If the overall execution of Sunday's Elimination Chamber left feelings of hit and miss, Monday's episode of Raw felt a lot more like midseason form on the Road to WrestleMania. In a three-hour episode that was almost all killer (with little to no filler), WWE packed in a ton of swerves and storyline developments as the final feuds begin to take shape 41 days out from WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans.  

The most competitive aspect of the show turned out to be which angle would exit as the most compelling. Ronda Rousey continued to move the chains as her storyline opposite Triple H and Stephanie McMahon continued to take shape. John Cena also toyed with the hearts of fans by challenging The Undertaker to "The Show of Shows," only to switch course with another reveal. But the highlight of the night was a "shoot to thrill" promo from Roman Reigns that was aimed at Brock Lesnar's part-time schedule and real-life tease of future plans in UFC. The smartly written takedown firmly shifted the polarizing Reigns into the role of babyface as the likely main event to WrestleMania produced a memorable opening chapter.

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Ronda Rousey faces the music vs. The Authority 

One night after Rousey put Triple H through a table and received a smack to the face from McMahon, the parties involved returned to the ring in Raw's final segment. The Authority explained that Raw general manager Kurt Angle's reveal to Rousey that this was all a setup by saying he was "hallucinating" from double pneumonia. Referencing Rousey's signed contract, McMahon also said that Rousey now "reports to me, which means WWE owns Ronda Rousey."  

Rousey came sprinting out to the ring looking for a fight, but Angle followed right behind pleading with her to hear him out. Angle told Rousey that coming to WWE was the best decision she ever made. She countered by saying, "I want this more than anything, but I have never been slapped before in my life. I refuse to be disrespected and I am no one's property." Angle responded by changing course and admitting he misheard The Authority and lied on Sunday night, telling Rousey he's sorry but he needs his job. Still not willing to put the slap behind her, Rousey ordered McMahon to apologize or "I will not hesitate to rip your arm out of its socket." McMahon obliged in dramatic fashion. But as The Authority turned to exit, Triple H cold-cocked Angle and McMahon walked over his fallen body.  

While Rousey still has a long way to go in her growth on the microphone, she remains believable in presenting herself as an intense, physical threat. Placing her into a well-written feud opposite three proven performers is also no coincidence. Just like on Sunday night, there might be elements to pick apart in terms of the execution of the segment, but the overall story appears headed in a good place. That is what's most important, and it's being told at a moderate pace. Expecting Rousey to step in and be as good or better than the company's top female superstars is just not realistic. But despite the presence of her full-time contract, when you compare her instead to what she actually is -- a celebrity brought in to help sell WrestleMania -- you quickly realize she's already ahead of the curve.

John Cena makes a turn on his Road to WrestleMania 

One night after a loss at Elimination Chamber he deemed "demoralizing," Cena gave a long speech about how failure made him who he is today. "You either stay down or you figure it out," he said. "I figured it out." In order to fix his problem of not having a Road to WrestleMania, Cena briefly popped the crowd by issuing a challenge to The Undertaker before quickly offering a swerve. "I'm told that match is not happening because it's impossible," Cena said. With the crowd confused, the free-agent Cena revealed that his "real road" to April 8 in New Orleans is by going to SmackDown Live. "I'll do whatever it takes to hopefully earn a spot at WrestleMania," Cena said.  "See you tomorrow night." 

The tease of falsely announcing an Undertaker match was not only a strong swerve, it may have been WWE's way of testing the pulse of fans before pulling the trigger. Sending Cena to SmackDown is also a strong use of his "free agent" storyline status, which was created to boost ratings on both shows and will likely do just that on Tuesday. Considering the rumors that Taker is in a much better place physically than he was one year ago thanks to surgery, don't be surprised if we hear from The Deadman before this story concludes.

Roman Reigns work-shoots on absent Brock Lesnar 

Fresh off a victory at Elimination Chamber, Reigns spoke about truth and how he's a man of his word for saying he would face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania for the universal title and backing it up. He then began his own version of a "pipe bomb" promo in what appeared to be a worked shoot aimed at The Beast. After referencing how much heat he'll likely face for saying it, Reigns called out Lesnar for not showing up to Raw despite being scheduled. He also referenced the real-life photo that UFC president Dana White tweeted out late Sunday of Lesnar in a UFC T-shirt.  

"Brock Lesnar is a piece of crap who hides behind his contract," Reigns said. "I'm sick of it; we're all sick of it." After saying there's a fine line between business and respect, Reigns said, "I'll say this right now: I don't respect Brock Lesnar, and I damn sure don't fear that bitch." Mic drop.  

Oh heck yeah. Despite whether you preferred his work opposite Cena last fall, it wouldn't be a stretch to call this the best promo Reigns has ever delivered. From brilliant writing to his shoot-like delivery, Reigns was at his very best in delivering the boom. Credit WWE for playing up the honest realities of Lesnar's uncertain future thanks to his contract being up after WrestleMania amid rumors of a turn back to mixed martial arts. For a predictable feud that was telegraphed 12 months in the making, this is a juicy way to kick it off and build buzz.

What else happened on Raw? 

  • Is Asuka going to face Alexa Bliss at WrestleMania? Although this match was never formally announced, it was referenced multiple times off-hand. So much for Asuka, the Royal Rumble winner, getting to choose her opponent like Shinsuke Nakamura did. Bliss, with Mickie James in tow, opened the show by heckling everyone she defeated in Sunday's inaugural Elimination Chamber match. She also cut into Asuka, who came to object. After Bliss made fun of Asuka's poor English skills to her face, Nia Jax ran in and a brawl quickly ensued. Sasha Banks and Bayley joined the party with Bliss and Jax standing tall in the end.  
  • Asuka, Sasha Banks & Bayley def. Alexa Bliss, Mickie James (via submission) & Nia Jax: Predictably, a spinoff six-woman tag match ensued. Banks and Bayley continued to walk out their leftover uneasiness from Sunday as Banks hit her former best friend with a hard tag and Bayley later reciprocated by refusing to let a weary Banks tag her in. Banks finally hit Asuka with the hot tag which led to a knee bar/armbar submission on James to force the tap.  
  • Bray Wyatt destroys Heath Slater: Wyatt was so zealous in attacking Slater and his sidekick Rhyno, their singles match never got started. After taking both out, Wyatt grabbed Slater and maniacllly danced with him before hitting Sister Abigail. He closed by cutting a promo on Matt Hardy, blaming him for causing him to hurt these innocent men. "You led them to slaughter," Wyatt said. "The great war is far from over. You will face me again." 
  • Kurt Angle puts a hurdle in The Miz's 'Mania plans: An in-ring promo from The Miz, who claimed he's 62 days away from becoming the longest-reigning intercontinental champion in WWE history, featured complaining about the disrespect he has been shown about being left out of the WrestleMania main event. The Miz referenced an argument he had with the Raw GM that ended with Angle cryptically mentioning that Miz's opponent tonight "might determine who you face at WrestleMania."  
  • Seth Rollins def. The Miz via pinfall: Rollins lived up to his new "Monday Night Rollins" nickname in a big way, hitting a series of spectacular aerial moves from a blockbuster and superplex/Falcon Arrow to consecutive suicide dives. The finish was likely the evening's top in-ring moment as Rollins followed a Revolution Knee with an absurd frog splash from the top rope, leaping three-quarters of the way across the ring to finish The Miz. Rollins' celebration was arrogantly interrupted by Finn Balor, who soaked up the crowd's cheers on the ring apron.
  • Finn Balor def. The Miz via pinfall: Despite the lack of an explanation as to why The Miz was forced to wrestle again, his match with Balor was instantly halted by an attack from The Miztourage. The Good Brothers ran out to trigger a brawl and protect Balor. Angle instantly appeared on the big screen to eject the corners of both sides and restart the Miz-Balor match with the caveat that Miz accept or "you won't be going to WrestleMania." The match featured plenty of near falls from both until Balor hit his Coup de Grace for the 1-2-3. Afterwards, Rollins told Renee Young backstage that Balor was trying to show him up before revealing his hope of facing The Miz in a title match at WrestleMania.  
  • Raw Tag Team Championship -- The Bar (c) def. Titus Worldwide 2-0 (Best 2-of-3 falls match): A distraction from Cesaro off the opening bell helped Sheamus hit a Brogue Kick on Titus O'Neil for the quick pin. The second fall was much harder to come by as Apollo showcased his acrobatics multiple times to help Titus Worldwide rally. The finish, however, came off the heels of another Cesaro interference. The Bar then hit Apollo with their double-team finisher off the second rope to sweep the match. After reading off recent tag teams they've beaten, a cocky Sheamus announced during the postfight interview, "Who is there to face if there is no one left to beat?" 
  • Braun Strowman def. Elias via disqualification: The long, methodical beatdown from Strowman was ended when Elias crawled under the ring. He emerged with a fire extinguisher to spray Strowman and force the DQ. Despite being partially blinded, Strowman chased Elias up the ramp. But his attempt at slamming Elias through the announce table was stopped by a raking of Strowman's eyes. Following a long backstage chase, Elias escaped through the open garage doors. Just as Strowman gave up his pursuit, a limo pulled up in front of him. The camera panned on the door but no one ultimately emerged, dropping a tease for the future.