WWE Raw results, recap, grades: Becky Lynch vs. Lita booked, Elimination Chamber participants revealed

WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match and Lita vs. Lynch set on a loaded post-Royal Rumble episode of Raw

WWE paved the way to Elimination Chamber on Monday courtesy of a jam-packed episode of Raw. The three-hour program pieced together two premium matches in the live event space, featuring Lita, Becky Lynch, Brock Lesnar and more.

Raw marked the long-anticipated return of Ronda Rousey to weekly programming. Her face-to-face with Lynch teased a potential clash at WrestleMania 38, but it also set up a dream match pitting Lynch vs. Lita.

Authority figure Adam Pearce announced a WWE championship match to be contested inside the Elimination Chamber. Defending champion Bobby Lashley will have his hands full with Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins and three more superstars who earned their place through Raw's qualifying matches.

CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Becky Lynch vs. Lita set for Elimination Chamber event

Rousey received a warm ovation and "welcome back" chants as she stepped foot in a Raw ring for the first time in years. Rousey asserted that she is the biggest fight in WWE. The former Raw Women's champion teased that she would challenge SmackDown Women's champion Charlotte Flair, arguing that Lynch does not deserve the match. Additionally, Rousey suggested it would be amusing to have Lynch wrestle on Rousey's undercard.

Lynch interrupted Rousey, challenging her to a match at WrestleMania. Lynch admitted she was surprised to see Rousey back at all and proclaimed a match between the two would be among the biggest in WWE history. Lynch was promptly tossed to the mat. Afterwards, Rousey said she would make her decision on SmackDown. 

Lita made an unexpected entrance as Rousey made her prompt exit. Lynch confessed she may have gotten in trouble once or twice for exposing her thong like Lita used to. The pleasantries ended when Lita challenged Lynch to a Raw Women's championship match at Elimination Chamber. The defending champion was hesitant; however, Lynch ultimately agreed to face her hero.

Rousey's appearance accomplished the bare minimum. She made a brief statement before delaying her decision to Friday's episode of SmackDown. The encounter with Lynch had heat, that's great. Unfortunately, Rousey's limited TV time does not comfort those rubbed the wrong way by two part-time performers winning this year's Royal Rumble matches. Pushing Rousey's decision to SmackDown was a lazy means of marketing something for Friday's show. Fortunately, the genuinely unexpected arrival of Lita saved the segment. Lita vs. Lynch is fantasy booking at its finest. Placing it at Elimination Chamber was a great move, leaving the door open for an active superstar to get the spotlight at WrestleMania, should Rousey challenge Flair. Grade: B+

Brock Lesnar books spot in the Elimination Chamber match

Bobby Lashley and MVP threw a fit over Adam Pearce's decision to book Lashley in an Elimination Chamber match for the WWE championship. Lashley claimed he was a better wrestler, mixed martial artist and champion than Lesnar. Lesnar assured that his only beef was with Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman. He credited Lashley for a good match at Royal Rumble and confirmed he would challenge Reigns at WrestleMania 38. Lesnar subsequently challenged Lashley to a rematch for the WWE championship. MVP declined the challenge on Lashley's behalf; however, Pearce announced that Lesnar would enter the Elimination Chamber match.

Seth Rollins, Austin Theory, Riddle and AJ Styles qualify for the Elimination Chamber

Rollins received a bye into the Elimination Chamber match. Rollins announced on the "Kevin Owens Show" that he was given a free pass due to his impressive performance against Reigns at the Royal Rumble. Owens was disheartened that he, himself, had to qualify for the match.

Austin Theory def. Kevin Owens via pinfall after pasting Owens with his ATL finishing move. The match featured a number of exciting exchanges, most notably a fisherman buster off the top rope delivered by Owens to Theory.

Riddle def. Otis via pinfall following a Floating Bro. Otis' power was on full display in an exciting clash against Riddle. The big man controlled large portions of the bout; however, it was Riddle's grit and explosiveness that earned him entry into the Chamber.

AJ Styles def. Rey Mysterio via pinfall after rolling through Mysterio's top-rope maneuver and flattening the masked hero with a Styles Clash. Styles and Mysterio went hold-for-hold, regularly countering each other's moves in a fast-paced affair.

What a fantastic, loaded episode of Raw that maximized its three-hour runtime. Lesnar getting a free pass to the Elimination Chamber made sense, assuming he had a rematch clause in his contract. Some will argue that Rollins should have had to qualify. He technically beat Reigns at the Rumble, so getting a bye into the Chamber match is plausible. Each of the three qualifying matches delivered. Owens and Theory wrestled a good match, Styles and Mysterio delivered on expectations and Otis and Riddle showed fantastic chemistry. Grade: A

What else happened on WWE Raw?

Rhea Ripley def. Nikki A.S.H. via pinfall after landing her Riptide finishing maneuver.

Academic Challenge round two: Riddle and Chad Gable took part in a 50-lap scooter race. R-Truth served as the round's special guest starter. Gable took the lead at lap 25 after Riddle ran into Omos. Riddle was well on his way to the finish line after Gable hurt his knee; however, Otis decked Riddle to give his tag team partner the win. Gable booked a Quiz Bowl for the last challenge. This also set up a one-on-one match between Riddle and Otis.

Alexa Bliss met with her psychologist. Bliss claimed Lilly the doll was real. Bliss got emotional when the psychologist presented a replica version of Lilly.

The Miz def. Dominick Mysterio via pinfall after planting Mysterio with the Skull Crushing Finale.

Angelo Dawkins def. Dolph Ziggler via pinfall after landing the Drill Bit.

Bianca Belair def. Carmella via pinfall courtesy of the KOD.