WWE Elimination Chamber 2018

WWE Elimination Chamber 2018

Las Vegas, NV - February 2018

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Brock Lesnar is the reigning WWE Universal Champion coming into the show (though he does not actually appear), The Miz holds the Intercontinental Championship, and the RAW Tag Team Champions are The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro). Finally, the RAW Women's Championship is held by Alexa Bliss.

COMMENTATORS: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, and Jonathan Coachman

The Women's Elimination Chamber match kicked off the show - Alexa Bliss defending the RAW Women's Championship against Bayley, Sasha Banks, Sonya Deville, Mickie James, and Mandy Rose. Deville and Bayley started things off and while she's not nearly as popular as she was at her peak in NXT, the crowd was behind Bayley enough (and Bayley performed well enough down the stretch) that I think its still too early to call her main roster a "failure." If anything, I'd actually say its regretful they put the Women's Championship on her so early in her run when you consider the talent level and how much of a "bigger deal" it would've been for the plucky underdog to claw her way to a title shot against a dominant champion like Asuka or Ronda Rousey or even Nia Jax one day. Anyway, Deville was soon joined by Mandy Rose and their double-teaming on Bayley was vicious at times, Bayley taking at least one nasty bump onto the Elimination Chamber floor. Banks came in and next and immediately started using the chamber's walls and pods to her advantage. James came in next and showed a ton of energy, eventually even climbing on to one of the pods to hit one of the Absolution members with a splash from the top (Bayley also took a fall from along the wall in another big bump from her). With everyone but Bayley and Banks eliminated, Bliss came in last and played her role perfectly, managing to avoid her two challengers long enough for them to go after each other. While this wasn't the instant near-classic that the first Women's Royal Rumble was, that match really lends itself to nostalgia pops and "moments" while the Chamber has become, in recent years, a bit of a burden on its participants, forcing them to innovate and wow the crowd without necessarily letting them up the level of violence. The outcome wasn't too much of a shocker, but it was well-executed and the post-match was a nice touch that allowed Bliss to keep her heel heat despite the crowd being on the brink of cheering her multiple times in the closing minutes. This one won't be on anyone's Year End list, but it was solid. (3.5/5)

The RAW Tag Team Titles were on the line next with The Bar defending against Titus O'Neill and Apollo (no longer Crews). This is the kind of match that one could point to when they talk about how even the "worst" WWE workers or the most meaningless matches are still light years ahead of what most US matches were like in, say, 1995. That's almost certainly true, but it doesn't mean that a match like this is "must see" just because its probably better than any Smokings Gunns/Men on a Mission match that ever happened. At one point, Titus delivered a great hot tag, but he was so-so here and his timing with both Sheamus and Cesaro was noticeably imperfect. Apollo, meanwhile, has some flashy offense and good energy, but the energy and offense isn't quite enough to make me care about whether he wins or loses. Slightly below average just because I don't necessarily a reason why anyone would need to see this match. (2/5)

Nia Jax vs. Asuka was next - the stipulation being that, if Jax were to win, she'd be thrown into the RAW Women's Championship match at WrestleMania. This wasn't as good as Jax/Bayley from NXT a few years back, but the dynamic was different for that match (this one being considerably less of a David/Goliath story because of Asuka's deadly striking and submission game). Jax continues to show improvement and had one of her best singles matches, while Asuka brought the fire but not necessarily as much of a swagger as she typically does. I can understand not wanting to seem overly confident when you're up against a monster like Nia Jax, but a little bit of mind games from Asuka could've gone a long way to really clarify and solidify her character with the live crowds that may still be a bit confused by what her persona is. Not a career match for either and I found the ending to be a bit abrupt, but still no worse than average. (2.5/5)

"If you're going to have a bad match, at least make it interesting" - I'm not sure a better quote exists to describe Matt Hardy vs. Bray Wyatt. After an interesting opening that saw Wyatt get outsmarted by the "Woken" Matt Hardy (and actually had the live crowd engaged), the match just descended into a slog while the commentators, in what had to be one of the odder and more bizarre calls made by Vince (or Triple?), decided to completely ignore the fans shitting on the match and pretend like their chants (for beach balls, for Rusev, etc.) were somehow supportive of Matt Hardy. Whatever magic there was in the #Broken version of Matt Hardy has vanished while Bray Wyatt, at one time pegged to be "the next Undertaker" or at least "the next Kane," is looking more and more like the next "Whatever Happened To That Guy?" A complete revamp of his character and presentation might seem radical to some, especially considering how much mileage this character should have had, but there's going to have to be some major changes made to make him a key player on the roster. (1/5)

Kurt Angle, Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H (who got a huge ovation) made their way down the aisle next to welcome former MMA megastar, Ronda Rousey. God I hate this crowd - not for "What"-ing Triple H (though that was incredibly annoying), but for booing Rousey, who, based on most every interview she's conducted since the start of the career, has been a lifelong fan. A "Ronda Rousey" chant started up and seemed to have been amplified a bit on the audience, but a "Holly Holm" chant could also be heard. Before Rousey signed, Triple H reminded her that she asked for nothing special - and she agreed. Triple H then told her that by signing, she would be competing at WrestleMania in a match. Before she could sign, though, Kurt Angle spilled the beans and explained that the McMahons have only brought her in to manipulate her, quoting them as saying "3 years in the making and now we own the bitch." Triple H walked him out of the ring, but then Angle double-downed, telling Rousey that Steph called her a "has been." Triple H separated the two and ended up getting put through a table for his efforts. Steph then came in and slapped the taste out of Rousey's mouth while the crowd chanted "You Fucked Up!" (the instant replay actually made it look less impactful than it looked in regular speed). I've got to admit, this segment started off a bit too silly, but the last minute was classic wrestling greatness and the crowd was in her corner by the end of it. The Helmsley-McMahons vs. Angle and Rousey at Mania is probably not going to be my cup of tea, but this was a decent enough segment to serve as the starting point of the feud. Plus one for Angle's nerdy comedy and Rousey's slap. (+1)

Elias opened the Men's Elimination Chamber Match with a song and a promo and the crowd "hate loved" every minute of it, playing along with his schtick (and the intended direction of the booking) for what seemed like the first time all night. Eventually, Braun Strowman cut him off with his entrance and Elias sought shelter in his pod. The entrances ate up at least 10 minutes of airtime, but there were actually some cool "little things" - from Cena waving hello to Roman Reigns as he entered the ring to The Coach and Graves working overtime to get the phrase "Monday Night Rollins" over. Rollins, Miz, and Finn Balor started the match off (the first time 3-men would start off the contest), with Miz attempting to win over Finn with a Too Sweet (a gesture that would've drawn much, much bigger in Chicago or Boston or NYC). Instead, the faces teamed up on Miz before taking the fight to eachother with some chain wrestling in the center of the ring. On a night where the commentary was uniformly poor, Coachman had some particularly clunky lines in this match, many of which were just flat out ignored by Cole and Graves. John Cena came in fourth to a very loud, very negative response from the crowd and immediately squared off with Rollins. After hitting Miz and Rollins with two side suplexes, he connected with a goofy Double Five Knuckle Shuffle. Balor took him out soon after and followed it up with a slingblade on Miz. It was Rollins turn to shine next, the Architect hitting a series of elbows onto Balor and Miz in opposite corners. Cena attempted a Double AA on Balor and Rollins but they both managed to escape. Overall, a well-orchestrated sequence but one that didn't end with a big enough move to make the fans bite on the final near fall. A "Let's Go Cena/Cena Sucks" chant broke out, the chant that probably confounds Vince and Hunter to no end in 2018 as they try to elevate others but can't seem to get the fans to focus on anyone more than the mighty John Cena. Cool double super-plex spot took everyone out as Roman Reigns entered the fray (also to a harsh booing crowd response). A few moments later, The Miz had a breakout moment, hitting his Miz Kicks onto every one of the other combatants as the crowd exploded. Reigns bounced up, though, taking him out with a vicious lariat. Reigns would continue to get some big moments, taking out Balor and Miz with a pair of powerbombs and putting Cena to the mat for good measure as well. Just as Reigns prepared to take out Miz, Braun Strowman entered, the crowd popping big for the Monster Among Men. I really liked The Miz's selling of fear and Cena's plain ol' selling for the big man, Strowman coming off like the big deal he needs to be because of their efforts. Braun, having taken out of everyone else, went after Miz, who climbed the chamber wall - but still couldn't escape Strowman, who climbed the wall too! Strowman then bashed Miz against the Chamber wall before tossing him into the other 6 men! Great sequence courtesy of Miz and Braun, who may have some of the best chemistry of any two guys that were in the ring together in this bout. After eliminating Miz, Braun was then beaten down by the other 4 men (as Elias refused to leave his cell), eventually putting him down on the mat with a Shield Bomb - only for Braun to kick out! Cena then hit a not-so-great Attitude Adjustment but only got a 1! Reigns followed it up with a Spear - but again Strowman kicked out! Rollins landed a Curb Stomp, but Lesnar rolled out of the ring. Balor then hit his Double Stomp on the chamber floor! With everyone down, Elias finally snuck his way into the match, but in classic WWE fashion, he mistakenly attempted to pin each guy instead of actually performing any offense on anyone, guaranteeing that they would each kick out. Elias got some time to shine, but his inexperience was also somewhat glaring, the match definitely slowing down a notch for him. Elias attempted to lift Braun on his shoulders, but ate a powerslam instead, the Drifter then milking his elimination so much that the crowd broke into a "Hey, Hey, Hey, Goodbye" sing-a-long. In a shocking moment, Braun then eliminated John Cena soon after, catching him coming off the top and planting him to the mat with his third powerslam of the evening. Finn Balor was the next to try to take Strowman out and his offense in the sequence was terrifically crisp and hard-hitting, Balor putting all the force he could into every kick. Balor then went on a roll, nearly eliminating Reigns with a Coup De Grace before getting caught by Strowman and eliminated with, you guessed it, a fourth powerslam. Rollins and Reigns teamed together to try to take Strowman out, but Rollins then (wisely) turned on his former partner to try to sneak a quick victory over his best friend (a great callback to Reigns eliminating Rollins at the Rumble last month). Fantastic sequence between the former Shield members before Strowman got back to his feet. Rollins then climbed onto the wall and, again, Strowman climbed after him. Reigns took the opportunity to hit Strowman with a Samoan Drop onto the Chamber Match while Rollins collected his thoughts on top of the pod. After staring at at the Mania sign, Rollins hit a huge frog splash on Strowman off the pod...for 2! Soon after, Rollins' own momentum cost him his chance to main event WrestleMania as he attempted a running kick only to get caught by Strowman and crushed into the mat with a powerslam. Yup. 5 eliminations for Strowman. A "Get These Hands" chant then started up as Strowman stared down Reigns as he stepped up to him in the center of the ring. They fought onto the chamber floor and in the best (and most violent) spot of the mat, Strowman accidentally ran himself through a pod wall before getting felled with a series of Superman Punches. At this point, a noticeable portion of the crowd booed Reigns heavily, popping for the moments when it looked like Strowman might eke out a victory. After a number of spears, Reigns finally got the win and the boos were drowned out by cheers, but the reactions at Mania (and in the build-up to Reigns/Lesnar II) will certainly be interesting. During the post-match, Braun absolutely destroyed Reigns, which keeps the heat on Strowman but also kind of downsizes Reigns' victory. Not bad booking, just maybe not super necessary considering that most everyone agrees that WrestleMania is going to be all about the coronation of Reigns. (4/5)


With a Kwang Score of 2.8-out-of-5, the 2018 edition of Elimination Chamber, despite all the hardware that went into putting on this show, came off like a minor event, a necessary step towards building the expected WrestleMania card but probably just as "missable" an event as your average episode of RAW. That isn't to say it was a total dud - in fact, most of the matches were better than average and the Rousey/McMahon segment, which started out shaky, turned out to be entertaining and got a huge response. I may be in the minority, but I enjoyed the main event too - especially Braun Strowman's dominance - and thought there were several excellent sequences that allowed everyone to shine or at least show some important character elements (including even Cena, who disappeared at Survivor Series but has been pretty consistently great even in minor roles at the Rumble and here). Elias may not have had the breakout success that some fans are clamoring for, but I don't mind newcomers having to prove their mettle beyond just 5-6 months of overness to get a huge rub in a match like this (considering his experience level, just being in a match like this is a step up for him).

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand