Black Widow
02-23-2010, 12:09 AM
Sort of a new twist on the "Elevator" concept, as I look not only at the performance of the wrestler on the PPV, but the way they have been positioned leading into Wrestlemania. I'll be looking at the Smackdown stars tomorrow.
Randy Orton - Orton got one of his best crowd responses to date in the Chamber match, with fans chanting "RKO" even when he was just standing in the pod. Yes, it was his hometown, but still it has become apparent that fans want to cheer for Orton. Orton's performance in the match was very good, particularly his elevated DDT on Triple H on the steel platform. At this point, Orton seems destined for a Wrestlemania showdown with Ted DiBiase (and possibly Cody Rhodes too). Elevator: Up a floor.
Ted DiBiase - DiBiase's on-again, off-again character push was in full effect in the Chamber. He and Randy Orton double-teamed everyone, then at a pivotal moment, DiBiase hit Randy Orton with a pipe, then John Cena, and eliminated Orton. However, only moments later, Kofi Kingston kicked DiBiase in the head and eliminated him. DiBiase didn't even get a chance to have some offense on his own, without being Orton's sidekick. At this point, no one sees DiBiase as being on Orton's level, and WWE needs to change that. Elevator: On the same floor.
Kofi Kingston - Kofi got to show off some great highspots in the Chamber match, but at this point, he has no real program going into Wrestlemania. His feud with Randy Orton started off incredibly hot, and has since cooled considerably. His best bet for a Wrestlemania match might end up being a U.S. Title bout with the Miz, or forming a tag team to go after Miz & Big Show. The loss of Money In The Bank from the card limits Kofi's options for the big show. Elevator: Down a floor.
Sheamus - His title reign lasted longer than most expected, and he was allowed to look strong in defeat in the Chamber. After all, he went from the beginning of the match to almost the end, and it took a low blow from Triple H to cost him the match. Unfortunately, the post-match angle seems to suggest that Sheamus won't be getting his title rematch anytime soon. It's hard to see the Sheamus-Orton feud continuing to Wrestlemania at this point, so a match with Triple H might be his destiny. Either way, the spotlight has been removed, at least for now, off him. Elevator: Down a floor.
Triple H - The Game got to take a long nap during the Chamber match, courtesy of Randy Orton's elevated DDT. However, he recovered in time to give Sheamus a low blow and Pedigree to eliminate him, before being trapped in the STF and "sort of" tapping out. With Shawn Michaels-Undertaker apparently a go for Wrestlemania, and Cena-Batista being likely, it would appear Triple H will be in a non-title match at Wrestlemania for the first time since 2001, when he faced The Undertaker (not including the year he missed due to injury). That's a strange place for HHH to be in. Elevator: Down a floor.
John Cena - John Cena had a flashback to 2006 at the Elimination Chamber event. That year, he successfully defended the gold in a Chamber match, only to be quickly beaten by Edge, who cashed in his Money In The Bank title shot. This year, he wins the WWE Title in a Chamber match, only to be quickly beaten by Batista, who was given a title shot by Vince McMahon. All signs point to Cena challenging Batista for the title at Wrestlemania, with some sort of involvement by Vince McMahon and Bret Hart. Looks like Cena is going to get a chance to win the title in one of the main events. Elevator: Up a floor.
Batista - I'm assuming his title win puts him on Raw now. With his quick win over John Cena, Batista finds himself back in the main event mix for Wrestlemania, with a potential opportunity to close the show, something he hasn't gotten to do since his win over Triple H in 2005. That is, unless WWE goes with something other than Cena-Batista for the main event of the show. Either way, Big Dave's spot on the show seems all but official. Elevator: Up a floor.
Gail Kim & Maryse - WWE has delayed their tournament final for weeks, put it on a PPV... then didn't bother having it. Honestly, by the time we get to this match, Melina might be back in action. Almost all the Divas usually end up on Wrestlemania in some way, so they'll be a part of the big show. It's just a shame hardly anyone will care. After all, if WWE Creative doesn't, why should we? Elevator: Stalled on the same floor.
The Miz - He's on a roll now. A strong performance against MVP, booking that has him coming off as more than just "Jericho's replacement" with Big Show, and the most talked about storyline on a show that hasn't even debuted yet. Miz continues to recover from the poor booking of his John Cena feud last year, and of all the secondary title holders, he seems most likely to get a good spot on the Wrestlemania card, either in a singles or tag match. Elevator: Up a floor.
MVP - MVP's offense in the match with Miz at the Elimination Chamber mirrored the push of his character. In the match, he'd hit a move, look good for a moment, then Miz would take back over. In his career, he gets a win (like last week on Raw) or cuts a good promo, and then the next week he is staring at the lights. Why WWE won't give him a sustained push is beyond me, he certainly has the talent and mic skills to go far. However, with the way he is booked, it wouldn't be shocking if he ends up in a dark match at Mania. Elevator: Down a floor.
You can write me at BuckWrestling@aol.com.
PWI
Randy Orton - Orton got one of his best crowd responses to date in the Chamber match, with fans chanting "RKO" even when he was just standing in the pod. Yes, it was his hometown, but still it has become apparent that fans want to cheer for Orton. Orton's performance in the match was very good, particularly his elevated DDT on Triple H on the steel platform. At this point, Orton seems destined for a Wrestlemania showdown with Ted DiBiase (and possibly Cody Rhodes too). Elevator: Up a floor.
Ted DiBiase - DiBiase's on-again, off-again character push was in full effect in the Chamber. He and Randy Orton double-teamed everyone, then at a pivotal moment, DiBiase hit Randy Orton with a pipe, then John Cena, and eliminated Orton. However, only moments later, Kofi Kingston kicked DiBiase in the head and eliminated him. DiBiase didn't even get a chance to have some offense on his own, without being Orton's sidekick. At this point, no one sees DiBiase as being on Orton's level, and WWE needs to change that. Elevator: On the same floor.
Kofi Kingston - Kofi got to show off some great highspots in the Chamber match, but at this point, he has no real program going into Wrestlemania. His feud with Randy Orton started off incredibly hot, and has since cooled considerably. His best bet for a Wrestlemania match might end up being a U.S. Title bout with the Miz, or forming a tag team to go after Miz & Big Show. The loss of Money In The Bank from the card limits Kofi's options for the big show. Elevator: Down a floor.
Sheamus - His title reign lasted longer than most expected, and he was allowed to look strong in defeat in the Chamber. After all, he went from the beginning of the match to almost the end, and it took a low blow from Triple H to cost him the match. Unfortunately, the post-match angle seems to suggest that Sheamus won't be getting his title rematch anytime soon. It's hard to see the Sheamus-Orton feud continuing to Wrestlemania at this point, so a match with Triple H might be his destiny. Either way, the spotlight has been removed, at least for now, off him. Elevator: Down a floor.
Triple H - The Game got to take a long nap during the Chamber match, courtesy of Randy Orton's elevated DDT. However, he recovered in time to give Sheamus a low blow and Pedigree to eliminate him, before being trapped in the STF and "sort of" tapping out. With Shawn Michaels-Undertaker apparently a go for Wrestlemania, and Cena-Batista being likely, it would appear Triple H will be in a non-title match at Wrestlemania for the first time since 2001, when he faced The Undertaker (not including the year he missed due to injury). That's a strange place for HHH to be in. Elevator: Down a floor.
John Cena - John Cena had a flashback to 2006 at the Elimination Chamber event. That year, he successfully defended the gold in a Chamber match, only to be quickly beaten by Edge, who cashed in his Money In The Bank title shot. This year, he wins the WWE Title in a Chamber match, only to be quickly beaten by Batista, who was given a title shot by Vince McMahon. All signs point to Cena challenging Batista for the title at Wrestlemania, with some sort of involvement by Vince McMahon and Bret Hart. Looks like Cena is going to get a chance to win the title in one of the main events. Elevator: Up a floor.
Batista - I'm assuming his title win puts him on Raw now. With his quick win over John Cena, Batista finds himself back in the main event mix for Wrestlemania, with a potential opportunity to close the show, something he hasn't gotten to do since his win over Triple H in 2005. That is, unless WWE goes with something other than Cena-Batista for the main event of the show. Either way, Big Dave's spot on the show seems all but official. Elevator: Up a floor.
Gail Kim & Maryse - WWE has delayed their tournament final for weeks, put it on a PPV... then didn't bother having it. Honestly, by the time we get to this match, Melina might be back in action. Almost all the Divas usually end up on Wrestlemania in some way, so they'll be a part of the big show. It's just a shame hardly anyone will care. After all, if WWE Creative doesn't, why should we? Elevator: Stalled on the same floor.
The Miz - He's on a roll now. A strong performance against MVP, booking that has him coming off as more than just "Jericho's replacement" with Big Show, and the most talked about storyline on a show that hasn't even debuted yet. Miz continues to recover from the poor booking of his John Cena feud last year, and of all the secondary title holders, he seems most likely to get a good spot on the Wrestlemania card, either in a singles or tag match. Elevator: Up a floor.
MVP - MVP's offense in the match with Miz at the Elimination Chamber mirrored the push of his character. In the match, he'd hit a move, look good for a moment, then Miz would take back over. In his career, he gets a win (like last week on Raw) or cuts a good promo, and then the next week he is staring at the lights. Why WWE won't give him a sustained push is beyond me, he certainly has the talent and mic skills to go far. However, with the way he is booked, it wouldn't be shocking if he ends up in a dark match at Mania. Elevator: Down a floor.
You can write me at BuckWrestling@aol.com.
PWI