By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Elimination Chamber
Aired February 18, 2023 live on Peacock and pay-per-view
Montreal, Quebec at Bell Centre
The show opened with an Elimination Chamber video package… Michael Cole and and Corey Graves checked in on commentary. Cole listed the attendance as just north of 17,271 (I corrected number that was listed earlier)…
Ring announcer Samatha Irvin introduced the entrants for the women’s Elimination Chamber match. Asuka came out first followed by Carmella, Raquel Rodriguez, and Nikki Cross. They took their places inside the pods and then Natalya came out to a strong ovation followed by Liv Morgan…
1. Asuka vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Nikki Cross vs. Liv Morgan vs. Natalya vs. Carmella in an Elimination Chamber match for a shot at the Raw Women’s Championship at WrestleMania. Natalya and Liv Morgan started the match while the others were inside their pods.
The third entrant was Raquel Rodriguez, who splashed Natalya and Morgan in the same corner. Rodriguez performed a fallaway slam on Morgan, then booted Natalya onto the area outside the ring. Rodriguez went outside the ring, hoisted up Natalya, and backed her into the chains several times. Morgan slowed her down with a sunset bomb into the chains. Asuka was shown smiling at the violence.
The fourth entrant was Nikki Cross, who was still wearing her ring jacket. Cross had her offensive flurry. Rodriguez threw her into the corner and charged, but Cross moved and Rodriguez cracked into the post. Cross eventually climbed the chains and ended up on top of Carmella’s pod. Cross took her jacket off and slammed it onto the pod and then performed a crossbody block on her three active opponents.
The fifth entrant was Carmella. She entered the ring and made quick covers on Morgan and Natalya, but only got two counts. Carmella walked over to Asuka’s pod and jawed at her. Cross crawled over and stalked Carmella, who went back into her pod to avoid Cross. Rodriguez picked up Cross and drove her through Carmella’ pod glass. Carmella ran and locked herself in another pod. Rodriguez ended up covering and pinning Cross.
Nikki Cross was eliminated by Rodriguez in 11:40.
Morgan hit a Codebreaker on Rodriguez. Cole’s struggles with the move carried over from Smackdown, as he called it a Code Red, which Graves quickly corrected. Morgan performed a sunset bomb from the top rope on Rodriguez. Carmella covered Rodriguez and only got a two count, which the broadcast team made a big fuss over.
The sixth and final entrant was Asuka, who went right after Carmella while an “Asuka’s gonna kill you” chant broke out. Asuka dominated Carmella and then turned and smiled at Rodriguez, who put her down with a shoulder tackle, which was booed by the crowd. Asuka came right back with an octopus submission hold, which Rodriguez powered out of.
Morgan hit Asuka with a missile dropkick for a two count. Morgan hit a Codebreaker (Cole called it a Code Red again!). Morgan went for Oblivion, but was kicked. Natalya put Morgan in the Sharpshooter. Asuka joined in by simultaneously wrenching the arm of Morgan, who passed out. There were some boos when it was announced that Morgan had been eliminated.
Liv Morgan was eliminated by Natalya and Asuka at 16:40.
Asuka and Natalya fought. Natalya caught Asuka in the Sharpshooter, but Carmella booted Natalya in the head and then pinned her.
Natalya was eliminated by Carmella in 17:25.
Asuka and Carmella took turns throwing kicks at Rodriguez and then both women pinned her.
Raquel Rodriguez was eliminated by Asuka and Carmella at 18:25.
Carmella immediately blasted Asuka with a kick to the head. They did a series of pin attempts and then Asuka applied the Asuka Lock for the win…
Asuka defeated Carmella, Raquel Rodriguez, Natalya, Liv Morgan, and Nikki Cross in 19:30 to earn a Raw Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania.
A WrestleMania graphic listed Bianca Belair vs. Asuka for the Raw Women’s Championship at WrestleMania…
Powell’s POV: A decent Chamber match with the right person going over, though it’s not the type of match that anyone will be talking about a few days from now. I was surprised to see Carmella last as long as she did. I honestly would have expected her to be the first person eliminated. Carmella got good heat, though the outcome felt like a foregone conclusion once it came down to her and Asuka. On a side note, Cole’s struggles with calling the Codebreaker is hilarious. He mistakenly called it by the Oblivion name twice on Smackdown and was a good sport in correcting himself. For some reason, he had Code Red stuck in his head tonight. It happens. At least he doesn’t have to worry about getting an earful from a lunatic in his headsets these days.
After some advertising, a video package set up the Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley match. Entrances for the match took place…
2. Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley. Lesnar picked up Lashley and drove him into the corner and then performed a German suplex. Lesnar tossed Lashley to ringside and then followed him and threw him back inside. When Lesnar returned to the ring, Lashley speared him and covered him for a near fall.
Lashley speared Lesnar a second time. There were some boos. Lashley went for the Hurt Lock, but Lesnar blocked it. Lesnar countered into an F5 and covered Lashley for a near fall. Lesnar sold the effects of Lashley’s spears once he stood up, and then he hit a second F5 and covered Lashley for another near fall.
A “one more time” chant broke out. Lashley applied the Hurt Lock. Lesnar started to fade and then came back to life and tried to power out of the hold. When that didn’t work, Lesnar kicked Lashley in the balls to end the match in a disqualification.
Bobby Lashley defeated Brock Lesnar by DQ in 4:45.
After the match, Lesnar grabbed referee Chad Patton and put him down with an F5. The crowd cheered. Lesnar grabbed Lashley and gave him another F5. Graves questioned when is the last time Lesnar was so desperate that he had to resort to a low blow. Lashley went to ringside and then Lesnar followed and gave him an F5 through the broadcast table. A “holy shit” chant broke out. Lesnar pulled the referee out of the ring and then gave him an F5 onto the pile of the broken broadcast table. Cole said there’s not a person on the planet who is as scary as Lesnar…
Powell’s POV: Was that last line from a Cole an indication that Lesnar vs. Bray Wyatt is still in play? Wyatt stated on Smackdown that the winner of this match should run, but that disappointing DQ finish left me wondering if the plan is for a Triple Threat with Lesnar vs. Lashley vs. Wyatt at WrestleMania. The match was fun until the weak finish, but Lesnar’s post match carnage seemed to leave the live crowd satisfied.
A WrestleMania Hollywood video featured Seth Rollins wearing Joker makeup and dancing like the Joaquin Phoenix version of the character. Becky Lynch grabbed him and spoke in a Batman voice…
MMA legend Georges St-Pierre and the man Cole labeled “The Unbiased Ariel Helwani” were shown in the crowd together…
Powell’s POV: For those who missed it, AEW’s Tony Khan tweeted that Helwani is a fraud after he appeared on Smackdown last night and added that he’s “as legitimate of a reporter as Tony Schiavone.” Helwani responded with a tweet that referenced Khan as “Snowman.” Helwani replied: “Thanks for watching, old friend! Can’t wait for our next chat. (Also, don’t listen to the snowman, Schiavone. You’re a legend in my books.)” Needless to say, WWE is clearly having some fun at Khan’s expense tonight.
A video package set up the mixed tag match and then entrances for the match took place…
3. Edge and Beth Phoenix vs. Rhea Ripley and Finn Balor (w/Dominik Mysterio). Cole noted that it had been nearly 17 years since Edge wrestled in Montreal. Graves noted that Phoenix was wearing makeup that paid tribute to legendary Japanese wrestler Bull Nakano. There was an early exchange with Phoenix and Ripley hitting one another with simultaneous clotheslines.
Dom hopped onto the apron and whispered into Ripley’s ear. A “F— you, Dominik” chant broke out. Phoenix and Ripley ended up at ringside. Phoenix threw Ripley into the ring steps. Back in the ring, Phoenix clotheslined Balor while he was on the apron. Phoenix went to the ropes and Dom tripped her while the referee was tied up with Balor. Edge ran after Dom, who raced to the back. Graves said Dom had a curfew in Canada.
The fans sang the “goodbye” song when Dom left, then booed when he walked back onto the stage and headed back to ringside. Another found of “F— you, Dominik” chants broke out. Phoenix put Ripley down with a DDT and tried to make a hot tag to Edge, but Balor pulled Edge off the apron. Ripley went for her finisher, but Phoenix slipped away to avoid it. Yet another round of “F— you, Dominik” chants started.
A short time later, Phoenix performed a superplex on Ripley. Phoenix kicked Ripley into Balor and then tagged in Edge, who worked over Balor and put him in an Educator submission hold. Ripley ran in, but Phoenix stopped her and put her in the same hold. Dom climbed onto the apron. Phoenix released the hold to go after him, but Ripley headbutted Phoenix. Dom apparently threw brass knuckles to Balor, who hit Edge with them. Balor had the pin and Phoenix was clearly late to break it up, but the referee stopped counting anyway. Ugh.
Edge and Balor ended up fighting on the ropes. Ripley and Phoenix slipped underneath them and simultaneously powerbombed their respective opponents. Ripley and Phoenix then simultaneously clotheslined one another, leaving all four wrestlers down in the ring.
A short time later, Phoenix hit the Glam Slam on Ripley at ringside. Edge put Balor down in the ring and then hit Dom with a suicide dive on the floor. Edge returned to the ring and went for a spear, but Balor beat him to the punch with a sling blade clothesline. Balor set up for a dropkick, but Edge speared him. Edge and Phoenix teamed up to hit FTR’s Big Rig on Balor and then Edge pinned him…
Edge and Beth Phoenix beat Rhea Ripley and Finn Balor in 13:50.
Powell’s POV: Fortunately, this is not a Fox broadcast or the screen would have went black for half the match while they censored the anti-Dom chants. Man, the fans love to hate him. I love it. The match was fun aside from Beth being late to break up that pin. I loved the finish. It’s cool that Edge and Phoenix did a revival of the Shatter Machine finisher in WWE. See what I did there?
Graves hyped the Elimination Chamber press conference for WWE’s social media page and Peacock for after the show…
Roman Reigns was shown drinking the show sponsor’s energy drink inside his locker room while Paul Heyman spoke behind him…
Entrances for the men’s Elimination Chamber match. Ring announcer Mike Rome announced the rules and handled the introductions. Austin Theory, Montez Ford, Bronson Reed, and Damian Priest came out first and entered the pods, and then Johnny Gargano and Seth Rollins followed…
4. Austin Theory vs. Seth Rollins vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Bronson Reed vs. Montez Ford vs. Damian Priest in an Elimination Chamber match for the U.S. Championship. Johnny Gargano and Seth Rollins started the match. The crowd chanted the Rollins song as the match started. Once they stopped, a lighter “Johnny Wrestling” chant broke out. The wrestlers had a good back and forth exchange. Gargano ended up spearing Rollins through the ropes and onto the area between the ring and the chains.
The third entrant was Austin Theory, who barked at the referees to open his pod and then went right after both opponents. Rollins ended up working over Theory inside a pod and then Gargano joined in.
The fourth entrant was Damian Priest, who put Gargano down with a big boot and then worked over Rollins with kicks and a punch. Priest hit both men with leaping elbows in opposite corners and then put Gargano down with a Broken Arrow. Priest stuffed a Rollins’ Pedigree attempt and then spiked his head onto the mat.
Priest picked up a near fall on Gargano. Priest went for his chokeslam finisher on Rollins, who flipped out of it. Priest caught him with a kick and then hit an Unprettier for a near fall. Theory patted Priest on the back. Priest dropped Theory with a kick. Eventually Priest had all three opponents down and received a polite round of applause before a “this is awesome” chant broke out. Rollins caught Priest on the top rope and superplexed him, then rolled through an performed a falcon arrow for a near fall.
The fifth entrant was Bronson Reed, who immediately ran into Theory outside the ring. Reed entered the ring and hit a double move on Gargano and Rollins. Reed put Gargano and Rollins on his shoulders and then walked around a bit before performing a double Samoan Drop (which Cole called a fallaway slam). Reed turned and glared at Montez Ford before battling with Priest. Reed ended up splashing Priest against the side of one of the pods. Reed went up top and hit Theory with a flying shoulder tackle.
The sixth and final entrant was Montez Ford. Reed walked over and waited for him, but Ford came out firing and put him down with a step-up enzuigiri. Priest grabbed Ford, who then worked over Theory with some kicks and a spinebuster. Ford set up for a move, but Reed cut him off with a clothesline. Theory powered up Ford, who slipped away and then powerslammed him.
Gargano got Reed on his knees, but ended up in the electric chair position. Rollins went for a Doomsday Device on Gargano, who countered into a Poison Rana on Reed. Ford covered Reed, who kicked out at two. Another “this is awesome” chant broke out.
Priest caught Ford going for a move and ended up setting him up for a crucifix powerbomb, but Ford grabbed and climbed up the side of the Chamber structure. Ford pulled himself up using the roof chains and then dropped onto the pile of his opponents below. A “holy shit” chant broke out.
Gargano, Ford, and Rollins hit triple superkick on Reed. They followed up by hitting him with their finishers, which Ford capped off with a frog splash for the three count. The crowd sang the “goodbye” song to Reed.
Bronson Reed was eliminated by Montez Ford in 18:00.
A short time later, Rollins and Theory climbed the Chamber wall next to one of the pods. Gargano climbed up on the other side of the pod and then Priest followed. Rollins and Gargano both ended up seated on top of the same pod after knocking their opponents down. They sat back and enjoyed a moment, and then Rollins chopped Gargano and worked him over with punches. Gargano fired back.
Rollins slammed the back of Gargano’s head into the Chamber wall repeatedly. Rollins picked up Gargano on top of the pod, but Gargano countered into a huracanrana that sent Rollins crashing onto Theory and Ford (while Priest caught Gargano).
Gargano and Priest got up first. Gargano superkicked Priest and then used the Chamber wall to perform a tornado DDT. Gargano took out Theory and then caught Ford leaping with a superkick. Gargano entered the ring and then hopped over the ropes and spiked Theory with a DDT on the way down. Moments later, Priest ended up putting Gargano down with a Razor’s Edge and pinned him.
Johnny Gargano was eliminated by Damian Priest in 23:05.
A short time later, Priest caught Ford on the ropes and joined him. Rollins came up behind Priest and held him up while Ford performed a Blockbuster and then pinned Priest.
Damian Priest was eliminated by Montez Ford in 25:00.
Rollins and Ford squared off. Ford played maestro and got the crowd to chant Rollins’ theme song. Ford smiled and then Rollins punched him and they went at it while Theory was down outside the ring. Theory eventually stood up and then Ford performed a flip dive onto him and then ran back and hit a flip dive onto Rollins on the other side of the ring. Ford got both men outside the ring and hit them both with another flip dive.
Ford put Theory down with a uranage kick. Ford went for a top rope frog splash, but Theory put his knees up. Ford momentum set him up over the mid rope. Rollins performed a Stomp on Ford and then Theory ended up pinning him. The crowd booed.
Montez Ford was eliminated by Austin Theory in 27:45.
The match came down to Theory and Rollins. While the referee tended to Ford, Rollins put Theory down and got a near fall. The referee checked on Ford again and then called for help. Ford was helped to his feet by two trainers, who helped him out of the Chamber while the crowd chanted his name. Ford fell once he got to the ring steps, so the door remained open.
Inside the ring, Rollins went for a Stomp on Theory, who avoided it. Rollins ended up putting Theory down with a Pedigree. Rollins set up for a Stomp. Logan Paul entered the Chamber and hit a Buckshot Lariat on Rollins while the crowd booed. Paul performed a Stomp on Rollins. Paul left the Chamber, then climbed up the side to watch while. Theory picked up Rollins and hit A-Town Down before scoring the pin…
Austin Theory defeated Seth Rollins, Montez Ford, Damian Priest, Johnny Gargano, and Bronson Reed in 31:30 in an Elimination Chamber match to retain the U.S. Championship.
Powell’s POV: A top notch Chamber match. The finish was clever in terms of Ford doing a terrific job of selling to create an excuse for the Chamber door to be left open, which allowed Logan Paul to interfere. Ford really shined during the match and his day is coming. That was fun and it’s really cool to see how much heat some of the top heels have these days.
A WrestleMania 39 video aired. We are 42 days away from the two-night event… The broadcast team hyped WrestleMania and then a video package set up the main event…
Roman Reigns made his entrance and was accompanied by Paul Heyman. Cole noted that Reigns had been champion for 902 days and had not been pinned since September 2019. Cole brought up Ivan Koloff defeating Bruno Sammartino and said Koloff was from Montreal.
Powell’s POV: Kayfabe isn’t just dead, Michael Cole just pissed on its rotting corpse. Okay, I’m not really bothered, but childhood me would have been shocked to learn that Uncle Ivan was Canadian.
An “F— you, Roman” chant broke out. Once Reigns was in the ring, the fans sang “Ole, Ole, Ole” while Reigns seethed. Sami Zayn made his entrance to “Worlds Apart” while the crowd chanted along. Zayn walked onto the stage and then fired up on the stage before walking slowly to the ring. Once in the ring, Zayn let out a war cry. Zayn jawed at Reigns, who smirked and then smiled and jawed back at him…
Samantha Irvin delivered in-ring introductions for the title match. When Zayn was introduced, he tried to go after Reigns, but the referee held him back. Reigns was serenaded with boos when he was introduced and then another “F— you, Roman” chant broke out. Sami’s wife Khadija was shown at ringside and was identified by the broadcast team. Cole asked if it was probable and said no, then asked if it was possible and said hell yes.
5. Roman Reigns (w/Paul Heyman) vs. Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. The bell rang and then Zayn smiled and jawed at a stone-faced Reigns from across the ring. The crowd roared and a Sami chant broke out while the wrestlers stood apart from one another. Another “Ole” singalong took place. Another “F— you, Roman” chant occurred followed by another round of “Ole.”
The wrestlers locked up four minutes and 15 seconds after the opening bell. Zayn caught Reigns in an early headlock. Reigns pulled his hair and ended up knocking him down, then mocked the crowd for booing him by brushing them off. Another “F— you, Roman” chant started, which Reigns sold for a moment before putting Zayn in a headlock. Zayn broke free and threw Reigns over the top rope. Zayn performed a flip dive onto Reigns. “Make them believe, Sami,” Cole said on commentary.
Back inside the ring, Zayn stood over Reigns in the corner and threw punches at him while the crowd counted along. Zayn followed up with an elbow from the middle rope and then covered Reigns for just a one count. Graves said Reigns came up holding his ear after the flip dive and seemed off-balance. Zayn went back to the ropes and leapt into an uppercut from Reigns, who sold for a moment and then licked his chops while looking at the crowd.
Reigns threw Zayn to ringside and then followed him to the floor. Reigns slammed Zayn’s head on the apron and then hit him with a Drive-By kick. Back inside the ring, Zayn threw a punch at Reigns, who no-sold it, and then dropped Zayn with a punch. The fans booed and Reigns mocked them by asking if a couple of Sami chants was all they had. Zayn fired chips at Reigns and then ran the ropes, but Reigns dropped him with another uppercut. Reigns laughed and then pointed at Heyman, who pointed back and cheered.
Reigns got Zayn in the corner and then jawed at Zayn’s wife Khadija about providing for her. Reigns threw Zayn to ringside in front of Khadija. Reigns barked at Zayn and then threw him to the ground. Reigns told Khadija that Sami betrayed him. Reigns headbutted Zayn while the broadcast team noted that this was playing out in front of other members of Zayn’s family. Reigns threw Zayn back inside the ring and joined him. Cole said this wasn’t the way that anyone in Montreal played this out in their heads. Graves said fantasy is fun, but this was reality and it’s Roman’s world.
Zayn caught Reigns with a clothesline and dropped him. Reigns acted surprised while Zayn fired up. They got to their feet and Zayn threw punches at Reigns and then ran the ropes and knocked him down. When they stood up, Zayn clotheslined Reigns to the floor in front of Khadija. Zayn followed and worked over Reigns. Zayn threw Reigns back inside the ring and then planted a kiss on Khadija, who cheered.
Zayn went back to the ring and climbed the ropes, but he was cut off by a Reigns’ punch. Reigns climbed onto the middle rope and set up to superplex Zayn, who fired away with punches. Zayn performed a sunset bomb from the ropes for a close near fall. Zayn slapped himself and then picked up Reigns and set up for a move, but Reigns cut him off with several elbows followed by a uranage slam. Reigns covered Zayn for a two count.
Reigns went to the corner and went for a Superman Punch, but Zayn hit him with an exploder suplex instead. Zayn went for a Helluva Kick, but Reigns caught him with a Superman Punch and covered him for a good near fall. Reigns went to the corner and let out the war cry. Reigns went for a spear, but Zayn leapt over him and ended up rolling him into a pin for a near fall. Zayn put Reigns down with an exploder suplex.
Zayn went to the corner and then did Roman’s locked and loaded pose before hitting him with a Superman Punch. Zayn connected with a Helluva Kick and then got an awesome near fall. Zayn checked with the referee about the count and then went back to the corner. Zayn charged for another kick once Reigns was up, but Reigns rolled to the floor. Zayn followed him and did his dive through the ropes, but Reigns caught him with a punch.
Reigns ran around the ring and charged Zayn, who sidestepped Reigns and then tossed him through the timekeepers area barricade. Zayn rolled Reigns back inside the ring and hit the Blue Thunder Bomb for another strong near fall. Zayn got back to his knees and fired himself up again. Zayn picked up Reigns, who stuffed the move that he was setting up for. Reigns backed Zayn into the referee. REF BUMP!!!
Zayn hit Reigns with a Helluva Kick in the opposite corner. Zayn got the visual pinfall while the fans counted along and then booed. Zayn checked on the referee, who ended up rolling to the floor.
Jimmy Uso entered the ring and superkicked Zayn twice. Jimmy threw Zayn into the ropes and then superkicked him again. Jimmy went up top and performed a top rope splash. Jimmy pulled Reigns onto Zayn. A second referee ran out to make the count, but Zayn kicked out at the last moment.
Reigns was on all fours and looked on in disbelief while Zayn flailed away while trying to get up. The crowd sang “Ole, Ole, Oley.” Reigns jawed at Zayn, who punched him several times. Reigns got Zayn against the ropes and talked smack until Zayn pushed him away. There was some awkwardness and then Reigns rolled to the floor. Zayn knocked Jimmy off the apron with a Helluva Kick. Reigns speared Zayn and only got a near fall.
Reigns sat on the mat and expressed disbelief. Reigns jawed at Zayn. Reigns said he tried to help Zayn and then complained that this was how Zayn repaid him. The fans booed him. Reigns slapped Zayn a couple times. Zayn stood up and fired back with a slap of his own. Reigns went for a Superman Punch that Zayn avoided and ended up hitting the referee instead. REF BUMP!!! Heyman pulled a chair out from underneath the ring and handed it to Reigns.
Jey Uso appeared at ringside and entered the ring. Reigns barked at his cousin, who scowled at him. Reigns asked Jey if he was with him or with Zayn. Reigns held out the chair and handed it to Jey while Zayn remained down against the ropes. Reigns turned his back to Jey and to jaw at Zayn. Reigns turned back and snapped his fingers at Jey, encouraging him to hurry up and hit Zayn. Reigns took the chair away from Jey and then pie-faced him twice.
Zayn tried to spear Reigns, who moved, causing Sami to spear Jey accidentally. Jey tumbled out of the ring and then Reigns hit Zayn with several chair shots. Reigns went to the corner and let out a war cry before spearing Zayn. Reigns covered Zayn. One of the referees returned to the ring and made the three count.
Roman Reigns defeated Sami Zayn in 32:20 to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
Reigns got to his feet and then Jimmy entered the ring. Reigns encouraged Jimmy to attack Zayn, which he did.
Kevin Owens’ entrance music played and then he walked onto the stage. Jimmy went out to meet Owens, who then made quick work of Jimmy. Owens entered the ring and tackled Reigns. Owens threw several punches at the head of Reigns. Owens ended up kicking and Stunning Owens. Jimmy returned and also ate a kick and a Stunner. Owens followed Jimmy to ringside and performed a Popup Powerbomb that drove Jimmy through the broadcast table.
Owens grabbed a chair. Paul Heyman entered the ring behind Owens and hit him with a series of hilariously wimpy punches that Owens no-sold. Owens slowly turned around and then kicked Heyman and put him down with a Stunner.
Owens stood in the middle of the ring with Zayn standing behind him in one corner while Reigns was in the opposite corner. Owens stepped aside and then Zayn blasted Reigns with a Helluva Kick. Zayn’s entrance theme played. Owens left the ring. Owens stopped and looked back at Zayn before heading to the stage. Zayn hunched over on the ropes. Owens stood on the stage and looked at Zayn.
Zayn looked to the crowd and they cheered loudly. Zayn held up his arm and then sold frustration over not winning. Cole hyped the post show press conference and said “we are officially on the road to WrestleMania”… A video package recapped the Elimination Chamber event to close things out…
Powell’s POV: An excellent main event with all the drama and suspense they could muster. As much as I mock ref bumps, they are effective in small doses and they were also logical in this match to set up the visual pinfall and the interference by the Usos. Speaking of which, getting Jey into Canada was considered a reasonable possibility, but WWE must have really worked overtime to pull enough strings to get Jimmy back across the border. Anyway, I loved the main event and the awesome emotion of it. The only thing missing was the fairytale ending, but it was still a special match.
Overall, this was an outstanding event. All five matches delivered. Sure, the finish to Lesnar vs. Lashley sucked, but it was a lot of fun until then and they really did win over the live crowd with Lesnar’s post match destruction. Both Elimination Chamber matches were entertaining and the men’s Chamber match was especially good. But of course the main event stole the show and it’s going to be remembered for a long time. I will have more to say when I team up with Jake Barnett and Will Pruett for our same night Dot Net Triple Threat audio review for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). Let me know what you thought of the show by voting for the best match and grading it below.
Lesnar is a modern day Stan Hansen at this point.
Given the issues the Usos have with entering Canada because of their past legal issues, why is Dominic able to travel to Canada given that he recent “did time”? Just saying…
Great minds (or bad comedians) think alike. I asked something similar about Dom’s status in audio this week.
The men’s chamber is making EVERYONE look good. This is what they call great booking
I am really liking the event so far. I believe Reigns will retain against Zayn, and have an A+ match with Cody Rhodes.
One of the greatest chamber matches ever. I really enjoyed that.
The crowd really adds to any match.
This crowd has been on another level tonight.
Does Canada know that Jey Uso is there?
Great way to cap off a really good PLE. That crowd was brilliant.
This is what happens WWE when you box yourself into the corner like this. You end up screwing Montreal for the second time. Because they were so focused on Cody vs Reigns at Wrestlemania, they missed out on probably the biggest pop they would EVER of had. WWE, next time pull the trigger when you know it is the right thing to do. I know they took some of the sting out of the finish by the KO appearance, but still not a good look in the end.
How many times are we going to see Reigns lose with no referee? And then do it twice tonite? Every match Roman has ends the same way! Always got to have the USOs in on it! Very tiring! It would be nice if Cody would win the next one!
Great PPV or PLE tonight as the Montreal crowd really added to it. It’s in my top 3 PPVs this year with Clash at the Castle, NXT Vengeance Day, and now Elimination Chamber. Every match was a win as the ladies got it started off really well with their chamber. Brock vs. Bobby Who wasn’t really much of a match, but they continue to tell their story going into their feud with Bray. Beth Phoenix & Edge vs. Balor & Ripley was so fun tonight as the crowd was super into that match. The Men’s Chamber was a top 5 chamber of all-time even Bronson Reed got a good showing. The main event was just theater at its finest, I still prefer the Rumble ending way better, but Sami got the love he deserved. Not sure where I place it with Punk’s reaction just yet at MITB 2011.
It’s a shame Papa H isn’t this consistent in his booking, he only shows up for the PPVs, but the TV shows especially Raw are still lacking. I’m still enjoying NXT a lot more at this point on a weekly basis.
AEW really needs to start telling stories for their matches, that’s what’s missing with them and proper booking.
@Sarah
Sami agrees with you. “The secret is out on Montreal.”
The Paul Heyman attack should be at the top of the hit list tomorrow.
I dont know if its because I was there live but everyone I spoke to there agrees, the main event booking was horrible. The second ref was looking at Jimmy beating down Zayn while coming in. Owens not coming in during the second ref bump and letting Sami lose to all the interferences before coming out. It was poorly booked. We even thought it was so bad, theres no way Owens came out on tv and it must’ve happened after the show was done.. but no.
Ill rewatch on tv. Maybe it looked better than live.
I can tell you, it killed ghe crowd.
I think Sami should have won the universal championship tonight, which would put Reigns even more motivated to not lose the WWE belt against Cody.
All those ref bumps are WCW booking.
During the men’s Chamber match, it fascinated me that neither announcer wanted to utter a simple observation: If Theory gets eliminated, there’d be a new US Champion. Why is that detail never mentioned during the match? Seems obvious to add that extra drama. I know, too much sense.
This is what WWE is these days. Great in ring action with booking that is paint by numbers boring and predictable. I have been a lifelong pro wrestling fan and I am almost done with it at this point. There is never any mystery or intruige and I am close to walking away from all of it.
I think WWE has finally figured out that Logan Paul is a di– i mean heel. I am really looking forward to Seth vs Paul at Wrestlemania. And Montez Ford has SuperStar written all over him.
I do wish KO had shown up sooner but plenty of seeds were planted. I had a really good time with this PLE