Elimination Chamber

[Guest The Tino Standard]

Well, we got finally got to see an Elimination Chamber match tonight. What is the verdict? Is this a one-time only gimmick match or could this be brought back again in the future? Is there anything that needs to be tweaked or changed?

 

I didn't think tonight's match lived up to the hype, especially with the awful booking decisions, but the gimmick match itself can live on with some minor adjustments.

 

Ultimately, I don't see this as being a match that is used more than once a year, if that often. You pretty much NEED to have six guys in the match and it isn't too often that you get six guys all in world title contention all at once (it had been 2 years since the last time and about 14 months for the time before that). Maybe this can become the new Survivor Series tradition.... the winner is the "sole survivor."

[EL DANDY~! 0]

I thought the concept was a great idea. It did remind me of some wargames matches, but I think it went on a LITTLE too long.

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

This looked very Gladiator-ish. Watching the lock bust off after 4 HHH impacts was pretty sad though.

 

With matches at a 20 minute minimum, I don't think we'll see it again in it's current state, but if they sealed off the big front door and put mini doors on the outside of each individual waiting room, they could modify it to WarGames.

 

A 4-team WarGames with elimination rules would be very very busy but could rock if enough people are involved and the road agents put together a good match. WWE's ring is the only one big enough to have a match with that many people and still flow.

[Guest Trivia247]

Actually for all its hype... Its No Hell in a Cell In my opinion..

 

Though it looks cool at first glance. but what is it really? a Chain linked Cage with steel grating Ring level and Glass Cells.

 

It could have been more Brutal but it really wasn't it. Though nearly everyone who could blade did.

 

so its a tossup. but Guess there was no way for anyone to get atop the thing and throw someone off. Though It look like RVD knocked HHH into the Cage Door and it OPENED. OOPS.

[Guest DJ Jeff]

I will admit I thought the Elimination Chamber lived up to the hype. I was on the edge of my seat the entire match. HBK winning the World Title topped it all off. I'm hoping this gets used once a year.

[Guest The Tino Standard]

I'm not sure about the four-team concept because with just 6 guys tonight, I thought there was a serious lack of flow going on. I don't think you want more than 4 guys in the ring at once, unless it is a battle royal.

 

And the "bulletproof" glass needs to go. I'm sure somebody made this point already in the One-and-Only thread, but I'll say it here: How in the hell can we take seriously a claim of that being "bulletproof" glass when it breaks after somebody bumps into it? And what was the need for bulletproof glass in the first place? Was there a fear that somebody was bringing a gun to the ring? I mean, I know Booker was busted for robbing a Wendy's back in the day, but I thought he put that part of his life behind him (ba-doom ching!).

[Guest notJames]

Nothing about the match made me want to see it again. It was a typical cage match except they had metal flooring on the outside and something a little higher to jump off of and hurt themselves on. Especially the fact that this "impenetrale, unique structure of unforgiving steel" broke 5 minutes into the match. Plus everyone moved a little slower during the match, especially RVD.

 

I'm sure the booking has a lot to do with my overall feelings about the match, but all in all, I don't see anything so unique or exciting about the Elimination Chamber to warrant ever seeing it again. And not for nothing, but as soon as both RVD and Booker were eliminated, the crowd sat on their hands, except of course when HBKrippled won the Fake Belt. Silly fans... why do you encourage them?!?

[Guest papacita]

I think it would be better if they added barbwire or an electrified portion to the cage (something like the Funk/Muta Vs Sting/Flair cage match from the 80's), because by itself, the chamber is pretty bland. The match itself wasn't all that bad...and I kinda marked for HBK...in a "Damn why didn't Booker win??!?!?!" kinda way.

[Guest godthedog]

the idea sucked. everybody was afraid of hurting himself on the floor outside. they did the 'clothesline to the outside' spot a lot, and every single time the guy would hit feet-first and it looked really bad. and having chains instead of mesh made all the bumps where a guy got rammed into the cage (and there was a LOT of that) look less painful than a regular cage match. in reality it was probably more painful, but it just didn't look like that.

 

and the match had no flow at all. no beginning, no middle, so-so ending. very few near-falls for such a long match, which made the whole thing very predictable. i called almost everything: "that's it, he's gone. he'll kick out of that. he's gonna get superkicked." lots of dead air too, everybody was just moving from spot to spot.

[Guest geniusMoment]

If trips got seriously hurt I will call it the greatest gimmick ever

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

they did the 'clothesline to the outside' spot a lot, and every single time the guy would hit feet-first and it looked really bad.

Isn't this how they always do it? I swear what little I see of them landing they always land this way, except usually the camera doesn't catch it very well and it looks more dramatic because of the height.