This week's Monday Night Raw was one of the best Raw shows in a long time, and it was the perfect warm-up for the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view this weekend in Las Vegas.

The same seven superstars that will compete inside the chamber this weekend to win a match against Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 34, all competed in a gauntlet match in the first two hours of the show.

Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, John Cena, Elias, Finn Balor, The Miz, and Braun Strowman put on an incredible gauntlet match, which was eventually won by Strowman, for the go-home show before Elimination Chamber. Many people thought as well that Rollins had a career-night inside the ring.

Overall, many WWE fans were very happy with how the gauntlet match panned out, and because of the vast difference to the normal style and pacing of Raw, many thought Triple H was the one backstage calling the shots for the match to make it a success.

However, according to Mike Johnson at PWInsider, that wasn't the case, as the gauntlet match, was all Vince McMahon's idea, including the length and presentation of the match.

Johnson states that McMahon was the person who suggested the gauntlet "out of nowhere", which surprised some since he is traditionally not very high on such matches. It goes to show that despite the criticism he receives from many WWE fans, he still has a very creative mind and isn't lacking ideas.

So if he enjoyed the gauntlet match on Raw last Monday, you have Vince McMahon to thank, as it looks like Triple H hasn't been handed the reigns to control WWE's biggest weekly show just yet.

The gauntlet match was a great warm-up for the men's Elimination Chamber match this weekend between Rollins, Reigns, Cena, Elias, Balor, The Miz, and Strowman, as it showcased each superstar to a reasonable level, making it an even playing field entering the event.

However, many WWE fans have known for months that The Big Dog is booked to face Lesnar for the Universal title at WrestleMania 34 this weekend, meaning despite being eliminated first in the gauntlet match on Raw, he will be winning inside the Elimination Chamber this Sunday.

The Kingslayer's good performance in the gauntlet match this week has teased that he could be involved in the Universal title picture in the near future as well, but this probably won't happen until after WrestleMania takes place.