Recap and Review of WWE Elimination Chamber 2020
Tonight, we were on the last major stop before Wrestlemania which is four weeks away. It was really hard to get excited going into this pay-per-view when neither Women’s Titles were on the line and neither was the Universal or WWE Title. It’s hard to get excited when a pay-per-view poorly put together. Before I begin with thoughts on the evening and whether or not my excitement change, here are the results of the evening:
-Kickoff Show: The Viking Raiders defeated Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins
-Daniel Bryan defeated Drew Gulak
-Andrade defeated Humberto Carrillo to retain the WWE United States Championship
-The Miz and John Morrison defeated The Uso’s, The New Day, Heavy Machinery, Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode, and the Lucha House Party in the Elimination Chamber to retain the Smackdown Tag Team Championships
-Aleister Black defeated AJ Styles
-The Street Profits defeated Murphy and Seth Rollins to retain the Raw Tag Team Championships
-Sami Zayn with Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Braun Strowman to become the new Intercontinental Champion
-Shayna defeated Asuka, Natalya, Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott and Sarah Logan to win the Elimination Chamber Match
The opening match of Elimination Chamber was Daniel Bryan versus Drew Gulak. I love how selfless and giving of a performer Bryan is. Last year, he gave Kofi Kingston the match of his life and tonight he gave Gulak his first big time match on a WWE pay-per-view. These two showed that technical wrestling is still a beautiful art form when done right. It was really great to see Bryan show Gulak respect after the match was over. Following their match, we moved on to another great wrestling match featuring shades of the Lucha Libra style. Andrade and Carrillo have been at each other for months but tonight Andrade got the better of Carrillo to retain the United States Championship. Heading into Wrestlemania, one has to wonder if their feud continues or will a challenger emerge for Andrade’s championship?
The first Chamber match of the night was for the Smackdown Tag Team Championships. Five of the six teams we see pretty regularly, so it was really great to see the Lucha House Party be showcased in this match. You might know it because they were eliminated first, but they really showed that they can hang in the tag team division. Another showcase in this match was Heavy Machinery. Otis has made himself one of the most beloved superstars on the roster with his willingness to do anything. Tonight, we saw an Elimination Chamber first as Otis went through one of the pods on to the outside of the floor. The final two teams were The Uso’s and champs Miz and Morrison and it appears after tonight the two teams are headed on a collision course towards Wrestlemania. Two superstars who have been on a collision course over the last couple of weeks are Aleister Black and AJ Styles. The O.C. beat down Black on Monday, which led to tonight’s No Disqualification match. This was an incredible match that really helped Black get noticed by fans who casually watch Raw. It also helped that The Undertaker even the odds and helped Black to the victory. It appears that “The Phenomenal One” and “The Phenom” are headed to Wrestlemania to have a dream match many years in the making.
Earlier this week on Monday Night Raw, The Street Profits beat Seth Rollins and Murphy for the Raw Tag Team Champions. The underlying story going on here is the continued feud between Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins. In a week’s time, Owens cost Rollins the tag titles and their rematch. I originally thought Owens and Samoa Joe would team up against Murphy and Rollins, but it appears Owens and Rollins will be going one on one at the “Grandest Stage of them All.” The match I had the most mixed feelings about going into tonight was the three on one handicap match for the Intercontinental Championship. I feel like the was a no-win situation for all parties involved. If Braun would have won, people would have been upset that he beat three world class performers. On the flip side, Strowman had a very short title reign which he has worked so hard to achieve. I truly believe that Strowman should have been a multi-time WWE Universal or WWE Champion by now. If he doesn’t get back the Intercontinental Championship than they need to pull the trigger and let him be Universal Champion.
The Main Event of the evening was the Women’s Elimination Chamber match to determine Becky Lynch’s opponent at Wrestlemania. I can honestly say that this was not a very well thought Elimination Chamber match. Shayna spent way too much time in the ring alone and the action was a bare minimum. I can honestly say, this is the first time I have been disappointed in a Chamber match. At least now we know that it will be Becky Lynch versus Shayna Baszler at Wrestlemania for the Raw Women’s Championship. Going into tonight, I had low expectations but was pleasantly surprised on how good the wrestling was. Aside from the main event, the show was great from top to bottom. Elimination Chamber gets 7 out of 10 from me for effort and solid wrestling matches. Now we head to Wrestlemania which is four weeks away. There are still a lot of questions to be answered on the road to Tampa. Hopefully, Wrestlemania 36 will restart the momentum WWE desperately needs right now.
