WWE Champions Corner (Feb 5-Feb 6): Filling Up the Chamber

As we build towards the Elimination Chamber, Raw looked to show why they are the A-show this week. We saw more development for both Chamber matches, and were “treated” to two healthy doses of Roman Reigns.

On the other hand, SmackDown Live were dragging their heels this week. There were some developments, some interesting, some, not so much.

So let’s get to it, and see what’s what.

 

The Universal Title

This week on Raw we discovered the next two wrestlers to gain entry into the men’s Elimination Chamber match, and one competitor managed to steal a huge victory to gain the advantage when the No. 1 contender’s bout takes place.

Kicking off the show was a match between Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt for a place in the Chamber. Probably because of the predictable outcome, the fight just didn’t feel exciting; they obviously put in the effort, but it was hard to care knowing that Reigns was going to come out on top. The same can be said about The Miz vs. Apollo Crews in their qualifier. They gave it their all, but Miz was never to going to lose.

A match that wasn’t as predictable was the bout between the other Chamber entrants: Elias, Braun Strowman, and John Cena. In a bid to become the final man to leave their Chamber pod, Elias picked up a surprising victory by pinning the 16-time world champion, throwing Strowman out of the ring and picking up the scraps. Afterwards, Strowman laid waste to Cena and Elias much to the delight of the crowd. Despite cries of burying Bálor last week, Cena put over his EC opponents, making them look like credible threats.

There’s still one more Chamber spot for the taking. Next week, we’ll find out who else will join the others in one of the most dangerous matches in WWE in a fatal four-way bout. Finn Bálor is set to partake, and he is after redemption.

 

The Intercontinental Title

After beating “The Big Dog” again last week, the Intercontinental Champion The Miz was given a shot at becoming the No. 1 contender for the Universal Title as well. All he had to do was secure a victory over Apollo Crews.

And naturally, he did. As already stated, the two put on a fine match, but it’s hard to be interested in a clash when you know before the opening bell that The Miz is going to have his arm raised.

One thing this match did tell us though is that there won’t be an IC Title match at Elimination Chamber. With no challenger in place, you have to wonder whether it was the right decision to add Miz to the Chamber, or alternatively, if it was right to put the white strap on him in the first place. With two more episodes of Raw to go, Miz may drop the title so it can be defended come February 25, but it’s more likely that we just won’t see it up for grabs until the Elimination Chamber event is over.

A mixed bag in hindsight this week; The Miz continued his dominance by gaining entry into the biggest match before Mania, but with the IC Title slipping back into being an afterthought, you have to wonder if it was ill-thought out.

 

The Raw Women’s Title

Another week has gone by, and so has another episode of Raw without Alexa Bliss having a match. While the Raw Women’s Champion didn’t go to war in the ring, she certainly had a war of words with her GM, Kurt Angle.

This week, Angle announced the competitors who will be challenging Alexa Bliss for her title in the very first women’s Elimination Chamber match. Unable to contain her fury, Bliss brought up the one thing we were all thinking: how come she has to defend her championship while Brock Lesnar gets to chill out at home? The Olympic gold medallist brought up the fact that Bliss hasn’t put her title on the line for months, but backed himself into a bigger corner when “The Goddess” reminded Angle that he is the one who books the matches, not her. “Little Miss Bliss” ended her promo saying she deserves respect, and after spitting mad fire, it’s hard to disagree.

Later on in the night, Bliss saved one of her challengers at Elimination Chamber, Mickie James, from a beat-down by two other participants, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville.
It would be nice to see Bliss compete on Raw for a change, but the tide has definitely turned in her favour. She cut a great, scathing promo on her boss, and by the looks of things, she’s thinking ahead by saving her former running mate. Expect their friendship to develop over the next two episodes, and wait to see how that helps Bliss in the Chamber.

 

The Raw Tag Team Titles

It’s not every month that a Superstar gets to challenge for the IC Title, the tag titles, and earns a shot to compete for the Universal Championship, but Roman Reigns is no ordinary sports entertainer; he’s “The Big Dawwwg!” That being said, WWE really need to calm down a bit; there’s no need to have Reigns chase everything in sight.

Despite having our fill of Reigns, the tag title bout was the match of the night. There was a lot of intense fighting, drama, and when all is said and done, there was no one else that Seth Rollins could have partnered with.

Being legitimately injured, there’s nothing Jason Jordan could have done more. As per usual, he’s done a great job as the spunky young kid trying to help but failing at every turn. His decision to hit Cesaro & Sheamus meant The Bar retained their belts, and the crowd loved lambasting Jordan for it.

WWE have announced that Jordan has undergone neck surgery. This scuppers the plans to turn him into a full heel, triggering a push for singles glory.

Interestingly, the feud with The Bar feels stagnant now with everything going on between Rollins & Jordan. The champs need fresh challengers, but don’t hold your breath for a well-thought out clash for them at Elimination Chamber.

 

The Cruiserweight Title

The tournament to crown a new champion in the cruiserweight division is well underway. 205 Live played host to two great matches this week, and GM Drake Maverick set up a big clash for the next episode between Tony Nese and Drew Gulak.

Focusing on this week though, Kalisto and Lince Dorado put on a spectacular match befitting of a chance to become champion. It genuinely felt like they put it all into this match, with near-falls and the ref spotting Dorado’s hand on the rope in the nick of time.

Roderick Strong had his 205 Live debut this week squaring off against Hideo Itami, and surprisingly, Strong won. The bout was hard-hitting and even included a wince-inducing spot where Strong threw Itami spine-first into the edge of the ring.

While no one would ever doubt Strong’s capabilities, it seems odd that WWE would have him go over Itami in this tournament. The biggest name on 205 Live now has nothing to do until WrestleMania is done and dusted.

The tournament has certainly got a lot more interesting, and if the cruiserweights can carry on this momentum, they’ll be sitting pretty by the time it comes to planning out the match positions for the Mania card.

 

The WWE Title

What’s the stupidest thing for a champion to do in the middle of a No. 1 contender’s match? That’s right, interfere in the fight. What did WWE have AJ Styles do during said match? That’s right, they had him interfere. Logic was thrown out of the window this week in regards to the WWE Championship, and with it went some of its credibility.

During the millionth clash between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, Styles decided to put the hurting on both competitors. The ref had to call the match a no contest, prompting Daniel Bryan to make the title match at Fastlane a triple threat bout, essentially giving us the exact same match we saw at the Royal Rumble.

Nothing good came from the build-up we’ve seen over the last two weeks. WWE made a horrible decision to not give either Zayn or Owens the win, which would have made one of them look like a threat to the champion.

It seems mad to say it given the calibre of wrestling talent in the ring, but I can’t wait for Fastlane to be over so we can focus on the match we actually want to see: Styles and Nakamura.

 

The US Title

The saving grace of SmackDown this week was the clash between champion Bobby Roode and his challenger Rusev. But the real talking point is what happened after the bell had rung.

The match was a crowd pleaser; people were split cheering for both men. Aiden English played his part well on the outside, too. It was an odd pairing at the beginning, but Rusev & English are quickly becoming the best part of SmackDown. Roode managed to get the victory with a big DDT, giving us a decisive winner, and though Rusev may disagree, that match made Rusev Day glorious.

The celebrations didn’t last long however as Randy Orton (out of nowhere, naturally) struck Roode, English, and Rusev with RKOs. It’s too early to tell, but “The Viper” might have just thrown his hat into the ring. There are now three men in the US Title picture, and Roode may very well have found his opponent at WrestleMania.

 

The Smackdown Women’s Title

I might sound like a broken record saying this, but it’s good to see a women’s champion actually competing on her show. Whilst Bliss was arguing against having to wrestle, Charlotte Flair laced up her boots to take on Liv Morgan.

The Riott Squad were on the outside to assist Morgan, and they did a good job of getting in Flair’s way. It was a smart call to have the referee eject them both from ringside though so Flair could pick up the win, giving her more momentum before her eventual clash against Ruby Riott for the title.

It has to be said that Liv and Sarah Logan are showing improvement. Morgan put up a decent fight against the champion, but rightly lost the match. The only thing I would say to Liv is that she really needs to learn how to sell the Figure Eight. Tapping is one thing, but it’s nothing if it doesn’t look like you’re in pain.

In Charlotte’s own words: one down, two to go. Expect to see Logan take a loss over the next few weeks before Ruby becomes No. 1 contender at Fastlane.

 

The Smackdown Tag team Titles

The big staredown between The Usos and The Bludgeon Brothers continued this week. After Rowan & Harper destroyed some local talent, Jimmy & Jey made their way to the ring. The Bludgeon Brothers decided that it was not the day to attack the twins, and left for the back.

The tension between the teams was undeniable. As long as they don’t rush it by putting the match on at Fastlane, The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The Usos has the potential to be a Mania classic.

That being said, Jimmy & Jey went another week without competing, which is always disappointing. They make up for it with great mic work, but their words are hollow if they don’t back it up. It would be nice to see Rowan & Harper take out a real team too; any WWE superstar can beat a local jobber or two. There’s a big fight feel between The Usos and The Bludgeon Brothers, but these teams need a serious victory soon to keep it feeling that way.

And that’s another week done in WWE. Raw featured a lot of heavy development this week as they built towards the Elimination Chamber, but SmackDown felt like a bit of a letdown. The Blue Brand has a lot to prove next week, and more importantly, they need to show us the WWE Title picture is worth investing our time in.