WWE Elimination Chamber live results, news & recap

Preview by Joseph Currier

Raw’s biggest remaining stop on the road to WrestleMania takes place tonight as the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada hosts Elimination Chamber.

We’re looking for your thoughts on tonight’s show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

The show, which is the final Raw-exclusive pay-per-view, will feature two Elimination Chamber matches. The men’s match has Braun Strowman, Elias, John Cena, Roman Reigns, The Miz, Seth Rollins, and Finn Balor facing off for the right to challenge Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. And the women’s match has Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defending her title against Sasha Banks, Bayley, Mickie James, Mandy Rose, and Sonya Deville.

A contract signing with Ronda Rousey is also scheduled. It will be Rousey’s second appearance since joining WWE.

Asuka vs. Nia Jax is set as well (with Jax getting added to the Raw Women’s title match at WrestleMania if she wins), Matt Hardy will face Bray Wyatt, and Titus O’Neil & Apollo will challenge for Cesaro & Sheamus’ Tag Team titles.

The pre-show has Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson taking on Curtis Axel & Bo Dallas. Our coverage begins with that match before the main card kicks off at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

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By Dave Meltzer

LUKE GALLOWS & KARL ANDERSON VS. CURTIS AXEL & BO DALLAS

Typical preshow match.  So-so match ending when Axel was pinned by Anderson after the magic killer. 

They cut right to The Revival after the match so it looks like they are back working with Gallows & Anderson.

WOMEN’S ELIMINATION CHAMBER MATCH FOR WOMEN’S TITLE:  ALEXA BLISS VS. SASHA BANKS VS. BAYLEY VS. SONYA DEVILLE VS. MANDY ROSE VS. MICKIE JAMES

Bliss retained the title.  They went almost 30:00 and it was fine, just a normal match but really long.  It definitely dragged early on but got better toward the end.  The biggest spot was James coming off the top of a pod with a Thesz press on Deville to pin her.  Banks probalby looked the best of anyone.  It opened with Bayley and Deville.  The eliminations were Banks beating Rose with the bank statement.  James pinned Deville with the Thesz press off the pod.  Bayley pinned James with the Bayley-to-belly.  Bliss pinned Bayley after La Magistral cradle.  And then Bliss pinned Banks after a draping DDT.

Renee Young interviewed Bliss.  Fans are chanting “You deserve it” and she said thiank you.  Heels in 2018.  Bliss said this was for every little girl or woman in the audience who ever dreamed big, this is for all of you.  This proves you can be whatever you want to be.  Dare to dream and dream big.  Then she said the reality is none of you will ever accomplish any of your dreams.  And then the fans cheered that.  She said the odds were against me and I still won.   

Braun Strowman did an interview saying he was going to win and make Brock Lesnar his pet beastie boy and win the chamber.

SHEAMUS & CESARO VS. TITUS O’NEIL & APOLLO FOR THE TAG TEAM TITLE

Sheamus & Cesaro won with a double-team white noise on Apollo after Cesaro chop blocked him.  Decent match.  

Andre the Giant HBO documentary trailer was shown.  

ASUKA VS. NIA JAX

Jax played monster most of the match.  Asuka won but hardly was put over.  Kind of kills the streak gimmick.  Jax threw her around the entire match and Asuka reversed a power bomb into a front rolling cradle.

Jax attacked her after the match and threw her out of the ring.  Ja totally no sold her offesne after the mtach and therw her intothe post.  She tackled her through the barricade.  That spot always gets over. 

Bliss did an interview and said “No one is ready for Alexa.”  The gimmick is that Jax hurt Asuka so Bliss will have an easier time with her.

Roman Reigns interview.  He said Paul Heyman works ten days a year and then waddles out.  Reigns said he’s going to Mania and beating Lesnar and winning the champoinship.

MATT HARDY VS. BRAY WYATT

This is the night of okay matches.  It was pretty much what you’d expect it to be.  Hardy got out of the Sister Abigail and Hardy hit the twist of fate for the pin.  The crowd was into the match at the end after crapping on it the entire way, paying no attention to a beach ball in the crowd and doing “Rusev Day” chants.

RONDA ROUSEY SEGMENT

It started with Kurt Angle, Stephanie and HHH coming out.  HHH looked tired.  HHH said he has scoured the world to get the elite athletes.  He said this was the best athlete signing since Kurt Angle.  HHH put her over like crazy.  He said she paved the way for young women athletes all over the globe and called her the baddest woman on the planet.  Rousey came out all smiles.  She didn’t get a big initial reaction but nobody booed.  Michael Cole put it over like it was a standing ovation.  She put over Angle winning an Olympic title.  Some fans booed her talking and they were drowned out by a big chant for her.  She seemed pretty relieved because you could see she was nervous.  She almost cried.  Then they showed Cain and DC chanting for her.  She tried to endear herself to the crowd by mentioning Roddy Piper.  She said he was the inspiration for her MMA career and coming here and said he wants to do him proud and I want to earn the fans’ respect.  HHH said she didn’t want anything special in the contract.  HHH said she wanted no special travel and no private cars.  They said she will be competing at Mania.  That got cheers.  HHH said she wouildn’t be in a championship match.  Rousey said she didn’t want to be given a title match.  She wanted to earn it.  She was about to sign when HHH and Angle were arguing in the background.  She noticed it.  She asked if Kurt wanted to say soemthing.  Kurt said he’s in awe of HHH and Stephanie, saying they’re brilliant.  Kurt said thehy’ve been talking about you as long as he’s been back.  Angle said they couldn’t wait to have you because they wanted to manipulate you for them what you did at WrestleMania 21, and then said 31.  He said HHH told himn this is three years in the making and now we own the bitch.  HHH told Kurt to shut up.  Said this isn’t about us.  Rousey started with her death stare at this point.  HHH said Kurt isn’t feeling well, he was hosptialized with the flu and is having a relapse and he’s going to get Kurt  to the doctor.  Stephanie did a great job of carrying this.  Stephanie said they have been talking about her since WM 31, you did embarrass us but you also impressed us.  Stephanie said you are one of the greatest fighters in the world and we’ve been wanting you.  Kurt said didn’t you tell me Ronda was a has-been and even you could take her.  Stephanie looked stunned.  Ronda had the death stare and went after Stephanie.  HHH came in and got in between them.  Ronda got in HHH’s face.  Rousey suplexed HHH through a table.  The crowd popped for that.  Stephanie freaked out and slapped her.  Stephanie got in her face.  Crowd was really hot for Ronda’s stare at Stephanie but Stephanie bailed out.  That was smart.  They shouldn’t touch now.  Rousey then signed the contract.

MEN’S CHAMBER MATCH:  THE MIZ VS.  BRAUN STROWMAN VS. JOHN CENA VS. ROMAN REIGNS VS. SETH ROLLINS VS. FINN BALOR VS. ELIAS

Elias came out and did his routine.  

Roman Reigns won the match pinning Strowman after two spears.  The story of the match was Strowman was a monster and actually pinned everyone with a powerslam.  He pinned Miz first, then Elias, then Cena, then Balor and finally Rollins. After the match, Strowman came back and powerslammed Reigns.  He gave him a second powerslam.  Then he threw him through a gimmicked pod.  Obviously this was the best match on the show, because it ws pretty much a one match and one angle show.