Monday’s episode of Raw rolled into Atlanta with one clear mission: send AJ Styles home in style. What we got was a night of genuine emotion, some brutal reality checks, and enough drama to keep us buzzing through the weekend.
The Phenomenal One Gets His Due On Raw
The entire show built toward Styles’ moment, and when it finally arrived, it didn’t disappoint. Seeing legends from his TNA days, Abyss, Frankie Kazarian, the whole crew, made this feel less like a corporate sendoff and more like a proper celebration of one of our generation’s best workers.
Styles kept it together better than most of us would have. He talked about his journey, thanked the fans who’d been there since the independent days, and he got a little misty-eyed when his family joined him in the ring. Who wouldn’t? The guy’s been putting his body on the line for over two decades.
Then came the Undertaker on a motorcycle. But here’s where WWE got it right—’Taker didn’t overshadow the moment. He delivered the news that Styles is heading into the 2026 Hall of Fame class.
Reed’s Injury Throws Everything Into Chaos
Here’s where Raw took a seriously unfortunate turn. Bronson Reed tore his distal biceps tendon during the Elimination Chamber qualifier, and just like that, “The Vision’s” original lineup is completely decimated. Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, and now Reed are all sidelined with injuries.
This isn’t just bad luck. This is the kind of injury bug that completely derails storylines and forces creatives to scramble. Jey Uso ended up getting the Chamber spot after the match went to hell, which is fine for him, but you have to wonder what WWE had planned for Reed.
The guy was reportedly penciled in to win the whole thing. Now? We’re left with more questions than answers about where this masked man storyline goes from here.
Lesnar Issues His Challenge (And Everyone Yawns)
Brock Lesnar came out on Raw with Paul Heyman to issue an open challenge for WrestleMania, and the crowd’s reaction basically said it all: “Sure, Brock. Whatever.”
Listen, I love a good Lesnar match as much as the next guy, but this felt like WWE throwing darts at a board trying to figure out what to do with him. The crowd chanted for Oba Femi—and they’re not wrong. That’s the match that makes sense. That’s the fresh matchup people actually want to see.
But WWE keeps teasing us with Femi-Rusev encounters instead, but come on. Don’t have Lesnar standing in the ring, literally asking for an opponent if you’re not going to pull the trigger on the obvious choice.
Morgan Makes Her Move
Liv Morgan attacking Stephanie Vaquer in the Raw ring was the clearest way possible to say “I’m coming for that Women’s World Championship at WrestleMania.” No ambiguity, no waiting around. Morgan knows what she wants, and she’s going after it.
This leaves the Women’s Elimination Chamber winner heading toward Jade Cargill’s WWE Women’s Championship, which should make for an interesting dynamic. Raquel Rodriguez punched her ticket to the Chamber by pinning Kairi Sane in a solid triple-threat that also featured Iyo Sky. All three women showed why they belong in that conversation.
The Good, The Bad, and The Brutal
The Good: Je’Von Evans continues to impress every single time he’s in that ring. He has bounce, charisma, and Offset in his corner now. His OG Cutter on Kofi Kingston was slick.
The Bad: That Nattie-Maxxine Dupri “match” that wasn’t really a match. I get they’re building toward a stipulation bout, but the Raw crowd didn’t care the first time, and they cared even less this time around.
The Brutal: CM Punk cut a solid promo ahead of his Elimination Chamber defense, playing into the full-timer vs. part-timer narrative with Roman Reigns. Nothing groundbreaking, but Punk’s always good for a quotable line or two.
What’s Next?
With Elimination Chamber this Saturday, we’ve got our fields set. The men’s side features some legitimate wildcards now that Reed’s out, and the women’s Chamber just got a whole lot more interesting with Rodriguez in the mix.
But honestly? The night belonged to Styles. Hall of Fame-bound, beloved by his peers, and getting a proper sendoff in front of his home state crowd. That’s how you do it. Not every legend gets to go out on their own terms. Styles did, and for once, WWE didn’t screw it up.
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