Another Monday night, a brand new episode of WWE Raw on Netflix. WWE is on the road to Elimination Chamber later this month, the final stop before WrestleMania. AJ Lee makes her surprise return to confront Becky Lynch, CM Punk sets up his next title defense, the Elimination Chamber matches are filling up.
Keep reading for what we loved and what we loathed from this week’s WWE Raw…
Loved: AJ Lee Returning
AJ Lee has been absent from WWE television for quite some time. Her feud with Becky Lynch seemingly fizzled out — or so we thought. She appeared on WWE Raw to challenge Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship at Elimination Chamber. It’s Lee’s first title challenge since she left WWE in 2015. Lynch recently defeated Maxxine Dupri to win back the championship.
Disliked: Bron Breakker’s Injury Announcement
2026 felt like it would be the year of Bron Breakker. Well, that’s on pause for now. The Vision member is out of action due to injury. It’s unknown how long he’ll be out, just that it’s “indefinitely.” According to a report from The Wrestling Observer, Breakker did get surgery on the hernia injury. The last time we saw him was at the Royal Rumble when he was attacked before he could enter the ring.
Loved: Finn Balor Gets Title Rematch
Finn Balor is getting another shot at the World Heavyweight Championship. He wants the match at Elimination Chamber in Chicago but Adam Pearce interrupts — it’s not going to happen. Punk comes down to the ring to challenge Balor to a fight, but again, he won’t do it without the title involved. So it’s official: they’ll fight at Elimination Chamber. Pearce later questions Punk on why he’d jeopardize “one of the greatest” main events in WrestleMania history (sounds oddly familiar). I expect some interference or shenanigans to happen so Balor doesn’t win, but I’m glad he’s finally getting the love he deserves again.
Disliked: Lyra Valkyria gets Snubbed… Again
Lyra Valkyria, Rhea Ripley, and Ivy Nile competed for a spot in the Women’s Elimination Chamber match. Ripley is the odds-on favorite to win, obviously, but what they’re doing to Valkyria is egregious. Since SummerSlam, her momentum has been completely obliterated. I expected Ripley to walk out of this match the winner, but why wasn’t Nile pinned instead?
Loved: LA Knight is going to elimination Chamber
LA Knight, Austin Theory, and Penta battled in the main event for a slot in the Elimination Chamber. Knight was a surprise entrant in the men’s Royal Rumble, and someone fans thought could win it all. After seeing his treatment on WWE: Unreal, it’s hard not to feel for him. At one point, Knight was setting up for the BFT when The Vision interfered (go figure). Bronson Reed hit him with a Tsunami but was ejected by Pearce. When it looked like Theory had it won, Penta pulled him out of the ring. The hooded man appeared again, taking out Theory. Knight hit him with the BFT for the win.
The post ‘WWE Raw’ (02/09/26): 3 Things We Loved & 2 We Didn’t appeared first on VICE.
