2/19 WWE ELIMINATION CHAMBER REPORT: Keller’s report on Reigns vs. Goldberg, Lynch vs. Lita, Rousey & Naomi vs. Charlotte & Deville, Chamber matches, more

KELLER’S WWE ELIMINATION CHAMBER REPORT
FEBRUARY 19, 2022
JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA
STREAMED LIVE ON PEACOCK

Commentators: Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

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KICKOFF SHOW

(A) Rey Mysterio defeated The Miz in 9:00.

MAIN SHOW

-Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, and Corey Graves introduced the show from ringside. Cole noted it was a late-arriving crowd, but they are expecting a sellout. He said they’re in the largest cement-roofed structure in the world. Cole said this is the final Premium Live Event before WrestleMania and it will shape the road to WrestleMania.

-A video package aired on Roman Reigns and Goldberg.

(1) ROMAN REIGNS (w/Paul Heyman, the Usos) vs. GOLDBERG – Universal Title match

Reigns made his entrance first, accompanied by Paul Heyman and the Usos. Cole noted Reigns has held the Universal Title for 537 days and he’s in the midst of the longest WWE world title reign in 35 years. Graves compared Reigns to Hank Aaron, Mario Lemioux, and Tom Brady. He said he’s in “God mode.” Cole said only four men in WWE history have held the world title longer – Pedro Morales, Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan, and Bruno Sammartino. (I’m glad they’re stressing length of title reign rather than number of title reigns, although the number of title defenses is another pertinent stat. Those names are all so far in the past because booking was different then, where long reigns were favored over hot-shot title changes to “pop a rating” or shake things up.)

Reigns held the mic center-ring and said, “Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, acknowledge me!” Some cheered, others chanted “Goldberg!” Goldberg’s ring entrance then took place. They were cutting to a lot of crowd shots, close-ups of clusters of enthusiastic fans. Cold said he’s known Goldberg for over 20 years. He said he’s talked to him a lot over the last week, and he’s admitted he was in a funk in recent years, but he no longer is questioning himself. Graves said Goldberg told him he is more dangerous than ever, a thinking man who enters with a strategy. He said Goldberg woke up this morning feeling dangerous.

They had a pre-match staredown. Graves noted Goldberg beat Hulk Hogan to begin his first world title reign ever. Goldberg stared down Reigns as the bell rang. There was a “Let’s Go Roman!” chant followed by a “Goldberg!” chant (which, it should be noted, always sounds in tone to me like NFL fans taunting the visiting goalie to get in his head after he gives up a bad goal). They locked up mid-ring. Reigns got in some punches to take early control. He threw Goldberg out of the ring. He leaned on the announce table and sold the punches. Reigns slammed Goldberg’s head into the table. Goldberg whipped Reigns into the ringside barricade. Cole noted Goldberg has to pin or submit Reigns in the ring.

They action returned to the ring where Reigns pounded away at Goldberg with forearms. Goldberg surprised Reigns with a spear out of nowhere. Cole went bonkers as Goldberg looked around to the fans. He set Reigns up for a Jackhammer. Reigns escaped and landed a uranage for a soft two count. Reigns hit Goldberg with a Superman Punch seconds later. Heyman cheered him on. Goldberg caught Reigns with a spear as he charged at him. Reigns gasped for air, then went for a Jackhammer. Reigns blocked it and applied a guillotine. Goldberg was bleeding from the top of his skull. Goldberg tried to power our. He lifted Reigns and shoved Reigns into the corner, but Reigns held on as they dropped to the mat. Goldberg’s arm flopped and the ref called for the bell.

WINNER: Reigns in 6:00. (*)

(Keller’s Analysis: This went as expected and was sufficient for a spectacle between two icons in the opening match position. WWE was never going to do a hot-shot title change with Goldberg just to pop a rating on Fox. The length of Reigns’s reign is a marketing tool they’ve been leaning into, and keeping Reigns strong is way more important than some short-term buzz-generating title change. But if they were going to, Goldberg isn’t the person to “give that rub to.” They put Reigns at a minimal risk against Goldberg, who is at risk due to cardio issues and lack of ring time, of messing up a move that could cause injury. So this was designed to avoid basically anything risky for either wrestler.)

-Cole acknowledged they were in Jeddah, and then threw to a video package setting up both of the Elimination Chamber matches.

(2) WOMEN’S ELIMINATION CHAMBER MATCH: NIKKI A.S.H. vs. LIV MORGAN vs. BIANCA BELAIR vs. RHEA RIPLEY vs. ALEXA BLISS – Winner Faces Raw Women’s Champion at WrestleMania

Each woman got a full ring entrance. Nikki faced off against Morgan to start. Doudrop entered third. The overhead shot as they reveal who enters is a cool visual. Doupdrop tossed around Nikki and then went after Morgan, including a running senton. Doudropshoved Morgan against the side of the Chamber and yelled, “Isn’t she so beautiful?!” Next in was Ripley. Ripley eliminated Nikki with a Riptide a minute later. As Ripley stomped away on Morgan, Bliss entered. (Not much suspense there, since Belair earned the right to enter last.) Bliss went on a flurry against Ripley and Morgan and then played to the crowd and pounded her chest. She landed a backflip double-knee to Morgan for a two count. Ripley took over. When Morgan climbed to the top rope, Doudrop shoved her off. Ripley set up a suplex off the ropes, but Doudrop fended her off. Morgan returned and gave Doudrop a sunset powerbomb for a pin.

Morgan held her knee in pain as Belair entered. She went on the attack against Morgan and Bliss. She pressed Morgan over her head and even removed one of her arms and held Morgan over her head with one arm (and help from Morgan). She landed a moonsault on Bliss next. Ripley then confronted Belair mid-ring with a smile. Some fans briefly chanted “This is awesome!” Belair and Ripley stereo suplexed Morgan and Bliss. Bliss’s skirt covered Ripley’s head as she did the move. Ripley slapped Belair. Belair fired back. They exchanged strikes mid-ring. Belair went for a K.O.D., but she Ripley escaped. Morgan then hit both of them. Bliss then took over control. She landed a Twisted Bliss on Morgan and pinned her.

It came down to Belair, Bliss, and Ripley – not a surprise. Belair gave Ripley a K.O.D. for the three count seconds later. Bliss blocked a suplex attempt and took control. She set up a DDT, but Belair handspringed out of it. Bliss lifted her knees on a moonsault attempt and then rolled up Belair for a two count. Some fans briefly chanted “This is awesome!” again. Bliss finally delivered a K.O.D. for the win.

WINNER: Belair in 16:00. (***)

(Keller’s Analysis: Good swift pace start to finish. There certainly wasn’t anything about it that backs up the hype that it’s a brutal, career-shortening type of endeavor. But Belair got a big win and was a centerpiece as she moves on to get her deserved spotlight match at WrestleMania opposite of Lynch.)

-Postcard shots aired of Jeddah as Cole threw to a video package on the Special Olympics event with WWE wrestlers including Titus O’Neal, Natalya, Drew McIntyre, Madcap Moss, Sonya Deville, and others.

(3) RONDA ROUSEY & NAOMI vs. CHARLOTTE FLAIR & SONYA DEVILLE

Charlotte made her entrance first. Then Deville, wearing a sling on her arm. Then Naomi. Cole touted Naomi’s match against Charlotte last week. And finally, Rousey. Cole noted Rosey was wearing her judo gi that she wore at the Olympics in Beijing. The ref attacked Rousey’s arm to the rope keep it locked by her side. When the bell rang, Deville took off her arm sling and revealed she was just fine. She laughed. Saxton said, “She’s healed magically, right?” Charlotte DISTRACTED Rousey, giving Deville a chance to go after Rousey with a flurry of forearms. Rousey came back with a high roundkick and a leaping knee. Rousey called for Charlotte. Charlotte yelled to the crowd, “She wants me?” She then happily tagged in. But then she tagged back out right away to Deville. Graves said it’s all mind games with an eye on WrestleMania.

Naomi tagged in against Deville. Rousey tagged in a minute later. She judo threw Deville to the ground. As she set up an armbar, Charlotte interfered and threw Rousey into the corner. Charlotte and Deville tagged in and out against Rousey, isolating her in their corner. Rousey eventually hot-tagged Naomi, who rallied against Charlotte. Charlotte made a comeback and applied a figure-four. Rousey broke it up. Cole called it “payback.” Deville tagged in and landed a running knee on Naomi for a two count. Rousey tagged in and delivered he Piper’s Pit move with one arm. Then she trash-talked Charlotte before locking on an arm submission for the tapout win.

WINNERS: Rousey & Naomi in 9:00. (*3/4)

(Keller’s Analysis: This was sufficient. Having Rousey have one-armed tied to her side protected her mystique since, otherwise, it would seem she should have taken out Deville sooner. Rousey’s disposition was positive and enthusiastic. The main takeaway from the match was that Rousey wants Charlotte, and Charlotte is at least acting arrogant about her chances against Rousey, thus building their WM match.)

-Cole hyped WrestleMania being 42 days away. He threw a bunch of superlatives around including, of course, “stupendous.”

-A video package aired on the backstory for the Drew McIntyre-Madcap Moss match.

(4) DREW MCINTYRE vs. MADCAP MOSS – Falls Count Anywhere

Corbin joined Moss in attacking him at the bell. Drew took control and they brawled up the ramp. Corbin again interfered. Back in the ring Drew took over and landed an Alabama Slam. Moss bumped with a tuck, which he isn’t supposed to do, and landed on his head awkwardly with all the force of his body landing on his head, compressing his neck. It was scary looking. Graves gasped. The ref checked on him. Drew set up a Claymore, but Corbin yanked Moss to ringside. Drew threw Moss onto the announce desk. Graves said he can’t get over the fact that Moss is still moving. They replayed the Alabama Slam from a minute earlier from a new angle that looked even worse. He said Moss is a tough son of a gun. He touted his survival on neck strengthening exercises.

Corbin hit Drew with a chair from behind. The heel duo threw Drew into the ringside barricade. Moss scored a two count on the mat at ringside. Drew came back with a top rope superplex for a near fall. Moss stood and exchanged strikes with Drew. He used a backslide to score a two count on Drew. Drew came back with a Future Shock DDT. When Corbin charged at Drew in the ring, Drew grabbed his sword and swung it. Corbin (luckily) ducked. Corbin retreated to ringside and threw a fit. Cole said that’s one way to keep Corbin from interfering. Drew, sword in hand, landed the Claymore on Moss. He made the cover with his foot on Moss’s chest while holding his sword to keep Corbin from interfering.

WINNER: McIntyre in 10:00. (**1/4)

(Keller’s Analysis: The match didn’t involve a ton of spots or sequences outside of the ring to play into the match stip, and nothing happened on Drew’s list of things he wanted to do to embarrass Moss. That said, it was hard-hitting and well paced. I’m not sure the match should have continued after that Moss landing, but he didn’t show any signs of being affected. Hopefully he gets a thorough medical evaluation afterward and is closely monitored for the next day or two.)

-A clip aired of Steve Austin’s “Broken Skull Sessions” interview with Ron Simmons.

-In a backstage interview, Miz complained about how he lost to Rey Mysterio earlier. He said he’d find a partner, a “global superstar,” to help him take on Rey & Dominik.

-A clip aired of a Royal Kingdom Dinner where WWE wrestlers sang and danced.

(5) BECKY LYNCH vs. LITA – Raw Women’s Title match

Lita made her entrance first. Cole said this was Lita’s first “meaningful one-on-one match” in 16 years in WWE. Cole said the winner of this match will be in the main event of WrestleMania defending against Belair. Graves said Lita feels she is playing with house money and she wants to prove she is still who she once was. (Cole’s commentary was basically setting up Lita fans to be happy with a moral victory for just competing somewhat before losing.) The creativity tonight with the women’s outfits have adjusted well to the local social mores where it’s not a distraction how their skin is covered from neckline down. After some early offense by Lita, Becky took over with methodical, grinding offense. She settled into a mid-ring chinlock. Graves said it appears early that Lita is just overmatched. Saxton wondered if she was beginning to feel internal doubt. Lita countered Becky’s attempt at an exploder suplex with a DDT. Both were down and slow to get up. Lita landed a running clothesline in the corner, then a second rope flying body press for a two count. Becky clearly called the next spot as the camera zoomed in on her.

Lita set up a move, but Becky countered into an armbar attempt. Lita rolled her up for a two count. Becky countered for a two count. Becky grabbed the ropes for leverage, but the ref caught her. Lita applied a sleeper. Becky rolled to the bottom rope to force a break. Lita set up a top rope moonsault, but Becky rolled to the floor. Lita went after her on the floor. Becky snapped Lita’s neck over the top rope as they re-entered the ring. Lita used head scissors to take Becky off the top rope. Lita landed a faceplant for a two count. Becky applied a Disarm Her. Lita broke free. Becky hit a quick Manhandle Slam for a near fall. Lita put her boot on the bottom rope to stop the count. Becky dragged Lita to the corner of the ring and went for a top rope moonsault. Lita moved and delivered a Twist of Fate. She then climbed to the top rope and landed a top rope moonsault for a dramatic near fall. Cole said it was shades of 2004. They cut to a shot of fans reacted to the drama. Fans chanted “This is awesome!” Becky then landed a Manhandle Slam for the sudden clean win.

Becky’s music played. Lita was still in the ring. She let a out a big breath and seemed emotional about the moment. She left the ring, but when her music played. she returned to the ring to salute the fans. Cole said she was a trailblazer who helped make nights like this happen.

WINNER: Lynch in 12:00 to retain the Raw Title. (**1/2)

(Keller’s Analysis: You could tell Lita wasn’t always sure of her timing, but overall this built well and dramatically. The crowd ate it up, especially the final few minutes.)

-Cole talked about Undertaker headlining the Hall of Fame Class of 2022. They showed a slideshow of various major corporate media sites reporting the news including the New York Post, ESPN, and Fox Sports. They aired the lengthy Undertaker video package that also aired on Smackdown the night before. They cut to fans chanting “Un-der-taker!” When his music played, the crowd popped, perhaps thinking he was going to make a surprise appearance. Cole noted that the Hall of Fame will be part of Smackdown this year in a “two-for-one event” on WrestleMania weekend.

(6) THE USOS vs. THE VIKING RAIDER (Erik & Ivar) – Smackdown Tag Team Title match

The Usos attacked the Raiders during their entrance. They beat them up at ringside. Graves called it a brilliant strategy. They delivered stereo superkicks to both Erik and Ivar. They suplexed Ivar onto Erik on the floor. Graves said the Raiders aren’t in any condition to compete. The referees checked on them. The match was called off.

(Keller’s Analysis: Huh? What about the fans who paid specifically to see this match?!? Are they running long or what? Those four flew to Saudi Arabia for that?)

WINNERS: Match never officially began.

-A video package hyped WrestleMania with a thesaurus of superlatives.

-They went to the announcers at ringside who talked excitedly about WrestleMania. They showed graphics for Charlotte vs. Rousey and Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar.

(7) MEN’S ELIMINATION CHAMBER MATCH: BOBBY LASHLEY vs. AUSTIN THEORY vs. SETH ROLLINS vs. A.J. STYLES vs. RIDDLE vs. BROCK LESNAR

Lashley came out first. Then Styles, Riddle, Theory, Rollins, and finally Lesnar. It opened with Seth vs. Theory. Seth tossed Theory around ringside including through the wall of Lashley’s pod. Cole noted that Lashley went down hard. Graves said he wasn’t even looking that direction, so he was blindsided. Riddle entered third. Medical personnel were checking on Lashley. Lesnar was shown looking nervously over at the Lashley situation. Seth scored a near fall on Riddle after a superplex. Officials helped Lashley out of the Chamber. He couldn’t even stand up straight. Styles was the fourth entrant. Styles and Seth set up a suplex of Riddle out of the corner. Theory threw them both to the mat. Riddle then landed a Floating Bro for a near fall. Fans chanted “This is awesome!” Riddle delivered a double DDT on Styles and Seth. Riddle was fired up. Next to enter was Lashley, but Lashley was not in his pod. Lesnar just kicked himself out of his pod prematurely and started beating up everybody. Cole said as Lesnar is creating carnage, they have breaking news which they’ll get to in a moment. Lesnar gave Seth an F5 and pinned him. Cole said Lashley is in concussion protocol and won’t return, so they’ll have a new WWE Champion at the conclusion of this match. Lesnar then gave Riddle an F5 and pinned him.

It was down to Lesnar, Styles, and Theory. Lesnar gave Styles a released German suplex. Lesnar gave Styles an F5 and pinned him. Theory pulled himself to his feet and looked over at Lesnar nervously. Lesnar removed his MMA gloves off and tossed them away. Theory backtracked around the Chamber platform around the ring. He then ran full speed and hid in a pod. Lesnar kicked his way through the plexglass and beat up Theory. Theory gave Lesnar a low-blow to stop the mauling. Graves declared Theory has a chance. Theory landed a couple of moves and scored a two count. Lesnar kicked out with authority. Saxton said he can’t even fathom Theory having a chance to beat Lesnar. Cole said he had his chance. Theory climbed the side of the Chamber. Lesnar scaled the side of the Chamber and put Theory on his shoulders. They fought on top of a pod and rammed Theory face-first into the wall. Lesnar the put Theory on his shoulders and gave him an F5 off the roof of the pod. Lesnar climbed back down and yanked Theory to the middle of the ring and scored the three count.

WINNER: Lesnar in 15:00 to become WWE Champion. (**3/4)

(Keller’s Analysis: So they got Lashley out of the match to “protect” him from losing, while also giving Lesnar a dominant performance. Seems like there might be more twists to come, including perhaps Lashley facing Lesnar on night one and then Lesnar facing Reigns on night two. Or perhaps Lashley gets a rematch before that. The match itself was fine. They used the Chamber just enough for it not to seem like an empty gimmick, especially the closing minute. WWE doesn’t have a ton of top level stars and Lesnar crushed a few of them in a quick sequence in this match. I marked the star rating down a notch due to Lashley being removed due to a booking strategy, which took away any drama at the end.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: Not a particularly good show, but it moved swiftly enough and clocked in under three hours. Ending by having the Smackdown Tag Title match not take place and then Lashley being removed from the Raw Title match took away from the gravity of the event.