WWE Elimination Chamber had the potential to be the night before Wrestlemania where everything started again. A brand new beginning for WWE before it hit its stride on the Road to Wrestlemania. Did WWE take its chances where it failed to spot them before, or did it simple do what it’s now become famous for, and ignore all and sunder and carry on regardless of what had to be done?
From the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana this was Elimination Chamber 2013.
WWE Championship Match
(c) The Rock defeated C.M Punk
Perhaps it was too much to ask of WWE after all. The Rock vs John Cena at Wrestlemania 29 was always going to be too much of a money earner for WWE to scrap its plans and put the title back on Punk. A clear message was sent to the man who carried the company during the entire course of 2012 and that message was that you may be good enough to carry the company when we need you to do it, but you’re not good enough to carry the company when the Rock and John Cena can earn us more money. If I was C.M Punk I know what I’d be telling WWE right now but then again I’ve never had a great tolerance for people who didn’t appreciate the efforts of others.
Seeing as WWE already had the graphic of the Rock and John Cena ready made for Wrestlemania, then it always a forgone conclusion who was going to win this match, just as it was who was going to win the Royal Rumble last month. It’s a real shame because Punk has worked so hard and a triple threat match pitting the Rock vs C.M Punk vs John Cena at Wrestlemania 29 has so much more potential than another Rock vs Cena match, that whilst it will have the full backing of the company and that special feeling again because it’s at Wrestlemania, will most probably be a let down in the ring once again.
The Rock doesn’t have the capability anymore to carry another man in a match. That’s not to say that he’s a bad wrestler after so long in Hollywood because the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber have proven that statement to be utter rubbish. But there comes a certain time when a wrestler has been away from the spotlight for long than needed where he loses the knack to carry a wrestler. The Rock used to be able to carry anyone he was asked to, this was never more evident than at Survivor Series 2000 when the Rock carried his cousin Rikishi to a damn fine effort. Now though, that certain talent has all but left the Rock and he needs an opponent of equal quality to be able to have a good match. I think we can all agree that John Cena isn’t that man, especially after last year’s match was such a mess.
Sadly though, there’s nothing we can do about it now. Destinies have been cast and ships have sailed and are on their way to Wrestlemania 29. Like it or not, the Rock and John Cena will clash again on the grandest stage of them all unless WWE see sense and insert Punk into the match between now and Wrestlemania, which I believe they have no intention of doing. When you think about it, Wrestlemania has proven the Royal Rumble to be a complete cop out and lie in the past few years. The winner of the Royal Rumble match is meant to go to the main event of Wrestlemania yet last years Royal Rumble winner had to take his shot down the card and make way for John Cena and the Rock in the main event. Notice only when John Cena wins the Royal Rumble does the winner of the thirty man over the top rope elimination match actually get the intended spot. But then we know WWE values John Cena more than anyone else on its roster.
We can only hope that after his epic WWE Championship victory C.M Punk is rewarded with a high profile match at Wrestlemania 29. With the Undertaker due to return to WWE to begin hyping his appearance at Mania then one can only cross his fingers and pray that WWE book Punk to fight the Undertaker. It is the next logical step for Punk to take and really the only one available to WWE. Over the course of the last year Punk has fought everyone that matters and none have but the Rock have managed to defeated him on pay per view at least. To have Punk fight someone he’s already battled on PPV in 2012 would diminish the spectacle of the match and the outcome would be all but telegraphed. Again.
C.M Punk and the Undertaker have done battle before, Hell in a Cell and Bragging Rights 2009 were both very good matches and you only have to wonder what the pair could pull out when it really matters. As stated before, the whole respect angle has to be brought into the fray now and if WWE are clever, they’ll play on it after C.M Punk’s double loss to the Rock. The prefect set up for a match would be for Punk to come out on Raw in the next few weeks and preach about respect. Drop another pipe bomb about how he carried the company for a year and didn’t get one morsel of respect for it. He could then turn the tables on the Rock and lambast the company for making him drop the Championship to a man who only wrestles part time and for no other reason than for Vince to line his pockets at Wrestlemania once again. That would be dynamite if scripted and executed properly.
After several weeks of going on about how he wants to be respected, the Undertaker would then ideally come out and tell Punk that if he wants respect then he’s going to have to earn it. The implication that he hasn’t earned it already would anger many, but it’s the only logical way WWE could progress. The statement would outrage Punk and he would then accept Undertakers proposal for a match at Wrestlemania. It's an easy transgression for Punk, from the WWE Championship picture to another feud. It won't be a seamless swap though, seeing as Punk has been in the WWE Championship picture continuously since November 20th 2011. Now he doesn't have the strap around his waist anymore, it's one that needs to happen so WWE can concentrate on the Rock and John Cena.
What happens to the WWE Championship after Wrestlemania 29 is something we shall cover after the event has taken place. It’s safe to say thought that the Rock will once again depart WWE which leaves John Cena without a credible challenger. WWE have once again failed to build a suitable challenger for the soon to be WWE Champion and you can only imagine that Punk will be inserted back into the WWE Championship picture during the Wrestlemania hangover.
The Rock vs John Cena is still to come. The Rock vs C.M Punk has been a hell of a feud and even though the hype was only hard and slick during the run up to the Royal Rumble, in the ring it hasn’t disappointed. In the grander scale of things, the Rock vs C.M Punk stands head and tails above the Rock vs Cena in 2012 and presumably 2013. It’s been a triumph for WWE where ratings and pay per view buys are concerned and has to rank as one of their better decisions of the entire year. A huge pat on the back goes the Rock and Punks way and I for one will remember it as one of the better moments of the entire year.
World Heavyweight Championship Match
(c) Alberto Del Rio defeated Big Show
Another predictable outcome from a rather predictable match. For some reason though WWE are trying to make the World Heavyweight Championship a card opener when it should be higher up the running order for a piece of gold WWE consider their number two Championship. You have to believe that Alberto Del Rio vs Jack Swagger will be the first match on the card at Wrestlemania 29 as well. It’s designed to make the card look bigger. The thinking behind it is that if the World Heavyweight Championship is defended first then it should get people watching, thinking the rest of the card is so huge the only place the World Championship could fit in was first. In reality, it doesn’t do anything for the Championship involved.
Big Show, undeniably have been better than I can ever remember him in WWE during the last few months. Hell in a Cell invigorated him as did his resultant World Heavyweight Championship reign. Before, Big Show seemed reluctant to put anyone over or put his body on the line to make the match seem like a real main event. Since October, Big Show has been selfless with the usage of his body and constantly put it on the line for the good of the match. I am betting that with two or three notable exceptions, Big Show has thrown his ample frame about the ring more in the last five months than he has during his entire WWE tenure. For that he deserves a massive amount of credit. If Paul Wight can keep this up, he may just be WWE’s most improve wrestler of the year.
Now Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio are done with, WWE need to have a fool proof plan for the Big Show going into Wrestlemania 29. The Ryback situation has been thrown around so much, one is beginning to think that it may not happen at all. He match has much more potential to be a disaster than it does a spectacle and I seriously doubt Big Show can carry Ryback to a decent effort. Another situation that has been hinted at during last year is a Wrestlemania 24 rematch between Big Show and Floyd Mayweather. Seeing as Mayweather hasn’t been near WWE in years all but puts that rumour to bed. WWE need to question if they can afford to ruin Big Show’s exception form by booking him against a man who struggles to execute even the easiest of moves. If the answer is yes, then WWE are serious about pushing Ryback despite his obvious limitations.
Big Show needs an opponent who can help him create a great match and a Wrestlemania moment. WWE seem to think that defeating Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental Championship at Wrestlemania 28 is Big Show’s Wrestlemania moment, but I disagree. For a true Wrestlemania moment you either need to win one of the big two Championships at Wrestlemania or do something that will never be forgotten. Edge’s spear on Jeff Hardy from the top of the ladder as Hardy was hanging on to the belt hook at Wrestlemania 17 is a true Wrestlemania moment. If WWE and Big Show can think of something as big as that to do with Show, even if it’s in a match with Ryback then Wight will have his true Wrestlemania moment. Until then, all parties can keep looking.
Alberto Del Rio stands a good chance of leaving Wrestlemania 29 with the World Heavyweight Championship in tact after the outcome of the Elimination Chamber Match. The fact still remains, that as a face, Del Rio needs another edge to him. That edge should be revenge against Ricardo Rodriguez. Let me explain, again. Very rarely do faces have managers. That role is more suited to heels who utilise their outside valets to their own advantage when the referee’s back is turned. To have Rodriguez constantly by Del Rio’s side is countering everything WWE are trying to do with the current champion. It would be much more effective if Rodriguez turned on Del Rio and either cost him the World Heavyweight Championship or sided with the new Number One Contender, Jack Swagger.
This may happen at Wrestlemania 29 or before to give a match that currently has no incentive to get excited about an edge. Swagger has his own sort of manager at the moment, but Rodriguez could play another part in the match which ultimately decides the outcome. Of course if he cost Del Rio the Championship then it would necessitate a match between Rodriguez and Del Rio down the line. A match which would be all but a wash out. Rodriguez has proven he has some moves but none that could match Del Rio’s wealth of wrestling knowledge.
To his credit, Alberto Del Rio has done really well to make an interesting feud out of Big Show. Sheamus managed it because he possesses the ability to carry Big Show if he needed to, which he didn’t. Del Rio however, was coming into the feud from a spot on the card which he never thought he’d occupy in a million years. Namely, the card filler position which he occupied at TLC, before he defeated Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship. Alberto wasn’t in a position to create a high profile feud with the then current World Champion, he hadn’t been riding high on any card as 2012 drew to a close and his constant defeats at the hands of Sheamus hadn’t done him any good whatsoever. It was a puzzling choice when Del Rio took the gold from Big Show, one which has proven to be the right one over the course of the last eight weeks.
Now, Del Rio and Big Show will part company and go their separate ways. Del Rio is on a collision course with Jack Swagger at Wrestlemania 29 whilst Big Show’s participation in the event is still up in the air. Even though we don’t yet know who the giant will oppose on the biggest night in WWE’s calendar, what is certain is that Big Show has earned his place on the grandest stage of them all.
Elimination Chamber Match
Number One Contenders Match
World Heavyweight Championship
Jack Swagger defeated Randy Orton, Mark Henry, Chris Jericho, Kane and Daniel Bryan
My hands are up in the air, because I really didn’t see this one coming. Jack Swagger was in a strong position I do not doubt. His return to WWE had been a success and WWE had handled it much better than they handled everything in the run up to Swagger’s departure from the company. His losses at the hands of Brodus Clay had made the All American – American a laughing stock with the WWE Universe and seemingly a running joke with the backstage crew in WWE.
Taking time out of the business was a clever decision by Swagger. Not only did it give WWE time to plan for his come back and push into the main event, but it gave them a chance to see what they were missing by having absent a man who could mix it up with anyone on the roster. Swagger’s wrestling ability has never been called into question. What was however was his integrity at allowing WWE to treat him as they did when it was clear he was so much better than it all. Now though, Jack Swagger is in a strong position to change the landscape of WWE as we know it. For a man who was the butt of many jokes in WWE prior to his departure in 2012 to lift the World Heavyweight Championship for a second time at Wrestlemania would signal an intent from the creative team which we have been waiting to see for a very long time. Namely, an intent to drop their gaze further down the card and at last push some new talent and make a few new names.
In preparation for his World Heavyweight Championship Match with Alberto Del Rio at Wrestlemania 29, Jack Swagger needs to distance himself from any and all outside interference, to make sure that WWE can’t label him a fluke champion as they did with his Championship run in 2010. Swagger needs to look a real threat to the gold and to do that a feud with Randy Orton in the run in to Wrestlemania looks almost set in stone to take place, after what transpired inside the Elimination Chamber. The feud won’t be able to run and run which means both men need to do everything they can to build Swagger before Orton’s heel turn. Done effectively, memory of Jack Swagger’s turn in WWE in 2011 and 2012 will be erased from memory. Is Jack Swagger ready for a high profile feud? Not yet. Can Jack Swagger get into that position in the month and a half we have left until Wrestlemania? Absolutely. If WWE can resists the urge to make him a laughing stock again, then you never know, we may have the next Kurt Angle on our hands.
I will resist the urge to go through every participant in this match as it will serve for material when we get to the Wrestlemania 29 preview. However, I will touch upon Randy Orton, because his participation in the run in to Wrestlemania could prove vital for all involved. Once again, WWE resisted the urge to pull the trigger on the Randy Orton heel turn and one now has to wonder where and when it will take place. It’s not rocket science to realise that a turn would have had much more impact had it happened on a pay per view than it will when it happens on Raw or Smackdown. Elimination Chamber would have brought WWE a lot more DVD / Blu-ray buys had it contained the Orton heel turn, that you can be sure of. More than that, Elimination Chamber 2013 would have been looked upon as a pivotal event that would have changed everything we thought we were sure about Mania.
I’m pretty sure that Randy Orton and Sheamus will meet on the grand stage, unfortunately though this will be the fourth Wrestlemania match in a row where Randy Orton has been booked in a normal match which doesn’t feature a major Championship. WWE need to rectify this and quickly. There’s a possibility that WWE could scrap plans for the Orton vs Sheamus match at Wrestlemania and add Orton the World Heavyweight Championship match at Wrestlemania 29. This would benefit Jack Swagger in that he would have two top class opponents to help elevate him further and Randy Orton could then turn heel on Del Rio after he didn’t win the Championship, yet again.
Either way, WWE have to decide what they’re going to do with Orton. The prefect opportunity has passed them by again to do the right thing. As stated in the preview for Elimination Chamber 2013, had the company capitalised on the fact that Orton is beginning to fall at every hurdle and turn that anger and frustration on Sheamus in the Six Man Tag Team match, it would have been dynamite. Now though, WWE have to come up with another plan for Orton and the execution needs to be soon if the full effects are to be felt before we reach April’s extravaganza. At the moment there are a number of options WWE could go with but very few of them will have the desired effect. Heel turns are usually done on beloved superstars to make the turn all the more effective and shocking. I don’t see anyone Orton could turn on that would have that kind of effect. Even a hell turn on John Cena would be greeted with applause and approval.
That is the major problem WWE face now. Their failings to create a beloved headline star has lumbered them with what will surely be a lukewarm reception when Orton does turn. Had the company had another Bret Hart or Stone Cold Steve Austin type character in their midst, then Randy Orton would have been on easy street and WWE would have had a sure fire hot feud on their hands. But they don’t. Too much investment in John Cena has seen everyone else suffer underneath him and now WWE will feel the effects of their own short-sightedness as we approach April. And let’s be honest, they only have themselves to blame.
Six Man Tag Team Match
The Shield defeated John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus
The second surprise of the evening came in the six man tag team match. If I had a pound coin for everyone that expected John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus to come out victorious then I would be a rich man and maybe I could fund my own television series and not have to rely on production companies to help. It looked all but said and done even before the match went on. The Shield’s attacks on Cena, Ryback and Sheamus over the last few months almost necessitated that Cena, Ryback and ‘The Great White’ get their revenge before each is placed into their Wrestlemania feud. It would have made sense for WWE to make the trio the victors, but once again we have to credit the WWE booking team have to be given a huge amount of credit.
Too many times over the last few years, we’ve seen WWE take the easy route out and make things predictable, indeed almost all of last months Royal Rumble event was entirely predictable down to who would be eliminated by whom. Elsewhere at Elimination Chamber, other results followed in that suit and none were more predictable than both the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship matches. I like to think that knowing what would have to happen in both top tier matches, WWE believed they couldn’t book yet another predictable result in what would have been another predictable encounter. It must have been a struggle for WWE to come to the decision they did, because after all, both teams had a reason to triumph on the penultimate pay per view event before Wrestlemania.
John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus are all heading into Mania facing potentially massive career enhancing feuds and victories. You have to think that John Cena at least will prevail this year against the Rock, even if Sheamus and Ryback don’t fare so well on the night. John Cena would have been boosted by a victory at Elimination Chamber and going into a feud with the Rock for the second year running, he needed it. Then again, WWE are most probably banking on us buying into Cena as the underdog again this year and losses at Night of Champions, TLC and Elimination Chamber are WWE’s way of trying to make us believe Cena is fallible. Maybe if Cena hadn’t won the Royal Rumble match is such convincing fashion and only won it by the skin of his teeth then it would have been a plausible plan. As it stands, no one expects the Rock to beat John Cena this year.
Whilst it’s true that John Cena has not been damaged in the slightest by all the losses over the past few months, it does beg the question as to why WWE don’t allow more up and coming wrestlers to beat him, if they really do have to fight him. There’s no sensible reason for WWE to give Cena permission to run over talent they need building, seeing as no loss, no matter how big or small can hurt him. Hopefully though, the loss to the Shield will herald a new era in WWE booking where Cena actually does put people over and help them get their name out there.
Ryback and Sheamus are a different matter. Losses can hurt their image, seeing as WWE hasn’t invested nearly as much in the pair as they have Cena, even though it looks like Ryback has been given the Cena treatment. Whilst Sheamus is headed for big things in 2013, I can’t say the same for Ryback. You have to believe that after WWE see his flaws, it’s unbelievable they haven’t already, he’ll be swiftly demoted to the mid card before dropping out of sight all together. The problem that will arise should this happen, is that Ryback can’t portray another wrestler. His face is now sealed in the Ryback gimmick and his flaws would only transfer from one character to the next.
The Shield have given hope to every NXT wrestler who currently comes through the WWE system. Reigns, Ambrose and Rollins have made a wonderful transition to the upper card in WWE in mere months and better still have yet to face demotion because interest in the trio is faltering. The sky really is the limit from the three young guns and I sincerely hope that WWE find a decent and sensible story to book for the three at Wrestlemania. The fact there are three of them put WWE in a difficult position because there isn’t another trio in WWE who they could wage a war with. I get the sinking feeling that WWE are book the three men in a nonsensical six man tag team match against the likes of Kofi Kingston and two other mid card superstars. This would be a mistake. Kingston lacks the star power to make a Shield victory momentous as do most other mid carders in WWE.
If WWE fail to find a good feud for the Shield at Wrestlemania then it may be best to leave them off of the card altogether, rather than diminish their star appeal by booking them again three men who lack the pizzazz to get noticed. Leaving off of the card doesn’t mean they can’t appear though and should either Randy Orton lay claim to being the real mastermind behind the faction or Punk take on the Undertaker then the Shield will of course feature somewhere during one of the pair’s matches in April. Can you imagine how momentous it would be should the Shield help Punk and be credited with ending the Undertaker’s streak? That won’t happen of course, the streak will live forever, but you can see the possibilities.
Whatever their participation at Wrestlemania 29, the Shield once again laid the foundations for those to follow, by standing up and showing the world that if you have enough talent and want to be successful in this business then you can make it and not even the companies top star will be able to stand in your way. The Shield’s biggest victory to date? In the ring, maybe! Morally, most definitely.
Dolph Ziggler defeated Kofi Kingston
This impromptu match tells you all you need to know about how WWE value Dolph Ziggler. Had they been truly behind him and his push into April, then they would have either found a better opponent to give him or included him in the Elimination Chamber Match. The fact they left him off of the advertised card completely and then threw him on as an afterthought doesn’t bode well for Ziggler’s eventual World Heavyweight Championship reign.
A reign that is about to commence, I will add. Yes, the time is almost upon us for Ziggler to cash in that Money in the Bank briefcase he’s been carrying around with him for too long and we can now only hope that WWE see fit to make something of the victory rather than have him cash it in and fail to capture the gold, just to amuse themselves. So when will Dolph cash in the contract? Where else, but Wrestlemania. This is what WWE have been waiting for which means that either Jack Swagger’s reign will but tragically short or Alberto Del Rio will defeat Jack Swagger at Wrestlemania 29 and then Ziggler will cash in on the injured and exhausted champion. Either way, I will put my prediction in early and say that Dolph Ziggler will leave Wrestlemania 29 as the World Heavyweight Champion for the first time. And no, before the stat people send me comments, I don’t count Ziggler’s fleeting reign which resembles that of the Million Dollar Man as a first Championship run.
Ziggler’s current situation in WWE does pose another question for WWE to answer. That of, will Dolph Ziggler be included on the Wrestlemania 29 card if the World Heavyweight Championship match goes on first as it did last year? Whoever Ziggler is scheduled to face would then surely have the right to demand the match be for the World Heavyweight Championship if Alberto Del Rio and Jack Swagger went on first and Dolph cashed in. It’s an easy problem to avoid, in that you put Dolph Ziggler’s match on first and the World Heavyweight Championship Match on later, however weather WWE have thought of that is another matter.
Kofi Kingston is the latest victim of WWE’s stop – start push system. After losing the Intercontinental Championship to Wade Barrett on Raw, Kingston’s stock has fallen. There’s very little interest in him anymore and when he’s not in the ring, I can’t imagine many people giving much thought to him. This could have been avoided had WWE got the machine behind Kingston, one of their brightest prospects and pushed him a mega dangerous Intercontinental Champion before losing it to Barrett at Wrestlemania. This course of action would then have naturally seen Kingston ease his way into the main event picture.
Maybe it’s got something to do with WWE’s vision of Kingston or something else which WWE don’t want to publically admit. Either way, there has to be a reason Kingston is being held under the glass ceiling. Whatever the reason is WWE need to get past it and push him like they never have before. A heel turn would be a great way to go for Kingston and possibly the only other alternative left if he’s to break away from the pack and assert himself as a serious player in the company.
The mud is sticking fast under both Ziggler and Kingston’s feet and for two men who could have been the Triple H and the Rock of the new generation, it’s a damn shame the company and the system have failed them so badly.
WWE United States Championship Match
(c) Antonio Cesaro defeated The Miz
At least it’s on pay per view this month, is what I believe I said about this match. It’s hard to comment here because Cesaro needs a Championship around his waist to keep him relevant until WWE can come up with something else for him to do and the Miz needs a gigantic push to get him anywhere near the top of the card. Both men have reason to look to the future but on the other side of the coin, both have reason to also worry about where WWE are taking them.
The Miz has now fallen to Cesaro twice on pay per view in two months. It’s not a great start for a man who WWE claim to be heading back to the top of the pile. There’s not a doubt in my mind that the Miz will defeat Cesaro for the United States Championship either at Wrestlemania 29 or before, but at what cost?
Some Championships now have a stigma attached to them. We are well past the days where WWE could put a Championship on someone they were backing to give him some extra credit. WWE have done so much damage to their mid card titles now that its inconceivable the United States Championship or even the once lauded Intercontinental Championship could help anyone on their journey to the top. Even when the Miz does defeat Cesaro for the gold, what then? The Championship won’t help the Miz elevate himself back into contention for the WWE Championship and neither will it give him a better standing with the WWE Universe.
If anything, winning the United States Championship can only hinder the Miz and be the albatross around his neck it was the first time he held the gold. There’s a small chance that Miz could relight the fire under the division but only if WWE get behind everyone in it and conjure some gripping feuds both for the Miz and underneath him. Should they fail to do that then Miz will be in the same position he is now, only he’ll have Championship around his waist that no one cares about and that he’ll have to lose somewhere along the line. Which means yet another loss for the Miz and more steps back. It would be kinder if he didn’t win.
As much as it would be kind for the Miz not to win the United States Championship, Antonio Cesaro desperately needs to shed the Championship in order to further his career. The next step up the ladder is the Intercontinental Championship, but even then he’s going to be stuck with a Championship that we have very little interest in. Would WWE be better taking a huge chance and allowing Cesaro to bypass the Intercontinental Championship? There’s not a definite yes or no answer here, but it couldn’t hurt trying. Cesaro fares just as well without the Championship as he does with it and putting in a few high profile feuds may be a better strategy than spending another six months failing to build him up as the Intercontinental Champion.
WWE Divas Championship Match
(c) Kaitlyn defeated Tamina
Oh god, must we go through this all again? The answer is no. Because Kaitlyn, whilst being the girl next door can’t carry the Divas Division on her own, Tamina has been so insignificant in WWE since her debut and WWE have seemingly washed their hands of the entire Divas roster. It might look lazy not bothering to put much here, but you know what? I don’t care. There’s nothing more for me to add to this and so we’ll leave it be for the time being.
Pre-Show
Brodus Clay and Tensai defeated Team Rhodes Scholars
Just when you think you’ve seen it all in wrestling, something comes along and slaps you around the face. Team Rhodes Scholars have now had all their dignity and hope stripped away from them. A victory against the blob and Tensai may have seen them reclaim what little heat they had left. The defeat on the pre-show of Elimination Chamber has just made sure that Team Rhodes Scholars cannot seriously challenge for the Tag Team Championships for the next six months.
I’ve given up trying to reason why WWE would deliberately try to ruin its own doubles division instead of putting everything they have behind it. But then why you try to understand the workings of a man who is seemingly without reason, you’re going to be wasting time you could spend doing something else. It still doesn’t change the fact, that Team Rhodes Scholars were the best chance WWE had of retaining the credibility Team Hell No have put into the division, once Kane and Daniel Bryan departed the doubles scene and now WWE have extinguished it.
Brodus Clay and Tensai have no future as a tag team and after his constant burial, Tensai needs to ask for his contract release and head back to Japan. The one place he shouldn’t have left. The sinking feeling that Clay and Tensai will be the next Tag Team Champions just won’t go away and should they eventually raise the Championships, the WWE Tag Team Division will be all but dead.
Whilst Elimination Chamber 2013 could have been used to give the face of WWE a complete make over, the company did at least manage to get it mostly right where it mattered. The Shield have come out smelling of roses yet again which can only be a good thing, WWE have shown a willingness to put new stars over the poster boy of the company if it helps the future advancement of the company, Jack Swagger is beginning to make waves in WWE upon his return and should it continue then we’ll have a fresh face in the main event scene for time to come and there signs of a willingness to change what before remained stoic.
Sadly there are some things which Elimination Chamber either couldn’t of failed to change. Dolph Ziggler should have been made the biggest threat to the World Heavyweight Championship, C.M Punk should have either been WWE Champion again or added to the Rock vs John Cena at Wrestlemania 29, the Miz and Antonio Cesaro needed a better push than they eventually received, Team Rhodes Scholars have been all but buried beyond repair and Wade Barrett was nowhere to be seen.
The positives coming out of the final stop on the Road to Wrestlemania only just outweigh the negatives, but at least point to better times to come in WWE. Whether you deem the in ring action to have been a success or not, no one can deny that the changes which happened elsewhere make sure Elimination Chamber 2013 can be viewed as nothing short of victorious.
Onwards and upwards...to Wrestlemania 29...
