The Elimination Chamber is looming large on the horizon. Let’s see how WWE hypes the Aussie PPV tonight.
DM Hunk vs. Cody Rhodes
We’re starting out hot with what will be a PLE main event in the near future.
Drew starts out hot with a full-out ADV, albeit with basic moves. Cody gets a Dragon Screw to take over and locks in the Figure 4 to wear McIntyre down. Drew takes back over heading to break and continues post-break. Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets two.
McIntyre heads to the outside and squishes Cody’s head against the post in an inventive spot.
Cody hits a Bulldog out of the corner and starts to build momentum. Snap Powerslam but no cover. Disaster Kick gets two. CKO gets two.
Both men are outside into break number two. Back from break though, the two are trading good spots. McIntyre with a Spinebuster and a Batista Bomb. Each gets two. Reversal series stops dead with a Pedigree by Rhodes. Drew regains and hits the Future Shock for two.
Cody brings both down from the top with a Superplex. Top rope CKO gets two. Just as the match gets hot, Jimmy Uso runs down for the interference. Cody shoos him off, goes for the Crossrhodes but, while the ref is distracted by Jimmy, Solo hits the Samoan Spike. Drew spots Solo but still takes Cody out with the Claymore. Really good match pooched by the interference.
Winner: Drew McIntyre
Andrade vignette is next. I can’t imagine we get him back in the ring in a meaningful manner until post-Mania though. Interesting that it seems he’s using the same Andrade El Idolo moniker as he did in AEW…
Backstage, ADAMMMM is chatting with Cody in the trainer room. Seth Rollins waltzes in wearing polka dots, daddy.
Last Chance Battle Royal
This is an Elimination Chamber qualifier.
Raquel Rodriguez is back. Xia Li makes a rare appearance. Elektra Lopez is making her in-ring main roster debut, and Chelsea is wearing Minnie Mouse ears. Very little of this makes sense.
Looks like somewhere between 12 and 20 women in here.
Maxxine is out first to the surprise of no one. Sarah Logan is out next, then Xia. Raquel is cleaning the ring well.
No, I’m not going to name every elimination.
Isla is out next courtesy of Raquel and we head to break. Feels much emptier when we’re back.
Nattie tosses Tegan to perhaps start a feud no one will care abuot.
Zoey and Shayna toss B-Fab. Lopez eliminates Vega to many boos. Michin soon after eliminates Lopez and the rivals go after each other don’t the outside.
Chelsea eliminates Candice LeRae. Shayna eliminates Indi to end her hometown dream. Katana Chance eliminates Shayna.
Kay Lee Ray eliminated by Raquel. Ivy Nile Superman Punches Nattie into elimination. Nile is eliminated by Shayna and Zoey.
Final four are Michin, Stark, Shayna and Raquel. Shayna and Stark eliminate Michin.
We go to the standard overwhelmed face ending quickly. Baszler is eliminated first, Stark soon after. Chelsea tries the Santino Marella spot and fails just like he did.
Winner: Raquel Rodriguez
Split screen interview with Nia and Rhea. Good stuff from Rhea, crappy stuff from Nia. Can we move on from her quickly? PLEASE???
Jackie Redmond then goes through the J-Day/R-Truth schtuff. Feh.
Michael Chandler is shown in the crowd before the next match and cuts a promo on Connor McGregor.
Awesome Truth/DIY vs. Judgement Day
Cluster starts quickly as we head into break.
Back from break, DIY is in control of Balor before Gargano is the designated face in peril.
We Want Truth chant as Gargano does an evasion series to get to the corner. Truth comes in and hits the Cena Set. Truth gets victimized on the outside heading to another break.
Back from break, Ciampa is taking out J-Day pretty efficiently. Willow’s Bell on JD and a corkscrew plancha to Priest. Balor sneaks a roll-up for two back in the ring. Stinger Deathdrop from Ciampa gets two before the cluster really gets going again.
Priest and Truth are in the ring next after hot tags. Twister Elbow starts the offence for Truth. Scissor Kick but no cover attempt. Truth hits the Facebuster for two. More cluster with plenty of Planchas. Priest goes for South of Heaven but Truth reverses into the Roll-up for two. South of Heaven connects this time and the three count follows. Not a bad match but a little too cluster for my liking.
Winners: Judgement Day
For Part Two click the link below:
Backstage time! Sami! Jackie!
Back to the ring for a Becky promo. More about the path to WrestleMania which draws out Liv Morgan and the rest of the competitors in the Chamber Match. Huh. Tiff is the only heel. Cluster starts as expected, then Jax interjects to kill any heat this segment had. I guess we’ll see how many women here Nia injured in short order.
Back to the backstage for a Nakamura promo. If he’s squaring off with Sami Zayn at ‘Mania then I’m all in.
Ivar vs. Chad Gable
I don’t wanna. Again.
The first time these two met up it got adulation from many wrestling writers. I hate it then, I hate it now. It’s meaningless crap in a feud no one cares about.
Outside shenanigans to start and not much else as we go into break. Back from commercials nothing is looking any better. BAtista Bomb from Ivar gets two. Roll-up by Gable gets two and he transitions into the Ankle Lock for a very short period. The two battle on the outside as the ref is very liberal with his count. Ivar with the Whoopie Cushion for two. Moonsault misses. Gable goes for the German and hits it. Yippee. Hits his own Moonsault for two. Ankle Lock though gets the tap, which I’m pretty sure is a first for Gable. Meh.
Winner: Chad Gable
Please let this be the end of the crappy feud.
Imperium is in the ring next for a celebration of Gunther’s 600 days as IC Champ. Gunther sounds off and says no one is at his level. Jey Uso then makes his presence felt, and quite honestly this is a match to look forward to. Interaction between the two works very well. Contrast in styles works beautifully. The two end up coming to blows with Kaiser and Vinci taking their shots before the Old Day comes out to help their former nemesis. God I want change for Xavier and Kofi so bad. Everything until the spat was fantastic.
Backstage! Drew! New Day!
Gunther vs. Jey Uso (IC Title Match)
Basic stuff heading into the first break. I’m going with the thought of three breaks tonight.
Into the action we go and the two battle on the outside. Jey gets a half-assed Samoan Drop on Gunther onto the desk. Countout won’t help him.
Uso with a good series but Gunther gets a front dropkick and Powerbomb for two. Lariat gets two. Gunterh goes for the Boston Crab.
Uso comes back with a series of impact moves and both are on the outside heading into break number two.
Back from break and we’re into Boo-Yeets. Gunther comes out on top with a chop. More chops drop Jey. Spear from Jey gets two.
Top rope throw by Gunther is followed up by a splash for two.
If it wasn’t for two super long matches earlier I’d be able to follow this easier.
Uso hits a Spear on the inside and then one on the apron, then a third on the outside. Uso’s chest is blood red through the tats. Another spear inside. Uso Splash connects but the bell is being rung… by Jimmy Uso for the distraction. Gunther chops from behind, Jey rolls through for the VERY near fall. Superkick before Jey suicide dives onto Jey. He then heads to the top but eats knees on the way down and Gunther with the roll-up.
I like finishes like this – where the interference doesn’t result in the immediate finish. Good match, certainly plants a seed for the future.
Winner: Gunther
Post-match, Jimmy attacks Jey to setup the ‘Mania match we all expected.
Stay Classy y’all.
