Toronto, Canada is known for being the birthplace of controversial rapper and singer Drake but also where two superstars punch in a ticket to a main event championship match on the greatest stage of them all, WrestleMania.
This year’s WWE Elimination Chamber was full of surprises: a shocking return, a life-altering offer and a heel turn from your favorite childhood hero.
The steel cage structure holds four pods and each of them has a competitor locked in. The match begins with two competitors already in the ring and every five minutes, a new competitor is selected by random to exit their pod.
Women’s Elimination Chamber Match: Roxanne Perez vs. Bayley vs. Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Liv Morgan vs. Bianca Belair
Prediction: Naomi
Liv Morgan and Naomi were the two competitors to start the match until Bianca Belair’s former tag team partner, Jade Cargill’s music hits and she marches down to the ring with terror in her eyes.
It appeared that Cargill was after Morgan since it was rumored that Morgan and her tag team partner, Raquel Rodriquez, caused Cargill to be missing in action for months. However, Cargill attacks Naomi instead! She knocks Naomi out of the ring before sending her into the glass of Bayley’s pod. Then does the same for Alexa Bliss’s pod. The referees try to stop the brutal attack, but Cargill gives Naomi a boot to the head. Naomi’s tag team partner, Bianca Belair, is defenseless as she is trapped inside the pod. Naomi lays there motionless before Cargill slams the cage door of the chamber into Naomi’s skull before storming away. Do I think Naomi deserved this attack? No, because I am a firm believer that she is innocent and Belair was the culprit behind Cargill’s injury because she is trying to make her path to WrestleMania easier (getting rid of dead weight). Naomi took the fall of the incident that Belair might had created.
Naomi is taken out of the match via stretcher and can no longer compete. She is eliminated and Belair exits the pod as the timer goes off.
Belair is distracted by Naomi being sent off so Morgan takes advantage of that and attacks her from behind. The two fight back and forth until the clock counts down. The self-acclaimed “Prodigy” Roxanne Perez enters the match. Perez instantly goes after the two women into the corner. Bayley and Alexa Bliss join the fray, so now all women are in the ring exchanging bouts. Perez attempts a moonsault on Bayley, but Bayley puts her knees up. Morgan hits Bayley with her finisher, Ob-Liv-ion to eliminate her! Bliss follows with her one of her signature moves, Twisted Bliss to Perez and eliminates her. Morgan, Bliss, and Belair are the final three.
One of the key highlights of this match is the hair whip heard around the arena. Belair is known for her mid-calf braid, so she uses it to her advantage by hitting Morgan with it.
Result: Belair counters Morgan into a KOD to win and will go to WrestleMania to compete in a championship match.
Women’s Tag Team Match: Nia Jax and Candice LeRae vs. Trish Stratus and Tiffany Stratton (Women’s Champion)
Prediction: Trish Stratus and Tiffany Stratton
It’s Tiffy and Trishy time! The Canadian WWE Hall of Famer, Trish Stratus teams with the WWE Women’s Champion to take on Nia Jax and Candice LeRae.
This match seemed more like filler since the Elimination Chamber was based in Toronto this year. It’s obvious that Trish Stratus was added because she is a Canadian legend. Nevertheless, it was decent enough. Stratus and LeRae kicked it off for the start. Jax tries to run in but Stratton attacks her. Stratus and Stratton does a double-team sequence of dropkicks to overpower Jax out of the ring.
There were various fast tag actions among the two teams that were overstimulating to watch as a viewer. However, LeRae proved that she is not just Jax’s lanky but can be a strong competitor. She gave Stratus a run for her money as she powers her into a corner and they took each other out with a double facebuster.
Result: Stratton hits her signature, Prettiest Moonsault on Jax for the win.
Unsanctioned Match: Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens
Prediction: Sami Zayn
Viewers have seen Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens try to destroy each other numerous times. However, this time is different, as their friendship has officially diminished. Owens felt like Zayn went against all he stood for by teaming up with Roman Reigns, whom Owens has a strong dislike for.
This match took us fans back to the glory black and gold days, which were when Zayn and Owens shined on the NXT brand formally ran by Triple H. Owens and Zayn held nothing back as they ruthlessly attacked each other with fists and weapons, (even a hockey stick which is ironic because they’re both Canadian!). The fight between the two exits the ring and enters the crowd, where Zayn takes matters into his own hands as he powerbombs Owens into a table full of refreshments.
In the end, Zayn will fall short even if he has a barbed wire chair (perfect call back to ECW).
Result: Owens hits Zayn with vicious apron powerbombs to win by pinfall.
Honorable Mention: The legendary Viper, Randy Orton, returns after Owens’s win and attacks him!
Men’s Elimination Chamber Match: Damien Priest vs. Logan Paul vs. Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre vs. John Cena vs. CM Punk
Prediction: John Cena
Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins and Drew McIntyre started off the match. What I have noticed is that the men’s matches typically are more slow-paced than the women’s, who are much fast-paced. Nevertheless, McIntyre used the chamber as a rage room by slamming Rollins into different parts of the structure. He has seemed quite angry throughout the year due to his misfortune of not reclaiming the championship that he lost to Damien Priest via cash during last year’s WrestleMania.
As all the men enter the match one by one, McIntyre gets ironically gets eliminated by Priest which ruins his chance of going to WrestleMania to reclaim the championship he says he should’ve never lost. McIntyre retaliates with his signature, Claymore Kick to Priest before storming out of the steel cage. Paul takes advantage of his and hits a frog splash to eliminates Priest. I still have mixed feelings about the infamous Paul brother becoming a wrestler in WWE, however his wrestling skills are not as bad as his promo skills and arrogant personality. Once, CM Punk exited the pod, I bet Paul started to rethink his life decisions as he is eliminated by Punk. Now, it’s down to Rollins, Punk, and Cena (my dream triple threat).
Cena and Punk engaged in double-team action against Rollins which works out in their favor as Punk eliminates Rollins afterwards! These two have exchanged their hatred for each other ever since Punk returned to WWE. Cena plays on this factor and as Rollins hits Punk with a curb stomp, Cena locks Punk into a submission.
Result: Cena wins by submission and will face ‘The American Nightmare’, Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania.
Honorable Mention: John Cena turns heel
The most shocking moment of the night was when John Cena practically sold his soul to The Rock out of all people.
As Cody Rhodes declined the offer of becoming a corporate champion that The Rock would mentor, Cena hugged him, but little did Rhodes know that Cena was plotting against him. Cena attacks Rhodes and ends up busting his skull. The rapper, Travis Scott, was there to edge on the attack against Rhodes and even got a few punches in (I thought he looked rather goofy being there).
The road to WrestleMania has taken a drastic turn, and who knows what The Rock has in store next.
Special credits to: Wrestleview.com (provided analytics)
