Shane McMahon made a surprise return to WWE television on Monday Night Raw.
The 51 year-old's comeback saw him make a major announcement concerning the company's next pay per view, Elimination Chamber.
McMahon hasn't been a regular performer on WWE programming since 2019, barring a fleeting return for RAW Underground last year.
Fans knew, then, that something big was likely to accompany his presence, and it proved to be so - McMahon confirming that Drew McIntyre will defend his championship inside the Chamber against AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, The Miz, Randy Orton and Sheamus.
The bout does a great job of separating the would-be WrestleMania opponents - with months still to go until the April spectacular, it made sense for Edge to remain out of the direct title picture, while a an intended Brouge kick from Sheamus to McIntyre at the end of the night was enough to suggest those two will likely meet at Fastlane in March. As it was, the kick itself went astray and helped earn Randy Orton a disqualification win over the Scot in the main event.
Other matches were confirmed for Elimination Chamber on Monday's Raw. After a hot-headed Charlotte Flair failed to keep her temper in check, a disqualification win for Lacey Evans earned her a title bout against Asuka - though there were no signs of the rivalry between Flair, father Ric and Evans dying down any time soon.
Also confirmed was a triple threat match for the United States Championship as incumbent Bobby Lashley defeats against recent whipping boy Matt Riddle, and Keith Lee who incurred the wrath of the Hurt Business during Monday's show.
In a battle featuring combatants from the upcoming men's Chamber match, Styles overcame Hardy in a solid but far from spectacular bout thanks to a Calf Crusher submission, while Keith Lee also defeated Riddle before chaos descended.
The New Day's lengthy battle with Retribution continued as the popular duo defeated T-Bar and Slapjack much to the disgust of leader Mustafa Ali, with the ever impressive Damian Priest picking up another victory, this time pinning Angel Garza - after Bad Bunny had helped disperse the beat-down of the Raw newcomer by Miz and Morrison.
A brief outing Saw Naomi beat Shayna Baszler with a roll-up, while Lana just about got the best of Nia Jax in a seemingly needless tables match.
Image - WWE
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