Elimination Chamber - Thoughts, Reaction and Discussion before, during and after the event. SPOILERS AND AWFUL RAMBLINGS INSIDE

Dolph Ziggler vs Sheamus vs. Ryback vs. R-Truth vs. King Barrett vs. Rusev - Elimination Chamber match for IC Title

The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) (c) vs. The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto and Sin Cara) vs. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro vs. The Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil) vs. The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor) vs. Los Matadores (Diego and Fernando) - Elimination Chamber match for Tag Team titles

John Cena vs Kevin Owens

Nikki Bella vs Naomi vs Paige - Divas Title

Neville vs Bo Dallas

Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose - WWEWHC


Predictions? Shocks? Will WWE pull something out of the bag as the last day of the month to try bring in new subscribers? Is Rusev going to make it? Reigns appear? Wyatt appear?

I will be watching this live tonight despite having work tomorrow (11am start so not too bad).

This really could be an awesome PPV. We know Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins can compose a good match with their eyes closed. The Intercontinental title match should be good and I can't really predict the winner. Will probably be Ryback or Sheamus. Also it will be interesting to see if Rusev features and if not then who will replace him. Kevin Owens v John Cena will be very interesting to say the least. Even Neville v Bo Dallas should be a good match given the right amount of time. The biggest question mark surrounds the tag team elimination chamber match. With that many bodies involved it could either be awesome or a complete mess.

Whats happened to rusev for his appearance to be in doubt?

I think IC chamber coukd be good, although if Rusev is indeed missing he will be a big miss, think therell be too much going on in the tag chamber though

Looking forward to the title match and i think cena v owens should be good

I think with Owens vs Cena being non-title Owens has to win. However, if he wins, then he essentially has to leave NXT. Thats the match im most looking forward to.

Every other match on the card has real potential. The IC chamber match is a great way to build up the title, but I fear that Tag one will just be a giant mess. Its either going to be incredible fun or a total Frak. My moneys on the latter. Neville vs Dallas can put on a good match if they're given enough time, which they should be. Ambrose and Rollins is bound to be a belter, these two never dissapoint when they're in the ring together.

Wont get to see it until tomorrow afternoon, but still looking forward to it and the implications it has going forward.

I reckon Wyatt will replace Rusev in the chamber.
Also still think Reigns is turning, possibly fully tonight but maybe due to an initial botched save for Ambrose.

gazzyD wrote:Whats happened to rusev for his appearance to be in doubt?

Think he picked up a legit injury on Smackdown.

Really, really hope they don't turn Reigns. Would be an absolute botch of a decision. They do not need to build tension between Reigns and Ambrose for the Shield Triple Threat to work. Professional tension does that job enough as it is. Competitiveness appears to be forgotten in WWE, there has to be an argument.

WWE has done some good PPVs recently, no reason to doubt this as they have some good workers in it.

It's still not the booking I'd have liked. I'd have made this all about the IC title and the Elimination Chamber. I think that title still needs some rehabilitation. The entrants are solid, but not spectacular, and if it was the clear main event I think the focus would have helped promote this. So, IMO no reason to do the Rollins vs Ambrose, or even the Cena vs Owens matches here, which I think are both taking the focus away from the IC.

But that's a minor whinge. My biggest fear is that there is a lot of potential for over-booking and a lack of clean endings.

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:Really, really hope they don't turn Reigns. Would be an absolute botch of a decision. They do not need to build tension between Reigns and Ambrose for the Shield Triple Threat to work. Professional tension does that job enough as it is. Competitiveness appears to be forgotten in WWE, there has to be an argument.

The problem that they have currently is if Ambrose and Reigns compete against one another in the ring is that Reigns gets booed out of the building. Is It not better to turn him heel now, take the pressure of being the company's next big star off him and then as the crowd feel more comfortable about him being around the main event scene in a more natural than forced way then look to turn him face and build on the momentum. I think the fans will eventually take to him but WWE have to do it in a way in which the crowd feel it's them that are orchestrating the push.

You can have Reigns vs Ambrose in a face vs face feud as long as you keep it about mutual respect. Since Reigns's reactions have been getting steadily better since he started hanging out with Ambrose again, it would make more sense to try and cash in on the organic face reactions that a rushed heel turn just for the sake of it.

No, not really. Its very short sighted. And I have no feeling he'd get booed out of the building you damn Ambrose mark. At the moment the fans are enjoying his work and his friendship with Ambrose is one of the most natural parts of WWE at the moment. It actually shows signs of context and story, characters doing natural things.

Samo wrote:You can have Reigns vs Ambrose in a face vs face feud as long as you keep it about mutual respect.  Since Reigns's reactions have been getting steadily better since he started hanging out with Ambrose again, it would make more sense to try and cash in on the organic face reactions that a rushed heel turn just for the sake of it.

Indeed, they can do the Triple Threat with two faces. They need to, it doesn't work with two heels anywhere near as well in that context.

Rusev confirmed not medically cleared for tonight

Already had Roman saying he's in Ambrose's corner. The accidental bump may be on the cards

New Day, as a reward for helping the Authority on Smackdown, have been allowed all three members to be involved.

Ascension and Lucha Dragons start. Nice changes of pace, getting a bit spot monkey already.

Out come Cesaro and Kidd. Kalisto has been stuck on the New Day's cell for a good chunk of time as they won't let his legs free to jump. Good way of clearing space, especially as Sin Cara hit a swanton and has stayed down.

Kalisto is the star here, Corpus Christi doing their best to stay as silent as ever, least the ones making noise are loving Cesaro and Kidd.

El Torito has been standing on Los Matadores pod since the start. They are now released and the stupid thing is now fighting with them.

Kalisto is at the top of the Chamber in the middle about to drop. He has his legs out of the top of the cage. Drops down, but he just seems too light to do damage. Crowd waking up cos of it though.

El Torito followed Kalisto's lead but the Ascension caught him. Threw him at one of Los Matadores then killed the other for our first elimination. Thank god its them. Even House must like The Ascension more than the bull fighters.

The Ascension take out the Lucha Dragons too. A bit low impact moment, the crowd just sound like a Sunday Night Heat crowd.

PTP's come flying in and go right at The Ascension.

PTP take out The Ascension and the crowd go mild.

Cesaro just hit Darren Young in the face with a dropkick whilst Young was sat on the top rope. Incredible.

The New Day enter and the four remaining men hit a triple suplex on them. Then Cesaro locks Woods in a pod. If that works?

Young sneaks in for a roll up after Cesaro hits the swing on Kofi. PTP's vs The New Day. Can see where this is going.

Big E took Woods out of the pod. Least the crowd dont like New Day, but this is going to be a long PPV if this is the standard of the crowd.

Now its down to two teams its a much better match, best I've seen PTP maybe ever.

New Day retain, all three men jumping on Titus to keep him down as they pin him. Need to rewatch that cos the crowd drained the life out of me.

Divas now. Cody did well getting Eden Stiles, the woman is incredible. My notes are not going to be very good during any of these matches.

Its been ok. Naomi and Nikki seem a little uncomfortable in triple threats. Its not flowing well. King is being a dirty old man. Naomi's boots aren't changing colour. All kinds of disappointing.

Naomi takes Paige out, but then Nikki hits Naomi with the rack attack (urgh) and wins. Brie comes down to celebrate. No heel turn, just sisterly love.

Time for KO. Not even this crowd can kill this for me.

We have Fight Owens Fight chants. Thank god.

Very story based constructed match. Cena giving a lot for Owens. But he's kicked out of one pop up.

Owens goes for a moonsault, Cena gets out of the way, hits the AA and its like the usual Cena script. But Owens kicks out. Moonsault looked very good. Owens going very heel. Tried the U Cant C Me, Cena countered to the STF. When Owens got out he hit Cena with the AA. Cena kicks out. Fair is fair, Owens did not take the Springboard Stunner well, happy it was kicked out of cos it was a bit messy. Cracking "innovative" top rope suplex by Owens, Cena kicks out. Owens goes and hits a senton, Cena kicks out. Superman is here. BUT HE HASNT WON! AFTER CENA HAS A FLURRY, OWENS HITS THE POP UP POWERBOMB AND GETS A CLEAN WIN. GET. IN!

Time for a promo from Owens. "Now everyone knows who Kevin Owens is. I'm the man who started a fight with John Cena and I'm the man who just finished that fight!" Hahaha "John, I have some veteran advice. Its time for you to go" "The Champ is here!"

Well I think that could go down as one of the greatest ever if not the greatest ever main roster debut for Kevin Owens. A clean win over John Cena and then that promo. World champ by this time next year...

Actually enjoying this. The crowd are awful, but its a very strong wrestling show. Good storylines throughout. Massive moment for Owens. New talent all over the shop winning matches too. The future looks bright.

Bo and Neville a bit disappointing. Could have done a lot more with the good time they had. Bo is fun to watch though, hes very annoying.

Mark Henry takes Rusev's place. I think hes gonna win! (No one does)

Worst run of roll ups ive ever seen. This match has gotten really messy. No control to it. I'm not sure Sheamus is even meant to be trapped cos everyone looks absolutely lost.

I just didnt get into that match. Another one I need to rewatch. Ryback wins! First singles title. Interesting to see how it goes, he deserves a run as his mic work has been brilliant when given a chance.

Not sure where Sheamus goes though

Owens vs Cena rematch at MITB.
Ziggler, Kofi, Neville, Reigns, Orton, Sheamus all named as MITB competitors. Theyve said thats not all who will be in it, just the ones named so far.

Decent show, think that could be the death knell of the Elimination Chamber matches unfortunately. The crowd was dead for them but the Intercontinental match was probably the worst Elimination Chamber I have ever seen, it was absolutely god awful. It felt like half an hour of stalling. Was Mark Henry supposed to get out that early? No. The spot with Sheamus was done terribly because it lasted too long and was confusing because nobody in the ring was really doing anything.

The Owens/Cena match was obviously good, albeit a bit slow in the beginning, but climaxed really well. Some really cool moves. Not sure an immediate rematch is the best course of action, but oh well. 

The tag title match was slightly disappointing I felt, the fact that New Day had such an advantage with the extra man and coming in last made the match slightly less interesting I felt and I wasn't a fan of the fact that half were eliminated before everybody had even entered the match. Cesaro is ridiculously good.

The main event was okay, Ambrose probably has the most limited move set in WWE currently though. I assume he is capable of a lot more, but he essentially has three moves altogether and it means he ends up doing the same moves a lot. I got swerved by the ending. 

Neville/Bo Dallas wasn't good. Divas, didn't pay attention really, few bad botches by Naomi.

my views as i watch: ( each space is a segment / entrance talk)

ptp entrance: *tumbleweeds*
Los Matadores entrance: *tumbleweeds* I hope someone throws Torito into the chamber.
Kidd + Cesaro entrance: wow an actual pop...shame it's tiny....Cesaro looks like an Aces + 8's guy.
New Day intro: A tiny boo...even the new day sucks chants are quiet. Frak you Lawler for that bad santa joke.
Ascension: *tumbleweeds*
lucha dragons: I think thats the best pop!

Match starts:

clever spot with kalisto getting trapped.
Cesaro is Shelton Benjamin in disguise! Sweet jumping skills
commentary sound bored, jbl is not jr. ( not even 20 mins in...)
and kalisto misses a few people being spiderman...
this is awesome? no it's not...
I take it back, ascension get rid of the bull and get +1 like ( taking their total to -49 )
but cole..they didnt lock the pod...

match over, kinda underwhelmed: 2/5

I missed the mitb theme song, so good. EC song sounds good too

Is Naomi trying out for a tron movie? or maybe a guest spot on Red vs Blue?
Naomi delivering stiff shots while paige...flails...wildly
tower of doom = flattened naomi
was that...a reverse hurracanrana into a leg lariat?? That looked great!

well, the pace seemed better than the ec match, some sloppyness / move calls heard but still was alright. 2/5

Keven Owens knows how to shut down a comeback n control the crowd...
sweet white noise!
bam bam would be proud of that moonsault!
Owens stealing the show! great AA steal and taunt!
I agree quiet crowd. this is awesome!
cena overshoots the leg drop, I start humming "sit on my face"
package piledri...no, powerbomb...
brainbuster? Swanton? awwww

4/5 VERY Excellent!

bo dallas, unsure if to smile, be angry or be sad...

1.5/5 the match was just...there

henry instead of rusev? i like that!
from WWE Immortals, SHEAMUS!!!
bored...
wade 'king of the universe' barrett
Henry gets let in early, disappoints immediately. Seemed botched
ryback just entered..i'm still bored
Sexual chocolate chant, -1 to boredom levels
Sheamus deliberately kept himself locked in the pod, interesting...
zzzzz huh?, Ryback won?

1.5/5 BORING!!!

the main event, only waking me up a little...
hello WWE Script! -2 to boredom
this is awesome? no it's not...
dean has invulnerability cheat on and a VERY limited moveset...
ambrose wins? really?? what a shocking win! +10 to alertness
oh no...
Frak YOU REFEREE!!! -99 to john cone

2/5

Does JBL still eat his hat?
Will the office ref be banished to the broom closet?
Will we ever see such poor quality EC Matches again?

Thought it was an ok show, stand out matches were Owens/Cena and the tag team elimination match. The New day and Kevin Owens are just on a roll right now. New day continue there entertaining tag team run, always look forward to seeing them. Kevin Owens is just unreal, what a main roster debut he's had, probably one of the best, all rounded off with a nice little promo after the match. Don't see the point of another rematch.

The IC chamber match was pretty dull although Ryback winning was a nice suprise. Seriously, what the hell has King Barrett done wrong, must have upset someone...

I find it kinda ridiculous that the next PPV (MITB) is just two weeks away. Surely Reigns is by far the favourite to win the case. He'll probably get the same reaction he got when winning the rumble

A lot of audible calls were made by Ziggler, the whole IC match was a mess. You could hear Dolph telling the ref to tell Sheamus how to act in the chamber, whilst he was also heard shouting "Clothesline me!" at Ryback.

I didnt like the main event finish. I did like how great a heel Bo is.

I dont think anyone was interested at all during the IC chamber match, which is a shame because im glad Ryback won (check the IC chamber poll, he was my pick after Rusev. PM me for the lottery numbers). I liked the way Sheamus locked himself in the pod using the cross until the other three guys where down, but it was never mentioned. I think King said "Sheamus used the cross to fix the door". No, not how it happened and you shat all over a decent spot. The spots where the Chamber where used were OK, but it was very messy with no one to lead it. Again, I think Ryback deserves it, he's been gold since his return in November. I will say I think Henry was the right choice - with them being in Texas and all - and he looks like he's lost weight.

Going back to the start of the card, seems I was half right/ half wrong about the tag Chamber. It was only a Frak for a short while. Glad The Ascension got put over a bit because I think I'm one of only three people who like them, and the other two are Konnor and Victor. Im also glad that it came down to the PTP's vs New Day instead of the predictable C&K. PTP's looked the part, really rate them as a team.

Not even Naomi's light up boots could save that Triple Threat. Get the Bella's to Frak already. Failing that, admit you're 'Diva's' division is Poopie and let Paige go back to NXT to cut it with some real talent for a change.

Neville vs Dallas was typical filler fair, not bad, but nothing to remember.

Ambrose is awesome, but I think with another *Special Event* 2 weeks way, the result was a forgone conclusion, although I liked the way they went about it Such a cocktease, reminds me of the good old days. Thats how you put heat on heels, even infront of a dead crowd, but Frak me they need to unmic the ref while he's explaining what happened to Lillian, that ruins it for the TV audience. While these 2 guys work really, really well together this is their 6th (?) singles match in a year, so you're starting to wear on the formula.

So the elephant in the room. The hype is real people. The future is here and his name is Kevin Owens. An awesome match and credit to John Cena aswell. The only bad point was that god awful spring board stunner. I've yet to see him hit that properly and it always looks Poopie. Other than that an excellent match and what a debut for Owens.

The questions left open here make me interested to watch RAW, which is rare these days, so credit to WWE for booking another good PPV.

I think Ambrose should have a gimmick change, this is the 2nd time in just a few months he's run off with a title belt, add to that Hotdog stands, police vans etc and he's quite the kleptomaniac.

Hero wrote:I think Ambrose should have a gimmick change, this is the 2nd time in just a few months he's run off with a title belt, add to that Hotdog stands, police vans etc and he's quite the kleptomaniac.

he likes shiny things!

is he the 2015 Raven??

Heard alot of moves being called during the show, helped by the fact the crowd was absolutely Poopie.

John Cena vs Kevin Owens was an awesome match. Rollins vs Ambrose as expected delivered, wasn't a big fan of the ending mind. Slightly underwhelmed by the chamber matches.

I thought the tag title chamber match was decent. Surprised to see Ascension and PTP booked strongly, and the biggest surprise was the Lucha Dragons booked weakly.

Divas match was okay. Like others said you could clearly hear moves been called which was a little disconcerting.

Nothing more to add about Cena/Owens. KO is for real.

Bo/Neville was bad. I think Bo's got a future as a manager who occasionally acts as a pin cushion for his guys, but he's nowhere near good enough to wrestle full time.

IC chamber match was disappointing. I thought it was a good idea for D-Bryan to give the Ryback the rub post match.

I have an issue with the MITB match announcement. Like Elimination Chamber, there doesn't seem to be a reason why these six guys have been deemed worthy for the match. They could have had qualifiers for all eight spots on Smackdown and Raw this week. They even could have had that as a stipulation in the Neville match. It may have given the crowd a reason to be invested in the match.

Best ive seen the ascension tbh and cesaro and kidd are brilliant together (but lets face it cesaro is better than the tag division)

Having read some of the comments i might skip the IC chamber match, think Rusev was a big miss, wonder if last minute changes because of his absence may have anything to do with the quality (or did it just suck)

I know Cena gets a lot of stick for his Superman routine, but the guy is quality in the ring when with the right opponent. His match with Owens was brilliant.....owens has been brilliant the last few weeks......thinka rematch might be too quick, huge statement if they had owens win again though

The IC title chamber is worth watching to see the second worst ever Elimination Chamber match. December to Dismember will still take some beating.

Fell asleep last night but watched the show today, switched on my app for the network and headline news was 'big Owens win!' Cheers for that WWE

The tag title chamber wasn't great, it had some moments where decent wrestling broke out with Catsaro, New Day and the PTP, Titus in particular look great, The Ascension weren't to bad either which was a pleasant surprise, a lot of really disjointed spots killed the match for me, I've been a huge Kalisto fan for a few years now but god did time stand still waiting for him to do something at times, I assume he botched a double pod dive with Sin Cara when he got his leg caught and the camera did him no favours following him up to the cage roof would have been better if he had dropped in from out of shot, instead he just looked silly and given the man was risking death up their I feel a bit sorry that was all I could think

Divas match was OK I guess, but genuinely where does Nikki go from here? She's cleaned out the, admittedly paper thin, division

Owens vs Cena was awesome, they could main event we wrestlemania with that match move for move and I would have loved it, I loved the reoccurring theme of Owens keeping Cena down with punches, I've been in a few fights in my time (not that I've won any) but for me there's noting more distressing than when you're trying to get back to your feet and keep getting knocked back down, let out a genuine squeal of markdom when Owens teased the package piledriver but the way he turned it into a powerbomb was even cooler if anything, Kevin Owens a 300+ lb man executed the BME!!!! That was incredible, would love to say the finish was a great surprise (see above) but still loved loved loved this match, easily in my top 3 WWE matches of the year and a high ranker in all of wrestling, only issue is how the hell to these guys top themselves in a fortnight, They both used every more in their repotoires

Neville vs Bobo was OK, had no chance of following the last match, especially in corpse-of-christi which is always a crappy crowd, I liked Bo's slightly more serious edge in his promo

IC chamber was a bit rubbish, I get that Henry is a home state hero, a last minute pick and I really like the guy, but it wasn't exactly the inspiring entry into a match full of guys who the recurring theme was that they've all feuded to the point of exhaustion, commentators did a terrible job of picking up on the Sheamus cross in the pod deal, I'm happy Ryback won as I'm a big fan of the big guy but short of the DTD debacle this was the worst chamber I could remember

Thought the main event was pretty average, I love Rollins and Ambrose but I think this was the worst match the two of them have had together, not bad just not what I had hoped for especially on a show that the major theme of which was under delivery and really could have used, sniffed the finish out a mile off, have WWE refs never heard of playing advantage? Willie Collum would never have stood for that Poopie, what are the odds Truth comes out a nicks the belt on Raw tonight?

All in all this show went against the current trend of WWE big shows, normally we are presented with lacklustre cards that end up delivering on the night, I was actually pretty hyped for the show but outside of the outstanding Owens/Cena match the rest of the card ranged from average to pretty poor

I'm turning WWE notifications off, they ruin trying to stay away from headlines the day after.

Hero wrote:I'm turning WWE notifications off, they ruin trying to stay away from headlines the day after.

I don't get notifications but I use the app to watch the network through my tablet and it sent me to the news page first rather than giving me a choice

Dr Gregory House MD wrote:Fell asleep last night but watched the show today, switched on my app for the network and headline news was 'big Owens win!' Cheers for that WWE

The tag title chamber wasn't great, it had some moments where decent wrestling broke out with Catsaro, New Day and the PTP, Titus in particular look great, The Ascension weren't to bad either which was a pleasant surprise, a lot of really disjointed spots killed the match for me, I've been a huge Kalisto fan for a few years now but god did time stand still waiting for him to do something at times, I assume he botched a double pod dive with Sin Cara when he got his leg caught and the camera did him no favours following him up to the cage roof would have been better if he had dropped in from out of shot, instead he just looked silly and given the man was risking death up their I feel a bit sorry that was all I could think

Divas match was OK I guess, but genuinely where does Nikki go from here? She's cleaned out the, admittedly paper thin, division

Owens vs Cena was awesome, they could main event we wrestlemania with that match move for move and I would have loved it, I loved the reoccurring theme of Owens keeping Cena down with punches, I've been in a few fights in my time (not that I've won any) but for me there's noting more distressing than when you're trying to get back to your feet and keep getting knocked back down, let out a genuine squeal of markdom when Owens teased the package piledriver but the way he turned it into a powerbomb was even cooler if anything, Kevin Owens a 300+ lb man executed the BME!!!! That was incredible, would love to say the finish was a great surprise (see above) but still loved loved loved this match, easily in my top 3 WWE matches of the year and a high ranker in all of wrestling, only issue is how the hell to these guys top themselves in a fortnight, They both used every more in their repotoires

Neville vs Bobo was OK, had no chance of following the last match, especially in corpse-of-christi which is always a crappy crowd, I liked Bo's slightly more serious edge in his promo

IC chamber was a bit rubbish, I get that Henry is a home state hero, a last minute pick and I really like the guy, but it wasn't exactly the inspiring entry into a match full of guys who the recurring theme was that they've all feuded to the point of exhaustion, commentators did a terrible job of picking up on the Sheamus cross in the pod deal, I'm happy Ryback won as I'm a big fan of the big guy but short of the DTD debacle this was the worst chamber I could remember

Thought the main event was pretty average, I love Rollins and Ambrose but I think this was the worst match the two of them have had together, not bad just not what I had hoped for especially on a show that the major theme of which was under delivery and really could have used, sniffed the finish out a mile off, have WWE refs never heard of playing advantage? Willie Collum would never have stood for that Poopie, what are the odds Truth comes out a nicks the belt on Raw tonight?

All in all this show went against the current trend of WWE big shows, normally we are presented with lacklustre cards that end up delivering on the night, I was actually pretty hyped for the show but outside of the outstanding Owens/Cena match the rest of the card ranged from average to pretty poor

Probably agree word for word (other than your Scottish nonsense)

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:

Dr Gregory House MD wrote:Fell asleep last night but watched the show today, switched on my app for the network and headline news was 'big Owens win!' Cheers for that WWE

The tag title chamber wasn't great, it had some moments where decent wrestling broke out with Catsaro, New Day and the PTP, Titus in particular look great, The Ascension weren't to bad either which was a pleasant surprise, a lot of really disjointed spots killed the match for me, I've been a huge Kalisto fan for a few years now but god did time stand still waiting for him to do something at times, I assume he botched a double pod dive with Sin Cara when he got his leg caught and the camera did him no favours following him up to the cage roof would have been better if he had dropped in from out of shot, instead he just looked silly and given the man was risking death up their I feel a bit sorry that was all I could think

Divas match was OK I guess, but genuinely where does Nikki go from here? She's cleaned out the, admittedly paper thin, division

Owens vs Cena was awesome, they could main event we wrestlemania with that match move for move and I would have loved it, I loved the reoccurring theme of Owens keeping Cena down with punches, I've been in a few fights in my time (not that I've won any) but for me there's noting more distressing than when you're trying to get back to your feet and keep getting knocked back down, let out a genuine squeal of markdom when Owens teased the package piledriver but the way he turned it into a powerbomb was even cooler if anything, Kevin Owens a 300+ lb man executed the BME!!!! That was incredible, would love to say the finish was a great surprise (see above) but still loved loved loved this match, easily in my top 3 WWE matches of the year and a high ranker in all of wrestling, only issue is how the hell to these guys top themselves in a fortnight, They both used every more in their repotoires

Neville vs Bobo was OK, had no chance of following the last match, especially in corpse-of-christi which is always a crappy crowd, I liked Bo's slightly more serious edge in his promo

IC chamber was a bit rubbish, I get that Henry is a home state hero, a last minute pick and I really like the guy, but it wasn't exactly the inspiring entry into a match full of guys who the recurring theme was that they've all feuded to the point of exhaustion, commentators did a terrible job of picking up on the Sheamus cross in the pod deal, I'm happy Ryback won as I'm a big fan of the big guy but short of the DTD debacle this was the worst chamber I could remember

Thought the main event was pretty average, I love Rollins and Ambrose but I think this was the worst match the two of them have had together, not bad just not what I had hoped for especially on a show that the major theme of which was under delivery and really could have used, sniffed the finish out a mile off, have WWE refs never heard of playing advantage? Willie Collum would never have stood for that Poopie, what are the odds Truth comes out a nicks the belt on Raw tonight?

All in all this show went against the current trend of WWE big shows, normally we are presented with lacklustre cards that end up delivering on the night, I was actually pretty hyped for the show but outside of the outstanding Owens/Cena match the rest of the card ranged from average to pretty poor

Probably agree word for word (other than your Scottish nonsense)

Finally realised I'm always right eh?

When you say the Ascension were a pleasant surprise I think it shows who was right!

I said they weren't too bad, given there only roles in the match were to bump (mainly for Cesaro), hit their finisher a few times and toss a dwarf they pulled it off ok, though it's probably about the minimum I'd expect from two 12+ year veterans, it did help them the lack of a tradition tag structure that they didn't have to work a long heat sequence as that's the weakest part of their game for me, which is unfortunate given their role as a powerhouse heel team

Speaking of dwarf tossing, I know he's the butt of a lot of jokes but am I the only person who thinks El Torito is really good? That 'rana off the top of the pod was better than anything Kalisto did all night

Dr Gregory House MD wrote:
The tag title chamber wasn't great, it had some moments where decent wrestling broke out with Catsaro, New Day and the PTP, Titus in particular look great, The Ascension weren't to bad either which was a pleasant surprise, a lot of really disjointed spots killed the match for me, I've been a huge Kalisto fan ...

IC chamber was a bit rubbish, I get that Henry is a home state hero, a last minute pick and I really like the guy, but it wasn't exactly the inspiring entry into a match full of guys who the recurring theme was that they've all feuded to the point of exhaustion

There's something very, very strange that has happened in WWE in the last 3 or 4 months.

From having a tag division that WWE really did not care about, they haven't just had a couple of good matches between New Dan and Kidd/Cesaro, but those two teams are as over as anyone on the WWE roster right now. And this is from a starting position of not even getting on the Wrestlemania main event card and being the pre-show match that almost everyone missed!

Not only that, but The Ascension and the Prime Time Players are getting over too. Now obviously everything is relative, but given how much commentary buried the Ascension when they came up and how the PTPs are knocked down every time they try to stand up, it's pretty amazing.

On the other hand, this upper mid-card is just so meh right now. Shocking de-pushes, e.g. Barrett wins KotR then goes on a losing streak for no reason. Silly angles, Kiss Me Arse match, Ziggler and Lana. Wrestlers who just don't seem to have the charisma to carry a crowd like Ryback and Sheamus. There's some solid talent in there, but they got to stop sticking all the same characters in these multi-man matches where no-one really leaves stronger than they came in, and they got to start to get some of these guys over. Because, if Rollins suddenly got injured a week before a PPV there seems no way that the IC champion could carry a main event, and it really should be the case that at least one or two of these guys could be put in the main event frame if needed.

For what it's worth, I re-watched this event. I don't think I have anything new to say that hasn't been said, but still here's my thoughts at a distance of a week from this event, which mostly feels like the wrestlers were told they were all working Monday night so don't go past 3rd gear tonight.

1. Tag team Elimination Chamber match 2.5*
For a time this felt like one of those matches where someone picks up an injury, which would have been such a waste because it really wouldn't have been worth it for this match.

Supposedly, WWE were upset not to get Moose. Why would he join WWE when IMO he sees a similar wrestler (albeit at the other end of his career) in Titus O'Neill who's never been used well. Props also to Darren Young, by far the best spot was hurling Big E head first into the pod.

Overall, I didn't expect much from this and it delivered on those expectations.

Nikki vs Paige vs Naomi 2*
The women put their bodies on the line with some big spots and I have to applaud them for their courage. But jeez that reverse rana was a complete botch. I'm going to sound like JR here, but the girls can deliver a lot more without having to work like this.

Kevin Owens vs John Cena 4.5*
I loved the psychology. I loved the story. I loved the performances. And most of all I loved the finish. I'd not have changed anything about this.

Bo Dallas vs Neville 1.5*
In theory I get the idea. You put Neville in headlocks to take away his flying offence. And that would be fine in a big grudge or title match, where you are going to build to a 20 or 30 minute show case. But, first outing between the two in WWE with a dead crowd, just let Neville fly and get a fast convincing win over Bo.

IC Elimination Chamber 2.5*
I quite like Ryback. I think this direction he's going in of believe in yourself and keep trying, just seems odd for a guy who is so huge. But we'll see if he gets any traction with this title. I doubt it.

I don't think this was as bad as some people were making out. It just wasn't very good and mostly seemed a huge waste of the Elimination Chamber gimmick.

Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose 3*
I could talk about the match. It was okay. I've seen these two wrestle better matches, but it was fine for what it was.

So, instead, the commentary. Apparently the biggest issue JBL has with Ambrose becoming champion is what would he do in a board meeting. I'm happy to suspend my disbelief in wrestling, but imagining them all dressing like Kane and going in for an office job on Monday morning is just a bit too much.

What I will say about the tag match is that they presented the teams well. You can see why certain teams went out due to time in the ring and all of the teams anyone cares about got to put on a show about what they do best. If Titus was the one who wanted to go heel, and stories are that he convinced them to let it be Titus v Young in that feud that flopped, then he was wrong anyway as he has very natural charisma and is very likeable.

I think the PPV did a great job of highlighting how poor the commentary has been recently. The fact they completely missed the Sheamus spot suggests that they arent even told about these big moments before hand. What should have put major heel heat on Sheamus just made everyone in the spot look silly.

I agree Dolph. I think that PTP and The Ascension came out of that EC match in a better position than they went in. Cesaro & Kidd, The New Day are both over anyway. Los Matadors, are just there. Only the Lucha Dragons suffered, which is kind of odd, because you'd have expected that structure to lend itself to the kind of spots that would be perfect for them. But Kalisto in particular, what was going on with him?

I agree with you too Samo. There is so much happening in a EC match to call, that commentary need to know what the main story is going to be before it happens. They were still talking about Sheamus's pod being stuck towards the end, so his shenanigans was completely lost on the viewer. But, as we know, it is much more important as a WWE commentator that you get your hashtag spots in rather than call the match.

As House said above, the Owens / Cena match could have been in Wrestlemania. The rest could have been on Raw. It was a free show, so you can't complain, but I'll struggle to remember anything in that match in a month's time.