WWE went into Atlanta with a clear mission: close the book on AJ Styles in his hometown, fill the final Elimination Chamber spots, and give the Road to WrestleMania 42 one last jolt before Saturday’s PLE in Chicago. RAW accomplished the checklist. It did not always deliver the urgency. The show was packed with names, announcements, and movement, but much of the night felt like setup without ignition until the final segment, where AJ Styles’ farewell finally gave the episode a real emotional center. By the end, WWE had its Chamber fields locked in, Brock Lesnar was back in the mix with a WrestleMania open challenge, Liv Morgan made her expected Mania choice, and The Vision took a potentially massive hit with Bronson Reed going down injured. It was a newsworthy RAW. It was not a hot one. That contrast is the story of this episode. 

Here are the full results

• Jey Uso def. Bronson Reed and “Original” El Grande Americano (Men’s Elimination Chamber Qualifier)
• Nattie def. Maxxine Dupri (via referee stoppage)
• Je’Von Evans def. Kofi Kingston
• Raquel Rodriguez def. IYO SKY and Kairi Sane (Women’s Elimination Chamber Qualifier)  

The tribute show started with chaos, not sentiment

RAW opened with Michael Cole and Corey Graves in the ring to begin the AJ Styles tribute, but Gunther immediately hijacked the moment and called AJ Styles, Goldberg, and John Cena “losers,” reframing the segment as a celebration of himself. That was intentional heat, but it also set the tone for the night: WWE teased one thing, then quickly pivoted into several others. Dragon Lee attacked Gunther, Adam Pearce got involved, and the tribute framework was pushed to the side almost instantly. 

From there, Cody Rhodes came out, only for The Vision to interrupt. Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Austin Theory, and Paul Heyman tried to seize the moment, and The Usos came down to back Cody up. WWE’s official recap presents this as a simple babyface backup moment, but in execution it felt like RAW trying to launch three directions at once: Cody’s lane, The Vision’s lane, and the Chamber qualifier all in one segment. It was busy, but not especially focused. 

Jey Uso punches his ticket, but the bigger story is Bronson Reed’s injury

The first match was the final men’s Elimination Chamber qualifier: Bronson Reed vs. Jey Uso vs. “Original” El Grande Americano. WWE’s recap highlights the action beats, including Americano’s suplex on Reed and Jey’s spear to advance, but the match changed in real time once Reed went down. Pro Wrestling Dot Net noted Reed never returned to the bout, and Fightful reported the spot where he appeared to catch his arm while breaking up a pin. Later in the show, Michael Cole announced Reed suffered a distal bicep tear and is out indefinitely. 

That injury is the real headline inside the result. Jey qualifying matters, but Reed going down matters more because of what it does to The Vision. Cageside’s reaction nailed the larger implication: with Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker already shelved, Reed’s injury leaves the faction looking gutted heading into WrestleMania season. The group that was positioned as a power structure now looks like a concept without its foundation. 

Liv Morgan makes her WrestleMania choice, and the segment lands more as function than surprise

Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio brought both women’s champions to the ring so Liv could make her WrestleMania decision. Stephanie Vaquer and Jade Cargill stood side by side while Liv did the tease-and-turn routine, then officially chose Stephanie Vaquer before attacking her. WWE’s official recap confirms the key outcome, and Dot Net’s live review frames it as the expected but important lane-setting segment for the women’s side. 

From a booking standpoint, this clarified the board:

• Liv Morgan vs. Stephanie Vaquer is now a WrestleMania match.
• The Women’s Elimination Chamber winner is effectively being positioned toward Jade Cargill’s side of the title picture.  

The issue is presentation. Jade was physically present for a potentially major confrontation and still felt like a bystander in her own orbit. Cageside praised Liv’s heel turn in the segment and the way she weaponized sympathy before the cheap shot, but even that positive read came with the broader feeling that the show around it lacked spark. Good angle, muted impact. 

Nattie vs. Maxxine Dupri was short, violent, and mostly a story beat

Nattie defeated Maxxine Dupri by referee stoppage after kicking Dupri into the ring post and leaving her unable to continue. WWE’s recap emphasizes the stoppage and the ruthless edge, and that is exactly what this was: a short character beat, not a competitive showcase. It gave Nattie a sharper presentation, but it also felt disconnected from the larger Chamber and WrestleMania momentum RAW needed to build. 

Brock Lesnar returns, and WWE goes with a WrestleMania open challenge

Paul Heyman reintroduced himself as Brock Lesnar’s advocate and framed Lesnar’s return in classic “special attraction” terms before Lesnar issued an open challenge for WrestleMania. WWE’s recap states the core point cleanly: Brock is back, and he wants someone to step up. CBS’ live recap confirms the same hook, noting Heyman pitched it as a standing challenge to anyone willing to make it official at one of Lesnar’s remaining appearances before WrestleMania. 

This is where the show became polarizing. In theory, an open challenge creates intrigue. In practice, it also risks feeling like WWE brought back a giant name before fully deciding on the Mania destination. It is a familiar template: Heyman talks, Brock looms, WWE buys time. That can work if the eventual opponent is a big swing. If not, this segment will age like a placeholder.

There is also a continuity question hanging over it: if Heyman is still tied to The Vision on RAW television, then his full-on advocate role for Brock muddies the internal logic of the faction. WWE did not address that tension on this show. 

Je’Von Evans beats Kofi Kingston in a celebrity-assisted Atlanta showcase

Je’Von Evans defeated Kofi Kingston with Offset in his corner in a match that felt less like a chapter in an active feud and more like a local-energy segment built around Atlanta celebrity presence. WWE’s official recap makes no secret of that, explicitly spotlighting Offset’s involvement at ringside and the confrontation with Grayson Waller and Xavier Woods before Evans won with the OG Cutter. 

To WWE’s credit, Evans still came out looking resilient after tweaking his knee and fighting through interference. But in the larger structure of the night, this was another example of RAW drifting. It added texture and hometown flavor, but not much WrestleMania gravity.

CM Punk keeps the title picture alive with a strong verbal reset

CM Punk’s promo was one of the cleaner narrative beats on the show. WWE’s recap summarizes the core message: Punk vowed he would still be World Heavyweight Champion when Roman Reigns returns next week. That line matters because it pulls together three timelines at once:

• Finn Bálor at Elimination Chamber
• Roman Reigns looming for WrestleMania 42
• Punk trying to position himself as the center of both stories, not a transitional champion in between them.  

This was a needed anchor segment. RAW had plenty of moving pieces, but Punk’s promo was one of the few moments that actually felt like WrestleMania stakes were being spoken into existence.

Raquel Rodriguez secures the final women’s Chamber spot in a chaotic qualifier

Raquel Rodriguez defeated IYO SKY and Kairi Sane to qualify for the Women’s Elimination Chamber, closing the final open spot. WWE’s official result sequence lays out the match well: Raquel’s power spots, SKY and Sane’s brief alliance, the near-falls, and the Tejana Bomb on Sane for the win. 

This result was the most logical outcome once Liv chose Vaquer. With SKY and Sane still carrying unresolved friction, Raquel advancing protects that side story while adding a power presence to the Chamber field. It also aligns with the show’s broader theme: RAW finalized the pieces for Saturday, even if it rarely made those finalizations feel seismic.

The AJ Styles farewell finally gave the show its emotional payoff

Everything RAW had struggled to be for two-plus hours — focused, emotional, memorable — arrived in the closing segment.

AJ Styles reflected on his career, his family, and the cost of the road, then left his gloves in the ring. Cageside’s reaction singled out the emotional honesty of AJ talking about missed time with his children and also praised the tribute video package, while noting a missed opportunity in not giving more substantive roles to names like Frankie Kazarian and Abyss after showing them backstage. That criticism is fair and speaks directly to the “tribute” branding: WWE absolutely delivered a moving farewell, but the broader career-celebration framework could have been richer. 

Then came the final reveal. The Undertaker arrived — in American Badass form — and announced AJ Styles as a member of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2026. WWE’s official Hall of Fame write-up confirms the announcement and positions AJ’s Atlanta farewell as the setting for that moment, with his family in the ring. It was a huge visual, a huge reaction, and unquestionably the biggest moment of the night. 

The contradiction is what made this RAW so strange: the strongest segment on the final RAW push to Elimination Chamber was not a Chamber angle, not a WrestleMania challenge, and not a title confrontation. It was a retirement and Hall of Fame tribute.

What this RAW meant for Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania 42

RAW did important work for Saturday:

• It finalized the men’s Chamber field with Jey Uso.
• It finalized the women’s Chamber field with Raquel Rodriguez.
• It made Liv Morgan’s WrestleMania choice official.
• It reinforced Punk vs. Bálor while keeping Roman Reigns in the background.  

But the larger WrestleMania problem remains tone. Cageside’s review described the episode as “okay” and “uninspired,” and that reads accurately when you zoom out. RAW had major names. It had announcements. It had movement. What it didn’t consistently have was escalation. Too many segments felt like placeholders or connective tissue, and the crowd energy reflected that for long stretches before AJ’s farewell gave them something real to invest in. 

Bronson Reed’s injury only complicates that feeling. WrestleMania season gets hot when the plans look clear. This episode looked like WWE was still rearranging pieces. 

Elimination Chamber PLE quick rundown

Here is the updated Elimination Chamber card coming out of RAW, with the final Chamber spots now filled:

• CM Punk (c) vs. Finn Bálor (World Heavyweight Championship)
• Becky Lynch (c) vs. AJ Lee (Women’s Intercontinental Championship)
• Men’s Elimination Chamber Match — Randy Orton vs. LA Knight vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Trick Williams vs. Jey Uso
  
  • Winner earns a WrestleMania 42 WWE Championship match
• Women’s Elimination Chamber Match — Tiffany Stratton vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Asuka vs. Kiana James vs. Raquel Rodriguez
  
  • Winner earns a world championship match at WrestleMania 42
• Mystery Crate Reveal (“Deliver To WWE, Do Not Open Until 2/28/26”)  

Final word

This was a RAW with a lot of headlines and one truly unforgettable moment. AJ Styles got the farewell he deserved, and WWE made the Hall of Fame announcement feel major. But as a go-home-style push into Elimination Chamber and the larger WrestleMania 42 season, the episode felt more like a lineup update than a statement show.

The red brand got where it needed to go. It just didn’t make the road feel bigger until the very end.

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