4 Ups And 8 Downs From WWE Raw (Feb 14)
1. Ripley Shines In Gauntlet Match
Gauntlet matches can be tremendous vehicles to get multiple wrestlers over in one effort – if booked properly.
Thankfully, Monday’s gauntlet bout involving the five announced wrestlers in the women’s Elimination Chamber match was pretty well-crafted. The winner gained last entry into the chamber match, a pretty big advantage. Rhea Ripley started against Nikki ASH and overcame her former tag partner. Then Liv Morgan came out and fired off a flurry of offense before falling to a Riptide.
Next up was Doudrop, who took advantage of a weakened Ripley as the two traded power moves before Rhea finally managed to put her away as well. Last up was Bianca Belair, and the two just aired it all out, with the crowd fired up for it. Belair would nail the KOD for the win, but fans were way into Ripley’s journey for this match.
It goes to show how some wrestlers like Ripley have been horrifically booked, but they still have fans who want to see them succeed. This is how WWE succeeds in spite of itself – on the power and sheer will of its talent, not their brilliant booking.
The only criticism is that it was too easy for Belair to win entering last. If you reversed her and Doudrop, Rhea still would’ve had three bouts and Bianca would have had the underdog role against the Scot. But that’s quibbling.