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The final stop to the road to Wrestlemania saw the WWE superstars participate in the Elimination Chamber. Normally, this is the time of the year where the business picks up, and the storylines get interesting. Wrestlemania is the biggest event of the year, and so WWE pulls all the stops a month prior to Wrestlemania. This year’s Elimination Chamber saw only one Chamber match, and surprisingly enough, it wasn’t for a Championship, but for the number 1 contender spot for the World Heavyweight Championship, as Cena won the Royal Rumble, and has chosen to face the WWE Champion at Wrestlemania.
Now, the matches announced for the event saw ADR facing Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship, while Cesaro was set to face The Miz once again. Even though the World heavyweight championship should be a main event bout, the feud has failed to grab my attention, and has the feel of a mid card bout, and not surprisingly enough, that’s how much the WWE cares about the World heavyweight title. The other matches saw Team Rhodes Scholars taking on the team of Tensai and Clay (ugh), which was a pre-show match, Kofi Kingston facing Dolph Ziggler as the normal under card match, Kaitlyn facing Tamina for the Divas title (Wonder why WWE even bothers with this), and The Smackdown Elimination chamber match along with The Shield vs Cena, Sheamus and Ryback filling the mid card slots, and Rock vs Punk being main event.
The card looked predictable except for the Chamber match itself. Except for a few matches, the rest couldn’t get my attention. In this article, I won’t just look back at the match, but give an analysis and what the PPV might lead to in the future for the individuals. So without further ado, let’s get this article rolling.
Pre-show match: Team Rhodes Scholars vs Tensai and Brodus Clay
These guys were the unfortunate ones whose match got pulled from the PPV, and was a pre show bout. I had high hopes for Rhodes and Sandow, and was excited when they declared that they’d be concentrating on single’s careers. This match was your basic tag team bout which went on for less than 5 minutes, and the team of Clay and Tensai got the victory after Clay and Tensai hit splashes at the same time.
Rating: * (Out of a 5 star rating)
Thoughts: Cody is set to get a main event push, and Sandow can be a big star as an aristocrat, along the lines of JBL. Tensai doesn’t seem to have a single’s push coming his way, so it is a good way to keep him relevant by teaming him up with a guy like Clay. WWE wants this to be a comic team, and that is what they think would be funny. I see Cody and Sandow participating in an 8 man tag team match at Wrestlemania, just to throw the talents and give them some air time. I don’t see something similar for Clay or Tensai, and they might be left off the Wrestlemania card.
Main Show:
ADR vs Big Show for the World Heavyweight title
As I claimed before, WWE now sees the WHC as a mid card title, which is sad. During the HHH era back from 02-05, WHC was given so much importance and priority. Anyway, this was their basic match, something they’ve been doing on PPVs so often, nothing special or out of the ordinary. These two have good chemistry together, which is one of the good things in this feud. Reportedly, the reason Show lost the title to ADR on Smackdown a month ago was because Show’s contract was almost up, and Show didn’t sign a new one till the last minute. The match lasted for a little less than 15 minutes, with good near falls and the two working at their own pace. The match ended when ADR applied his cross arm breaker and Big Show tapped out.
Rating: ***
Thoughts: ADR will walk into Wrestlemania as the World heavyweight champion. Gone are the days when the bad guy held the title going into the big event, while the good guy fights long and hard to get his hands on the villain and win the big prize at the grandest stage. Although these two have a good chemistry, it can hardly be a good bout at Wrestlemania, although WWE hasn’t done such a thing for so long now. Who will ADR be facing at Wrestlemania? We’ll get to know in a little while, as the Smackdown Chamber match is yet to come. Will Big Show go on to face ADR at Wrestlemania? I don’t think so. This might finally end their feud so that ADR can go on to face other opponents. No surprise element in the match, as the outcome was expected.
United States Championship: Cesaro vs The Miz
This match was left off the card at the last PPV. It is good to see the United States championship being defended on a PPV. It has been such an important title, especially in WCW, with guys like Booker T and Chris Benoit putting on some of the best matches in classic series’ for the coveted title. Cesaro has been an effective champion till now, and he’s the total package. It’s only a matter of time till he grows his personality, and moves on to the upper card. The match was a typical bad guy versus good guy, with the match ending just below the ten minute mark. The end came when Miz mistakenly kicked Cesaro in the groin, and thus forcing the ref to disqualify Miz, and for Cesaro to retain the title. No surprises here as well.
Rating: *1/2
Thoughts: The story was simple, as Cesaro couldn’t put away the fighting challenger fairly, and had to use an accident as a way out. The chemistry isn’t great between the two, and Miz has lost a lot of steam and that fire in his gut that he had when he became the WWE champion. I sincerely hope Cesaro gets on the Wrestlemania card. Although WWE won’t have the US title being defended at Wrestlemania, acknowledging the guy who holds a prestigious title is at least a formality. Cesaro would likely be included in the 8 man tag team match that I mentioned before. Although I don’t see Miz making it to the card, which speaks volumes about how his stake has fallen in the company.
Smackdown Elimination chamber match for the #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Title at Wrestlemania
Participants: Kane, Daniel Bryan, Mark Henry, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Jack Swagger
Arguably one of the most anticipated matches of the night, and the one match that was unpredictable. And the match delivered; it was easily the match of the night, and the guy who carried the match is someone who was contemplating retirement, the work horse, Chris Jericho. If anything, Jericho has been at the best of his abilities ever since he came back, with an outstanding show at the Rumble and another impressive showing at the Elimination Chamber. You also had one of the best technical wrestlers in the world, Daniel Bryan in the match. These two started things off with some serious fast paced offence, and the first elimination happened when all the guys were in the ring, which can only be a good thing. Mark Henry showed shades of his past self, while Kane, Orton and Swagger were impressive as well. Swagger with a renewed push looked good in the match. Jack is a tremendous athlete, but was never good on the mic. With Dutch (Zeb) as his mouth piece, he is now a complete package. The match delivered in every aspect, and the end came when Randy eliminated Jericho, and as it looked like he would be going to Wrestlemania, Jack rolled him up for the cover and win!
Rating: ****
Thoughts: Undoubtedly the match of the night. Swagger is going to Wrestlemania to face ADR for the World Heavyweight Title. But it is too soon to put Swagger, who still hasn’t received the kind of reaction he eventually will, in the title picture at Wrestlemania. An ADR vs Orton match was what I thought would eventually happen. Orton in all probability will face Mark Henry at Wrestlemania, with Jericho facing Dolph and Kane might face his partner Daniel Bryan at the grandest stage.
John Cena, Sheamus and Ryback vs The Shield
The Shield have been impressive so far, but the week leading to Elimination Chamber saw Cena, Sheamus and Ryback getting the upper hand over The Shield for two straight episodes. Also, three of the top guys in the company teaming up meant they wouldn’t be booked to lose clean. So this was an interesting match, to see where the WWE was heading towards with The Shield. The match was solid, as expected from strong workers like Rollins and Ambrose (Who are two of my favourites in the company). The finish came with a great sequence, as Ryback was speared while going for a Shellshocked, and was pinned by Rollins for the victory.
Rating: ***3/4
Thoughts: That match was perfectly booked; it did not make any of the faces seem weak, and also proved the team work of The Shield. After this, Cena will move on to the WWE title picture with The Rock, while Ryback and Sheamus might be involved in the feud with The Shield. Adding another member, say a returning Christain, would make it a great 3 on 3 match at Wrestlemania.
Kofi Kingston vs Dolph Ziggler
The match was short, with series of offences by both the superstars. The match ended well within 5 minutes, with Ziggler pinning Kofi after a Zig Zag.
Rating: *1/4
Thoughts: This was just a way to put Ziggler on PPV, and give him a victory. Sadly, Ziggler is now an afterthought post his feud with Cena. Ziggler deserves a title match at Wrestlemania, but by the looks of it, he might have to go back to a match with Chris Jericho to even be on the Wrestlemania card. The other possibility would be him being involved in the 8 men tag team match that I previously predicted. Or the best scenario would be him cashing in his briefcase after the World Heavyweight title match at Wrestlemania to become the new World Heavyweight Champion.
Divas Title match: Kaitlyn vs Tamina Snuka
It was your basic Diva’s match, with both the girls throwing in their offences. Tamina tried to go for her father’s legendary Splash, but Kaitlyn was able to avoid it, and come back with her finisher for the pin and the win just after 4 minutes.
Rating: *
Thoughts: The story behind the match was how Tamina was just one move away from becoming the new Diva’s champion, and how Kaitlyn was able to avoid it. I’m not sure if the girls will get a chance to be on the Wrestlemania card, but can have a basic battle royale if they do.
WWE title: The Rock vs CM Punk
The main event of the night. CM Punk entered first with the WWE Title, followed by The Rock to a big pop. The match was given 25 minutes, so that both the guys can come out strong. With CM Punk in the match, you can bank on the match being a good one, and it was. It was a close contest, with Punk kicking out of the Rock bottom and the People’s Elbow. The match went just under 24 minutes, with CM Punk having the Rock pinned for over 15 seconds while the ref was down. The second ref was also knocked down, and when Punk tried to hit Rock with the title, he accidentally hit Heyman, and Rock covered Punk after a Rock bottom and got the win.
Rating: ***1/4
Thoughts: Nothing surprising here as well. The match ended with both the guys coming out strong, and since Punk vs Undertaker match is almost off the table, this match leaves with Rock coming out as the champion, and Punk nearly becoming the champion after having the Rock down for good 15 seconds, thus confirming his claim of the WWE being unfair to him. This will eventually lead to a triple threat match between Rock, Cena and Punk at Wrestlemania, which I believe is the right way to go. WWE touted the last Wrestlemania encounter between Cena and Rock as a ‘Once in a lifetime’ kind of a deal, and there by adding Punk would add a little truth to it. This would also involve Punk in the main event of Wrestlemania, which he deserves. The PPV ended with Rock posing with the WWE title.
That is it ladies and gentlemen. Now the next halt is Wrestlemania itself, but the next few episodes of RAW will be nothing short of interesting. I for one, can hardly wait for Wrestlemania, and new things to unfold. That is it from me for now.
