Elimination Chamber (2018)

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Elimination Chamber
Promotion
WWE
BrandRaw
DateFebruary 25, 2018
CityParadise, Nevada
VenueT-Mobile Arena
Attendance15,126[1]
WWE Network event chronology
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The 2018 Elimination Chamber (known as No Escape in

Elimination Chamber match, the first event to include a women's Elimination Chamber match, and the first Raw-exclusive pay-per-view since the 2016 reintroduction of the brand extension to not feature any cruiserweight division
matches.

Six matches were contested at the event, including one on the Kickoff pre-show. In the main event,

Raw Women's Championship in the first-ever women's Elimination Chamber match, and Asuka defeated Nia Jax to extend her undefeated streak and to prevent Jax from being added to her WrestleMania 34 championship match. The event was also notable for Ronda Rousey signing her Raw contract, where she had a confrontation with Chief Operating Officer Triple H and Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon, which was the former's first appearance since the night after Survivor Series
in November 2017.

Production

Background

The event was held at the T-Mobile Arena in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada.

livestreamed on the WWE Network. Tickets went on sale on December 15.[3][4]

In 2011 and since 2013, the show has been promoted as "No Escape" in

Holocaust.[5][6]

Storylines

The event comprised six matches, including one on the Kickoff pre-show, that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw brand,

Monday Night Raw.[9]

At the

gauntlet match that began with Reigns and Rollins. Reigns was eliminated followed by Cena. Elias then eliminated Rollins, but was in turn eliminated by Bálor, who was eliminated by The Miz. Strowman won the gauntlet match by pinning The Miz in what was the longest match in WWE history, lasting nearly two hours.[15]

On the January 29 episode of Raw, Commissioner

Sasha Banks, and Sonya Deville would be the other competitors in the match. Bliss came out and questioned Angle as to why she had to defend her title in the Elimination Chamber match while Universal Champion Brock Lesnar did not and accused Angle of sexism. Angle retorted that Lesnar retained his title at the Royal Rumble, but Bliss had not defended her title since TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in October. Bliss made the point that she was not the one who schedules matches. Angle then took an audience vote if Bliss should defend the title, and the audience agreed that she should.[12]

On the January 15 episode of Raw, Asuka defeated

SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania 34.[10] On the February 5 episode of Raw, General Manager Kurt Angle announced that Jax would face Asuka at Elimination Chamber and if she were to defeat Asuka, Jax would be added to Asuka's championship match at WrestleMania to make it a triple threat match.[12]

Following Asuka's Royal Rumble match victory at the Royal Rumble, former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star Ronda Rousey made an appearance and interrupted Asuka, Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss, and SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair. Rousey's appearance confirmed that she had signed full-time with WWE.[10] On the February 12 episode of Raw, it was announced that Rousey would sign her Raw contract at Elimination Chamber.[13][17]

After losing a feud to Elias, Matt Hardy was defeated by Bray Wyatt on the November 27, 2017, episode of Raw. Following the match, Hardy had a mental breakdown where he sat in the corner and repeatedly shouted "delete" with an arm gesture.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling) where he debuted as the character the following week, interrupting a promo by Wyatt.[19] Over the following month, the two went back and forth in promos as well as a couple of in-ring confrontations, and they finally had a match on Raw 25 on January 22, 2018, in which Wyatt defeated Hardy once again.[20] The two then faced off in the Royal Rumble match, where they eliminated each other.[10] On the February 19 episode of Raw, another match between the two was scheduled for Elimination Chamber.[15]

Prior to the Royal Rumble, Titus Worldwide (Apollo and

Raw Tag Team Championship to become record four-time champions as a team, and a record fifth reign for Cesaro individually.[10] Titus Worldwide received a title opportunity on Raw immediately following the Royal Rumble, but were unsuccessful, and Cesaro and Sheamus also retained their titles that same episode.[12] On the February 19 episode of Raw, Titus Worldwide defeated Cesaro and Sheamus in a non-title match.[15] Afterwards, they challenged Cesaro and Sheamus for the Raw Tag Team Championship at Elimination Chamber for being 3–1 over the champions,[21] which was made official on February 23.[22]

On February 23, Bálor Club members

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson were scheduled to face The Miztourage (Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel) on the Elimination Chamber Kickoff pre-show.[22]

Event

Other on-screen personnel
Role: Name:
English commentators Michael Cole
Corey Graves
Jonathan Coachman
Spanish commentators Carlos Cabrera
Marcelo Rodríguez
German commentators Carsten Schaefer
Tim Haber
Calvin Knie
Chinese commentators Meng Ai
Shawn Deng
Japanese commentators Shun Yamaguchi
Funaki
Ring announcer
JoJo
Referees Jason Ayers
Shawn Bennett
John Cone
Dan Engler
Chad Patton
Interviewers
Renee Young
Charly Caruso
Mike Rome
Pre-show panel Renee Young
Booker T
Peter Rosenberg
David Otunga
Raw Talk panel Renee Young
Peter Rosenberg

Pre-show

During the Elimination Chamber Kickoff pre-show, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson of the Bálor Club faced The Miztourage (Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel). In the climax, Gallows and Anderson performed the "Magic Killer" on Axel to win the match.[23]

Preliminary matches

The actual pay-per-view opened with the first-ever women's Elimination Chamber match in which Alexa Bliss defended the Raw Women's Championship against Bayley, Sonya Deville, Sasha Banks, Mandy Rose, and Mickie James. Bayley and Deville were the first two contestants. Rose entered next, assisting Deville in attacking Bayley. Banks entered third and immediately attacked both Deville and Rose. Rose was eliminated by Banks after submitting to the

roll-up. Bliss then performed "Twisted Bliss" off a pod on Banks, who applied the Banks Statement on Bliss and got her inside the ring while still applying the hold, but Bliss escaped and sent Banks into the turnbuckles. However, Banks booted Bliss to the ground. In the climax, as Banks was heading to the top of a pod, Bliss shoved her into it and followed up with a spike DDT on Banks to retain the title. After the match, an elated Bliss said that nobody thought that she would remain champion and that she proved why she is the ultimate goddess of the Women's Division.[24]

Next, Cesaro and Sheamus defended the Raw Tag Team Championship against Titus Worldwide (Apollo and Titus O'Neil). In the end, Cesaro and Sheamus performed a "White Noise"/diving neckbreaker combination on Apollo to retain the titles.[24]

After that, Asuka faced Nia Jax where if Jax won, she would be added to Asuka's championship match at WrestleMania 34. After dominating most of the match, Jax attempted a powerbomb, but Asuka countered into a roll up for the win, keeping Jax out of her WrestleMania championship match. After the match, Jax tackled Asuka through the barricade. Bliss was later interviewed and looked pleased with what transpired between Asuka and Jax. Bliss then mocked Asuka by declaring that no one is ready for her.[24]

In the fourth match, "Woken" Matt Hardy fought Bray Wyatt. Hardy performed a "Twist of Fate" on Wyatt to win the match.[24]

Next was the Raw contract signing of Ronda Rousey. General Manager Kurt Angle, Commissioner Stephanie McMahon, and WWE's Chief Operating Officer Triple H bragged about Rousey before introducing her. However, before Rousey signed her contract, Triple H confirmed that there were no special stipulations in Rousey's contract, but she would compete in a match at WrestleMania 34. Angle then brought up the incident from WrestleMania 31 where Rousey and The Rock embarrassed Stephanie and Triple H, and said that Triple H and Stephanie were now glad that they owned Rousey so they could manipulate her. Triple H and Stephanie tried to calm the situation, however, Angle instigated the tension more, which resulted in Rousey throwing Triple H through a table. Stephanie then slapped Rousey, but retreated before Rousey could attack her. Rousey then signed her contract.[24]

Main event

The main event was the first-ever seven-man Elimination Chamber match with the winner becoming the number one contender against Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 34. Due to the extra participant, three men began the match instead of two, which were The Miz, Seth Rollins, and Finn Bálor. John Cena entered the match as the fourth entrant, followed by Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman. Strowman dominated the field and sent The Miz off the top of the pod onto the other wrestlers. Strowman performed a

spears on Strowman to win the match and earn the right to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 34. After the match, Strowman attacked Reigns with two running powerslams and sent Reigns through a pod.[24]

Aftermath

Universal Champion Brock Lesnar and his advocate Paul Heyman were advertised to be on the following night's episode of Raw to confront the winner of the Elimination Chamber match, but no-showed. Roman Reigns cut a promo on his WrestleMania 34 opponent, calling Lesnar entitled and that he hides behind his contract, which allows him to show up whenever he wants. He said Lesnar does not respect the WWE and that he has no respect for Lesnar, but he would defeat Lesnar at WrestleMania and become the Universal Champion.[25]

Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss, along with Mickie James, gloated about retaining her title in the first-ever women's Elimination Chamber match. She said at WrestleMania 34, if Asuka chose her, she would end her undefeated streak. Asuka then came out, but Nia Jax was close behind and the three women teamed up on Asuka until Bayley and Sasha Banks came out for the save, with James turning heel in the process. Asuka, Banks, and Bayley then teamed up to face Bliss, James, and Jax in a six-woman tag team match. During the match, Banks went to tag Bayley, but Bayley refused the tag. Asuka won the match for her team by making James submit.[25] Asuka and Jax had a rematch the following week where Asuka was again victorious.[26] Asuka then decided that she would challenge Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania.[27] Jax would then be granted a Raw Women's Championship match at WrestleMania after Bliss revealed her true feelings about Jax.[28]

Ronda Rousey, General Manager Kurt Angle, Commissioner Stephanie McMahon, and Chief Operating Officer Triple H had a segment to apologize for what happened at Elimination Chamber. During the segment, Angle, in an attempt to keep his job, said that he lied about Triple H and Stephanie's supposed plan against Rousey. Stephanie thanked Angle for clearing the air, however, Rousey said everything was addressed except for Stephanie slapping her in the face. Rousey wanted an apology from Stephanie, who complied and said she only did it because Rousey put her husband through a table. As Stephanie and Triple H were leaving, Triple H punched Angle.[25] The following week, Stephanie confirmed that Rousey could choose any member of the active Raw roster as her WrestleMania 34 opponent except the champion; Rousey chose Stephanie. Angle reminded Stephanie that although she was an executive, she had a contract to compete as a wrestler. Angle also reminded Triple H of his warning from Survivor Series where if Triple H were to attack him again, he would retaliate. He also reminded Triple H that he too had a contract to compete as a wrestler and then scheduled Triple H and Stephanie to face himself and Rousey at WrestleMania.[26]

Intercontinental Champion The Miz said that he should be in the main event of WrestleMania 34 and said that he had made the Intercontinental Championship more important than the Universal Championship. He was told by General Manager Kurt Angle that his opponent that night might determine his WrestleMania opponent. Seth Rollins then came out and defeated The Miz in a match. Finn Bálor then came out to also have a match with Miz, which confused Rollins. The Miztourage attacked Bálor right after the match started, causing a disqualification, and Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson came to Bálor's aid. Angle appeared on the TitanTron and banned The Miztourage and Gallows and Anderson from ringside and restarted the match, stating that there would be a winner or else Miz would not have a match at WrestleMania. Bálor then defeated Miz.[25] The following week, Angle scheduled Miz to defend the title in a triple threat match against Rollins and Bálor at WrestleMania.[26]

Bray Wyatt was scheduled to have a match with Heath Slater, but the match did not happen as he attacked Slater and his tag team partner Rhyno before the match could begin. Afterwards, he said his war with "Woken" Matt Hardy was not over.[25] The following week, after defeating Rhyno, Wyatt called out Hardy, who appeared on the TitanTron and challenged Wyatt to an "Ultimate Deletion" match at the Hardy Compound (WWE's version of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's "Final Deletion" match, a Falls-Count-Anywhere Hardcore match fought at Hardy's house).[26] Wyatt accepted the challenge.[28] The "Ultimate Deletion" match aired on the March 19 episode where Hardy defeated Wyatt by pinfall, then Wyatt disappeared after being thrown into the "Lake of Reincarnation".[29]

Titus Worldwide (Apollo and Titus O'Neil) had a rematch against Cesaro and Sheamus for the Raw Tag Team Championship in a

two out of three falls match where Cesaro and Sheamus again retained.[25]

Despite being the third competitor on the receiving end of a pinfall loss to Braun Strowman in the Elimination Chamber match, John Cena still wanted a match at WrestleMania 34 and challenged

six-pack challenge (the other participants were Baron Corbin, Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler, and Sami Zayn).[30]

The 2018 Elimination Chamber would be the final Elimination Chamber to be brand-exclusive, and subsequently the final Raw-exclusive pay-per-view of the second brand split, as following WrestleMania 34 in April, WWE discontinued brand-exclusive pay-per-views.[31]

Results

No.ResultsStipulationsTimes
Elimination Chamber match for a WWE Universal Championship match at WrestleMania 34[37]
40:15
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match
P – the match was broadcast on the pre-show

Women's Elimination Chamber match

Eliminated Wrestler Entered Eliminated by Method Times[24]
1 Mandy Rose 3
Sasha Banks
Submission
 13:50
2 Sonya Deville 2 Mickie James
Pinfall
 17:35
3 Mickie James 5 Bayley 18:00
4 Bayley 1 Alexa Bliss 25:30
5
Sasha Banks
 4 29:35
Winner Alexa Bliss (c) 6

Men's Elimination Chamber match

Eliminated Wrestler Entered Eliminated by Method Times[24]
1 The Miz 3 Braun Strowman
Pinfall
 20:20
2 Elias 7 25:55
3 John Cena 4 26:25
4 Finn Bálor 1 30:45
5 Seth Rollins 2 36:40
6 Braun Strowman 6 Roman Reigns 40:15
Winner Roman Reigns 5

References

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