WWE Elimination Chamber PLE Results: 2-19-22
Results courtesy of
PWTorch.com (direct link to Keller's complete report)
KICKOFF SHOW
(A) Rey Mysterio defeated The Miz in 9:00.
MAIN SHOW
(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. (*)
(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.)
(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. Doudrop shoved 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. (***)
(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.)
(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)
(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.)
