WWE Raw Fallout: Batista vs. Triple H Has Arrived, Roman Reigns Is Back and More

It's time to celebrate: On the night of Ric Flair's 70th birthday celebration, WWE Raw started off hot and did not stop. Everyone had reason to enjoy the show.

No one was happier than Roman Reigns, though, as he returned to the ring to announce his cancer is now in remission. The Big Dog got a huge ovation from the crowd after this great news.

Of course, there was more than just that to take from this show. After another surprise attack from a wild Becky Lynch, who got herself arrested, Ronda Rousey handed over her Raw Women's Championship and she would only keep it if she got her match with The Man.

The Revival fell short once again when faced with a new threat from NXT, as Aleister Black and Ricochet gave them another loss early in their championship run.

Lio Rush may not be celebrating much, but he should hold his head high after a top-notch performance against Finn Balor. The Man of the Hour proved himself more a star than he has looked in months.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night came right at the end as legends took over the ring to celebrate Flair's birthday only for The Nature Boy to get ambushed and laid out by Batista, who then called out Triple H.

This show was packed with big moments setting up a fascinating Road to WrestleMania.

Batista Returns to Make His Match with Triple H Personal

Ric Flair's 70th birthday was set to be a massive celebration with everyone coming out to enjoy the festivities. However, an old friend of The Nature Boy ruined it all as Batista returned, assaulted the WWE legend and left him lying backstage before calling out Triple H.

At SmackDown 1000, the seeds were planted for the one fight Batista has always said he wanted at WrestleMania, a rematch from the contest that put him on the map. While the jury is still out on whether it will be worthy of the spotlight, it now looks fairly certain to take place on April 7.

WrestleMania 35 will likely be the final match of the movie star's wrestling career. The Animal will return to challenge his Evolution partner, and Flair will likely also play a key role. This is a blast from the past at a time when WWE has far moved beyond these two.

On the bright side, Batista has become a huge star in his time away. Fans are ready to see him back in the ring, with The Show of Shows taking place just weeks before the release of the biggest movie of 2019, Avengers: Endgame.

If this is what will bring him back to WWE, let him have it. Triple H has shown he's always up to compete, and Batista has been talking about this match for a long time. It certainly feels like a featured match for The Show of Shows even if it cannot live up to the hype.

Roman Reigns Announces Leukemia Is in Remission

Roman Reigns opened Monday's show to a raucous ovation as he announced that, after four months undergoing treatment for leukemia, it is now in remission. He made it clear he was back and ready to compete again in WWE.

Few wrestlers have been more polarizing in the past decade than The Big Dog, but everyone was able to come together to root for him to overcome his illness. It was truly shocking to hear what he had accomplished in his recovery after such a short time.

Few people can claim to love the wrestling business as much as Reigns, whose whole life has been defined by it. He came back with such a fire in his eyes that it was clear he had long waited for this moment. Now he can get back to what he does best.

While he didn't promise he'd be back in full ring shape soon, he did get physical later in the night, taking out Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre and Elias to save Dean Ambrose. It looks like Reigns' first match back could be coming soon, perhaps at Fastlane on March 10 with a reunification of The Shield.

If he is up to it, he could add a huge element to WrestleMania. While he might not be main-eventing for the fifth year in a row, he can be a featured attraction against anyone, with some enticing possibilities such as McIntyre and John Cena or teaming with The Lunatic Fringe before his teammate leaves WWE.

Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch Remains Money With or Without Charlotte Flair

The saga of Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch continues to grow more intense as The Man ruined the Raw women's champion's match and injured Natalya in an attempt to get at her.

Afterward, and following Lynch's arrest, The Baddest Woman on the Planet gave her title to Stephanie McMahon, demanding she fix this.

While it was suspect to have Rousey cut an impassioned promo just minutes after a long tag team title match, the overall segment worked well. It is clear now there are stakes in this game.

The former UFC star is not going to sit back and take the decision of Vince McMahon to suspend Lynch anymore. She wants a fight with The Irish Lass Kicker as much as her opponent does. It's not just about being the main event, it's seriously personal.

It was surprising to see no resolution to this situation by the end of the night, but Raw was too packed for anything more. It is fascinating to think about where WWE is taking this story after Monday.

Lynch has been arrested and supposedly jailed, and the Raw women's champion has given up her title as an ultimatum. The only way the cliffhangers this show left could have gotten worse would have been if Charlotte Flair had appeared and stolen the belt.

The Revival Continue to Suffer for the Sake of NXT

Credit: WWE.com

The Revival fought the other half of the latest NXT call-ups this week, facing the pairing of Aleister Black and Ricochet. While they did their best to isolate and dominate the less-experienced team, The Dutch Destroyer took the victory all the same with Black Mass.

The Raw tag team champions have held the titles for two weeks and lost two shows in a row. It is frustrating because they finally reached the top of the mountain in the division only to be immediately overshadowed for no discernible reason.

Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa were at least an established team, who had already defeated Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder in the past. Black and The One and Only had almost no experience together until Monday night.

Neither NXT duo had to gain momentum by taking down the newly crowned champions, but it is an easy story to tell for both to overwhelm the titleholders.

The Revival deserve better, but at least the only teams that look like threats to them are NXT pairings, who are unlikely to win gold on the main roster just yet.

Lio Rush Proves Himself with Best Performance of His WWE Run

Credit: WWE.com

Finn Balor's "Moment of Bliss" was ruined by Lio Rush, who was goaded into a title match with the Irishman. Despite doing serious damage to the knee of the intercontinental champion, The Man of the Hour could not seal the victory and fell to the Coup De Grace.

While he can be annoying far too often, Rush is a talented in-ring performer. His natural athleticism is incredible, and his size allows him to fly around the ring unlike almost anyone else in the business.

However, this is the first time on the main roster that he has looked like a legitimate threat against top competition. Even including his work in 205 Live, this was the best singles performance of his career as he was the driving force throughout this match.

While The 22-Year-Old Piece of Gold has a long way to go to feel like a top star on this roster, this went a long way to proving he should get more opportunities.

Hopefully, his work won't go unnoticed. He can certainly be more than the punching bag for Bobby Lashley's frustrations.