Overall, the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view was a solid showing for the company.
The match of the night is without a doubt the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber. What a fun match, especially down the stretch. While I’m not exactly thrilled over the way Samoa Joe was treated in this match, watching Kofi and Daniel was just a blast of emotions.
What made their final encounter so great is the uncertainty of the WWE championship for WrestleMania thus it was actually believable that Kofi could walk out with the gold on Sunday. Kofi continues to prove why he should’ve been WWE champion a long time ago and if the company decides to book Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston at WrestleMania 35, then there will be no complaints from me.
The Women’s Tag Team Elimination Chamber bout was also good, especially with the final two entrants. This match could’ve been a mess, but the women stepped up big time and showcased why they deserved the spotlight. I still have my doubts on the future booking of the WWE’s women’s tag team division, but for now, EC was a right step in the direction.
The Smackdown Tag Team match was fine. Though I hope we’re not getting more rounds of any combination involving The New Day and The Bar.
Sadly, now it’s time to be negative and discuss some of the head scratching booking decisions tonight.
Finn Balor is the new Intercontinental champion, but he won it in a bit of a fluky fashion. He didn’t conquer the destroyer (though he did outsmart him) and actually ran away from Lashley after the bout. I’ll hold my final judgment after Lashley and Balor finally have their one-on-one match with the hopes that creative makes Balor look good beating Lashley. All I’m looking for is David overcoming Goliath. That’s it.
Ruby Riott wasn’t even given a chance to really prove herself tonight against Ronda Rousey. It's bad enough that the company literally told us that the match didn’t matter in the first place, but Riott is a really good worker and could’ve used a nice boost by having a strong showing against Rousey. Instead, she was tossed aside quickly like trash. A missed opportunity to possibly make another star tonight.
However, the biggest head scratching moment was Baron Corbin besting Braun Strowman. I continue to be baffled at how far Strowman has fallen since his ill-advised heel turn last fall. Strowman was the star the company should’ve backed in 2017/2018. The “Monster Among Men” felt unique and his stunt segments were highly entertaining. Fast forward to the random turns last fall, Strowman was decimated by Brock Lesnar.
Yeah, yeah, I know, Corbin attacked him before the match started, but this is the same guy who walked away from that insane ambulance crash that took place back at Great Balls of Fire. Corbin did nothing even close to what Roman Reigns did. Last night, Braun Strowman’s momentum continued to slide down by making him look like a dope for not seeing Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley coming. Where was Finn Balor or Kurt Angle? The company could’ve at least answered this question with both men found unconscious before Corbin’s match started. Instead, the two babyfaces also look bad for not helping Strowman.
To top it off, Strowman lost to Corbin, a man who doesn’t have the “it” factor like the “Monster Among Men”. Creative is ruining Braun Strowman and it continues to be jarring. I hope the rest of 2019 goes better for Braun Strowman. The guy can still be a star, I just hope creative realizes what made him special two years ago and goes back to that.