PWTorch Roundtable Question - Should WWE make changes to their February PPV in-between the Rumble and WrestleMania? Or, should WWE keep the Elimination Chamber PPV the way it is?

Shawn Valentino, PWTorch specialist

I love the concept of the Elimination Chamber match, but I am conflicted about the idea of having the PPV right before WrestleMania. At the very least, they should narrow it down to one Chamber match on the show. I believe that was Prowrestling.net editor Jason Powell's idea, as well, with the idea to compete for a shot at the other championship that the Royal Rumble winner is not going after. I do not like the two main titles changing hands this soon before WrestleMania. The belts are meaningless enough as it is, but it really takes the shine off of a potential Mania title change if it is exchanged such a short time before.

I would not mind if they eliminate the February PPV altogether and really focus on a strong build to Mania for two months. They could just have Elimination Chamber replace one of the other secondary shows later in the year, and make it for a top title. WWE is doing numerous things wrong, but one of their main problems has been the weakening of the main prizes that the wrestlers are fighting for. If they start eliminating, pardon the pun, some of the meaningless belt switches, then the entire product will benefit as a result. (Read Valentino's Magic, Memories, and Mania column during WrestleMania season.)

Charles Cress, PWTorch Doctor of Funk--wait, where did Brodus Clay go? specialist

The Royal Rumble is WWE's annual wild card. Everyone can win and make their dream come true. In that respect, it's a lot like American Idol, but with fewer chubby Justin Biebers and 200 percent more orange people with the same weird haircut. The problem is that all the good fortune the Royal Rumble (and American Idol to a degree, if I'm going to extend this analogy. And, really, have I ever met an analogy I didn't extend till it broke like an old Stretch Armstrong?) builds up is immediately washed away when you realize that, while the Rumble gives you a free pass to WrestleMania, if you have good skin and trend a lot on Twitter, you get another try in the Elimination Chamber! Like the top five in American Idol, you only need a good showing in the Rumble to be drafted into WWE's annual Chamber/lottery. And, since there are two Chambers, that's twice as many people that get to clutch a WrestleMania dream, as do Idol's fame hounds after their yearly tour. Even Santino Marella can enter WrestleMania as champion this year. (Theoretically, of course. Santino would be Casey Abrams from Idol if we are going to continue to beat this narrative to death - which we are.)

The main problem with the Chamber is that it allows the winner to possess the title belt, not just a chance at the belt. This basically makes the Royal Rumble an exercise in futility, especially if you are an upper level guy. Why wouldn't you be like "F this Rumble, I'm going to eliminate myself early and get ready for the Chamber?" While the Chamber serves a purpose for the writers as a giant Deus Ex Machina, it hurts the product by taking the common sense out. And, if wrestling doesn't have its logic, then what does it have? ...I'm kidding. Wrestling never had logic. But, having a reboot button doesn't help the consumer. After all, if the writers know they can take a mulligan like an eight-year-old playing mini golf, then why play it smart? They might as well try bouncing off the block, hitting the side rail, and completing the half circle for the ill advised hole-in-one instead of smartly lining themselves up with the bump. I'd prefer that the Chamber didn't exist, if only to force the writers to think things through better. Oh, and something, something American Idol. Narrative complete. +2 Writer points for me. (Read Cress's Alphabet Soup humor column after each week's Raw and Smackdown.)

Anthony Beckingham, PWTorch Review specialist

The answer to WWE’s long-running February PPV problem is simple: make the Elimination Chamber match for the final WrestleMania main event/title match spot. Ideally, I’d change it to one Chamber match because they run the risk of diluting the novelty (see: Money in the Bank) and because there’s not nearly enough talent to maintain 12 spots anymore. This would work so well and would not overshadow the Rumble if WWE were not so insulting with its ostensible surprise booking. “I’m so angry with you, the only way to settle this feud is with a tables match! Conveniently, the next PPV is TLC."

From the beginning of the year, WWE could talk about all three PPVs (Rumble, Chamber, Mania) as one whole. The Rumble wouldn’t be the last chance to main-event Mania, but no one is not going to take it seriously because any one of 30 competitors could win it. Then, as punishment for those who fail, only six of the best will be chosen to enter the Chamber for the very last chance. And, boy, with it being a grueling structure of sadistic satanism (and did we mention it weighs two tons, which is apparently a big deal, even though it’s never dropped on anyone), the person who makes it out in one piece will be deserving of their Mania position. Have people in January talk about wanting to win the Rumble because they want to get the choice of which champion they face and they don’t want to put themselves through the violence of the Chamber. Then, in February, all eyes turn to the desperation of people who will do anything to get to Mania.

I have a final notion that would never happen and may annoy some people, but I’ll throw it out there. Because I’d want to put the Top 6 in the Chamber, but without either champion or the Rumble winner, I would not have a World Title match at this PPV, both to not dilute the Chamber competitors and also to make it absolutely final that there’s no other way to get to WrestleMania’s main event. I know this is risky, so I have a plan to offset the potential buyrate decline. I would make it so that each year WWE would also have a World champion vs. WWE champion match as the penultimate match (and this would never happen because the only way to sell it would be for it to only happen one time per year). It would have to be carefully booked so close to Mania, but could enhance a heel champion or build tension between the Rumble winner and his chosen opponent. (Read Beckingham's regular Shimmer DVD reviews.)

Jon Cudo, PWTorch specialist

I will make two assumptions before answering: They won't drop it, and they would want to keep it Elimination Chamber... I think Elimination Chamber is a solid theme, and I think one Chamber match to determine the challenger for the other Championship (the one the Rumble winner does not choose) can make this match feel important and special. I would personally keep the champion out of the match and probably off the PPV.

Using only one Chamber match on the PPV would make it feel more special, and I think that is enough to hold the integrity of the PPV name. I also would fill the undercard with some alternate matches that just won't make WrestleMania, with the focus on presenting a card that won't compete with Mania. Obviously, the challenge is to make the PPV feel important. With my intended changes, you might have card that looks like this:

- Kofi, Jericho, Miz, Truth, Ziggler, and Del Rio in an Elimination Chamber match to be C.M. Punk's challenger at Mania with Punk ringside on commentary. (I would also have Sheamus say he wants the Heavyweight Title shot already.)
- Kane vs. Cena.
- Tag Team Title match: Epico & Primo vs. a team (it's absurd that WWE is so weak here).
- IC Title match: Cody vs. Booker T.
- U.S. Title match: Swagger vs. Brodus.
- Divas Title match: Beth vs. Kelly Kelly (with a Kharma run-in)

With a need for something a little more on the PPV, I'd probably try to be creative with a non-title Daniel Bryan match with Sheamus at ringside. Or, as a last resort, add Henry, Show, Bryan, Khali, Barrett, and another to a Chamber match, but not have the title at stake (suggesting that Bryan-Sheamus is already signed). Again, the focus would be on setting the Mania card, without giving it away those matches. Enhance the Chamber by making the winner mean something without having the two major titles defended with the reason that the WrestleMania card has been signed. (Read Cudo's weekly True - False - TBD column reviewing top items in the news.)

George Chiverton, PWTorch specialist

Having the luxury of reading the first batch of Roundtable responses, I can now appear hideously well-rounded in my answer. Justin James absolutely nailed the reason why the Elimination Chamber is an excellent PPV: the "anyone can win" element of the Rumble combined with a low body count, which keeps the action flowing, makes for an excellent match. I should add that the opportunity for great spots that the structure offers can make for some really unique moments (Bill Goldberg utilized the pod's plexiglass to really get over his power and dominance in 2003).

Furthermore, the Elimination Chamber offers a less-PG WWE PPV to the extent that WWE can sell it as a brutal match, and it actually comes off that way. Compare this to the Hell in a Cell PPV, where Undertaker-Mankind is still the go-to match for clips to advertise, and WWE can usually rely on the Chamber to provide a good and unrestricted match.

However, I felt Nathan Kyght was spot on, too, in his analysis that the placement of the Chamber after the Royal Rumble cheapens the advantage that the Royal Rumble brings. How is it that Sheamus (as of writing this) has the same opportunity of owning the World Heavyweight Championship as Santino? Well, at least he earned his opportunity. The other competitors were just selected at random by Teddy Long. How is that fair when Sheamus had to apparently fight through the hardest match of his career to be granted the same opportunity?

In terms of whether there should be a PPV or not, I'm for it. WWE is not good at long PPV build at the moment, and having a break between the Royal Rumble, WWE offsets the final push for WrestleMania and creates a longer period of speculation for the Mania card which, for me, is all part of the fun. In conclusion. PPV around this time? Yes. Make it the Elimination Chamber? No. Instead, use a less gimmicky PPV, and utilize the Elimination Chamber as a way of bolstering another PPV such as Summerslam or Survivor Series. Elimination Chamber could essentially be utilized as a second Royal Rumble to bolster the importance of another PPV. (Read Chiverton's NXT weekly rankings & evaluation column every Wednesday.)

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