source: WWE
In Raw's last pay per view before Wrestlemania, we got to witness two incredible Elimination Chamber matches as well as Ronda Rousey's not-so-peaceful contract signing.
source: WWE
Women’s Elimination Chamber Match
Women’s Championship Match
Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley vs. Sasha Banks vs. Mickie James vs. Sonya Deville vs. Mandy Rose
Winner: Alexa Bliss
Sonya Deville and Bayley start out the match, and Deville slingshots Bayley face-first into the chamber wall, but Bayley capitalizes by climbing the side. Bayley climbs tot the top rope and dives onto Sonya with an elbow onto the floor of the chamber.
Mandy Rose enters first, and it’s not long until the partners can double team Bayley, but neither of them get the pin. They continue to attack her until the next woman comes in, and Sasha is freed from her pod. Banks unloads on both members of Absolution, utilizing the roughness of the steel chamber walls and floor on her opponents. She lets Bayley recover a bit as she attacks the other team. Back up, Bayley works with Sasha to send Sonya into the cage wall several times.
Banks traps Rose in the Bank Statement and Bayley attacks Deville, allowing Rose to tap. Shortly after Mandy is eliminated, Mickie James enters, delivering kicks and clotheslines to all three remaining women in this match. James climbs up to the top of one of the pods and jumps on Sonya Deville, getting the three count.
Distracted with a mini celebration by Alexa, the only woman left in the pods, Mickie becomes vulnerable to a backstabber by Sasha and a Bayley to Belly by Bayley, and Bayley pins Mickie and eliminates her.
As soon as Alexa’s pod opens, she tries to keep the door shut to avoid a double team from Sasha and Bayley. She escapes and climbs the pod and the side of the chamber, when she’s cornered on both sides by the best friends. She’s eventually cornered by the two on top of a pod, and when Sasha goes to help Bayley up to the pod when she kicks her best friend down.
As soon as bailey gets the chance, she attacks Sasha in the corner. Alexa interrupts, superplexing Bayley off the top rope. Banks delivers a frog splash to Bayley. But Bayley kicks of the pin.
Banks goes to the top rope again, but Bayley jumps up to give her a Bayley to Belly. Alexa steals the pin, rolling up Bayley and eliminating her. Sasha counters a Twisted Bliss with her knees to Alexa’s chest.
Sasha attempts to kick Alexa, but gets her leg caught in the chamber wall, allowing Alexa to capitalize. Bliss delivers a Twisted Bliss from the top of the pod, but Sasha locks in a Bank Statement. She goes to the top rope but is knocked off, and Alexa givers her a “vintage Orton” style DDT from the corner. Alexa gets the pin and retains her title.
While the outcome was completely predictable, the execution of this match was fantastic. All six women were dominant, and no one looked weak in any sense of the word. I’m looking forward to seeing Sasha vs. Bayley at Wrestlemania, and the way Sasha turned on her best friend yet again was amazing.
source: WWE
Raw Tag Team Championship Match
Titus Worldwide vs. The Bar
Winners: The Bar
Before Titus and Apollo can enter the ring, they’re attacked by Sheamus and Cesaro. It’s not long until Titus Worldwide can get an advantage, and they’re all brought back into the ring for the match to officially start.
Once the match begins, the Bar takes over. They double team and tag one another in frequently to keep the advantage. Sheamus keeps Apollo in a hold in the center of the ring. Very briefly, he breaks free, but Cesaro gets him in a hold again. After several minutes of the Bar displays excellent teamwork, Apollo gets an opening and finally tags Titus in.
Titus and Cesaro go back and forth until Sheamus is tagged in. He goes to the top rope, but Titus catches him in the Clash of the Titus, but Cesaro breaks up the pin. Titus sends himself over the top rope and onto the Bar.
Apollo flips onto Sheamus from the mat, but when Sheamus tags in Cesaro, Apollo doesn’t notice, and Cesaro takes out his leg as he tries to lift Sheamus. Cesaro and Sheamus double team and get the victory, retaining their championships.
This match was easily the “popcorn” match of the night, and it kind of surprised me that they didn’t switch it up and put the titles on Titus Worldwide after they’ve gotten the victory over the Bar several times in recent weeks. I feel like it makes the match sort of pointless, and I’m not really sure what’s next for either team.
source: WWE
Asuka vs. Nia Jax
If Nia wins, she enters Asuka’s match at Wrestlemania
Winner: Asuka
Early on, Nia gains control over Asuka and makes Asuka look weak. She slams her face to the ground, and Asuka clutches her nose. Asuka tries as hard as she can several times, but each time, she fails to lock in any holds. Asuka hits Nia with several strikes, but Nia counters with a Samoan Drop.
Asuka kicks Nia in the face a few times, but Nia still kicks out. It seems like they’re on an even playing field now. Asuka tries to pull Jax off the top rope, but falls. She narrowly moves out of the way as Nia drops onto the canvas. Asuka finally traps Nia in an armbar, but Nia picks Asuka up with her arm and slams her into the turnbuckle.
Nia screams at Asuka, telling her she’s going to Wrestlemania. When Jax lifts Asuka, she reverses her in a Rana-like meneuver and gets Jax in a roll-up pin for a victory. After the match, Nia attacks Asuka from behind and sends her out of the ring. Nia blasts Asuka through the barricade.
In a post-match interview, Alexa says that she’s happy that her friend attacked the Empress of Tomorrow. She claims that no one—not even Asuka—is ready for Alexa Bliss.
The outcome of this match wasn’t surprising to me, but what surprised me is the assumption that Asuka will take on Alexa at Wrestlemania. I was kind of hoping that Asuka would choose Charlotte to face at Wrestlemania, because even though Alexa is fantastic and desertves to be champion, I can actually picture Charlotte beating Asuka at Mania.
If Asuka takes on Charlotte at Wrestlemania, then Alexa can face Nia, and there’s already a friendship and storyline there. I wonder—where do they go from here with Nia Jax? And who will challenge Charlotte at Wrestlemania?
source: WWE
Matt Hardy vs. Bray Wyatt
Winner: Matt Hardy
After Matt Hardy enters, Bray’s music hits and it goes dark. He’s in the ring with Matt’s coat when the lights come back up, and Matt sings, “you’ll fade away and classify yourself as obsolete” over and over.
Matt jumps on Bray out of nowhere, capitalizing on this distraction. He takes advantage for the first minutes of the match. After delivering a Twist of Fate to Bray, Bray is able to take control by beating Matt in the corner.
Wyatt drives Hardy face first into the apron. As he charges toward hardy at the turnbuckle, he’s met with a boot to the face as Matt fights back in to the match. They go back and forth until Hardy hits Bray with a Side Effect.
Encouraged by delete chants, Hardy attempts another Twist of Fate, but is met with a urinagi and a running senton. As Wyatt goes for a Sister Abigail, Hardy fights out and delivers a Twist of Fate to his opponent, and he gets the three count.
I changed my mind: this was the popcorn match. While this rivalry was never super hot and was always on the verge of no one caring, I really hoped for more from this pay per view match. It seemed like a pre-show match to me. If you aren’t going to do anything cool on the main card (like bringing back Jeff Hardy or introducing us to more of the “woken universe”), why put it on the main card?
They could have brought us to the Hardy compound or introduced us to Brother Nero, Vanguard 1, or any other characters from Hardy’s broken universe, but they didn’t. This feud—much like Hardy’s woken gimmick in WWE—seemed like half the possible effort was put into it.
source: WWE
Ronda Rousey’s contract signing
Kurt Angle, Triple H, and Stephanie McMahon come out to the ring. Stephanie and Hunter list Ronda’s accomplishments before introducing her to the Las Vegas crowd. Ronda enters, and she says she’s speechless. She says she owes it to her hero, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.
Triple H tells Ronda and the audience that she didn’t ask for any special treatment other than an invitation to Wrestlemania. They say that she can have not only an invitation, but a match, and they start signing the contract.
Kurt Angle tells Rousey how excited Stephanie and Triple H are for this, and recalls that Rousey almost broke Stephanie’s arm three years ago. He quotes Triple H in saying “it took us three years, but we finally own the b-“ before he’s cut off.
This rubs Ronda the wrong way, and Angle is escorted out by Triple H. As Stephanie tries to convince Ronda that that’s not true, Kurt interrupts again—“Stephanie, didn’t you say Ronda’s a has been and even you can take her?”
Angry, Ronda gets in both Stephanie and Triple H’s faces. She belly-to belly’s Triple H into the table, and Steph slaps her before getting out of the ring and realizing her mistake. Ronda stares at Stephanie and signs the contract, throwing it on top of Triple H.
source: WWE
Men’s Elimination Chamber Match
Universal Championship #1 Contender Match
Winner: Roman Reigns
Elias starts in the ring with a guitar, and he roasts the Vegas crowd. One by one, he sings that he can beat every man, even the monster among men—until Braun’s music hits, and he retreats into his pod.
Seth Rollins, Finn Balor and the Miz start off the match, and Miz proposes a temporary alliance to both Rollins and Balor to take out the other man. They both decline, and work together to attack the Miz before Rollins turns on Balor for an unsuccessful rollup.
John Cena enters the fray with confidence, staring down Seth Rollins. He gives a double Five Knuckle Shuffle to Miz and Seth, and Balor capitalizes and floors Cena. Miz gives Rollins a neckbreaker, but only gets a two count.
Cena and Rollins deliver separate superplexis to Balor and Miz respectively in opposite corners, but no man is well enough to get a pin before Roman Reigns comes in from his pod. After knocking down everyone else, Reigns comes face to face with Rollins, and they stare each other down until Miz attacks them both with a kick and a DDT.
In the center of the ring, the Miz delivers his “it” kicks (AKA Daniel Bryan’s “yes” kicks) to each man over and over. Roman takes advantage with a power bomb to Miz and is the only one standing when Braun Strowman enters.
Cena and Rollins work together to try to take out Strowman, but he reverses it and tears apart all of the men except the Miz, who retreats up the pod, but Braun follows him. Braun rams Miz into the plexiglass and throws him onto Balor, Reigns, Rollins, and Cena.
Braun eliminates Miz just before Elias is allowed to enter, but when his door opens, he closes it again. The four remaining men attack Strowman, using the Shield power bomb. All four pin Strowman, but they’re all thrown off. Cena AA’s Braun, Roman spears him, Rollins curb stomps him, and Balor Coup de Grace’s him.
With Braun outside the ring, the four guys attack one another. Elias enters the ring while everyone’s on the floor and tries to pin everyone unsuccessfully. He attacks each of them more until Braun comes back in. Elias tries to get Strowman on his shoulders, but he fails and Strowman eliminates him.
Strowman power slams and eliminates Cena, upping his casualty count to three. Reigns steps up to Strowman and is beat down almost immediately. Balor steps up and can actually get offense in with dropkicks and a Coup De Grace to the back of his neck, but Braun kicks out.
With the Monster among Men sidelined, Rollins, Balor, and Reigns beat up one another. After Finn gives a Coup de Grace to Roman Reigns, Strowman picks him up and power slams him, getting another three count.
Two thirds of the Shield attack Strowman, sending him into the cage. Rollins turns on Reigns, taking him down with kicks and clotheslines. He tries the curb stomp, but Roman tries to counter with a spear. Rollins buckle bombs Roman, but Roman bounces back with a Superman Punch.
Rollins looks at the Wrestlemania sign before giving Strowman a frog splash off the top of the pod. He doesnt successfully pin him, though. He super kicks him twice, and when he goes for a curb stomp, he’s picked up by Strowman and power slammed, and Strowman has eliminated his fifth man.
After back and forth between Reigns and Strowman, Roman dodges Braun and sends him through a plexiglass pod. Roman hits Braun with two Superman Punches and goes for a spear, but is countered. He gives him one more Superman Punch and two spears before actually finishing Strowman off.
After Reigns celebrates, he’s sidelined by not one, but two running power slams. He sends Reigns through the plexiglass pod and retreats backstage.
I don't know why im surprised that Reigns won. It probably should have been anyone else (almost everyone could’ve had an equally good match at Wrestlemania), but this isn’t the end of the world—there’s actually a story behind this one.
Three years ago, Roman faced Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania, but the match was interrupted by Seth Rollins’ money in the bank cash-in. Reigns and Lesnar have unfinished business, so it’ll be somewhat satisfying to see the end of it. I’ve noticed that Roman has looked weaker than usual lately, and it was probably to build up for this match.
As great as this match was, it also leaves six guys without a path to Wrestlemania. Will all six make the card? I’m thinking (and hoping) that Miz and Finn will face off, but with the way they’re building Elias and with the star power of Rollins, Cena, and Strowman, it’s hard to think that they’ll miss the biggest show of the year. I guess we’ll find out soon.
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