WWE The road to WrestleMania goes through Elimination Chamber, arguably one of WWE's most gimmicky main events, and this year's event ended on a grand note with a surprisingly wholesome, fulfilling main event. There were a few lulls, but overall, Elimination Chamber kept the momentum building towards WWE's biggest show of the year. The main card showcased the Women's Division yet again, with the first ever match for the Women's Tag Team Championship taking place inside the Chamber, as well as a Championship match between former UFC champion Ronda Rousey and Ruby Riott. Here's our full run down of the event, including all the winners, highlights and fan reactions Full Elimination Chamber Results The results from Elimination Chamber will be updated as the night wears on. Bold indicates the winner. Cruiserweight Championship match: Buddy Murphy (C) vs. Akira Tozawa Murphy wins by pinfall after a Murphy's Law clocks Tozawa. Women's Tag Team Championship Elimination Chamber match: Nia Jax & Tamina vs. The Riott Squad (Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan) vs. Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville vs. The IIconics (Peyton Royce & Billie Kay) vs. Sasha Banks and Bayley (Boss and Hug Connection) vs. Naomi and Carmella Sasha Banks and Bayley win by submission after Banks applied the Banks Statement to Sonya Deville. SmackDown Tag Team Championship match: The Miz & Shane McMahon (C) vs. The Usos Jimmy Uso pins the Miz and the Usos become the new Tag Team Champions. Intercontinental Championship match: Bobby Lashley (C) and Lio Rush vs. Finn Balor Finn Balor pins Lio Rush to win the Intercontinental Championship. Raw Women's Championship match: Ronda Rousey (C) vs. Ruby Riott Ronda Rousey wins via armbar submission. Baron Corbin vs. Braun Strowman ["No DQ"] Baron Corbin wins via pinfall after Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley triple-powerbombed Strowman through two tables. WWE World Championship Elimination Chamber match: Daniel Bryan (C) vs. AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Jeff Hardy Order of elimination: Samoa Joe, Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Kofi Kingston by pinfall Elimination Chamber Highlights The two Chamber matches will be the reason this one is worth watching in the future, along with some brilliant work by the one-legged Becky Lynch to cut a promo even though she is currently "suspended" and a pre-show match between Buddy Murphy and Akira Tozawa. The first ever match for the Women's Tag Team Championship had some impressive spots and Sasha Banks and Bayley are worthy winners. At the match's conclusion, the two gave an emotional speech about how far the division has come and how hard they've worked. A fitting duo to become the inaugural champs. The WWE World Championship match was all class, highlighted by a spirited Kofi Kingston run that almost saw him capture the title from Bryan. After two he hit two Trouble In Paradise finishers and had three 2 counts, Kofi went close to capturing his first World Championship. In the end, Bryan would be victorious but Kofi put on a show. Ronda Rousey's Sonya Blade look had fans fired up, but it was Becky Lynch's annihilation with a set of crutches that had everyone on their feet. The Man came around and beat Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey’s asses HELL YEAH Becky Lynch 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻#WWEChamber #EliminationChamber Part 2 pic.twitter.com/37whea82gT — Jeremy 17 days... (@Jeremy1P1) February 18, 2019 Oh, and don't forget Finn Balor's washboard abs / new title: Elimination Chamber Reactions Kevin Owens appeared before the show and gave a little update on his injury and how far away he is from returning... but there was a bigger issue that got people talking: Owens' apparent dislike of pineapple on pizza. 🍍 on 🍕? I don't get it, either... but @FightOwensFight is still a really good dad for trying new things to make his kids happy. ➡️ https://t.co/ePt5TzD6sU pic.twitter.com/WrtJH5zpQ7 — TDE Wrestling (@totaldivaseps) February 17, 2019 Sorry kevin Owens, I too, like pineapple on pizza lol #EliminationChamber — Lydia (@lovelaughlydia) February 17, 2019 Kevin Owens casually in a randoms car at the arena talking about not being there Also KO sucks, Pineapple on Pizza is LIFE #WWEChamber #EliminationChamber — Adam Huish | dsowrestling@gmail.com (@RealAdamHuish) February 17, 2019 It's nice to know that Kevin Owens is on the right side of the Pineapple on pizza debate.#EliminationChamber — RaiderRich2001 (@RaiderRich2001) February 17, 2019 The night kicked off with the Elimination Chamber being lowered for the Women's Tag Team Championship match -- WWE's first ever. I can’t wait for HISTORY to be made tonight! Who will be crowned the FIRST EVER WOMEN’S TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS?!?!? #EliminationChamber Happening RIGHT NOW on @WWENetwork!!! — Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) February 18, 2019 And this is what they were fighting for: The match, for the uninitiated, begins with two tag teams in the ring and four tag teams locked away in chambers at each corner of the chamber. Every [undetermined] amount of minutes, one of the chamber doors open and let in another tag team. It's all a little confusing, but know this: Nia Jax was ready. The match began with Sasha Banks and Bayley facing down Fire and Desire, before the Riott Squad's chamber unlocked. Then the IICONICS made their way in and caused havoc themselves. But the social media reactions were all about Naomi and Carmella. After accusations were made during the week that commentator Corey Graves was having an affair with Carmella, the crowd were quick to chants. That wasn't lost on Twitter. Omg they’re chanting Corey Graves lmaooo #EliminationChamber — Ivan Garcia (@whiteshadows823) February 18, 2019 A Corey Graves chant when Carmella entered the match is way funnier live lmao #EliminationChamber — Rabbit (@BITWgibbs311) February 18, 2019 Corey Graves talking about Carmella’s ring skills is making this extremely awkward... #EliminationChamber — Kelsey (@kelseyyblair_) February 18, 2019 How great would it be if Mella & Naomi won the title? Considering the week they had. #EliminationChamber — ChrisFurman (@Ox1073) February 18, 2019 All these people in the crowd have never made a mistake, made the wrong decision, been fooled, regretted anything, hurt anyone or even maybe followed their hearts? Shut up! #EliminationChamber — Wrestlenailia (@Wrestlenailia) February 18, 2019 The match generated a wave of "This Is Awesome!" chants as it came towards its end. The final teams still standing were Sasha Banks and Bayley and Fire and Desire -- the two teams that started the match. The two teams put on a show. Holy crap. This women's tag team championship #EliminationChamber match is AMAZING! ~TS — Rock947 (@Rock947) February 18, 2019 The women are stealing the show!! What a match! #EliminationChamber — Dave Jewell (@DaveJewellOHL) February 18, 2019 Mandy Young delivered a finisher, but Banks kicked out at 2 Banks then locked in her patented finisher, the Banks Statement, with a neat little twist and lead the Boss and Hug Connection to capturing the first ever Women's Tag Team Championship. The champions then gave an emotional speech in the middle of the ring to "You deserve it!" chants. Going back in time a little but it was nice to see Mark Henry turn up in his home state of Texas and say g'day mates. He's just such an affable lad. Oh yeah, right. There was a Smackdown Tag Team Championship match on at some point, too. It didn't really have a lot going for it early, and then Shane McMahon basically tried to end his career for good by diving off whatever he could find -- including the turnbuckle and onto the commentary table. The fact that Shane McMahon is basically just taped together but 49 years old is stunning. If it wasn't for Shane McMahon's grey hair you'd never know that he was 49 years old. He actually might be a better athlete and a better performer now than he was 20 years ago. #WWE #EliminationChamber #WWEChamber — WrestlingNewsSource.com (@WNSource) February 18, 2019 As always, TDE Wrestling had the GIF that summed it all up. Somehow, the Usos still won via a roll-up pin that surprised the Miz. After the match Shane slowly trudged back to the locker room. The night rolled on to the 2-on-1 handicap match with the Intercontinental Championship on the line: Finn Balor vs Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush. Confusingly enough, the Strowman-Corbin "No DQ" match was nowhere to be seen. As WWE was not-so-subtly continuing to highlight before the match, Balor could win the title by pinning Lio Rush, even though he isn't the current champion... ...What do you think happened? Bobby Lashley to Lio Rush right now #EliminationChamber pic.twitter.com/L4bNFGbIc1 — SW (@SliceWrestling) February 18, 2019 Ha Ha Ha Ha!!! 😅😅 Bobby Lashley just lost his #ICTitle to Finn Bálor, thanks to Lio Rush!!! #EliminationChamber — Tonya Pozey (@TonyaPozey) February 18, 2019 Yes, Balor won and Lashley absolutely destroyed his hype man Lio Rush with a brutal spinebuster after the final bell, much to the chagrin of the Houston crowd. After the Balor win, we got an interview with Charlotte Flair where she got to point at the WrestleMania sign and try and generate some heat, patting herself on the back for hurting Becky Lynch in a house show. "My reflection gives me all the love and approval that I need," she tells the Houston crowd to a spattering of boos. The crowd held a lot of "Free Becky" signs which surely were not planted at all. Charlotte's going to sit ringside for this one, she tells us -- could Becky be in the arena again, even with her crook leg? We will see. Time for the Raw Women's Championship match and a lingering question: Where the heck is Strowman and Corbin? Rousey comes out decked in Sonya Blade gear, because she is the voice of the character in the new Mortal Kombat game and of course this is the perfect opportunity to show that off. To be honest though -- it's a look. One that everyone seemed to enjoy. Sonya Blade Ronda is awesome. And no goofy eye make up.#EliminationChamber — Las Vegas Fight Shop (@LVFightShop) February 18, 2019 Can she please please PLEASE, keep this look~! #WWEChamber #EliminationChamber — Edward Loredo (@Edinsanantonio) February 18, 2019 Ronda looks badass with that gear!!! #EliminationChamber — Rose (@RoseNavarro) February 18, 2019 and they finally gave Ronda an outfit that doesn't invite a wardrobe malfunction #EliminationChamber — hehateme2012 (@hehateme2012) February 18, 2019 Ronda Rousey giving us some Sonya Blade vibes. Her best outfit yet. And no clown makeup either. #EliminationChamber — Ashley (@ashleypvris12) February 18, 2019 Rousey wasn't messing around either -- she locked in her armbar submission and had Ruby Riott tapping in short, short time. Which meant there was plenty of time for the suspended Becky Lynch to show up... in crutches. She promptly used the support devices to beat the ever-livings out of Charlotte. Rousey just enjoyed the show. Until Becky turned on Rousey, too. The crowd was absolutely living for it. BECKY JUST GOING FOR IT #EliminationChamber — Please Delete Florida (@champoforlando) February 18, 2019 Apparently the Baron Corbin v Braun Strowman match IS still on. Michael Cole on commentary says we are trying to refocus but, really, this match cannot follow Becky's one-legged revenge crutching. Strowman vs. Corbin was lights out. As in, the crowd's lights were out, as we all fell to sleep. Strowman did catch a chair pretty successfully, but I was distracted by WWE tweeting about Finn Balor's championship and washboard abs. Oh yeah, Drew McIntyre is now running with Baron Corbin and we should have seen his entrance -- and Bobby Lashley's -- coming. The duo took to trying to end Strowman with an assortment of dining room devices as Corbin recovered. They set up a double table spot for Baron Corbin to take the W. Kind of glad that one is over, to be honest. Not really sure this rivalry has anywhere to go so, is it over? Where are the Wyatts? Why are there so many questions? We come back to a massage room scene with Shane McMahon and the Miz were the Miz gets really upset that he lost. He throws some stuff off the table. This friendship headed for a Mania 1v1 Hell In A Cell match where Shane can fall off the edge onto the table and go out on his back? Look, probably.<doc-sep>I cannot remember the last time WWE did failure as well as they did at Elimination Chamber. Kofi Kingston shined in the Gauntlet Match last week on SmackDown Live. So much so, in fact, that the fans immediately rallied to his cause. He’s been in WWE for 11 years and he’s never held a major title. And if you listened to the crowd at Elimination Chamber, they clearly had something to say about that. It’s time. Kingston entered the match third and had a scare early when Samoa Joe caught him in a Coquina Clutch. He tried to counter into a pin attempt, but Joe rolled through and kept his submission locked in. Kingston had to quickly try another counter and barely slipped away. Luckily, AJ Styles was there with a Phenomenal Forearm to eliminate Joe from the match. From there, Kingston lingered on the outskirts of the fight. Daniel Bryan eliminated Jeff Hardy with a Busaiku Knee. Randy Orton caught Styles with an RKO. Kingston appeared once more to fell Orton and the crowd finally lost its mind. It had felt like Kingston’s loss was inevitable until that point, you know? But once Kofi reached the final two and was squaring up with a man he had just defeated five days ago, hope soared back into the picture. Houston went into a frenzy and this match got so damn good. Credit first to both guys. Both Bryan and Kingston were in tune with how emotional that moment was and they did the right thing by leaving all the “pretty” wrestling by the wayside. The final minutes of this match were grisly, brutal, and nerve-wracking. Kofi hit Bryan with his best shot. He kicked out of Bryan’s finisher, wormed his way out of a LeBell Lock, and did everything he could to survive the Champion. Unfortunately, he took one risk too many and couldn’t survive a second Busaiku Knee. That was my favorite moment of this match, if you’d believe it. Bryan had delivered a sneering diatribe before the match claiming that the fans needed him. Now, the crowd was silent. And in that moment of defeat, Xavier Wood and Big E raced to the ring and clutched their friend. Big E said “We love you. We love you.” They picked Kofi back up, and so did the fans. They chanted his name as he left the Chamber and Woods used the fans to encourage Kofi even more. “That’s for you! You did that!” This shouldn’t be the end of Kofi’s title chase, in my opinion. In fact, it should be the beginning. Because after this past week, WWE, I’m not sure I’d be happy with any other WWE Championship match at WrestleMania other than Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston. This was fantastic. Sasha Banks’ turn to carry Bayley has had to carry the workload for a few weeks now in her matches since Banks has been injured. At Elimination Chamber, that script got flipped. I wasn’t a fan of this match until about halfway through. Everything felt so obviously contrived and the wrestling was sloppy. “Hey, let’s put all the heel teams in first to beat up Bayley and Sasha while leaving Nia Jax until the end!” It just makes me tune out until things get good. Luckily, things picked up once Naomi and Carmella entered the Chamber. Naomi got a chance to corner Mandy Rose, but her tunnel vision allowed the IIconics to eliminate her team. The IIconics had a moment to preen, but once Jax and Tamina joined the match, they cowered in a Chamber pod. It didn’t go so great for them. The Riott Squad got taken out by Jax and Tamina as well and everything felt completely predictable in that moment. We were going to continue on in this vein until only Bayley and Banks remained, right? Well... And then Jax crashed through a Chamber pod and knocked herself out. The remaining teams scrambled to team up on Tamina and all four women stacked on top of her to get the pin fall. From there, we got two cool storytelling moments to end the match. They did a callback to Banks kicking Bayley off a Chamber pod in last year’s match. That was awesome. We also got Banks having to go it alone once Bayley got rammed into a steel support beam. Banks was working with an injured wing, but still found a way to escape the Chamber with the titles for her team. I thought that was great! Any other option than the Boss and Hug Connection was going to feel hollow to me, so I’m glad they won. I think WWE did a wonderful job with the storytelling at the end as well – which is COMPLETELY overdue considering how poorly both Bayley and Banks have been booked in the past year. The match wasn’t stellar but that’s fine, to be honest. The Man’s Back Well that didn’t take long, did it? Ronda Rousey had a title match against Ruby Riott but who cares, really? It was a short affair and one more notable for Rousey’s new ring attire than anything else. Charlotte Flair was at ringside being a delightfully annoying troll, and decided to step into the ring after Rousey’s match to try to intimidate her WrestleMania opponent. ...What? And no one invited The Man? The camera panned to the Becky Lynch working her way through the crowd on crutches. And if you’re one for foreshadowing, she was essentially dressed as Uma Thurman from Kill Bill. Not that you really needed foreshadowing, considering it’s The Man we’re talking about. Lynch got in the ring with her crutches and stared both women down before beating the ever-loving hell out of Charlotte with a crutch. Rousey watched on impassively for a minute before Lynch offered her a go at Charlotte. And Rousey? WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING ACCEPTING THAT OFFER? As soon as Rousey picked up a crutch and reared back to swing, Lynch beat the Raw Women’s Champion to a pulp as well. Lynch’s crutch shots were vicious; she bloodied both women with them before being led out of the arena by security. I’m glad that WWE didn’t wait long to return Lynch to our televisions. I’ve mentioned that Raw’s been severely lacking in fire power and I’ll take Kill Bill Becky any day of the week. I’d imagine Vince McMahon’s opening the show on Raw to fume over this result. The Rest The Usos def. The Miz and Shane McMahon for the SmackDown Live Tag Team Championships – Now this is pretty interesting in the context of the story being told. Going into this match, the Usos claimed that the the Miz and McMahon weren’t a TRUE tag team. Well here’s their first dose of adversity. After dominating for a large portion of their match, the Miz hit Jimmy Uso with a Skull Crushing Not-So-Finale. Miz went for a lazy cover and Jimmy took the opportunity to roll Miz up. The greatest tag team in the world just got got. Miz was in shock, of course. In a match where Shane McMahon went diving through every surface that he could to secure the victory, Miz lost it with a lazy pin attempt. After sitting there with his head in his hands for a moment, Miz went out of the ring to collect his red-faced partner and help him to the back. I thought the match was pretty fun, but I’m honestly more interested in the story that gets told moving forward. Finn Balor def. Lio Rush, Bobby Lashley for the Intercontinental Championship – Can we take a second to marvel over how completely Balor dominated Lashley and Rush for three straight weeks? Rush’s claim that Lashley was as good as Lesnar was always ridiculous, but damn... Dasha Fuentes planted a seed of doubt in Lashley’s mind before the match that Rush could end up being the weak link and that’s exactly what happened. Rush tagged himself in in a moment of bravado and then Balor hit him with a whirlwind of offense and stole Lashley’s title. Lashley was understandably pissed. And in a moment of anger, he took it out on Rush. I’m not sure that moment constitutes a breakup, but I was glad for the character progression. Lashley needed it after Balor ran circles around him in this feud. Of course I say that until... Baron Corbin def. Braun Strowman – The potty break of all potty break matches. I’m not exactly enthused that Corbin, Drew McIntyre, and Lashley seem to be teaming up again. Buddy Murphy def. Akira Tozawa – Cruiserweight wrestling is such an exciting spectacle and both these guys are so good. So why does WWE make viewing them so inconvenient? I’m hoping they get a show on Fox whenever the new TV deal kicks in. I’ve griped in a few of my more recent reviews that WWE’s not been delivering big moments on the way to WrestleMania. I cannot say the same for Elimination Chamber. We got some awesome moments and the show rocked because of it. Grade: A- Also THIS is how long a show should be, WWE. Not six hours like Royal Rumble.<doc-sep>
Ready for ALL the eliminations? Elimination of fear? Self-doubt? Deep-rooted sadness? Well, we can't promise any of that, but a bunch of damn wrestlers are sure as hell going to be eliminated at WWE Elimination Chamber tonight - and the first-ever WWE Women's Tag Team Champions will be crowned! Will the titles go to Fire & Desire? The Boss & Hug Connection? Nia and Tamina? The Iiconics? All will be settled when six tag teams cram into the Chamber and duke it out for dominance. Plus, will WWE capitalize on Kofi's amazing SmackDown Live gauntlet match showing, and the overwhelming fan support that woke from its dormancy this past week, and push him to the top? Or will the New Daniel Bryan and his Hempchampionship reign supreme? Oh, also blah blah Randy Orton, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and Jeff Hardy. But really - Kofi and Bryan, amirite? Lock it in here all night long for hot takes and hot cakes. All the match results and insta-reactions. I'll also be live-tweeting over at @TheMattFowler, if you're so inclined. Will Becky Lynch show up, despite having been suspended two times in the span of a week? Will Asuka ever be on TV again? Will Kofi come out to "S.O.S.?" (which would be amazing!) Let's find out. Together. WWE Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy vs. Akira Tozawa (Kickoff Match) First off, for those who caught the Kickoff Show, can we talk about how negative the Kickoff Show panel (save for Beth Pheonix) was toward Becky Lynch? She's hugely popular and could easily be someone to lead WWE into the future, against the tide of new competitors, and they're all like "Becky Lynch was an idiot. She gets what she deserves. She has no business doing anything." The hell is all that? Whatever. There was a Kickoff match. Tozawa vs. Murphy. Excellent match, in spite of the fact that they cut away, picture-in-picture, halfway through for a New Day interview. But Buddy Murphy is definitely a star. Again, I'm not a regular watcher of 205, but I know enough to recognize that no one's beating Murphy until there's a big stage, like a WrestleMania. Crowd was also way into it, so we may have a hot horde tonight. This was nuts too. Winner, and still Cruiserweight Champion: Buddy Murphy Elimination Chamber Match to crown the Women's Tag Team Champions Nice freakin' work here! Superb and emotional Chamber match. Sure, things got uncomfortable for a little while when Carmella came in and got booed (Google it...I guess), but everyone looked amazing here. It really helped build each of these duos up as a solid team (except Fabulous Glow, I suppose). The two other SmackDown teams especially needed this since none of them had to qualify for the match. Even though the Iiconics were a tag team for so long with no division to be a tag team in. And Nia and Tamina coming in to clean house? Amazing. Especially the duel whipping of Billie and Peyton into the chain walls! And Nia crashing into that pod? Brutal. Also, who knew it'd come down to Boss & Hug vs. Fire & Desire? I guess it makes sense, since it's a team from each brand, but still - nice pairing! They've never crossed paths before. And even though the worst thing about Mandy Rose is Corey Graves calling Mandy Rose matches, I'm glad she got this spotlight. And, man, Sasha kicking out of Mandy's finisher? Out of your seat moment, right there. So much drama! Banks modifying her Bank Statement because of her injured shoulder? Incredible! CONGRATS! AND COREY EVEN APOLOGIZED AND ATE SOME CROW AFTERWARDS! Winners, and first-ever WWE Women's Tag Team Champions: Sasha Banks and Bayley! SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Miz & Shane McMahon vs. The Usos Another really good match! Much better that McMiz's first match, against The Bar, when they won the titles. Shane almost killed himself as usual. The two of them gelled more as a team, which was also part of the story really. And their loss to the Usos felt like a "big" moment. Especially after Miz announced at the top of the match that he and Maryse were pregnant with their second child.