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It was 2011 all over again at WWE Elimination Chamber. Do fans seriously have The Miz and Edge back in WWE's main title picture? It seems the more things change, the more they remain the same in the WWE Universe.
WWE Elimination Chamber was a fun and relatively short pay-per-view on Sunday night. It was anchored by two solid Chamber matches filled with some great action.
The rest of the card provided some surprising alliances and even more unpredictable title changes. The road to WrestleMania is certainly on track.
As fans try to figure out why Asuka vanished from the show entirely, we should try to distract ourselves. So, here's a list of the top five most surprising moments of WWE Elimination Chamber 2021.
#5 Daniel Bryan wins the Smackdown Elimination Chamber match
It seemed so well set-up. Cesaro was on a roll in recent weeks and has looked so dominant against the Smackdown roster.
It seemed natural to keep the momentum going and have him win at WWE Elimination Chamber. But, WWE always seems to pull a surprise when the Chamber is involved.
The Smackdown Elimination Chamber match was another strong one. Sami Zayn played the opportunistic heel well. Cesaro did an excellent job of looking credible in defeat.
Jey Uso played the henchman role well, as he took out Kevin Owens and Cesaro to assist his cousin Roman Reigns. However, he was unable to overcome Daniel Bryan.
Bryan dealt with a knee injury for most of the 35-minute match. When Uso went for the big splash from the top of a Chamber pod, Bryan was ready with his knees.
Just one running knee later, Daniel Bryan won his third WWE Elimination Chamber match. With other logical choices, it was surprising to see him win yet again in 2021.
#4 Edge Spears Roman Reigns at WWE Elimination Chamber
Did we really expect anything else? That dastardly Roman Reigns wouldn’t let Daniel Bryan have even a moment of rest at WWE Elimination Chamber after the very grueling six-man match.
It led to a match right away that lasted under two minutes, which the WWE Universal Champion naturally won with relative ease.
It was perfect for Reigns’ heel character. But that wasn’t the surprising part of Reigns’ night at WWE Elimination Chamber. It was what occurred after his post-match celebration that will significantly impact the WWE landscape from now on.
Edge arrived out of nowhere to hit the Spear on Roman Reigns. It was just revenge for Reigns' spear on Edge on the last episode of SmackDown.
To see Edge point to the WrestleMania sign and declare his intentions nearly two months before WrestleMania was surprising to see at WWE Elimination Chamber.
It has been 10 years since Edge had to relinquish the World Heavyweight Championship. Would it be fitting for Edge to win another World title at 'Mania? It will be fun to find out over the next few weeks. The storylines are going to be great to watch unfold.
#3 Riddle cheats to win the United States Championship at WWE Elimination Chamber
Riddle won the United States Championship at WWE Elimination Chamber. After weeks of having little success against Bobby Lashley, Riddle was able to win his first major title in WWE. We are sure he will celebrate the title victory uniquely.
The triple threat match for the United States Championship was a fun and fast-paced encounter. Bobby Lashley controlled the bout with his power against Riddle and John Morrison.
The finish was the biggest surprise of all, though. Riddle grabbed MVP’s crutch and attacked Bobby Lashley with it. It was strange to see babyface Riddle cheating.
After he knocked Lashley out of the ring, he hit the Bro Derek slam on Morrison to win the match and the United States title at Elimination Chamber.
The surprising finish allowed Bobby Lashley to lose the United States title without being pinned. It will also allow him to have a reasonable cause for a rematch soon.
But based on the events at the end of the night, Lashley will have some other things on his mind heading into WrestleMania season.
#2 Sasha Banks is pinned quickly at WWE Elimination Chamber
Poor Reginald. He just wanted to show support for his favorite wrestler Sasha Banks at WWE Elimination Chamber.
He was even fine with helping Banks to cheat and win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. But, after the match's ending, Reginald should stick to simply being the world’s most acrobatic sommelier.
The Women’s Tag Team Championship match at Elimination Chamber was okay for its 10-minute running time. Bianca Belair showed her great athleticism in the match, and Shayna Baszler provided strong submission-based wrestling.
Sasha Banks had the match under control, but Reginald felt the need to throw her a wine bottle to cheat her way to victory. Banks, currently a babyface, decided not to take advantage. This led to her surprisingly being defeated by one Samoan Drop from Nia Jax.
Does it make a lot of sense for the Smackdown Women’s Champion to lose so foolishly in defeat? It is hard to say, but it was surprising end to this interesting tag team match at WWE Elimination Chamber.
#1 The Miz becomes a two-time World champion at WWE Elimination Chamber
It is incredible to think The Miz had won just two singles matches on WWE television in the last year before Sunday night’s WWE Elimination Chamber.
He certainly was great in a comedic role with John Morrison for most of 2020. However, he didn’t seem like a credible threat to win the WWE Championship, despite holding the Money in the Bank briefcase. That all changed shockingly at the end of WWE Elimination Chamber.
After the Elimination Chamber match, Bobby Lashley, fresh off losing the United States Championship, attacked Drew McIntyre. Since a camera caught MVP talking to The Miz backstage earlier in the show, it certainly telegraphed where it was going.
After a grueling Elimination Chamber match and Lashley’s attack, Drew McIntyre didn’t stand a chance. The Miz shocked the world and won the WWE Championship. His second reign comes nearly 10 years after his controversial first reign came to an end.
The bigger question is where does the WWE Championship go from here? Will the Miz hold the title all the way into WrestleMania? What do MVP and Bobby Lashley want in return for their help?
Will Drew McIntyre get his WWE Championship back in front of a live crowd like he truly deserves? We have a lot of unanswered questions heading into 'Mania and that is a good thing for fans.
