5 Surprising moments from Elimination Chamber 2020

That was a strange main event.

WWE Elimination Chamber was a very unique show, to say the least. We didn’t have a lot of the major stars of the company on the card and the pay-per-view itself was full of discussion of WrestleMania 36. It was like they were just killing time until their biggest show of the year.

That being said it was full of fun matches, incredible spots, an unexpected title change and an Elimination Chamber main event that was unlike any we have ever seen before. For a show with little hype heading into it, it delivered a fun night of wrestling.

As I am still trying to figure out how much that popcorn cost Kevin Owens, I will try to distract myself and present my list of the top five most surprising moments of WWE Elimination Chamber 2020:

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#5 The physical match between Drew Gulak and Daniel Bryan

One of many, many painful moves taken by Daniel Bryan on Sunday night.

I am a little worried about Daniel Bryan’s neck.

It was certainly a surprise to see Drew Gulak get involved in a pay-per-view feud with Daniel Bryan. Drew Gulak is a great technical wrestler who was floundering since leaving 205 Live and joining the SmackDown brand. You knew once they decided to have a match at Elimination Chamber that it would be a technical classic. I just didn’t expect it to be such a dangerous match.

Drew Gulak tossed Daniel Bryan around the ring. It was a series of painful moves that constantly dropped Bryan on his neck. The suplex spot, in particular, looked like it could break Daniel Bryan’s neck. Ouch. Daniel Bryan naturally beat Drew Gulak but after their technical masterpiece, I would like to see a rematch in the near future.

#4 The athleticism of the SmackDown Tag Team Match

Well, that is a dangerous height to fall from.

It is amazing that in 2020 Lince Dorado pulled off one of the most incredible spots in Elimination Chamber history. It was just amazing to see him on a pay-per-view. I am also very glad he is fine after that very dangerous spot.

The SmackDown Tag Team Championship match was an incredible display of athleticism. Tucker had an incredible leap off the top of a Chamber pod. Gran Metalik had some showcase moments as well. The unbelievable jump over Otis flying through the Chamber Pod was quite surprising. It is amazing to think about how much Dolph Ziggler is hated at this moment. You leave the lovable Otis alone. You are a real monster, Dolph!

The match ended with a quick roll-up for Miz and John Morrison but not until a lot of incredible work by all 12 wrestlers. The SmackDown Tag Division is in good shape. They just need to let them work like they did on Sunday night in the Elimination Chamber.

#3 The Undertaker costs AJ Styles again

AJ Styles sure has sure angered The Undertaker, hasn't he?

The Undertaker sure dislikes AJ Styles an awful lot it seems in recent weeks.

Aleister Black versus AJ Styles was an interesting match for sure on Sunday night. They used some weapons in their no disqualification match but they actually worked a much slower pace as they worked on various parts of the body during a majority of their match. But it naturally broke down as the O.C. predictably interfered and knocked out Aleister Black near the end of the match. It made it the perfect time for that famous gong to return.

It is always a rare treat to see Undertaker simply appear in the ring and for the second time in 10 days he cost AJ Styles a match. They are doing a very good job of setting up a WrestleMania feud between Styles and the Undertaker. I am also happy this feud didn’t come at the expense of the very talented Black as well. It will be interesting to see what he does at WrestleMania

#2 Sami Zayn wins the Intercontinental Championship

Well, I didn't see that coming.

It is amazing to think that Sami Zayn just got his first-ever title on the WWE main roster.

Sami Zayn has had some very bad luck with injuries and bad booking over the last few years. He seems to have become the mouthpiece manager for great technical wrestlers in recent months. I am sure a lot of WWE fans expected Braun Strowman to destroy the three heels yet again. Heels have had little luck in big handicap matches like this.

Then a very strange and surprising thing happened. Three heels wrestlers actually worked together to cleanly pin one man. Sure Sami Zayn didn't do a lot in the match but that just adds to his cowardly persona. It is nice for the bad guys to actually use their advantage for once. Here is hoping Sami Zayn is healthy and can have great matches as he used to in NXT. I mean who wouldn’t want to see a Shinsuke Nakamura versus Sami Zayn match again?

#1 Shayna Baszler destroys everyone

It is the night Shayna destroyed everyone.

Well, that was unique.

It was very obvious Shayna Baszler was on collision course with Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 36. I mean it isn’t like Asuka, Natalya, Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott and Sarah Logan scream a legit threat to Lynch at this point. But to see a newer main roster talent absolutely destroy the RAW Women’s roster was a surprising choice.

Shayna Baszler entered the match fourth and made Natalya, Ruby Riott and Sarah Logan tap out in about two minutes. This allowed her to simply stand around and threaten Liv Morgan and Asuka who were still in pods. It was a strange choice and one that didn’t sit too well with a bored Philadelphia crowd.

After she destroyed Liv Morgan quickly, the waiting continued. Asuka certainly put up more of a fight but it still was a very dominant performance from Shayna Baszler. If that goal was to make her seem like a real threat to Becky Lynch then it was a job well done. But as the main event inside an Elimination Chamber, it was certainly an anti-climatic end to a unique night of pro wrestling.