Aj Styles Hall of Fame nod reshapes the road to Elimination Chamber — what fans heading to WrestleMania should know

Why this matters now: aj styles' Hall of Fame announcement lands in the middle of a Raw stacked with qualifying matches and physical backstage heat, changing the emotional tenor for fans and the momentum for several wrestlers bound for the Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania. For viewers planning the next premium live events, the announcement reframes tribute storytelling and card positioning.

What fans should feel first about Aj Styles' induction and Monday's crowd moments

The Undertaker arrived after aj styles officially retired to announce that The Phenomenal One will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. That moment sat atop a night that also produced qualifying outcomes, physical confrontations, and storyline pivots — all details that will be referenced in the lead-up to the premium shows on the calendar and at WrestleMania.

Key segments and backstage heat that set the tone before matches

The show opened with an attempted tribute to Aj Styles, which was interrupted when Gunther stepped in and then left under protest after being ordered out of the arena by the general manager. Dragon Lee ambushed The Ring General after the interruption — the second attack on him in as many weeks — and tensions were separated backstage before the card moved on.

Match outcomes that altered Elimination Chamber lineups

Jey Uso earned the final Elimination Chamber spot by defeating Bronson Reed and the “Original” El Grande Americano in a Triple Threat match. The Vision’s Bronson Reed, World Tag Team Champion Jey Uso and El Grande Americano clashed for the final spot; Americano used an enormous German suplex to remove Reed from the contest, and moments later Uso speared Americano and followed with an Uso Splash to advance. At one point Reed appeared to suffer a wrist or forearm injury and required medical attention at ringside.

• Jey Uso now heads into the Elimination Chamber with a title opportunity in sight and has punched his ticket to Chicago.
• The Vision attempted an ambush on Cody Rhodes during the opening segment; the faction cut a promo that led to Jey Uso’s arrival.
• The Usos backed up Cody Rhodes against The Vision, and the group retreated when The American Nightmare received help from World Tag Team Champions The Usos.

Liv Morgan’s WrestleMania decision and the women’s picture

Liv Morgan, identified as the 2026 Women’s Royal Rumble winner, chose Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer as her WrestleMania opponent. Morgan, flanked by beau Dominik Mysterio, called out both Stephanie Vaquer and another champion on the scene before saying WrestleMania 42 is about telling her story; she then blasted Vaquer with a microphone, beat her down and left her lying following an ObLIVion.

Other match notes and a mixed history of encounters

Nattie defeated Maxxine Dupri referee stoppage after ruthlessly knocking Dupri out at ringside. The two previously fought to a double count-out on an earlier February show, and on this night Nattie attacked Dupri from the opening bell.

Last time in action references embedded in the coverage: Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and LA Knight lost to Bronson Reed, Logan Paul and Austin Theory on a prior show; El Grande Americano and Je'Von Evans had defeated Los Americanos on another prior show.

• Promotional notes in the coverage invite fans to access premium live events and archival content through multiple apps and networks and outline options for watching WrestleMania and other premium live events online; schedule availability is subject to each platform.

Here’s the part that matters to ticket-buyers and viewers: those tribute beats, backstage attacks and the qualifying match finishes will be referenced repeatedly in storytelling toward the Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania 42, and the matches changed who carries momentum into those events.

• Fans planning to follow the premium events should track how the Reed situation develops and whether the injury affects his status.
• WrestleMania planning now includes Liv Morgan vs. Stephanie Vaquer as a promoted storyline after Morgan’s selection.
• Cody Rhodes’ segment and the Usos’ involvement strengthened tag-title-related angles coming into the Chamber weekend.
• The Undertaker’s Hall of Fame announcement for Aj Styles reframes the retiring star’s narrative heading into WrestleMania build.

Micro timeline: a prior show included a loss for Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and LA Knight to Bronson Reed, Logan Paul and Austin Theory; El Grande Americano and Je'Von Evans beat Los Americanos on another earlier show; the recent Raw where these developments unfolded took place on February 23 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

What’s easy to miss is how the tribute moment and the in-ring outcomes live in separate tonal spaces — one reverential, one ruthlessly competitive — and both will be folded into the storytelling for the coming premium events. The real question now is whether the physical fallout, especially Reed’s ringside medical attention, forces any card adjustments before the Elimination Chamber.