Recap and Review of WWE Elimination Chamber 2022
Today, was the last major stop on the Road to WrestleMania. The Elimination Chamber has always been a perfect way to setup WrestleMania, but things have seemed up in the air with the direction that WWE is going heading into the biggest show of the year. Elimination Chamber provides a clear picture of what to expect at WrestleMania, so here is what went down at the Premium Live Event.
-Kickoff Show: Rey Mysterio defeated The Miz
-Roman Reigns defeated Goldberg to retain the WWE Universal Championship
-Bianca Belair wins the Women’s Elimination Chamber Match
-Ronda Rousey and Naomi defeated Sonya Deville and Charlotte Flair
-Drew McIntyre defeated Madcap Moss
-Becky Lynch defeated Lita to retain the Raw Women’s Championship
-Brock Lesnar wins the WWE Championship in the Men’s Elimination Chamber Match
The opening match was for the Universal Championship between Roman Reigns and the WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg. I was not expecting a classic masterpiece and it wasn’t. It was short and sweet which has become the norm for Goldberg matches. Reigns has one of the longest championship reigns in WWE history only behind Pedro Morales Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund, and Hulk Hogan. The big question is can Reigns continue his through WrestleMania?
Next up was the Women’s Elimination Chamber match to determine who would face the Raw Women’s Champion at WrestleMania. We knew the last person in was Bianca Belair and she made full use of the advantage. She fought off Liv Morgan, Rhea Ripley, and Alexa Bliss to win the match and earn a Raw Women’s Championship Match. All the women did a great job, but I especially enjoy anytime Belair and Ripley are in the ring against each other. At some point soon, I would love to see a feud between Belair and Ripley over the Raw Women’s Championship.
Ronda Rousey showed up last month at the Royal Rumble and earned her spot to face Charlotte Flair for the Smackdown Women’s Championship. Rousey has also had her share of problems with Sonya Deville, which set up nicely for Naomi to join Rousey. This was an interesting match because Rousey had one hand tied behind her back and Deville finally revealed her injury wasn’t serious at all. Rousey got the victory after submitting Deville, but at WrestleMania, it will be a different story in a one-on-one match against Flair.
It really is sad that Drew McIntyre went from being WWE Champion and having an incredible feud with Sheamus to having matches that have no meaning. With this close to WrestleMania, he should be in the hunt for a championship whether it be the Universal Championship or Intercontinental Championship. This match with Madcap Moss felt very off and it got worse when Moss landed on top of his head. Moss was lucky he wasn’t paralyzed but give credit to Corbin for thinking on his feet. With Moss out of the way, what’s next for McIntyre heading into WrestleMania? Let’s hope it’s something big.
It’s not often that fans get excited about legends and Hall of Famers returning to the ring, but when they put in the work and can still go, then there is an appreciation from the fans. You can tell that Lita put in the work and she looked great against the best female star in the company right now in Becky Lynch. Big Time Becks deserves a lot of credit for elevating her opponents. She’s done it with Doudrop, Liv Morgan, now with Lita. With Lynch retaining the Raw Women’s Championship, the stage is now set for her taking on Bianca Belair at WrestleMania This will be a big moment for both women due to how their paths crossed at Summerslam last year.
The Main Event was for the WWE Championship inside the Elimination Chamber. Bobby Lashley walked in as champion against Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles, Seth Rollins, Riddle, and Austin Theory. Early on, Seth Rollins did the buckle bomb to Austin Theory, but it threw one of the chamber pods that was holding Lashley. The WWE Champion was removed from the match and put into concussion protocol. As soon as Lesnar came in eliminated Rollins, Riddle, Styles and Theory. With this win, it will now be Roman Reign versus Brock Lesnar in a champion versus champion match at WrestleMania where both championships on the line. I’ll be curious to see what happens to the other five competitors because all of them either have a great story or worthy of being WWE Champion.
Elimination Chamber gets a 5.5 out of 10. It lacked any surprises, epic moments or anything that really changed the landscape of WrestleMania. They had a chance to correct some mistakes from the Royal Rumble and they didn’t. By having Lesnar versus Reigns for both championships, it means you don’t have confidence in anyone else on the roster. They have Rollins, Styles, McIntyre, Lashley, Kevin Owens, and many others who are deserving of a championship match and Main Event spot at WrestleMania. They have six weeks to figure it out, and for the fan’s sake let’s hope they do.
