Latest Rumors, Preview for 1st WWE Raw After Elimination Chamber 2018

Elimination Chamber carved a path to WrestleMania 34; Monday's Raw will see its Superstars march down it.

Ronda Rousey made enemies moments into her WWE tenure. She officially signed her Raw contract on Sunday's pay-per-view and left a major executive lying in the process. The aftermath of her actions will begin to unfold at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Roman Reigns emerged from the Elimination Chamber a winner and the new No. 1 contender to Brock Lesnar's Universal Championship. That match will be in the spotlight for weeks to come on the red brand. 

What's on tap for the Elimination Chamber fallout show? What other developments from the PPV will WWE explore?

The following is a look ahead at Monday's show, complete with info pulled from news updates and the Raw preview on WWE.com. The next steps in the journey toward WrestleMania will then begin at 8 p.m. ET on USA Network.

News, Rumors

The situation regarding the intellectual rights to the Woken (or Broken) Matt Hardy persona continues to shift. TNA and Anthem Sports no longer have the rights to a number of terms related to the character. 

Steven Fernandes of PWInsider reported that the United States Patent and Trademark Office had declared the trademarks for "Broken Matt," "Brother Nero," "Vanguard1," and "Broken Brilliance" abandoned.

As for Matt's brother Jeff, he's looking to be injury free by WrestleMania time.

PWInsider's Mike Johnson reported: "Hardy was in Birmingham, Alabama, this past Tuesday to evaluate how his surgically repaired torn labrum and torn rotator cuff are healing as he prepares for an in-ring return this spring." 

Elsewhere, it may be a good idea to ignore any whispers of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson's discontent in WWE.

Gallows appeared on The Overnight Crowd podcast and denied rumors of the team's unhappiness with the company. "Those rumors are completely false," he said. "It is just internet mumbo jumbo."

Raw Streaks

Nobody in the cruiserweight division has been on more of a roll than Cedric Alexander.

Per CageMatch.net, he's won 16 matches in a row including his last seven Raw bouts. Alexander defeated Gran Metalik to move to the second round of the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament. If he doesn't make it to the finals, it will be a stunner.

Meanwhile, defeat is poised to leave Sasha Banks seething.

At Elimination Chamber, fans saw an aggressive side of her as she came painfully close to recapturing the Raw Women's Championship. She eventually lost to Alexa Bliss, worsening her 2018 win-loss record. She's 4-5 on TV and PPV for the year thus far, per CageMatch.net. 

It's been worse when she's without a partner, though. Not counting tag team matches, The Boss is winless in her last eight bouts, 

Elimination Chamber Fallout

Rousey will start her Raw tenure with the show's bosses furious with her. She slammed Triple H through a table and chased Stephanie McMahon away when she signed her contract on Sunday.

Raw general manager Kurt Angle revealed Triple H and McMahon were conspiring against Rousey. That's going to get Angle in trouble as well as create plenty of animosity between Raw's newest star and The Authority.

A tag team match against that powers that be is clearly in the cards for Rousey at WrestleMania. But will it be Angle or someone else who partners with her?

As for John Cena, he has said he's not sure if he will make it to The Show of Shows since he didn't win the Elimination Chamber match. That's absurd, but fans can expect that story to continue on Monday. A disappointed Cena is bound to run into a potential opponent in the coming weeks.

Until WWE says otherwise, many will guess that Undertaker will play that role.

Bayley and Banks' friendship may not be intact after Elimination Chamber. After working together for much of the match, The Boss flung Bayley off a pod to the Chamber floor.

Monday's Raw will either feature these two Superstars patching things up or the long-awaited rivalry between them will start to get cooking.

"

Sorry, @itsBayleyWWE...

It's EVERY WOMAN FOR HERSELF inside the #EliminationChamber! #WWEChamber @SashaBanksWWE pic.twitter.com/kWJFTxyKXr

— WWE (@WWE) February 26, 2018"

The show should also provide more clarity on Asuka's intentions. It's not certain she faces Bliss for the Raw Women's Championship. WWE continues to keep the door open for the Royal Rumble winner to choose to face SmackDown's Charlotte Flair instead.

The Raw preview asked of Asuka: "Will she wait until SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte faces Ruby Riot at WWE Fastlane to make her final decision?"

And now that we know for certain that Reigns will tangle with Lesnar at WrestleMania, it's time to begin the long build to that bout. Monday's show will see a confrontation between champion and challenger. 

There's ample history to dig up here, as these two collided at WrestleMania 31. Reigns never got a real shot to prove he could take down The Beast Incarnate. A Money in the Bank cash-in upended everything that night. 

As much as Reigns' critics don't want to see him in this position, a redemption tale is underway. There is still over a month until the big event, so WWE has time to tell this story at a patient pace.