BY MIKEY MIGO
I knew going into the Elimination Chamber Pay Per View that something was “fishy”. Some kind of big storyline or big surprise HAD to happen. Why the hell would The Great Khali AND Santino be in an Elimination Chamber? There is just too much filler there. They could have just as easily had Jinder Mahal, Drew McIntyre, Ezekiel Jackson, or a mid card guy they seem serious about grooming. Something had to give. On the RAW side of the show it’s not too much better. The Chamber line up on paper is a million times better, but something still feels off. Maybe I was over reacting, but it just felt like Wrestlemania would be changed based off this show in a bigger way than expected. Call it a “gut feeling” from a fan of literally 25 years.
The show started off with the RAW Chamber match. That was surprising. I expected it to be the last match. It went like what, fifty minutes? It was a great match! I really don’t have anything bad to say about it. It’s my favorite match of the year so far. I’ve not enjoyed a match that much in awhile. Good stuff all around. The people involved busted their asses, pulled out some cool and innovative spots, and made is really hard for the rest of the show to follow. After that was a long John Cena “work out promo”. It was cool to see some of the FCW guys on TV, but other than that it felt too much like filler. They’d follow this with a Diva Title match. Beth and Tamina had a pretty solid match up. I’d go as far as saying it was the best diva match in recent memory. Beth Phoenix should be held on a pedestal for her carrying of and importance to the WWE’s female roster.
Then more filler. This time a whole lame spiel to get Mark Henry, Otunga, and Christian in the ring. They REALLY wasted the return of Christian, which just proves they don’t give a shit about him. He’s good and all, but he’s not a main eventer. He never has been. And then the Smackdown Chamber? At this point my head is spinning. “What? The Kane/Cena match is the closer? What the hell?” My thought process instantly thinks “Oh…. They must have gotten The Rock to show up today”. The Smackdown Chamber was fun, but not as good as the RAW. They had some crazy moments like the whole Big Show “breaking in” to Bryan’s Chamber. I appreciated the point where it was Daniel Bryan and Wade Barrett going at it. To me it was like saying “Here’s what we’ll be over-doing in a few years for your Main Events.” I’m cool with that. They’ve both risen up the ladder a lot since NXT. I heard a lot of stuff about how Santino was going to be beaten down and his spot would be taken. Nope. Not only did he get to wrestle the match, but he made it to the end. Now we get Sheamus and Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania? This same match was SCRAPPED last year in place of a dark match battle royal.
Jack Swagger vs. Justin Gabriel was a randomly added match. It’s a good combination of wrestlers and all of that, but there was no build or heat to the match. Why hot have had this promo on Friday or Monday to give the match a tiny bit more “meat”. A little thing like that would make it feel much less like filler than it is. What a waste.
I couldn’t get into the Kane/John Cena match. I just have a hard time focusing on John Cena. I don’t like his character or wrestling ability. I just sort of go into a coma or something when he’s on. I like the way they’re making Kane a serial killer type of monster than a supernatural freak type. Kane and Mark Henry are proving the Attitude Era guys can still be utilized very well in today’s WWE. I dug the energy the match got when they started brawling at ringside. Cena is being more “ruthless”. It’s the most entertaining his character has been in years. It’s still not as fun as he used to be or could be. I don’t want to see this on my TV, but I won’t deny the fact I was entertained for a few moments. No Rock. Nothing. It was just a way for John Cena to be in the Main Event again. Blah. I really enjoyed the RAW Elimination Chamber match and didn’t hate the Smackdown one. Other than that, this wasn’t worth the three hours of time spent watching it. There was just SO MUCH FILLER in this show. It’s like they got so used to writing for TV that they forgot PPV’s were three hours. I’m excited for Wrestlemania because the level of talent they currently have. I really like the upper mid card and newer main eventers. Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, Punk, Kofi, Cody, Barrett, Sheamus, and the rest of the “Athetic-tude Era” rock. The build up just isn’t on par. This show put some stuff in place, but did nothing to really sell me.
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