Je'Von Evans' Biggest Win and More WWE Raw Fallout Including Punk vs. Bálor Update
The FedExForum in Memphis hosted the February 16 edition of WWE Raw on Netflix.
Je'Von Evans and Asuka pulled off impressive victories to qualify, respectively, for the men's and women's Elimination Chamber matches.
Penta defeated El Grande Americano to earn an Intercontinental Championship opportunity against Dominik Mysterio.
CM Punk taunted Finn Bálor, while Becky Lynch refused to get in the ring with AJ Lee ahead of their title matches at Elimination Chamber on February 28.
This was a decent show for WWE, relying upon some major results for the road to WrestleMania 42.
Je'Von Evans Finally Wins a Big One
1 of 5Je'Von Evans' win over Gunther and Dominik Mysterio was the most shocking result of the night on Raw.
While The Young OG's high-flying style will make the men's Elimination Chamber better, WWE has only given the win to the expected favorites so far.
This was the biggest victory of Evans' career by a wide margin after sticking him with Los Americanos to start his Raw run.
This gives the 21-year-old a strong spotlight that he could use to leapfrog the competition for a spot at WrestleMania 42.
Evans is one of the best wrestlers on the Raw roster, and there is no time like the present to make the most of his talent.
No Option Left But To Crown Penta
2 of 5
Dominik Mysterio's return to the ring did not go well for the intercontinental champion.
Not only did he lose his Elimination Chamber qualifier to Je'Von Evans, but one of his most prominent rivals, Penta, has also earned another shot at the gold.
This sets the stage for the sixth time the luchador has challenged Dirty Dom for the gold.
The only reason Penta should get another opportunity is to dethrone Mysterio, which would be the right decision.
Since he debuted in WWE on the January 13, 2025 episode of Raw, the luchador has had his sights set on the Intercontinental Championship.
Anything but a win this time would be a waste of everyone's time. Penta has earned a run with a title he has never held.
Dirty Dom can afford to lose one title when he still has the AAA Mega Championship in his grasp.
WWE Has Lost All Interest in Bayley
3 of 5
Asuka defeated Bayley and Nattie in one of the more obvious results of the Elimination Chamber qualifiers.
Her long-standing rivalry with Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky will set the stage for a great story inside the structure at the premium live event of the same name.
All three women wrestled well, but it was telling that a multi-time world champion like Bayley never seemed to have a real chance to win.
The Role Model is one of the three remaining Horsewomen in WWE and should be treated as well as Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair.
Instead, she is in the role just vacated by Natalya upon her heel turn and character revamp: a reliable veteran focused only on elevating the next generation.
Almost one year removed from WWE taking Bayley off the WrestleMania 41 card at the last minute, The Role Model has no strong direction into this year's Show of Shows.
As WWE struggles to keep its women's division diverse and fresh, the company is wasting an obviously talented and popular star for no reason.
CM Punk, AJ Lee Feuds Lack Credibility
4 of 5The non-Elimination Chamber matches at the next PLE are not worthy of the spotlight right now.
CM Punk vs. Finn Bálor is supposed to be the story of Raw at present, but it has come off as entirely superfluous to the road to WrestleMania.
The Prince is so unimportant to the current product that the story of the match is that WWE actively fears him winning the World Heavyweight Championship since he's not a big enough star to face Roman Reigns at The Show of Shows.
Meanwhile, since AJ Lee's return, she has consistently dominated Becky Lynch to set the stage for her singles return match against The Man.
Over almost six months, Lee has only appeared a few times on television, yet it already feels like the two have run out of material to build their story.
This week's Raw reinforced the clearest problems behind both title matches: a lack of credibility.
No one involved is wrestling on these shows. Instead, WWE is giving them in-ring promo time to repeat the same story beats week after week.
This was the time to give Bálor some easy wins to build him as a real threat.
This was also the time to show Lee is genuinely ready to compete and run with a championship in WWE rather than just work in highly protected spots.
At this stage, both Punk vs. Bálor and Lee vs. Lynch come off as gimmicky booking to make sure hometown names are on the Chicago show rather than genuine WrestleMania build.
Double Turn Incoming for Stephanie Vaquer and Liv Morgan
5 of 5Liv Morgan vs. Stephanie Vaquer is finally starting to shape up as a WrestleMania-level rivalry thanks to an excellent backstage encounter.
La Primera interrupted Morgan's interview with Michael Cole on Monday and ran down her rival in Spanish, forcing Dominik Mysterio to translate her disparaging words.
Despite Morgan's limited acting chops, she made clear that hearing those words from the man she loves deeply hurt her.
While Güerita walked into this segment as the heel, selling how she was playing mind games with both world champions, she left looking more like the face.
This could be a perfect chance to make a dramatic change at the top of the Raw women's division.
Vaquer is well-liked, but Morgan is the rare star who could be genuinely cheered over her.
A double turn on the road to WrestleMania would make this one of the biggest stories going into the event on April 18-19.
This could get even more interesting based on where Mysterio stands in the story. Vaquer and Dirty Dom would be an interesting pairing, especially since he can translate for her.
This might even be enough to sell the Women's World Championship match as worthy of the WrestleMania 42 Night 1 main event.
