Elimination Chamber 2010 Review

Image via WWE

With Elimination Chamber just around the corner, I thought I'd take a look back at the first Premium Live Event with the name "Elimination Chamber". A show that many people may have forgotten about but still holds up to date as a very easy and compelling watch. With a run time of 2 hours and 40 minutes, the five-match card produces two average mid-card titles bouts a forgettable women's tag match, plus two must-watch chamber matches which had me on the edge of my seat.

WWE Championship Elimination Chamber Match

The event kicks off with Monday Night Raw's chamber match for the WWE title. Champion Shemaus starts the match in the ring with the now-veteran Kofi Kingston. In the pods are the Game Triple H, John Cena and Legacy members Randy Orton and Ted Dibiase Jr. Sheamus and Kofi have a very fun five-minute period with heavy blows from the Celtic Warrior and Kingston's high-flying offence being a great opposing style to the brute strength that Sheamus possesses. The next man to enter the ring is the king of kings, Triple H, to a massive ovation from the crowd in St Louis, Missouri. When the chamber opens, he has a devious grin on his face that creates tension between him and the Irishman, which, now we know, leads to their singles match at Wrestlemania 26. Kofi Kingston hits a huge Boom Drop from the ring to the steel floor on Triple H before Randy Orton enters the chamber. The match hits a boiling point with the Apex Predator taking over, and things get from bad to worse for the field when his Legacy teammate Ted Dibiase Jr comes out next. The two take control of the match, including Orton delivering a second rope-hung DDT to Triple H on the steel, the duo become the last two standing and staring down the final pod, which John Cena is in. Cena explodes out of the pod, taking out the faction members. He hits Orton with his vintage comeback, five-knuckle shuffle signature and an Attitude Adjustment to Dibiase to even the playing field. After Orton takes control of the match again, the third member of Legacy and future American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes, comes to the ring and passes a steel pipe through a hole in the cage for Orton to use. But Dibiase grabs the pipe and strikes Orton whilst he is on Cena's shoulders before covering him for the first elimination of the match. A truly shocking moment as the apprentice takes out the master, with the crowd going silent in shock. Moments later, Dibiase is hit with a trouble-in-paradise kick from Kofi Kingston, who covers him for the three counts, but a version of Razor's Edge from Sheamus gets Kofi out of the match as well, leaving three superstars left. After more offence, Sheamus looks to be on course to retain his Championship, but out of nowhere, he is hit with a low blow and a pedigree from a very tired Triple H, who pins him to guarantee a new WWE Champion. With both men exhausted from a nearly 40-minute chamber match, John Cena capitalises and locks in the STF submission move on Triple H, who is forced to tap out. John Cena winning the Elimination Chamber made him an eight-time World Champion at the time of the event.

John Cena v Batista - WWE Championship

In a shocking turn of events, John Cena cannot even get to his feet before the music of Mr McMahon hits the speakers. He announces that John Cena is going to Wrestlemania... if he can defend his Championship against the animal Batista. Batista makes his way to the ring and gets in the ring with Cena, who can barely stand after the Elimination Chamber match. The bell rings and Cena smacks the taste out of Batista's mouth with the smile which was once on his face soon turning into a disgusted look as he spears Cena to the floor. One Batista Bomb later and we have a new WWE Champion.

Drew Mcintyre v Kane - Intercontinental Championship

The next scheduled match on the card is for the Smackdown mid-card title, pitting the Chosen One Drew Mcintyre vs the Big Red Machine Kane. Looking at Drew Mcintyre in the present day compared to 2010, it is hard to think that it's the same person, however, Broken Dreams is still his superior theme song! A mostly nothing 10-minute match with multiple rest holds and clubbing blows from both men. Kane was able to get the upper hand in the closing stages with a jumping clothesline from the top rope, but just before he can land the Chokeslam, Mcintyre is able to stick his thumb into the eyes of the monster whilst the referee's back is turned and hit the future shock DDT to retain his championship.

Layla and Michelle McCool v Gail Kim and Maryse

A match in the middle of the card shows how far the women's division has come in the last 15 years in the WWE. The original match for this show was meant to be the finals of the Divas Championship tournament, but it got changed on the fly when Gail Kim and Maryse were about to square off. The annoyingly high-pitched voice of the Smackdown general manager, Vicki Guerrero, entered the ramp, creating a tag team match, and out came LayCool(Layla and Michelle McCool). It is very hard to connect with this match due to the weird booking of the two finalists now having to work together because they talked poorly about the other brand's division. After three minutes of forgettable action, Michelle McCool hits her version of the Styles Clash on Gail Kim to pick up the victory. Maryse lays out Kim after the contest to set up their match for the Divas title down the line.

Edge and William Regal Segment

As a break up from the action, England's own William Regal comes out to the ring to promote WWE's newest show, NXT, which back in 2010 was more of a game show than the third brand of the promotion. After demanding respect from the locker room and the crowd, he is interrupted by the Royal Rumble winner Edge. After announcing that on the next episode of Monday Night Raw, he will make his decision on which champion he will pick to face at Wrestlemania 26, he spears William Regal and leaves the ring.

The Miz v MVP - United States Championship

After the break in action, it's time for the Raw mid-card championship bout with the A-lister the Miz against MVP, both men being accompanied by their tag team partners Big Show and Mark Henry, respectively. This match came to be after MVP picked up a win against the Miz on Raw, leading to this match. A more fast-paced match encounter to the Smackdown alternative, with MVP starting the stronger of the two with multiple strikes in the corner before The Miz can get himself back into the matchup, catching his opponent in midair and connecting with both his knees into the chest of MVP for a two count. The Miz is able to slow the pace down and control the match with big moves connecting like his DDT and running corner strike. MVP counters Miz and lands a belly-to-belly throw from the top rope, turning the match on its head and leading to a close two-count. After it looks like MVP will take advantage and capture the US title, Big Show pulls The Miz out of the ring, causing Mark Henry to step in. After landing a punch, he runs to the world's largest athlete, who sidesteps him. Henry crashes through the barricade, and with MVP distracted, Miz gets the attention of the referee, leading to Big Show landing his infamous right hand, knocking out MVP and The champion getting the three count to retain his title.

World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber Match

The main event of the show was the second chamber match of the evening for Smackdown's biggest prize, the World Heavyweight Championship. The four pods were filled by Rey Mysterio, John Morrison, Chris Jericho and the champion, The Undertaker, who notably got burnt badly by a pyrotechnic error and rushed his way down to the ring instead of doing his iconic slow-moving entrance that he is known for. The match starts with the Straight Edge Society's CM Punk, who comes to the ring with a microphone saying the line, "It's not me locked in here with you, it's you locked in here with me". The straight-edge character is arguably Punk's best career work, his compelling character carried the Smackdown brand when it was predominately known as the B-show. Punk is cut off just before he can finish talking by the charismatic R-Truth, who sings his theme, "What's up!". A back-and-forth three minutes go by, with Truth slingshotting Punk into the cage on the outside before leaping off the top rope and colliding with CM Punk again. However, after getting back up, CM Punk quickly hits the GTS to eliminate R-Truth before anyone else can get into the ring. The next man to enter the fray is the master of the 619, Rey Mysterio, who uses his high-flying offence to floor Punk multiple times. After a brutal spot where Mysterio is sent head first into a pod door, the luchador capitalises after a hurricanrana to the steel and a springboard splash to CM Punk, eliminating him as well. The third entrance is Chris Jericho, who nearly immediately gets hit with 619 by Mysterio before Jericho can turn things around and drop him onto the steel. After a trade-off of submissions, the rockstar John Morriosn saves Rey Mysterio from tapping out by taking out Jericho. A flurry of offence from all the superstars in the ring ends with Morrison landing his finisher Starship Pain on Mysterio, eliminating him and leaving three superstars left. The final man to enter the match is The Undertaker, who takes out everyone, landing snake eyes and a leg drop on Jericho whilst also clotheslining Morrison to the outside of the ring. A double chokeslam is countered into a double suplex to stop the ongoing pressure from the Deadman. An amazing dive from the cage from John Morrison makes us think for a split second that a massive upset is on the cards, but a chokeslam to the steel from Taker stops Morrison in his tracks, and he is eliminated, leaving The Undertaker and Chris Jericho. Jericho lands a superplex and counters Hell's gate to lock in the Walls of Jericho. Undertaker gets out of the submission but he eats a codebreaker for a very close nearfall. Undertaker lifts Jericho and connects with a Last Ride Powerbomb, but when he rises to his feet and hits his taunt, Shawn Michaels appears from underneath the ring and hits Sweet Chin Music to the absolute shock of the crowd. Chris Jericho capitalises on the turn of events and wins the World Heavyweight Championship. The show ends on a cliffhanger, with HBK standing over the lifeless body of the Phenom.

Thoughts

Elimination Chamber 2010 is an overall fun show carried by the two-chamber matches at either end of the event. The different dynamics of the matches made them both different and distinctive. Although the three matches in the middle of the card did feel like filler, the opener and main event make this show a very enjoyable rewatch.