Opinion: Top 10 Jobber Themes (Lily Lestrange)

I've only gone and written a bloody list.  What have I become?! 

I thought I'd switch it up a bit for this month's guest blog since I'm always writing stuff that's fairly serious and informative.  So why not be fun aunt Lily this month and write a list of my top ten favourite jobber themes?

Please note that I do say jobber but these guys all worked hard in the WWE, no matter how long they were there for... and none of them reeeeeally constitute as "jobbers" because they've all achieved something at some point (yes, even number 9) but fuck it.  My ball, my rules. Besides, I use the term as lovingly as possible! They're all in this list because their themes are catchy as fuck and if you've ever had the misfortune to be in my presence then I've probably sang at least one of these themes in your face. Enjoy.

10.  The Mountie

If you didn't watch wrestling in the 80s/early 90s then you probably won't know who this is... UNTIL NOW.  The Mountie's claim to fame in WWE was winning the Intercontinental Championship that one time and winning the tag titles four times (once with his brother and three times as part of The Quebecers). His grotesquely chirpy theme will have your leg jigging and will have you craving maple syrup over EVERYTHING in no time.  It doesn't help that it sounds like something that Trey Parker and Matt Stone have written for an especially Canadian episode of South Park.

9. The Great Khali 

Ah, Khali.  The Punjabi Playboy, our sweet prince of the desert.  Let's be honest, the greatest thing that he ever done in the WWE was sing happy birthday to John Cena and get swung around by Cesaro (he did feud with Triple H for the WWE title and he won the Heavyweight Championship that one time but let's not talk about that) but we love him for the big lug that he is anyway.  Or at least I did.  Now departed from the WWE, I hear Dixie's wanting to recruit him under the guise of "The Average Taj".  Anyway, his theme was bangin' and if it doesn't make you want to dance on a table and get your bhangra on then nothing will.

8. Zack Ryder 

This may come as a shock as you'd probably expect this of all jobber themes to be higher up in the list but nope.  As irritatingly catchy as it is there's better ones out there! I think this theme takes the award for most ridiculous lyrics of any theme song ever... and that's in a world where "Ass Man" exists. Another lyrical masterpiece of big Jim J.  

I think everyone still holds on to the hope that they'll make something magical of Ryder one day. We thought it was when he most recently won the IC championship but, well... we all know how that went. Just keep on drinkin them beers and chatting up them hot babes bro, your time will come one day.

7. Heidenrich  

What an absolute monster of a man, it's a shame that he was only with the WWE for 3 years. His career peaked with his feud with the Undertaker then it all went downhill from there when he became part of the new Legion of Doom (y'know, the one after the original one but before The Ascension who got papped with it and told to run with it). If you're into mash-ups then there's a brilliant one of this and Ryback's theme floating about the interwebs. Go have a look and let your life be changed for the best part of three minutes.

6. D'Lo Brown 

MA BOY D'LO.  He couldn't not be included in this list.  He did well for himself after leaving the Nation of Domination and had some tasty feuds with the likes of X-Pac, Mark Henry and Jeff Jarrett but when you look at how far his rivals went compared to what he's done then you realise he didn't quite go the distance. If he stuck around after 2003 (and he was released so this is through no fault of his own) he could have probably done a lot better but he's flitted between so many companies so many times that he's never stayed anywhere long enough to build a great feud with anyone. His fourth(?) theme was the best one and I'm willing to bet at least a few of you managed to bugger up your neck from trying to get on the d'lo with D'Lo and his theme. 

5. Santino Marella 

I've no idea what the fuck this guy is singing but it gets you pumped. I kid on to myself that it's the man himself singing it because no-one apart from WWE and Jim Johnston are credited for it (and I can't imagine Jimmy J having lungs like that on him). Santino was great though, I'm not really one for liking wrestlers with comedy gimmicks but Santino got me man, he got right in deep to my lil cold black heart. Much like Khali, I don't really remember him for his wrestling ability but more so the daft shit he got involved in, like when he was heel and was trying to tell all the kids that Santa wasn't real and the wee romance he had going with Emma. No matter what you remember him for, no-one will forget him power walking to the ring to this belter of a theme.

4. Rob Conway 

This was so close to being number one but I decided against it because there's other ones that I prefer over it but, I mean... how random is this theme?!  I love it. LOVE IT. Redneck country jobber realness.

His most memorable matches were probably when he was part of La Resistance and feuding with Edge and Benoit for the tag titles, which they won three times. After that La Resistance split and he became a singles competitor, where he became a redneck heel with a cowboy hat and a nifty handlebar moustache. He fought and feuded with a few other mid-card/jobber wrestlers then decided to pick on Flair for the IC championship one night on RAW, which was pretty much the beginning of the end of his WWE career. He lost every match after that then ended up being released in 2007. All is not lost though, because he moved on to NWA where he currently wrestles and is a two time NWA Heavyweight Champion, so all's well that ends well eh?

3. Shelton Benjamin 

Oh, he gonna bring it to ya because there ain't no stoppin' him, NAAAAAAW.  I think I'm pulling at straws a bit here by calling Shelton Benjamin a jobber since he won many a title with WWE. At best he was upper mid-card (given that he pinned Triple H clean twice back in the day, that was pretty special) but he's getting put in this list because I love this theme. He's probably jobbed to someone, somewhere, at some point in his life... maybe. Fuck it. Just listen to the damn song.

2. Chavo Guerrero 

Let's face it, Chavo's shining time in WWE was when he was tagging with Eddie. You're thinking it, I'm thinking it, we're all thinking it. He was a six-time Cruiserweight Champion too, then he went with that whole Kerwin White gimmick and I completely lost interest. I was never a huge Chavo fan when he was with WWE but he done well for himself in Lucha Underground and currently wrestles for AAA so he's doing not too shabby. His theme is ridiculously similar to Eddie's "Lie, Cheat and Steal" theme (the newer version, think it was the 9th theme) but it's one of my favourites regardless. I was desperate to hear the "OOOOOH CHAAAAAVOOOOO" hit at ICW when Chavo and Hardcore Holly were booked at other shows in Scotland at the same time but it sadly wasn't meant to be.

And now, we're finally here... number one!  I need a lie down now.  I need a nap and I need to be away from wrestling and wrestling themes now because I have listened to a fucking lot of them today. My ears hurt and I'm pretty sure one of my toenails is falling off because of the stress of it all. Maybe you expected this theme, maybe you didn't. I'd like to think that I've thrown a huge curveball and gave you something completely out of the blue but who knows.  Just enjoy.

1. Christian 

Now now now, before you kick off, hear me out. Christian's career is dazzling.  Blinding.  Sparkling.  MAGNIFIQUE.  At the peak of his career, that is. The last few years for Christian in the WWE haven't been so great; back in 2014 when he was wrestling he was always inserted into six-man tag matches or title matches like Elimination Chamber and Money In The Bank, purely because - I think - they didn't have anyone else that could fill the space at the time. His last match was in March 2014 against Del Rio, Sheamus and Ziggler then after that he wasn't seen in a ring again...then it was announced that he'd been released from his talent contract back in May, meaning he was still doing other stuff with WWE but just wasn't wrestling with them anymore. It's a shame given his history but a string of injuries lead him to this point.

NOW, the theme I want you to hear isn't his last theme that he used. No no no, I'm taking you back to 2001 with his "At Last" theme. Just... watch the video if you've never seen the titantron for it before. Everything about it is amazing. The theme is one of the catchiest themes you'll hear, ever. I don't think I could love another theme like I love this one and if you don't love it too then I don't know what to tell you. Just enjoy the acid trip that this is gonna induce once you click that play button.

Opinion: WWE Funny vs Standard Funny or How I Learnt to Stop Worrying and Just Watch the Product Damnit (Jozef Raczka)

ADVANCE WARNING: I make no bones about this but I've only watched wrestling properly since 2012. So if I have missed out something that happened during your beloved attitude era, please tweet me and I will add it to the list of things I invariably don't watch and just re-watch Daniel Bryan anger management sessions
again

Wrestling funny is different to standard funny. It's hard to describe how but it is. It's different in the same way that watching a great wrestling match is different to watching a great fight scene from a film. It would make sense that wrestling would have comedy segments, I mean it is a ridiculous art-form. Take the very idea of The Undertaker vs Bray Wyatt, we have an undead necromancer (and one time hell's angel) taking on the leader of a southern voodoo cult but in a ring in front of an audience and with no actual magic but no one bats an eyelid because this is wrestling things like this happen, it gets silly, one time a man fell in love with a mop. But wrestling funny is a complicated thing, especially WWE funny as Vince McMahon seems to love a good body fluid gag. Sorry when I say a good one, I mean he probably loved it when Roman Reigns spiked his daughter's coffee causing her to vomit profusely on Vickie Guerrero in what is perhaps the most apt metaphor for how the WWE treated Vickie after Eddie's death.

Currently WWE, I feel, is trying to change certain reactions to this. I mean look at the big pieces of 'original programming' they've been pushing: The Edge and Christian Show that Totally Reeks of Awesomeness and Camp WWE. The interesting thing is comparing the two. Just before we continue, this isn't going to be a review of either show, not because they don't deserve it but because if they are or aren't funny is far too subjective a discussion for this occasion. But the simple thing is, Camp WWE is the new collaboration between WWE Studios and Seth Green of Robot Chicken and Oz the dreamy werewolf from Buffy fame (not Oz, the failed gimmick of Kevin Nash. Though he'd make a great werewolf). It's kind of your standard post-Seth McFarlane animated show for 'adults': a combination of mildly racy gags (Ric Flair fucks everything) with well-timed swears and occasional cartoon violence. Whether that's your cup of tea or not, the interesting thing about the first episode is how little it needs a knowledge of wrestling to be enjoyed, it's a product that could probably slot in next to Family Guy with little or no difficulty. I want to also take a moment to note that Vince McMahon already after one episode might be one of the greatest missed opportunities for the voice acting world, when he says he's going to hunt Cena down 'like a sexy dog', you believe it.

When you put it next to Edge and Christian Show, it couldn't be more difficult. The main difference is that Camp WWE is the wrestling equivalent of a 'what if...' Comic where they take loose versions of wrestler characters and translate them to a summer camp comedy environment but Edge and Christian are these days, basically Adam Copeland and William Reso. They are just two good friends who used to wrestle and now like to make jokes about it, it is a programme that is 100% built on knowledge of the product and fits in as many in-jokes as it can. As it happens, Edge and Christian's show, if taken entirely by the first episode, feels a lot more forced, it is entirely alienating to a non-wrestling fan. It is as much a show where everything is about wrestling as Camp WWE is a show that is attempting to make wrestling about everything. 

See I think that the Camp WWE approach has the ability to bring in new fans. I mean, Robot Chicken has an entirely different fanbase that can get eyes on the main show, if it worked for Total Divas, it could in theory work for this, if it wasn't hidden away on the Network where only 'we', the beloved few can find it. And herein lies the rub of 'wrestling funny', it's why Edge and Christian Show works if its for you, wrestling funny is only for wrestling fans. Have you ever tried to explain to someone who doesn't like wrestling why Ric Flair is awesome? It's impossible. Even I don't really understand it but then as I've acknowledged, I've heard about all his great matches, I've only seen I think one match of his pre-2004. Wrestling is a thing that you either get or don't and in many ways, the humour goes with that, sure you can have great spectrum crossing segments like Sheamus meeting Beaker or Drew Carey in the Royal Rumble (I still secretly wish they'd have him win) but for the most part, wrestling funny comes under 'it's hard to explain why, but it is'. 

But there are weird exceptions to all rules and just focusing on recent years, there has been one major exception to the rule of 'wrestling funny is only funny to wrestling fans' and that is of course, The New Day. There have been many articles (and many better ones than this) written about how the New Day have managed to get where they are purely off starting to do what they want to do but it is worth noting, they are just genuinely funny people. I defy anyone to not draw even the slightest amount of glee from their Wrestlemania entrance this year, they fell out of a giant box of cereal dressed as Dragonball-Z characters. It's genius, it's the perfect mix of nerdy, stupid and endearingly bonkers. But what works about them is their comedy isn't based on their abilities as wrestlers (in fact it has far more of a link to Xavier Woods' side job as host of YouTube gaming channel, UpUpDownDown), it is just about them making each other laugh more than even playing to the audience. Compare that to whatever the fuck they've been doing with R-Truth for the last few years and it's clear that they're light years ahead of a lot of others.

I'm not trying to say that wrestling isn't funny and can't be funny, it's just a peculiar kind of funny and frequently an alienating one. WWE's attempts to mine that are confusing. Is Camp WWE meant to be a casual animated show for wrestling fans or a casual wrestling show for animation fans? No one knows. All I know is that when I saw NXT Live at Sheffield Arena last year, there was a comedy match between Tye Dillinger and Bull Dempsey. Not only did Tye out-wrestle Bull but he also was funnier, unrelated, but at one point the crowd started a 'This Is Wrestling' chant. Ignoring the fact that no actual wrestling was going on, what we were watching was wrestling. It was a ridiculous, confusing charade that was designed to delight those who got it and baffle those who didn't but I'll be damned if those who got it, didn't seem to be having a ball.

Lost in Face - The Randy Orton Dilemma

Whilst many are debating which match should go on last at tonight's Hell in a Cell PPV, (seriously, does it really matter?) what's piqued my interest with WWE is the rumoured Randy Orton babyface turn. That's because it wasn't too long ago that the wrestling community seemed to be chomping at the bit for an Orton heel turn, after what had turned into a rather dull and formulaic face run. So what exactly, if anything, went wrong with Orton's heel run? How did we end up at this point? Is it simply an effect of Orton's surge in online presence due to the "Outta Nowhere" Vines? 

     I think to truly understand where Orton's heel run took a wrong turn, you have to first look at the reasons many wanted to see him turn in first place. It was the Summer of 2013 and apart from a terrific four month feud with Christian in 2011, Orton's three year run  as a babyface had failed to bear any creative fruit. Spells playing second fiddle to John Cena, stop-start feuds with the likes of Wade Barrett and Cody Rhodes, numerous injuries, a 60 day suspension for a Wellness Policy Violation, as well as being overtaken by CM Punk and Daniel Bryan in the babyface pecking order had left us with a clearly frustrated Orton, who would simply go through the motions in matches and do that weird awkward smile thing he used to do. It was clear that Orton needed a change in direction, both for himself and the audience. 

     Ever PPV of 2013 seemed to be rumoured to be the one where Orton would turn, firstly in his awkward pairing with Sheamus and in similar situation with Team Hell No, WWE quickly lost any element of surprise for the heel turn and it began to become even more frustrating waiting for WWE to pull the trigger than it really should of been. This was the slowest of slow burns, that had none of the subtleties that were needed to keep things interesting over such a prolonged period. This meant that when the turn came with Orton cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Daniel Bryan at SummerSlam, the impact of the turn was mediocre at best. To make matters even worse for The Viper, Triple H turned heel at the same time, taking the spotlight away from Orton in what would become a theme for the majority of Orton's heel run.

Now, before I get into breaking down Orton's heel run, I'd like to propose that Orton's in-ring work has been not only some of the most consistent of his career over this period, but also that he has been one of the most reliable performers in WWE over this period. Singles matches with Daniel Bryan (Night of Champions 2013, Hell in a Cell, episodes of Raw in December and February) John Cena (TLC, Royal Rumble, a February episode of Raw), Cesaro (Smackdown in February), Roman Reigns (SummerSlam) and Chris Jericho (Night of Champions 2014), a Triple Threat with Batista and Daniel Bryan (WrestleMania XXX), a pair of six man tags against The Shield (Extreme Rule and Payback), a Four Way bout with Cena, Reigns and Kane (Battleground) as well as strong showings in multi-man matches at Elimination Chamber and Money in the Bank. You'll struggle to find a performer on WWE's roster who has delivered that many bouts of such quality over the same time period (Seriously, try it? John Cena and Cesaro are the only two to come close)

So why exactly hasn't Orton's heel run connected with a large cross-section of the audience? An audience which is adamant that it is all about work rate and match quality? Quite simply, booking. The way Orton has been portrayed on screen has rarely made him look like someone who should either be feared or despised for his action, or even look like he was supposed to be the main focus of our attention. 

Take Orton's long series of matches with Daniel Bryan. Orton lost to Bryan at Night of Champions, only to have the title handed back to him because of referee Scott Armstrong's "fast count". At Battleground, the Big Show came out and punched everyone in the face. At Hell in a Cell, Orton won because referee Shawn Michaels superkicked Bryan in the face. Not exactly the booking you'd expect for "The Face of WWE". Throw into the mix Orton spending most of his on-screen time bickering with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon and more often than not coming off as a lackey for The Game, and you've got the makings of a boy bitch champion. 

Despite numerous attempts to push a more aggressive side of Orton, more a kin to his Legend Killer gimmick or that time he had Intermittent Explosive Disorder for a bit, including beating The Miz up whilst Miz' Dad watched. The bastard. How could he do that to everyone's favourite babyface The Miz?! It would be forgotten about as quickly as it was brought up every time. That's before going into the time he lost to Kofi Kingston for no apparent reason.

So, whilst Orton's heel run has produced a fairly fruitful run in terms of in-ring performance, the lack of character development and what has been essentially a supporting role in The Authority storyline, Orton's heel run hasn't produced what those calling for it in the first place had wanted to see.

With Orton's becoming somewhat of a cross-over personality, with the help of Vine, and a depleted babyface roster thanks to the injuries to Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns and the departure of CM Punk, now would seem like a good time to turn Orton. If he remains fit and clean, and the same energy that was put into his feuds with Christian and Wade Barrett, then this could reignite Orton's spark character-wise. There's no real need to have him revert to the smiling babyface that sent the crowd to sleep in early 2013, as we've seen with Dean Ambrose the crowd will happily take to someone who plays something other than generic babyface and in fact they even seem more likely to do so. Orton could easily reproduce his more erratic self, RKO-ing every sumbitch in sight for a few months and it would be lapped up by the audience. If this is built towards a competitive feud with someone like Seth Rollins or Cesaro and you've got something that could be both extremely watchable storyline wise and produce quality matches that people want to see. 

Or Orton could be fed to Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble, which could potential crush his fledgling face run before it's even begun. Only time will tell, but I do hope I'm not sat here in 18 months writing a similar article about Orton's face run! 

WWE Brothers of Destruction DVD Review

WWE's Brothers of Destruction is out now on DVD (There's a Blu Ray version too), available from www.wwedvd.co.uk. The single disc set features a number of matches featuring The Undertaker and Kane as a tag team, during their 2001 and 2006/08 runs, featuring matches against the likes of Edge & Christian, John Morrison & The Miz, The Dudley Boyz, Mr. Kennedy and MVP.

A rather curious addition to the WWE Home Video library, this single disc look at Kane and The Undertaker's on-off tag team, whilst skirting around their numerous feuds in between. The set kicks off with a No Disqualification match against Edge & Christian from an April 2001 episode of Smackdown. This is a decent start to the set, showcasing Kane's selling ability as he works the Demon in Peril role nicely whilst Edge & Christian take turns picking apart Kane's injured arm. It's a shame that this is a TV bout, as it leads to a lot of over booking to build towards BOD's match with The Two Man Power Trip at Backlash 2001, as there is a lot of chemistry between the two teams that goes to waste in closing stages. 

Three months later on Raw and it's a Tables Match against The Dudley Boyz. Whilst the crowd is red hot throughout the bout, this match doesn't offer much, with the tables stipulation really adding nothing to the match. After showing promise early on with some nice brawling between the four, the bout is too short to really present anything of merit. Highlights include Jim Ross calling a table "a chair", some hilarious selling of a big boot by Bubba Ray Dudley and a horrendously timed finish. 

On the following week's episode of Smackdown, it's Sean O'Haire and Chuck Palumbo who are next in line to feel the Brother's wrath, this time with the WCW World Tag Titles on the line. This match pretty much sums up everything that was wrong with the Invasion angle, as whilst no one would attempt to argue that O'Haire and Palumbo were anywhere near Kane and Undertaker in terms of star power, they are made to look like complete chumps for the majority of the match. This, of course, makes this a rather dull affair, with nothing particularly standing out. 

The first and only PPV bout on the disc rounds of the look at the pair's 2001 run as they face Diamond Dallas Page and Kanyon in a Steel Cage bout at SummerSlam to unify the WCW and WWF Tag Team Titles. This match really should have been simply Undertaker vs. Diamond Dallas Page, as that is essentially what the bout spends it's time trying to set up in a rather convuluted way. Whilst there is a handful of nice spots like Kane's Powerbomb to Kanyon into the corner of the cage and a top rope Chokeslam from Taker, this is once again a rather onsided bout with no real drama, and a crowd that sits on it's hands for most of the action. 

After a short video package, it's onto the duo's 2006 run as they battle Mr. Kennedy and MVP on a December episode of Smackdown. Another dominant performance from the Brothers as the two build towards a pair of Gimmick matches against their opponents at the Armageddon PPV. The match itself is dull as dishwater, with a shoddy TV finish, the only highlight is a sick looking DDT from Kennedy to Kane on the outside after the match, before it all goes a bit nuts with a hearse. 

A February 2008 episode of Smackdown saw the pair take on the duo of Mark Henry and Big Daddy V. If that match sounds appealing to you, you should probably stop reading this blog. If I were to tell you that the bout goes over ten minutes and you still think it sounds like a good idea, you should probably stop watching wrestling. The bout takes what feels like an age to settle into anything resembling a flow and despite a nice spot involving a Henry bearhug to Kane, the bout falls apart when BOD are tasked with a "Double Chokeslam" to Big Daddy V, which essentially involves the big man taking a back bump. 

Luckily, the set manages to end on a high note with an April 2008 jaunt to ECW to face John Morrison and The Miz. This is a decent slice of tag team action, with some of the best psychology of the set as Miz and Morrison pick apart Kane's injured leg, with almost every piece of offence focused on the injured body part, not to mention Kane once again proving a fantastic seller. Throw in all of BOD's signature moves and you have a decent little match, that whilst never threatening to become a classic if a great relief after sitting through the Mark Henry & Big Daddy V bout. Also Mike Adamle is on commentary, Mike Fucking Adamle!

Finally...

This DVD was a frustrating watch, as whilst it does a good job of showcasing Kane and Undertaker as a dominant tag team that doesn't make the matches particularly interesting to watch on their own merit. The first and last matches are probably the only ones that I would say I enjoyed from this stand point and even then I wouldn't tell anyone to go out of their way to see them. It also feels like a missed opportunity to only have the pairs match against The Rock and Steve Austin and their six man tag alongside Daniel Bryan against The Shield from Raw in 1998 and 2013 respectively as Blu-Ray exclusives, as these are surely the pairs best matches as a tag team. If you catch it in the bargain section, maybe give it a look, but honestly you won't be missing out on anything if you don't.

WWE Elimination Chamber 2014 DVD Review

WWE Elimination Chamber 2014 is out on DVD and Blu-Ray now, available from www.wwedvd.co.uk, priced £12.99 on DVD and £13.99 on Blu-Ray. Broadcast live on Pay-per-View from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA on 23rd February 2014, the show is main evented by Randy Orton defending his WWE World Heavyweight Championship inside the Elimination Chamber against John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Sheamus, Christian and Cesaro, alongside The Shield taking on The Wyatt Family and Big E defending the Intercontinental Championship against Jack Swagger, as well as four other matches. The special features include one more bout, as well as three extra segments. The commentary is provided by John Bradshaw Layfield, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler.

The main focus of WWE's 5th Elimination Chamber PPV (the last before the advent of the WWE Network) is, of course, the Elimination Chamber match, the 17th since the gimmicks induction in 2002 and this year for Randy Orton's WWE World Heavyweight Championship. John Cena, Sheamus, Daniel Bryan, Christian and the newly Christened Cesaro line up for a shot in what is an entertaining near 40 minutes of action. Sheamus and Cesaro's continued physical battle makes them the stand-outs of the bout, with Cesaro's numerous attempts at the famed Cesaro Swing. It's a much more story driven Chamber than the previous incarnations, with elements such as Bryan's injured shoulder, Christian's desperation and Orton's previous matches against his opponents all being referenced heavily. It is however let down by a contrived screwy finish, with way too much interference for a bout of this type. 

The much anticipated encounter between The Shield and The Wyatt Family is the stand out bout of the evening and even won our Match of the Month for February, beating stiff compitition from Sami Zayn and Cesaro's match from NXT ArRival. Plenty of well paced, exiting action, with all six men being used well, although on repeat viewing it does lose something of the buzz that it originally had. Jack Swagger's shot at Big E's Intercontinental Championship is a decent slice of heavyweight dealings, with some cool spots like Big E's spear through the ropes. It does however suffer from a messy final few minutes, with some less than sound psychology thrown into the mix. 

The New Age Outlaws tag title defence against The Usos is again passable, without ever looking to move past second gear. 

Batista and Alberto Del Rio's bout is more enjoyable than it really deserved to be, with Batista still looking ropey in singles matches. 

The Prime Time Players explode in a dull bout with little crowd interest, and with the knowledge that WWE did nothing with either man following the bout doesn't help it either. AJ Lee and Cameron's sub four minute match is set up for a match that didn't happen, AJ's promo is probably the best thing about it. Bad News Barrett makes numerous appearances throughout, to deliver promos, which are hit and miss, although Barrett must be commended for his ad-libs following his podium breaking! 

In terms of specials features, there's a solid tag team outing piting Goldust & Cody Rhodes against the fledging RybAxel team, which easily could have featured on the main card. Zeb Colter giving The Real Americans a pep-talk prior to their respective matches is also a nice addition, giving extra context that isn't referenced during the PPV, as does a Bray Wyatt promo dedicating The Wyatt Family's bout to Sister Abigail. Finally, a Randy Orton promo post-PPV reminds us that at one point WWE considered Orton vs. Batista a viable main event for WrestleMania.

Overall, Elimination Chamber 2014 isn't a bad PPV at all, with The Shield and Wyatt Family bout being one of the best we've seen this year, whilst the Elimination Chamber bout is more than watchable also. It is however let down by the under card, which was poorly put together in terms of storylines, with little follow up coming out of the PPV either. I would've like at least one of the excellent matches that took part on WWE television in the build up (Cesaro vs. John Cena perhaps) to really make this set, although I guess that's what the Blu-Ray is for.

Next DVD Review - WWE's John Cena Experience

Daily Royal Ramble #2 (25th March 2014)

Okay, there's a slight name change, but like when Antonio Cesaro became just Cesaro or Prince Iaukea became The Artist Formely Known As Prince Iaukee, it's one for the better (The second one might not be strictly true) 

Before, I get into a quick review of Raw, I'd like to go over the results of our January Match of the Month poll (You can still vote for February here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5G8ZJ87). There were a fair few matches up for this one and this is how it ended up.

1st Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan from WWE Royal Rumble - 50%

2nd Kota Ibushi vs. Prince Devitt from NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 8 - 15%

3rd Chris Hero vs. Ricochet from EVOLVE 25 - 10%
= Hirooki Goto vs. Katsuyori Shibata from NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 8 - 10%
= John Cena vs. Randy Orton from WWE Royal Rumble - 10%

6th Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito from NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 8 - 5%

It would appear that I'm missing out by not watching New Japan with them occupying three of the six top spots here, but it's clear that the majority are also sticking with WWE as Daniel Bryan and Bray Wyatt's clash at WWE's Royal Rumble takes the top spot with 50%. It was a great match up that the rest of the show couldn't live up to, although it's interesting to see John Cena and Randy Orton's much maligned contest taking a place in the top six as well. 

So, I better give some kind of opinion on last night's Raw, eh? 

For me this was an episode that felt very much like WWE treading water, not much actually happened, did it? I mean beyond the final segment with Undertaker popping out of the coffin (Yeah I marked a bit for that) and battling Brock Lesnar, did anything actually go on? Everything was pretty much where it was three hours before the show started. I imagine we'll see WWE make one last push on next week's episode, which is of course the go home show for Wrestlemania XXX. 

On the whole I think I enjoyed Raw this week, I say I think because my computer ended up crashing a few times so I missed the majority of Triple H's in ring promo (Yes, it crashed for quite a while). I thoroughly enjoyed the Fatal Fourway bout between Christian, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio for a shot at Big E's Intercontinental Championship on this week's Main Event (even if it was revealed earlier that the winner Christian won't be appearing on the show) There were a lot of fun spots, as well as some good psychology addd with Sheamus' injured shoulder, with a clever finish playing on Christian's new heel character. I'm interested to see what the situation with Christian is, as I thought he could have potentially done a lot to help Big E in their singles contest.

There was also the celebrity appearances, kicked with Sin Cara jumping out of The Mystery Machine with a fella dressed as Scooby Doo. Really quite bizarre and surreal, and I'm sure there's many who got all upset about the use of Damien Sandow, but I honestly couldn't care less, this appearances could have been a lot lot worse. Hulk Hogan, Arnold Schwarznegger and some other fella also turned up on Raw to do something. There was a lot of back patting, which didn't really do anything for anyone, before Arnie and that other fella (even Hogan didn't know who he was) asked to enter the Andre Battle Royal, only to be interrupted by The Miz who got his ass handed to him, before Hogan chucked him out of the ring. I have no idea what the point of this was, or what it did for anyone, or whether The Miz is currently a heel or a face.

I'm still trying to get my head around the idea of having the two tag team title number one contenders lose and both get destroyed by The Shield. I understand they needed to keep The Shield looking strong, but there were plenty of other ways to do this. The tag champions weren't even on the show, which could have been used to build a quick programme between them, The Real Americans and Rybaxel. Talking of The Shield, their rumoured contest with Kane and The New Age Outlaws was confirmed, which seems nothing more than a throwaway contest to me, it won't be awful, but I can't imagine many people talking about it afterwards either. We also got the obligatory Diva's bout added to Mania, with AJ Lee set to defend against EVERY diva on the main roster, including Rosa Mendes, who is apparently still employed. Who knew? 

That's probably all I've got to say on last night's Raw....not a lot happened did it? I still dislike JBL (him calling Fandango a "heel" was just mind blowingly idiotic.) but that's a given. I expect next week's Raw to be a lot better, it's going to need to be to get that last push going with Wrestlemania just six days away.

In closing, I'd like to push you towards Marc Pearson's review of Futureshock 74 which featured Jay Lethal taking on Cyanide and Sonjay Dutt against Jack Gallagher, it's fantastic read and can be found here: http://www.acrossthepondwrestling.co.uk/2014/03/futureshock-74-review-marc-pearson.html

There is also just five days left to vote on which PPV's get watched for #ATPSunday in April at this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7TSC7WL. Also there is just six days left to vote on February's Match of the Month at this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5G8ZJ87

WWE Elimination Chamber 2014 Review

Since it's inception in 2010, the Elimination Chamber event has always ended up, kind of, alright. Whilst the Chamber matches are usually exciting affairs, the rest of the card has tended to be a bit of a damp squib, with the exceptions only a few exceptions (like The Shield taking on John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus in 2013 or Alberto Del Rio's bout with Kofi Kingston in 2011). So how could the 2013 event buck this trend? Who would walk out of the Chamber WWE World Heavyweight Champion and head to Wrestlemania XXX? Let's find out.

We kick off the show, as usual, with a build up package. It runs down the Elimination Chamber combatants, as well as the ongoing tension between World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton and The Authority. As you'd expect this well put together, although I would have liked to have The Wyatt Family v The Shield match also talked about in this package.

Michael Cole welcomes us to the Target Centre in Minnesota, Minneapolis in the USA, which has previously hosted Bragging Rights 2010, Judgment Day 2005 and SummerSlam 1999. Another big crowd, seems ready for the action, which is about to get underwa

Intercontinental Championship Match

Jack Swagger with Zeb Colter

 vs. 

Big E (C)

Before the bout get's underway, Zeb Colter is on the mic. He blames the polar vortex on the US' immigration issue and says Big E doesn't deserve to be Intercontinetal Champion because he doesn't benefit North America. You can't fault Colter's delivery of the promo, but the fact that Minneapolis still chants "We The People" along with him, show's that something is going wrong somewhere.

This was a solid opener for to the PPV, with lots of good quality action that got the crowd really pumped up. Early on the pair fought "We Want Ziggler" chants, but quickly made the crowd forget about the former World Heavyweight Champion with a series of well timed and exciting spots, like a spear from Big E into the ring steps or Swagger sending Big E hurtling from the apron to the floor. As the match went on Swagger bumped like a boss for Big E, as the big man made a comeback, including a lovely looking spear through the ring ropes that took both men to the outside. The closing stages of the bout focused on Swagger's Patriot Lock submission, Big E found himself in the hold twice, once getting to the rope and secondly hitting a shocking enziguiri, followed up by the Big Ending to pick up the pinfall victory and retain the Intercontinental Championship. Whilst it perhaps would have been nice to see Swagger working the leg more in anticipation for the Patriot Lock, it probably wouldn't have gone down too well in the opener. Props to Big E for the subtle selling of the ankle post match also.

Winner and STILL Intercontinetal Champion: Big E

Before Big E could celebrate for too long, Bad News Barrett's music hit and he ascended his podium to deliver some Bad News. This time it was about Russia getting more gold medals than the US at the Sochi Winter Olympics. It makes me smile how much Barrett is clearly enjoying his gimmick at the moment, even if he isn't Russian and the US got a ton more medals than us Brits!

A trail for Hulk Hogan's return to WWE the next night on Raw is shown, can't say I'm particulary excited to see Hogan back on my screen after his dire run in TNA, but I do think WWE will be able to put him to use much more effectively.

Cole introduces a recap from last week's Raw and Smackdown, showing Kane's attacks on Daniel Bryan following his matches with Christian and Cesaro respectively. So, expect to see more of that rivalry tonight during the Elimination Chamber.

Byron Saxton then conducted an interview with Daniel Bryan backstage. Bryan delivered a promo on what he was expecting from the Elimination Chamber match, this was essentially to get the crowd chanting "YES!" although it's not that difficult these days.

Tag Team Championship Match
The New Age Outlaws (C)
vs.
The Usos

Before this one get's underway, we get the New Age Outlaws obligatory opening schtick. I've had plenty to say about this on Twitter, but they desperately need to stop doing this. If they are supposed to be heels, they should be focused on getting heat, rather than getting cheap pops from saying the town they are in, because at the moment they are hindering The Usos rather than helping them get over.

The match itself was passable tag team action, taking a shape that most wrestling fans will be familiar with. The problem being that the New Age Outlaws have absolutely no heat and don't seem to be trying to get any, so when working over Jey Uso for sometime, the crowd were quite happy to chant for the Outlaws, this of course lead to them getting bored pretty quickly as the chants for the Outlaws were replaced with a LOUD "CM Punk" chant. After the hot tag things certainly picked up with the Uso's exciting move set able to garner them some fan support, especially after a dive over the top rope from Jimmy onto Road Dogg. The final minute of so was the strongest part of the match,  with a nice false finish for Jimmy after a Superkick on Gunn, followed up by Dogg getting involved to halt a Superfly Splash attempt and take out Jey, Gunn then missed a Fame Asser, Jimmy Superkicked Dogg from the apron before an O'Connor Roll from Gunn picked up the victory and allowed the Outlaws to retain the Tag Team Champions. I enjoyed the finish a lot, and hopefully we'll see The Usos able to get revenge at Wrestlemania XXX, but unless Dogg and Gunn start working the crowd for some heat, it's not going to mean as much as it should.

Winners and STILL Tag Team Champions: The New Age Outlaws

After the bout, Bad News Barrett was out again. Credit to Barrett for improvising a clever line once his podium broken "I've had to come down to your level". This time around the Bad News was the Daniel Bryan wouldn't be winning the Elimination Chamber. Twitter began to get annoyed that we were seeing Barrett twice in one night, so the concept seemed to be working!

Wrestlemania XXX is 42 days away!

Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler and John Bradshaw Layfield taught us how to use the WWE Network. Is the average WWE viewer this thick? Or do WWE just think they are? Made me feel about six years old, Michael Cole might be the most patronising man in history.

Singles Match

Darren Young

vs.

Titus O'Neil

THE PRIME TIME PLAYERS....EXPLODE! This match would have been much more captivating if the Prime Time Players had been treated as relevant for more than two months after Darren Young came out as gay, just prior to this years SummerSlam. This meant the crowd was fairly uninterested for the majority of the match, chanting "We Want Lesnar" and "We Want Ziggler" instead. The match itself was an entertaining seven or eight minutes, with Young bumping like crazy for O'Neil, including an Irish Whip that sent Young over the turnbuckle and to the outside. The highlight of the bout for me was a good-looking spinning neckbreaker on the apron from Young. The finish saw O'Neil slip out of a Gutcheck attempt, and hit Clash of the Titus to pick up the pinfall victory. It will be interesting to see how O'Neil is postioned on the card going forward, he has potential but could easily get lost in the mix with Wrestlemania XXX just around the corner.

Winner: Titus O'Neil

Guess who was back again? Yes, it's was our boy, Bad News Barrett. This time out Barrett's Bad News was focused on Hulk Hogan. A nice way of continuing to promote Hogan's return, while keeping Barrett on my screen.

It was then up to the Kick Off panel, hosted by Josh Matthews, who was joined by Mark Henry, The Miz and Rey Mysterio. They showed the finish of the Kick-Off match that saw Cody Rhodes and Goldust go over Rybaxel. Mark Henry did a good job putting over Titus O'Neil and his feud with Darren Young, The Miz said something about the Intercontinental title match and Rey Mysterio desperately tried to stay relevant.

Six Man Tag Team MatchThe Shieldvs.The Wyatt Family

Before this one got under way, a hype video was shown outlining the rivalry between these two factions, as well as the tensions between The Shields, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose, with Seth Rollins looking like a child whose parents are about to divorce. I didn't think I could get any more hyped for this one, but this package got me absolutely buzzing and ready to go, good work WWE.

When a match kicks off with a "This is Awesome" chant, then you know you're doing something right! Usually when a match is a hyped up as this one, it ends up being slightly disappointing, but this was not the case here, from start to finish this was roller coaster ride of exciting spots and sound wrestling psychology. Both teams took turns working over an opponent, but this one really stepped up a gear when Luke Harper pulled out a drop kick that a man his size has no right to deliver to well! Harper continued to impress in probably the best sequence of the match opposite Seth Rollins, with Rollins flipping out of Back Superplex attempt and landing a suicide dive shortly after. The excitement continued with Bray Wyatt hitting Rollins with a huge leaping Senton on the outside to give The Wyatt's the upper hand. A really well-worked false finish had the fans on the edge of their seats, with Harper hitting a ridiculous suicide dive onto Dean Ambrose, before Rollins leapt over the top to hit a somersault dive on Harper. The distraction allowed Reigns to school boy Erick Rowan for a long two count. As the match began to break down, The Wyatts took a leaf out of CM Punk's book from TLC 2013 as they began to divide and conquer strategy. Wyatt and Ambrose brawled around the arena with Ambrose disappearing somewhere off camera, Rowan and Harper double chokeslamed Rollins through the Spanish Announce Table. This meant that The Wyatts could close in on Reigns, in a scene reminiscent of The Shield's attacks on numerous individuals since late 2012. Reigns fight back was magnificent, breaking out Wyatt's Sister Abigail's Kiss attempt, with the crowd going nuts as Reign's built for a spear. However, it was Harper who took the Spear, allowing Wyatt to regain control and hit Sister Abigail's Kiss to give the Wyatt Family the pinfall victory. A well crafted six man tag, that played to everyone's strengths, the finish was built well to allow The Wyatt's to pick up the victory without harming Roman Reigns. It will be interesting to see how this one is viewed en masse once the initial frenzy dies down.

Winners: The Wyatt Family

Up next an advert for some microwaveable food produce. On PPV? Go home.

Followed up another advert for the WWE Network, this time with Hulk Hogan doing his best used car salesman expression!

Backstage, the lovely Renee Young interviewed Christian about the upcoming Elimination Chamber match. Another solid outing from Christian on the mic here, adding an extra layer of depth to the Chamber match as he talked about recent losses to Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan, as well as this possibly being his last chance at the World Heavyweight Championship, meaning that he is desperate to win and therefore he'll do anything to win. 

Jerry Lawler shills the theme for Elimination Chamber, not sure if Nero is his cup of tea though. 

Diva's Championship Match

AJ Lee (C) with Tamina Snuka

vs.

Cameron

Before this impromptu match could get underway, Diva's Champion AJ Lee got on the mic to boast about the length of her title run, saying that there is no competition in the Diva's division, I'm not sure if that's a particularly great way to build up to the upcoming match, but hey ho. 

There really wasn't a lot of substance to this match, apart from a bit of skipping and neither wrestler being able to get the desired reaction from the crowd, mainly down to the fact that Lee is the only woman who has a character on the main roster and therefore get's cheered by default. There really wasn't a lot of note to talk about beyond an awful looking Thesz Press from Cameron. The finish saw Tamina Snuka accidentally Superkick Lee in the head, although Cameron's timing was so poor it made it look like Snuka had kicked Lee on purpose, which I'm sure wasn't the intention. With Cameron attempting to get the pin, Snuka interjected putting Lee's feet on the ropes, Cameron went to get revenge, but go levelled by a Snuka clothesline, leading to the Disqualification. I'd imagine this is to set up Lee v Snuka at Wrestlemania, hopefully they'll be given enough time on TV to build a decent story that the fans can get behind.

Winner: Cameron

Still Diva's Champion: AJ Lee

Bad News Barrett was out again, this time to talk about the WWE Network...which will apparently lead to everyone becoming homeless. An interesting promotional concept.

A backstage segment followed up, with Santino Marella being joined by Emma, The Great Khali and Los Matadores to play with some tiny action figures. It neither made me want the action figures or laugh. How Khali get's on is his day to day life is beyond me.

ANOTHER ADVERT FOR A MICROWAVABLE SNACK TREAT! THIS IS WHAT WE PAID FOR!

Singles Match

Batista

vs

Alberto Del Rio

In one of wrestling's cliche moments, Alberto Del Rio came out for this one in a track suit, hobbling along on a crutch and with a brace around his neck. Del Rio got on the mic, claiming that he couldn't wrestle tonight because of Batista's attack on him two week's ago on Raw. Of course, that wasn't the case and Del Rio took the crutch to The Animal before the bell could ring. If Batista was over in any fashion it probably would have gotten some heat and garnered some sympathy for The Animal as it goes the crowd decided that "Si" chants were much more appropriate.

The crowd wanted absolute nothing to do with Batista for the whole night, chanting for "Daniel Bryan" "CM Punk" "Y2J" and "RVD", although my personal favourite has to be "Boo-Tista". Batista didn't exactly give them anything to cheer for either, looking completely shattered from about three minutes in and ruining not one but two false finishes. Firstly, Batista grabbed the bottom rope before a two count and then secondly Batista was simply looking around as Del Rio pinned him off a superkick. For his part, Del Rio put in a decent effort and the psychology of the bout seeing Del Rio work Bastista's arm in set up for the Cross Armbreaker. I'm not sure whether Batista was remembering to sell the arm or whether it was actually hurt. The finish saw Batista reverse Del Rio's Cross Armbreaker attempt, sending Del Rio into an exposed turnbuckle, allowing Batista to hit the Batista Bomb and pick up the pinfall victory. WWE's decision to have Batista in the main event of Wrestlemania XXX is looking more stupid by the day. Not only do the fans not want to see, but Batista himself doesn't look ready for anything more than squash matches.

Winner: Batista

Another advert for the WWE Network was up next, expect a lot of this over the next couple of weeks and months.

It was back to the Kick Off Panel for their predictions for the Elimination Chamber match. The Miz went for Daniel Bryan, because when an audience get's behind someone it gives them added motivation to win, because The Miz knows all about crowd support. Mark Henry went for Sheamus as he is fresh, which is sound logic, whilst Rey Mysterio choosing Cesaro because he's never been in an Elimination Chamber was not. The goofball Josh Matthews made a point of saying no one had chosen Randy Orton, he might as well have held up a sign saying Orton was going to win!

World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber Match

John Cena

vs.

Christian

vs.

Randy Orton (C)

vs.

Daniel Bryan

vs.

Cesaro

vs.

Sheamus

Before the match got started they aired a video package based around the Elimination Chamber match, explaining the rules and showing past highlights from the Chamber. I'm surprised they didn't show something more specific, as WWE seemed to have made a real effort to create an interesting story heading into the Chamber, based around Randy Orton's inability to pick up victories as of late.

The Elimination Chamber has always been about the big spots and memorable moments and there was plenty of them in this outing. Sheamus and Cesaro kicked off the contest with a hard hitting brawl around the Chamber, highlighted by Diving Double Stomp to the outside from Cesaro, as well as Cena mocking John Cena with the U Can't C Me hand gesture. The crowd exploded with Daniel Bryan's entrance into match, with Bryan running through a series of his popular moves, working the crowd into an absolute frenzy. The first near fall of the bout came from a lovely Surfboard/Northern Light's Suplex combination from Bryan onto Sheamus and Cesaro respectively. Bryan was used sparingly throughout the contest, firstly being taken out by Cesaro, who sent Bryan crashing through one of the pods, before Cesaro recieved a Rolling Senton onto the steel floor. Christian was out next and in a nice piece of storytelling focused on Daniel Bryan's injured shoulder, delivering a number of blows and even slamming the arm in between the door of one of the pods. It's a shame that Bryan didn't really sell the arm for too long, as this could have really added to the latter stages of the match. 

Another on-going story throughout the bout was Cesaro numerous attempts to hit the Cesaro Swing, really building the crowds anticipation of the move. The first attempt was thwarted by Christian, who after a nice series of reversals ended up taking a powerbomb into one of the pods. One draws back on the match was the use of part of the broken pod in a sequence between Cesaro and Sheamus, as the "lexane" (You don't have to put on the red light) just looked to flimsy and didn't look like it would cause any damage. Having said that Cesaro and Sheamus were probably the MVP's of this one, with a lot of hard hitting action and both taking a lot of bumps, whenever the match would seem to lull, Cesaro and Sheamus were there to keep the pace up. After John Cena entered the match, both he and Bryan took false eliminations with Bryan kicking out of Killswitch from Christian and Cena kicking out of White Noise from Sheamus. Cena continued taking a battering, as Cesaro hit a huge launching uppercut for another near fall. 

The final entrant into the match was World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton, with everyone else down Orton went to work laying in his signature stomps, as the crowd chanted "Boreton", Orton took note and slowed right down to cut his signature pose. Orton's really coming into his own lately in my opinion, and his face when Sheamus, Bryan and Cena began to close in was perfect. With Orton hiding back in his pod, and some fantastic camera work, Sheamus hit a Brogue Kick onto the pod. Cesaro was then finally able to get Orton into the Cesaro Swing, for a huge 30 resolutions, getting a massive pop from the live crowd.

The first elimination came after a strong sequence between Sheamus and Christian, lead to Christian hitting a huge splash from the top of the pod to elimate Sheamus. Christian himself was then eliminated following a Busaiku Knee from Daniel Bryan. This meant we were down to our final four, with the remaining combatants getting a nice reaction as they eyed each other up, as did another showdown between Bryan and Cena, reminiscent of last year's SummerSlam. The two engaged in another entertaining battle, until Cesaro recovered to save Bryan from an Attitude Adjustment, delivering a German Suplex to Cena, meaning Cena hit a Samoan Drop on Bryan. Cena attempted a hurrcanrana on Cesaro, as a reversal for a gutwrench, he still can't hit that move and should probably leave it to guys like Bryan. Cena then overpowered Cesaro hitting an Attitude Adjustment onto the steel, before locking in an STF to eliminate Cesaro.

As we headed into the final three, it was time for shenanigans a plenty! With Cena locking in an STF on Orton, the light went out and the familiar noise of The Wyatt Family making their entrance. Wyatt, Harper and Rowan went on to destroy Cena, with Wyatt finishing off Cena with Sister Abigail's Kiss. The Wyatt's entrance would have been much more impressive if they had been over the other side of the Chamber and Charles Robinson hadn't opened the door of the Chamber so soon after. After The Wyatt Family had left the Chamber, Orton snuck into place to pick up the pinfall victory and eliminate Cena. 

We were down to a final two, with Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan, harking back to late Summer and Autumn when the two dominate WWE programming. Before the two could reignite their feud, the director operations for The Authority, Kane was out admonish The Wyatt Family and check on John Cena, and ended up taking a flying knee from Bryan for his troubles. Quickly after attacking Kane, Bryan was able to connect with a Busaiku Knee on Orton, with the Target Centre errupting, thinking that Bryan had finally won the World title, however this was not to be as Kane pulled the referee out of the way. After Bryan had got some revenge with a roundhouse kick to Kane, he walked into an RKO from Orton for a well worked false finish. This was followed by another as Orton kicked out of Bryan's small package. With Bryan rolling and setting up for another knee in the corner, Kane recovered hitting Bryan with a swinging punch, allowing Orton hit another RKO to pick up the pinfall victory and retain the World Heavyweight Championship. The crowd didn't quite know how to react, but I enjoyed the finish of this one. I'm not looking forward to Orton v Batista as a main event at Wrestlemania XXX one little bit, but Bryan and Kane could open up some interesting avenues over the upcoming weeks.

Winner and STILL World Heavyweight Champion: Randy Orton

Overall, I found Elimination Chamber 2014 to be entertaining viewing with The Wyatt Family and The Shield producing the match of the night. The Elimination Chamber match was another good outing for the gimmick, with each man working hard to create some memorable moments. It's clear however that Batista is not ready for a Wrestlemania main event, will he be ready in six weeks? Will anyone want to watch him face off with Randy Orton? Maybe not.

Until next time...