Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.
This week, Dallas Allsopp, Greg Coleman and Callum Wiggins review Elimination Chamber 2021.
Elimination Chamber was the first real stop on the Road to WrestleMania 37, featuring a few matches that actually impacted upon the matchups that we can expect to see at The Grandaddy of 'Em All. Which Elimination Chamber was successful in acheiving it's purpose? Should The Miz have successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase? And just how good was Bobby Lashley's night?
Question 1: Who had the better night at Elimination Chamber - Riddle or Bobby Lashley?
ALLSOPP: I cannot look past Bobby Lashley, as his actions directly led to Drew McIntyre losing his WWE Championship. This was the clearest indication yet that WWE have big plans for Lashley, and I can see why. He is an absolute monster in the ring, but his transformation in The Hurt Business has been amazing. He can now talk with confidence, whilst backing up his actions with his in ring work. Riddle, on the other hand, didn’t enjoy the cleanest of wins. Not only that, but Lashley’s insertion into the main event picture implies that Riddle’s United States Championship victory was purely a means to an end, and not the product of Vince McMahon’s approval.
COLEMAN: Bobby Lashley by far. This feels like the old school booking decisions that saw Stone Cold, The Rock, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and Triple H lose their secondary title because they were elevating to the main title picture. Whilst I hope Riddle has a real chance to be champion, I wouldn’t be mad at all if this is a way to get the United States Championship onto another member of The Hurt Business by having him lose it to MVP.
WIGGINS: Whilst it is obviously good for Riddle that he was able to capture the United States Championship, his less-than-stellar booking over the last few months suggests to me that this won't be the most memorable or star-studded of championship reigns. Bobby Lashley, meanwhile, seemingly booked himself a ticket to the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 37, something that they'll never be able to take away from him. Sure, he lost a midcard belt, but by the end of the night he was elevated to the main event status he's earned for a long time.
Question 2: How do you rate the effectiveness of the SmackDown Elimination Chamber match? How stoked are you for Roman Reigns vs Edge in the main event of WrestleMania 37?
COLEMAN: The SmackDown Elimination Chamber match was really good, if you were able to watch it knowing that the stakes of the match was to determine who was going to get beat by Roman Reigns. The match and aftermath was effective in continuing to build Reigns up as a heel. However, to essentially sacrifice 6 men to elevate 1, when the 1 doesn’t need it, is head scratching. I am excited at the prospect of an Edge vs Reigns match because the end of the match isn’t guaranteed. Edge has just as good a chance of losing the match and giving Reigns another high profile win on his resume as he does beating him to win the only accolade he currently has not obtained in WWE in the form of the WWE Universal Championship.
WIGGINS: The match in a bubble was a really strong Elimination Chamber match. All six men involved put in a great showing and made it as enjoyable as possible. However, for them to exert all that effort and then for Daniel Bryan to lose instantly to Roman Reigns felt really hollow, especially when Edge speared him post match. You're kind of left wondering "Well what was the point of that then?" I have no doubt that Reigns vs Edge will be a good match at WrestleMania. I can't say this angle got me super-hyped for it though, and maybe that's because I'm the one guy in a thousand that isn't that into this Tribal Chief character now. Hopefully the next six weeks convinces me otherwise.
ALLSOPP: I enjoyed this match, purely on the basis that Cesaro proved he can hang with the best on SmackDown. I was bitterly disappointed that he didn’t win, but Daniel Bryan was a fantastic consolation prize. The post match interaction between Roman Reigns and Edge was simply incredible, and despite being a fan of Reigns, I cannot wait for their titanic collision. I actually want to see Edge win now, which is not something I would have said last week. Overall, this match was great, but the post match attack was simply perfect.
Question 3: How do you rate the effectiveness of the Raw Elimination Chamber match? Do you feel it was the right decision to have The Miz successfully cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase?
WIGGINS: The Raw Elimination Chamber Match was the worse of the two, saved by a strong final exchange between Drew McIntyre and AJ Styles. I thought the booking was really weird in places, like having Sheamus randomly pinned by Styles, and Styles just entering the match early for no good reason. Having had time to reflect on it, I think the story of Lashley helping rid McIntyre of the title so he can win the WWE Championship against a less-worthy Mr. Money in the Bank is a good one. But I just wish it hadn't been The Miz, who has been treated as a total joke for years, and did pretty much the exact same thing 10 years earlier. I'd prefer it was a fresher heel who could use this story to eventually elevate himself at a later date, like Mustafa Ali, Andrade or Chad Gable.
ALLSOPP: I found this match to be dull in places, however, the high octane pace of the latter stages of the match more than made up for it. I loved how Drew McIntyre and Sheamus beat the living daylights out of each other, whilst AJ Styles was the epitome of excellence. Having The Miz cash in was the culmination of a very tired storyline, but the possibilities going forward are genuinely intriguing. With the emergence of a strong Bobby Lashley, this cash in was the perfect catalyst to reinvigorate the WWE Championship scene, therefore I consider it the right decision.
COLEMAN: The Raw Elimination Chamber match, to me at least, was the better of the two because of the stakes and the unpredictability of the results. Whilst it seemed unlikely that Drew McIntyre would lose the title, how many people would’ve predicted Randy Orton beating him at Hell in a Cell? It’s a little baffling that the story of McIntyre and Sheamus didn’t get an ending or much development, as McIntyre didn’t even eliminate Sheamus. The Miz cashing in on McIntyre after the match was on brand with both his character and the cashing in of the briefcase. The fact that Bobby Lashley was elevated to the WWE Championship level by having him cost McIntyre was excellent. The Road to WrestleMania, specifically on Raw, should be good!
Those are our thoughts on the issue, but where do you stand?
Let us know your answers to these questions in the comments below!
Subscribe to Smark Out Moment on YouTube, iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!
0 comments: