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WWE's Road to WrestleMania is in full swing, with Elimination Chamber being a worthy stop. The show was certainly an eventful one, albeit pretty short.
Only five (technically, six) matches were on the card, following the cancellation of Asuka's RAW Women's Championship match against Lacey Evans because of the latter's pregnancy. There was no replacement challenger named in Evans' place, leading to a quick and snappy night of action.
Elimination Chamber was another solid WWE pay-per-view
Elimination Chamber featured two matches inside the daunting structure. The Elimination Chamber matches book-ended the night, with both of them delivering pretty well. We also saw a couple of surprising title changes and the first match being confirmed for WrestleMania 37.
As has been the case with almost every WWE pay-per-view inside the ThunderDome, there wasn't a bad match at Elimination Chamber. But what was the best match at the show? How good was everything else?
Here is every match at WWE Elimination Chamber 2021 graded and ranked, from worst to best.
Note: The Miz's Money in the Bank cash-in has been clubbed with the RAW Elimination Chamber Match.
#5 Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax vs. Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship
There is no shortage of challengers for Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax, with the Women's Tag Team Champions defending their titles at Elimination Chamber. Lana and Naomi are due a tag team title match, as are the first-ever Women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic winners - Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez.
Anyway, this match was a solid one. It wasn't as spectacular as what Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair are capable of, though. There was some fun tandem offense between them during this match. At one point, The EST of WWE used The Legit Boss as a weapon to take out Jax.
There were several near-falls for the SmackDown women, with the most notable one being after Belair hit Baszler with the KOD. Jax pulled the 2021 Royal Rumble winner out of the ring to prevent the pin. However, the match was ultimately decided after Reginald came out to ringside.
He tried to give Sasha Banks a champagne bottle to use as a weapon, but the referee saw it, inadvertently distracting the SmackDown Women's Champion. She got pinned by Nia Jax. The finish seemed pretty overbooked, ending an otherwise solid match on somewhat of a downer.
Grade: B-
#4 Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan for the Universal Championship after the SmackDown Elimination Chamber Match
This was the by-product of the show-opening Elimination Chamber Match, which Daniel Bryan won. He won the right to face Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship but had no chance right from the start, as The Tribal Chief came out as Bryan was recovering from the grueling match.
This was different from the Money in the Bank cash-in that ended Elimination Chamber, with Bryan getting a brilliant hope spot. He countered a Spear with the Yes Lock to absolute perfection. For that one moment, everybody believed he could do it.
However, following that, Reigns took charge and did not give his challenger an inch. He powerbombed Bryan and locked him in the Guillotine. The Elimination Chamber winner passed out. This was short and to the point, serving as a perfect vehicle to further the heel heat for Reigns.
A match this short can only be graded so much. Despite lasting around 100 seconds, it was a great first chapter in a possible feud between Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns. However, that will have to wait, as Edge Speared the Universal Champion after the match and confirmed their match for WrestleMania.
Grade: B
#3 Bobby Lashley vs. Riddle vs. John Morrison for the United States Championship at Elimination Chamber
Despite Keith Lee missing Elimination Chamber, WWE insisted on keeping the United States Championship match a triple threat match. Now we know why. Bobby Lashley lost his title without getting pinned, as Riddle picked up the US title after two months of torment at the hands of The All Mighty.
This was a showcase for Lashley, who looked as dominant as ever at Elimination Chamber. He overpowered Riddle and Morrison for a sizable portion of the match. The two challengers even tried to form a temporary alliance against the defending US Champion.
Riddle hit Lashley with the Floating Bro before Morrison followed it up with Starship Pain. However, the muscle of The Hurt Business kicked out at two. The end saw The Original Bro using MVP's crutch to attack Lashley, who had the Hurt Lock on Morrison.
Riddle then hit the Bro Derek on Morrison to pick up the victory and the United States title at Elimination Chamber. This was a good match that enabled Bobby Lashley to appear strong despite losing the US Championship, as he emerged after the Elimination Chamber main event.
Grade: B+
#2 Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Kofi Kingston vs. AJ Styles vs. Sheamus in an Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship
This was an exciting Elimination Chamber Match. The action was fun, even if the outcome was predictable. But the real surprise came after Drew McIntyre retained his WWE Championship, as The Miz cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to become Champion.
Before that, however, came over half an hour of fun action. Randy Orton started this Elimination Chamber Match but was shockingly eliminated early on, as Kofi Kingston rolled him up for the three-count. The one big disappointment from this match was that 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt did not return to cost The Viper.
Yet, there were many big spots. Hardy and Kingston hit dives from the top of the Elimination Chamber, Omos ripped the back of AJ Styles' pod so he could enter the match early. McIntyre fought valiantly and had a big brawl with Sheamus, who was the last man to enter.
The two of them got an elimination each. Sheamus pinned Kingston and McIntyre sent Hardy packing. However, Styles eliminated Sheamus right after The Celtic Warrior landed a Brogue Kick on the Scotsman. McIntyre retained his belt after countering the Phenomenal Forearm with a mid-air Claymore.
However, he was assaulted by Bobby Lashley and this allowed The Miz to successfully cash-in and become the new WWE Champion. It remains to be seen what happens next, but the one thing we know is how great Drew McIntyre's performance was at Elimination Chamber.
Grade: A-
#1 Daniel Bryan vs. Cesaro vs. King Corbin vs. Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens vs. Jey Uso in the SmackDown Elimination Chamber Match
The event began with the SmackDown Elimination Chamber Match for the aforementioned shot at Roman Reigns' Universal Championship. And although it mattered very little in the grand scheme of things, the match was great. Daniel Bryan went from bell-to-bell, winning his third Elimination Chamber match in the process.
He kicked things off with Cesaro, as the two had a few tasty exchanges. The Swiss Superman had a strong showing as well, punctuated by his pull-ups near the top of the Elimination Chamber. He even got the first elimination, making King Corbin tap out.
There were also some brutal moments involving the edge of the pods, with Sami Zayn feeling the brunt of it. He was a riot in this match. He tried everything in this match - be it keeping himself in his pod, climbing to the top of one, or trying to form a mid-match alliance with Kevin Owens. He was eliminated by KO.
Owens had a great showing, performing a moonsault from the top of a pod. However, he was eliminated after Jey Uso trapped his right arm in the door of the Elimination Chamber and laid him out with several indefensible superkicks. Uso also shockingly eliminated Cesaro.
In the end, Daniel Bryan got his knees up from an Uso Frog Splash from the top of the pod and hit the Running Knee for the victory inside the Elimination Chamber. However, it was all for nothing as Roman Reigns came out immediately afterward and squashed Bryan. Still a fantastic match.
Grade: A
