Elimination Chamber Results and Recap: The Man, The Martyr, and The (Road to) Mania
Buddy Murphy (c) def. Akira Tozawa, for the Cruiserweight Championship on the Elimination Chamber Kickoff Show (205 Live)
You can watch the Elimination Chamber Kickoff show on YouTube and on the WWE Network.
Boss & Hug Connection (Sasha Banks & Bayley) def. Fire & Desire (Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville), Nia Jax & Tamina, The Riott Squad (Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan), The IIconics (Billie Kay & Peyton Royce), and Fabulous Glow (Carmella & Naomi), in a Tag Team Elimination Chamber match for the inaugural WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship (RAW & SmackDown)
Due to their losses on their respective brands, Mandy Rose/Sonya Deville and Sasha Banks/Bayley start this match. Mandy/Sonya try to come for Sasha/Bayley, but they’re outmatched by the veteran team’s tag team maneuvers. And once Mandy/Sonya get stuck in the Chamber’s cage, neither Bayley nor Sasha take it easy on them when it comes to inflicting pain.
But then the first new competitors of the match join in: The Riott Squad. And they’re ready to wreak havoc, as they just dominate Sasha/Bayley immediately. Sarah Logan manages to throw Sasha injured arm-first into the pod glass and then take out Bayley before facing off with Mandy/Sonya for the first time ever. First, it’s Mandy vs. Liv Morgan and Sonya vs. Sarah, but then Liv and Sonya meet… and they ultimately end up taking each other down together. Bayley’s able to recover during that time, and then she’s a one-woman wrecking crew against the other four. That only ends when she goes to the top rope, and then it’s Tower of Doom o’clock.
And then time for the next entrants, The IIconics, who try to pick up the scraps and pin everyone in the match. But nope, no three-counts, and they get frustrated, arguing with the referee. But after that, they have no problem taking out the competition with their tandem offense whenever someone tries to come back to life. They then focus this strategy on Bayley, only failing when Sasha comes back to life to break up the pin attempt on her tag team partner.
So now it’s Sasha vs. The IIconics, and Billie Kay and Peyton Royce go right after that injured arm. They do their worst against both Sasha and Bayley, but they just can’t eliminate them. So they finally change their mind and go after the other teams. But now Naomi/Carmella are in, and they clean house (as well as moonwalk). A combo of superkicks and a split-legged moonsault almost helps them eliminate The Riott Squad, but Liv saves her partner just in time. Then every woman hits their finisher on each other, and they’re all down. There’s no advantage, no favorite—all of these women are putting in their best work, their A-games. And Nia Jax/Tamina are just itching to come in and destroy them all.
Carmella almost taps Sonya out with the Code of Silence, but Mandy stops it. She’s pleased with herself after that, but that only leads to Naomi coming after her. And then it looks like Naomi will get Mandy/Sonya out of the match… but The IIconics take the opportunity to pin Naomi and eliminate the first team in the match. Now every team is coming for The IIconics, but they’re “spared” by the fact Nia Jax/Tamina now come in, so they run back to the pod while the other team’ try to fight back against the bigger Superstars. But once Nia/Tamina have done their damage, they come for The IIconics, prying open the pod and slinging them both back and forth into the Chamber cage. Billie and Peyton know the end is near once they’re in the center of the ring—with Billie crying “I’m sorry.” to Peyton and Peyton saying “I love you.” to Billie—and that’s true as they take stereo Samoan Drops and are eliminated.
The Riott Squad immediately work together to go after Nia/Tamina, and once that fails, Mandy/Sonya move on to the monstrous duo next. Once that fails, it’s Sasha/Bayley’s “turn” to go after this devastating duo, and they take control of the match. Eventually, it looks like The Riott Squad
So now it’s the Boss & Hug Connection vs. Fire & Desire, the two teams who started this match in the first place. It looks like Sasha/Bayley
It then seems like Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville have it in the bag, but Mandy just can’t put Sasha away. And when it comes time for the double team, Sasha’s able to avoid, and Sonya accidentally spears Mandy. Sasha struggles to lock the Banks Statement in on Sonya Deville, but she modifies the submission and Sonya taps. We have WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
Sasha and Bayley are immediately interviewed by Charley Caruso after the match, as the WWE Universe chants “YOU DESERVE IT.”
The Usos (Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso) def. The Miz & Shane McMahon (c), for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship (SmackDown)
Before the match, The Miz congratulates Sasha Banks and Bayley for their win and then dedicates this match to his father, his daughter, and his wife, Maryse. And Maryse is actually here because the two of them have an announcement: They’re having another baby!
Jimmy Uso and The Miz start the match off against each other, but neither man gets an advantage, countering everything the other has. Miz even avoids a stereo superkick from The Usos when Jey Uso tags in too. Shane McMahon wants to end this match early though, as he tags in and tries to go for the Coast-to-Coast on Jey. Jimmy stops that from happening, but Shane fights him off before focusing back on Jey. Then he tags The Miz back in for some tandem offense and some mockery (and Jimmy becomes the legal Uso in the process). The Usos regroup to work on a plan of attack, and then they bide their time before they can double team The Miz. Jey Uso even hits Miz with a
The Usos are nasty tonight, with constant tags and double teams against The Miz. Jimmy even breaks out The Miz’s own moveset for fun. But cockiness on Jimmy’s part leads to a mistake, and Miz is able to tag Shane in. He connects with a Coast-to-Coast on Jimmy, and he then goes for another on Jey… and eats a superkick, then a splash. Miz luckily saves Shane from the three, but then it’s Miz by himself for the longest time until a rare Uso miscommunication—Jimmy diving into Jey—changes the momentum. Then Miz ushers Shane over to dive on Jey on an announce table, while Miz goes to focus on Jimmy inside the ring. Miz is able to hit a Skull Crushing Finale on Jimmy, but he takes to long to cover and Jimmy reverses it during the pin attempt, for a three-count of his own. The Usos are now six-time WWE Tag Team Champions.
After the match, The Miz tells Shane he’s sorry before helping him up to his feet and to the back.
Backstage, Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush are ready for the handicap match, until Dasha Fuentes points out that we’ve already seen two title changes tonight… and posits the question of Lio Rush being “the weak link” of this team. She reminds them that Lashley can lose the Intercontinental Championship if Rush gets pinned, which…
Finn Balor def. Lio Rush & Bobby Lashley (c), for the Intercontinental Championship (RAW)
Unsurprisingly, Bobby Lashley starts this title defense off against Finn Balor. But as usual, he underestimates Finn, which of course leads to Lio Rush working on the outside as a distraction to allow Lashley to get the drop on their opponent.
Now, once Balor’s been softened up enough though, that’s when Rush wants to tag in. Of course, he tags back out as soon as Balor starts to fight back. That’s the strategy for this match, but things get dire once Balor rolls away when Rush tries to hit the frog splash on him. And then he won’t let Rush get to his corner to tag Lashley back in. And after a dive to Lashley on the outside, Balor hits the Coup de Grace on Rush for the win and his first reign as Intercontinental Champion.
Post-match, a furious Lashley destroys Rush before going to the back a loser.
Ronda Rousey (c) def. Ruby Riott, for the RAW Women’s Championship (RAW)
You can read more about the RAW Women’s Championship match against Ruby Riott—and how Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch factor into this pay-per-view at all—here.
Baron Corbin def. Braun Strowman, in a No Disqualification match (RAW)
Baron Corbin gets a kendo stick very early for any kind of advantage on Braun Strowman. But as Strowman tells Corbin before he breaks the kendo stick in half: “I DON’T NEED A KENDO STICK TO BEAT YOUR ASS.”
This match pretty much goes how you expect it to, right down to Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley coming in to interfere (because of no DQ thing) as soon as Corbin looks truly done for. Then they finish Strowman off with a Shield powerbomb through two tables.
Shane’s being taken care of in the trainer’s room, while The Miz continues to apologize. In fact, The Miz is snapping, as he’s so upset with himself for breaking his promise to his family and to Shane. This is not a version of The Miz we’ve seen before, and Shane sends him home to calm down until Tuesday.
Also: Lacey Evans is here… but why? Seriously, why?
Daniel Bryan (c) def. Kofi Kingston, Randy Orton, AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, and Samoa Joe, in an Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship (SmackDown)
Daniel Bryan comes out last (making him first in the Elimination Chamber), claiming that WWE officials are punishing him for being a “genius.” The officials punish him further though, by sending Rowan to the back. (Did Bryan think they’d let Rowan in the Chamber with him?) Bryan then says he’s willing to be the “martyr” in this match, as he knows he’s “suffering for the greater good” of saving the world by being in this match. Sure, Jan.
Bryan starts the match with Samoa Joe, and his plan for that is to avoid Joe as much as he possibly can in this structure. These two know each other well from their work prior to WWE, so I suppose it makes sense why Bryan chooses to run as much as he does. But while Bryan hopes that the next competitor might help him against Joe, that doesn’t end up being the case: Because it’s the dark horse competitor Kofi Kingston. In fact, Bryan ends up running (and climbing) away from Kofi too. Then AJ Styles comes out next, and he, of course, goes after Bryan too before focusing on Joe as well.
Styles eliminates Joe first, and then Jeff Hardy comes in, the only fresh Superstar now. Hardy even hits Styles with Swanton Bomb from the top of Chamber pod… but he can’t capitalize on that as Bryan hits him with the knee and eliminates him next. Styles is then eliminated with an RKO from Randy Orton, just like he was during Tuesday’s gauntlet. (You’d think he’d learn.) But Kofi eliminates Orton with Trouble in Paradise!
After that, all that’s left are Kofi Kingston and “The New” Daniel Bryan. Kofi hits the S.O.S., but that doesn’t do the trick. “YOU DON’T DESERVE TO BE HERE WITH ME,” Bryan yells at Kofi before he kicks him in the corner. And then he hits the dropkicks in the corner too, and he won’t stop, because Kofi keeps getting up. Then Kofi hits the running stomp, but it only leads to a two-count.
The WWE Universe is 100% behind Kofi and have been since he entered the match. So now Bryan returns to the
So Bryan runs away again, this time to the top of a pod, and Kofi follows. He punches Bryan again and again, and then just keeps smashing Bryan into the glass Chamber wall, before lifting him up for a superplex off the top of the pod. Bryan prevents it, switching positions and ramming Kofi into the glass wall now too, but Kofi is also able to prevent a superplex. Bryan simply decides to climb down, but Kofi is able to kick him off the top rope and into the ring. From the top of the pod, Kofi dives… but no water in the pool! And then Bryan goes for the knee one more time, and that’s it. Daniel Bryan retains.
After this, Bryan has to be carried out to the back by Rowan, while Big E and Xavier Woods come out to help Kofi to the back as well. The WWE Universe gives him a standing ovation, chanting “THANK YOU, KOFI” to close out the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
You can watch this year’s Elimination Chamber on the WWE Network.