The Silverdome Match of the Week: Smackdown Elimination Chamber

Coming off the excellent Elimination Chamber PPV, the WWE has entered its last leg on the Road to WrestleMania.  With WWE getting ready for the Show of Shows, TNA is getting ready for their big Lockdown PPV in April and ROH is getting ready for their 9^th Anniversary Show that should be taking place as you read this very article.  This week saw Jerry “The King” Lawler vs. The Miz & the Raw Elimination Chamber from WWE Elimination Chamber, Daniel Bryan vs. Ted DiBiase from WWE Superstars and Rey Mysterio vs. Kane from WWE Smackdown all tear down the house.  These were all great matches, but only one match can take home the Silverdome Match of the Week.  An excellent match in its own right, the Smackdown Elimination Chamber match from last Sunday’s Elimination Chamber extravaganza is the Silverdome Match of the Week.

Edge, Rey Mysterio, Kane, Drew McIntyre, the Big Show and Wade Barrett all faced off in this five-star wrestling match for the World Heavyweight Championship.  Edge and Rey Mysterio started the match with Wade Barrett, Kane, Drew McIntyre and the Big Show entering each five minutes respectively.  Edge and Mysterio put together one great pace for the match that did not seem to slow down even with the addition of each of the other competitors.  This match was very hard-hitting and very entertaining from beginning to end with a whole lot of great spots.  The superstars in this match must not have liked the pods they were contained in as they were destroying those lexan glass pods left, right and centre.  One amazing moment was when Drew McIntyre entered the match and proceeded to chuck Mysterio into the lexan glass of his pod.  Then McIntyre took Wade Barrett and rammed him back first into the other side of his pod.  This was not the end of these superstars abuse of the lexan glass pods as Kane would throw Mysterio head first into another one and Big Show forced Barrett back first into another pod.  Barrett was the first superstar eliminated after the Big Show hit his signature Knockout Punch.  Immediately after the first elimination, Show faced a barrage of finishers by his other Chamber opponents which led him to being eliminated after a chokeslam from Kane.  After eliminating the Big Show, Kane turned around and would catch McIntyre in another chokeslam.  With both the Big Show and Drew McIntyre eliminated, Kane turned his attention the likes of Edge and Rey Mysterio.  Kane would man-handle both Mysterio and Edge.  That was until Edge would hit the spear on Mysterio while he was trying to give Kane a hurricarana.  Being a spoiled sport, Kane would hit both Edge and Mysterio with a chokeslam.  With both superstars having endured everything this match has thrown at them from the very beginning, Edge and Mysterio would continue what they started.  Edge and Mysterio went back-and-forth trading move after move, pinfall attempt after pinfall attempt.  Through all the adversity, these two great superstars would not give up.  It did not seem like this match was going to end.  Then Edge caught Mysterio with a stunning mid-air spear to put an end to this classic.  With the win, Edge became the first superstar in five years to retain their title in an Elimination Chamber match.  This match was nothing short of phenomenal as it stole the show at Elimination Chamber and is in contention for Match of the Year.  If you have not seen this match yet, go out of your way to see it.  You will not be disappointed.

Overall, this week was very exciting in the World of Professional Wrestling.  We got a lot of development for the feuds that will most likely be taking centre stage at the Grandest Stage of Them All.  2/21/11 was revealed to be the return of the Undertaker, which was immediately followed by the return of Triple H.  Without saying a word, Undertaker and Triple H built up their evident collision at WrestleMania.  TNA would try to parody 2/21/11 with their own 3/3/11 promo.  The funny thing was that TNA’s surprise has already been revealed to be Sting, who beat Jeff Hardy for the TNA World Title at the taping for the 3/3/11 episode of Impact.  Not a smart idea on TNA’s part, but never mind that.  If you are looking for good quality wrestling to watch this weekend, please check out ROH 9^th Anniversary Show tonight.  So please come back next week for another addition of the Silverdome Match of the Week and the start of new five part Road to WrestleMania 27 series.  Until then continue to support and watch pro wrestling.  Cheers.  

The King Has Still Got It: Review of WWE Elimination Chamber 2011

“Jerry!  Jerry!”  Those were the chants that erupted from the crowd at the Oracle Arena in Oakland as Jerry “The King” Lawler took it the WWE Champion Miz.  For a 61 year old, Lawler wrestled just as good as or even better than the Miz.  This makes me personally wonder how great Lawler was in his prime.  Lawler and the Miz put on one great match that surprised a lot of people.  From Lawler throwing the Miz into Michael Cole and one very nostalgic top rope fist drop, the crowd at the Oracle Arena and many watching at home were going nuts.  Even in defeat, “The King” showed everybody why he is considered a part of wrestling royalty. 

WWE continued its string of great PPVs with WWE Elimination Chamber.  If you thought that the Royal Rumble delivered one great PPV, Elimination Chamber was even better.  A pair of excellent Elimination Chamber matches, some really good to great singles matches and surprising returns of two beloved Canadian wrestlers, Christian and Trish Stratus, Elimination Chamber was packed to the brim with quality entertainment.  The only real low points on this PPV were the two, heavily scripted, in-ring promos which felt a lot like filler.  The Tag Team Title match was okay, but still very entertaining and served its purpose in giving the titles to The Corre.  Like every year, the Elimination Chamber matches were the stars of the show and they did not disappoint.  In these Chamber matches, there was one superstar that his body on the line and showed the wrestling world that he deserves to be in the main event was John Morrison aka Spider-Man.  Morrison turned the Devil’s Playground of the Elimination Chamber into his own personal jungle gym.  Morrison was jumping all over the chain-linked walls, smashing into the Chambers and even scaling the roof of the Chamber for the best spot of the night.  The moment Morrison let go of the roof and hit Sheamus with what looked like a crossbody, everybody’s jaw collectively dropped.  If you missed your chance to watch WWE Elimination Chamber last Sunday, go out and watch it.  It will be a disservice to yourself as a wrestling fan if you don’t watch this PPV.

Alberto Del Rio def. Kofi Kingston by submission

My Rating:  8/10

Edge def. Rey Mysterio, Kane, Drew McIntyre, Big Show & Wade Barrett in the Smackdown Elimination Chamber to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

My Rating:  10/10

Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel def. Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov to win the WWE Tag Team Championship

My Rating:  6/10

The Miz def. Jerry “The King” Lawler to retain the WWE Championship

My Rating:  8.5/10

John Cena def. CM Punk, John Morrison, Sheamus, Randy Orton & R-Truth in the Raw Elimination Chamber to become the No. 1 Contender for the WWE Championship

My Rating:  9.5/10

Overall, WWE Elimination Chamber was an excellent PPV.  From the very beginning to the bitter end, this PPV was jam-packed with some of the best wrestling so far this year.  With all the great stuff that has happened with the WWE as of late, this has been the most entertaining and exhilarating Road to WrestleMania in recent memory.  And the last six weeks to Atlanta can only keep on going up from here.  Coming out of the Elimination Chamber, we have The Miz vs. John Cena, CM Punk vs. Randy Orton, Edge vs. Alberto Del Rio, Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole and Trish Stratus & Kelly Kelly vs. Lay-Cool all being built or at least hinted at for WrestleMania 27.  WWE Elimination Chamber was one the best PPVs WWE has put on in years and is a must-watch for any wrestling fan.  It is definitely worth paying for the replay or paying full price for the DVD once it comes out to see this show.  My overall rating for WWE Elimination Chamber 2011 is 9 out of 10.  

Entering Satan’s Structure: Preview of WWE Elimination Chamber 2011

November 17^th 2002, the WWE unveiled a solid steel structure that was 16 feet high, 36 feet in diameter and weighs over 10 tons called the Elimination Chamber.  Nicknamed the Devil’s Playground and Satan’s Structure, the Elimination Chamber is arguably the most dangerous and career threatening structure in the WWE; surprisingly more than the infamous Hell in a Cell.  Since this match’s inception, only eleven Elimination Chamber matches have taken place and close to forty superstars have walked into the Chamber of Horrors, but none have left unscathed.  Today, the Elimination Chamber is haunted by the pain and horrific screams of its victims. 

As we continue to travel down the Road to WrestleMania, twelve more men will enter the Chamber and play Russian Roulette with their careers for one more chance to headline WrestleMania 27.  This Sunday in Oakland, it is the last pit stop until this journey kicks it into high gear as it heads to the final destination, WrestleMania 27.  Now let’s rundown each match on the card for WWE Elimination Chamber.  Note:  (c) = Champion.

John Cena vs. John Morrison vs. R-Truth vs. Sheamus vs. Randy Orton vs. CM Punk in the Raw Elimination Chamber for No. 1 Contendership for the WWE Championship

With Del Rio already choosing to challenge for the World Title at WrestleMania, the WWE Champion needs a challenger to face at WrestleMania.  Enter the Raw Elimination Chamber match to choose a worthy No. 1 Contender for the WWE Title.  Due to The Miz costing John Cena the Royal Rumble match, Cena looks to be the best pick to win the Elimination Chamber.  But with The Rock’s return, could we possibly see The Rock vs. John Cena at WrestleMania instead of The Miz vs. John Cena?  The interesting thing about this match is that each one of the superstars in the Raw Elimination Chamber has all had previous experience in the Chamber of Horrors.  So the Raw Chamber match could possibly be the best Chamber match of the night. 

My Prediction:  John Cena wins and becomes the No. 1 Contender for the WWE Championship

Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov (c) vs. Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel for the WWE Tag Team Championship

Due to The Corre getting involved in the match these two teams had on this week’s Smackdown, we will be getting the rematch on this PPV.  Many people consider Santino & Kozlov a joke of a tag team, but they are very entertaining to watch and at least do their best to make everybody smile with their crazy antics.  Also Santino has started to show glimpses of his true wrestling ability, which is really cool to see.  In the end, Slater & Gabriel will win the Tag Titles in order to give The Corre a little more credibility as a faction.

My Prediction:  Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel win to become the new WWE Tag Team Champions

Alberto Del Rio vs. Kofi Kingston

It would be a little weird if WWE kept the winner of the Royal Rumble off this PPV.  Alberto Del Rio needed some little feud to occupy his time until he starts the big angle that will lead to the World Title match at WrestleMania, so WWE gave him Kofi Kingston.  This feud with Kofi Kingston has been very impressive for only three weeks of build.  Expect Del Rio to beat Kingston to build Del Rio up to the biggest match of his career so far.

My Prediction:  Alberto Del Rio wins

The Miz (c) vs. Jerry Lawler for the WWE Championship

For the last few months, The Miz and Jerry Lawler have been going back and forth in a war of both words and fists.  Even though Lawler’s age, this match could be pretty good.  With Michael Cole being The Miz’s personal cheerleader, there is no doubt that if The Miz faces adversity during this match Cole will get involved.  This match and feud will most likely be the springboard to a match between Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole at WrestleMania.

My Prediction:  The Miz retains

Edge (c) vs. Kane vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Wade Barrett vs.???  in the Smackdown Elimination Chamber for the World Heavyweight Championship

Since the Royal Rumble, the feud between Dolph Ziggler and Edge over the World Title has been nothing but overbooked nonsense.  Each week, Edge would have to defend his World Title against Ziggler with what seemed like no way to retain.  And each week, Edge would somehow find a way to hold on to his precious title.  That was until this week when Teddy Long returned and “fired” Ziggler for attacking him over a month ago.  Now as we turn our attention to the Smackdown Elimination Chamber, that has had little to no real hype, we are left with the question:  “Who will take Ziggler’s spot in the match?”  There are so many possibilities that it is hard to pinpoint one superstar in particular.  Personally, I believe Cody Rhodes would be the best choice as to build this budding feud between him and Rey Mysterio.  But it could be the man, which was hinted at by Edge’s Unprettier on Ziggler at the Royal Rumble, the one, the only Captain Charisma, Christian!  If so, this match could be really exciting.

My Prediction:  Edge retains

As the last pit stop before The Grandest Stage of Them All, WWE Elimination Chamber will set up a lot of the feuds and storylines for WrestleMania 27.  With the card that has been presented to us, WWE Elimination Chamber has the potential to be as good as the Royal Rumble was last month.  The key to this PPV is not the two Elimination Chamber matches because they are going to be at least good matches no matter what; it will be the matches that are going to be sandwiched between the two Chamber matches.  WWE can put on the best Chamber matches, but if the middle of the show is not as enjoyable, it will leave a sour taste in the mouths of the WWE Universe.  That is exactly what happened last year at WWE’s Elimination Chamber PPV.  Hopefully WWE has learned from last year’s event and will not commit the same mistakes this year.    

FINALLY!!!! THE ROCK HAS COME BACK… home

If you are thinking where is The Silverdome Match of the Week?  Sorry, but it will not be happening due to an event of epic proportions.  This event happened last Monday night on WWE Raw in Anaheim, California.  One week earlier, the Chairman of the WWE, Vince McMahon made the announcement that for the first time in WWE history there will be a host for the Show of Shows, WrestleMania.  The catch for McMahon’s announcement was that we would all have to wait a week to find out who would host the biggest wrestling show of the year.  So WWE released the floodgates as the Internet went wild with speculation.   From Justin Bieber and Ryan Seacrest to Chris Jericho and Goldberg, everybody in both the entertainment and wrestling world was rumoured to be the Host of WrestleMania.  But whoever was named to be the host would either completely surprise or disappoint every wrestling fan.  There would be no middle ground in a matter this big.  In the case of Justin Bieber, many hardcore fans would have probably boycott WrestleMania if he was named the host.  But that was not meant to be. 

As Raw came to its closing segment, the anticipation was building to a peak.  Then as the lights went out and the Pond in Anaheim came to a hush as the words, “IF YOU SMELL!!!” boomed from the Titantron.  Everybody in the crowd and most certainly at home rose to their feet and cheered.  For the first time in seven years, The Rock had come back to where he belongs, in a WWE ring.  As something the most hardcore wrestling fans have hoped for, but never imagined they would see again.  This return was a year defining moment.  The return of The Rock may be the one thing the WWE needs to help them get through this transitional period sooner than initially expected.  The Rock could be the one veteran superstar this company needs to inspire the next generation of WWE superstars to step up their game.  The promo that followed this great intro was nothing short of excellent.  The WWE has some guys that can really work the crowd, but in my opinion there is nobody that can work a crowd than The Great One himself.  The Rock had everybody eating out of his hand.  From him spouting off all his iconic catchphrases to insulting Michael Cole and the Anonymous Raw General Manager to calling out and then making fun of John Cena, it was one unforgettable promo.  Honestly, if you were not smiling at all while watching this promo, then what do you watch wrestling for?  Personally, I do not think you will be able to remove the smile from my face.  Unless you surgically remove it.  Also the big hints at The Rock vs. John Cena were phenomenal.  If the WWE wants to make WrestleMania 27 the most successful WrestleMania out of them all, then make this dream match happen.  If you do it this match will most certainly get an insane amount of buys; much more than WWE will get now with The Rock as the Host for WrestleMania.

In closing, thank you Rock for agreeing to come back where you truly belong.  You have been missed and it is good to see The People’s Champ back even in a non-wrestling capacity.  But I have to say, we are only two months into 2011 and the WWE continues to pull out great show after great show, moment after moment.  Could 2011 be the best year for wrestling yet?  In my opinion, I certainly hope so as these are moments that every wrestling fan lives for; moments like this are why we all watch wrestling.

The Silverdome Match of the Week: Alberto Del Rio vs. Kofi Kingston

Welcome to the first of many new articles that will be posted in the coming months.  The article you are reading now is called The Match of the Week.  With all the wrestling you can find on TV from WWE Raw and Smackdown to TNA Impact to ROH on HDNet (if you can find it), there is a whole lot of wrestling that one can watch in a week.  Each show has its ups and downs, but there is at least one match on each show that stands out from the rest.  This week Alberto Del Rio vs. Santino Marella from WWE Raw, AJ Styles & Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy & Jeff Jarrett from TNA Impact were really good matches, but Alberto Del Rio vs. Kofi Kingston from WWE Smackdown was the Match of the Week.

Alberto Del Rio vs. Kofi Kingston was a great surprise as it was never announced.  After the great promo between Del Rio and Kingston to start off Smackdown, we came back to Kingston and Del Rio in the ring ready to start their match.  What followed was one great ten minute match where these two young superstars showed how well they can work in the ring.  Kofi started off the match with his explosive high-flying action; jumping all over the ring and getting the better of Del Rio due to his speed and acrobatic moves.  The course of this match would change as would target his favourite body part, the arm as he took Kofi’s arm and smashed it against the steel steps.  Kofi would try to fight back, but Del Rio would continue to dissect Kofi’s arm until he locked on the Cross Arm Breaker for the submission victory.  This match was a really good appetizer for what looks to be the main course at Elimination Chamber on February 20^th.  This little feud between Del Rio and Kingston has been very entertaining even though it will last only three weeks because once Elimination Chamber is done Del Rio will be feuding with the current World Heavyweight Champion whomever it may be. 

Overall, this week in wrestling programming was okay.  There were more newsworthy stories this week such as WrestleMania 28 being held in Miami and WWE having a host for WrestleMania 27, rather than really good programming.  Next week looks to be big with TNA Against All Odds on Sunday, WWE’s go home shows for Elimination Chamber and the 600^th episode of Smackdown.  So come back next Saturday for both The Match of the Week and the Preview for WWE Elimination Chamber as we all continue down the Road to the Grandest Stage of Them All, WrestleMania.

Viva Del Rio!!!: Review of WWE Royal Rumble 2011

The dust has settled, the battle lines have been drawn as the Biggest Royal Rumble in history came to a close one man stood tall among the rest.  One man who for weeks on end said it was his destiny to win the Royal Rumble.  That man is Alberto Del Rio, but you… you already know that.  Now the question is will the next part of Del Rio’s prophecy come true?  Will he go on to Wrestlemania and claim the World Heavyweight Championship?  As we travel down the Road to Wrestlemania, we’ll see what happens first hand.  It looks like it is going to be one hell of a road this year.

After one horrible year for WWE PPV-wise in 2010, this years’ Royal Rumble was one great way to start the year for WWE PPV.  This PPV delivered in spades.  The Divas match was the only match on the card that did not deliver.  That was due to poor booking on WWE’s part.  At first, the order of the matches on this show was really weird.  Who would have put the Divas match after the two big title matches and right before the Royal Rumble match?  Now looking back, it was very smart for WWE to sandwich the Divas match in between the surprisingly good WWE Title match and the excellent Royal Rumble match as it made everybody watching forget the only blunder on this PPV.  Another thing this show did well was set few feuds up for Wrestlemania such as The Miz vs. John Cena, CM Punk vs. Randy Orton and the Nexus vs. the Corre.  I highly recommend that you go watch WWE Royal Rumble 2011.  It was the most fun I have had watching a WWE PPV in a long time and every wrestling fan should have the chance to watch it themselves.

Edge def. Dolph Ziggler to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

Rating:  8.5/10

The Miz def. Randy Orton to retain the WWE Championship

Rating:  8.5/10

Eve def. Layla, Natalya and Michelle McCool to win the WWE Divas Championship

Rating:  5.5/10

Alberto Del Rio eliminated Santino Marella to win the 2011 Royal Rumble Match

Rating:  10/10

Overall, WWE Royal Rumble 2011 is one great all-around PPV.  Starting with one great World Title match followed by a surprisingly good WWE match, the top half of the show was solid as a rock.  The second half had the poorly booked Divas Title Fatal 4 Way followed by the always superb Royal Rumble match, which completely overshadowed the mishap before it.  The new 40 man format of this years’ Royal Rumble did not hurt or add to the match in anyway.  This years’ Rumble had the same atmosphere and excitement as any other year before.  The only real difference was number of competitors in the match.  If you missed the Royal Rumble this year, go out of your way to check it out.  It is definitely worth your time and money.  My overall rating for WWE Royal Rumble 2011 is 8.5 out of 10.