WWE Monday Night RAW Recap 2/19

The next stop on the Road to WrestleMania was at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California for “Monday Night RAW”. The evening was built around a premium live event-worthy main event between Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes, as well as an Intercontinental Championship match between GUNTHER and Jey Uso. Just days before traveling to Perth, Australia for Elimination Chamber, the go-home episode of “Monday Night RAW” was worthwhile.

“The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre

Speaking of premium live event-worthy main events, the opening match was Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre. They tore the house down, only being stalled by two commercial breaks. Back-and-forth action was the story of the bout, as neither man was able to gain a substantial advantage. The two competitors traded signature moves and near falls, but neither man was able to put the other one away. Instead, an interference by Jimmy Uso distracted the referee, allowing Solo Sikoa to appear on the apron from the crowd and hit Rhodes with a Samoan Spike. This allowed McIntyre to hit a Claymore and pin Rhodes for the 1,2,3.

This loss was only the third loss Rhodes has suffered since his return in 2022. The finish was exact from the WrestleMania 39 main event, with the only difference being McIntyre instead of Roman Reigns. It was a nice callback that served as a bit of mind-games from The Bloodline to the man who ruined its main event plans for this year's show. An excellent opening encounter between two superstars who both appear to be heavily involved in WrestleMania 40.

Winner: Drew McIntyre via pinfall

Elimination Chamber Qualifier Battle Royal

Participants: Isla Dawn, Alba Fyre, Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark, Xia Lim Valhalla, Tegan Nox, Natalya, Candice LeRae, Indi Hartwell, Maxxine Dupri, Ivy Nile, Elektra Lopez, B-Fab, Michin, Zelina Vega, Katana Chance, Chelsea Green, and Raquel Rodriguez.

The sixth and final spot for the women’s Elimination Chamber match was decided in a last-chance battle royal. The returning Raquel Rodriquez was victorious, eliminating Baszler and Stark simultaneously to pick up the win. This win punched Rodriquez’s ticket to Perth, and a spot in the women’s Elimination Chamber match.

This was a fun battle royal, with a variety of different stories either being advanced or explored. The false finish at the end was a highlight, with Chelsea Green appearing from under the ring to try and surprise Raquel, only to also be tossed over the top rope for elimination. Rodriguez is the least interesting choice to win, but the big return and dominance should have been evidence enough that it was the direction the creative team was heading. Comeback or not, she stands no chance Saturday, when Becky Lynch should still be considered the overwhelming favorite to leave with a guaranteed title shot.

Winner: Raquel Rodriquez

Interview with Rhea Ripley and Nia Jax; An In-Depth R-Truth Interview

Ahead of their Women’s World Championship match in Perth, Australia, Rhea Ripley and Nia Jax conducted a short, sit-down interview. This accomplished nothing. With this being the most-hyped match on Sunday’s card, mostly due to Rhea being from Australia, this interview did nothing to further their story, or anticipation for their match, which is disappointing.

Following this was a quick, pre-taped interview with R-Truth. They were outside by the beach and Truth was wearing a poncho…it wasn’t raining. Truth expressed his disappointment in the dismantling of his relationship with The Judgment Day and then wandered aimlessly away. The highlight of both of these segments was Truth discussing the first time he encountered The Judgement Day, “It was special, like the first time John Cena tried on jean shorts”.

R-Truth, The Miz, and DIY vs. The Judgement Day

This high-energy eight-man tag team contest highlighted Tommaso Ciampa as he ran the ropes and in and out of the corners for what felt like an eternity, earning the respect of the fans who appreciated his cardio, but this match was ultimately about R-Truth and his quest for revenge against the heel faction. Truth exploded into the match late, taking the fight to Priest, while Ciampa, Gargano, and The Miz battled Bálor, McDonagh, and Dominik Mysterio at ringside. An ill-fated attempt at the Attitude Adjustment was countered, and Priest delivered South of Heaven to pick up the pinfall victory for his team.

Before this match got underway, UFC star Michael Chandler called out Conor McGregor, using the WWE platform to bring more eyes to the world of MMA. Not a terrible idea considering TKO is the parent company for both WWE and UFC.

Winner: The Judgement Day via pinfall

Becky Lynch Promo

Following the eight-man tag team match, Becky Lynch made her way to the ring for the go-home promo ahead of the women’s Elimination Chamber match on Saturday. The Man reiterated her need to win the contest and challenge Rhea Ripley for the Women's World Championship at WrestleMania, which drew out Liv Morgan, who reminded fans of her quest for revenge against the Women’s World Champion. Raquel Rodriguez, Naomi, and Tiffany Stratton all followed suit, taking shots at their opponents before Bianca Belair's arrival blew the roof off the Honda Center in Anaheim.

Before a brawl between all six women could ensue, Nia Jax appeared and wiped out all six women, standing tall by herself. This was an emphatic response to Ripley’s claim that she wasn’t good enough to beat her. This was interesting creative in that Jax looks like an unstoppable force, but it came at the expense of six women who should have been protected as they competed to determine the No. 1 contender. Does it really hurt any of the Chamber competitors? No, but they could have possibly shown Jax in a dominant fashion some other way.

Chad Gable vs. Ivar

The months-long rivalry between The Viking Raiders and Alpha Academy continued the evening as Chad Gable took on Ivar. This was a very good match, with Gable having to fight from behind most of the encounter. Gable absorbed everything his opponent threw at him, who weighs 330 lbs. Gable eventually mounted a comeback, capitalizing on a missed moonsault from Ivar. A German suplex, followed by a moonsault of his own wasn’t enough to put Ivar away, but Gable locked on an ankle lock, forcing his opponent to submit. Both of these competitors fly under the radar in terms of their wrestling ability and are candidates for the most underrated superstars on the entire roster.

Winner: Gable via submission

Intercontinental Championship Match: Jey Uso vs. GUNTHER

This match was more than delivered in the main event slot, Jey Uso’s best match as a solo superstar. Late in the contest, Uso delivered five consecutive spears, knocking the wind out of the champion. With the champ lying on the mat, Jey Uso climbed to the top rope and hit a Uso Splash, almost guaranteeing a new champion. But before Uso could pin GUNTHER for the championship, the bell rings prematurely.

Guess who’s back? Jimmy Uso, preventing his brother from winning singles gold, and ending the longest reign in the history of the Intercontinental Championship. Jey had another opportunity but opted to instead hit his brother with a dive to the outside. He climbed back to the top rope for another splash attempt but was met with knees from GUNTHER. The champ then rolled up Jey for the win and kept his title. After the match, Jimmy assaulted Jey with multiple superkicks and multiple splashes before declaring, “No matter how big you get, just remember, I’ll always be the bigger brother.”, This almost guarantees the twins battle one one-on-one at WrestleMania 40.

Winner: GUNTHER via pinfall

All in all, this was a fantastic episode of “Monday Night RAW”, one of their better shows in months. The goal was to hype up Elimination Chamber on Saturday, whilst also starting to build programs/feuds for WrestleMania, and they accomplished both. The opener and main event were stupendous contests, with mostly everything in between delivering as well. This was a perfect example of how a go-home show should look.