Monday Night Raw fallout puts Roman Reigns, Liv Morgan, and Vaquer-Rodriguez on collision course

Monday’s episode of Monday Night Raw set an early, sharp direction for the road to spring’s biggest shows: Roman Reigns made his WrestleMania choice, and the women’s title picture tightened as Liv Morgan’s “undecided” message ended with a statement of violence.

The night in Philadelphia blended celebration with escalation—exactly the kind of first-week-after-Rumble reset that turns one big win into a monthslong chase.

Monday Night Raw shifts into WrestleMania mode

Raw aired Feb. 2, 2026 from Xfinity Mobile Arena, and the show’s most meaningful beats were built around the two Royal Rumble winners: Reigns and Morgan.

By the end of the night, the show had done three things cleanly:

• Locked in Reigns’ headline direction.

• Kept Morgan’s official decision “pending” while still pointing her at one champion.

• Let Stephanie Vaquer survive a marquee stipulation match without closing the door on future challengers.

Roman Reigns makes the pick, and the crowd helps

Reigns’ promo was framed as a choice between champions, and the crowd reaction pushed the moment where it was always headed. He teased an alternate direction by naming Drew McIntyre, but the chant for CM Punk took over—Punk then arrived as champion for the face-to-face.

In the larger story, the segment carried an extra layer because the rivalry has real-world history baked into its on-screen tension. Recent coverage of the exchange highlighted one line in particular—“I’m picking you because I hate you”—as the tone-setter for what is being positioned as a WrestleMania main event-level program.

Stephanie Vaquer survives the Philly Street Fight

The night’s featured women’s match was chaotic and long enough to feel definitive: Stephanie Vaquer defeated Raquel Rodriguez in a Philadelphia Street Fight in 21:55 to retain the Women’s World Championship.

The finish was shaped by interference and misfires rather than a clean one-on-one ending. Morgan appeared at ringside and passed the title belt toward Rodriguez during the closing stretch; Roxanne Perez also got involved, and the climactic table spot partially gave way before Vaquer recovered and scored the pin.

That matters because it preserves Rodriguez as a credible threat even in defeat—and it gives Morgan (and anyone aligned with her) a built-in argument that Vaquer escaped rather than conquered.

Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, and a shaky alliance

Morgan’s night was written as both victory lap and damage control. She was introduced by Dominik Mysterio, then told the crowd she was not ready to name which champion she’ll challenge at WrestleMania 42.

Her explanation to Rodriguez about the controversial Royal Rumble elimination was simple: Morgan has her WrestleMania opportunity, and Rodriguez already had a title match that same night—so, in Morgan’s framing, the group’s title picture didn’t require Morgan to “sacrifice” her own path. Rodriguez’s response—telling Morgan to stay in the back—was less reassurance than warning.

Morgan also said she planned to visit SmackDown to scout options, including Jade Cargill as champion.

Then came the swerve: after Vaquer retained, Morgan hit Vaquer with Oblivion and posed with the belt—an attack that undercut the “I haven’t decided” line without actually making the choice official.

What’s next: Elimination Chamber and the spring runway

The calendar is now tight. Elimination Chamber is set for Feb. 28, 2026 at United Center, giving the company a clear checkpoint to finalize multiple WrestleMania matchups.

Raw also plugged that next week’s show in Cleveland will start Elimination Chamber qualifying matches, an early sign that the men’s and women’s “last slots” stories will begin immediately rather than simmering.

And WrestleMania itself is scheduled for April 18–19, 2026 at Allegiant Stadium near Las Vegas—meaning the Reigns-Punk direction and Morgan-Vaquer friction now have real dates bearing down on them.

Sources consulted: WWE; Sports Illustrated; Cageside Seats; Allegiant Stadium