Instant Reaction - WWE Elimination Chamber PPV
By Benjamin Tucker, PWTorch TV specialist

Overall Score - 6.0

The Elimination Chamber PPV was about as good as most thought it would be. Two great matches (Wyatts-Shield and the Chamber match itself), a lacking undercard, no surprises, and lots of filler. As the last WWE PPV exclusively available on PPV, the 25 year-plus legacy ended with a little bit of a whimper.

- The Intercontinental Title match was the biggest surprise of the night. I almost wrote off the contest, but was caught off guard by how well-booked the match was. Both men looked strong, and while I can't say I'm more invested in either character after the match, I was definitely entertained. This was the sole match on the card that went way beyond my expectations.

- While I get very little out of the "Bad News" Barrett segments, the guy is definitely trying his best to make the gimmick work and tonight's results weren't bad. His repeated interruptions of the show are the perfect set up for a face to shut him up. Annoying? Sure. That's the point. It served as a nice buffer between matches as well.

- I thought the New Age Outlaws put in one of their best performances tonight against the Usos (i.e. The Usos worked their tails off tonight), but it was still one of the weakest contests of the night. There needs to be some sort of payoff with the Outlaws being tag team champs. So far, they've done nothing but hinder modern tag teams from getting over.

- Titus O'Neil and Darren Young tried, but their match was dead on arrival. A lack of high spots hindered the match as well, making it feel more like a bonus match on the card rather than a grudge match that's been brewing for weeks.

- From the video package to the finish, the Wyatts-Shield match was incredible. The flow of the match was great, pacing out each high point with a segment that built up heat. It broke up the traditional six-man format while retaining the concept of the hot tag, and every wrestler was spotlighted in some way. Seth Rollins showed a fire that he hasn't expressed since coming to the main roster, and both Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt continue to be built up well. There isn't enough I can say about the quality of this match.

- The Divas had a bonus match. Bonus or not, it was still a boring waste of time.

- Poor Batista just can't catch a break. Then again, Batista is not making himself look much better when he spends two-thirds of a seven-minute match gasping for air on the ground. He could hardly get Alberto Del Rio up in the air for a Batistabomb, yet he's supposed to main event WrestleMania 30? And this is with two-plus months of time to train! What a mess of a match.

- Finish aside, the Elimination Chamber match was a lot of fun to watch. The main detriment was the use of the "bulletproof glass," which was revealed to be nothing but easily pliable plastic that got in the way of the wrestlers every other minute. It added a level of gimmickry that the Chamber didn't need, especially when it's been done better in the past.

Every man in the match was spotlighted and had their own story told, building up to the finish well. The only wrestler who didn't look strong at the end was Orton, who just so happened to be the winner. I'm not freaking out about the finish, though. However, this next Raw should cement the main event of WrestleMania. That show may create some concern...

So, overall, a two match show. The main matches were good, but the rest is easily skippable. Still better than any pay-per-view from the fall!

Questions? Comments? Reactions? Find me on Twitter @BTuckerTorch, where I talk about wrestling and... stuff!

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