Raw recap & reactions (Feb. 23, 2026): AJ goes to the Hall of Fame

The Finish Line

Nothing jumped out at me about this week’s rasslin’ program. So rather than talk about why that is, I’m just using the opportunity to give my thoughts on the AJ Styles segment.

WWE produces a hell of a video package. They put a dope one together for a guy who made his name all over the world before setting WWE on fire for the last decade. Creed’s “Higher” was a fantastic touch that made me wistful or the late ‘90s, but also feels like an AJ song. If there was one misstep for me, it was showing Frankie Kazarian and Abyss backstage but not doing anything with them during the big moment. Especially after AJ shouted them out in his speech.

I also liked AJ’s reasoning for not ditching his gloves at Royal Rumble. Do I believe it was the plan at the time to do a tribute in Atlanta, therefore he wouldn’t need to leave his gloves in Saudi Arabia? No, not for a nanosecond. It’s still a touching reason and made the moment feel more momentous. He also touched on not being the greatest dad during his long career because he missed so much. He watched his kids grow through screens rather than always being at home. In a business where the money and the miles are the only real things, AJ’s sentiment on how the job affects parenting might need to get added to that list.

Will AJ wrestle again? He said he’s a man of his word, so this feels like the end of the road. I don’t know if I quite believe that but I will give him the benefit of the doubt since I don’t know the man.

The segment ended with Undertaker rolling out on his motorcycle and telling AJ he is formally inducted into the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame. That’s a huge deal for many reasons but even more so for a guy who was always Mr. TNA.

Now he’s a WWE Hall of Famer.

B-Sides

• The big news from the Elimination Chamber qualifier isn’t Jey Uso winning, unfortunately; it’s Bronson Reed’s health. During the match, the big man tore his bicep while breaking up a pinfall. That took him out of commission for the rest of the contest. Man, The Vision can’t catch a break. Bron Breakker’s out, Bronson doesn’t look like he’s continuing for a bit, and Seth Rollins’ injury precipitated the group’s current incarnation. That means this supergroup will consists of Logan Paul and Austin Theory for the near future. That’s suboptimal for me as neither man feels ready to carry a faction. Especially heading into WrestleMania. A bicep tear is serious and he is sadly out indefinitely.
  
• Back to Jey’s win: Meh. I still have no idea why The Usos have tag team gold if they’re only focusing on Jey getting singles gold.
  
• As for the women’s chamber, Raquel Rodriguez made good on her promise. This was a little sloppy as the ladies’ looked a bit out of sync. But IYO SKY delivered a very impressive aerial DDT that made me demand a replay just to see how she did it. Raquel moving forward while IYO and Kairi Sane stay put makes sense. Those two have so much drama withe each other and need to handle that. Raquel’s improved weekly. This is a big spot for her and I have no doubt she’ll deliver.
  
• While it wasn’t exactly a hidden swerve, I liked the viciousness and anger Liv Morgan showed when she lulled Stephanie Vaquer into a false sense of security. Dirty Dom summoned both women’s champs to the ring for Liv to pick her Mania opponent. Liv put on her best vulnerable voice. She empathized with La Primera and said her words really hit hard. She took Stephanie’s journey for granted and didn’t realize that Liv’s story isn’t the sob story she thought. Well, yeah, that was until she sucker punched Stephanie into two weeks from now. The beat down made it official: Liv Morgan vs. Stephanie Vaquer in Las Vegas. Great job from Liv to turn last week’s potential face moment into pure heel bliss. She effectively took whatever sympathy the crowd might’ve felt for her and threw it right back in their faces…after she almost broke Stephanie’s.
  
• For a minute, I thought they had plans for Maxxine Dupri. I hope they still do. I hold out hope that the ref stopping the match after Nattie pounded on Maxxine’s lifeless body is part of a larger tale. One that sees Maxxine dig deep, get good, and get her revenge on the block’s baddest bully. Of course, I could be incredibly wrong and this is just them trying to get Nattie over, again, but at Maxxine’s expense.
  
• A Brock Lesnar open challenge for WrestleMania. I will refrain from feeling any emotion until I know the opponent. Oba Femi is the obvious choice after he’s finished whatever they’re cooking between him and Rusev. But as of now, the Brock and Paul Heyman act bores me.
  
• Kofi Kingston vs. Je’Von Evans served a few purposes. One, it kept Je’Von hot before Elimination Chamber. B, it got Offset on television. And lastly, it allowed Michael Cole & Corey Graves to sound incredibly old as they tried using modern slang. The “how do you do fellow kids” energy practically jumped through the screen. While I enjoyed the match, I hate seeing New Day in the spot where they’re not really doing anything major. The only reason this match even happened is because Offset showed up to give Je’Von props, which made Xavier Woods jealous. I can’t stop thinking about how awesome this heel turn began and now it’s barely registering.
  
• Finn Balor got a few moments this week to impress upon everyone how important his Elimination Chamber match is to him. Yet he and CM Punk didn’t cross paths. Punk had an entire segment to himself while his upcoming opponent was nowhere to be found. I know this is a stepping stone to Mania but I wish they made it feel more important. Or like Finn even has a bit of a shot.

This was another okay episode of Monday television. Everything with Liv Morgan and Stephanie Vaquer cooked (despite Stephanie’s bleh entrance music), AJ Styles’ segment brought the emotion, and the Elimination Chamber filled out. The night just felt uninspired, almost like Elimination Chamber is perfunctory rather than a meaningful show. Bronson Reed’s injury sucks and that will no doubt upend several plans. Here’s wishing a speedy recovery to the guy.

What say you, Cagesiders? Does AJ wrestle again or is he truly putting his gloves on the shelf?