Hall’s Elimination Chamber 2012 Review

Elimination Chamber 2012
Date: February 19, 2012
Location: Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 15,306
Commentators: Michael Cole, Booker T, Jerry Lawler

We’re in a kind of forgotten time for WWE, as we’re less than two months away from Wrestlemania XXVIII and the showdown between John Cena and the Rock. Since the Rock isn’t here, Cena is dealing with the monster Kane, because that’s a standard WWE option. Other than that, CM Punk and Daniel Bryan are defending the World Titles in the Elimination Chamber. Let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about what it means to go to Wrestlemania and how some people have no other path than through the Elimination Chamber.

The Chamber is lowered.

Raw World Title: Chris Jericho vs. The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. R-Truth vs. Kofi Kingston vs. CM Punk

Punk is defending and Kingston is in at #1 and Punk is in at #2. They go nice to start with Kingston jumping over him, leaving Punk looking impressed. They shake hands before trading rollups for two each. Punk knocks him into the ropes but gets sent out to the grating. Kingston backdrops him hard onto the grating (the sound was awful) but Punk is back up with a catapult into the Plexiglas. They come back inside with Punk kicking him into the corner, followed by a suplex.

Ziggler is in at #3 and goes right after Punk, raking his eyes against the wall. Naturally Ziggler climbs the wall and uses it for a workout before knocking Punk down again. Kingston is back up though and the good guys start double teaming Ziggler, including a nice dropkick from Punk. Kingston and Punk both try springboards, with Ziggler just letting them collide in a rather smart heel move.

Everyone is down and it’s R-Truth in at #4. Ziggler is sent hard onto the grating and R-Truth is right there with a dive, which bangs him up as well. The ax kick gets a delayed near fall on Ziggler but Punk knees R-Truth down for the same. Kingston misses Trouble In Paradise and gets thrown over the top, followed by (after a glare at Jericho) the top rope elbow for the pin at 11:43. Ziggler drops Punk but gets sent onto the grating, leaving Kingston to steal a near fall. Back up and Kingston dives onto the wall, which he latches onto like Spider Van Dam, followed by a tornado DDT to plant Ziggler.

The Miz is in at #5 and Punk is sent HARD into the post. Kingston is driven into various hard objects but Punk is back up to roll Miz up for tow. The short DDT gives Miz two but Punk grabs the Anaconda Vice. Jericho is in at #6 and Punk lets go to stare him down. Punk gets dropped for a kick to the back but the Walls are blocked. Ziggler drops Punk and walks into the Codebreaker from Jericho for the elimination at 19:18.

Punk fights up and tries his own Walls on Jericho, who isn’t having this and bails away. That includes hiding in a pod, which has commentary less than thrilled. Jericho catapults Punk into the wall to put him down for a change, followed by Kingston being sent into the turnbuckle rods. Kingston is able to get up and sends Jericho crashing, which gives Miz two of his own. Miz’s charge into the corner misses but he’s able to catch Kingston on top. Punk powerbombs Miz out of the corner for two…and Kingston climbs up to the top of a pod (oh dear).

The really high crossbody takes Punk and Miz down for two but Jericho is back in to Liontame Kingston for the submission at 25:56. That’s not enough for Jericho, as he sends Kingston into the wall and then outside. Punk is right back up with a kick to Jericho’s head, knocking him out to the floor and through a cameraman. Apparently Jericho is out and can’t continue so he’s out as well at 27:09.

The match just basically stops as Jericho is checked on, with the cameraman getting back up rather slowly. Miz realizes the match is still going and goes after Punk but gets sent back inside. Punk kicks him in the head for two and a running knee/bulldog gets the same. Jericho is STILL out on the floor as Punk springboards into a Skull Crushing Finale for two, leaving Miz rather frustrated. Miz knees away in the corner but misses a charge into the post. The GTS retains the title at 32:37.

Rating: B-. The match was ok, but there was no hiding how this didn’t feel like a World Title level match. Jericho was the only person who felt like a possible threat to Punk and that’s not exactly huge. It doesn’t help that Wrestlemania wasn’t about the title matches whatsoever, but at least the action went well. It’s not a bad match at all, but it just came and went without doing anything great.

Jericho is STILL down as Punk leaves with the title.

We look at Daniel Bryan interrupting a Randy Orton vs. Big Show match on Raw, resulting in Orton suffering a concussion. As a result he was out of the Chamber, leaving Santino Marella of all people to earn the spot by winning a battle royal.

Marella drinks raw eggs to get ready and it doesn’t go well. Why this is set to Eugene’s old music is anyone’s guess.

We get a training montage of John Cena in the gym getting ready for Wrestlemania. Various names such as Big E., Xavier Woods Roman Reigns (called Leakee) and Seth Rollins are also seen, WAY before their main roster debuts. Basically he loves giving back to the younger generation.

Divas Title: Beth Phoenix vs. Tamina Snuka

Phoenix is defending and accuses Snuka of having a coconut head. That earns Phoenix a headbutt down but she’s able to shove Snuka off the top for a bit crash. Back in and Phoenix knocks her down again, setting up a dragon sleeper. That’s broken up and Phoenix gets knocked down again, only to catch Tamina on top with a superplex. Tamina’s superkick into a Superfly Splash gets two, which is enough for Phoenix, who grabs the Glam Slam to retain at 7:20.

Rating: D+. They were trying but there was zero doubt about the result and that couldn’t be hidden. Tamina hadn’t become a running joke yet, but Phoenix was treated as a juggernaut at this point and Tamina wasn’t about to take her out. They were in a bad spot here and there wasn’t much that could be done to get around it.

Santino Marella spars with meat and gives it the Cobra.

Here is Raw GM Johnny Ace, with David Otunga, for a chat. He thinks Smackdown GM Teddy Long should go before the Board Of Directors because there are a lot of complaints against Long. Cue Alberto Del Rio to interrupt, saying he can’t stand Long and Ace should be both the Raw and Smackdown GM. Cue Mark Henry to interrupt, saying Long has bullied him, which Ace has never done. Christian joins in to say that Long has provided an unsafe working environment and they all pose for a picture. This was about ten minutes to say “Teddy Long is bad.”

Santino runs some steps…and it actually goes well.

Big Show wants his Wrestlemania moment and will win the Chamber to make it happen.

Smackdown World Title: Great Khali vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Santino Marella vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett vs. Big Show

Bryan is defending and it’s Wade Barrett in at #1 and Big Show in at #2. Show chops and shoulders Barrett down to start but misses another shot. Barrett starts going on the leg but Show gives him a suplex, followed by the toss onto the grating. The Hog Roll drops Barrett again and it’s Rhodes in at #3, realizing he’s alone with Show. Rhodes eventually comes in and gets taken down just as fast, leaving Barrett to go after Show’s knee again. That’s broken up but Rhodes is back in with a high/low to put Show down.

The alliance lasts as long as you would expect, with Barrett sending Rhodes into various things. Marella is in at #4 and gives Barrett the hiptoss into the saluting headbutt….as Show is back up. Rhodes has to save Marella from Show (I’m not sure why) and it’s a double suplex to put Show down on the grating. Rhodes sends Marella’s Cobra hand into the wall a few times and Khali is in at #5.

Chopping/clotheslining abound, followed by the Punjabi Plunges…but Show spears Khali for the pin at 16:31. Bryan is the last one to enter so Show stands on the buckle in front of his pod and stares down at him. With that not working, Show starts ripping the chains off the top of the pod and Bryan realizes this isn’t good. Show kicks the top of the pod open and starts beating on Bryan, who is officially in at #6 and escapes.

That earns him a whip right back into the pod, whose door was closed at the time. The chokeslam drops Bryan but Barrett kicks Show in the face before the cover. Everyone goes after Show, with Rhodes hitting a DDT and Barrett’s middle rope elbow getting the pin at 22:43. Marella is right there to roll Rhodes up for the pin at 23:05, so Rhodes gives him the Cross Rhodes.

That gives Barrett two so he ties Marella’s arms up in the cage. Bryan is back up but can’t do the moonsault out of the corner. The LeBell Lock attempt fails as well so Bryan kicks away in the corner to keep Barrett in trouble. Barrett is fine enough to toss powerbomb Bryan into the wall and then crush his head in the pod door. A big boot cuts Marella off again but Bryan is back up to ram Barrett into various things.

What looks like a super Wasteland is broken up and Barrett misses a top rope elbow. Bryan drops the Swan Dive though and Marella steals the pin at 30:40. We’re down to Bryan vs. Marella, with Bryan loving the situation. Bryan kicks away but misses the running dropkick in the corner. Marella fires back and hits the Cobra for two (making Bryan the only person to EVER kick out of the version with the sleeve). That’s enough for Bryan who pulls him into the LeBell Lock for the win at 34:04.

Rating: B. While I wasn’t wild on the Marella stuff in the end, this was only a slightly better version of the opener. There wasn’t much of a reason to believe the title was in danger, though at least Show was in there to smash some things. Barrett was trying, but there was no reason to believe he was winning after the original Nexus run ended. Bryan gets another nice win though, as he’s shaking off the “he only won because of the briefcase” vibe.

Post match Sheamus (challenging Bryan at Wrestlemania) comes in to lay Bryan out.

Hornswoggle eats a lot of cheese and offers some to Natalya, because we’re in her era of stomach ailments. Bad comedy ensues and Natalya leaves, with Justin Gabriel coming in. Jack Swagger and Vickie Guerrero mock Hornswoggle, with Gabriel standing up for him. Teddy Long comes in and makes a US Title match. Swagger wants Long fired too so Ace can run both shows. Long likes the idea, but with him running both shows.

US Title: Jack Swagger vs. Justin Gabriel

Swagger, with Vickie Guerrero, is defending while Hornswoggle is here with Gabriel. Swagger shrugs off some kicks to start and drops Gabriel, setting up the pushups on his back. Gabriel fights out of an armbar and dropkicks Swagger to the floor, setting up a slingshot dive. More kicks connect but one of them is sent flying into the post. Back in and the ankle lock makes Gabriel tap at 3:03.

Rating: C-. I have no idea why this was on the PPV unless they were running low on time. This could have been on any given edition of Superstars and that’s about it. Gabriel was trying in a rare spot so good for him, but there wasn’t much to be done in a situation like this. But at least Swagger is champion rather than that Zack Ryder pest. Like he would have gotten a reaction.

We recap Kane vs. John Cena. Kane is a monster again and wants Cena to embrace the hate. Violence ensued and with Zack Ryder having been vanquished (with Ryder’s girlfriend kissing Cena for saving her, because of course), it’s time for Cena to do the real fighting in an ambulance match.

John Cena vs. Kane

Ambulance match. Kane starts fast and knocks him to the floor, with Cena ramming him into some barricades. The ambulance is opened so Cena can beat him with the back board and continue the brawling. Kane is sent into the steps and they head back inside, where Kane drops him with a right hand. That means some slow right hands to Cena and Kane hits the side slam, only to get caught in the ProtoBomb. The AA is broken up though and Kane puts on his smother, which looks so dumb.

With Cena mostly out, Kane throws him outside and grabs the wheelchair. Cena fights out of said wheelchair and sends Kane face first into the ambulance. Kane is then put into the wheelchair and rammed into a table, which doesn’t seem to do much damage. A laptop to the head stops Cena and they fight into the crowd as this is starting to drag. Cena gets back to ringside and grabs a mic to say….something before hitting Kane in the head. Cena: “Does that get me a spot in the Fave Five?”

The steps to the head drops Kane again but he escapes an AA through the announcers’ table. Instead it’s a chokeslam to put Cena through the table and they slowly go up to the ambulance. Cena kicks the doors open to make the save and they go on top of the ambulance, with Cena AA’ing him off onto….something we can’t see. That’s enough for Cena to throw him inside and win at 21:22.

Rating: C. Well, Cena did slay the monster to end the show. I’m sure that’s thrilling in a lot of ways, but at the same time, the match was long and the video beforehand just made me want to see Ryder beat the living daylights out of Cena. Cena is set for one of the biggest matches of all time, so there was no way this was going to have much hype. It’s not bad, but it needed to be about six to seven minutes shorter to avoid a lot of the dragging feeling.

Cena is ready for Wrestlemania to end the show.

 

Results
CM Punk won the Elimination Chamber last eliminating Miz
Beth Phoenix b. Tamina Snuka – Glam Slam
Daniel Bryan won the Elimination Chamber last eliminating Santino Marella
Jack Swagger b. Justin Gabriel – Ankle lock
John Cena b. Kane – Cena put Kane in the ambulance

 

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5.0

The final score: review Not So Good

The 411

The wrestling here was mostly fine, but the Divas Title and US Title matches felt like they belonged on a lot level TV show. Throw in a not exactly thrilling main event (it’s a bad sign when the ELIMINATION CHAMBER show isn’t headlined by the ELIMINATION CHAMBER for either World Title) and the namesake matches not having the most drama and this was a tough sit. It’s not a bad show, but man alive is it dull.