Date: February 23, 2004
|Venue: Target Center |City: Minneapolis, Minnesota
|Attendance: 14,101 |Buys: 183,000

|tweet me: @BastionBlogger

The final stop on the road to Wrestlemania is upon us and the main event will be an Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship. Randy Orton will be defending the title against five men who qualified for the match. First John Cena, Sheamus and Daniel Bryan beat The Shield to qualify and this was followed by wins for Cesaro over Dolph Ziggler and Christian over Jack Swagger to complete the line-up. Randy Orton was then instructed to wrestle a gauntlet of sorts, wrestling each of his Elimination Chamber opponents, one of every show on the roads to Elimination Chamber. Randy lost to Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Sheamus and Cesaro but beat Christian.

The winner of the Elimination Chamber match will go on to defend the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against the winner of the 2014 Royal Rumble match, Batista. But Batista doesn’t avoid action tonight as he goes one on one with Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio has targeted Batista since his return and although he failed at eliminating him from the Royal Rumble, Del Rio looks to break Batista’s arm tonight to stop him from going on to Wrestlemania. Last week on Raw Batista hit the Batista bomb on Alberto through the announce desk so it’ll be interesting to see what condition Alberto Del Rio is in tonight. There will also be a match between former tag team partners tonight as Titus O’Neil battles Darren Young. Titus turned on Darren after a loss on Smackdown and has since claimed that he carried the team for the past 18 months and Darren Young is the reason they have lost so much.

There are two other title matches tonight. A fatal four way match between Jack Swagger, Rey Mysterio, Mark Henry and Kofi Kingston would determine a number one contender to the Intercontinental Championship held by Big E and it was Jack Swagger that won the match. The Usos will get a WWE Tag Team Championship shot against The New Age Outlaws following weeks of requesting a match. The Outlaws finally accepted the challenge. The Usos go into tonight’s match looking for their first ever pay per view victory. It looked like Naomi was going to get a WWE Divas Championship match against AJ Lee tonight but after Naomi got injured at the hands of Aksana the match is now up in the air.

There is one other match tonight and it’s a big one. Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns will be in a six man tag team match against Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan. It’s The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family. It all started when They Wyatt Family attacked John Cena in the six man Elimination Chamber qualifying match which causes a disqualification victory for Cena’s team. The Shield were not happy that they lost by DQ and therefore out of the Elimination Chamber main event. A war of words has ensued and a six man tag team match set up for tonight.

On the Elimination Chamber kick-off show Cody Rhodes and Goldust defeated Ryback and Curtis Axel.

The show kicks off with a video package and it’s all about the Elimination Chamber match and the prize at stake. Who will main event Wrestlemania?

Michael Cole welcomes us to Elimination Chamber 2014, we’re kicking off with an Intercontinental Championship match!

Big E (c) vs. Jack Swagger – Intercontinental Championship match

This is a first time PPV match between these two men. Big E makes his Elimination Chamber PPV debut tonight whilst Jack Swagger is 2-0 at this event. Zeb colter runs down the crowd and Big E before the match, he is of course in the corner of Jack Swagger. This is a third PPV title defence for Big E. He forces Swagger into the corner in the early going as the crowd chant “we want Ziggler”. Swagger hits a right hand and then knocks down Big E with a shoulder charge. Big E fires back with a shoulder tackle of his own and Swagger exits the ring. Back in the ring and Swagger hits some right hands but Big E hits him with two belly to belly suplexes and then a shoulder charge in the corner. Again Swagger exits the ring and the crowd aren’t happy. Big E follows and beats Swagger off the ring steps. Zeb colter then gets in the face of Big E who doesn’t stay distracted for long. Big E hits a shoulder charge on Swagger and then rolls him back into the ring for a two count.

Jack Swagger exits the ring again and pulls Big E out with him before knocking him down with a big clothesline. Back in the ring and Swagger gets a one count on the cover. Swagger lays in some knees and then hits a clothesline for a two count. Swagger applies a modified full nelson but Big E fights his way out of it before running into the boot of his challenger. Swagger hits a leg drop for a two count and then applies a front facelock. Big E powers out of the facelock and both men then clothesline each other down to the mat. Big E has won every one on one singles match he’s wrestled on PPV. Swagger sidesteps a shoulder charge and then rolls Big E up for the first near fall of the night. Big E fires up with an elbow and kicks before hitting a belly to belly. Swagger manages to hit a spinebuster for a near fall. Swagger tries to leapfrog Big E but Big E catches him. Swagger falls down to the apron and Big E hits him with a big spear through the ropes and to the outside!

Back in the ring and Big E hits a big splash for a near fall before heading to the top but Swagger hits him with a right hand before hitting a top rope belly to belly for a two count. Swagger then locks on the patriot lock! Big E manages to kick him off and the two men slug it out. Swagger looks for a gut wrench but Big E fights him off. Big E then attempts a clothesline but Swagger kicks him in the gut. Swagger then runs into a clothesline. Big E pulls down the straps but Swagger takes him down and locks the patriot lock back on! Big E hits a big enzeguri and then the big ending for the three! Big E wins the match and retains the Intercontinental Championship! Decent match to kick things off!

Rating: 6/10

After the match Bad News Barrett rises up on his podium. And I’m afraid he’s got some bad news. Barrett says that Russia has won more medals than USA at the Olympic Games.

Byron Saxton is backstage with Daniel Bryan. Bryan isn’t 100% and expects to be a target tonight but will he do everything he can to win the match and main event Wrestlemania? Yes!

The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg & Billy Gunn) (c) vs. The Usos (Jey & Jimmy) – WWE Tag Team Championship match

This is a first time tag team match between these two teams. The Usos are still looking for their first ever PPV victory nearly four years since their PPV debut. It’s an Elimination Chamber PPV debut for all four men involved. Billy Gunn starts the match against Jimmy Uso. Billy starts the match with a headlock and then takes down Jimmy with a shoulder charge. Billy hits a reverse elbow and then celebrates with Road Dogg. Gunn hits a big right hand but Jimmy hits a drop toe hold, a couple of arm drags and a hiptoss before attempting a superkick but Billy Gunn scarpers out of the ring. Road Dogg gets involved but Jimmy gets rid of him. The Usos look to hit suicide dives but put the brakes on when the New Age Outlaws gets out of the way. Billy Gunn tags in Road Dogg and Jimmy tags Jey. Road Dogg attempts a headbutt but hurts himself.

Jey Uso hits a big uppercut and then a big boot but Road Dogg hiptosses Jey hard into the corner. Road Dogg hits a guillotine and crotch chops Jimmy Uso. Road Dogg then throws Jey out of the ring and Billy Gunn lays him out with a clothesline. Billy Gunn is the legal man now and he rolls Jey back in the ring and gets a two count. Billy tags in Road Dogg and hits some kicks for a two count. Jey hits a big kick to the face and then tags in Jimmy! Road Dogg tags in Billy Gunn but Jimmy hits him with kicks and sit-out atomic drop. Jimmy then disposes of RoaD Dogg and hits a Samoan drop on Gunn. Road Dogg pulls Billy Gunn out of the ring but Jimmy Dives out at Road Dogg! Billy Gunn then nails Jimmy with a clothesline and rolls him back into the ring. Billy attempts the fame-asser but Jimmy counters and hits a superkick for a near fall.

Jimmy Uso heads to the top but Gunn gets up to his feet. Jimmy jumps over Billy and then superkicks Road Dogg of the apron. Gunn then rolls up Jimmy Uso for the three! The New Age Outlaws win the match and retain the Tag Team Championships! The Usos PPV streak continues! I enjoyed this match. Two of the best tag teams of all time.

Rating: 6.5/10

Bad News Barrett is back but this time he isn’t elevated. Barrett tells the Daniel Bryans fans that Daniel Bryan will not be winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tonight and the yes movement will cease to exist.

Michael Cole sells the WWE Network which launches tomorrow.

Darren Young vs. Titus O’Neil

This is a first time match between these two former tag team partners. Both men make their Elimination Chamber debuts tonight. Titus O’Neil gets the early advantage with a cheap shot and then applies a headlock. Darren Young gets out of the headlock but Titus clubs him down to the mat. Darren Young applies a headlock but Titus launches him off the ropes and hits a shoulder knockdown. Titus hits a knee to the middle section but then runs into a forearm. Darren Young hits a low dropkick and then clotheslines O’Nil out of the ring, going out with him Foley-style. Young rolls Titus into the ring and then heads to the top and hits a big clothesline for a one count. Darren Young hits an uppercut but Titus reverses an Irish whip which sends Young all the way out of the ring. Titus rams his former tag team partner into the ring post and then rolls him back into the ring for a one count.

Titus O’Neil applies a bear hug but Darren Young elbows his way out of it. Young attempts a cross body but Titus catches him and hits a back breaker before tossing Darren aside. Titus applies an abdominal stretch, slapping him across the chest as he does. Darren Young fights his way out of the abdominal stretch but Titus hits him with a splash in the corner. Titus misses with a shoulder charge and then runs into Young’s boot. Darren Young hits some right hands and an uppercut before hitting a knee lift, a clothesline and a back body drop. Young lays in some mounted right hands and Titus rolls out to the apron. Young follows and hits a neckbreaker on the apron. Hardest part of the ring. Young gets a two count and then sets Titus up on his shoulder but Titus slides down, hits a kidney shot and then the Clash Of The Titus for the three! Titus O’Neil picks up the big win tonight! Not a bad match.

Rating: 4/10

Bad News Barrett is back and talks trash about the Minnesota electricians as his podium won’t raise up. Barrett says that it was announced on WWE.com that Hulk Hogan will be hosting Wrestlemania but he doesn’t compare to Bad News Barrett.

The kick-off panel is Josh Mathews, Rey Mysterio, Mark Henry and The Miz. We see some footage from the pre-show with Cody Rhodes and Goldust beating Curtis Axel and Ryback. Mark Henry is proud of Titus O’Neil tonight. The Miz was impressed with the Intercontinental Championship match. Rey Mysterio says that The New Age Outlaws have still got it.

There’s a video package next showing the recent history between The Shield and The Wyatt Family.

The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose) vs. The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper & Erick Rowan)

This is a first time meeting between these two factions. The Shield won their match at Elimination Chamber last year whilst The Wyatt Family make their Elimination Chamber PPV debut tonight. Bray Wyatt goes into this match undefeated on pay per view. The crowd chant “this is awesome” before the match has even begun. Bray Wyatt dares a pacing Dean Ambrose to make a move. The crowd break out in duelling chants. Dean Ambrose then dives at Bray Wyatt and all hell breaks loose. The Shield clear the ring of the Wyatt Family. Erick Rowan gets in the ring to start the match against Seth Rollins. Rollins rolls around the ring to avoid Rowan before hitting a dropkick. Roman Reigns tags in and he and Rollins kick down Rowan in the corner. Rollins tags back in as they keep Rowan in The Shield corner. Rowan knocks down Rollins and tags in Luke Harper. Harper hits a big uppercut and then stares out Ambrose and Reigns.

Luke Harper headbutts Seth Rollins and then tags in Bray Wyatt. Wyatt hits right hands and elbows but Rollins slides through his legs and tags in Roman Reigns. Reigns gets the first shots in, right hands and headbutts. Wyatt hits an uppercut of his own but then runs into Reigns elbow. Roman gets a one count on the corner and Wyatt hits him with a big right hand. Luke Harper tags in and attempts a suplex but Reigns counters and hits a suplex of his own. Reigns tags in Dean Ambrose for the first time in this match. Ambrose hits right hands and keeps Luke Harper in The Shield’s corner. Rollins tags in and hits a flying forearm before tagging in Roman Reigns who hits a right hand for a one count. Reigns tags in Dean Ambrose who hits a running dropkick for a one count. Rollins tags in, hits a headbutt and then tags in Dean Ambrose. Ambrose hits a big boot and then a flying elbow before getting distracted by Rowan which allows Harper to hit a dropkick.

Luke Harper tags in Bray Wyatt who hits Dean Ambrose with right hands. Wyatt hits a headbutt and then a big splash in the corner. Wyatt tags in Rowan who hits a powerslam and a knee drop. Rowan then applies pressure hold, ramming his fists into the side of Dean Ambrose’s face. Rowan then hits a sidewalk slam for a two count. Rowan tags in Luke Harper after hitting a headbutt. Harper and Ambrose exchange chops and Harper then hits a suplex for a two count. Ambrose hits a singing neckbreaker and then tags in Seth Rollins who hits a running dropkick on Harper and then lefts and rights. Rollins heads to the top rope and has to kick away Erick Rowan who tries to get involved but that distraction allows Luke Harper to go up with Rollins and try a top rope German suplex but Rollins lands on his feet, clotheslines Harper out of the ring and hits him with a suicide dive.

Seth Rollins his a flying standing knee drop to Harper. Harper gets back into it with a. boss man slam and then tags in Bray Wyatt who knocks Seth out of the ring and hits him with a senton. Wyatt rolls Rollins back into the ring and pins him for a two count. Wyatt tags in Rowan who clubs away at Rollins and hits him with a big powerslam. Rowan hits a kidney punch for a two count as a “we want tables” chant breaks out. Luke Harper tags in and hits a big boot to Rollins before landing uppercuts and a splash in the corner. Harper catapults Rollins into the middle rope and then tags in Bray Wyatt who hits a headbutt and then applies a chinlock. Wyatt runs into a big boot but catches Rollins who flies off the middle rope and hits him with an enzeguri. Wyatt gets a two count as Dean Ambrose breaks up the cover but Luke Harper disposes of Ambrose. Wyatt tags Harper into the match and he lays the boots into Rollins. Rollins manages to get to his feet and hits an enzeguri.

Rollins tags in Roman Reigns and Harper tags in Rowan. Rollins hits Rowan with a clothesline and then a Samoan drop before hitting right hands. Luke Harper saves his partner, throwing Reigns out of the ring but Reigns runs round and dropkicks Rowan. Reigns hits a side slam on Rowan and Bray Wyatt saves his partner. Dean Ambrose lays into Bray until Harper makes the save. Harper hits a suicide dive on Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins then dives out at Harper. Rowan misses with a splash in the corner and Reigns rolls him up for a near fall. Rowan and Reigns then clothesline each other down to the mat. Rollins smashes Harper off the ringpost on the outside and Rollins then takes apart the Spanish announce table! Wyatt attacks Rollins from behind but Dean Ambrose helps out his Shield brother. Ambrose clotheslines Wyatt over the barricade and they fight through the crowd.

Rowan and Reigns slug it out in the ring and Rowan throws Reigns into the ringpost. Reigns hits a clothesline from nowhere for a two count. Rollins and Harper go at it on the outside and Rollins hits Harper with a monitor. Bray Wyatt then reappears and takes apart the announce desk. Wyatt lays Rollins on the announce desk as Rowan hits Reigns with a fallaway slam sending him out of the ring. Rowan and Harper then get up on the announce desk and throw Seth Rollins through the Spanish announce table! Reigns is alone in the ring now and the Wyatt Family surround him. Reigns tries to fight them off but the numbers are too much. Luke Harper officially tags into the mat and throws Rowan into Reigns before hitting a big boot. Harper tags in Bray Wyatt who sets up for Sister Abigail but Reigns fights out of it. Wyatt hits a couple of headbutts but Reigns hits a Samoan drop. Roman disposes of Harper and Rowan ands then hits Wyatt with a superman punch.

Roman Reigns sets up for a spear on Bray Wyatt but Luke Harper gets in the ring and Reigns spear Harper! Bray Wyatt then hits a cross body on Reigns and hits him with Sister Abigail for the three! The Wyatt Family win the match and Bray Wyatt remains undefeated on pay per view. Great match between these six men.

Rating: 8.75/10

Renee Young is backstage with Christian who has lost matches recently to Daniel Bryan, Sheamus and Randy Orton. Christian says it won’t matter when Christian wins tonight. Christian is desperate and that makes his more dangerous than he has ever been.

AJ Lee is out and it’s announced as a WWE Divas Championship match. AJ gets on the mic and says that she is the longest reigning Divas Champion of all time. AJ doesn’t care who her opponent is tonight because she’s beaten everyone. Naomi was supposed to be her opponent but she broke her face!

AJ Lee (c) vs. Cameron – WWE Divas Championship match

Cameron is out to replace Naomi! It’s a first PPV singles match for Cameron. Both girls make their Elimination Chamber PPV debut tonight. It’s a great opportunity for Cameron. Cameron throws her pom poms at AJ. Cameron hits a snapmare in the early going and gets a one count. Cameron hits a schoolboy for another one count and then mocks AJ. AJ hits an elbow and then a legdrop for a one count. AJ fires back with a kick and then pins Cameron for a two count. AJ hits a neckbreaker for a two count as Tamina watches from the outside. AJ applies a dragon sleeper but Cameron elbows her way out of it. AJ takes down Cameron by her hair and then hits an Irish whip. AJ shows Cameron how to skip and then misses with a splash on the corner. AJ rolls up AJ for a two count and then hits a couple of clotheslines. Cameron hits a low dropkick for a two count and then a Lou Thesz press.

AJ manages to dump Cameron out of the ring as a “CM Punk” chant breaks out. AJ mocks Cameron and gets up to the apron but Cameron pulls her head first down to the apron. Tamina then gets involved and looks to superkick Cameron but Cameron moves and Tamina nails AJ! Poor timing, it looked like Tamina purposely hit AJ. Cameron rolls AJ into the ring and pins her but Tamina puts AJ’s foot on the bottom rope. Cameron then looks to hit a baseball slide on Tamina but Tamina moves and nails Cameron with a clothesline! This referee calls for the bell! Cameron actually wins this match by disqualification! But AJ is still the Divas Champions! AJ doesn’t look too pleased with Tamina. But she leaves with the title.

Rating: 3.75/10

Bad News Barrett is back and he’s got even more time to deliver bad news. Barrett says there will be so much good content on the WWE Network that people will forget to go to work and school and they will be fired or expelled. Nobody will clean and rats will move in. It’s a downward spiral anyway.

Santino is backstage playing with what looks like lego wrestlers. Emma show sup and calls him out on it. The Great Khali and El Torito show up. As do Los Matadores. They all thanks Santino for the invitation.

Batista vs. Alberto Del Rio

This is a first time meeting between these two men. Batista is 1-0 at Elimination Chamber events whilst Alberto Del Rio is 2-0. Batista is out first and when Del Rio makes his entrance he limps down on a crutch and is wearing a neck brace! Alberto grabs a microphone and blames Batista’s attack for his condition tonight. Del Rio says he is unable to compete tonight but then cheap shots Batista with the crutch! Del Rio lays into Batista with the crutch and then rips off his tracksuit and neck brace. The bell rings and Batista goes right to work with right hands and boo’s break out. Del Rio hits a big boot and throws Batista into the ringpost to cheers. A “Boo-tista” chant breaks out. Del Rio applies a cross-arm breaker through the ropes and the referee breaks it up. Alberto lays in the boots as a “Daniel Bryan” chant breaks out. Del Rio then works away on the left arm of Batista as a “CM Punk” chant breaks out.

Batista hits some forearms but Del Rio takes him back down by the arm. Batista avoids a shoulder charge in the corner and then hits one of his own. Del Rio hits a takedown and then a stomp from the middle rope. Del Rio hits a running enzeguri for a two count and then baseball slides Batista out of the ring. The crowd chant for Lesnar as Del Rio rolls Batista back into the ring. Batista hits a spear for a two count and then two clotheslines before looking for a powerslam but Del Rio counters with a backstabber for a two count. Alberto heads to the top but Batista rolls out of the way of a senton. Batista then hits a spinebuster and looks for a Batista bomb but Del Rio counters with a chopblock and then a kick to the face for a two count. Del Rio motions for a cross-arm breaker but Batista shoves him away and then hits a Batista bomb for the three. Batista beats Alberto Del Rio tonight in a match that crowd shat all over.

Rating: 3.75/10

There’s a black history month VT featuring Tony Atlas and “Soulman” Rocky Johnson.

Back to the kick-off panel where The Miz has predicted Daniel Bryan to win the Elimination Chamber match, Mark Henry thinks Sheamus and Rey Mysterio believes Cesaro will take the victory.

There’s a VT for the main event.

Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus vs. Christian vs. Cesaro – Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship

As Elimination Chamber PPV records go, Randy Orton is 0-3, John Cena is the only man to have wrestled on every Elimination Chamber PPV, he’s 3-2 at the event, Daniel Bryan is 1-1, Sheamus is 0-3, Christian actually makes his debut at Elimination Chamber tonight and Cesaro is 1-0. The first four men out are John Cena, Christian, Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan which means Sheamus and Cesaro kick off the match. Randy Orton has never won in his previous five Elimination Chamber matches. Sheamus gets distracted in the early going by Christian which allows Sheamus to hit him with a dropkick. Sheamus gets back into it with a clothesline but Cesaro hits an uppercut. Cesaro back body drops Sheamus to the outside but Sheamus fires back in with a big shoulder charge.

Sheamus hits a neckbreaker for a one count and then a running knee before clotheslining Cesaro to the outside. Sheamus hits ten clubbing blows to the chest and a clothesline before attempting a suplex but Cesaro puts the brakes on. Cesaro sends Sheamus into the ringpost and then goes up to the middle rope and hits a stomp. Cesaro hits some uppercuts and right hands. Sheamus hits some kicks and pulls himself up to the top rope but Cesaro hits him with another uppercut and a headbutt. Sheamus pushes Cesaro to the mat and hits a flying shoulder tackle.

Daniel Bryan enters the match. Bryan comes in with a missile dropkick to both men. He’s bandaged up and hits Cesaro with a knee and then kicks to Sheamus. Bryan flips over Sheamus and then hits him with a big clothesline. Bryan hits kicks to both opponents and then a drop toe hold to Sheamus. Bryan applies a submission move to Sheamus and then bridge pins Cesaro at the same time. Bryan attempts a cross body but Cesaro catches him and hits a backbreaker for a two count. Sheamus turns his attention back to Cesaro and knocks him down with a clothesline. Cesaro throws Daniel Bryan though a pod. Sheamus hits a rolling senton on Cesaro. Sheamus heads to the top just as we expect a new superstar.

Christian enters the match. And straight away he shoves Sheamus off the top rope. Christian then goes to work on Daniel Bryan and specifically his injured shoulder. Christian goes up to the middle rope and hits a armbar takeover on Daniel Bryan for a two count. Daniel Bryan hits some kicks but misses with a running dropkick. Sheamus then rams Christian into the chains before looking to ram him head first but Christian counters with a slam. Cesaro looks for a swing on the outside but Christian kicks him away. Christian looks for a hurricanrana on Cesaro but Cesaro catches him and launches him into a pod before hitting him with an uppercut for a two count. Cesaro goes back to work with Sheamus, hitting him with a gut wrench suplex on the outside.

John Cena enters the match. We’re told the number five spot has had the most winners. He picks up Christian and attitude adjustments him into Cesaro. Cena heads to the top but Daniel Bryan goes up with him and hits a top rope hurricanrana. Bryan hits Cena with kicks but Christian attacks Bryan from behind and hits the killswitch for a near fall. Cesaro looks to swing Christian but Cena breaks it up. Cena then motions for a five knuckle shuffle but Sheamus attacks him from behind with white noise for a two count. Cesaro and Sheamus slug it out. Christian hits a pendulum kick on Sheamus and Cesaro sets Sheamus up for the neutraliser but Sheamus counters. Christian hits Cesaro with a tornado DDT but Cena attacks Christian from behind and throws him into the cell. Cena hits a shoulder tackle on Cesaro but Cesaro counters a second with a big uppercut for a two count. Daniel Bryan, John Cena and Cesaro slug it out amongst themselves and Cena sets Cesaro up for the attitude adjustment but Daniel Bryan lays out Cena with kicks. Sheamus throws Bryan into the side of the chamber as Randy Orton watches on. Cesaro hits a huge superplex on Sheamus for a two count.

Randy Orton enters the match. Orton takes shots at everybody laid out as a “boring” chant breaks out. Orton poses and then looks to punt Daniel Bryan but Bryan rolls out of the way. Cena, Bryan and Sheamus corner Orton who runs back into his pod. Sheamus stares into the pod but for some reason can’t get in. Sheamus brogue kicks the pod, smashing through the glass and pulling Randy out. Sheamus clotheslines Orton back into the ring where Cena hits a side slam on the WWE Champion. Cena hits the five knuckle shuffle on Orton but Cesaro throws Cena out of the ring. Cesaro then swings Randy Orton round and round! Daniel Bryan disposes of Cesaro but Sheamus takes out Bryan. Sheamus slams Christian and then motions for a brogue kick but Christian moves and Sheamus hits Cena. Christian rolls up Sheamus for a two kick and then pins Cena for a near fall.

Sheamus looks for a crucifix powerbomb on Christian but Christian climbs up the chains and on to one of the pods. Sheamus climbs to the top turnbuckle and Orton goes up with him and hits a superplex. Christian then dives off the pod onto Sheamus and pins him for the three! Sheamus has been eliminated. Mark Henry’s pick to win is gone. Orton looks for a hangmans DDT on Christian who counters with a back body drop. Daniel Bryan hits a running knee on Christian for the three! Christian has been eliminated. Four men left in. All four men stand off until Cena and Cesaro pair off and Daniel Bryan hits Randy Orton with kicks. All four men battle to the outside where Cena throws Cesaro into the chains and Daniel Bryan does the same to Orton. Cena and Bryan face off and exchange kicks. Bryan tries to lock on the yes lock but Cena counters. Cena sets up for an attitude adjustment but Cesaro hits a German suplex on Cena for a two count. Cesaro boots Orton but turns around into a drop toe hold from Cena. Cena looks for an STF but Cesaro counters. Cena then hits a hurricanrana and an attitude adjustment to the outside.

Cena drags Cesaro back into the ring and locks on the STF. Cesaro taps out! Cesaro has been eliminated. Three men left and you could have predicted it. Orton looks for an RKO on Cena but Cena counters and locks on the STF! Bray Wyatt’s music then hits and The Wyatt Family are in the chamber! Harper lays out Bryan with a boot and all three Wyatts then go after Cena, beating him down in the corner. Harper hits Cena with a big clothesline and Wyatt hits Cena with Sister Abigail! The Wyatt Family leave and Orton covers Cena for the three! John Cena has been eliminated. We’re down to Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan. The director of operations, Kane then comes out to send The Wyatt Family to the back. Kane then gets in the chamber and sees to John Cena but Daniel Bryan comes off the top and hits Kane with a knee. Orton sends Bryan through a pod and then looks for a superplex but Bryan counters and ties Orton up in a tree of woe before hitting him with kicks and a few baseball slides.

Daniel Bryan hits a side superplex for a near fall and then heads to the top but Orton crotches him. Randy hits a hangmans DDT and then motions for an RKO but Bryan pushes him away and hits a running knee! He hooks the leg but Kane drags the referee out of the ring! Bryan kicks Kane in the face but turns around into an RKO! Orton hooks the leg but Bryan kicks out! Bryan rolls Orton up out of nowhere for a two count and then kicks the WWE Champion in the head. Kane then hits Bryan with an uppercut and Orton hits an RKO for the three! Randy Orton wins the match and retains the WWE Championship! A great main event.

Rating: 8.25/10

And that was Elimination Chamber 2014. It felt like a real mixed bag. There were some very good matches, some average ones and a couple of stinkers. But overall it was an above average show. It started well with Big E beating Jack Swagger. This was a decent match between two good hands. Big E won cleanly which will put an end to this rivalry. Sometimes I like a routine title defence, it elevates the champion and championship. I’d expect Jack Swagger to go back to tagging with Cesaro. The New Age Outlaws then beat The Usos in a result that surprised me. Jimmy and Jey just cannot get a win on pay per view. It’s nearly four years since their PPV debut and they are yet to pick up a win. I thought the Outlaws title reign would be a short, nostalgic one but the reign continues. There are a lot of good tag teams in the WWE at the moment so maybe we’ll get some sort of multi-team match at Wrestlemania.

Titus O’Neil beat Darren Young next. This match wasn’t the best but it wasn’t terrible. This match could have gone either way but Titus has a lot of charisma and maybe he’ll go on to have the better career. The Prime Time Players story is similar to the Cryme Tyme story a few years ago and neither man went on to do much so I hope it doesn’t continue to replicate that. The Shield and Wyatt Family were up next and their match was fantastic. I really enjoyed this match. Lots of action. I expected The Shield to win this match so was fairly surprised when They Wyatt Family won. The Shield are starting to show cracks so I do wonder that after 18 months, their stable could be coming to an end. I was also surprised to see Roman Reigns take the fall as he has been booked so strongly as of late.

AJ Lee then beat Cameron. This was a good rub for Cameron who wouldn’t have been booked to wrestle on this show if Naomi hadn’t have been injured. So it was a good opportunity for her. The match wasn’t great but better than anything we would have seen three years ago. Cameron isn’t polished yet but she has a lot of charisma and will make a great heel at some point. It looks as though they may be heading in the direction of an AJ Lee vs. Tamina match at Wrestlemania. Batista beat Alberto Del Rio next in a match that the crowd shat all over. The live crowds are not buying Batista as a babyface, especially as Daniel Bryan isn’t in the main event. This match wasn’t as good as it could have been and the crowd reaction really didn’t help. A 2005 Batista vs. 2011 Alberto Del Rio match would have been a classic but this wasn’t as good as it could have been.

In the main event Randy Orton retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. There were a lot of different stories in this match. I liked that all six men got into the ring before there were any eliminations. There’s a good sub-plot between Christian and Sheamus and it was Christian that eliminated Sheamus from the match. Cesaro hit his awesome swing on Randy Orton but was eliminated by Cena. The Wyatt Family would then re-emerge and help eliminate john Cena from the match. We’re definitely heading for John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt at Wrestlemania. Randy Orton then beat Daniel Bryan, with a lot of help from Kane, to pick up the victory. Are we heading for Daniel Bryan vs. Kane at Wrestlemania? I suppose it would end the story of Team Hell No. I think the crowd will shit all over Randy Orton vs. Batista so it’ll be interesting to see where this story goes.

Overall Rating: 58.57/100 (ranked joint 144th out of 299)

Match Of The Night: The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family
Worst Match Of The Night: AJ Lee vs. Cameron / Batista vs. Alberto Del Rio
Surprise Of The Night: The New Age Outlaws beat The Usos
Worst Booking Of The Night: Cameron beats AJ (by DQ)
Superstar Of The Night: Randy Orton
Elimination Chamber 2014 Will Be Remembered For: The battle between The Shield and The Wyatt Family