Twenty-Four Things I Learned From the 2017 WWE Elimination Chamber by Brandon Lasher
Welcome to my very sarcastic analysis of another WWE Smackdown PPV. It is time for one of my favorites, the Elimination Chamber. It seemed strange to have one just two weeks after the Rumble but I have a lot of faith at this point in the Smackdown crew.
It was a fun night. It had three women’s matches, set up the Wrestlemania card better and provided us with some unique and fresh champions. Here are the things I learned from the loud night from Phoenix:
Twenty-Five Things I Learned From WWE Elimination Chamber 2017
1.) Sam Roberts bragged about leaving his very pregnant wife to be part of a Kickoff Panel? That is some sad priorities man.
2.) Carmella pretty much just dumped on the entire pre-show idea. How can I get that amazing job?
3.) I have learned James Ellsworth beyond bores me at this point. You know what helped reinforce that point? The fact I had to hear from him and Carmella after every women’s match the rest of the night….yeah!
4.) I wonder how the Smackdown announcers can say with a straight face that Mojo beating Curt Hawkins is a big deal.
5.) I can thank Tye Dillinger for ruining counting in the WWE forever.
6.) I don’t know what was more shocking. That the announcers called Mickie James old and having ring rust or the fact JBL had to correct them. When JBL has to be the one to remind you that wrestling organizations exist outside WWE, you know you are in bizarro world.
7.) Are we more surprised that Becky actually won a match or that the WWE decided to ruin Mickie’s first singles matches on pay-per-view since her return? Would it have killed them to give Mickie the win?
8.) If they want to get Dolph Ziggler over as a heel maybe not have him attack Kalisto.
9.) I don’t really understand how Dolph Ziggler fighting against the odds versus two wrestlers really is supposed to make him look evil.
10.) You have to feel sorry for Apollo Crews. He is getting his leg attacked and fans are cheering it on. I really wish they had left him in NXT for another year.
11.) I am pretty sure Tyler Breeze and Fandango’s entire goal is to look as ridiculous as possible. And an added note, do you think Tyler Breeze and the Vaudevillians really miss NXT?
12.) I never had any doubt The Ascension could snatch defeat from the certain jaws of victory.
13.) I am sure we were all shocked how physical the Nikki Bella versus Natalya match was. I know I have certainly haven’t been the biggest fan of Nikki over the years, but she has certainly shown a lot of growth in her wrestling in the last few years. In her acting, not so much.
14.) We should never doubt Luke Harper again. He has proven time and time again that he can hang with any wrestler and will always put on good matches. It was good to see him get 15 minutes with Randy Orton here and get the crowd solidly behind him. So when will he get his actual deserved push?
15.) At this point I am sure the RKO is the only protected finisher in the WWE.
16.) There are rumors of a mixed tag match at WrestleMania and Nikki pushing powder into Maryse’s face is the start of it? Yeah.
17.) The WWE can always surprise me. I never expected Naomi to win her first Smackdown Women’s Champion on Sunday. The crowd gave Naomi a “You Deserved It” chant. She certainly has worked hard in the last five years. It was nice to see her get her moment in the sun.
18.) I loved fans complaining the new Elimination Chamber had pads on the outside of the ring. As if throwing guys onto metal was ever a good idea.
19.) I am always a fan of fresh match-up but I am perfectly fine seeing like a dozen more John Cena versus AJ Styles encounters.
20.) I know there is padding now but that had to be painful for John Cena and AJ Styles to fall like that.
21.) I strangely called Baron Corbin being eliminated by Dean Ambrose in another article. If only I could use my powers to figure out future lottery numbers. Anyway, I will be fine with an Ambrose versus Corbin match at WrestleMania 33.
22.) No one plays a cowardly heel better then The Miz.
23.) I was expecting John Cena to lose but cleanly and to Bray Wyatt was a pleasant surprise. That was shocking and nice of Cena for putting over the younger talent.
24.) I like I can still be excited to see a title change. To see Bray Wyatt beat both John Cena and AJ Styles clean was fantastic. Bray Wyatt has been on the losing end of so many feuds and it nice to see him get his moment in the sun.
Final Thoughts
This was another in the never-ending string of fantastic Smackdown PPVs. Few if any wrestling shows do a better job of utilizing their talent roster better then Smackdown. As opposed to complaining what other shows are doing or not doing, I am just going to enjoy the ride.
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Feel free to contact me at lasher@pacificu.edu. Additionally, I have my Twitter account, WWEBNRL as well. I would love to hear your thoughts on Elimination Chamber.