymore. The quick strikes from Asuka were as crisp as lettuce, and clean as a whistle. But getting a show of respect from The Empress of Tomorrow at the end is possibly the best and worst thing for Bayley.

The best thing is how it makes her look in the eyes of the fans. If someone as good as Asuka is willing to offer a handshake to Bayley, it makes the Huggable One seem like a big deal. With how poorly she’s been written as of late, that’s huge. The worst is what it likely means for her friendship with Sasha Banks – after all, The Boss didn’t get a handshake after losing to Asuka last week, did she?

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The Miz (w/ Bo Dallas) vs. Apollo Crews (w/ Titus O’Neil & Dana Brooke)

Result: The Miz defeated Apollo Crews via pinfall

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This was the fifth of six qualifying matches for the Elimination Chamber. Before it got under way, The A-Lister had something to get off his chest. And all he did was drop yet another fire promo in a long line of them. I am dead serious when I say that the dumb kid from Real World: Back to New York is going to go down in history as the greatest professional wrestler sports entertainer of all time.

Has anyone ever seemed like such a natural on the mic? Look at the things The Miz does that so many people don’t. He lays out a legitimate case for everything he says to be seen as truth. He puts his opponents over in promos (I know I heard him call Roman Reigns a “world class athlete”), which makes him seem even better for having beaten them. And he has every crowd eating out of the palm in his hand. Who would have seen that coming in 2001 when he was on MTV?

And this was a nifty little match. Crews is so good, I can’t believe that WWE dropped the ball on him. When he was in NXT, he seemed like a sure thing. But his random call-up in 2016 led to him floundering on both main roster shows before hooking up with Titus O’Neil. He’s still got a long way to go to get back to where he should be, but he’s been quietly showing his skills the last few weeks.

And we got an Uhaa Special out of this match, which is one of the most impressive things I’ve seen from someone Apollo’s size. But The Miz had to win this one, and winning it clean was a nice touch.

Seth’s Replacement for Dean Ambrose Gets Replaced Himself

“He’s telling the truth”? Wow, even Kurt knows his kid is a sniveling weasel.

But are we surprised by this turn of events at all? I’m not.

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WWE Raw Tag Team Championship Match

Cesaro & Sheamus (c) vs. Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns

Result: Cesaro & Sheamus defeated Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns via disqualification

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars

Just a friendly reminder: Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns are former WWE Tag Team Champions together. Back during the Shield’s initial run, they won the tag titles from Team Hell No in 2014. Since then, I’d say both have done pretty well for themselves.

Of course, as cool as this might be…

…this happened, too.

Yeesh.

With three former world champions in the ring, plus a fourth guy who should be a former world champion, this match was going to be fantastic. In fact, the match would be as en fuego as Seth’s Bam Bam Bigelow tights. Honestly, the only thing that may have lessened enjoyment of the match would be if Jason Jordan came out to do some stuff.

Oh. Oh, no.

Before Jordan came down, things were pretty good. The whole “last chance” stipulation is a little overplayed (thanks, Steve Howe), but it made sense for what was coming later in the match. There was good teamwork all around, and nothing overly sloppy or overbooked.

But the Jordan thing went just about as stupidly as it could. Did anyone think he was actually going to help Seth? Or, at very least, not mess things up for Seth? The worst part is that there likely isn’t going to be any kind of payoff in the near future with Jordan’s reported injury. Especially not after Kurt sent him home “until you’re medically cleared.”

So Rollins is out of the tag title scene, Jordan is probably too hurt to continue the feud, and WrestleMania is on its way. Did Seth get cursed when he cashed in his Money in the Bank at WrestleMania? Since then he’s had some rough luck during WrestleMania season, you know?

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Nia Jax vs. Vanessa Floyd

Result: Nia Jax defeated Vanessa Floyd via pinfall

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

Much like the Braun Strowman match last week, this was a terrible match, but a highly entertaining segment. It was a two minute showcase for Jax and her raw strength and power. The short video during Nia’s entrance lasted almost as long as the match itself.

Floyd – who I’m assuming is a student of Seth Rollins? – didn’t do much of anything. Well, intentionally. She got some good distance when Nia threw her around the ring like a rag doll. A big leg drop ended things pretty quickly in Jax’s favor.

After the match, Nia had a few words for Asuka. Okay, we’re actually doing this – no swerve. Good to know. It’s the generic “I’m a heel who’s not afraid of a dominant babyface” promo, so it doesn’t break any ground. But Jax’s affect makes it a much better promo than it had any right to be.

I will say the cheesy tomorrow/yesterday thing was a little stupid. But overall, it was a good showing for Nia. Not sure how I feel about her doing this constant back and forth between “dominate local talent” and “lose to the actual superstars of Raw,” but if she keeps showing this dominance she’ll do okay for herself.

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Sonya Deville (w/ Paige & Mandy Rose) vs. Mickie James

Result: Mickie James defeated Sonya Deville via pinfall

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

Two women’s segments in a row, and three overall for the episode – four if we count Kurt Angle’s Chamber announcement that was crashed by Alexa Bliss. To what do we owe this pleasure?

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The big fear many fans had about Absolution is how Deville and Rose would fare without Paige being able to compete. So far, though, the fears have been unfounded as relates to Deville. Her MMA background has helped her to stand apart from the pack more than most superstars in the Women’s Division. Honestly, the three most unique characters right now – at least on Raw – are probably Asuka, Nia Jax, and Deville.

The match was (unintentionally) stiff. Mickie caught Deville with a somewhat errant strike that left Sonya legit dazed – commentary kept mentioning a possible broken nose. But it looked a bit like Deville may have been trying to give Mickie a “receipt” for the shot. I hate that mentality, but to each his or her own, I guess.

The finish was out of the blue, as was the aftermath. A quick rollup by Mickie led to a surprise win – sure, Sonya beats Sasha Banks out of the blue, but Mickie James gets her first win in months by fluke. Absolution hit the ring for a beat down on Mickie, only for Alexa Bliss to make the save (?).

I’ll say it again – what the heck is going on in the Women’s Division right now?

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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?