WWE Raw Grades: Rowdy Ronda Rousey Outlasts Ruby Riott

3. Finn Balor And Ricochet vs. Bobby Lashley And Lio Rush

It took nearly three years for Finn Balor to recapture a championship in the WWE since having to relinquish the Universal Championship the night after SummerSlam 2016.  But at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, Balor finally tasted championship gold again.

In a two-on-one handicap match against then-Intercontinental Champion Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush, Balor overcame the odds and pinned Rush to get the win for his first Intercontinental Championship reign.  The leader of the Balor Club addressed that win last night and told the WWE universe how proud he was to be the Intercontinental Champion.  However, Rush interrupted him and said he doesn’t deserve to be the Intercontinental Champion.

This was all a diversion to allow Lashley to attack Balor from behind with Rush helping as well, but the debut of NXT star Ricochet helped out Balor’s cause and the two would be in a tag team together against Lashley and Rush.  Seeing Ricochet is always a treat in itself, so seeing his flashy style on WWE Raw was especially great to see.  This match turned out really well with Balor and Ricochet greatly impressing.

But in the end, Ricochet pinned Rush to get the win for his team and get his first pinfall victory on the red brand.  This was a nice segue for the debuting Ricochet getting involved in this Intercontinental Championship picture that is far from over with between Balor and Lashley.  Who knows, Ricochet could even challenge for the title sometime in the near future.

This was an impressive tag team match overall and Ricochet managed to make a very impressive main roster debut.

Final Grade: B+