The WWE shareholders probably rejoiced after the Elimination Chamber “premium event” in Saudi Arabia because as we know, the fee that the Saudi government pays for the WWE to be propaganda material makes the company’s trip to the county one of their most profitable revenue streams. Everyone has a price, even Vince McMahon. It’s been said before, but I have to say it again here, these Saudi shows just seem so forced and sleazy, but the wrestling business isn’t exactly known for its moral standards either. That being said, this was the last pay-per-view before Wrestlemania and at the very least, Saudi was incorporated into the usual schedule instead of shoehorning another event onto the calendar so this event was more than just a glorified house show.
The broadcast opened with Roman Reigns vs. Goldberg, and besides this being a match that was scheduled that didn’t take place, was there really any demand for it? Sure, the Saudis pay for Goldberg, but the amount of times that the former WCW champion just walks onto the stage to get another title shot is almost comical at this point. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that with Goldberg’s hefty contract it doesn’t make sense to book him for a run with the 24/7 title, but you can only pay the “one more run” card so many times until the fans just don’t buy it. That’s why nobody in the building or watching on Peacock actually thought that there was any chance for him to beat Reigns so again, outside of the Saudis paying for propaganda material, was there any reason to book this match? While it’s great that Goldberg uses his fame as for charity and takes his position as a role model seriously, the 55-year-old definitely looked his age in this contest. That’s not meant as a knock on him since he’s still in great shape, but there’s only so many times that smoke and mirrors can be used to camouflage an aging athlete. The actual in-ring action was fine because the match only went five minutes, but outside of a cameo appearance, I’m not sure what there’s left for Bill Goldberg to do in WWE. The 2016 comeback was lightening in a bottle and worked very well, but the train wreck against The Undertaker in 2019 should’ve been the conclusion of Goldberg’s in-ring career. As we know, Reigns won and if nothing else, this presentation proves that he should continue his run as WWE champion.
The Women’s Elimination champion match had a lot of good action and knew when to go to the finish so the match didn’t drag during the show. More than anything, this proved how much talent the company has in the women’s division and the argument could be made that there should be more spotlight shined on the division as a whole. Bianca Belair looked like a star and won the match to advance to WM to challenge Becky Lynch, but considering that the long term plan is Becky vs. Ronda, it’s very doubtful either of them are defeated at Wrestlemania. As I wrote about the Day One pay-per-view, if the result is too predictable, the fans don’t care about the match, and while Bianca vs. Becky should be a quality contest, the interest in it will be minimal if it’s clear that the office always had Becky/Ronda as the priority of the division. A side note, Alexa Bliss made her return to the ring after several months away and it’s not completely clear what direction the writing team is going to take her character, but if management values her contributions as a performer, it would be wise to get her as far away from any of the Sci-Fi aspects as possible. Terrible scripting ruined Bray Wyatt’s tenure in the WWE, and the same could happen to Bliss if she’s booked for lame special effects during matches. Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the whole scenario is that Bliss is a quality performer as an in-ring athlete and an on-screen character so the prime of her career shouldn’t be wasted on silly gimmicks.
Ronda Rousey and Naomi defeated Charlotte and Sonya Deville in an average match at best. I understand the stipulation of Ronda with a hand tied behind her back and that this was simply a way to build the Ronda/Charlotte WM match, but it made her a rather clunky presentation. Ronda isn’t the most polished in-ring work to start with and putting her in a match where she has to work spots with one arm just makes the process more difficult for an athlete that should be put in easier scenarios to look good in the ring. There wasn’t anything wrong with the match, but it was just a basic win for the baby face team.
Drew McIntyre beat Madcap Moss, who amazingly escaped serious injury after he was spiked on his head mid way through the contest. The action was fine and Moss took good bumps to make Drew look strong, but I just can’t take any of this seriously. Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss are portrayed as a comedy heel team, why exactly should a perceived star like McIntyre feud with them? That’s not meant as a negative toward the athletes behind the Corbin and Moss characters, but rather to point out that Drew went from being pushed as a supposedly top guy to a mid-card feud with Happy Corbin. It’s really disappointing to consider that two years ago McIntyre won the title at WM and this year he will probably be booked for a throw away mid-card match at the show.
Becky Lynch retained the Raw Women’s title when she pinned Lita, and this was a really entertaining match, but again, it was a scenario, similar to Reigns/Goldberg, that nobody watching thought Lita had any chance to win the championship. Despite not being a full-time wrestler for several years, Lita can still go and I really think she should consider a full-time comeback if the writing team would have something worthwhile for her on the Raw brand.
I have no idea why The Viking Raiders had to fly to Saudi Arabia just to make an entrance, but I hope they got paid well for it.
Similar to the women’s Elimination Chamber match, the men’s version went about 15 minutes, which was enough time to get to the action and finish the show. I really hope that the extended pay-per-views are reserved for only Wrestlemania and maybe Summer Slam because not every “premium live event” has to be a four-hour broadcast. This show went just under three hours and had a good pace for a better viewing experience. Bobby Lashley was taken out of the chamber, which was a way to get the belt to Lesnar without damaging Bobby’s status on Raw, but since the company already promoted the Brock/Reigns bout as title for title, let’s hope Lashley challenges the winner of that instead of a triple threat match since WM is a two-night event. I’ve said it before and I will say it again even though it’s a moot point, the Brock/Reigns card is completely overplayed. Similar to the dynamic of Becky and Ronda in the women’s division, management puts such a priority on Brock/Roman that if a storyline doesn’t involve Lesnar or Reigns, it’s clear that it’s a secondary angle on the show. On one hand, the WWE is assured record-setting profits with guaranteed money from their TV and the Peacock deals so it doesn’t necessarily matter if Lesnar/Reigns is a recycled main event. On the other hand, the fact that there are rumors that WWE management pitched a return to the ring for Steve Austin to sell tickets might speak volumes about the company’s actual ability to draw fans.
What do you think? Comment below with your thoughts, opinions, feedback and anything else that was raised.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
E mail [email protected] | You can follow me on Twitter @jimlamotta
