The Road to WrestleMania is traditionally littered with special moments along the journey, and Monday Night Raw in Atlanta was definitely one for the highlight reels. The build for weeks for this particular show centered around the 70th birthday celebration for "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair, which ended up giving us one of the first stunning twists of the year.

But this past weekend, the Atlanta Raw received a notoriety boost with the news that Roman Reigns would return to his yard to update us on his condition as he battles leukemia for the second time in his life. To say the return of Reigns got Raw this week started out on a positive note would be a giant understatement. 

Let's take a look at everything that happened Monday night on what will certainly be a Raw that's shown on the highlight reels for years to come. 

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The Big Dog is back

Reigns opened up Raw and announced his cancer is in remission and he has returned to WWE. Check out the linked story for details and highlights from that announcement.

Backstage, Charly Caruso pegged Baron Corbin about comments made by him when he was serving as Raw general manager that we should all just accept that Reigns was dealing with leukemia and move on. He said his quotes were taken out of context because he was under a lot of stress that not even Reigns could understand. He just hopes their paths don't cross now that he's back. 

With Caruso backstage later on, Seth Rollins said tonight is a fantastic night. He again promised he'd be walking out of WrestleMania as the universal champion. But tonight is about his best friend Reigns's remission announcement, and he's going to join him in celebrating with some ice-cold beverages. This wouldn't be the last we'd see of Rollins or Reigns for the night, though. 

Drew McIntyre def. Dean Ambrose via pinfall (No Disqualification): Elias interfered with a guitar shot to Ambrose, helping McIntyre to a win. Afterwards, Corbin made his way out to the ring where he, Elias, Bobby Lashley and McIntyre proceeded to beat down Ambrose. First, Rollins's music hit followed by that of Reigns. Reigns and Rollins hit the ring, with Reigns throwing Superman punches and finishing off the save of Ambrose with the spear to a huge ovation. At the top of the ramp, Reigns and Rollins stared back at a recovering Ambrose, teasing a possible full reunion in the future before Ambrose departs the company in April. 

Simply put, this right here will go down as not only one of the best moments of the year, but in the illustrious history of WWE. Prior to his shocking announcement in October 2018, Reigns was the most polarizing figure in all of professional wrestling. Now, he's the most beloved performer in the game. People vastly under-appreciated what the man Joseph Anoa'i brought to the table as the latest top superstar in the industry, and you can guarantee that won't be the case any longer. What the future holds remains to be seen, but that's not important on this night. What truly matters is that our "Big Dog" is back, and we're all better off for that. Grade: A+

Batista ruins the Ric Flair celebration

Throughout the evening leading up to the celebration, tweets were shown from various superstars and celebrities wishing the "Nature Boy" a happy birthday, and video messages were sent in by Snoop Dogg, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Maria Menounos. Flair was shown arriving in a limousine with his wife, Wendy. 

Triple H and Stephanie mcMahon made their way out to the ring through the superstars who were on the stage. They introduced the legends next, which included (in order): Shawn Michaels, Ricky Steamboat, Kurt Angle and Sting. Next up was the birthday man himself ... except, he wasn't. 

Flair never came down the ramp to celebrate his 70th birthday, and the camera then panned to the backstage area where we saw none other than a returning Batista dragging a cameraman along with him. He entered his mentor's dressing room, dragged him out and laid him on the ground. He then stared into the camera and sternly asked Triple H, "Do I have your attention now?" as the show ended with Triple H racing to the back to aid Flair. 

The feature WrestleMania match we all assumed was happening will come to fruition. Batista has long publicly advocated for one more 'Mania match with Triple H to put a cap on his wrestling career, and finally, he's getting just that. And what's better, we're getting heel Batista, which will surely make this Road to WrestleMania all the more fun. Grade: A-

Ronda Rousey gives an ultimatum

Ronda Rousey & Natalya vs. Riott Squad ended in a no contest: Just as Raw women's champion Rousey was about to slap the armbar on Sarah Logan, Becky Lynch made her way through the crowd with the crutch, nailing Natalya with it before Rousey came out to meet her. Triple H had warned the suspended Lynch that if she were to pull something like this again, she'd be arrested. That promise was one kept, as the cops slapped that handcuffs on Lynch as WWE officials were breaking up her and Rousey's melee and escorted her up the ramp as she proclaimed, "I need these hands to hold up the women's title."

Back from commercial, Rousey was helping Natalya up the ramp before she turned around and returned to the ring. The Raw women's champ demanded Vince McMahon come out so this Lynch issue could get settled once and for all, but instead, she got Stephanie McMahon. Rousey called for the McMahon to not only drop all the charges, but reinstate Lynch as well so she can participate in the main event of WrestleMania. McMahon reminded Rousey that she's her boss and no one is bigger than WWE. Rousey said she can't endorse the title that McMahon is violating, and if Vince is the one who makes all the tough decisions, it's time for him to make the right one. Rousey laid the belt at McMahon's feet and left the ring. Backstage, McMahon met up with Triple H as she held the title in confusion. 

Despite the length of time between the beginning of this storyline and WrestleMania, WWE has done a pretty solid job of keeping it all intriguing with different layers. Rousey's promo here was one of the better executed through all of this, and her going so far out of her way to advocate to get her nemesis Lynch in the match is yet another one of those interesting layers. Kudos to WWE for continually piquing our interest with one of the biggest storylines, quite frankly, in the history of the company given where this journey ends. Grade: B+

What else happened on Raw?

  • Aleister Black & Ricochet def. The Revival via pinfall: One week after losing to call-ups Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa, Black got the win for the other newcomers after delivering the Black Mass to Scott Dawson. 
  • Dean Ambrose lays out Elias: Elias attempted to have a concert but was immediately interrupted by Lacey Evans, who again merely walked down the ramp and back up again. Dean Ambrose was out next, challenging Drew McIntyre to a rematch this week -- this time with a no disqualification stipulation attached. Ambrose said he's a big fan of Elias and inquired about some songs he may be able to play, including "Dirty Deeds." Elias attempted to hit Ambrose with the guitar, but Ambrose avoided it before nailing Dirty Deeds and leaving the ring. 
  • Kurt Angle def. Jinder Mahal via submission: Mahal challenged anyone who was here for Flair's birthday celebration. Out came Angle, who made Mahal tap to the Ankle Lock. 
  • Intercontinental Championship -- Finn Balor def. Lio Rush via pinfall to retain the title: Balor was a guest on "A Moment of Bliss," but Rush interrupted to demand Bobby Lashley get a rematch. Balor coerced him into the title match, saying that since he actually pinned him to win the title, then he should take the opportunity to win it back. Balor retained the title after hitting the Coup de Grace. In Gorilla position prior to his match, Lashley chastised Rush for getting a title shot for himself and he asked his manager whether he can trust him, to which Rush dejectedly replied, "Yes, you can trust me."
  • Braun Strowman destroys Bobby Lashley & Lio Rush: The scheduled match between Strowman and Lashley never officially began, as a brawl spilled to the outside where Strowman bull rushed both Lashley and Rush to leave them laying. 
  • Heavy Machinery meets The Ascension: Konnor & Viktor stopped Tucker backstage and the mocked Otis's demeanor. Tucker warned them he wouldn't like that, and when Otis did show up, he laid both Ascension members out in one shot after Tucker informed him of the mocking. 
  • Bayley def. Nia Jax via pinfall: In a relatively short match, Bayley got the 1-2-3 after the elbow drop from the top rope.