Elimination Chamber 2010 Review

It's the last PPV stop on the Road to WrestleMania, how did tonight shape the WWE on their way to the biggest event of the year?

Thankfully, the night started with the Raw Elimination Chamber, considering the Smackdown Chamber was the only match on the card that I was really excited about, if that would've went on first, it would've been a long night.  So Sheamus vs. Triple H vs. John Cena vs. Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Ted DiBiase with the WWE Championship on the line kicks things off, and I was pleasantly surprised with this match.  No, not just because Randy Orton and Ted DiBiase were the first guys eliminated, but that certainly didn't hurt.  Actually, I liked the progression of the Legacy split here, DiBiase continues his slow Evolution/Batista-esque turn, Orton is the leader getting one-upped and Cody Rhodes continues to look like an idiot.  Sheamus looked pretty strong here, unfortunately at the expense of Kofi Kingston (which makes me a sad panda), but I had to raise an eyebrow when it came down to John Cena and Triple H.  Not only did WWE blow it with making Sheamus look like a monster, the last two guys were the same guys who are always on top.  I like Triple H, I like Cena, but give me a break already!  It's the #1 problem facing Raw right now, WWE playing it safe.  If the goal was to put the WWE Title on Cena, why not make it Sheamus vs. Cena at the end?  

And yes, Cena won the title, only for Vince McMahon to reprise his role from New Year's Revolution 2006 and let Cena know that he wasn't done yet.  Cena had to defend his newly won championship against... DAVETISTA!  The Animal was unleashed, and after one sick spear and a Batista Bomb, we had new WWE Champion, again.  Okay, so I know folks are really pissed about this, and I can understand, Batista as WWE Champ sucks on general principle, but I've been seeing people say it doesn't make sense.  Doesn't make sense?  Have you not been watching the last few weeks?  This explains why Batista walked out on his Chamber qualifying match with CM Punk, it explains why he's been helping McMahon, he didn't need to risk his career in a Chamber match, Vince simply gave him the title.  I don't necessarily think that Cena vs. Batista at WrestleMania needs the WWE Title to be a major selling point of the card, but it is pretty much the one big match WWE has that we haven't seen on PPV multiple times.  Again, I'm not thrilled that Batista is champ, but it's logical and consistent with the biggest storyline in the company, so it works.  And don't be surprised if you hear "Vince McMahon didn't screw John Cena, John Cena screwed John Cena" tomorrow night on Raw.

Predictions: 0 for 1

Drew McIntyre vs. Kane had the unfortunate task of following a huge match and a major storyline, and the crowd just wasn't that into it.  It's a tough break for McIntyre, the crowd still isn't sold on him and they didn't give him someone to work with that the audience would've really responded to because those guys were all in the Chamber.  Kane did what he could, but this just wasn't a match to get really excited about.  McIntyre got the win though, and I'm curious about his next feud, but I doubt we'll see him face Kane on PPV again anytime soon.

Predictions: 1 for 2 

Gail Kim vs. Maryse in the finals of the Divas Tournament turned into the far less interesting Gail Kim & Maryse vs. Michelle McCool & Layla by order of Vickie Guerrero.  Uh... why?  This is the kind of stunt you pull on Raw, not on PPV, and I'd be pissed if it were a match that anyone cared about in the first place.  Still, why are we still delaying the finals of the Divas Tournament?  Melina will be healed by the time Maryse and Gail get in the ring one-on-one.  Mind-numbingly stupid decision, and forcing me to watch Michelle McCool is never good.  McCool & Layla won, I don't think Maryse ever got in the ring, but do you care either way?

Predictions: n/a

Now for a much better impromptu match, The Miz put his United States Title on the line against MVP in what might be their best match to date.  Big Show & Mark Henry were in their respective partners' corners, and I mention that because it gave us the highlight of the match, Big Show throwing Mark Henry through the barricade where the timekeeper sits, and I like to think Henry screamed "OH YEAH!!!" as he burst through.

 

 Exclusive photo from tonight's PPV

The Miz picked up the victory thanks to the old JeriShow finisher - one guy distracts the referee while Big Show punches someone in the face - but I hope this isn't the end of the ShowMiz/MVP & Henry feud, it's been a lot of fun since the Royal Rumble, hell, it's just now getting interesting!

Predictions: n/a

Main Event time!  Smackdown Elimination Chamber, World Heavyweight Title on the line, and the match I paid $45 to see.  Before we get started discussing the match, we have to discuss the insanity during The Undertaker's entrance with the pyro malfunction.  If you didn't see it, Taker's flame pillars were going off while he was on the stage, but not just the ones on the side, the ones in front of the ramp.  Taker could've walked around or waited for the malfunction to be fixed, but oh no, he walked through a pillar of fire!  That, my friends, is why you will never be as bad ass as The mother-f'n Undertaker.  Thankfully, we avoided a James Hetfield situation, Taker was okay, he just threw his jacket off and hauled ass to the ring, ya know, because he walked through fire! 

Also... was Rey Mysterio wearing the world's largest Fruit Roll-Up?

Okay, so Undertaker vs. CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho vs. John Morrison vs. R-Truth. Punk and R-Truth started things off and Punk made lightning quick work of Mr. WUSSUP and even though he didn't talk trash in a mini-chamber like I hoped, he did get to work the mic during the match, taunting all the guys still waiting and asking us to touch the screen and let Punk flow through us.  They might as well give CM Punk one of those tie-clip mics during his matches, let him clip it on his trunks, or maybe even a headset?  Either way, between tonight and the Rumble, it's no secret that WWE sees the guy as the best mic worker in the company.  Unfortunately, much like the Rumble, Punk was eliminated way too quickly, but it did help further his budding rivalry with Rey Mysterio, who was the one to take out the Straight Edge Superstar.

So we were down to Mysterio, Morrison, Jericho and Undertaker, who proceeded to tear the house down, much like I hoped.  Morrison was really the star of this match, he really stepped up his game and looked like he belonged in there when it came down to him, Taker & Jericho, I'm thrilled that they didn't use his ankle "injury" as a reason to take him out of the match early, because this may have been his breakout performance.  No shame in losing to The Undertaker after getting chokeslammed on steel either.  

With Morrison gone, it was down to Jericho & Undertaker... well, Jericho, Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, who popped out of a trap door and nailed Undertaker with Sweet Chin Music, giving us a new World Champion, Chris Jericho!  One hell of a main event, definitely redeemed what was shaping up to be a below-average PPV, and it gave us the six-time World Champion, Chris Jericho.

Predictions: 2 for 3

Despite some weird decisions early on, Elimination Chamber turned out to be pretty enjoyable thanks to the final two matches.  One major issue I have to raise from tonight was Matt Striker, who went from charming to annoying in about ten seconds.  I get it, he's the teacher, he's got the facts and the cute nicknames, but his commentary tonight was simply distracting.  JR mentioned on Twitter that Lawler needed to slap him upside the head and I'm inclined to agree.  If he's ever going to be the top color commentator in the company, someone's gotta rein him in.  But that complaint aside, and whether or not you liked the show, you can't deny that WrestleMania is shaping up quite nicely, here's how I'm seeing it:

World Championship - Chris Jericho vs. Edge

WWE Championship - John Cena w/Bret Hart vs. Batista w/Vince McMahon

The Rematch - Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels

Legacy Explodes - Randy Orton vs. Ted DiBiase vs. Cody Rhodes

Hair vs. Mask - CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio

Unified Tag Team Championship - ShowMiz vs. MVP & Mark Henry

Intercontinental Championship - Drew McIntyre vs. R-Truth?

The only thing I can't figure out is where this leaves Triple H.  I know the rumored match was Sheamus defending the WWE Title against Triple H, but with the WWE Title now in the Cena/Batista feud, I'm not sure if I can see that match happening.  It would be a major downgrade for Triple H considering that he's been in a World/WWE Title match at every WrestleMania he could compete in since WM18!  Before tonight, Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H and Sheamus vs. The Undertaker would've made more sense, but there's no way they don't do the HBK/Taker rematch now, right?

But only a couple lingering questions with five weeks to go before WrestleMania isn't bad.  They've got a lot of time to iron out the details, but if that card I predicted is what we get, I can't wait until March 28.