Just days before WWE heads to Perth, Australia for Elimination Chamber, it presented a blockbuster episode of Raw, headlined by a premium live event-worthy main event between Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre.

Did The American Nightmare keep momentum on his side and defeat the Scot, or did McIntyre make his mark ahead of the men's Elimination Chamber match on Saturday, when he has the chance to earn a World Heavyweight Championship shot at WrestleMania 40?

Find out the answer to that and more with this recap of the February 19 episode of WWE's flagship show.

Match Card

Announced in advance for Monday's show:

• Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre
• DIY, The Miz and R-Truth vs. The Judgment Day (Finn Bálor, Damian Priest, JD McDonagh and Dominik Mysterio)
• Intercontinental Championship: Jey Uso vs. Gunther (c)
• Last Chance Elimination Chamber Qualifying Battle Royal: Michin vs. Alba Fyre vs. Zelina Vega vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Zoey Stark
• Chad Gable vs. Ivar

Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre

Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre tore the house down at the top of Monday's show, kicking things off with a banger of a match.

Back-and-forth action defined the bout, with neither man gaining a sustained advantage for most of it. The two men traded signature moves, strikes and countered each other's finishers, refusing to let the other deliver the knockout blow that decided the outcome.

Instead, it would be the interfering Jimmy Uso who distracted the official and allowed Solo Sikoa to flatten Rhodes with the Samoan Spike, setting the 2024 men's Royal Rumble winner up for the Claymore as McIntyre scored the win.

The finish was right out of WrestleMania 39, where Sikoa came from the crowd shrouded in black and delivered the Samoan Spike to cost Rhodes the match against Roman Reigns. It was a nice callback that served as a bit of mind games from The Bloodline to the man who ruined its main event plans for this year's show.

McIntyre appeared conflicted as he watched The Bloodline interfere on his behalf, remembering that his bitterness traces back to their involvement in his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship loss to Reigns at Clash at the Castle in September 2022.

Great action and advanced stories helped elevate the opening to the show. Great stuff from all involved and, most importantly, it made sense within the context of all that we already know.

Result

McIntyre defeated Rhodes

Grade

B+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• A great video package set the stage for the match in between entrances. A nice touch, as were the notes accompanying the Superstars' graphics, such as McIntyre looking for his second Elimination Chamber victory.
• From the staredown at the start to the lighting, camera work and red-hot crowd, this felt like a premium live event match from the start.
• Rhodes showed great intensity, firing up at one point and demanding McIntyre bring the fight to him.
• As the babyface nursed his injuries backstage, Seth Rollins appeared. He said nothing, but it was clear he was reminding Rhodes that they have to stick together against The Bloodline. 

Elimination Chamber Qualifier Battle Royal

Participants: Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark, Raquel Rodriguez, Xia Li, Valhalla, Tegan Nox, Natalya, Indi Hartwell, Candice LeRae, Maxxine Dupri, Ivy Nile, Elektra Lopez, B-Fab, Katana Chance, Michin, Zelina Vega, Chelsea Green, Isla Dawn, and Alba Fyre

The sixth and final participant in the women's Elimination Chamber match was determined Monday night as Raquel Rodriguez returned and cashed her ticket to Australia with a Battle Royal victory.

Rodriguez overcame the united front of Baszler and Stark, dumping them consecutively to earn her win.

The Battle Royal was fun, with a handful of different stories either advanced or explored within its run time. The false finish at the end, with Green popping out from under the ring only to see her sneak attack on Rodriguez fail miserably as she was tossed to the floor, was a lot of fun, too.

Rodriguez is the least interesting choice to win, but the big return and dominance should have been evidence enough that it was the direction the creative team was heading.

Comeback or not, she stands no chance Saturday, when Becky Lynch should still be considered the overwhelming favorite to leave with a guaranteed title shot.

Result

Rodriguez won

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Valhalla eliminated Dupri to continue that story.
• Vega was massively over, and Lopez earned significant heat for eliminating her.
• Baszler and Stark impressed as a team, making their definitive losses in qualifiers that much more confusing. 

Interview with Rhea Ripley and Nia Jax; An In-Depth Interview with R-Truth

Ahead of their Women's World Championship match at Elimination Chamber, Rhea Ripley and Nia Jax conducted a short sit-down interview that accomplished nothing.

This was a disappointing final build for the most-hyped match on Saturday's card.

From there, Jackie Redmond threw to a pre-taped interview she conducted with R-Truth earlier in the day.

More hilarity ensued as Truth expressed his disappointment in the dismantling of his relationship with The Judgment Day and then wandered aimlessly in a blue poncho.

Brilliant.

Grade

D for the Ripley-Jax interview; A for the Truth interview

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Jax's confidence in her victory rests solely on the fact that she is bigger than Ripley.
• Ripley's storm-off was hindered by the audio equipment.
• Truth on his first meeting with The Judgment Day: "It was special, like the first time John Cena tried on jean shorts."

R-Truth, The Miz and DIY vs. The Judgment Day

For a moment Monday night, it appeared R-Truth would gain a measure of revenge on Damian Priest and The Judgment Day.

He exploded into the match late, taking the fight to The Archer of Infamy, while Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano and The Miz battled Finn Bálor, JD McDonagh and Dominik Mysterio at ringside.

An ill-fated attempt at the Attitude Adjustment was countered, though, and Priest delivered South of Heaven for the pinfall win.

This high-energy, eight-man tag team contest highlighted Ciampa nicely, too, but this was ultimately all about Truth and his quest for vengeance.

He did not get it on this night, thanks to an alert Priest, but all signs point to Truth and The Judgment Day mixing it up again shortly, perhaps as soon as WrestleMania 40.

After all, what better way to stick it to the heels than by taking their tag titles on The Grandest Stage of Them All?

Result

The Judgment Day defeated Truth, The Miz and DIY

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• UFC star Michael Chandler called out Conor McGregor before the match, using the WWE platform to bring eyes to the MMA world. Not a bad idea considering both companies fall under the TKO umbrella.

• Truth's commitment to John Cena being his "childhood hero" is superb. He continues to use the shoulder blocks, side slam and the Five Knuckle Shuffle. 
• The hot tag to Truth ignited the crowd and resulted in a hell of a pop.
• Ciampa ran the ropes and in and out of the corners for what felt like an eternity, earning the respect of the fans who appreciated his cardio. 
• "16 abs just ran into each other in the middle of the ring," Pat McAfee said following a Ciampa-Bálor double-down.

Becky Lynch Promo

Becky Lynch hit the ring for the go-home promo segment ahead of Saturday's women's Elimination Chamber match.

The Man reiterated her need to win the contest and challenge Rhea Ripley for the Women's World Championship at WrestleMania, which drew out Liv Morgan, who reminded fans of her quest for revenge against The Eradicator.

Raquel Rodriguez, Naomi and Tiffany Stratton all followed suit, taking shots at their opponents before Bianca Belair's arrival blew the roof off the Honda Center in Anaheim.

Before a brawl between the six women could break out, Nia Jax appeared and proceeded to lay out each one of them before standing tall, an emphatic response to Ripley's claim that she isn't good enough to beat her.

This was interesting creative in that Jax looks like an unstoppable force, but it came at the expense of six women who should have been protected as they compete to determine the No. 1 contender.

Does it really hurt any of the Chamber competitors? No, but in what universe did Jax have to wipe out the entire field by herself?

Grade

C+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Belair reminded fans of her undefeated streak at WrestleMania, which would seem to plant the seeds for it to be utilized moving forward.
• Morgan told Lynch that she was the last competitor to defeat Ripley, adding to the idea that she could win Saturday and set up a one-on-one title match for the opportunity to avenge the injured shoulder that sidelined her for six months.

Chad Gable vs. Ivar

The months-long rivalry between Alpha Academy and The Viking Raiders continued Monday in singles action when Chad Gable squared off with Ivar.

The match was very good, with Gable fighting from underneath. He absorbed everything his bigger and more powerful opponent threw at him and mounted a comeback, seizing on the opportunity presented by Ivar's missed moonsault.

A German suplex, a moonsault of his own and an ankle lock earned the Olympian the victory.

Both guys often fly under the radar and are candidates for the most underrated Superstar consideration.

Result

Gable defeated Ivar

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Ivar side-suplexed Gable spine-first onto the timekeeper's guardrail.
• Gable repeatedly teased a German suplex, finally paying it off with one that popped the crowd.
• The babyface seamlessly transitioned from a pinfall into an ankle lock in a great example of his fluidity as a competitor.

Intercontinental Championship: Jey Uso vs. Gunther

Gunther narrowly retained the Intercontinental Championship against Jey Uso in the main event of Monday's show, thanks to Jimmy Uso.

Late in the contest, Jey uncorked five consecutive Spears, driving the air out of the champion. From there, he added a top-rope splash, only for the ring bell to sound prematurely.

It was Jimmy preventing his brother from achieving individual glory. Jey had another opportunity but he opted to take out his brother at ringside only for another splash attempt to be met with the knees of Gunther, who rolled him up for the win.

After the match, Jimmy assaulted Jey with multiple splashes to close out the show.

And with that, it appears we are headed to a sibling battle at WrestleMania 40.

The match itself was fantastic, the best of Jey's singles run to date. It earned its place in the main event of this broadcast.

Result

Gunther defeated Uso to retain

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

• McAfee stopped in his tracks as Gunther shot him a glance, no longer engaging in Uso's pre-match antics  
• Uso smacked Gunther, igniting a fire in the champion that saw him brutalize and pummel his rival entering the commercial break.
• The challenger potentially turned things in his favor entering the final break of the night with a tope suicida. 
• Uso delivered a Spear for a great near-fall. Gunther followed with one of his own off a splash for two.

Overall Grade

This was the best episode of Raw in months, showcasing new production values and a sense of urgency. Everything felt like it had a purpose.

There was a singular goal to hype up Elimination Chamber and then put the storytelling pieces in place to properly build to WrestleMania.

The opener and main event were fantastic contests, and everything in between was mostly good. As it should be.

WWE's creative process always thrives at this time of the year, and it made a packed three-hour edition feel relatively short, which is the mark of an enjoyable show.

Grade: A