WWE Elimination Chamber was a good show in its entirety, but nobody is going to talk about it in years to come because nothing major happened that would affect the upcoming WrestleMania. WWE just needed to hold a pay-per-view on the month of March for their Network subscribers, so they hosted the event that was full of great wrestling. However, it didn’t have many repercussions moving forward.
It wasn’t a great pay-per-view, but wasn’t bad, either. It simply had some good wrestling that you could spend your Sunday evening watching. So, let’s take a look at what worked in the show and what’s best to be left forgotten.
Best: Sami Zayn Winning the Intercontinental Championship
Letting Sami Zayn win the Intercontinental title was the best thing WWE did on the show. It is impossible to not feel happy for the man if you have been following him from his NXT days. He always gives his best in everything WWE asks him to do, yet he never gets the appreciation from the management. So, seeing him finally win a belt on the main roster was a genuine feel-good moment.
It also produces an intriguing storyline for him going into WrestleMania. Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro basically let their opportunity to win the belt themselves go in favor of Zayn.
Braun Strowman is back in his usual Mania spot as well. Come WrestleMania, we might see him competing in the Andre The Giant Battle Royale again.
Worst: #1 Contender for Raw Women’s Championship Match Main Eventing the Show
To be clear, the women’s Elimination Chamber match was booked to perfection and I don’t have any problem with that. We don’t get many dominant heel characters nowadays. Letting Shayna Baszler run through the 4 other women until she came face to face with Asuka was an incredible booking decision. However, that match shouldn’t have been the main event.
The Undertaker‘s return or SmackDown Tag Team Championship Elimination Chamber match deserved that spot more because the crowd was much more animated during those matches. It was International Women’s Day, so WWE wanted the women’s match to close out the show. However, the way it played out, it would have suited better at the start or in the middle of the card.
#2. Best: Daniel Bryan vs Drew Gulak
If you are a fan of mat wrestling, then Daniel Bryan vs Drew Gulak was for you. Their wrestling style and grappling was a treat to watch. Gulak has shown his talent in NXT and 205 Live, but this was his first time wrestling on the main roster pay-per-view against one of the best wrestlers of the company. Even though he lost the match, he came out looking like a star that WWE needs to invest more time and money in.
Nothing I say at this point about Daniel Bryan will justify his ability as a pro-wrestler. If he is not going to be in the main event picture, then he needs to work more with such talented mid-card wrestlers who are relatively unknown to the audience.
Worst: The Kick-off Show
Matches in the kick-off shows are mainly done to generate fans’ interest in the main show. So, a last-minute thrown together match between The Viking Raiders and the team of Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins will definitely not do the job for you. Nobody cared about the match.
The Viking Raiders have lost all their momentum. Till a few weeks ago, they were booked as a dominant team. Now, they are wrestling Hawkins and Ryder on a pre-show. If even WWE doesn’t care about their kick-off shows, then why should we?
Best: The Undertaker’s Return
The Undertaker showing up on Elimination Chamber to cost AJ Styles his match was not a surprise. Everyone, including my dog, knew that he was going to be part of that match in some shape or form. But, having one of the legends of the wrestling industry appearing on a show that majorly lacks star power was a nice moment to witness. Hearing the gong would never get old, no matter how many times it happens.
On top of that, we are building towards Styles vs The Undertaker for WrestleMania, so there is nothing to complain about it. However, we don’t know if it is going to be a singles match or not yet. We might see a handicap match between The OC and the team of The Undertaker and Aleister Black. But, watching The Phenom and The Phenomenal One going after each other on the biggest wrestling show is all I need to see.
Nonetheless, let’s not forget what started this dream feud: The prestigious Tuwaiq Trophy.
Worst: No World Title Match
Having two part-timers as your World Champions would mean that there would be no World title matches in B level pay-per-views like Elimination Chamber. For most of 2019, WWE was in favor of having a full-timer as their World Champion. By the time WrestleMania season rolls around, both the WWE and Universal belts were around part-timers’ waists.
Last year’s Elimination Chamber‘s ending was perfect with Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston. This year, WWE couldn’t do anything like that because their champions can’t wrestle more than 5 minutes.
Although, both the belts are expected to change the hands on the show of the shows, I have no doubt that at least one of the belts will be with Brock Lesnar going into WrestleMania 37.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. Join us for the next Harsh Reality following WrestleMania 36!
