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WWE traveled out to the Middle East for the first time in 2022 to present the Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event. There was just one title change as part of the event, whilst one title match was scrapped and another was made official for WrestleMania.
It's unclear why the Viking Raiders vs The Uso's match didn't get underway, and WWE opted instead to have a beatdown angle. The RAW Women's Championship match was made official for WrestleMania after Becky Lynch defeated Lita and Bianca Belair was able to walk out victorious in her first Elimination Chamber match.
It was a stacked event that has now planted all the seeds for WrestleMania, but that doesn't mean the show wasn't without mistakes. In this list, let's take a look at 5 mistakes that were made at the Premium Live Event:
#5. Alexa Bliss made her long-overdue return only to lose the Elimination Chamber
Alexa Bliss' return at Elimination Chamber was built several weeks ahead of the match itself, with Bliss' slot being left open until the announcement was made on the final RAW ahead of the show.
During the match, Bliss' entrance was left until the end and she was even given her own swing inside the Chamber. None of this changed the outcome of the match since Bliss was just another woman on Belair's hitlist as she made her match against Becky Lynch official.
Bliss was pinned following a KOD, even though she was the final woman in The Chamber with Belair after Rhea Ripley suffered the same fate.
Bliss' return should have been much bigger, she shouldn't have been squashed. Fans had waited months for her to walk back down the ramp. That role in the Chamber could have been played by any other woman on RAW but instead, WWE chose Alexa Bliss and now she has to push forward following a huge loss on the Road to WrestleMania.
PWInsider noted that there was going to be a double pin in order to protect Bliss, but the company obviously decided against this at the last minute and gave Belair the win.
#4. The Viking Raiders vs The Usos shouldn't have been on the card at Elimination Chamber
WWE flew The Usos and The Viking Raiders over to the Middle East in order for the four men to have a short beatdown spot to set up a future match.
There were wrestlers who were missing from the show who could have had a match if this was all the company was planning. Whilst several reports are suggesting that this was due to timing issues, this wasn't the case as The Elimination Chamber went off the air five minutes early.
Reports from PWinsider claim that this was always the plan and that the match will now take place on SmackDown in the coming weeks instead.
Whilst WWE have to advertise their weekly shows, there are much better ways to go about it. The Viking Raiders and The Usos are two of the best teams that they have and they could have had a 10-minute match with a controversial finish.
It seems harsh that these four men flew halfway around the world in order for them to be part of an angle to set up a match that could have happened last week on SmackDown instead.
#3. Becky Lynch vs Lita's finish at Elimination Chamber was flat
Becky Lynch defended her RAW Women's Championship against Lita at Elimination Chamber where she was able to walk out victorious.
Whilst it's obvious that WWE had no idea that Lita would get the ovation that she did in the Middle East, there should have been a backup plan that allowed Lita to at least take something forward.
There was a near-fall where Lita almost won the title and the stadium was on their feet. The ending then fell flat after everything that the two women had already endured and now Lita will be written out of storylines heading into WrestleMania.
WWE could have given the Hall of Famer something coming out of Saudi Arabia since this was easily one of the matches of the night and Lita proved that she is in good enough shape to go again if needed.
It was an abrupt end to a fantastic match, when the company had a lot of options and other women who could have helped frame something much better.
#2. Goldberg vs Roman Reigns match ended with a huge botch at Elimination Chamber
Goldberg vs Roman Reigns kicked off Elimination Chamber and it appears that the match was a sign of things to come.
The two men put on quite the match and Reigns forced Goldberg to work, but the ending was one that the entire WWE Universe had already called. Whilst Goldberg tried to fight out of the Guillotine, he was unable to break the hold and end Roman's reign.
If Goldberg was to lose the match after blacking out following the move then that would have made sense, but the fact that Goldberg made it to the ropes and the referee refused to follow the rules just makes it seem like a controversy.
It's unclear if this was part of a bigger picture where Goldberg can now come back and claim that the referee was in Reigns' pocket and if the official followed the rules he wouldn't have lost.
It would be a decent way for the WWE Hall of Famer to make his return to the company if that's the plan, if not, then it wasn't the best way to write Goldberg out.
#1. Where was MVP, why didn't he make the trip to The Middle East?
Bobby Lashley lost the WWE Championship as part of the Men's Elimination Chamber match at last night's event in the cruelest of ways. He wasn't even able to enter the Chamber match after Seth Rollins powerbombed Austin Theory through his pod, which then caused The All Mighty a significant injury.
He was reportedly already suffering from a shoulder injury following the Royal Rumble, which was the reason why WWE took the Champion out of the match and why he wasn't part of the exchange inside the cell.
Lashley made his way to the ring on his own in Saudi Arabia after reports suggested that MVP didn't even make the trip over for the show.
Montel Vontavious Porter has been one of the main people pushing Lashley over the past few years. It could now be that he is the man who is handed the blame for The All Mighty's title loss, since he should have been in his corner.
First, Lashley's pyro didn't work and then he lost his Championship in the main event. If the former Champion was a superstitious man then blaming MVP would be the most obvious route.
