photo credit to WWE
WWE returned to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their premium live event: Elimination Chamber. Last year's Crown Jewel was a huge success, so I was pretty excited to see if this show could top it. On paper, there were a lot of matches that had the potential to be great. From Lita coming back for one more match to seeing Brock Lesnar compete in the chamber for the first time- there was a lot to look forward to. Did this PPV live up to last years event? Let’s find out.
Kickoff show:
Rey Mysterio vs The Miz:
photo credit to WWE
Let me just say all the crowd wasn’t even in the building for this, and yet they still sounded louder than most crowds. The thing I enjoy about these events is the crowds enthusiasm for the show. It doesn’t matter what they’re watching, they will be invested and cheer till the end of the night.
The match was pretty decent though. A good way to get the crowd excited (not like they needed the help though).
I can’t really say more about it honestly! The real talking point happened later on in the show.
Miz did a backstage interview and said he needed to make a call for a partner.
Maybe he needs his old pal Morrison back? Maybe Maryse is ready to make her intergender wrestling debut. Or maybe Miz needs some extra adrenaline (in his soul)??
It’ll probably be Logan Paul.
Rating: 3/5
Main Show: Goldberg vs Roman Reigns:
photo credit to WWE
Goldberg is always up for an easy pay day and WWE needed someone big for Roman to face- so here we are.
There wasn’t much story here besides the fact this match was supposed to happen two years ago at WrestleMania, but it never did.
Now, Roman is on a killing streak and has held that title for 500 plus days. So how would Goldberg approach this current Roman and would he be the one to take the title off the tribal chief? (doubtful)
This match had a pretty predictable ending. With Brock challenging Roman at Mania, no way was Roman going to lose that title.
This match did not have to be a classic. Just have the two beat eachother up for a few minutes and get it over with. Luckily for us, the match lasted about six minutes.
The match wasn’t anything remarkable by any means. Some hard hitting moves by the two big men. Goldberg hit the spear a few times and the jackhammer was teased. I never really thought Goldberg was going to win, but having these “almost” moments helped me at least be sort of entertained.
Like I said, nothing remarkable and definitely wasn’t worth the rewatch.
Rating: 2.25/5
Women’s Elimination Chamber match:
photo credit to WWE
Let’s take a moment to appreciate the women’s gears at this show. The women really got creative this year. From Liv Morgan’s tribute to Britney Spears’ iconic red latex suit, to Rhea Ripley’s full on dominatrix like look- the women absolutely killed it.
Alexa Bliss made her in ring return after being gone for a few months. I wondered if she’d come back as normal Alexa or spooky Alexa. We got spooky Alexa.
Personally, I really enjoy whacky and spooky Alexa! The therapist segments have been funny and really show off her acting skills. I’m rooting for Lily’s return too. Alexa also had a swing in her pod- which was awesome. I’d love to see specialized pods for certain characters in the future.
But on to the actual match.
I will go ahead and say the women’s chamber was much better than the men’s. While it did start off a bit slow, it definitely picked up near the end.
Nikki A.S.H and Liv Morgan started off the match. Shout out to Morgan in this match. She was getting thrown into the cage every other minute! Tons of chants for Morgan as well.
The third entrant into the chamber was Duodrop. She was able to use her strength to overpower the two women. Despite her unfortunate name, Duodrop has been a great addition to the Raw roster in my opinion. It’s always nice to have a powerhouse in the division.
The fourth entrant was Rhea Ripley. Rhea was someone else I really enjoyed watching in this match. Ripley’s been taking second place to Belair these past few months, but I hope these two get to have a match for the title one day. Their paths have always crossed- since their NXT days- so a feud for the Raw women’s championship would be so cool.
The fifth entrant was Alexa Bliss. Bliss has not missed a beat since being gone. She looked phenomenal in my opinion. She was a lot of fun to watch.
Finally it was time for the sixth and final entrant: Bianca Belair. Belair and Ripley had a stare down. Ripley slapped Belair and the two fought- getting me further hyped for their eventual feud and match.
Belair and Bliss were the final two. Would Bliss come back from her return and take on Becky Lynch at Mania or would Belair be able to finally get her one on one match with Lynch after losing her title in 26 seconds?
Belair and Bliss have amazing chemistry. Their encounter at the 2019 Rumble was awesome, and so was their encounter here. I think a one on one match between the two would be great.
The two had amazing back and forths; such as Bliss going for a DDT but Belair avoiding it with a handspring.
There was so many nearfalls and roll ups; I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.
Finally, Belair hits the KOD and pins Alexa and secured her match at WrestleMania.
Was this finish predictable? A little, yeah. Honestly, I think the reason they brought Alexa back “just to lose” (as many people have said) was to have an unpredictability factor in the match. Alexa is someone that you can safely bet on to win whatever she’s in- so when she got added I thought that Bianca’s spot was in danger.
Many have complained about this finish, but I don’t get why. Belair vs Lynch at WrestleMania has been the story since SummerSlam. Belair lost her title in 26 seconds! I’ve been dying to see her redeem herself. It’s always been Belair and Lynch’s destiny to fight at Mania.
Alexa Bliss vs Becky Lynch does have some history I suppose. It was Bliss who took the SmackDown women’s title off Lynch. However, Belair vs Lynch just has more history and bigger stakes behind it. Alexa is no way buried and she will definitely be champion soon- probably by the end of 2022!
Morgan, Ripley and most definitely Bliss will get their moments- but you can’t spell Wrestlemania without EST.
Rating: 3.25/5
photo credit to WWE
Charlotte Flair and Sonya Deville vs Naomi and Ronda Rousey:
photo credit to WWE
One more final appreciation for the women’s gears. Sonya had an all black latex gear. Naomi had a fun and colorful neon body suit.
Ronda showed up in her black belt attire- which looked better than her actual gears.
For this match, they added a stipulation where Rousey had to compete with a hand tied behind her back.
I honestly thought this match as fine. Nothing special, but it did the job it needed to do. Plus, I’m all up for getting extra women matches on the card!
Rousey looked a bit rusty still- which gets me scared for her and Charlotte’s singles match at Mania. Charlotte can be great when she wants to be but it’ll be hard to tell which Charlotte we‘ll get. I just hope we don’t get a repeat of their last encounter at Mania.
Maybe adding a third person would help! Maybe someone who has had recent experience with Charlotte and was proven to have good chemistry with her… just an idea.
It was cool to see Naomi show off her athleticism. She hit a beautiful corkscrew dive to Charlotte on the outside.
Rousey got Deville in the arm drag even with one arm as Charlotte just watched on. Deville taps out. Naomi and Rousey get the win.
Yeah, not much to say about this. This was just a way to get Ronda on the card, so I can’t be too critical. Maybe the fact I had low expectations helped. Anyways, despite it not being anything special, I still enjoyed it. It didn’t last too long but still got a nice amount of time, so I’m content.
Rating: 2.75/5
Drew McIntyre vs Madcap Moss:
photo credit to WWE
Another match no one wanted but they had to find a way to get their top stars on the card (I’m of course talking about Madcop Moss here).
Moss and Happy Corbin took out McIntyre and put him out of action for a little bit. The scottish warrior was now out for revenge. And that’s how we got this falls count anywhere match.
Yeah, it’s hard to find anyone who was excited for this.
The beginning of the match was nothing special. Corbin and Moss took advantage and beat down McIntyre. I know it’s not that deep but why didn’t Corbin just help the whole time? It’s no DQ! But I digress.
Like I said, this match didn’t have much momentum. It wasn’t till Drew hit an Alabama slam gone wrong that I woke up. Moss landed right on his head. It’s a miracle he didn’t break his neck and it’s even crazier he got up and finished the match! Big props to Moss for his performance in this match.
That being said, I was now only invested because I was cringing at every move hit on Moss. How on earth was this man moving?! And why was McIntyre hitting suplexes on the outside after nearly paralyzing him?!
It didn’t help that they replayed the video of Moss landing right on his head so many times. On rewatch, it still doesn’t get easier to watch.
Again, I’m glad he’s alright. Props to Corbin for getting Moss out the ring right after that landing.
Like the psycho he is, Drew was determined to murder Moss. He hit a claymore while holding his sword (Not before narrowly missing Corbin as he swung at him). Drew pins Moss and gets the win.
Another predictable ending- a common theme with this premium live event.
I don’t think Drew’s story with Happy Corbin and Moss is over though. We’ll probably see him and Corbin face off at Mania. I’m thinking a steel cage match where Moss will still find a way to intervene.
Rating: 2.5/5
Becky Lynch vs Lita:
photo credit to WWE
Becky Lynch vs Lita. What a dream match. I was super pumped for this.
Becky’s reign has been great. Her feuds have been great. Matches have been solid. And she’s built her character perfectly.
Even the way they set this matchup was perfect. Lita was Becky’s idol growing up so naturally, Becky was still a little starstruck to be in the ring with her. Lita knew Lynch’s ego was huge and she knew she was a big fan, so she hyped up Lynch. She then caught Lynch off gaurd and asks for a title match. Lynch is unsure of this and unsure she can even compete against her idol. Lita then calls her a coward which angers the hot head. Lynch gives Lita her match and Lita quickly dips after getting what she wants. Lita, the veteran, knows how to play mind games.
The match itself was pretty enjoyable. A little slow here and there, but I can’t be too mad at Lita for having some ring rust. This was her first singles match in 16 years! Match could have been absolutely awful and I’d have probably still enjoyed it. I just loved seeing Lita back in action.
I think the match really picked up near the end and I wouldn’t have minded seeing it go on for another two or three minutes, but I think they had a decent amount of time too.
Lynch hit a moonsault of her own which was cool. Becky continues to pull out new moves and she gets better and better every time we see her compete. Her vs Bianca Belair at Mania is going to be insane.
Lynch won, of course. I don’t think anyone really expected Lita to win. I’m really happy we got this match though. Becky’s reign has been so enjoyable to me, and this match only further solidifies her as a great champion.
Despite failing to capture the title, Lita got a standing ovation from the fans. She had an emotional response, which in turn made me emotional.
If this was Lita’s last match, then what a way to go.
Rating: 3.25/5
photo credit to WWE
The Viking Raiders vs The Usos
The Usos attacked The Viking Raiders before the match started, leaving them unable to compete.
I can’t say I was particularly disappointed we didn’t get this match. The build for it has been basically nonexistent. So perhaps this is just a way for them to stretch this to Mania.
I just hope everyone involved got their big paycheck for making the journey.
Rating: n/a
Men’s Elimination Chamber match:
photo credit to WWE
Where to start with this match?
I think going in, most knew who was winning this. But that didn’t mean the match wasn’t going to be good! Well…
It wasn’t awful by any means, but it definitely wasn’t good.
We started off with Austin Theory and Seth Rollins. Rollins powerbombed Theory through Lashley’s pod. In the process, this seemed to actually injure Lashley. Bobby had to be sent to the back.
At first, I thought this was a work. I thought he’d come back and face off against Brock in the end. But he never did. If Lashley really is injured, I wonder what the original plan for the match was? If this is a work, I wonder what this means for Lashley.
Matt Riddle was the third entrant and Aj Styles the fourth. Bobby Lashley was supposed to be the fifth entrant, but he wasn’t there. So Lesnar took matters into his own hands and broke out the pod.
Instantly, he causes chaos. He F5s Rollins and pins him. Seth is the first one out.
It kinda sucks you have guys like Rollins and Styles and they did nothing of importance. They weren’t that memorable in the match. Matt and Austin did more (unfortunately).
Lesnar got Riddle and Styles out of the match pretty easily. Which only left Theory.
I can’t lie, this part was fun to watch. Theory’s pretty annoying, so I didn’t mind seeing him fear for his life and get tossed around by Lesnar. Theory did get one over on Brock by performing a low blow, but that wouldn’t be enough to keep Brock down.
The two somehow make their way on top of a pod. Brock performs a sick F5 from the top of the pod.
Brock wins the match and the WWE championship. Champion vs Champion at Wrestlemania is advertised.
Like I said before, I think most of us expected this ending. If the match was better, maybe I’d be more okay with this. Something about having both world titles in one match at Mania concerns me.
Where does this leave the Raw main event scene? Maybe we’ll get Lashley vs Lesnar on night 1 of Mania and then Roman vs Brock on night 2. Who knows at this point.
Rating: 2.25/5
photo credit to WWE
Final thoughts:
Every match on the card was very predictable. Predictably doesn’t have to be a bad thing though! As long as the matches are good and you have hints of the unexpected, you can still deliver a great show.
For example, Belair winning was pretty predictable but having the addition of Alexa Bliss added some doubt and had me wondering if WWE would really have Alexa lose her first match back.
It wasn’t a horrible show by any means. It just wasn’t their best. PPVs that are on the road to Mania are pretty hard to book though. Certain plans are already set in stone, so it’s hard to have big surprises or title changes when you have big matches already booked since January.
This year’s road to Wrestlemania has been an especially rocky one for sure- but hopefully now with no more Premium live events in the way, WWE can start delivering a stupendous road to Wrestlemania.
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