The Elimination Chamber: It’s Not How You Start, It’s How You Finish

The final stop on the road to Wrestle Mania takes us trough Oakland, CA for the Elimination Chamber. What started out as a fantastic pay-per-view ended with, much to my dismay, a familiar figure heading to Atlanta as  the number one contender for the WWE Championship. Before we get to that however, lets start with the good, let’s start with greatness, let’s start with Alberto Del Rio, but you already knew that, didn’t you? I can’t think of a better way to start the Elimination Chamber than to have Alberto Del Rio as the opener of the night. One thing I notice about Del Rio is that while his mic skills have always been above average, his delivery in recent weeks has greatly improved. His character it’s much more believable and I like the fact that he is getting a bit more of a mean streak in and out of the ring. It will only elevate his game that much more and heading into Mania he needs all the star power he can get. His match with Kofi Kingston tonight was decent although I felt it could have been a bit longer. I don’t like the constant interferences from his personal ring announcer though. I don’t think he needs it as he can carry a match and he should be portrayed as a strong heel not one that needs help. The finish to the match was I think the correct one. Kofi should lose clean to him and the way Del Rio executes his armbar is great. I have always been a fan of finishing moves that can be used on any kind of opponent and he can do exactly that with his submission move. Kofi and Del Rio work great together and their styles really mesh well. Kofi has an uncanny ability to jump, seemingly, 50 feet in the air. I hope WWE pushes him again in the near future. His in ring work is superb and he is not bad on the stick. Oh, and when I say push I mean a World Title push not the forgotten I.C. Title. Edge still captivates me when he talks. I have liked him since he came in to the WWE back in ’98 and he just keeps getting better. He has always been an under rated worker and I’m gald he has had a strong title run this time around instead of his usual quick reigns. I know his career may be coming to an end and I will surely miss him when he decides to step down. His promo backstage was classic Edge and it was nice to see Drew McIntyre get a bit of face time with the champ as well. I don’t know why people are quick to dismiss him. Yeah, he isn’t the greatest wrestler but he has a good look and I can see him holding the belt. I wouldn’t mind if they cut his hair though. Just saying. I often criticized WWE gimmick pay-per-views in the past but honestly I think I’ve turned the corner. Seeing the massive structure being slowly descended gave me a bit of goosebumps. Having it once a year makes it all that more special and although it doesn’t have the same effect as when we first saw it back in 2002, it still has a sinister vibe to it, much like its creator, Eric Bischoff. Before I get into the match let me say that while I like the Big Show, I was sorely disappointed that he was the replacement for Dolph Ziggler. I’m not sure who I was expecting but it sure wasn’t the Big Show. Maybe my expectations are too hight but if you are going to replace Dolph Ziggler, replace him with another young worker not with someone who has had his time in the limelight. The match itself, however, was beyond my expectations. I enjoyed every second of it. Every wrestler had a bit of face time and no one botched anything. I like that McIntyre was seething throughout until he finally came out and just demolished poor Rey, who often looks more like a crash test dummy than a wrestler. The only thing I can really complain about was the elimination of Wade Barrett. He seemed really weak and I don’t now why WWE has demote him. Of course he will eventually become a world champ but Big Show wiping the ring with him is a mistake, in my opinion. I have to applaud the work of Edge and Mysterio tonight. They completely stole the show. The sequences they had in the beginning and especially at the end of the match were superb. I was literally jumping out of my seat with the crazy near finishes. I absolutely love the end of the match. The mid air spear couldn’t have been executed better and showed why Edge like him or not is world champion material. If this is his last Elimination Chamber match he made sure it was a memorable one. After the match we got the first surprise return of the night. I love Del Rio. That’s no secret but if there is one man I admire more than him it has to be Captain Charisma himself, Christina. It was a nice comeback and just put the icing on the cake on the match. I don’t understand why there was no interaction between Edge and Christian though. A hug or even a handshake would have been nice. Hopefully we get a reunion of E & C this Friday on Smackdown. Staying on the topic of comebacks, I was ecstatic to see Trish Stratus back on the WWE TV. One thing I have to comment on is the lack of pop stars from the ’90s get. I understand most of the arena is kids now a days that don’t know much wrestling history but it angers me stars like Booker T and Trish don’t get the love they deserve. Worse yet it makes me feel old at 23 that I marking out while the arena is completely silent. Still, I am happy we got to see Trish and she still looks amazing after all these years. This was the end of the highlights in my view of this year’s Elimination Chamber. The rest of the pay-per-view would fall under the predictable category, except for one thing… Wow! An actual tag team got the Tag Team Titles tonight! I have been down on The Corre but I hope they keep the titles on them for a while. Not because I like them but because tag team wrestling needs to be brought back alive. As far as the match, ummm it was okay I guess. Sorry people I don’t got much input on it but that’s the reason why they call it a “bathroom break” match. Right? The Miz…. hmmmm. I liked him once. I really did. I still think he has an extremely high ceiling but his promos are becoming really old. You see, The Rock always finished his promos with his trademark line but he also added flare and passion to his promos. The Miz has his trademark line at the end but he has become stagnant and he frankly bores me now. He needs more of a fire when he talks. This new subdued Miz just isn’t catching on, with me at least. Prime example of someone having emotion infused into their promo’s is, surprisingly, Vicky Guerrero. I honestly think she can talk better on the mic than most of the new talent WWE has. She has matured a lot as a performer since she started her career with WWE. I hope she sticks around for a few more years because I always get a kick when she comes out and the heat she generates is awesome. I will always respect her not just because of what she went trough after Edie’s death but because she has proven that she belongs in the WWE trough her own merits. The interaction Trish had with LayCool after Vicky’s promo was regrettable. I love Trish as mentioned above but she seemed out of sync and it served no purpose. It’s not her fault though, these new workers in the woman’s division just don’t mesh well with her style because she actually wrestles, yeah, imagine that, a woman actually wrestling. I got chills when it was time for the WWE Title match. Unfortunately it was for the wrong reasons. I don’t have anything against Jerry Lawler and I can’t imagine how it feels to lose your mother but he should not be in a WWE Championship match. The crowd was dead for the most part during the match and Lawler just could not keep up the pace. Some of the moves were executed in an awkward way and the only thing I enjoyed during the match was Cole’s interaction. WWE just made The Miz take another step backwards tonight too. He looked outclass by a 60 year old  and his reing looks more and more like a joke.An alarming problem that needs fixing is that the Miz has yet to find a style in the ring. I said this about his match with Randy Orton last month and it was present again tonight. He was great last Monday against Daniel Bryan but he seems to falter in title matches. My suspension of disbelief wants to be activated when I see The Miz but it just can’t… not anymore. Coming off  that match, I hoped the main event would be better and while it was better (which isn’t saying much) unlike the first Elimination Chamber match, the main event was a big let down. The initial action was very robotic, highlighted by the ever predictable Randy Orton. I don’t know where he went wrong. Maybe is the fact that he is a face. He is much better suited to be a heel, his character just doesn’t appeal to me anymore. He looks great and when he wants to he can put on a good match but he just needs to do a bit more than a knee, clothsline, powerslam and a RKO. The part with CM Punk getting eliminated and the reinstated was done poorly, actually, it shouldn’t have been done at all. What sense did it make? I was gald that Punk was still in the match though. If he would have gotten eliminated in that manner, I would have had to quit watching wrestling. I need to stop for a moment and proclaim my respect for CM Punk while we are on the topic. The man deserves your respect. He is one of the last great story tellers inside the ring. The way he moves, the way he looks serve as a way to communicate his character without saying a word. Add that to the fact that his mic skills are right up there with Chris Jericho and you got a man that should be a world champion again much sooner than later. Talking about respect, how can you not be impressed with John Morrison? He continues to do insane stuns. In my opinion he is the reason that the main event was not a complete bore fest. I look for him to get a title run after Wrestle mania and quite possibly someone to look for to headline next year’s Wrestle Mania in Miami. Sadly, a man who is going to get yet another title match at this year’s Mania is John freaking Cena. I was wishing it wouldn’t happen. I was wishing CM Punk would win it but wishing gets you nowhere. What we all knew would happen, did in the end. It was a depressing sight looking at Cena salute and do his ‘you can’t see me’ shtick after the match. Oh, and before you get on my case, I know he has to be in the main event at Mania. I just hoped Vinne Mac would deliver something surprising to end the night but  I guess he still refuses to touch his golden boy. I guess we can all say with certanty that Cena will end the show in Atlanta raising the belt over his head…….(depressed sigh) One thing to note about Cena tonight was the heat he got as soon as he came out of his pod. I have said repeatedly that I respect him as a men but his character needs to be re-vamped. The boos he got were the loudest I heard in about 2 years. I wish WWE would use this to turn him heel, maybe say the fans turned on him so he is turning on them. That would be something I would mark out for as we all remember how great he was as a heel but I wouldn’t hold my breath. It seems like lately all I can say about wrestling in general is negative things but the current wrestling product is conducive to that. WWE seems more intent on selling merchandise than delivering a good product on TV. John Cena sucks the energy of matches as once he goes into Superman mode is all over. Is a real shame giving the fact that tonight’s first two matches were entertaining.  I have to praise Edge and Mysterio once more as they totally gave it all they had. It was not enough to save the pay-per-view from being a letdown. You may agree with me or not but I just can’t get excited about another night ending with Cena on top. I will always give WWE the benefit of the doubt however and while I was not pleased with the Elimination Chamber, I can’t wait to see how the road to Wrestle Mania culminates during the following weeks. I expect tomorrow’s RAW to have a few surprises and with The Undertaker coming back maybe we will get a Triple H return as well or maybe even something more special then that. Keep your eyes on the rafters. I know I will.