Kevin’s WWE Elimination Chamber Review

WWE Elimination Chamber
February 17th, 2019 | Toyota Center in Houston, Texas

WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Buddy Murphy [c] vs. Akira Tozawa
Admittedly, I wasn’t too thrilled with Tozawa getting this title shot. He’s just never been a guy who stood out to me. However, he faced Buddy Murphy and Murphy ranks among the best wrestlers in the world right now. His role as the juggernaut was on display in this one. He played the Goliath of sorts and it was a clear problem for Tozawa. The challenger fought hard with plenty of hope spots. Their counters were top notch and that arguably had the spot of the night when Murphy hoisted Tozawa up only to get hit with a super rana. Of course, Murphy retained in 13:18 in a banger. [***¾]

WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Elimination Chamber: The Boss-n-Hug Connection (Bayley and Sasha Banks) vs. Fabulous Glow (Carmella and Naomi) vs. Fire & Desire (Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville) vs. The Iiconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce) vs. The Riott Squad (Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan) vs. Samoan Slaughterhouse (Nia Jax and Tamina)
Onto the main show for this historic match. Talk about properly booking and laying something out. Sasha Banks and Bayley started against Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. There was no better way to set it up. They had Chamber experience and it allowed for callbacks. Pretty much everyone was booked well. Nia and Tamina got to play powerhouses. Nia taking the bump into the pod was great. The Iiconics showed why their character work is so incredible. The Riott Squad got to shine thanks to two huge spots from the impressive Liv Morgan. Even Carmella and Naomi got a fun spurt before getting eliminated. It made sense for them to go out first because A) they’re the least established team, B) the crowd wasn’t positive due to the week they’ve had, and C) it gave the Iiconics an awesome elimination. The finishing stretch came down to the two teams who started it all. Again, a good decision. We got the awesome moment where Sasha helped Bayley onto a pod instead of kicking her off like she did last year. That’s the kind of character growth related callback that I love. WWE doesn’t get praised enough for it. With a bad shoulder, Sasha struggled to apply the Bank Statement. She used her leg instead, which made the move look way better than it usually does, and they won the titles in 32:55. One of the better Chamber matches I can ever recall. Other than a few sloppy moments, they nailed mostly everything else. Good action, great storytelling, and smart booking. [****¼]

WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship: The Miz and Shane McMahon [c] vs. The Usos
Miz and Maryse are having baby number two. Miz is God and there’s no use trying to deny it at this point. Anyway, this told a fine story. Miz and Shane have been a more consistent duo, so their chemistry and teamwork has improved. It gave them the upper hand on an Usos team that probably underestimated them. The Usos turned things around and isolated Miz. Shane’s hot tag got a lesser reception than they probably hoped for. They continued the trend of him hitting a Coast to Coast, only to fail on the second attempt. Shane and Jey were put out by the Leap of Faith Elbow. That left Jimmy and Miz to go at it, with Jimmy winning a fine little exchange via crucifix pin in 13:50. Good tag formula with some cool spots and it kept building the angle. I dig it. [***¼]

WWE Intercontinental Championship: Bobby Lashley [c] and Lio Rush vs. Finn Balor
It seems like the only reason Lio Rush was in here was to eat a pin. The idea behind this match was that Lashley and Lio found a way to make key tags when they needed to. Balor would get an advantage and they’d tag to keep someone fresh in and cut off his momentum. Balor fought back because he’s a good smiley boy. Lio got too cocky and it cost him as Balor eventually beat him with the Coup de Grace to win the title in 9:29. I love Finn as IC Champion but don’t like the handicap match stuff. It’s never an idea I like for a title. The match itself was fine, but nothing I couldn’t get on an episode of Raw. [**½]

After the match, Lashley beat up Lio Rush. I’m assuming it ends their partnership, which is a shame because Lio is the only thing that has ever made Lashley even remotely interesting.

Charlotte came out to cut one of her usual bad promos. It basically recapped a lot of the recent angle that put Charlotte into the WrestleMania match against Ronda Rousey. She pointed to the WrestleMania sign.

WWE Raw Women’s Championship: Ronda Rousey [c] vs. Ruby Riott
Ronda dressed as Sonya Blade from the new Mortal Kombat game. This was a total squash, as Ronda dominated from the start and won with the armbar in 1:42. Aww, poor Ruby. [NR]

Charlotte entered the ring for a staredown with Ronda Rousey. The champ looked off into the distance at the sight of Becky Lynch on crutches. She struggled into the ring as Charlotte looked at her as if she was pathetic. Becky then took her crutch and beat the shit out of Charlotte. It was glorious. And with “she’s the man” chants. Ronda took the other crutch and went after Charlotte, only for Becky to hit her from behind. Becky was arrested to a huge pop and she had a wide grin. Ronda was bleeding from the head.

No Disqualifications Match: Baron Corbin vs. Braun Strowman
Why is this feud still a thing? Braun Strowman is no longer interesting and just groan inducing. Corbin looks like he should be managing an Applebee’s. Considering it came after the Becky segment and before the main event, this was the cool down death spot. However, at 10:20, it went too long for that. Corbin was outmatched until he got help from Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre. Together, they powerbombed Braun off steel steps and through a table, giving Corbin the win. I didn’t care and I don’t think anyone else did. [½*]

Lacey Evans came out, walked down the ramp, turned around, and left. Okay.

WWE Championship Elimination Chamber: Daniel Bryan [c] vs. AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton vs. Samoa Joe
Like all the best Chamber matches, this one utilized everyone in a cool way. Though he was eliminated first, Samoa Joe got a chance to shine. He’s great in small bursts, so I felt that worked. Jeff Hardy delivered one of the biggest spots of the night with a fantastic Swanton Bomb off a pod onto AJ, who was laid across the top rope. AJ Styles took offense from basically everyone and made sure they all looked good. Randy Orton played the vicious role he’s excelled in lately. The RKO he used to eliminate Styles was great and more of a Diamond Cutter, which I appreciated. Getting to see Kofi Kingston eliminate Orton as revenge for 2009 was satisfying. At that point, this was a great Chamber. Then, Daniel Bryan went against Kofi Kingston and it turned into something special. This wasn’t Santino Marella getting a few close calls against Bryan in 2012. This was Kingston reminding the world that he’s one of the best to ever do this. His desperation was clear and the hope spots were so well done without ever going overboard. When he kicked out of the Busaiku Knee, I lost my mind. The crowd was MOLTEN hot for Kofi. Don’t let anyone tell you differently because they’re wrong. Kofi came close so many times, but made a crucial mistake when he tried a splash off the Chamber. From there, Bryan used the LeBelle Lock to retain in 36:51. An incredible match that rivals the best Chambers ever. Phenomenal action, a hot crowd, and a stellar performance from Kingston and Bryan. Outstanding. [****½]

8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

That’s three straight WWE Pay-Per-Views that have BANGED. The two Chamber matches rank in my top 5 ever (in no order it’s these two, 2002, 2017, and 2005). That would be enough to make this a recommended show. Throw in a very good Cruiserweight Title match, hella fun Smackdown Tag Title match, Finn Balor winning the IC Title, and a great Becky Lynch segment to top it all off. That Corbin/Strowman stuff dragged, but skip it and enjoy the rest.