Notable Absentee, Unexpected Loss - 5 Mistakes WWE made at Elimination Chamber
Elimination Chamber took over Montreal, Canada last night. It was the final Premium Live Event stop on the Road to WrestleMania.
The show was a success that WWE had hoped for and provided the build-up that was needed to plant the seeds for several matches at this year's showcase event.
Whilst there were several standout moments throughout the show, the company also made a number of mistakes. The following list looks at some of the biggest.
#5. Nikki Cross came out worst in the Chamber
The Women's Elimination Chamber match kicked off the show. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez were made to look strong throughout and as part of their elimination.
Nikki Cross definitely drew the short end of the stick in the match since. Cross was not only the first woman to be eliminated, but the camera crew completely missed her elimination and the buildup to it. This led to Michael Cole claiming she had kicked out when she was, in fact, out of the match.
#4. Several big names were missing from the Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event
Bayley was also at the NJPW show to watch Mercedes. https://t.co/nmKzWdhcIk
The Women's Elimination Chamber match was missing a number of big names, with many believing that they would wrestle on the card. This wasn't the case and the likes of Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, Bayley, and Damage CTRL were all missing from the show.
Bayley was supporting her best friend Mercedes Mone to victory last night, but it's unclear where the other women were and why were they not part of the Chamber match.
#3. Where was Bray Wyatt?
Bray Wyatt appeared this week on SmackDown and delivered a short promo where he called out the winner of Brock Lesnar vs Bobby Lashley. It was the latter who won the match via disqualification before Lesnar lost it and attacked the official and Lashley.
WWE decided to have this angle end the segment rather than allow Bray Wyatt to make a surprise appearance at the Elimination Chamber to target Lashley. It's clear that The All Mighty will be the man that Wyatt goes after heading into WrestleMania, but the seeds could have been further planted following Lesnar's exit.
#2. The Bloodline segments take too long to execute
It was one of the biggest issues with Sami Zayn's betrayal at The Royal Rumble and whilst it wasn't as obvious at Elimination Chamber, the whole "will he, won't he" with Jey Uso took so long to execute.
WWE plays down the clock on this angle so much that the crowd already knows what is coming. After a three-hour show, many fans are tired and ready to head home. They don't want to be waiting longer than usual for a swerve.
#1. Why couldn't Sami Zayn win the match via disqualification?
WWE had so many options heading into the Elimination Chamber and they decided to push the panic button and ensure that Roman Reigns went over clean. For 902 days, it's been the same for Reigns and even the most popular star in the company at the moment in his hometown wasn't a match for him.
There is enough support for Sami to put him in the WrestleMania main event. If the former Honorary Uce had been able to use Jey's interference to help pick up the win via disqualification, then he could have been pushed into the WrestleMania main event. Instead, Zayn lost clean, and it's likely he will now be relegated to a tag team match alongside Kevin Owens.
Did you spot any other mistakes at the Elimination Chamber? Share your thoughts in the comments section below...