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411 Wrestling Fact or Fiction: 40 Questions for WWE Elimination Chamber

February 18, 2022 | Posted by Jake Chambers
WWE Elimination Chamber 2022 Image Credit: WWE

Welcome back to the 411mania Wrestling Fact or Fiction. I’m your host Jake Chambers.

Last month we had the one and only Dino Zee tackle 30 straight Fact or Fiction statements in honour of the Royal Rumble. Well, much like the coveted 24/7 Championship, a new writer has stepped up to try and steal the FoF ironman title.

Your very own weekly RAW and Dynamite live coverage host, Tony Acero, saw the insanity that Dino produced and proclaimed like a young Ryback “Feed me more!”

So in honor of Elimination Chamber, I have prepared 40 new FoF statements for one man to conquer; but is Tony Acero really just a simple man? He writes stanzas on men in tights like Eliot traversing the wasteland, spins bottles for customers like Cruise in Cocktail, peruses the gentlemanly arts like Leo in his prime, and covers wrestling programs both mediocre and 5-star with the energy and panache of the legendary Csonka. Let’s feed him more, shall we?

Statement #1: The Elimination Chamber gimmick is played out. 

Tony Acero: FACT – As with anything in the WWE, it’s not necessarily that it’s played out, it’s simply that they do not use the gimmick to the best of its abilities to tell the story that they are trying to tell. Thankfully, however, the Elimination Chamber doesn’t always fall under that folly. I’m a sucker for Elimination Matches in general, as I feel if done right, it adds intrigue and creates multiple match ups that could create intrigue. While I won’t get into predicting this year’s, and I’m sure there are jokes to tell about it being in Saudi, I’ll keep it short since there are FORTY FREAKING QUESTIONS TO ANSWER!!!

Statement #2: The 2003 Elimination Chamber, featuring Triple H and Goldberg, told the best story of any version of the match. 

Tony Acero: FICTION – Anything with both Goldberg and Triple H will never be the best story of any version of anything.

Statement #3: You like that they’ve padded the chain floor around the ring apron in the Elimination Chamber.

Tony Acero: FICTION – I mean…I’m all for the wrestlers’ safety being paramount, but it does take away from what the match is being sold as. You know, the match that shortens careers and changes lives? Then again, it’s probably better than a bed of fake steel. 

Statement #4: More male wrestlers should wear shirts.

Tony Acero: FICTION – I don’t care what they wear or don’t wear. 

Statement #5: Rampage is a better name for a pro-wrestling TV show than Dynamite.

Tony Acero: FICTION – Team Dynamite, breh. 

Statement #6: You remembered that Daniel Bryan won 3 Elimination Chamber matches.

Tony Acero: FICTION – I can’t even remember what I had for dinner. I am one of the worst wrestling fans in the world. I really don’t understand how I’ve lasted this long, because I don’t remember shit. Larry was an encyclopedia of knowledge. DeMarco just knows a bunch of people. Even my former podcast guy Harry Broadhurst could raddle off dates and PPVs and shit. I seriously….don’t remember anything specific, only big moments. Sure, upon being reminded, I recall things, such as this, but no I did not remember that until just now. 

Statement #7: The HHH/Jeff Hardy ending of the Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out 2008 is better than the ending of the original version of the match at the 2002 Survivor Series.

Tony Acero: FICTION – I remember 2002. I was 16, I was still getting in trouble for listening to Eminem and watching wrestling with my uncle Danny, and I was in complete awe at the return of Shawn Michaels. Nothing will beat watching this man with a horrible haircut, who I was too young to truly appreciate come back and win a match that was brutal and bad ass. No Way Out’s rendition was good, but it also had Triple H…

Statement #8: You’d rather enter the Chamber match at #1 and lose but have a long, eventful run than enter at #6 and win after a few minutes.

Tony Acero: FACT – To be fair, I’d rather not enter an Elimination Chamber match at all. However, if I were booking one, and I had a wrestler to build, the dude who last the longest, if sold properly, can really do wonders. Cesaro in the 2014 one made me fall in love with him even more than I already did, (but again, follow up matters). Kofi had his own breakout performance in the Chamber. Even Bryan (he won three?) gained notoriety in losses. 

Statement #9: The Young Bucks should change their team name to be more reflective of their age.

Tony Acero: FICTION – Why? I admit I type out “The Bucks” when I refer to them in the Dynamite report, but I will do anything to minimize the amount of letters I have to type whenever those guys are on the screen. 

Statement #10: Send Hook.

Tony Acero: FACT – No Explanation Needed.


Statement #11: At some point someone should have tried to shoot though those bulletproof Elimination Chamber pods.

Tony Acero: FICTION – This is one of those “Shit, I gotta hit 40” questions, isn’t it? 
Statement #12: You don’t have enough time in the week to watch NXT UK.

Tony Acero: FACT – I know, I know…make time. I know, I know, Larry watched EVERYTHING, why can’t I? I know, I know, Larry did all of this with one freakin Leg!!! Ugh! HOW DID HE DO IT?!?!?! 

Statement #13: Bad Bunny will one day be a WWE champion. 

Tony Acero: FICTION – Man, don’t put shit like this into the universe.

Statement #14: AEW needs Kenny Omega

Tony Acero: FICTION – AEW doesn’t even need Cody Rhodes! 

Statement #15: You prefer seeing big men in the Elimination Chamber over high flyers.

Tony Acero: FICTION – Thankfully, the Elimination Chamber makes it so that we can have both! I don’t truly have a preference one way or the other, but the chamber is tailor made for a high spot or two. 
Statement #16: Mick Foley’s best career promos are better than most literary poetry. 

Tony Acero: FICTION – Is this a rib? I watched a few just to answer this, and Foley’s words still hold weight. He was a master of his craft, for sure, but no, certainly not better tan most literary poetry. Don’t you dare insult Langston Hughes like that! 

Statement #17: NXT 2.NO!

Tony Acero: FACT – Yeah, sorry, I ain’t got the time. 

Statement #18: Tag Team Elimination Chamber matches are too crowded.

Tony Acero: FACT – Yeah, just too many moving parts, too messy, and rules that are too convoluted.  


Statement #19: Andrade is basically in the same place in AEW that he was in WWE.

Tony Acero: FICTION – He’s literally in a different place. I jest. I’ve heard this a lot about Cole, Andrade, and a few others that came from the E to the AE, and although I can see how they might have a valid argument, I have to disagree. Are they happier? All signs point to yes. I strongly feel that AEW has done a really good job at keeping things fluid enough so that there isn’t a direct midcard. I also think that they respect this pool of talent to the point where you – for the most part – don’t feel like they are simply cannon fodder for another wrestler. You watch the E, and you just KNOW Akira and R-Truth won’t sniff an actual title. If you see them standing in the ring waiting for a wrestler, they’re waiting to lose. AEW, for the most part, doesn’t have that problem. Andrade is not in the same place because he’s happier.  
Statement #20: All the wrestlers who lose this week’s WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match should be excluded from challenging the current champion for the rest of their title reign.

Tony Acero: FICTION – Just another idea from a hat that complicates things that don’t need to be complicated. 

Statement #21: Madcap Moss is funny.

Tony Acero: FICTION – -Dean Ambrose nope-

Statement #22: Wrestlers must get bored waiting in those Elimination Chamber pods.

Tony Acero: FICTION – They are but actors waiting to play their part, and that feeling of anticipation is indescribable. 

Statement #23: You liked TNA’s Lockdown idea of a PPV with all steel cage matches.

Tony Acero: FICTION – What’s a “T And A?”

Statement #24: Wrestling fans really hate tag team wrestling because the only stories they want to fantasy book for tag teams is the eventual break-up feud. 

Tony Acero: FICTION – No, no, no, don’t you dare blame the fans. This is a WWE trope through and through. They create teams to start a feud amongst two individuals, realize the fans love this “unlikely duo” and try to milk them for all they got, then forget that they wanted them to feud, or get bored of the pairing and break them up without any actual drama or story to tell. WE do NOT want the break up, but we also never wanted most of these people together. 

Statement #25: There’s nothing actually evil about Danhausen.

Tony Acero: FICTION – I dunno man, he looks pretty evil to me. 

Statement #26: Sasha Banks will never main event another WWE PPV. 

Tony Acero: FICTION – You shut your whore mouth! 

Statement #27: The 2015 Elimination Chamber for the vacated IC title (won by Ryback) was the worst version of the match ever.

Tony Acero: FICTION – Although I will admit this is a close call to crown the worst EC Match of all time, but I think the win goes to the Females one in 2020 with Baszler, Asuka, Morgan, Natalya, Riott, and Logan. Man that was a clunker.  



Statement #28: Forget adding another hour, we need five hours of RAW every week, right?

Tony Acero: FICTION – If they add even fifteen minutes to that damned show, I quit and you all have Winfree to deal with! 


Statement #29: The traditional Wargames gimmick is better than the Elimination Chamber.

Tony Acero: FICTION – As noted earlier, I have a sweet spot for elimination matches. With Wargames being basically that, I should enjoy it more, but having seen more Elimination Chamber matches to make the comparison, I can, with confidence say that I enjoy Elimination Chamber matches more than Wargames matches, and if this answer feels like a kid trying to hit a word count on his essay, that’s because it is exactly like that. 

Statement #30: Johnny Knoxville should come back for a match at Wrestlemania.

Tony Acero: FICTION – I mean, I ‘m not mad about it. Mania is a spectacle; there’s been celebrity matches for years. Him fighting for the IC Title is a tad bit insulting, but it’s unlikely that he’ll win it…right? RIGHT?

Statement #31: In general, you believe professional wrestlers need to read more books.

Tony Acero: FACT – I mean, this is under the assumption that they don’t already. I can only assume that with long bus rides and the like, reading is probably a big pastime for wrestlers. Still, I encourage everyone to read more books! Want mine? Go visit GoldScript Co Today! 

Statement #32: If a special Elimination Chamber match were to happen today featuring only former winners who have been recently active in the WWE – Lashley, Cena, Edge, Orton, Reigns, Big E (representing New Day) – John Cena would win.

Tony Acero: FICTION – I suppose if this was just for spectacle, having Cena win would make a lot of sense, but Reigns is their boy right now, and they no longer need Cena – even if they may want him. 

Statement #33: This current run of AEW Dynamite is better TV than the Attitude Era run of RAW in the 1990s.

Tony Acero: FICTION – I’m not sure I can answer this with full integrity. The Attitude Era was a fun time, for sure, but it definitely was only fun in a vacuum at a time in my life when crotch chopping just made sense. This isn’t to say that we don’t see some stuff on Dynamite that might fit into the Era of yesterday. I mean Billy Gunn is still freaking there. I will say this, though, I think AEW Dynamite is more a reflection of what was supposed to grow out of the Attitude Era than the current WWE product. 

Statement #34: Santino should have won the 2012 Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Tony Acero: FACT – Santino was one of those “strike while it’s hot” dudes that the WWE just never did. Even Ryback had a following for a small amount of time. The thing is they simply don’t trust us to make their decisions. I’d say that, for the most part, that’s perfectly ok. You don’t want people to dictate what happened to Walter White; it’s not our story to write; it’s theirs. Still, if your end goal is a) creating compelling television and b) sales, then it may serve you a bit more to actually listen during times like this. 
Statement #35: Even though the December to Dismember PPV was pretty terrible, having specific weapons in each pod in the ECW Title Elimination Chamber match was a pretty cool idea that they could have used again.

Tony Acero: FICTION – I have 100% soured on weapons in the WWE. They matter zilch, and the last several Extreme Rules PPVs have been anything but. Doing this would add nothing to the match, realistically. Catch me on 2k with that stipulation, though. 

Statement #36: Orange Cassidy should talk more.

Tony Acero: FICTION – Orange Cassidy can do whatever the fuck he wants. 

Statement #37: Austin Theory will win this year’s Men’s Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Title.

Tony Acero: FICTION – Theory ain’t winning it so close to Mania. He will be the one to show up and show out, though. Assuming they don’t feed him to Lesnar like they did Monday.  

Statement #38: Goldberg must regain his Universal Championship at Elimination Chamber.

Tony Acero: FICTION – No. Go Away. 

Statement #39: Bianca Belair should win this year’s Women’s Elimination Chamber match.

Tony Acero: FACT – I’m a Bianca mark. Give her all the wins. Let her face Becky this year at Mania and Charlotte next year at Mania and Bayley the following year. Fuck yes. 

Statement #40: You refuse to watch WWE premium live events from Saudi Arabia.

Tony Acero: FACT – But not on principle. Y’all know this thing airs at 9 AM? I am the General Manager of a bar/restaurant. I don’t get home till 3 most nights. I am NOT waking up at 9 AM to watch anything but porn. 

Tony “All Fiction” Acero has officially eliminated 40 statements and is undeniably the FoF ironman for the moment (ball’s in your court Dino!).

Be sure to follow Tony on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TonyAcero411

Definitely check out his awesome new very personal column on the departure of Cody from AEW: https://411mania.com/wrestling/the-rhodes-not-taken/

And get over to that GOLDSCRIPTO and inject a little culture into your lives: https://www.goldscriptco.com/

Enjoy Elimination Chamber, mortals!