Looking Back At The Elimination Chamber 2017 Women's Matches

The women's matches at this past Sunday's Smackdown PPV all ended in ways I did not expect. I am going to say what I do not like about these booking decisions.

First, Natalya vs. Nikki Bella ended in a double countout. This was the longest of the feuds going on for the Smackdown women and it just needed to end. All they have been doing for a lot of these past weeks is talking and brawling. They're brawling in the ring, outside the ring, outside the building, backstage, and I don't know where else. And there is really nowhere else for the promos to go. This isn't a great feud. It is being booked this way because of the poor depth.

Nikki Bella should have just won and moved on. Even if she had won, these two women might have still interacted after Elimination Chamber, but the feud with have reached its climax and they could really start moving on to something new. As it stands, this feud doesn't feel like it is over yet.

Becky Lynch defeated Mickie James. Mickie James should have won that match. She just looks terrible. She has only been back a few weeks, so it won't be hard to look back at what she has done in terms of momentum. She came back by screwing Becky Lynch. The week after that, she had that promo segment, which ended with Mickie and Alexa Bliss once again laying out Becky. Since then, it has been all downhill. She lost at the Royal Rumble. She lost on the Smackdown after that. The Smackdown after that was the contract segment, which ended with the faces standing tall. She had absolutely no momentum heading into Elimination Chamber. And she lost. That is terrible booking.

And this booking does not help Becky Lynch as much as it could. Go back to when Mickie James returned to TNA in 2010. I don't think TNA handled her right, but what they did with her was done better than what the WWE just did with Becky Lynch. Mickie James had a feud with Tara, the sidekick of Madison Rayne, the TNA KO Champion at the time. The feud lasted months and Tara, the heel, actually got a PPV win over Mickie. It culminated with Mickie James defeating Tara in a steel cage match on Impact, which was one of the best moments of her TNA run. I have compared how the WWE is using Becky Lynch now to how TNA used Mickie James back then before. TNA actually made it look like Mickie James had to overcome something back then. They actually developed the feud. This feud with Becky Lynch and Mickie James is the same kind of thing. Becky Lynch is feuding with the sidekick of the heel Champion that is in her way. But with Mickie James not looking like she had any real momentum at all, Becky Lynch does not look as amazing as she could have with a win over her.

They are just doing a terrible job with Mickie James. I said that the WWE should not bring her back. Okay, they brought her back. I said that the WWE should not make her a heel and have her be La Luchadora. Okay, they made her a heel and had her be La Luchadora. I said the WWE should not have her be this bitter, arrogant character. Okay, they had her be this bitter, arrogant character. And I said that the WWE should have Mickie James win at Elimination Chamber. And they didn't do that. They have just dug a deep hole. Going back to my first point, I did not want them to bring her back because I knew this sour, inefficient environment would not be good for her. And the WWE is proving me right.

The booking in the last few weeks has not helped anyone as much as it could have. Mickie James does not look good. The feud does not look as great as it could have been. And Becky Lynch has not been put over as best as she could have been. Yes, the feud can still go on, but it would just look pointless at this point. Becky Lynch already has her revenge and that's that. I heard some rumors say that the reason Becky Lynch vs. Mickie James might be a short feud is that Nikki Bella and whatever she is involved with is getting a Wrestlemania spot. And yet, Nikki Bella's feud with Natalya was the one that did not get closure at Elimination Chamber. I doubt it will be Nikki vs. Natalya at Wrestlemania. With the WWE running at least 3 women's angles on Smackdown, the Nikki excuse does not have merit. The WWE could have booked Becky/Mickie to end at the first Smackdown PPV after Wrestlemania, while Nikki Bella still has her storyline.

And Naomi defeated Alexa Bliss to win Smackdown's Women's Championship. Once again, I would say this is a feud that didn't help either woman as best as it could have.

Let me start with Alexa Bliss. Everything I just said about Mickie James lacking momentum in the last few weeks applies to her partner in crime, and it might even be worse for Alexa. Alexa was the one being pinned in all those tag matches. She just had no momentum heading into the match. Alexa Bliss is obviously not a great wrestler, but the WWE could have put a lot more work in her to make her look like a great heel. They had just paired her with Mickie James less than a month ago, now the duo looks absolutely pathetic. How is that building a strong heel duo, which can then really put over some faces down the road?

As for Naomi winning the title, I felt that Naomi should one day get a good push. Now is just not when I would have done it. She just came back from her second injury in a year that required her to miss time. The WWE should wait and see if she can stay healthy for a few months. Moreover, the build to that title win should be better. Instead, she comes back on Smackdown, pins Alexa Bliss at the Royal Rumble, pins Alexa Bliss on Smackdown, wins a brawl a week after that, and then wins the title. I've talked about women losing momentum before, but it seems the WWE just rushed Naomi to look credible. She never looked weak. It was just a 3-week steamroll. Yes, there are a lot of Naomi fans out there that are happy, but you always have to think about that wider audience. The WWE didn't really have any time to gauge how her push was really going. They just gave her the title. I don't care if she is from Florida and Wrestlemania is in Florida this year, this whole situation could have been handled better.

All of the Smackdown Women's Champions so far have been mediocre. I am not talking about talent. I am talking about how they have been built and the quality of their title reigns. Becky Lynch had no proper build whatsoever prior to winning the title. Her reign lasted a few months, featuring her missing out on a title defense due to a medical issue. Many did not think she would lose the title to Alexa Bliss. That happened. Alexa Bliss had just been on the main roster a few months and never really had any other storyline prior to that feud with Becky Lynch. And she's also not a great wrestler. Just when it looked like her title run might lead to her being featured as a great heel character, Naomi returns from her injury. And I just talked about the rushed job she got. The WWE needs to start developing these women better prior to their title wins and let them have title reigns that are better than this. They are not developing any of these women properly. It is as terrible as the cruiserweight division.

Smackdown's entire women's division just looks weak. No one really stands out that much. A lot of people like to talk about Nikki Bella having backstage influence, but she has not won the title yet on Smackdown and can't even get a decisive win against Natalya at Elimination Chamber. Natalya is getting a storyline, but she never goes far and has not held a title in about 7 years. Becky Lynch, the inaugural Smackdown Women's Champion, had no proper hype prior to winning it and the title reign was not that amazing. Mickie James, a legitimate A+ player a decade ago, in terms of how well she was able to connect with the fans from just being pushed as a credible jobber, is as big a loser in the last few weeks as my Brooklyn Nets. Alexa Bliss looked like she could be a great heel character, but she immediately dropped the title last Sunday. Naomi just got a rushed push, and there is nothing to suggest that this will be a long-term thing for her. Meanwhile, when you look at Raw, Charlotte is a long-term thing. Even Sasha Banks has managed to look somewhat more relevant than the Smackdown women. Even when she loses, there is a story there about her being a fighter. There is her potential heel turn. When these Smackdown women lose, for the most part, it is just a loss. There might be all these storyline floating around, but the actual women don't look strong over time. It is just a juggling act of momentum. Oh, and Carmella has Ellsworth. That is all that needs to be said.

Previewing The 2017 Elimination Chamber Men's Matches

First match to talk about will be Dolph Ziggler vs. both Apollo Crews and Kalisto. This might be another instance of the WWE trying to get too fancy with a feud. This match could easily have been just Ziggler vs. Crews. It might not be too interesting, but this PPV is featuring an Elimination Chamber match. That is the big selling point right there.

Or is the WWE planning something more with this match? The odds are against the heel. They could pull a swerve and have Apollo Crews turn heel and help Ziggler win. Ziggler is no stranger to having some muscle at his side. You can also say this heel turn for him has been a bit forced or that he might be trying too hard. Maybe the WWE will give him a sidekick to help him. As for Crews, he hasn't really done anything important in the longest while. A heel turn might at least give him a chance to show a different personality, which might help him.

Who wins this? There are a lot of possibilities and a lot of things to consider. I just brought up the heel turn option. Ziggler is the one being pushed, so he should win. At the same time, two faces would look bad if they lost this match without major shenanigans, although Apollo Crews and Kalisto aren't exactly too important. I will say Ziggler wins.

Randy Orton faces Luke Harper. Forgetting the Royal Rumble win for Orton, this match was just the logical step in the storyline Orton has with Bray Wyatt. Randy Orton drives away Bray's top disciple, then the path is cleared for Orton to turn on Bray. Randy Orton seriously did not need that Royal Rumble win.

Who wins this? I don't see Luke Harper in line to get a huge push moving forward. If he was, I might say he wins this. Since that is not the case, Orton wins.

American Alpha defend the tag titles against The Usos, The Ascension, The Vaudevillains, Breezango, and Heath Slater & Rhyno. Did I miss anyone? The tag division is probably something else I should try to take time out to talk about in this hectic Wrestlemania season. A lot has been going on in the last few weeks, including title changes. Is the WWE making good booking decisions? Are they developing teams properly? Well, there are a bunch of jobbers in this match. The WWE might have done better by just building a feud between American Alpha and The Usos.

I think this match might just come down to those two teams. One of them will win. The title reign of American Alpha is still young, so they should retain here. However, the WWE has had some questionable title changes in the last few months. It's not just with the Cruiserweight Championship. It would be nice to let more of these title reigns develop more. No need for reigns of doom, but a few months and successful title defenses would be nice. I will say American Alpha retain.

And the main event will be John Cena defending the WWE Championship inside the Elimination Chamber against Bray Wyatt, AJ Styles, Miz, Dean Ambrose, and Baron Corbin. There is a lot I would have liked to have said about this match, including running down each of these guys, but I've already talked about a lot today and I'll just save time by talking about three guys. Keep in mind, the winner of this match likely faces the Royal Rumble winner, Randy Orton, unless some huge swerve happens.

If you're going by what Dave Meltzer's sources are telling him, Bray Wyatt is winning the title and facing Randy Orton. I can just end it right here and go make a sandwich. Whether the WWE does it or not, this is a terrible booking decision. It is amazing how the WWE could take what was my favorite storyline going on at one time and ruin it by just trying to do too much. I thought the way they had Randy Orton just join The Wyatts was bad enough, but this was just not a feud that needed to involve Randy Orton winning the Royal Rumble and Bray Wyatt winning the WWE Championship. I am not against Bray Wyatt finally winning a top title, but now is not the time for it.

Look at the incumbent. Look at the guy holding the title heading into the PPV. That would be John Cena. He just won the title a few short weeks ago. I wouldn't be too shocked if he lost it so soon. Moreover, Cena retaining would mean Randy Orton vs. John Cena. They just faced each other in a singles match this week. These two have never faced each other in a singles match at Wrestlemania, but I think a lot of fans can live with not seeing it. Going in this direction would also put the Orton/Wyatt angle in an interesting position. What happens there?

The last name I will bring up is AJ Styles. He held the title prior to Cena. A feud and match between Randy Orton and AJ Styles would be fresh and something I have seen some fans interested in. The main problem here is that it would ruin the Orton/Wyatt feud. I can have an easier time imagining Orton vs. Cena with Bray Wyatt hovering in the background than Orton vs. Styles with Bray Wyatt hovering in the background.

Who wins this? Because of all the crappy possibilities, I am not even going to take this seriously. I'll say Jinder Mahal beats up Baron Corbin before the match, takes his spot, and wins the title. Randy Orton just should not have won the Royal Rumble. I am a fan of Randy Orton. I don't own a lot of wrestling merchandise, but Randy Orton is one of the guys I have bought merchandise of. But it is just hard to get excited for this push for him when so many epic feuds could have been built with someone else winning the Royal Rumble. I would rather see John Cena vs. The Undertaker at Wrestlemania for the title. The feud between Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton just didn't need all this.

Previewing The 2017 Elimination Chamber Women's Matches

Smackdown has a PPV this Sunday, Elimination Chamber. I believe this is the first time a brand PPV will feature 3 women's matches. The Royal Rumble a few weeks ago had 3 (between the kickoff and the main show), but the Royal Rumble isn't a brand-specific PPV. Many might say that this is huge for the women, but look at it a little more realistically. This is just practical booking. The Elimination Chamber match will feature six guys. Even though that match will kill a lot of time, there are still a lot of spots on the card to fill. Also keep in mind that match isn't the only multi-man match on the card. The situation just calls for multiple women's matches.

Nikki Bella and Natalya have been feuding for a few months now. They tried to make it more interesting by treating it like Nikki was attacked by some mystery individual a few months ago at Survivor Series. The feud hasn't really gone anywhere that interesting since then. They are just talking and brawling. Very few matches. Blame it on the terrible depth. The promos are pretty sour. A lot of talking about John Cena. I wonder if the WWE ever considers this might hurt his image. I don't think it is doing anything too great for either woman involved. Thankfully, this feud will likely end at Elimination Chamber.

Nikki Bella should be beating Natalya. This is a feud for the face to just shut up the heel after all these months. A Natalya win would just be pointless, unless they continue this feud, which they shouldn't. I'll go with Nikki.

The feud between Mickie James and Becky Lynch has been going on for only a few weeks. I have said on multiple occasions that I dislike how the WWE has handled Mickie's character. I will give them credit for certain things, like giving her quality promo time. But in terms of her actual character, this is not the best way to handle Mickie James. She should be a face, or even an entertaining heel. This bitter, arrogant character is not best for her. I see some fans not even understanding what she's doing with her promos. Maybe I'll go into that another day. She is still showing her charisma, but this is just not a great situation.

What about Becky Lynch? These past few weeks, they have been treating her like all she's good for is chasing titles and seeking revenge against sidekicks screwing her out of titles. Does that sound familiar? It should. That is the same thing I criticized TNA for doing to Mickie James when she returned in 2010. I believe Becky Lynch has the potential to be even more over than she is. But she's not going to do it with the way the WWE has been featuring her. Let her personality shine more outside of these serious feuds.

Who wins this match? Becky Lynch has not won a singles match at a PPV since coming to the main roster. When it finally does happen, it would be nice for it to come in a more meaningful situation than this. As for Mickie James, she has not won at all since coming to Smackdown. All her losses have been in tag matches where she was not pinned, but it is still pretty bad for her to not win at all. Is she going to follow the path of The Dudleyz? I will say Mickie James wins here.

The title feud between Alexa Bliss and Naomi is the youngest feud of these three. Naomi came back from her injury and just immediately got this push. She has been pinning Alexa Bliss to gain momentum. I think that makes the outcome of this match obvious. Naomi has all the momentum, so it is just likely Alexa Bliss retains. Naomi should eventually get a title reign, if she can stay healthy, but I don't think it happens this Sunday.

Assorted Thoughts

The big news in wrestling outside the WWE might be ROH coming to Destination America on Wednesdays. TNA is going to have some company. I think this is a great thing. There are a lot of interesting things TNA and ROH can do together. This is also a step in ROH growing. I know a lot of wrestling fans hold ROH in high regard. A lot of great workers have wrestled there. But the company has never felt like competition to take that #2 spot, until now.

Ryback won the Intercontinental Championship. It's about time he won something. I think it is a good move. He is liked. Maybe the WWE can soon pick back up that feud against Bray Wyatt and one day let Wyatt hold a title.

Someone you did not see in an Elimination Chamber match last Sunday was Damien Sandow. He has been teaming with Curtis Axel. Did they have a chance of getting in the match for the tag titles? No, they're not worth it. Considering some of the teams that were in this match, that's saying something. They are a comedy team. The thing about Sandow, he was very over a little while ago. He had so much momentum, they could have given him a great singles push and even put him in the Elimination Chamber match for the Intercontinental Championship. And yet, he gets nothing.

This is something you see a lot. A worker the WWE wants to feature well is given a sidekick. No partnership seems to last forever. When the split happens, you usually see the sidekick get lost in the shuffle and the other continue in a good position. Sandow was paired with Miz. Sandow got very over. The WWE has not properly followed up. You need a proper midcard to help draw for you. Just running an efficient system is half of it. The other half is having workers that are over. There are a lot of guys that are over, or were over, that could help the midcard. The WWE cannot take things like that for granted. They cannot think that they got those guys over through how they pushed them and they can do the exact same thing for everyone. Once some fans get connected to a wrestler they like, they might not just sit there and watch their favorites always get demoted like this. There is plenty of space that you don't have to see Roman Reigns so much on a 3-hour show. Treat guys like Sandow, Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger, and Zack Ryder better.

Cena And Owens Will Do It Again

Kevin Owens defeated John Cena at Elimination Chamber. It was a good match and an outcome many fans loved seeing.

They will do it again at Money in the Bank. The way some fans reacted to Owens beating Cena, it was like they saw it as a changing of the guard. They talked about it like this was officially the end of Cena. What does it mean that you will have a rematch again so soon? Will they have Cena lose twice in a row to this guy? Will Cena get his win back? I am thinking the latter is more likely.

Was this loss really that shocking and devastating? I would say Cena's destruction at the hands of Brock Lesnar last year was much worse. That did not stop Cena. I do not think fans should read too much into this one match outcome last night. Is the WWE starting to groom new stars? Yes. They were doing that even before Owens beat Cena.

I felt this feud could be the start of a bigger storyline. They are extending the feud. That is a good sign. But I still feel this thing can be more elaborate. Get more people involved. Make this seem like a bigger deal. Going by fan reactions on the Internet and in the crowd, it seems like this is already a big deal to them. I still feel they can do more. Do something to draw in more than just the regular marks and smarks. I think is is the feud that has the potential to lead to that.

Previewing The Two Main Non-Chamber Elimination Chamber Matches

United States Champion John Cena faces NXT Champion Kevin Owens at Elimination Chamber. The winner will likely be Cena. Owens has the momentum. This seems like just a foe built up for Cena to knock down.

What I would hope is that this mach leads to something bigger. I am not talking about the official debut of Kevin Owens on the main roster. I mean a good elaborate storyline for the summer. An NXT invasion? Sounds familiar, doesn't it? And yet, I think a lot of fans might like something like that. The WWE better not be banking on Brock Lesnar being their big attraction this summer. They put the title on him last year. He held it for this year's Wrestlemania season. Numbers were bad. Lesnar is a beast, but even he cannot overcome the poor product. Do something else. And it could very well start with John Cena vs. Kevin Owens.

The WWE Championship will be on the line, as Seth Rollins defends against Dean Ambrose. The Authority will get involved. It is not hard to imagine that Roman Reigns will get involved. When the dust settles, I would say Seth Rollins is still holding the title.

I felt that Rollins and Ambrose could have a nice feud for the title that went beyond one PPV. They were involved in a title match just a few weeks ago, although a few extra challengers were also involved. Now, they face each other in a singles match. Having this match come so soon wasn't what I had in mind. Should this feud spill over to another PPV? I think so. Make it a ladder match for the title. Fans should be pleased with that.

Previewing The Elimination Chamber Match For The Tag Team Championships

For the first time ever, the tag titles will be defended inside the Elimination Chamber. The New Day defends against Cesaro & Kidd, Lucha Dragons, Los Matadores, Prime Time Players, and The Ascension.

The issue with the tag division, as I have brought up before, is that a lot of these guys feel like jobbers that are getting a sudden push. It is hard to buy into them. And before you even get a chance to buy into some of them as getting a legitimate push, the WWE hands the titles off to someone else. I wasn't buying into Cesaro & Kidd. They won the titles. They held it a little while before dropping it to another team I wasn't buying into. You now have a bunch of teams it is hard to buy into in this one match. Instead of listing the teams I do not think are worthy of being in this match, it will be simpler to talk about the ones that are. The guys currently holding the titles are obviously worthy. Cesaro & Kidd also belong for the simple fact that they have been pushed rather well recently. And that's it. All the other teams feel like extra bodies.

Yesterday, I talked about adding Neville in the other Elimination Chamber match. Any teams I would add in this match? I have one. What about Rowan & Harper? They just got back together a few weeks ago. This is a team I felt should have won the titles a year ago. They just put them back together, but I still feel they have that credibility. Which team would I take out to put Rowan and Harper in? Any of the four I do not think should be in the match. I have seen some fans predict Rowan and Harper will attack one of the other teams and take their spot. I don't know if that will happen, but this is the team I would have liked to have seen in the match. They are also the team I would have had win it.

Out of the teams that are in this match, who wins? It seems likely that The New Day holds onto the titles. If Darren Young and Titus O'Neil were pushed better, I wouldn't mind them winning. Is there any good reason for Cesaro & Kidd to regain the titles? The other teams are not worth talking about. Going by how the WWE has been handling the tag division recently, I would not be surprised if one of these jobber teams do take the titles.

Previewing The Elimination Chamber Match For The Intercontinental Championship

Just a quick recap first. Daniel Bryan won the Intercontinental Championship at Wrestlemania. Not too long after that, his health once again became an issue. He had to surrender the title a few weeks ago. There will now be an Elimination Chamber match for the title. It will feature Sheamus, Ryback, King Barrett, Rusev, Dolph Ziggler, and R-Truth.

It is a solid group of midcarders. I would just make one change. No R-Truth. I know he was involved in the Intercontinental Championship feud for Wrestlemania, but he just isn't featured as well on a consistent basis these days. He seems out of place. I would put Neville in there. He was involved with Barrett recently. He was featured better in recent weeks than R-Truth. Neville still has something to do, but putting him in the Elimination Chamber might have led to some great spots. I am not saying he had to win the title, but just having him in there would be enough.

Who wins? If you go by Internet rumors, Sheamus has it won. But where is the fun in just accepting that? Who should win? I usually like saying that the person that is the freshest and has great momentum should win it. R-Truth definitely should not win it. I feel like Sheamus has lost momentum in recent weeks. They might book him to win it, but I don't like that. Rusev does not need a title reign again so soon. Ziggler? He had some title success not too long ago. Ryback has not. Thing is, I don't feel momentum is on his side. Barrett? Yes, I would say he should win it. He won King of the Ring recently. A great push is not always connected to that these days, but a midcard title would be nice. If they want to keep his push fresh, a title reign would help. I would have him regain the title.

Nikki Bella Vs. Paige Vs. Naomi

Paige returned recently and you are getting the diva feud for Elimination Chamber that you probably expected. Nikki Bella will defend the Diva's Championship against Paige and Naomi. Paige wants revenge on Naomi for taking her out and wants her title shot she never got. Naomi has been in the title hunt recently. The feud basically writes itself, especially with so little time until Elimination Chamber.

Who should win this match? It would make sense for Naomi to win the title and the feud to shift to her and Paige. Build up to Paige regaining the title after being attacked last month, while also getting her revenge on Naomi. The Bellas seem to have another storyline developing for them. Stephanie McMahon, again? That is another issue for another day. Nikki does not need the title.

What is the WWE likely to do? Both Paige and Naomi are credible jobbers. Those performers usually get the shorter end of the stick. Even if they win the title, they are not featured as prominently on a consistent basis as the real stars. I can imagine Paige and Naomi getting the kind of mediocre feud that you saw at times last year. Nikki Bella will continue to hold the title into whatever larger storyline the WWE is working on. Will Nikki eventually break AJ Lee's record with the butterfly title? I wouldn't be surprised if she did. Regardless, I am expecting her to retain.

John Cena Vs. Kevin Owens At Elimination Chamber 2015

John Cena came out for his usual title defense on Raw. That never happened. The segment ended up being used to promote NXT and set up a new feud for Cena heading into Elimination Chamber. Kevin Owens, NXT Champion, interrupted Cena and laid him out.

Let me get a few things out of the way. I do not watch NXT. I do not care to watch NXT. I am not a fan of Kevin Owens. Aside from a few bits, I have not watched any of his work. I have never been a fan of Cena. All that out of the way, I like this feud. I think it has a good feel to it. It reminds me of when there were two (or more) World Champions in the WWE and they would sometimes face each other. You had the WWE Champion, World's Heavyweight Champion, and the ECW Champion, if you want to count that. John Cena is not the WWE Champion right now, but he is still the centerpiece until the WWE gets rolling with someone else. He has been the top guy for a decade. He is feuding against the top guy of NXT right now. John Cena is holding the United States Championship right now, but that title seems unimportant against the bigger story of NXT's top guy against the WWE's top guy.

A lot of people have been liking how they have used Cena in the last few weeks. He has been defending his title in good matches against NXT guys. This is better than just having him go through random midcarders. Of course, they can't keep it up too long. Aside from running out of good opponents, it might become stale. They'll need to mix things up more. They are showing signs of doing that. Again, I would say what matters here is that these new talent are working with the centerpiece, not necessarily the United States Championship. Nothing wrong with that.

Elimination Chamber Returns

Elimination Chamber will be returning in a few weeks. It will be exclusively on the WWE Network. I would consider this more of a special event than a real pay-per-view. This is the kind of thing they should have done since last year more often. They had title defenses here and there to hype the WWE Network, but nothing big ever really happened. You could make the argument that subscribers are getting two big events in one month for just $9.99. The WWE seems to be giving away too much for free. They are trying to draw in more subscribers.

Another item of note is that the Intercontinental Championship and the Tag Team Championship will be decided in Elimination Chamber matches. That has never happened before. This type of match has always been a main-event type of match. In general, I like doing it this way. It makes these titles feel even more important. The WWE had done a pretty good job with the Intercontinental Championship recently, despite Daniel Bryan's recent misfortune. The tag titles need the help more. A lot of these teams are made up of lower-midcarders or midcarders randomly put together. You can't treat someone or a team mediocrely, or possibly worse, for a while, then just start pushing them and think everyone will be excited for them. Yes, certain fans will get excited for Kidd and Cesaro getting a push, but that does not mean those guys have that great connection with the wider audience. And the feud and storyline development in the tag division has been poor. It is like the WWE just tosses a gimmick on some guys and gets lazy after that. Having special matches like this can help things.

Just one issue you might bring up. Think about Hell in a Cell. Such an iconic, legendary match type. So many great moments. Heated feuds would culminate there. What does the WWE do? They make a PPV devoted to it. Feuds that shouldn't necessarily be put inside the cell are put in there. You have a lot of matches in recent years that have been disappointing. The match type has lost its mystique. Will that happen to the Elimination Chamber? Will it lose value now that midcard matters are being decided there? Have to wait and see how the matches play out. Regardless of what happens to the image of this match type, the midcard and tag division stand to benefit. 

Elimination Chamber 2014 WWE Title Match Preview

Six men will enter the Chamber to decide who will be WWE Champion. The WWE has done a decent job of passing credibility around over the last few weeks. Not great, but decent. Nevertheless, I am still not too hyped for this match. I was really looking forward to Brock Lesnar getting in the title hunt in some way. Few things get me excited in pro wrestling anymore. Hyping up Lesnar going after the title was something I was starting to look forward to. You can complain about part-timers stealing the spotlight, but this is Wrestlemania season, so cut the WWE a little bit of slack. Besides, Brock Lesnar has the credibility. And it wasn't like he had to win the title or get a long reign. No point complaining about that any longer. Let's just run through the six guys in this match at Elimination Chamber.

In terms of title reigns, Cesaro has the least credibility of the six. But he has beaten Randy Orton. He is still not likely to win this match. How many times will he swing someone inside the Chamber? He can make for some good spots. After that, it is back to working with Jack Swagger, whether to team with him again or follow up with that angle about the team splitting up. Whatever the WWE has planned, Cesaro has the biggest push of his career right now.

In terms of just plain momentum, Christian is at the bottom of the list. Randy Orton did beat him. In terms of creative interest, Christian has turned heel for this match at Elimination Chamber. That might refresh his character a little. He is not going to win the title, but at least there is something to still talk about with him. How about beyond the PPV and into Wrestlemania? Can they develop a true feud between him and Sheamus?

Speaking of Sheamus, he just seems to be there. He is not at the top of the momentum ladder, but neither is he at the bottom. He has more title success than Cesaro, but not as much as guys like Cena and Orton. Creative interest? What creative interest? No interesting character development for him. They are not going to give him the title. What is he likely to do after the PPV? Seeing as he has nothing to really do, I say that feud with Christian would be best. Or another random match against The Shield, if they are still a team by then. There was talk that Sheamus would feud with Daniel Bryan. How could they have made that interesting?

I would say John Cena has the most momentum of the guys in this match. But will he win the title? John Cena vs. Batista at Wrestlemania. I believe they did that before. It is not unheard of to repeat matches at Wrestlemania, but I don't think this is a match fans want to see again. John Cena is not likely to win the title. If he is not in the title hunt or facing The Rock, what is John Cena left with for Wrestlemania? Ever since he became the centerpiece, that is all the guy has ever done at Wrestlemania. Will they follow through with that feud against The Wyatts? Or will they come up with better?

After the fans were so upset at what happened at the Royal Rumble, it became a legitimate possibility that Daniel Bryan might find his way into the title match for Wrestlemania. Problem is, that also happened to coincide with the CM Punk issue. Daniel Bryan now has two angles going for him heading into Elimination Chamber. Not only is he in the title match, he has issues with Kane, which was CM Punk's feud. If he is getting CM Punk's push, that means a match against Triple H is likely in his future. I wouldn't be surprised if he won the title, just to have Kane somehow screw him out of it. Or Triple H, himself. That would really propel this feud to another level. I really cannot imagine Daniel Bryan having a feud with Sheamus into Wrestlemania, even before what happened at the Royal Rumble. Such a waste of Daniel Bryan. Regardless of the outcome, a feud with Triple H is better.

That leaves Randy Orton. He is still likely to head into Wrestlemania as Champion. Looking at all the other guys, they either do not have the credibility or seem to have something else developing for them at Wrestlemania. Randy Orton vs. Batista. You go back to 2004 and you might think that a feud between these two in ten years would be epic. Right now, it really doesn't have that feel to it. And yet, that is your likely option.

Batista Vs. Alberto Del Rio At Elimination Chamber 2014

Let's start backwards. Who wins this match between Batista and Alberto Del Rio? The obvious answer would be Batista. Keep his momentum up for Wrestlemania. It isn't like Alberto Del Rio needs momentum for anything.

Now that the speculating part is out of the way, how about critiquing the development of this feud? When Batista destroyed Alberto Del Rio by putting him through a table, I didn't think they would bother having this match. Alberto Del Rio even appeared in a neck brace this week to sell the injury. Batista even shoved him and made him look like an even bigger wimp. With all the momentum on Batista's side, you might typically believe Del Rio would win. Unless the match ends in some kind of DQ, there is no reason to let Del Rio win. Batista can get disqualified for destroying Del Rio.

Is Batista acting like a bully for a heel turn or just to make him look interesting? A heel turn was already a possibility. Have him replace Randy Orton as The Authority's face of the company. But do you really need to start foreshadowing it so hard from now? Yes, developing things is great, but there is such a time as spending to much time developing. Moreover, a little surprise here and there with no development can be great.

The other possibility as to why they are having Batista look so tough at Alberto Del Rio's expense is to keep him looking interesting. His return hasn't exactly gone over very well with the fans, including his win at the Royal Rumble. After those issues, how do you keep him looking interesting? I think an interesting, well-developed feud between Alberto Del Rio and Batista would be the best option. Instead, you get a one-sided feud where the outcome will likely not benefit the guy looking weakest right now. And I don't think Batista's dominance will really help him get certain fans on his side. A lot of fans point out that Batista has just been used more and more mediocrely as the weeks have gone by. Just a quick backstage appearance on Raw this week. Business with him will really pick up after Elimination Chamber. Until then, they have struggled to keep him in great focus.

Yesterday, I raised the question of whether or not Wrestlemania XXX will get over a million buys. A wildcard in all that will obviously be the WWE Network. How successful will that endeavor be? I am not talking in relation to Wrestlemania. Will it get a lot of fans signing up? Or will it last as long as the XFL? One thing to note is that cable and satellite providers are not too supportive of the move. Fans can get PPVs along with the other programming and at a cheaper price through the WWE Network. Besides that, how many subscribers does the WWE really think they will get? Raw is back to averaging over 4 million viewers. Will all those viewers sign up? I think it is obvious that the WWE cannot be imagining that. Only real wrestling fans will be interested in those match archives and a lot of the other programming. Offering PPVs might help to draw in a few more fans. But it seems like the WWE is really relying on support from the type of fans that have been screaming for Daniel Bryan. I have seen some say that these fans are just a minority. No matter how loud they are, they are not representative of the whole WWE fanbase. Regardless of that, this is the group that will likely be subscribing to the WWE Network. The WWE dances around giving these fans what they really want, but these fans still end up spending money on the WWE. As CM Punk once said, these fans are just going to keep pouring money into the company. Do I think the WWE Network will be successful? I don't think there are enough diehard fans willing to spend the money every month on this to make it a huge success. It is somewhat funny how the WWE has sometimes appeared to be distancing itself from wrestling over the years recently, but now they are expecting wrestling content and fans to deliver for them.

Will I subscribe to it? No. I have not ordered a WWE PPV since 2010, so the PPVs do not entice me. As far as all the old matches, I care more about being entertained by the current product than watching old matches. If I needed to, I would just watch stuff on Youtube. If I cannot find what I am looking for anywhere for free, I'll live. And there is nothing else on the WWE Network that makes me want to get it. I am not representative of a lot of fans out there, but the WWE is not getting my money on this one.

A Good Night For The Real Americans

No one said the man they call Cesaro had to beat Randy Orton. Nevertheless, that is what happened on Smackdown last week. The challenger in the Chamber match with the least credibility has beaten the World Champion.

I am glad that the title is finally regularly getting main-event attention. I have said before that it would be nice if they started doing that since they unified the titles. The guy holding the title losing so much? That is another issue. Obviously, Randy Orton losing so much might mean he will retain the title, but I will talk about that more another day. You also have the fact that Orton losing so much can be used to develop the storyline of The Authority losing confidence in him as the kayfabe face. I have seen people bring that up. My problem with that is that I have already lost interest in that story after all these months of teasing it endlessly. It is obvious it is going to happen, so just do it. Have the corporate heels pick a new guy and kick Orton to the side.

Not only did Cesaro win, but Jack Swagger also won a match on Smackdown to earn a shot at the Intercontinental Championship. Things are looking good for Zeb's guys. Should Jack Swagger win the Intercontinental Championship? It isn't like Big E has done a lot with the title in a while. Of course, you should blame booking for that, not him. If Swagger did win the title, that could set up an interesting title feud between him and Cesaro for Wrestlemania, assuming the WWE pulls the trigger on the team splitting up. They can still feud if there is no title involved, but I think the feud will mean more if one of the two wins at Elimination Chamber. Swagger stands a better chance of winning his title match than Cesaro does.

Since I mentioned Wrestlemania, I came across a graph that illustrates the buyrates for the big event over the years. I am not going to analyze it all. Let me just say that the last three Wrestlemanias all had over a million buys. All three featured The Rock in some way. He obviously helped. If you want to do some speculating, let's ask the obvious question. Over or under? Will this year's Wrestlemania score over or under a million buys? You would hope that Wrestlemania XXX would draw well. The Rock is not here this year, but it can still be possible to do it without him. But who do you have to really help you? I do not believe Batista can deliver well right now. The Undertaker is always a big deal around now. That doesn't mean he will draw big for over a million buys. Brock Lesnar is still around. He might face The Undertaker. Even though this was a match many people would have loved to see at Wrestlemania, and still do, I do not feel it will have the hype to it that it could have earlier. Is Hulk Hogan going to do anything there? Regardless of who is performing at the big event, it really comes down to how well they are hyped and how much hype in general the WWE can create for the PPV. As of now, things feel dry and I do not feel they will get a million buys this year. I might talk about this again in a month, if I remember. By then, hopefully, they would have created major hype for their top feuds.

Mark Henry's Return Benefits The Shield

Mark Henry returned to Raw last night after missing a few weeks due to Brock Lesnar's attack. He came out to challenge for the United States Championship. I almost thought he would have won it. Dean Ambrose had held the title for so long without doing anything much with it. The fact that they are teasing tension in the group would have made a title change likely. They even put this match in one of the hot spots of the show. Mark Henry did not win the title. He then got taken out by Roman Reigns after the match. And so ends Mark Henry's return.

Should Mark Henry have won the title? Part of me doesn't want former World Champions holding midcard titles. Let midcarders hold them and do something with them. But I like Mark Henry. Moreover, they haven't exactly used him well in a while. Would a midcard title run have been so bad? It's not like Dean Ambrose really needs it. Mark Henry doesn't need it either, but I think the fans wouldn't have hated him getting a run and it is more likely he would do something with the title right now than Dean Ambrose, who is currently in a feud against The Wyatts and might be involved in a storyline about The Shield's breakup after that.

What do you do with Mark Henry now? They promoted his return. His return wasn't as epic as that time he faked retiring and entered a feud against John Cena. If you really wanted to sell that Randy Orton would have his hands full inside the Elimination Chamber, putting Mark Henry in there would have been a great option. No one says he has to win, but he might add some credibility to the match more than someone like Antonio Cesaro could. And you might notice Daniel Bryan currently has two things going for him. Not only is he going after the title, he has issues with Kane. Couldn't they just leave him with a feud against Kane and put Mark Henry inside the Chamber? If they tried that now, Mark Henry would become one of the most hated men in the WWE in an instant. Nevertheless, if it wasn't for recent events causing the WWE to rethink their plans, I think Mark Henry getting a spot would have been good. I don't suppose Brock Lesnar would come back just to feud with Mark Henry? The Shield have something to do. I cannot imagine them turning Mark Henry heel and having him go after Big E Langston's Intercontinental Championship. I have a feeling Mark Henry will get lost in the shuffle. Probably no real storylines or feuds for him.

Randy Orton Faces Everyone

Nothing too major changed on Raw. No CM Punk or John Cena. Daniel Bryan is there to fill the void. Aside from him, who else do they have as a top face? Batista? A few issues there, but let me just say that he has not even had a match on Raw or Smackdown yet. Daniel Bryan is carrying things well.

As for Randy Orton, the WWE World's Heavyweight Champion, he has to face all the challengers for his title in the coming weeks in singles matches. I like that idea. Randy Orton and the title get some major attention. That is something I have been complaining about for a while. The title has not been getting enough of the main focus. Of course, Randy Orton lost to Daniel Bryan on Raw. It was a good match. It also featured some interference from Kane, which I will talk about more later. The odds are just stacked against Orton. Usually in these situations, the person with his back to the wall overcomes. The WWE still has time to take this title feud in whatever direction they want. Doing a good job developing the other challengers would be nice. I am not saying Cesaro needs to beat Randy Orton, but make him look credible by doing something other than standing around while Jack Swagger wrestles.

Another story in all this is The Authority once again exhibiting that lack of faith in Randy Orton. Does someone in the WWE really think that dragging this on for so long is a good storyline? They planted the seeds of tension months ago, have gone back and forth, and it just needs to finally go somewhere. I find it annoying. They are having Randy Orton go out there and complain and play the heel. The Authority comes off as tweeners. If there is an eventual split, isn't it likely that Orton will go face? It would be nice if they developed Orton more as a face or tweener. I understand insincerity is part of The Authority's character, but I don't like how they are developing Randy Orton's character, especially if he is the one that turns face in this whole thing eventually.

Back to Kane. As I said, he came out to help Randy Orton. Kane was involved against CM Punk. With Punk out of the picture, that left Kane with nothing to do. Has the WWE found something for him to do? Developing a feud between him and Daniel Bryan? Having him always helping Randy Orton against his 5 challengers? Doing whatever The Authority tells him to do? It doesn't look like he has a strong purpose right now, but at least he gets to do something. In terms of people that were screwed out of things with what happened last week, Kane is definitely on that list. His feud with CM Punk most likely would have ended with CM Punk overcoming him, but it was still a feud for Kane. There is still time for the WWE to develop some kind of feud for Kane for Elimination Chamber.

The Messy Road To Elimination Chamber 2014

To say that things are "messy" might be a bit of an understatement. The WWE did some sloppy development last week, and things might get worse. You can understand that CM Punk walking away and Daniel Bryan's continued insane overness might lead to some changes, but was what the WWE has done so far good for Elimination Chamber and beyond?

Let's start with CM Punk walking out. At this point, it doesn't really matter whether or not this is a work or whether or not they can get him back quickly. What has gone down will definitely change his storyline. He was being developed to go against Kane. If CM Punk came back now, that feud with Kane would just seem so irrelevant against all the hype created around CM Punk walking out. So far, the WWE has not developed anything else for Kane. Another feud between him and Big Show coming up?

Of course, the CM Punk drama does not warrant the WWE's crazy decisions outside that feud with Kane and The Authority. Specifically, I am talking about the title matters. The issue of Daniel Bryan getting so over does provide a good reason for the WWE to rethink things. They hyped that Brock Lesnar was hovering around the title picture. They even mentioned it in promos. All of a sudden, not happening. What is happening? An Elimination Chamber match for the title.

Randy Orton will defend the title against John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Sheamus, Christian, and Antonio Cesaro. The former three won the right last week on Raw in a tag match, while the latter two won singles matches on Smackdown. That match on Raw ended in a DQ when The Wyatts attacked Cena. That is how Daniel Bryan, the hottest guy right now, earns himself a title match? That was poor. Christian's back. He is no replacement for CM Punk, but it is good that they have someone to involve in big matches. And Cesaro? It is good to give midcarders these pushes, but I was hoping they would continue the hype over unifying the titles by making some big matches the first few months after TLC. Not happening. Would have been better if a former World Champion got that spot Cesaro has. In general, if they had to defend the title inside the Chamber, it would have been better if they spread out the qualifying matches better. You have time until the PPV. Why rush things so horrible? Because of the horrible week they just had? Okay, that's an excuse, but showing more calm would have been nice. Spreading out the qualifying matches would have made things more interesting by developing a few guys that have shots to get in the match. More importantly, I think it would have led to a better moment for Daniel Bryan when he got his spot.

The Shield are not happy with The Wyatts. You have a feud between them now. Heel vs. heel. And you couldn't go with Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar for the title? Of course, this tag match could be where The Shield splits. That is an issue for another day. Is this feud the best decision for this time? Obviously, I would have The Wyatts continue with John Cena now, then have Cena move onto better things for Wrestlemania. Where would that leave The Shield? You can't come up with another way to tease their breakup? You can't find 3 top faces for them to feud against? You can't develop a title feud for the U.S. Championship? There were other options.

What about Brock Lesnar and Batista? Are they going to face each other now? I would have rather Batista feud with Alberto Del Rio, since that feud was already there. Batista will probably just go over Del Rio on Raw somewhere between now and Elimination Chamber. As for Lesnar, I would rather he gets a 1-on-1 title shot. Save the Elimination Chamber match to decide a third contender for the title match at Wrestlemania.

And the misery does not end there for the WWE. John Cena suffered an eye injury recently. How much will that change plans for Elimination Chamber? Cena was booked to be in the title match. If he really cannot go for that match, he will have to be replaced. Can Brock Lesnar get in there? They can always still do Batista vs. Del Rio for the PPV. You also have other former World Champions hovering around. If the WWE is not afraid to put in midcarders like Cesaro, that opens up even more options. Kofi Kingston got a win over Randy Orton a few weeks ago. He can get in the title picture easily. Regardless, Cena's injury will lead to some changes in how Raw is developed for a while, even if he does still work at the PPV.

A very bad week for the WWE has ended. A top star walks away, another top star has fans very upset about his misuse, and another top star gets injured. As bad as things were developed last week and what the current card is shaping up to be, I would expect the WWE to change things and not follow through with everything as it is. It just seems bad and they still have a lot of time to make changes. Will making these changes make things look even worse? Probably. But if a better PPV card is developed, it might be worth it.

Should John Cena Feud With The Wyatts Or For The Title?

I asked this same question a few weeks ago for Daniel Bryan. His feud with Bray Wyatt was not over and adding him into the title feud was not a bad option. Now, it is John Cena who is having some issues with Bray Wyatt and still seems to be in the title hunt. Which of these options should the WWE focus on now?

Obviously, unless the WWE switches directions, Cena will be in the Elimination Chamber match for the title, along with Sheamus and Daniel Bryan. The Wyatts attacked him on Raw to give the face team the win by DQ. The Wyatts also cost Cena the title at the Royal Rumble. Cena gets a title shot now, then feuds with The Wyatts for Wrestlemania? That is how it could break down.

But the issue now is not what they are actually doing. I want to talk about which I think they should do. How many times does John Cena get a shot at the title? I was actually looking forward to Randy Orton moving on to the next guy in line. You want to have an Elimination Chamber match for the title? Okay, but Cena has to be in it? A feud with Bray Wyatt, who did not lose to Daniel Bryan at the Royal Rumble, would not be bad for Elimination Chamber. But a feud against Bray Wyatt at Wrestlemania? From the time John Cena has become the top guy of the WWE, he has either been involved in title matters at Wrestlemania or has feuded with The Rock, a legend. At last year's Wrestlemania, he defeated The Rock for the title. At this year's Wrestlemania, he could be facing Bray Wyatt? That is a drop. I would rather he was feuding with Wyatt now. Let title matters go to someone else for a few weeks.

Who should be in title matters now? Why not just keep it at Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar? I know the issue of it being heel vs. heel, but one of these guys can play face for this feud. What about the Elimination Chamber match for the PPV? Would it be so bad if they got rid of this PPV and only brought the match back now and then when it would make sense to use it? I would rather see Brock Lesnar challenge for the title in a one-on-one match than a match with 6 guys in it. If there has to be an Elimination Chamber match, why not make it to determine another wrestler to challenge for the title at Wrestlemania? Make it a triple treat. Batista already has his shot. Fans are obviously upset with how Daniel Bryan has been used. Sheamus just came back. The Shield have a lot of credibility still. You have some other former World Champions hovering around. You could definitely find 6 guys to go at it for a title shot at Wrestlemania, while leaving Randy Orton to face Brock Lesnar in a singles match and John Cena to go against Bray Wyatt.

Smackdown's Elimination Chamber 2013 Matches

Smackdown actually has two big matches at the Elimination Chamber PPV. One is the Elimination Chamber match to decide who will challenge for the World title at Wrestlemania. The other is the World title match between Alberto Del Rio and Big Show. You also have the wildcard of Dolph Ziggler and his briefcase.

The Elimination Chamber match will feature Randy Orton, Jack Swagger, Mark Henry, Kane, Daniel Bryan, and Chris Jericho. Kane and Daniel Bryan have their own issues, so it is not likely either of them will win. With the current gimmick Jack Swagger is running with, a feud with Del Rio would make sense. That does not mean it needs to be for the title. Mark Henry already has a ton of momentum, but would they give him a title shot at Wrestlemania? Randy Orton has not had a big title match in a while. It would be good to see him get that again. In the end, Chris Jericho seems like the best choice to win this. I'll get to why later.

Big Show gets another rematch against Del Rio. When this feud was first getting started, I was hoping it would not drag on. Although they have extended it, they have done it well. A lot of good segments involved in this feud. But it is going to have to end. Who should win the title? Really no point in handing it back to Big Show now, although having him feud with Randy Orton over the title heading into Wrestlemania could be interesting. Let Del Rio retain here. He probably won't hold it much longer.

Ziggler has that briefcase. Why not finally cash in after the match between Alberto Del Rio and Big Show? Big Show gets mad about not winning the title, lays out Del Rio, and Ziggler enters for the win. Combine that with Jericho winning the title shot like I said earlier. That feud between Ziggler and Jericho started last year. It would be fitting to take it to Wrestlemania as a title match. Look at it this way, just as much as the WWE can sell Cena having a bad year last year, they can also sell Jericho having a bad year last year. That was part of the issue between Jericho and Ziggler when the feud started. Had Jericho lost his touch? Just like things can turn around for Cena at Wrestlemania, the WWE can push that same story with Jericho. To me, that would be the best option. Too predictable? Maybe, but what better way to handle this situation? Ziggler finally cashes in, the feud between him and Jericho gets taken to another level, and you have a Wrestlemania-worthy World title match.

The Shield Vs. Cena & The Gang

At Elimination Chamber, The Shield will face John Cena, Sheamus, and Ryback. Ryback has been feuding with this group for months. Sheamus entered the picture a few weeks ago. Cena turned his full attention to the group after he was attacked by them after the Royal Rumble PPV. Will The Shield once again be victorious?

Before I look at the actual match, let me talk about the storyline development for this stable. It was already revealed that they were being paid to help CM Punk. That kind of kills this gimmick about fighting injustice. And yet, the WWE is still having the group push that idea. In terms of that gimmick, the group is looking pretty weak right now. They should just have them properly align with Heyman and Punk. There hasn't been any interactions between The Shield and Heyman and Punk since the reveal. Why not? They might as well go for it.

Storyline momentum is not the only thing that has been lost. The Shield has gotten beaten by Cena and his troops for the second week in a row now. There is still Smackdown for The Shield to regain momentum before the PPV, but they are really making the group look bad.

Who should win? I am not a fan of any of the three guys in the stable, but I wouldn't mind them winning this one. Would it really kill Cena's momentum that much? He is getting a title shot at Wrestlemania no matter what happens at Elimination Chamber. Cena always has to look like the hero, and he is teaming with some other strong faces, so a face victory would not be surprising. It would be a little refreshing if this did not end up like the Nexus angle. Have The Shield head into Wrestlemania with two big PPV wins under their belts. It could be a big Wrestlemania moment for Ryback to finally get his revenge against the group at the big event. The Shield can provide a great story heading into Wrestlemania, if they have momentum.