-- 2/21 WWE Elimination Chamber PPV Reax

MS of Los Angeles, Calif. (6.5): Best Match: Both Chambers, maybe Raw was better. Worst Match: The Divas. As soon as I saw that the WWE Title match would open the event (wassup wit dat), I knew Cena would be the first to make their entrance and last to enter the match. Not very surprisingly, I was 100 percent right with my guesses. Cena losing the title to Batista right after his match was the creative team's "creative" way of handling the fact that Bret Hart can't compete in a singles match. Vickie Guerrero screaming wasn't very entertaining and I didn't even know she's still on the payroll. I was disappointed with "Boringtyre" retaining the Intercontinental Title. I think the Raw Chamber was more entertaining, but I very much liked the Smackdown Chamber as well. The truth, however, is that just like Hell in a Cell, this concept won't be a success without blood. Ironically, the only blood on the PPV came in a non-Chamber U.S. Title match. I loved how HBK cost Taker the main event and Jericho hiding from Undertaker during the match was pretty funny. The announcers still weren't very good. I'm sick of Matt Striker's metaphors and Michael Cole was okay only because of Jim Ross giving him advice.

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (6.0): Best Match: Smackdown Chamber. Worst: Kane vs. Drew. Smackdown's Chamber was better than Raw's in the technical aspects, though both found some new spots to work in. Wedging Kofi's head into the space of the chain-link "fencing" was definitely different. That said, Smackdown's suffered somewhat with Morrison way underselling his ankle injury before the Flying Chuck spot and a moment of "lost concentration" that didn't fit the match. I could understand if the Divas Title match had delayed because LayCool had disrupted it, but it makes zero sense that a Smackdown authority figure has any booking power whatsoever to re-book a Raw match. NXT got a lot of love tonight, from Regal's promo to Miz's randomly made U.S. Title match. The whole fuss over Miz-Bryan could do wonders to elevate both Miz and Danielson, and maybe even NXT as a concept. On a side note, it was weird creative logic to think that MVP "cashing in" his non-title tag match win as a U.S. Title match wouldn't bother Mark Henry. Unless they still get a title match soon, it didn't make any sense. Drew vs. Kane was an unmitigated train wreck with a purely random origin. Oppositely, Batista crashing Cena's post-win party made complete sense. In the process, though, Sheamus got a fair burial. It's sad because his loss suddenly is no big deal in comparison to Cena's, and Sheamus was really making strides in and out of the ring. Has he grown on me? Not really, but he didn't deserve this. It must mean something in terms of a character being over when the bulk of the Sam's Town crowd got up to show Punk love for his preaching by giving him the double Austin salute. Edge-Jericho looks etched in stone, and that I don't have a problem with. Michaels-Taker II is also set, but every vibe I'm feeling for this match is negative. It will always be looked down even if it surpasses the original. If this is booked as Shawn's last match, it's telling the wrong story: that his legacy means nothing without this one singular win. If somehow it's booked as a double-loss in a career vs. career match, what then of WWE? Two retirements close together would be bad enough, but two simultaneously? Plus, why wasn't Teddy Long there? Wouldn't he have been there to protect his Chamber match and Taker's title defense, and put his rank foot down with Vickie? Did he have no statement for Shawn for being superkicked?

Jordan Johnson of Muncie, Ind. (7.5): The Elimination Chamber PPV was good. I wouldn't say it was great, but good. Orton being eliminated first in the Raw Chamber was surprising, but it set up the rather obvious Legacy match at WM. Kofi has never really clicked with me, and hopefully his main event push is over with. I'm all for fresh, new matchups, but this attempt at a push was a failure. Sheamus getting pinned was a legit surprise to me. I can't even describe how little I care when Triple H and John Cena are fighting each other. When they main evented Raw, I turned it to women's college basketball! Anyway, I figured Hunter would win to set up Hunter-Sheamus at WM, so Cena winning was again a surprise to me. While Batista beating Cena after John won the Chamber match was a repeat of a few years ago when Edge did it, I was a fan of the switch focusing on Batista's renewed persona. Kane vs. McIntyre...yawn. Kane may be the most underutilized wrestler of the last decade. He's at Mick Foley's level right now as far as wins over him meaning nothing anymore because everyone beats him. Are they going to stretch out the Gail Kim-Maryse feud until WM? It sure looks that way. MVP vs. Miz dragged at times. Time to elevate Miz to main event status. This once hot feud is now filler material. Who should ShowMiz fight at WM? Maybe R-Truth/Morrison? I was surprised to read about Taker catching on fire. I hope he's all right. The Smackdown Chamber was a predictable match with a predictable finish. I was interested to see how far R-Truth was going to go, and I figured his success in this match would be a great indicator of how far they might let him go. Well, that was answered quickly when he was eliminated three minutes into the match. Morrison was the standout wrestlers with all those bumps on the steel. With Morrison being in the final three and getting in some good offense on Taker, it looks like they are ready to give him that main event push. Glad to see Jericho hold the title again, even if it's just for a month. How ironic was it that HBK helped Jericho, of all people? Can't wait for WrestleMania.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "WWE PPV Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on the PPV, click here.

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