Natalya wins gauntlet match, earns title shot against Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey didn’t come to Raw to talk about TLC but to fight.

Sure Rousey very briefly mentioned what she did to Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair at TLC but quickly pivoted over to laying out another open challenge.

But not before Rousey defined what being a champion truly means.

Before the music could hit and any woman from the Raw locker room could make there way to the ring, backstage cameras showed every woman on the roster arguing about who should get the title opportunity.

Stephan McMahon quickly fixed that problem and announced that an eight woman gauntlet match would determine who got to face Rousey next week on Raw.

Alicia Fox vs. Bayley opened the gauntlet match that began at the top of the third hour and last all the way through the end of the episode.

Bayley would get through both Fox and Dana Brooke before running into Mickie James.

James would face Ember Moon next and get eliminated by the former NXT women’s champion.

Fresh off a physical tables match one night prior, Natalya would come out and have the best run of the night.

Natalya would best Moon with an O’Conner roll-up then take out her rival Ruby Riott with a school boy roll-up.

Finally Sasha Banks would be the eighth and final entry into the match. Banks and Natalya went head to head and put on a hell of a closing segment.

Despite being worn out versus the fresher Banks, Natalya held her own. Not only did Natalya hold her own she was one step ahead of The Boss.

Ten minutes into the final leg of the gauntlet, Natalya got a hold of Banks’ legs and forced her to tap out from the Sharpshooter.

Natalya moves on to face Ronda Rousey next week, Christmas Eve, for the Raw women’s title.

Was Natalya the right choice to face Rousey next?

Get complete Raw results and coverage here.