WWE Elimination Chamber 2023
Sami Zayn (Credit-WWE)
Here’s how we rated this year’s emotional Elimination Chamber from Montreal. Curious how we rank matches? We’ve got a rubric for that.
WWE Elimination Chamber 2023 - 2/18/2023
Asuka won the women’s Elimination Chamber match: ★★
Bobby Lashley def. Brock Lesnar: ★
Edge and Beth Phoenix def. The Judgement Day: ★★
Austin Theory won the men’s Elimination Chamber to retain the WWE United States Championship: ★★★
Roman Reigns def. Sami Zayn to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: ★★★★1/4
Seth Rollins and Johnny Wrestling just chillin’ (Credit-WWE)
Show Highlight—
Roman vs. Sami. As stated numerously before, because of WWE TV’s production (excessive cuts and jarring zooms) being too much of a burden for me to be invested in their product, I didn’t have the emotional attachment to the would-be climax of the The Bloodline story. All I wanted to see going into this match was a molten hot crowd creating a once-in-a-generation atmosphere and boy, did I ever get that. WWE’s talking head documentaries love to blather about moments with highfalutin adjectives that never feel earned, but Montreal created a time and a place where all that revisionist history propaganda bullshit was legit in real time. I’d have to wager it will be years before there’s a crowd like that for a major WWE show again. Largely in part to Sami Zayn. As the lovable try-hard in NXT you would never expect that character could not only translate to the main roster but be spectacularly one-upped. His reveling in Montreal’s cheers and hopes was beyond emotional to watch. In the amazing acting ability of Sami Zayn’s eyes, you could feel all the bumps, pain, setbacks, and doubts were worth it just to be the center of that universe.
Now, I didn’t hate the finish. The finish was expected by some, frustrating to others. Again, if they wanted to put the belt on Sami he would have won the fucking Rumble. Like it or not, it’s on you for thinking you were really gonna see them deviate. That being said, it’s very, very rare in WWE where there’s a main event for a major show and you have a sliver of disbelief as to who will win, and even that smidgen of hesitation was a helluva lot of fun to ride on every Superman punch and false finish.
What Worked—
Dom Mysterio. As a babyface he was a tasteless, odorless legacy hire, but as a heel he’s such a grating sack of shit that when he finally gets destroyed (preferably by Rey at WrestleMania) it’ll be on the scale of Vince getting kicked in the nuts by Linda at Mania X-7.
Roman Reigns. It takes a great heel to make a great babyface. Just the insidious shit he was doing like blowing kisses to Sami’s wife and telling her Zayn’s beating was deserved because he didn’t want the protection of his spot in The Bloodline.
What Didn’t Work—
Offsetting production values. The production team captured the sonic and visual rapture from the crowd perfectly. The crane shots of the Chamber were epic, and created a sense of importance. But once again, if there were punches or kicks, there were destabilizing cuts. Within one match you’d have times where you’d have no idea where people were in the ring only for it to flip the other way entirely when it would be a giveaway through terrible placement of the camera as to where wrestlers were waiting for their spots. I don’t understand how this isn’t a larger source of frustration within the company that hasn’t come out publicly or leaked at least in larger volume to dirt sheets.
Edge/Judgement Day. This really ought to be the recipient of the Chris Jericho Infinite Angle Award. It would make all the sense in the world for this to be the final match in their feud but I’m sure it won’t be.
“Unbiased journalist.” You almost had to tip their hat at the insanity of the situation. Was it just trolling in the midst of a wrestling war? Or does Michael Coulthard actually believe the Orwellian Doublethink that compromised Adam Schefter there is unassailable?
Show Cringe—
Lazy-ass Lesnar. Brock Lesnar is the greatest worker of all. Good on him for making his money. And shame on me and far too many of the wrestling audience that believes he’ll have a return to form. His effort and matches are in such bad faith it’s remarkable that he’s still any semblance of a draw. His matches are intentionally structured in that video game-y, race-through-finishers- style so nobody looks either good or bad and it takes such little time that hopefully you’ll forget it. I was actually looking forward to this Lashley feud ending so he could possibly wrestle Gunther, but what certainty would we have that he wouldn’t just show up Day 2 of Mania and Kofi him?
Barley Care Brock (Credit-WWE)
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