On Saturday, February 28th, WWE returned to the United Center in Chicago, IL, for its final PLE before WrestleMania, Elimination Chamber. This year’s event was headlined by Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Logan Paul, Trick Williams, LA Knight, and Je’Von Evans, each vying for a shot at Drew McIntyre’s Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 42.
We also saw on the women’s side, Rhea Ripley, Tiffany Stratton, Raquel Rodriguez, Asuka, Kiana James, and Alexa Bliss fight for a shot at Jade Cargill’s WWE Women’s Championship. On top of the two Chamber matches, we also saw CM Punk defend his World Heavyweight Championship against Finn Balor, and Becky Lynch defend her Women’s Intercontinental Championship against AJ Lee. So, what were the top three moments of the night?
Honorable Mention: Danhausen Debuts in WWE
In an honorable mention on this list, we saw Danhausen officially make his WWE debut. While this was met with very mixed reviews, for the simple reason being how big of a deal they made about it, it’s great to see Danhausen in WWE. He was revealed to be what was inside the box, and he had quite the presentation tonight. It’s going to be a blast to see Danhausen do what he does inside of a WWE ring. He’s a very fun, and entertaining character, so it was a treat getting to see him.
3. AJ Lee Wins The Women’s Intercontinental Championship
In one of the night’s four marquee matches, Becky Lynch put her Women’s Intercontinental Championship on the line against a woman who has been a thorn in her side for roughly the past six months since Lee first returned to WWE. This match also marked Lee’s first-ever singles match in roughly a decade, and what a huge way to reintroduce yourself to the WWE Universe.
Lynch and Lee put on a great match, as all knew they would. This was a match that, simply put, made you believe both women hated each other. While there were a couple of shenanigans, many of which were inflicted by Lynch, Lee held her own in singles competition with no CM Punk by her side. The two went to war for 15 minutes, in hopes of winning/retaining the top prize in the women’s midcard division on RAW.
In the end, Becky would inadvertently hit herself into the exposed top turnbuckle. Lee capitalized and locked in her patented submission hold to force Lynch to tap out. Entering WrestleMania 42, AJ Lee is officially the Women’s Intercontinental Champion. Now, the only question that remains is what happens? Do we get a rematch, or do we get a four-way with Nattie Neidhart and Maxxine Dupri? If it were up to me, we’d get AJ Lee vs. Roxanne Perez one-on-one.
2. Rhea Ripley Punches Her Ticket to WrestleMania 42
The show kicked off with the Women’s Elimination Chamber, which saw Rhea Ripley, Tiffany Stratton, Raquel Rodriguez, Asuka, Kiana James, and Alexa Bliss, each fighting for a shot at Jade Cargill’s WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 42. All six women in this one put on some incredible performances, showcasing why they are truly a great representation of the WWE women’s division.
There were many cool moments, including Alexa Bliss’s Twisted Bliss off the pod onto a sea of competitors, and Rodriguez pinning both Asuka and Kiana James at the same time after hitting a Tijana bomb on Asuka, onto James. The ending of this match came down to Rhea Ripley and Tiffany Stratton. There were many fans’ predictions for who was going to win this match.
In the end, Ripley hit her finisher on Stratton and pinned her for the three-count. Ironically, Ripley and Iyo Sky dropped the Women’s Tag Team Championships on Friday night on SmackDown against Lash Legend and Nia Jax, and now we know why. Rhiyo was a fun team, but it appears both are re-entering the fray as singles competitors. Ripley vs. Jade Cargill is certainly going to be a fun WrestleMania match.
1. Seth Rollins Returns, Randy Orton Punches His Ticket to WrestleMania 42
The main event of Saturday’s event, the Men’s Elimination Chamber, saw Randy Orton go up against Cody Rhodes, Logan Paul, Trick Williams, LA Knight, and Je’Von Evans for a shot at the Undisputed WWE Championship, currently held by Drew McIntyre. While it seemed like a forgone conclusion that Rhodes was going to win this match and Jacob Fatu would somehow find his way into the match, WWE pulled a massive swerve. This was probably the best of the four matches on the night, despite the clusterf**k at the end.
The ending of the match saw Logan Paul pick up three eliminations as he single-handedly got rid of Je’Von Evans, LA Knight, and Trick Williams. However, the masked man once again showed up. This proved to be another decoy. However, as security and Adam Pearce got rid of one masked man, another showed up. This one hit a superkick and a stomp on Paul, allowing Rhodes to eliminate him. This masked man stood outside the ring in the Chamber and finally revealed himself to be Seth Rollins. Not a surprise, but still great to see Seth back. RAW has desperately missed Rollins, and it’s absolutely great to see him back, even if WrestleMania plans had to change due to injuries to Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker.
Then, when it was just Orton and Rhodes, the Undisputed WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre, interjected himself. He took out Rhodes with a shot with the belt to the back of the head. However, his upper hand didn’t last long as Orton and Rhodes teamed up to take the fight to McIntyre. In the end, Orton took out Rhodes with an RKO to win the match. This was a fun main event, with a nice, not too predictable, swerve at the end.
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
Until next time
– Scott Mitchell
You can follow me on X (Twitter) and Instagram @Scott44Mitchell
