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With WrestleMania right around the corner, the Elimination Chamber PPV is the last real obstacle ahead of the biggest event of the year for WWE.
Yes, I'm aware there is one more PPV before WrestleMania, but who really cares about Fastlane?
So as always,
*Spoilers ahead*
Kickoff Fatal 4 Way Match for Keith Lee's spot in the U.S Title Match
The Kickoff show revealed Kieth Lee would not be able to compete in the triple threat with Riddle and United States Champion Bobby Lashley. The potential replacements were Ali, Morrison, Ricochet, and Elias. Of course, all of the Retribution except Reckoning were present in support of Ali. However, Elias's groupie Jaxon Ryker was absent. The match started quickly with a fast pace. Ali and Ricochet were the match's standouts, having great showings picking up where their feud ended. The two exchanged quick pinfalls early on on each other. Though those two shined, brightest, all four men had good showings. Morrison missed a Starship Pain on Ricochet, to which the one and only fired up, almost picking up the win until Retribution saves Ali and takes him out. While Ali is districted by the rest of Retribution, taking care of Ricochet Morrison rolls him up for the win. This win was necessary for Morrison. As much as the rest of this match's line up he has been a floater on Raw, only being relevant due to The Miz. I rate this impromptu match 6/10 stars as it made good use of unused talent and had a surprising finish.
Elimination Chamber Match for Universal Title Shot Later that Night
Sami is the first to make his way to the chamber with his camera crew. As he enters his pod, the ref makes the documentary crew leave, much to Sami's frustration. When Jey Uso enters the chamber to go into his pod, he stops to agitate Kevin Owens, first riling up the prizefighter. With Sami, Kevin, Corbin, and Uso in pods, Bryan and Cesaro start the match. With intense desperation, the swiss cyborg tries to eliminate Bryan early. The two wrestling specialists exchange hard, heavy blows, utilizing the chamber as a weapon early on in the match but quickly taking it back into the ring. Bryan begins favoring his knee, to where KO advises Cesaro to go for Daniel's knee from his pod.
King Corbin soon enters the match only to have Cesaro rush him. However, Corbin soon turns the table on the two other superstars using the pods and steel. Bryan attempts a comeback, but Cesaro stops it with his own comeback only to have Corbin stop him. The lone wolf hits Deep Six on both Cesaro and Bryan attempting to pin each to no avail. The former boxer continues to use the environment to his advantage, all the while the pod occupants dish out humorous interactions. Sami is the next entrant who is supposed to enter the match, but he tries to stay in his pod. Cesaro aggressively gets the ginger out and throws him into the steel of the chamber numerous times. Corbin and Cesaro get knocked out cold, so Sami focuses on Bryan trying to deliver his finisher kick, but Daniel moves out of the way. Later Sami and Cesaro climb up a pod as Sami runs away from the swiss ending their chase on the chain-link when Cesaro hangs from the top and kicks Sami down to the ring. He then does a big swing to Cobin, turning it over into a submission to gain the first elimination. As the elimination happens, KO enters in. Sami tries to convince Kevin to revisit their friendship and team up. Kevin answers by throwing his old friend into the pods. Eventually, Kevin dishes out KO bombs to everyone. After, each hit finishers on each other, then Uso finally enters as the last entrant. Jey and Kevin immediately go right after one another. The two get into an all-out brutal brawl, with Owens coming out on top of it. He then climbs up a pod, and moon saults off of it, hitting everyone and following it up with individualized stunners to Bryan, Cesaro, and Sami, who gets eliminated after. As Sami leaves, Jey slams the door on Owens' arm, traping for a moment. Uso then eliminates his foe with a frog splash. Cesaro gets Jey and swings him against the steel. However, Jey turns it around on the swiss and eliminates him leaving just Bryan left. Uso attempts another frog splash, this time from on top of a pod only for Daniel to catch him with his knees. The yes man hits his running knee strike and wins. I rate this chamber match 7/10 stars. Though the match was great and exciting with a spectacular finish, it would have been better with the championship being involved as Corbin didn't need to be in it.
Universal Championship Match
Immediately following the chamber match, Roman comes down to start the title match with a still recovering Bryan who can barely stand however, once the match begins, Bryan counters a spear right into a Yes Lock. Though the incredible reversal catches the champ off guard once he escapes, Roman is enraged. After beating down, the worn-out Bryan Roman applies his sleeper, and the referee calls the match. During Roman's unnecessary celebration after the lackluster match, Edge spears him out of no where then points up to the WrestleMania sign. Fireworks burst out as the legends decision for his WrestleMania opponent clear. This match is rated at 4/10 stars and is only that high because the Edge moment and the fact that Daniel Bryan can't even have a lousy squash match.
Triple Threat United States Championship Match
After winning the fatal 4-way match in the kickoff show, John Morrison makes the match a triple threat again, replacing a supposedly injured Kieth Lee. At the start of the match, the replacement sits back and watches Lashley and an Evel Knievel-inspired Riddle get after each other. Once Morrison does get involved, Lashley overpowers him to which the original bro tries to capitalize. However, Lashley overpowers him too, and then Morrison tries to take advantage, but Lashley is still too powerful. Riddle and Morrison then decide to team up on Bobby, but he still proves too powerful. Lashley gets momentarily exposed, and Riddle and Morrison have a great exchange. Once the U.S Champ recovers, his opponents hit their best shots on Lashley, but neither can put him away still. MVP, who was ringside, gets involved bickering at Morrison, who takes his cutch. Riddle gets hold of the object and uses it on Lashley and then hits the Bo Derrick on Morrison to become the new United States Champion. This match is rated 6/10 as a new champion always adds excitement, especially when it is their first championship.
Women's Tag Team Championship Match
In two weeks, we get a proper tag team championship match for the women's titles when Nia & Shayna meet Gonzalez & Kai on NXT. In the meantime, we get yet another women's champion team up with someone to get a shot at the tag titles. This time it's in the form of Smackdown Women's Champion Sasha Banks and women's Royal Rumble winner Bianca Belair. Backstage, Reggi hypes up the EST, and BOSS and Bianca hints at her WrestleMania decision. Once the match starts, good back and forth action endure, but the dominant champs showcase superior chemistry, much to no one's surprise. Countless 2 count covers occur between Banks and Baszler. Bianca attempts to lift Nia, but Jax prevents it, spoiling what could have been cool. Reggi comes out with some wine and rolls the bottle to Sasha to hit her opponent with it while the ref wasn't looking, but it just distracts The BOSS, setting Nia up perfectly to pick up the win. This match did not need to happen, and for that, it is rated 3/10 stars.
Elimination Chamber WWE Championship Match
Before the main-event, Miz is seen talking to MVP, hinting at a possible cash-in. Once every competitor is in the chamber with Omos ringside and Orton and Hardy being the two that start off the match. After winning a gauntlet match on Raw, Sheamus earned the last entry spot in the chamber. Much like in the previous chamber match, the pod occupants' trash talk is entertaining, especially Kofi. He even hits the Orton pose as The Viper strikes it in his entrance. Orton starts the match viciously against Hardy, but the enigma comes back as both utilize the chamber. Orton pokes Hardy's eyes and regains his dominance. The two go back and forth until the current champ enters into the match dominantly to Kofi's liking. McIntyre begins using the environment as he shoves Orton's face onto the steel and throws Hardy into Kofi's pod. The legend killer catches the champion off guard, regaining the upper hand. Kofi enters in and reignites his rivalry with Orton, quickly rolling him up and unexpectedly eliminating Orton as the first elimination. Out of frustration Randy RKO's both Kofi and Hardy before he leaves. Omos rips the pod glass from the outside to help Aj out to enter through the door and try to pin Kofi and Hardy while their still down. He is not able to, and Omos is ejected. Focussing back on the action inside the chamber, Drew throws Jeff into a pod. Aj quickly takes over the match until Kofi monkey flips him into the steel while Sheamus broods in his pod, waiting till his time to exit.
Drew suplex's Kofi into the steel as The Celtic Warrior finally enters. The two bitter rivals begin to brawl. Kofi and Hardy mistakenly try to break up the brawlers, only to be thrown so they can continue. While Sheamus is brutalizing Drew with the chamber's steel, Kofi leaps on to him, briefly taking the fella out. Kofi then goes to the top of a pod with Sheamus pursuing him to have McIntyre drop his old chum on the turnbuckle. Hardy and Styles join to perform a four-person turnbuckle suplex. Kofi, still on top of the pod, takes everyone else out with a trust fall. Kofi gave a great showing but is brogue kicked and eliminated.
Hardy dishes out Twists of Fates to everyone still left. He then does a pod dive on Drew and Sheamus, then turning his attention to Styles hitting a Swanton Bomb on him to be immediately hit with a Claymore and getting eliminated, leaving just McIntyre, Styles, and Sheamus. A Brogue is delivered to the champ then Aj hits Sheamus with his Flying Forearm and eliminating the pale ginger. For an amazingly epic finish, Drew counters a Flying Forearm with a midair Claymore to retain his championship. However, Bobby Lashley spears McIntyre and beats the champ down in and out of the ring. After The Almighty is finished, The Miz comes out and cashes in successfully becoming the new WWE Champion. Due to being a great match and having a shocking ending, I rate this match 8/10 stars.
Overall I rate this PPV 6/10 stars. Though the chamber matches were great, those were really the only solid matches on the card.
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