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It almost seemed like Elimination Chamber is a show that WWE would have preferred not to do but they had no choice but to do it because the company charges $9.99 every month for the WWE Network. There was nothing of note on the pay-per-view but I also have to say that nothing about it was bad.
So, with that in mind, I bring you the best and worst of the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Do take a moment to sound off in the comments below and let me know how much you'd rate the pay-per-view on a scale of 1-10 if you had to give it a rating.
So, without further ado, let's dive straight into the action and examine the ups and downs from the show in this post-event article. It's time for Best and Worst of Elimination Chamber.
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#1 Best: The return of The Undertaker
Look, everyone knew that The Undertaker would be showing up at Elimination Chamber but he's just one of those legendary figures who can get a reaction even if the said move is predictable. In a show that had no real stars at all, except for a handful, The Undertaker's appearance stood out.
It is very clear that he is going to face AJ Styles in one form or another at WrestleMania 36. It remains to be seen if it will be a singles match or if it will involve The Undertaker teaming up with Aleister Black to take on The OC in a 2-on-3 handicap match, although my instinct tells me that it will be the former case considering the leaks that came out before Elimination Chamber.
#1 Worst: The main event match
I didn't have an issue with the outcome of the main event at all, to be quite honest. Shayna Baszler should have dominated the competition in the manner that she did running through the pack until she came up against a very animated Asuka.
What bothered me was that this was the main-event segment of the night and not the return of The Undertaker, something that would have sent people home very happy. Yes, I know that it was Women's Day and WWE would have wanted a women's match to main event the show but I genuinely think that the way that this match played out, it should have been somewhere in the middle of the match card.
I guess the tag teams could have ended the show because of just how exciting that match was, from start to finish. Miz and Morrison winning wouldn't have made the audience happy, but at least it would have been an exciting match.
Everyone knew that Shayna Baszler would have won this match coming into it. And predictability was an issue through the pay-per-view.
#2 Best: Bryan and Gulak shine
I loved the match between Daniel Bryan and Drew Gulak because of how different it was. These days when someone is called a good worker, it means that he can do a hundred flips. Honestly, the grappling and match wrestling style in the opening contest between Daniel Bryan and Drew Gulak was a treat to watch.
Behind all the Powerpoint presentations, Drew Gulak is a wonderful professional wrestler and anyone who has watched NXT or 205 Live knows exactly what I am talking about here. He finally had a chance to showcase his wares in the opening contest and even though he lost the match, this was arguably the biggest thing he has done on WWE SmackDown thus far. Can we just salute Daniel Bryan for the fantastic job he did in making it look like Gulak was an athlete on his level, establishing him as a breakout star?
If there is a future match between the two men, then WWE, all I will say is 'sign me up!'
#2 Worst: The Kickoff Show
So, have you guys started following Sportskeeda's Twitter yet? If not, I strongly recommend that you do so, to stay on top of all the news, reviews, and rumors in the professional wrestling world. In any case, one of the things that I did not care for at WWE Elimination Chamber was the Kickoff show.
So many matches could have been booked in the Kickoff show but instead, the company chose to go with The Viking Raiders against Ryder and Hawkins in a match that nobody cared about and a contest that meant nothing. Why couldn't WWE have booked a match between say, Bayley and a challenger for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship or even a contest between Rowan and someone else, after his big reveal on WWE RAW?
Sometimes, it seems like WWE doesn't even want their audience to tune in and watch their Kickoff shows. Let's just hope that the WrestleMania Kickoff will feature matches of some prominence and some significance and not turn away lapsed fans who only tune in to watch the bigger shows.
#3 Best/Worst: Sami Zayn defeats Braun Strowman
Look, for anyone who has followed Sami Zayn's journey in WWE, it is impossible not to be happy for the man. He has always performed to the best of his ability and while he has been in prominent spots through the course of his career, the brass ring has eluded him.
I loved the fact that he is the WWE Intercontinental Champion but I wonder if WWE missed a trick or two by not having the heels battle it out over who should hold the title, in my opinion. Shouldn't Shinsuke Nakamura be upset considering that he was the Champion, not long ago?
Also, I wonder if this will be a setback for Braun Strowman when you consider the overall picture. This was his chance to have a very long and dominant reign.
Maybe he wins the title back at WrestleMania 36. Or maybe someone like Daniel Bryan could be inserted into the Intercontinental Championship picture to have a 5-star match with Sami Zayn, making the title prestigious once again.
#3 Best/Worst: Lack of big stars
When it was announced that after years of putting on some of the best pro wrestling that the world has ever seen, everyone braced for NXT to get better ratings than RAW and SmackDown. The fact of the matter is that except for a handful of people, the majority of the world does not care about match quality at all and they would rather be invested in storylines than see back and forth matches.
And this is why NXT continues to score lower ratings than RAW and SmackDown and so does All Elite Wrestling. But why is it relevant to the point I'm trying to make in this article, you rightfully ask!?
Even though the match quality through this card was par excellence, the fact of the matter is that the casual audience wants big stars. They want Roman Reigns to take on King Corbin even if it stretches out for months on end because these are two stars that the company has invested a lot of time and effort into.
And so a lot of big stars were missed. Especially Little Miss Bliss.
