-- 2/21 WWE Elimination Chamber PPV Reax

Lee Beatty of St. Louis, Mo.: Best Moment: A smug, stunned, then jubilant Chris Jericho wins the World's Heavyweight Title. Worst Moment: Fans just don't get it. Why that last category? Some fans have complained for months about staleness, predictability, and poor writing. In most cases, I agree. But last night, the WWE showed that they are listening and (at least) trying to make things exciting and different. Fans have hollered about Triple H and John Cena being in the "spotlight" for too long. Last night, those fans gave out a collective "oh no" when Cena and Triple H were the last two in the Elimination Chamber. "Here we go, back to the safe and familiar," I thought. And yes, Cena won. But, here came the swerve, as McMahon and a rather nonchalant Batista swooped in to pick up the crumbs. Fans were somewhat shocked, but it set up a ton of possibilities, including Batista vs. Cena, Batista vs. Sheamus, and, of course, Batista vs. Triple H. Kingston did not embarrass himself in the Chamber, Orton was sharp (as always) and DiBiase looked more than ready to move into a new role away from Legacy. By the way, what becomes of Cody Rhodes, who slipped that pipe into the ring? Time will tell. Kane vs. McIntyre was "okay," but I would like to see Kane wear some gold for a while. Of all the WWE wrestlers, he is probably the most loyal and deserving. But in truth, I'd also like to see him really get crazy, go dust off his red suit and mask and wreak havoc again. The biggest surprise of the night (not surprisingly at all) was Michaels popping up, sending Undertaker to sleep, and helping Chris Jericho win the belt. Without question, he and Edge will settle their differences at WrestleMania, with Edge spearing his way to victory. And yet, that sounds so convenient, doesn't it? Personally, I prefer the swerves, the angles, the wrestlers under the ring waiting to strike, the surprise victories, the new faces that are catapulted to stardom, etc. I expect WWE to lift their creative forces about ten notches and come up with sheer pandemonium for WrestleMania. All in all, last night wasn't great, but it was very good, as far as this viewer was concerned.

Richard H. of Wilmington, Ohio (5.0): Best Match: Miz vs. MVP. Worst Match: Batista vs. Cena. Wow. Two major swerves (three if you count DiBiase piping Orton) and three undercard matches. This was only good for setting up WM26. Now we know why Batista didn't take on Punk for a Chamber pod on Smackdown - McMahon e had already promised him a Money in the Bank shot without the stress of a MITB match. By the time has a Divas Title match, Melina will be back and they might as well give her the title back. No Raw diva has stepped forward and shown they can carry a match, let alone a crowd. I disliked the Batista swerve, but HBKs knockout of the Taker was absolutely spot-on. Cue up the band for HBK-Taker II. Edge vs. Jericho makes sense as the third main event at WM 26. Moments that stood out include DiBiase with the pipe on Orton, Kofi's head stuck through the chains, Orton's mid-air dropkick, Sheamus's hair gel actually wearing off, Sweet Chin Music on Taker, Jericho's expression at his gifted World Title, the inconsistency of JoMo's ankle injury, and the most heat of any superstar which going to the underused Vickie Guerrero.

Sean Christopher of Princeton, N.J., Graphic Designer (7.0): Best Match: Raw Elimination Chamber. Worst Segments: Divas Match, IC Title match, and Edge-Regal segment. It seemed as if the WWE interns directed this PPV. The Raw Chamber was pretty good. All of the guys in there have wrestled each other on a consistent basis for the better part of the last year and that showed. The Kofi spot with the head through the cage, albeit cool, was completely botched. The camera showed Randy going over first to figure out which of the holes was the one set-up big enough for Kofi's head and then when he went to jam Kofi's head in, he realized he had the wrong one and moved over one to the right. Poof, like magic, Kofi squeezed right in there. At least that's how it appeared to me. I like DiBiase and Orton, and while I'd rather not see a Legacy spilt, WWE has at least built it up all right. I knew something was going to happen when Cena, who had been in the Chamber the shortest amount of time, was over-over-over selling. The Batista title reign will make people hate him even more, so it works well. The IC Title match had about as much charisma as the cage.The planned finish was a thumb to the eye followed by a DDT? Over Kane? I was looking forward to the Divas match after the build-up. At the very least, it would have been nice for someone to acknowledge that Maryse talked smack about Gail Kim in French the past three weeks. Miz vs. MVP - didn't we get an "impromptu" match at the Rumble? And the match wasn't that bad. The purpose of the Regal-Edge segment other than just getting Edge on the PPV? Smackdown's Elimination Chamber was good. Once Morrison was locked into the pod, I was left wondering how Shawn Michaels was going to show up. I figured once Morrison was eliminated, Michaels would run in via the cage entrance. At the end, I'm glad Jericho won. I like Chris and at least he can put together a few decent move sets. Overall, at the end of the PPV, I had a bad taste in my mouth and buyer's remorse. It was like watching a $50 episode of Raw with promos, segments, and "higher-ups" changing/adding three matches mid-show. I vote for moving the EC PPV and having a long run from the Rumble to WrestleMania. It's pretty much what they're doing now anyways.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "WWE PPV Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on the PPV, click here.

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

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