4 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (16 February - Results & Review)
DOWNS…
5. Struggling To Care
If you built a time machine and transported back to 2017 and booked a triple threat between Asuka, Bayley, and Natalya, it would have felt like a big deal between very interesting characters (at least two of them). But in 2026 WWE, a triple threat between these wrestlers was more of an obligation than a battle between top-tier superstars. Years of undervaluing poor booking have made it difficult to invest in any of them.
Their match Monday night for a spot in the Elimination Chamber was technically fine and had a couple of nice sequences, but it also came off rough and gritty – and not in the best way. Nattie had a better showing as a character and wrestler in this match, and her brief showdown with Asuka was fun, but ultimately, she came off more as Natalya cosplaying as an MMA character than a completely new persona.
As usual, Asuka was tremendous fun when she was flying around the ring, locking in submission holds out of nowhere, and striking everything that moved. It’s just difficult to invest in a tag wrestler who has had one singles title reign in the past five years.