There are a lot of things I can say about Elimination Chamber 2018, many of which will be well covered by the time we're finished here today. So I'll just say this: you do realize Elimination Chamber is essentially a toilet reference, right? And we're off to a strong start.
- Both Chamber matches seemed very predictable coming in, and surprise, surprise, they both went about the way you could've expected, to varying results. I really enjoyed the women's Chamber match, perhaps even more than the women's Rumble last month. They did a really good job booking the match, with the three different pairs and how they would interact, adding some extra intrigue. Overall, this was nothing ground-breaking, just a solid, enjoyable match. Say what you will about Alexa Bliss and her in-ring talent, but on the mic, she's genuinely one of the best in the company. As to what Raw's women's division has in store next, I'm not completely sure, but I'm certainly more interested now then I was before.
- Hey, look at ole Apollo Crews and Titus O'Neil getting into a title match. I mean, they didn't look like they were serious threats to win, but somebody's gotta take the pin, and at least it was something a little different for the tag division.
- On only a five match card, two matches were devoted to the women's division, which is very impressive, as everyone was booked tonight. Asuka and Nia Jax put on a great match, that honestly made me wish this was the direction for the division at 'Mania. Nia taking a clean loss doesn't make her look great, but not everyone can win every match.
- A man vanished into the cosmos, sang for a bit, then wrestled a dude for a little while and there were a few beachballs involved. Next.
- Ever since the Rumble, just about every opinion I've heard or read from almost every wrestling fan is how opposed they were to Ronda Rousey's signing. She was already approaching "go-away heat" levels before even saying a word, and it seemed all but certain that wrestling fans were going to do whatever possible to stop her wrestling career before it even began. But as they say, "thou who puts Triple H through a table is thus declared a saint", and Ronda Rousey became the highlight of this entire show. Her first few minutes on the mic weren't great, which is definitely something to avoid going forward, but that death glare changed everything. The segment in general was great, with Angle stirring the pot and bringing up WrestleMania 31 because he's just the best human being. Did I mention Triple H went through a table? It was pretty cool, you guys.
- Feel free to crucify me for this one, but I'm a fearless man, so here goes nothing. I've been wanting to see Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar 2 for a very, very long time. Since the end of their match in Santa Clara, I've been wanting to see a clean finish. And I'll tell ya, as a guy that wanted this match more than just about anyone, I HATED this main event.
- I try to be positive about most things in wrestling, but this match annoyed the hell out of me. Braun kicking out of all the finishers was a fun spot, but really served to de-legitimize all the other guys in this match. Beyond Seth, this match was completely about Braun and Roman, with even John frickin' Cena relegated to mid-card status. Let's get one thing straight: there was no way to book this match, with Roman winning, that wouldn't end in massive boos. Simply none. That being said, they took the absolute worst path to booking it possible. Braun did not need to eliminate every other competitor, because there was simply no way he was every winning. WWE tried to have their cake and eat it too, keeping Braun as over as possible whilst still having Reigns go over in the end, and it was an abject failure. Reigns fans will be unhappy their guy didn't do more, Braun fans have probably broken every item in their possession and the rest of us will just sit here, slowly shaking our heads. I will maintain that WWE Creative knows how to book, and even after this, I still hold my ground, but if anything, that makes this match even more disappointing. They know how to book, how to get guys over and build stars, but they just refuse to. Lesnar-Reigns was the match I wanted, and I've been wanting it for almost three years, but I'm not sure if the journey justifies the ending.
6/10
Look, at the end of the day, I still enjoyed this show. Unfortunately, I think it's probably one best forgotten, which is hugely disappointing given it's importance to the rest of the year.
Elimination Chamber 2017 Score: 7/10
- Both Chamber matches seemed very predictable coming in, and surprise, surprise, they both went about the way you could've expected, to varying results. I really enjoyed the women's Chamber match, perhaps even more than the women's Rumble last month. They did a really good job booking the match, with the three different pairs and how they would interact, adding some extra intrigue. Overall, this was nothing ground-breaking, just a solid, enjoyable match. Say what you will about Alexa Bliss and her in-ring talent, but on the mic, she's genuinely one of the best in the company. As to what Raw's women's division has in store next, I'm not completely sure, but I'm certainly more interested now then I was before.
- Hey, look at ole Apollo Crews and Titus O'Neil getting into a title match. I mean, they didn't look like they were serious threats to win, but somebody's gotta take the pin, and at least it was something a little different for the tag division.
- On only a five match card, two matches were devoted to the women's division, which is very impressive, as everyone was booked tonight. Asuka and Nia Jax put on a great match, that honestly made me wish this was the direction for the division at 'Mania. Nia taking a clean loss doesn't make her look great, but not everyone can win every match.
- A man vanished into the cosmos, sang for a bit, then wrestled a dude for a little while and there were a few beachballs involved. Next.
- Ever since the Rumble, just about every opinion I've heard or read from almost every wrestling fan is how opposed they were to Ronda Rousey's signing. She was already approaching "go-away heat" levels before even saying a word, and it seemed all but certain that wrestling fans were going to do whatever possible to stop her wrestling career before it even began. But as they say, "thou who puts Triple H through a table is thus declared a saint", and Ronda Rousey became the highlight of this entire show. Her first few minutes on the mic weren't great, which is definitely something to avoid going forward, but that death glare changed everything. The segment in general was great, with Angle stirring the pot and bringing up WrestleMania 31 because he's just the best human being. Did I mention Triple H went through a table? It was pretty cool, you guys.
- Feel free to crucify me for this one, but I'm a fearless man, so here goes nothing. I've been wanting to see Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar 2 for a very, very long time. Since the end of their match in Santa Clara, I've been wanting to see a clean finish. And I'll tell ya, as a guy that wanted this match more than just about anyone, I HATED this main event.
- I try to be positive about most things in wrestling, but this match annoyed the hell out of me. Braun kicking out of all the finishers was a fun spot, but really served to de-legitimize all the other guys in this match. Beyond Seth, this match was completely about Braun and Roman, with even John frickin' Cena relegated to mid-card status. Let's get one thing straight: there was no way to book this match, with Roman winning, that wouldn't end in massive boos. Simply none. That being said, they took the absolute worst path to booking it possible. Braun did not need to eliminate every other competitor, because there was simply no way he was every winning. WWE tried to have their cake and eat it too, keeping Braun as over as possible whilst still having Reigns go over in the end, and it was an abject failure. Reigns fans will be unhappy their guy didn't do more, Braun fans have probably broken every item in their possession and the rest of us will just sit here, slowly shaking our heads. I will maintain that WWE Creative knows how to book, and even after this, I still hold my ground, but if anything, that makes this match even more disappointing. They know how to book, how to get guys over and build stars, but they just refuse to. Lesnar-Reigns was the match I wanted, and I've been wanting it for almost three years, but I'm not sure if the journey justifies the ending.
6/10
Look, at the end of the day, I still enjoyed this show. Unfortunately, I think it's probably one best forgotten, which is hugely disappointing given it's importance to the rest of the year.
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