Raw's path towards WrestleMania sees Kevin Owens putting his Universal Championship on the line against Goldberg. Who will walk into the biggest show of the year with the belt around their his waist?
Match 1: Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe
How cool is it to see two guys who used to be the hottest guys on the indy scene kick off an important WWE PPV? This is also the PPV debut for Samoa Joe who the WWE seems to be high on with a little push from Triple H himself. Good physical match here with Sami Zayn being his normal self and selling all of Joe's attacks nicely and really adding another layer to the match in the process. Joe is still new to the WWE audience and Zayn did a fantastic job of selling all of his major moves. That also includes the Coquina Clutch that saw Joe seal the win as Zayn became unresponsive. Great PPV showing for Joe and a great way to really get his name on the board. Zayn, however, continues to fall down the ladder. He's definitely reaching the audience and grasping their attention... but something is just missing.
Winner: Samoa Joe
Rating: ***
Match 2: WWE Raw Tag Team Championships - Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (c) vs. Enzo & Big Cass
Enzo & Big Cass get their big opportunity to finally gain some tag team gold against the team of Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson in the second contest of the night. But really, the most of this match just consisted of Enzo Amore getting beaten down with Big Cass playing the role of a cheerleader and trying to tag himself in. Finally, Cass gets in and tries to turn things around but after Enzo gets back in the ring, a knee to the face from Anderson proved to be too much along with Gallows tossing off the foot of Enzo from the bottom rope on the pin. Just a bland tag team match with too much of it just being Gallows & Anderson beating down Enzo.
Winners: Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
Rating: *1/2
Match 3: Nia Jax vs. Sasha Banks
Nia Jax works so much better as a heel, she was great on the mic and looked ruthless here against Sasha Banks as she used her larger size to her advantage easily. Just like the last match, this one really just consisted of Jax dominating the smaller Banks throughout until finally, Banks was finally able to get in a little bit of offense before she was able roll up Jax for the surprise win. I get that Banks is supposed to play the role of the underdog against the bigger Jax but it definitely dragged on at points and would have loved to see Banks get in more offense then what she was able to muster.
Winner: Sasha Banks
Rating: *
Match 4: Jinder Mahal vs. Cesaro
Before the contest, Jinder Mahal and Rusev slugged it out before Mahal took Rusev out by tossing him over a barricade. With Sheamus by his side, Cesaro looks to score the win over the reinvigorated Mahal. Solid action here which unfortunately wasn't enough to really keep the crowd into the action despite the best efforts from the two in the ring. With Rusev finally getting up from his beating, he distracts Mahal from his game as Cesaro takes advantage of the situation with an uppercut to seal the win. Again, solid action for the fairly small amount of time they were given and especially with a lackluster crowd to go with it.
Winner: Cesaro
Rating: **1/2
Match 5: Rusev vs. The Big Show
Rusev enters the ring after the Jinder Mahal vs. Cesaro match and attacks Mahal before The Big Show comes out to face Rusev. Let's cut to the chase, Rusev was booked like a chump here against Show. Rusev was able to get a few pieces of offense in but really, this was just an odd showcase for the veteran in Big Show. Big Show hits three Chokeslams on Rusev before following it with a Knockout Punch in the corner to seal the fairly easy win against Rusev. Not really sure why someone like Rusev continued to be booked like a chump at this point. This dude went from facing John Cena at a WrestleMania to losing to The Big Show in a glorified squash match.
Winner: The Big Show
Rating: *1/4
Match 6: WWE Cruiserweight Championship - Neville (c) vs. Jack Gallagher
Time for the usual bathroom break... just kidding. Seriously, I am... relax. Like Nia Jax, I always felt like Neville worked so much better as a heel and having him go up against someone as nice and innocent as Jack Gallagher works nicely for him. Gallagher played his role nicely here of being the underdog as Neville used his strengths against Gallagher by tossing him around like a doll and taking the fight to the outside. Back and forth they went until Gallagher went out of his range by placing Neville up on the top rope before Neville made him pay. With Gallagher being dropped to the canvas, Neville lands a perfect Red Arrow to seal the win. Solid match here from the 205 Live crew which unfortunately won't get the love it deserves. Wish they would have just ditched the purple theme from the beginning, though.
Winner: Neville
Rating: ***1/2
Match 7: Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman
After costing Roman Reigns the Universal Championship against Kevin Owens at the Royal Rumble event, Braun Strowman looks to finish what he started here at Fastlane. The two had a great buildup to this match with some epic spots on Raw that cemented Strowman as a top figure for the brand. With Strowman still being fairly new to being on the top spot of a card, he more than held his own against Reigns here. He does such a great job of working as a dominant big man and is able to sell the attacks of Reigns brilliantly. Despite Reigns playing the role of the underdog and trying to catch up against Strowman the entire match, the two didn't let it drag out too much as Reigns was able to show throughout the match that Strowman was not only human, but beatable. Strowman climbed up the top rope and tried to splash on top of Reigns before missing and being hit with the second Spear of the match. Reigns pins Strowman and successfully becomes the first person to beat Strowman individually. Solid match here that doesn't necessarily slow down the momentum of Strowman since after all, he still is new to the main event scene. As for Roman, a big win for him heading into another marquee WrestleMania.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Rating: ***
Match 8: WWE Raw Women's Championship - Bayley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
Undefeated in singles PPV matches, Charlotte Flair looks to regain her Raw Women's Championship against Bayley. Charlotte dropped the championship to Bayley on an edition of Monday Night Raw as Bayley's moment she had dreamed of since she was a child finally came into fruition. As for the match here, it was a lot of Charlotte beating down Bayley throughout the match and taunting both Bayley and the fans. Sasha Banks comes out to help Bayley and distract Charlotte which would eventually lead to Bayley hitting a Bayley-to-Belly to secure the win. Pretty bland match and a disappointing way to end Charlotte's streak. Feel like there should have been more hype for that with a bigger payoff.
Winner: Bayley
Rating: **1/2
Match 9: WWE Universal Championship - Kevin Owens (c) vs. Goldberg
Bill Goldberg's epic return to the WWE looks to reach its peak as he challenges Kevin Owens for the richest prize in the game. With Goldberg making his grand entrance, Owens didn't look to be too bothered as he made his way into the ring after and quickly showed up his belt in front of the face of Goldberg. However, Owens seemed to play mind games with Goldberg before the match as he constantly got in and out of the ring and paced around as he stared down Goldberg. However, once Owens was ready, he got in the ring and began screaming at Goldberg only for Chris Jericho to make an appearance out of nowhere. Goldberg took advantage of the distraction with a Spear and a Jackhammer to win the match in less than half a minute to win the Universal Championship. Never thought we would ever see the day where Jericho helps Goldberg win a world championship. As much of a cool moment it was to see Goldberg win, the novelty was really wearing thin at this point. But of course, setting up another match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania just sounds best before anything.
Winner: Goldberg
Rating: n/a
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Bullshit aside, this was easily one of the worst WWE PPVs I have ever watched... EVER. None of the matches on here blew me away and nothing that made me feel like I was watching a PPV and not an episode of Monday Night Raw. Pass on this.
Rating: 4.75/10
Thursday, February 28, 2019
Sunday, February 17, 2019
WWE Elimination Chamber 2017 Review
The last PPV before WrestleMania for SmackDown Live sees the
return of the Elimination Chamber. Who will emerge as the WWE Champion
heading into the biggest event of the year?
Match 1: Becky Lynch vs. Mickie James
This is the first PPV appearance for Mickie James in nearly 7 years, cannot tell you how happy I am to see her back in a WWE ring. Becky Lynch is a great opponent for her and a great way to open up the night. She really embraced her return as a heel and did a great job in playing her role against Lynch here, almost as if she never lost a step. Good match here from the two women with James dominating a better part of the match. However, Lynch is able to roll James up with a jackknife cover to steal the win. Nice way to finish the match with Lynch barely squeaking out the win with a quick pin. Again, great to see James back in a WWE ring.
Winner: Becky Lynch
Rating: **1/4
Match 2: Apollo Crews & Kalisto vs. Dolph Ziggler
Before the match begins, Dolph Ziggler attacks Kalisto as he made his entrance to get the advantage heading into his handicap match. With that attack, Ziggler brought the match down to himself and Apollo Crews. The had a decent match within the match here but they didn't capitalize on the heat from the sneak attack. Crews marched down to the ring looking to blow up against Ziggler here but instead, the heat almost immediately died once the bell rang and the two had a fairly basic match. Finally, Kalisto comes back to the ring to help out Crews who then finishes off Ziggler. Afterwards, Ziggler brutally attacks the two. Despite the attack after, the loss for Ziggler is another hit for his character. Where does he go from here and more importantly, who cares?
Winners: Apollo Crews & Kalisto
Rating: *1/2
Match 3: WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships - Tag Team Turmoil - American Alpha (c) vs. Heath Slater & Rhyno vs. Breezango vs. The Vaudevillains vs. The Usos vs. The Ascension
To start the turmoil, the always awesome team of Heath Slater & Rhyno start the match against Tyler Breeze & Fandango of Breezango. The two teams had a fairly short exchange here with Rhyno scoring a Gore to score the elimination for himself and Heath Slater. The third team to come out is The Vaudevillains quickly come out but very quickly, they get eliminated by the ream team of Slater & Rhyno as the crowd eats it up. I mean, how can you not like Slater? The dude has kids! Their luck runs out as the juggernaut team of The Usos come out and land their superkicks to score the elimination. However, the champions in American Alpha are up next as the fight begins on the entrance ramp. Absolutely love this matchup, The Usos were on fire at this point and American Alpha more than held their ground against them. Chad Gable is able to roll up Jey Uso to score the win before The Usos assault American Alpha afterwards. Despite the onslaught, The Ascension come out and look to score some easy pickings. However, American Alpha turn it around and hit their finisher to score the upset and retain their titles in a great match. Loved how SmackDown Live was properly utilizing their tag division at the time.
Winners: American Alpha
Rating: ***
Match 4: Nikki Bella vs. Natalya
After being sneak attacked from behind by Natalya, Nikki Bella looks to gain some revenge against her old friend. It definitely takes some time to get used to seeing Natalya as a heel, I had trouble taking her seriously when she was mocking Nikki with John Cena taunts and yelling at her mom at ringside. Nonetheless, action was definitely better than you would have come to expect here and despite the corniness of Natalya playing the role of a heel, she still brought the goods here against Nikki and was relentless in her attacks. The two battled outside the ring as the referee counted them out for a double countout. Their beef remains unsettled as Carmella watched from a box suite in the arena with James Ellsworth. Better match than I had expected here, gotta give credit where it's due.
Winner: n/a
Rating: **3/4
Match 5: Randy Orton vs. Luke Harper
If there was ever a time to finally give Luke Harper a look as a singles competitor, this is the match. Since Randy Orton decided to join The Wyatt Family, Luke Harper had his doubts about his allegiance which would lead to a contest between the two here. Orton can make anyone shine as bright as they possibly can and he did just that with Harper. The two brought the fight to each other and the crowd was certainly eating it up. Harper looked to seal The Viper's fate with a discuss clothesline before Orton would block it and turn it into an RKO. Awesome to have these two go at it in what could be the show stealer of the night. One of the biggest pros of having brand-exclusive PPVs was being able to give time to matches for guys who don't normally get that time when PPVs featured both brands. Nice bridge for Orton between his Royal Rumble win and his match for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. Strong bout here and despite the loss, Harper comes out of this looking better than ever.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***3/4
Match 6: SmackDown Women's Championship - Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Naomi
Naomi gets the chance of her lifetime as she gets to challenge Alexa Bliss for the SmackDown Women's Championship and if she wins, she gets to walk into her own hometown of Orlando at WrestleMania as the champion. Bliss dominated a solid portion of the match and tried cheating her way into retaining the gold. However, a costly mistake would lead to Naomi hitting a split-legged moonsault to score the win and gain the championship of her dreams. Afterwards, Renee Young interviews an emotional Naomi. Pretty basic match but the ending and promo afterwards was definitely a great moment.
Winner: Naomi
Rating: **
Match 7: WWE Championship - Elimination Chamber - John Cena (c) vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin vs. The Miz vs. Bray Wyatt vs. AJ Styles
The 2017 Elimination Chamber event marks the debut of the newer, bigger and sleeker looking Elimination Chamber. First, the thing looks amazing with the LED lights surrounding the structure along with the WWE logo at the very top. It's apparent the WWE put some serious money on this thing. However, noticeably gone are the steel grates that surrounded the ring as they have been replaced with mats. As disappointed as I was to see this because the sick thud the grate would make was one of my favorite parts of the Chamber matches. However, there is no reason to hate putting the safety of the superstars at a forefront. Also, gone are the chains atop each pod as they have been replaced with steel grates in order to let the superstars fight atop it and gain an opportunity to slam each other into lexan glass that now corners the structure. Also loved the idea of having cameras inside each pod. All in all, the Chamber doesn't look as menacing as it once was but the original one ran its course and it was time for an upgrade. Sure, the grates along the ring are gone but the higher structure allows for more acrobatic moves like how we saw here. It was certainly time for an upgrade. As for the match, things felt fresh and the more space around the structure allowed for cooler spots including John Cena and AJ Styles fighting each other as they climbed the chains as well as Dean Ambrose jumping off a pod onto Baron Corbin. All the eliminations here made sense with the biggest spot in the match seeing Corbin come back after being eliminated to toss Ambrose through one of the pods. Thankfully, the spot still had that gruesome and awesome sound that we have all come to love. Wyatt would go on to eliminate Cena from the picture as it would finally go down to Wyatt and Styles as the final two. We are guaranteed a new WWE Champion at this point and the crowd is going nuts. Wyatt is able to hit another Sister Abigail on Styles to secure his first WWE Championship. What a moment. The show closes with Randy Orton coming down to stare down his new WrestleMania opponent as Wyatt laughs and holds the WWE Championship. Fantastic main event and a fantastic debut for the new Elimination Chamber.
Winner: Bray Wyatt
Rating: ****1/2
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Pretty bland offering from the SmackDown brand but it's hard to deny this was a nice way to lead in to WrestleMania. Randy Orton and Luke Harper had a great match which I thought could have been the match of the night until the main event came and blew it away. If there is any reason to check out this show, it's because of the main event.
Rating: 6/10
Match 1: Becky Lynch vs. Mickie James
This is the first PPV appearance for Mickie James in nearly 7 years, cannot tell you how happy I am to see her back in a WWE ring. Becky Lynch is a great opponent for her and a great way to open up the night. She really embraced her return as a heel and did a great job in playing her role against Lynch here, almost as if she never lost a step. Good match here from the two women with James dominating a better part of the match. However, Lynch is able to roll James up with a jackknife cover to steal the win. Nice way to finish the match with Lynch barely squeaking out the win with a quick pin. Again, great to see James back in a WWE ring.
Winner: Becky Lynch
Rating: **1/4
Match 2: Apollo Crews & Kalisto vs. Dolph Ziggler
Before the match begins, Dolph Ziggler attacks Kalisto as he made his entrance to get the advantage heading into his handicap match. With that attack, Ziggler brought the match down to himself and Apollo Crews. The had a decent match within the match here but they didn't capitalize on the heat from the sneak attack. Crews marched down to the ring looking to blow up against Ziggler here but instead, the heat almost immediately died once the bell rang and the two had a fairly basic match. Finally, Kalisto comes back to the ring to help out Crews who then finishes off Ziggler. Afterwards, Ziggler brutally attacks the two. Despite the attack after, the loss for Ziggler is another hit for his character. Where does he go from here and more importantly, who cares?
Winners: Apollo Crews & Kalisto
Rating: *1/2
Match 3: WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships - Tag Team Turmoil - American Alpha (c) vs. Heath Slater & Rhyno vs. Breezango vs. The Vaudevillains vs. The Usos vs. The Ascension
To start the turmoil, the always awesome team of Heath Slater & Rhyno start the match against Tyler Breeze & Fandango of Breezango. The two teams had a fairly short exchange here with Rhyno scoring a Gore to score the elimination for himself and Heath Slater. The third team to come out is The Vaudevillains quickly come out but very quickly, they get eliminated by the ream team of Slater & Rhyno as the crowd eats it up. I mean, how can you not like Slater? The dude has kids! Their luck runs out as the juggernaut team of The Usos come out and land their superkicks to score the elimination. However, the champions in American Alpha are up next as the fight begins on the entrance ramp. Absolutely love this matchup, The Usos were on fire at this point and American Alpha more than held their ground against them. Chad Gable is able to roll up Jey Uso to score the win before The Usos assault American Alpha afterwards. Despite the onslaught, The Ascension come out and look to score some easy pickings. However, American Alpha turn it around and hit their finisher to score the upset and retain their titles in a great match. Loved how SmackDown Live was properly utilizing their tag division at the time.
Winners: American Alpha
Rating: ***
Match 4: Nikki Bella vs. Natalya
After being sneak attacked from behind by Natalya, Nikki Bella looks to gain some revenge against her old friend. It definitely takes some time to get used to seeing Natalya as a heel, I had trouble taking her seriously when she was mocking Nikki with John Cena taunts and yelling at her mom at ringside. Nonetheless, action was definitely better than you would have come to expect here and despite the corniness of Natalya playing the role of a heel, she still brought the goods here against Nikki and was relentless in her attacks. The two battled outside the ring as the referee counted them out for a double countout. Their beef remains unsettled as Carmella watched from a box suite in the arena with James Ellsworth. Better match than I had expected here, gotta give credit where it's due.
Winner: n/a
Rating: **3/4
Match 5: Randy Orton vs. Luke Harper
If there was ever a time to finally give Luke Harper a look as a singles competitor, this is the match. Since Randy Orton decided to join The Wyatt Family, Luke Harper had his doubts about his allegiance which would lead to a contest between the two here. Orton can make anyone shine as bright as they possibly can and he did just that with Harper. The two brought the fight to each other and the crowd was certainly eating it up. Harper looked to seal The Viper's fate with a discuss clothesline before Orton would block it and turn it into an RKO. Awesome to have these two go at it in what could be the show stealer of the night. One of the biggest pros of having brand-exclusive PPVs was being able to give time to matches for guys who don't normally get that time when PPVs featured both brands. Nice bridge for Orton between his Royal Rumble win and his match for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. Strong bout here and despite the loss, Harper comes out of this looking better than ever.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***3/4
Match 6: SmackDown Women's Championship - Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Naomi
Naomi gets the chance of her lifetime as she gets to challenge Alexa Bliss for the SmackDown Women's Championship and if she wins, she gets to walk into her own hometown of Orlando at WrestleMania as the champion. Bliss dominated a solid portion of the match and tried cheating her way into retaining the gold. However, a costly mistake would lead to Naomi hitting a split-legged moonsault to score the win and gain the championship of her dreams. Afterwards, Renee Young interviews an emotional Naomi. Pretty basic match but the ending and promo afterwards was definitely a great moment.
Winner: Naomi
Rating: **
Match 7: WWE Championship - Elimination Chamber - John Cena (c) vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin vs. The Miz vs. Bray Wyatt vs. AJ Styles
The 2017 Elimination Chamber event marks the debut of the newer, bigger and sleeker looking Elimination Chamber. First, the thing looks amazing with the LED lights surrounding the structure along with the WWE logo at the very top. It's apparent the WWE put some serious money on this thing. However, noticeably gone are the steel grates that surrounded the ring as they have been replaced with mats. As disappointed as I was to see this because the sick thud the grate would make was one of my favorite parts of the Chamber matches. However, there is no reason to hate putting the safety of the superstars at a forefront. Also, gone are the chains atop each pod as they have been replaced with steel grates in order to let the superstars fight atop it and gain an opportunity to slam each other into lexan glass that now corners the structure. Also loved the idea of having cameras inside each pod. All in all, the Chamber doesn't look as menacing as it once was but the original one ran its course and it was time for an upgrade. Sure, the grates along the ring are gone but the higher structure allows for more acrobatic moves like how we saw here. It was certainly time for an upgrade. As for the match, things felt fresh and the more space around the structure allowed for cooler spots including John Cena and AJ Styles fighting each other as they climbed the chains as well as Dean Ambrose jumping off a pod onto Baron Corbin. All the eliminations here made sense with the biggest spot in the match seeing Corbin come back after being eliminated to toss Ambrose through one of the pods. Thankfully, the spot still had that gruesome and awesome sound that we have all come to love. Wyatt would go on to eliminate Cena from the picture as it would finally go down to Wyatt and Styles as the final two. We are guaranteed a new WWE Champion at this point and the crowd is going nuts. Wyatt is able to hit another Sister Abigail on Styles to secure his first WWE Championship. What a moment. The show closes with Randy Orton coming down to stare down his new WrestleMania opponent as Wyatt laughs and holds the WWE Championship. Fantastic main event and a fantastic debut for the new Elimination Chamber.
Winner: Bray Wyatt
Rating: ****1/2
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Pretty bland offering from the SmackDown brand but it's hard to deny this was a nice way to lead in to WrestleMania. Randy Orton and Luke Harper had a great match which I thought could have been the match of the night until the main event came and blew it away. If there is any reason to check out this show, it's because of the main event.
Rating: 6/10
Saturday, February 16, 2019
WWE Satan's Prison - The Anthology of the Elimination Chamber DVD (Disc 3) Review
Match 1: No Way Out 2009 - WWE Championship - Elimination Chamber - Edge (c) vs. The Undertaker vs. The Big Show vs. Vladimir Kozlov vs. Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy
Last time I probably watched this match was the last time I reviewed it in 2009 where I gave it a ****1/2. If you're interested, you can click here to read the original review. Let's see how it holds up. Much like the 2008 edition of No Way Out, the 2009 edition also featured two Elimination Chamber matches loaded with the company's top names. The SmackDown edition kicked off the show as Edge faced off against Jeff Hardy to begin the match. In the biggest swerve possible, Hardy rolls up Edge and eliminates him before another entrant even enters the match. Awesome way to open up the match as Edge scrambles around in disbelief after. We are now guaranteed a new WWE Champion and the suspense has gone up another level. Vladimir Kozlov and The Big Show would soon enter the match as they took turns beating up Hardy and somewhat slowed the momentum of the match here. However, once The Game and The Deadman were in, it was a show. Kozlov was eliminated first with a Last Ride while Show was eliminated afterwards after a Pedigree from Triple H and a Swanton Bomb off a pod from Hardy. While it was fun to watch Hardy put up the underdog fight as I'm sure many were rooting for him to win after his short title reign, Undertaker put him away with a Tombstone and the fight was down to himself and Triple H. As much as I wouldn't have minded seeing Hardy win, the exchange between The Undertaker and Triple H was what took this match to another level. After kicking out of the first Pedigree, The Phenom was not able to kick out of a second one as Triple H is once again the WWE Champion. Afterwards, The Undertaker exits the chamber and gives The Game a glance of respect. Definitely one of the best matches to ever open up a WWE PPV. Loved having Edge lose in the very beginning of the match and loved seeing the two legends close it out in a very underrated exchange. However, my ****1/2 rating from 2009 still stands. I hate myself for saying this... I just wish there was blood.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: ****1/2
Original Rating: ****1/2
Match 2: No Way Out 2009 - WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Elimination Chamber - John Cena (c) vs. Mike Knox vs. Kane vs. Edge vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho
I loved this match when I first viewed and heralded it as one of my favorite Elimination Chamber matches of all time with a ****3/4 rating. Again, link here. The first Chamber match of the night held its own, let's see how this one goes. Like the first Chamber match, this one was also packed with big names... and Mike Knox. Cool moment before the match that has basically become an iconic moment for the Elimination Chamber as Edge ambushes Kofi Kingston from behind and locks himself in a pod to insert himself in the match as a disgruntled Rey Mysterio tried attacking Edge for his dirty move. However, the pod would eventually lock and Edge is competing in his second Chamber match of the night. Loved how this match was constructed with Mysterio and Chris Jericho leading the way with Kane and Knox following suit before they fairly quickly suffered eliminations. This opened the door for a faster match with the stronger competitors being the only factors. Once Edge entered the match, Mysterio set his eyes on him and soon after, Cena entered and looked to do the same against Edge. However, ANOTHER swerve of the night went down when Cena fell victim to a Codebreaker, a 619, a Spear and finally... an elimination. At this moment, everyone realized we were going to crown another new world champion as the looks on the faces of everyone in the ring told an amazing story. Jericho would be eliminated by Mysterio soon after which meant one thing, it went down to Mysterio and Edge as Mysterio would try to avenge Kofi Kingston's lost spot in the match. This is some crazy, crazy drama. So many nearfalls that nearly made you think Mysterio was going to pull off the biggest win of the night until Edge catapults Mysterio into a pod and followed it up with a Spear! Edge steals the show. Michael Cole nicely points out how Edge attempted a Spear in the start of the show led him to losing his WWE Championship but a Spear at the end of the show would be the reason he wins the World Heavyweight Championship. The show concludes with Edge looking like a maniac as The Ultimate Opportunist strikes again. Another incredible match for the night with some of the most brilliant booking the WWE has ever seen. Just a shame they didn't follow this up with a Edge vs. Mysterio feud afterwards.
Winner: Edge
Rating: ****1/2
Original Rating: ****3/4
Match 3: Elimination Chamber 2010 - WWE Championship - Elimination Chamber - Sheamus (c) vs. John Cena vs. Ted DiBiase vs. Randy Orton vs. Triple H vs. Kofi Kingston
Just like how I watched the Elimination Chamber matches from No Way Out 2009 for the first time in nearly a decade, I'm doing the same for the ones here at Elimination Chamber 2010. You can read my original review of the show by clicking here. Nice mixture of new comers to the Chamber along with guys who have had much experience inside the crazy structure. With Sheamus starting off the match against Kofi Kingston, he had his work cut out for him as his WWE Championship was being placed in a higher level of danger. Gotta quickly note how much I loved seeing Kofi look behind him before approaching the chamber as he was ambushed on his way the previous year. Solid action in the ring with Ted DiBiase and Randy Orton forming an alliance on their way to take out everyone in their path. By the time the final entrant entered the match in John Cena, nobody had been eliminated. However, the biggest swerve and coolest moment of the match saw Cody Rhodes come in with a pipe to hand over to Orton. Instead, DiBiase gets his hands on it and drills both Orton and Cena with it! DiBiase pins Orton for the first elimination as the crowd goes nuts. Loved the look on Orton's face as he could not believe what just happened. Hell was awaiting DiBiase. After this, the eliminations came fast and felt super rushed with the final two going down to Cena and Triple H. Cena quickly locked in an STF to submit The Game and win the WWE Championship. Much like how Cena won his first Elimination Chamber match, he had someone waiting for him afterwards... Definitely enjoyed this match much more than the last time I viewed it but not the best Chamber match by any means. Again, the eliminations at the end felt rushed and almost as if I didn't have enough time to digest what each one meant. Even still, another solid Elimination Chamber match to add to the list.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ****
Original Rating: ***1/2
Match 4: Elimination Chamber 2010 - WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Elimination Chamber - The Undertaker (c) vs. Rey Mysterio vs. John Morrison vs. Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk vs. R-Truth
If you're interested in reading my original review of this Chamber match from 9 years ago, the link is once again right here for the clicking. Interesting dynamic here with Edge awaiting the winner of this match after winning the Royal Rumble a month earlier. Surely, Jericho has to walk out with the title... right? I think it's essential to note that this is the Chamber match in which the fire from The Undertaker's entrance engulfed him as he made his way to the ring. Interesting to watch him pour bottles of water on himself as part of his body was burned from the fire. Unlike the last Chamber match, the eliminations didn't all wait until the end of the match as CM Punk was quick to eliminate R-Truth before anyone else even entered. Nice way to differentiate the matches from each other instead of making this one feel like a recycled version. Unfortunately, the dead St. Louis crowd was as quiet as you could imagine for most of the match and it really lowered much of the drama that was happening inside the structure. With Punk and Mysterio being eliminated first, it came down to The Undertaker, Chris Jericho and John Morrison. Undertaker was able to Chokeslam Morrison onto the steel grate and roll him back into the ring for the pin. Jericho had been dodging The Deadman throughout the match but had nowhere to go now. However, Shawn Michaels appears from under the steel grate and lands a Sweet Chin Music on The Undertaker. Jericho capitalizes on the situation and in shock, pins The Phenom as Jericho stares right into the face of Michaels. After all the wars they have had, Michaels ends up being the reason why Jericho finally wins his first Elimination Chamber match en route to capturing the World Heavyweight Championship. The show brilliantly ends with Michaels stoically staring at a prone Undertaker. Enjoyable main event with a spectacular finish that has been remembered so well after all these years. However, my gripe with the crowd being so uninvolved with the match took out so much of the passion I had for the earlier Chamber matches in the years past.
Winner: Chris Jericho
Rating: ***3/4
Original Rating: ***3/4
Last time I probably watched this match was the last time I reviewed it in 2009 where I gave it a ****1/2. If you're interested, you can click here to read the original review. Let's see how it holds up. Much like the 2008 edition of No Way Out, the 2009 edition also featured two Elimination Chamber matches loaded with the company's top names. The SmackDown edition kicked off the show as Edge faced off against Jeff Hardy to begin the match. In the biggest swerve possible, Hardy rolls up Edge and eliminates him before another entrant even enters the match. Awesome way to open up the match as Edge scrambles around in disbelief after. We are now guaranteed a new WWE Champion and the suspense has gone up another level. Vladimir Kozlov and The Big Show would soon enter the match as they took turns beating up Hardy and somewhat slowed the momentum of the match here. However, once The Game and The Deadman were in, it was a show. Kozlov was eliminated first with a Last Ride while Show was eliminated afterwards after a Pedigree from Triple H and a Swanton Bomb off a pod from Hardy. While it was fun to watch Hardy put up the underdog fight as I'm sure many were rooting for him to win after his short title reign, Undertaker put him away with a Tombstone and the fight was down to himself and Triple H. As much as I wouldn't have minded seeing Hardy win, the exchange between The Undertaker and Triple H was what took this match to another level. After kicking out of the first Pedigree, The Phenom was not able to kick out of a second one as Triple H is once again the WWE Champion. Afterwards, The Undertaker exits the chamber and gives The Game a glance of respect. Definitely one of the best matches to ever open up a WWE PPV. Loved having Edge lose in the very beginning of the match and loved seeing the two legends close it out in a very underrated exchange. However, my ****1/2 rating from 2009 still stands. I hate myself for saying this... I just wish there was blood.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: ****1/2
Original Rating: ****1/2
Match 2: No Way Out 2009 - WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Elimination Chamber - John Cena (c) vs. Mike Knox vs. Kane vs. Edge vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho
I loved this match when I first viewed and heralded it as one of my favorite Elimination Chamber matches of all time with a ****3/4 rating. Again, link here. The first Chamber match of the night held its own, let's see how this one goes. Like the first Chamber match, this one was also packed with big names... and Mike Knox. Cool moment before the match that has basically become an iconic moment for the Elimination Chamber as Edge ambushes Kofi Kingston from behind and locks himself in a pod to insert himself in the match as a disgruntled Rey Mysterio tried attacking Edge for his dirty move. However, the pod would eventually lock and Edge is competing in his second Chamber match of the night. Loved how this match was constructed with Mysterio and Chris Jericho leading the way with Kane and Knox following suit before they fairly quickly suffered eliminations. This opened the door for a faster match with the stronger competitors being the only factors. Once Edge entered the match, Mysterio set his eyes on him and soon after, Cena entered and looked to do the same against Edge. However, ANOTHER swerve of the night went down when Cena fell victim to a Codebreaker, a 619, a Spear and finally... an elimination. At this moment, everyone realized we were going to crown another new world champion as the looks on the faces of everyone in the ring told an amazing story. Jericho would be eliminated by Mysterio soon after which meant one thing, it went down to Mysterio and Edge as Mysterio would try to avenge Kofi Kingston's lost spot in the match. This is some crazy, crazy drama. So many nearfalls that nearly made you think Mysterio was going to pull off the biggest win of the night until Edge catapults Mysterio into a pod and followed it up with a Spear! Edge steals the show. Michael Cole nicely points out how Edge attempted a Spear in the start of the show led him to losing his WWE Championship but a Spear at the end of the show would be the reason he wins the World Heavyweight Championship. The show concludes with Edge looking like a maniac as The Ultimate Opportunist strikes again. Another incredible match for the night with some of the most brilliant booking the WWE has ever seen. Just a shame they didn't follow this up with a Edge vs. Mysterio feud afterwards.
Winner: Edge
Rating: ****1/2
Original Rating: ****3/4
Match 3: Elimination Chamber 2010 - WWE Championship - Elimination Chamber - Sheamus (c) vs. John Cena vs. Ted DiBiase vs. Randy Orton vs. Triple H vs. Kofi Kingston
Just like how I watched the Elimination Chamber matches from No Way Out 2009 for the first time in nearly a decade, I'm doing the same for the ones here at Elimination Chamber 2010. You can read my original review of the show by clicking here. Nice mixture of new comers to the Chamber along with guys who have had much experience inside the crazy structure. With Sheamus starting off the match against Kofi Kingston, he had his work cut out for him as his WWE Championship was being placed in a higher level of danger. Gotta quickly note how much I loved seeing Kofi look behind him before approaching the chamber as he was ambushed on his way the previous year. Solid action in the ring with Ted DiBiase and Randy Orton forming an alliance on their way to take out everyone in their path. By the time the final entrant entered the match in John Cena, nobody had been eliminated. However, the biggest swerve and coolest moment of the match saw Cody Rhodes come in with a pipe to hand over to Orton. Instead, DiBiase gets his hands on it and drills both Orton and Cena with it! DiBiase pins Orton for the first elimination as the crowd goes nuts. Loved the look on Orton's face as he could not believe what just happened. Hell was awaiting DiBiase. After this, the eliminations came fast and felt super rushed with the final two going down to Cena and Triple H. Cena quickly locked in an STF to submit The Game and win the WWE Championship. Much like how Cena won his first Elimination Chamber match, he had someone waiting for him afterwards... Definitely enjoyed this match much more than the last time I viewed it but not the best Chamber match by any means. Again, the eliminations at the end felt rushed and almost as if I didn't have enough time to digest what each one meant. Even still, another solid Elimination Chamber match to add to the list.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ****
Original Rating: ***1/2
Match 4: Elimination Chamber 2010 - WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Elimination Chamber - The Undertaker (c) vs. Rey Mysterio vs. John Morrison vs. Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk vs. R-Truth
If you're interested in reading my original review of this Chamber match from 9 years ago, the link is once again right here for the clicking. Interesting dynamic here with Edge awaiting the winner of this match after winning the Royal Rumble a month earlier. Surely, Jericho has to walk out with the title... right? I think it's essential to note that this is the Chamber match in which the fire from The Undertaker's entrance engulfed him as he made his way to the ring. Interesting to watch him pour bottles of water on himself as part of his body was burned from the fire. Unlike the last Chamber match, the eliminations didn't all wait until the end of the match as CM Punk was quick to eliminate R-Truth before anyone else even entered. Nice way to differentiate the matches from each other instead of making this one feel like a recycled version. Unfortunately, the dead St. Louis crowd was as quiet as you could imagine for most of the match and it really lowered much of the drama that was happening inside the structure. With Punk and Mysterio being eliminated first, it came down to The Undertaker, Chris Jericho and John Morrison. Undertaker was able to Chokeslam Morrison onto the steel grate and roll him back into the ring for the pin. Jericho had been dodging The Deadman throughout the match but had nowhere to go now. However, Shawn Michaels appears from under the steel grate and lands a Sweet Chin Music on The Undertaker. Jericho capitalizes on the situation and in shock, pins The Phenom as Jericho stares right into the face of Michaels. After all the wars they have had, Michaels ends up being the reason why Jericho finally wins his first Elimination Chamber match en route to capturing the World Heavyweight Championship. The show brilliantly ends with Michaels stoically staring at a prone Undertaker. Enjoyable main event with a spectacular finish that has been remembered so well after all these years. However, my gripe with the crowd being so uninvolved with the match took out so much of the passion I had for the earlier Chamber matches in the years past.
Winner: Chris Jericho
Rating: ***3/4
Original Rating: ***3/4
Thursday, February 14, 2019
WWE Satan's Prison - The Anthology of the Elimination Chamber DVD (Disc 2) Review
Match 1: New Year's Revolution 2006 - WWE Championship - Elimination Chamber - John Cena (c) vs. Kane vs. Chris Masters vs. Carlito vs. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels
The road to WrestleMania 22 stops at New Year's Revolution where John Cena must defend his WWE Championship in his first Elimination Chamber match. Unlike the past three Chamber matches, this one felt a bit rushed and almost as if the mystique of the match had gone away. Either way, Cena and Shawn Michaels nicely opened up the match before the other competitors came in with Kane being the last one. Kurt Angle probably got the biggest pop of the night yet was so quickly eliminated from a surprise Sweet Chin Music. A bit of a bummer considering how much fun he was to watch at the time and would have loved to see more of his crazy intensity inside the chamber. Carlito and Chris Masters looked to team up in the match which certainly created a nice spice to the match. They were relentless in their ways and would eventually eliminate both Kane and Michaels before facing off against Cena. Masters turned his back to Carlito as he locked in a Master Lock on Cena which would lead to his downfall. Carlito low blows Masters and quickly rolls him up for the elimination. However, Cena rolls Carlito up immediately for the pin and to win his first Elimination Chamber match. While this was still a strong Chamber match, it didn't have that drama like the previous ones. It was almost so predictable that Cena was going to win that it kind of killed some of the momentum going into it. However, it all made sense when a certain someone would cash in right after this match...
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ****
Match 2: ECW December to Dismember 2006 - ECW Championship - Extreme Elimination Chamber - The Big Show (c) vs. CM Punk vs. Test vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Hardcore Holly vs. Rob Van Dam
Welp, this Elimination Chamber match looks to not only continue the streak of phenomenal Elimination Chamber matches, but also save a lackluster PPV in December to Dismember. Prior to the match, Paul Heyman came out and cut a somewhat eerie promo before later revealing after the event that he basically knew his stint with the company had come to a complete halt at that point. Of course, this match was billed as an Extreme Elimination Chamber in which each entrant inside a pod would be armed with a weapon from a steel chair to a crowbar to a table and to a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire. I honestly didn't think this was a bad idea. They certainly revolved the match around Bobby Lashley and unfortunately for him, he was so green at the time and had been pushed hard to the top, much to the frustration of the crowd. This was evident when they booed heavily after both CM Punk and Rob Van Dam were eliminated. This was definitely to shift the focus onto Lashley trying to overcome the odds as Test was the lone competitor in the ring as he waited for Lashley to enter. Lashley would break through his pod and eliminate Test before finally getting his chance to get his hands on The Big Show. The clock finally winded down as the two went at it in a pretty solid fight before Lashley hit a Spear to seal the win in a pretty underwhelming moment. Lashley celebrates as the pyro goes off behind him. I don't know where to begin with this match, it was certainly a letdown and not having Sabu in the match was a bummer. But mainly... poor Bobby Lashley. He's a great wrestler and all but the dude just had little to no charisma at the time and him being propelled to the top of ECW was basically a way to piss off the fans. Another head scratching spot was having Test eliminate RVD with a couple minutes left on the clock before Lashley did the same against Test just minutes later. I get that they wanted to shift the focus away from the fan favorites onto Lashley but it definitely didn't do any favors for the match itself. However, I will say that I enjoyed the brief exchange between Lashley and Show at the end. But unfortunately, this match was easily the weakest of all Chamber matches and nowhere near enough to save the awful show.
Winner: Bobby Lashley
Rating: ***1/2
Match 3: No Way Out 2008 - Elimination Chamber - MVP vs. Big Daddy V vs. The Great Khali vs. Finlay vs. Batista vs. The Undertaker (Taken from WWE No Way Out 2008 Review)
I can clearly remember people groaning over this when the participants were made for this. Just makes you realize to never come to a full assessment of something before it actually happens because they blew all expectations out of the water. They started the match off with the two big stars in Batista and The Undertaker as both Big Daddy V and The Great Khali were unloaded next. However, Big Daddy V and Khali were both quickly eliminated as the final four came down to best four guys in the match. I like how they had both Big Daddy V and Khali in the match to create some sort of ambiance to differ from the Raw Elimination Chamber and I like how their eliminations came fast. Allows us to really place our emphasis on the guys who could really kick this match up a notch. One thing I will also say about this match, the eliminations were perfect. The Undertaker hitting a Chokeslam to MVP off the top of the pod and delivering another one to Finlay on the steel grate made me cringe. Finally, Undertaker delivering a Tombstone to Batista after flipping it from the outside into the ring was a great ending. Fantastic Chamber match to set up Undertaker's match against Edge at WrestleMania. While it started a bit slow in the beginning, it definitely picked up and quickly became an intense match that had me on the edge. No pun intended.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ****1/2
Match 4: No Way Out 2008 - Elimination Chamber - Triple H vs. Umaga vs. JBL vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels (Taken from WWE No Way Out 2008 Review)
This may be one of the most stacked Elimination Chambers of all time. Good call to have Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels start the match, set the pace early on with Umaga coming in afterwards to wreck havoc. As brutal as the first Chamber match was, they really did bring out all the stops for this one. The eliminations were nicely done and all made sense. Loved how Jericho eliminated his rival in JBL before JBL came back into the ring and smashed everyone's brains in with a steel chair. And don't forget about Umaga running through Jericho and breaking a pod in the process. The crowd was eating this up. Jeff Hardy, who entered in last, eliminated Umaga with a sweet Swanton Bomb off one of the pods. Michaels was eventually eliminated by Triple H and it came down to Hardy and The Game. They had an incredible exchange to close out the match with Hardy desperately doing everything in his power to win, that includes a low blow. However, Triple H countered a Twist of Fate onto a steel chair and drilled Hardy with a Pedigree for the win. In a perfect world, Hardy wins this match and wins the championship at WrestleMania since he was white hot. Or plan b, have Hardy win the Money in the Bank match and cash in the same night. Of course, that's barring his suspension and again, that's in a perfect world. Regardless, Triple H was also hot during this time and a spot in the main event at WrestleMania wasn't a bad choice. Incredible match with a heart-racing finish. Besides, Hardy would eventually get his moment later in the year.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: ****3/4
The road to WrestleMania 22 stops at New Year's Revolution where John Cena must defend his WWE Championship in his first Elimination Chamber match. Unlike the past three Chamber matches, this one felt a bit rushed and almost as if the mystique of the match had gone away. Either way, Cena and Shawn Michaels nicely opened up the match before the other competitors came in with Kane being the last one. Kurt Angle probably got the biggest pop of the night yet was so quickly eliminated from a surprise Sweet Chin Music. A bit of a bummer considering how much fun he was to watch at the time and would have loved to see more of his crazy intensity inside the chamber. Carlito and Chris Masters looked to team up in the match which certainly created a nice spice to the match. They were relentless in their ways and would eventually eliminate both Kane and Michaels before facing off against Cena. Masters turned his back to Carlito as he locked in a Master Lock on Cena which would lead to his downfall. Carlito low blows Masters and quickly rolls him up for the elimination. However, Cena rolls Carlito up immediately for the pin and to win his first Elimination Chamber match. While this was still a strong Chamber match, it didn't have that drama like the previous ones. It was almost so predictable that Cena was going to win that it kind of killed some of the momentum going into it. However, it all made sense when a certain someone would cash in right after this match...
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ****
Match 2: ECW December to Dismember 2006 - ECW Championship - Extreme Elimination Chamber - The Big Show (c) vs. CM Punk vs. Test vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Hardcore Holly vs. Rob Van Dam
Welp, this Elimination Chamber match looks to not only continue the streak of phenomenal Elimination Chamber matches, but also save a lackluster PPV in December to Dismember. Prior to the match, Paul Heyman came out and cut a somewhat eerie promo before later revealing after the event that he basically knew his stint with the company had come to a complete halt at that point. Of course, this match was billed as an Extreme Elimination Chamber in which each entrant inside a pod would be armed with a weapon from a steel chair to a crowbar to a table and to a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire. I honestly didn't think this was a bad idea. They certainly revolved the match around Bobby Lashley and unfortunately for him, he was so green at the time and had been pushed hard to the top, much to the frustration of the crowd. This was evident when they booed heavily after both CM Punk and Rob Van Dam were eliminated. This was definitely to shift the focus onto Lashley trying to overcome the odds as Test was the lone competitor in the ring as he waited for Lashley to enter. Lashley would break through his pod and eliminate Test before finally getting his chance to get his hands on The Big Show. The clock finally winded down as the two went at it in a pretty solid fight before Lashley hit a Spear to seal the win in a pretty underwhelming moment. Lashley celebrates as the pyro goes off behind him. I don't know where to begin with this match, it was certainly a letdown and not having Sabu in the match was a bummer. But mainly... poor Bobby Lashley. He's a great wrestler and all but the dude just had little to no charisma at the time and him being propelled to the top of ECW was basically a way to piss off the fans. Another head scratching spot was having Test eliminate RVD with a couple minutes left on the clock before Lashley did the same against Test just minutes later. I get that they wanted to shift the focus away from the fan favorites onto Lashley but it definitely didn't do any favors for the match itself. However, I will say that I enjoyed the brief exchange between Lashley and Show at the end. But unfortunately, this match was easily the weakest of all Chamber matches and nowhere near enough to save the awful show.
Winner: Bobby Lashley
Rating: ***1/2
Match 3: No Way Out 2008 - Elimination Chamber - MVP vs. Big Daddy V vs. The Great Khali vs. Finlay vs. Batista vs. The Undertaker (Taken from WWE No Way Out 2008 Review)
I can clearly remember people groaning over this when the participants were made for this. Just makes you realize to never come to a full assessment of something before it actually happens because they blew all expectations out of the water. They started the match off with the two big stars in Batista and The Undertaker as both Big Daddy V and The Great Khali were unloaded next. However, Big Daddy V and Khali were both quickly eliminated as the final four came down to best four guys in the match. I like how they had both Big Daddy V and Khali in the match to create some sort of ambiance to differ from the Raw Elimination Chamber and I like how their eliminations came fast. Allows us to really place our emphasis on the guys who could really kick this match up a notch. One thing I will also say about this match, the eliminations were perfect. The Undertaker hitting a Chokeslam to MVP off the top of the pod and delivering another one to Finlay on the steel grate made me cringe. Finally, Undertaker delivering a Tombstone to Batista after flipping it from the outside into the ring was a great ending. Fantastic Chamber match to set up Undertaker's match against Edge at WrestleMania. While it started a bit slow in the beginning, it definitely picked up and quickly became an intense match that had me on the edge. No pun intended.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ****1/2
Match 4: No Way Out 2008 - Elimination Chamber - Triple H vs. Umaga vs. JBL vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels (Taken from WWE No Way Out 2008 Review)
This may be one of the most stacked Elimination Chambers of all time. Good call to have Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels start the match, set the pace early on with Umaga coming in afterwards to wreck havoc. As brutal as the first Chamber match was, they really did bring out all the stops for this one. The eliminations were nicely done and all made sense. Loved how Jericho eliminated his rival in JBL before JBL came back into the ring and smashed everyone's brains in with a steel chair. And don't forget about Umaga running through Jericho and breaking a pod in the process. The crowd was eating this up. Jeff Hardy, who entered in last, eliminated Umaga with a sweet Swanton Bomb off one of the pods. Michaels was eventually eliminated by Triple H and it came down to Hardy and The Game. They had an incredible exchange to close out the match with Hardy desperately doing everything in his power to win, that includes a low blow. However, Triple H countered a Twist of Fate onto a steel chair and drilled Hardy with a Pedigree for the win. In a perfect world, Hardy wins this match and wins the championship at WrestleMania since he was white hot. Or plan b, have Hardy win the Money in the Bank match and cash in the same night. Of course, that's barring his suspension and again, that's in a perfect world. Regardless, Triple H was also hot during this time and a spot in the main event at WrestleMania wasn't a bad choice. Incredible match with a heart-racing finish. Besides, Hardy would eventually get his moment later in the year.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: ****3/4
Saturday, February 9, 2019
WWE Satan's Prison - The Anthology of the Elimination Chamber DVD (Disc 1) Review
Match 1: Survivor Series 2002 - WWE World Heavyweight Championship
- Elimination Chamber - Triple H (c) vs. Chris Jericho vs. Booker T vs.
Kane vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Rob Van Dam
The first Elimination Chamber match in history and what a sight it was to see it for the first time. Not only did they do a fantastic job of hyping the match in the weeks leading into this, but they did a great job of introducing the structure to the audience in the arena and at home with Eric Bischoff cutting a quick promo before the match and describing just how brutal the steel chamber really is. Loved having both Triple H and Rob Van Dam start off the match as Van Dam was quick to use his surroundings to his advantage and introduce just how brutal the steel was with Triple H bleeding just minutes into the match. The more entrants came in, the more hectic the match was getting and I absolutely loved it. Everyone added a different layer to the match and it was quickly understood just how great Bischoff's crazy idea was becoming. The match eventually came down to Chris Jericho, Triple H and Shawn Michaels. Jericho and Triple H created an impromptu tag team to take out Michaels. Loved it, certainly added another layer to Michaels having to fight from the bottom. Finally, Michaels was able to eliminate Jericho from the equation with a Sweet Chin Music and narrowed the fight to just himself and his old friend in The Game. Amazing exchange to finish the match here including an awesome spot of Triple H catapulting Michaels through one of the chamber doors. However, Michaels lands one of the biggest Sweet Chin Musics of his career and gets the win and World Heavyweight Championship in incredible fashion. I loved everything about this... the ambiance, Jim Ross on the call, the mystique of the new structure and of course, the insane pop the New York crowd gave for Michaels when he pinned Triple H. 16 years later and I still got chills watching this.
Winner: Shawn Michaels
Rating: *****
Match 2: Summerslam 2003 - WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Elimination Chamber - Triple H (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Nash vs. Goldberg vs. Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels
To close out Summerslam 2003, the Raw brand put out its second Elimination Chamber match in history with a loaded lineup. Perfect call to have Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels start off the match as the Kevin Nash and Randy Orton came in to sprinkle in some more action before the main dish of Goldberg and Triple H came out. They centered this match mainly around Goldberg and much like the first one where Michaels was the main focus, it worked. Goldberg came in and completely flipped the match upside down with Spears for everyone including an iconic Spear to Jericho through one of the pods. One of the sickest spots I have ever seen in a WWE ring. Goldberg's rampage saw him eliminate Orton, Michaels and Jericho before it was time for him to face Triple H who had been hiding in his pod. Ric Flair hilariously holds down the door for Triple H as he curses out Goldberg in the process. However, Goldberg kicks down the glass and forces The Game into the ring. It looked as if Goldberg had the match sealed but Flair discretely handed Triple H a sledgehammer and as Goldberg went for the final Spear, he was met with a shot to the head with the hammer in the air. Unbelievable. Triple H pins Goldberg to retain. That closing chapter to the match was an insane roller coaster with Goldberg's presence completely changing the dynamic of things before Triple H put it to a complete stop. Afterwards, Triple H along with both Flair and Orton demolish a bloodied Goldberg. The last shot of the show sees Goldberg handcuffed and bleeding along with chamber's chains. Wow. I have to give this match the full *****. So much drama from the very beginning without slowing down at any point of the match. The Goldberg factor certainly bumped things up a notch, as well. Having him come in last and absolutely demolishing everyone was a sight to see before The Game sneaked it out with the perfect finish. Another incredible Elimination Chamber match. Brutal, bloody and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. A shame how it would be so difficult to replicate a match like this in this current era.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: *****
Match 3: New Year's Revolution 2005 - WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Elimination Chamber - Edge vs. Triple H vs. Randy Orton vs. Batista vs. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit
If the Elimination Chamber on itself wasn't enough, Shawn Michaels serves as the special guest referee with the vacant World Heavyweight Championship hanging in the balance. Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit start off the match as the crowd in Puerto Rico is ABSOLUTELY HOT for this one as they began counting down the entrants and counts in Spanish. LOVED IT. The two big stories here include Edge having beef with Michaels serving as the referee and is scared Michaels will screw him over. There issues would arise later on when Edge would inadvertently Spear Michaels to which Michaels retaliated with a Sweet Chin Music to send Edge to the locker room. But above all, the cracks to Evolution are more than beginning to show here with Batista and Triple H having a dispute earlier on about not having each other's backs during the match. Much like the past two Chamber matches, this one was a bloodbath with action from the start to the finish. Batista would be the last entrant in the match and would come in to save Triple H who was locked in a Walls of Jericho and a Crippler Crossface at the same time as the crowd ate it up. Perfect booking. The match would come down to the three members of Evolution with Batista and Triple H looking like the elimination of Randy Orton was going to be an easy task. However, Orton was able to get The Game out of the scene before low blowing Batista and landing an RKO on him! Orton pins Batista as the perfect camera shot shows Triple H choosing to not get up in the corner and save Batista from getting eliminated. Brilliant. Finally, Triple H is able to finish Orton with some help from Batista as Michaels was restraining Ric Flair from entering. Triple H wins his second Elimination Chamber match and regains the richest prize on Raw. Afterwards, Triple H forces Batista to hoist him up on his shoulders as they celebrate The Game's victory. Another unbelievable match and I don't care what anyone says, it's another ***** for an Elimination Chamber match for me. Spectacular match from the start and closed out with the perfect ending of Triple H not having Batista's back in the end. Not only that, but this has to be one of the greatest crowds in the history of the WWE. They added so much more drama to an already dramatic match. Perfect lead to WrestleMania 21.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: *****
The first Elimination Chamber match in history and what a sight it was to see it for the first time. Not only did they do a fantastic job of hyping the match in the weeks leading into this, but they did a great job of introducing the structure to the audience in the arena and at home with Eric Bischoff cutting a quick promo before the match and describing just how brutal the steel chamber really is. Loved having both Triple H and Rob Van Dam start off the match as Van Dam was quick to use his surroundings to his advantage and introduce just how brutal the steel was with Triple H bleeding just minutes into the match. The more entrants came in, the more hectic the match was getting and I absolutely loved it. Everyone added a different layer to the match and it was quickly understood just how great Bischoff's crazy idea was becoming. The match eventually came down to Chris Jericho, Triple H and Shawn Michaels. Jericho and Triple H created an impromptu tag team to take out Michaels. Loved it, certainly added another layer to Michaels having to fight from the bottom. Finally, Michaels was able to eliminate Jericho from the equation with a Sweet Chin Music and narrowed the fight to just himself and his old friend in The Game. Amazing exchange to finish the match here including an awesome spot of Triple H catapulting Michaels through one of the chamber doors. However, Michaels lands one of the biggest Sweet Chin Musics of his career and gets the win and World Heavyweight Championship in incredible fashion. I loved everything about this... the ambiance, Jim Ross on the call, the mystique of the new structure and of course, the insane pop the New York crowd gave for Michaels when he pinned Triple H. 16 years later and I still got chills watching this.
Winner: Shawn Michaels
Rating: *****
Match 2: Summerslam 2003 - WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Elimination Chamber - Triple H (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Nash vs. Goldberg vs. Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels
To close out Summerslam 2003, the Raw brand put out its second Elimination Chamber match in history with a loaded lineup. Perfect call to have Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels start off the match as the Kevin Nash and Randy Orton came in to sprinkle in some more action before the main dish of Goldberg and Triple H came out. They centered this match mainly around Goldberg and much like the first one where Michaels was the main focus, it worked. Goldberg came in and completely flipped the match upside down with Spears for everyone including an iconic Spear to Jericho through one of the pods. One of the sickest spots I have ever seen in a WWE ring. Goldberg's rampage saw him eliminate Orton, Michaels and Jericho before it was time for him to face Triple H who had been hiding in his pod. Ric Flair hilariously holds down the door for Triple H as he curses out Goldberg in the process. However, Goldberg kicks down the glass and forces The Game into the ring. It looked as if Goldberg had the match sealed but Flair discretely handed Triple H a sledgehammer and as Goldberg went for the final Spear, he was met with a shot to the head with the hammer in the air. Unbelievable. Triple H pins Goldberg to retain. That closing chapter to the match was an insane roller coaster with Goldberg's presence completely changing the dynamic of things before Triple H put it to a complete stop. Afterwards, Triple H along with both Flair and Orton demolish a bloodied Goldberg. The last shot of the show sees Goldberg handcuffed and bleeding along with chamber's chains. Wow. I have to give this match the full *****. So much drama from the very beginning without slowing down at any point of the match. The Goldberg factor certainly bumped things up a notch, as well. Having him come in last and absolutely demolishing everyone was a sight to see before The Game sneaked it out with the perfect finish. Another incredible Elimination Chamber match. Brutal, bloody and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. A shame how it would be so difficult to replicate a match like this in this current era.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: *****
Match 3: New Year's Revolution 2005 - WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Elimination Chamber - Edge vs. Triple H vs. Randy Orton vs. Batista vs. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit
If the Elimination Chamber on itself wasn't enough, Shawn Michaels serves as the special guest referee with the vacant World Heavyweight Championship hanging in the balance. Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit start off the match as the crowd in Puerto Rico is ABSOLUTELY HOT for this one as they began counting down the entrants and counts in Spanish. LOVED IT. The two big stories here include Edge having beef with Michaels serving as the referee and is scared Michaels will screw him over. There issues would arise later on when Edge would inadvertently Spear Michaels to which Michaels retaliated with a Sweet Chin Music to send Edge to the locker room. But above all, the cracks to Evolution are more than beginning to show here with Batista and Triple H having a dispute earlier on about not having each other's backs during the match. Much like the past two Chamber matches, this one was a bloodbath with action from the start to the finish. Batista would be the last entrant in the match and would come in to save Triple H who was locked in a Walls of Jericho and a Crippler Crossface at the same time as the crowd ate it up. Perfect booking. The match would come down to the three members of Evolution with Batista and Triple H looking like the elimination of Randy Orton was going to be an easy task. However, Orton was able to get The Game out of the scene before low blowing Batista and landing an RKO on him! Orton pins Batista as the perfect camera shot shows Triple H choosing to not get up in the corner and save Batista from getting eliminated. Brilliant. Finally, Triple H is able to finish Orton with some help from Batista as Michaels was restraining Ric Flair from entering. Triple H wins his second Elimination Chamber match and regains the richest prize on Raw. Afterwards, Triple H forces Batista to hoist him up on his shoulders as they celebrate The Game's victory. Another unbelievable match and I don't care what anyone says, it's another ***** for an Elimination Chamber match for me. Spectacular match from the start and closed out with the perfect ending of Triple H not having Batista's back in the end. Not only that, but this has to be one of the greatest crowds in the history of the WWE. They added so much more drama to an already dramatic match. Perfect lead to WrestleMania 21.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: *****
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