Written by: Kevin Berge (All Images Courtesy of: WWE.com)
It's a weird time in WWE. The company is taking chances, embracing the potential of its roster, and it's making for a fascinating transition. No one is benefiting more at least in this past week than Kofi Kingston who is now the hottest star on the roster not named Becky Lynch.
It's a bizarre but completely welcome transition. This Road to WrestleMania is the most interesting and engaging in years because so many are stepping up to the plate. It's like WWE is finally beginning to shift, and everyone is benefiting.
I can only hope it continues because as mixed a week as this was overall, it got me more excited for WrestleMania than most Elimination Chamber events have. I'm starting to think WWE might finally deliver again on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
It's a bizarre but completely welcome transition. This Road to WrestleMania is the most interesting and engaging in years because so many are stepping up to the plate. It's like WWE is finally beginning to shift, and everyone is benefiting.
I can only hope it continues because as mixed a week as this was overall, it got me more excited for WrestleMania than most Elimination Chamber events have. I'm starting to think WWE might finally deliver again on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
Kofi has been through too much to be affected by mere kicks. This guy had a Jamaican accent once.
WWE Elimination Chamber 2019
Kofi Kingston Should Be WWE Champion By the End of WrestleMania
Overview: Daniel Bryan opened the Chamber with Samoa Joe followed by Kofi Kingston. Through a tough fight of top stars, Bryan and Kofi survived to the final two where they went to war. Kofi kicked out of the running knee once, but he missed a dive off the pod then took another running knee to lose.
On SmackDown, Kofi pinned Bryan in a six-man tag and was announced to be the No. 1 contender to the WWE Championship at Fastlane.
Analysis: The crowd has not been as electric for a match-up between two men in months as they were for Bryan and Kofi. In just one week, WWE put everything behind The New Day veteran, and he delivered with everyone responding. Outside of The Man, suddenly there's nobody hotter right now than Kofi.
If he had won on Sunday, fans would have completely accepted it, and I think WWE should commit. He will get his second shot at Fastlane, and he should win. Will he? Probably not because Bryan's the bigger star, but he should because he deserves that chance.
Please Don't Break Up Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush
Overview: Finn Balor managed to isolated Lio Rush in this match late thanks to The Man of the Hour's arrogance. After he knocked The Almighty out of way, he connected with the Coup De Grace and pinned Rush to become the new WWE intercontinental champion.
Afterward, Lashley attacked Rush in frustration over the loss. While the two made up enough to stand together on Raw, there was still clear tension.
Analysis: Balor deserved the IC title. He has been well built up again and feels like he has momentum again. I just don't like that it had to come at the expense of the alliance of Lashley and Rush. WWE seems to be pushing them apart for no reason.
Nobody wants to hear The Almighty talk. Nobody wants to see Rush attempting to make it on the main roster when we all know his height will just lead to him getting repeatedly squashed. Keep them together as they make each other interesting.
Conclusion
Much like the two central Elimination Chamber matches, this show had great moments that were stretched thin by weaker segments along the way. In particular, the three Raw matches in the middle of the card cratered the night before it picked back up for the main event.
It was still fun to watch mainly because of the two central contests opening and closing the show. There's better to come especially since this show lacked so many top stars.
Overview: Daniel Bryan opened the Chamber with Samoa Joe followed by Kofi Kingston. Through a tough fight of top stars, Bryan and Kofi survived to the final two where they went to war. Kofi kicked out of the running knee once, but he missed a dive off the pod then took another running knee to lose.
On SmackDown, Kofi pinned Bryan in a six-man tag and was announced to be the No. 1 contender to the WWE Championship at Fastlane.
Analysis: The crowd has not been as electric for a match-up between two men in months as they were for Bryan and Kofi. In just one week, WWE put everything behind The New Day veteran, and he delivered with everyone responding. Outside of The Man, suddenly there's nobody hotter right now than Kofi.
If he had won on Sunday, fans would have completely accepted it, and I think WWE should commit. He will get his second shot at Fastlane, and he should win. Will he? Probably not because Bryan's the bigger star, but he should because he deserves that chance.
Please Don't Break Up Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush
Overview: Finn Balor managed to isolated Lio Rush in this match late thanks to The Man of the Hour's arrogance. After he knocked The Almighty out of way, he connected with the Coup De Grace and pinned Rush to become the new WWE intercontinental champion.
Afterward, Lashley attacked Rush in frustration over the loss. While the two made up enough to stand together on Raw, there was still clear tension.
Analysis: Balor deserved the IC title. He has been well built up again and feels like he has momentum again. I just don't like that it had to come at the expense of the alliance of Lashley and Rush. WWE seems to be pushing them apart for no reason.
Nobody wants to hear The Almighty talk. Nobody wants to see Rush attempting to make it on the main roster when we all know his height will just lead to him getting repeatedly squashed. Keep them together as they make each other interesting.
Conclusion
Much like the two central Elimination Chamber matches, this show had great moments that were stretched thin by weaker segments along the way. In particular, the three Raw matches in the middle of the card cratered the night before it picked back up for the main event.
It was still fun to watch mainly because of the two central contests opening and closing the show. There's better to come especially since this show lacked so many top stars.
Grade: B-
Asuka may be able to overcome Becky Lynch, but the combined blondness of Lacey Evans and Mandy Rose is just too much.
Monday Night Raw February 18, 2019
Ruby Riott Deserved to Have Her Raw Match at Elimination Chamber
Overview: Ronda Rousey made quick work of Ruby Riott at Chamber with an armbar before getting taken down by Becky Lynch, who also slammed Charlotte Flair with a crutch. Riott got a rematch at Raw and, with The Riott Squad in her corner, pushed The Baddest Woman on the Planet but still fell to the armbar.
Analysis: Who are the best wrestlers in the women's division? Beyond the obvious Four Horsewomen, Asuka, and Rousey, the next best answer is more complex. Ember Moon has a fair shot and so do Riott. She has proven to have chemistry with just about anyone and has an impressive variety of offensive moves.
When it was announced she would get to fight The Baddest Woman on the Planet, I did not have high hopes for the reason that she would never be seen as a threat. Chamber and Raw were polar opposite matches for the two with Riott looking great at Raw despite a lack of drama. She deserved that match on a bigger stage.
Random NXT Call-Ups Are Not the Answer to Every WWE Problem
Overview: Triple H opened Raw announcing that Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Ricochet, and Aleister Black were all making their debuts on the red brand this week.
Ricochet teamed with Balor to defeat Lashley and Rush. Ciampa and Gargano defeated The Revival with Meeting in the Middle clean. Black took down Elias with Black Mass.
Analysis: WWE has no idea how to translate stars to the main roster, and it's becoming bizarre now. EC3 has suffered catastrophically for it, but it feels like Ricochet, Black, and DIY will also suffer as well due to the way they were presented this week. While everyone won, they came off lacking. They deserved individual spotlights.
Conclusion
This felt like WWE's most bland attempt to do something new on Raw. The show was stretched thin with no one really standing out. The wrestling was great as a whole especially the tag team matches involving the new NXT stars, but the terrible crowd and problematic pacing made this bland.
Overview: Ronda Rousey made quick work of Ruby Riott at Chamber with an armbar before getting taken down by Becky Lynch, who also slammed Charlotte Flair with a crutch. Riott got a rematch at Raw and, with The Riott Squad in her corner, pushed The Baddest Woman on the Planet but still fell to the armbar.
Analysis: Who are the best wrestlers in the women's division? Beyond the obvious Four Horsewomen, Asuka, and Rousey, the next best answer is more complex. Ember Moon has a fair shot and so do Riott. She has proven to have chemistry with just about anyone and has an impressive variety of offensive moves.
When it was announced she would get to fight The Baddest Woman on the Planet, I did not have high hopes for the reason that she would never be seen as a threat. Chamber and Raw were polar opposite matches for the two with Riott looking great at Raw despite a lack of drama. She deserved that match on a bigger stage.
Random NXT Call-Ups Are Not the Answer to Every WWE Problem
Overview: Triple H opened Raw announcing that Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Ricochet, and Aleister Black were all making their debuts on the red brand this week.
Ricochet teamed with Balor to defeat Lashley and Rush. Ciampa and Gargano defeated The Revival with Meeting in the Middle clean. Black took down Elias with Black Mass.
Analysis: WWE has no idea how to translate stars to the main roster, and it's becoming bizarre now. EC3 has suffered catastrophically for it, but it feels like Ricochet, Black, and DIY will also suffer as well due to the way they were presented this week. While everyone won, they came off lacking. They deserved individual spotlights.
Conclusion
This felt like WWE's most bland attempt to do something new on Raw. The show was stretched thin with no one really standing out. The wrestling was great as a whole especially the tag team matches involving the new NXT stars, but the terrible crowd and problematic pacing made this bland.
Grade: C+
SmackDown Live February 19, 2019
Asuka Should Not Be Losing Singles Match to Set Up Challengers
Overview: Asuka was interviewed about her dominance over the women's division only to be interrupted by Mandy Rose who wanted a shot at the champion. The Empress of Tomorrow agreed, and the two fought with devious tactics and a distraction from Lacey Evans allowing The Golden Goddess to roll up Asuka for three.
Analysis: As I have said in the past few months, Rose has improved consistently over the past few months and makes sense as a challenger to Asuka right now. She did not have to be established in that role though by defeating Asuka, who has been protected so heavily up to this point.
The Empress should be an aloof dominant threat that the SmackDown women are not sure they can defeat. She made Becky Lynch tap out at Royal Rumble for a reason. Don't ruin it with 50/50 booking.
Suddenly, It Feels More Likely Shane and Miz Turn on Each Other Before WM
Overview: The Usos defeated The Miz and Shane McMahon at Elimination Chamber when Shane-O-Mac was taken out by his own diving elbow through the announce table and Miz got rolled up out of the Skull Crushing Finale.
The A-Lister formally apologized on SmackDown before asking for more chance to prove himself. The Usos goaded Shane into agreeing to the match with the teams set for a rematch at Fastlane.
Analysis: The Usos vs. Shane and Miz was a solid match at the Chamber, but its results was confusing more than anything. It cut short the story of McMiz as a team and now sets up two situations for WrestleMania. Either Miz and Shane rally to regain the gold or they fail again and fall apart.
While I wouldn't mind the two getting it together and winning, it feels like an unnecessary booking decision. Why take the titles off them in the first place? It feels more likely Miz will turn on Shane and show his true colors or Shane will turn on Miz after he fails again.
Conclusion
The NXT call-ups dominated more time here than they did on Raw but still delivered for the most part. The main issue was simply that there wasn't a lot to this show. It was mostly forgettable with a six-man tag main event that was just an excuse to give Kofi a pinfall win over Bryan.
Overview: Asuka was interviewed about her dominance over the women's division only to be interrupted by Mandy Rose who wanted a shot at the champion. The Empress of Tomorrow agreed, and the two fought with devious tactics and a distraction from Lacey Evans allowing The Golden Goddess to roll up Asuka for three.
Analysis: As I have said in the past few months, Rose has improved consistently over the past few months and makes sense as a challenger to Asuka right now. She did not have to be established in that role though by defeating Asuka, who has been protected so heavily up to this point.
The Empress should be an aloof dominant threat that the SmackDown women are not sure they can defeat. She made Becky Lynch tap out at Royal Rumble for a reason. Don't ruin it with 50/50 booking.
Suddenly, It Feels More Likely Shane and Miz Turn on Each Other Before WM
Overview: The Usos defeated The Miz and Shane McMahon at Elimination Chamber when Shane-O-Mac was taken out by his own diving elbow through the announce table and Miz got rolled up out of the Skull Crushing Finale.
The A-Lister formally apologized on SmackDown before asking for more chance to prove himself. The Usos goaded Shane into agreeing to the match with the teams set for a rematch at Fastlane.
Analysis: The Usos vs. Shane and Miz was a solid match at the Chamber, but its results was confusing more than anything. It cut short the story of McMiz as a team and now sets up two situations for WrestleMania. Either Miz and Shane rally to regain the gold or they fail again and fall apart.
While I wouldn't mind the two getting it together and winning, it feels like an unnecessary booking decision. Why take the titles off them in the first place? It feels more likely Miz will turn on Shane and show his true colors or Shane will turn on Miz after he fails again.
Conclusion
The NXT call-ups dominated more time here than they did on Raw but still delivered for the most part. The main issue was simply that there wasn't a lot to this show. It was mostly forgettable with a six-man tag main event that was just an excuse to give Kofi a pinfall win over Bryan.
Grade: B-
A reminder that Velveteen Dream could have challenged for any title but he chose the least acclaimed of them all because he likes a challenge.
205 Live February 19, 2019
205 Live Always Benefits from Tournaments
Overview: Drake Maverick announced the challenger to Buddy Murphy at WrestleMania would be determined in an eight-man tournament. Humberto Carrillo defeated TJP while Cedric Alexander defeated Mike Kanellis to stake their claim for the tournament while Tony Nese made clear he deserves a spot in a promo.
Analysis: This show did not have a lot to it, but it set the stage for a big month of 205 Live. Hopefully, 205 Live does much the same as it did last year and brings in fresh talent to the tournament to potentially shake up the division. No one right now feels like a legitimate threat to Murphy, but the tournament could change that.
Overview: Drake Maverick announced the challenger to Buddy Murphy at WrestleMania would be determined in an eight-man tournament. Humberto Carrillo defeated TJP while Cedric Alexander defeated Mike Kanellis to stake their claim for the tournament while Tony Nese made clear he deserves a spot in a promo.
Analysis: This show did not have a lot to it, but it set the stage for a big month of 205 Live. Hopefully, 205 Live does much the same as it did last year and brings in fresh talent to the tournament to potentially shake up the division. No one right now feels like a legitimate threat to Murphy, but the tournament could change that.
NXT and NXT UK February 20, 2019
WWE Has Committed to The Velveteen Dream in NXT Maybe Because So Many are Heading to the Main Roster
Overview: Candice LaRae gave Johnny Gargano encouragement before hie match while Johnny avoided Tommaso Ciampa. In the match, the champion worked his magic against The Velveteen Dream but could not put his challenger away before falling to the Death Valley Driver and Purple Rainmaker.
Analysis: Dream has now finally won gold in NXT, and it feels like it has been too long coming. In fact, it only finally arrived after four of NXT's biggest stars went to the main roster, seemingly splitting time with each brand from now on. It feels like Dream had to win the title just to keep him happy.
Hopefully, there is a big plan for Dram soon. He can make the NXT North American Championship in a way no one else can. It's just a matter of how he is used and who steps up to him.
Shane Thorne Has Not Benefited from Sticking Around After Nick Miller's Release
Overview: In his NXT UK debut, Shane Thorne pushed Trent Seven but could not pick up the win. Seven took the victory with a Seven Star Lariat.
Analysis: The Mighty were a quality team that never got their chance to shine. When Nick Miller left, it was odd to see that Thorne was sticking around. He has not benefited at all from that decision. Whether Thorne stays in NXT or moves to NXT UK, he just does not seem to be a priority.
Overview: Candice LaRae gave Johnny Gargano encouragement before hie match while Johnny avoided Tommaso Ciampa. In the match, the champion worked his magic against The Velveteen Dream but could not put his challenger away before falling to the Death Valley Driver and Purple Rainmaker.
Analysis: Dream has now finally won gold in NXT, and it feels like it has been too long coming. In fact, it only finally arrived after four of NXT's biggest stars went to the main roster, seemingly splitting time with each brand from now on. It feels like Dream had to win the title just to keep him happy.
Hopefully, there is a big plan for Dram soon. He can make the NXT North American Championship in a way no one else can. It's just a matter of how he is used and who steps up to him.
Shane Thorne Has Not Benefited from Sticking Around After Nick Miller's Release
Overview: In his NXT UK debut, Shane Thorne pushed Trent Seven but could not pick up the win. Seven took the victory with a Seven Star Lariat.
Analysis: The Mighty were a quality team that never got their chance to shine. When Nick Miller left, it was odd to see that Thorne was sticking around. He has not benefited at all from that decision. Whether Thorne stays in NXT or moves to NXT UK, he just does not seem to be a priority.
Match of the Week
WWE Championship Elimination Chamber, WWE Elimination Chamber 2019 (Rating: 9/10)
The home stretch of this match was absolutely excellent. It was the best stretch of wrestling so far this year. The energy in the arena and the work of both Bryan and Kofi was special to watch.
The rest of the match was good as a whole, but it could not live up to that high bar. What was particularly surprising was AJ Styles' involvement. He felt like the most forgettable element in this contest outside of Jeff Hardy.
Still, I cannot rate this lower just because its final 10 minutes were a reminder of why I love wrestling.
Honorable Mention: Women's Tag Team Championships Elimination Chamber, WWE Elimination Chamber 2019 (Rating: 9/10)
While a better overall match than the men's match, this contest did not reach those highs. To its credit, it was far better than I expected it could be. The road agent deserves serious credit for keeping this intensely focused and giving everyone a spotlight that they fully embraced.
While Billie Kay and Tamina are still not great wrestlers, even they played their roles well while some took it to the next level with The Riott Squad feeling like the highlight of the whole match and Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville earning their final two spot.
The home stretch of this match was absolutely excellent. It was the best stretch of wrestling so far this year. The energy in the arena and the work of both Bryan and Kofi was special to watch.
The rest of the match was good as a whole, but it could not live up to that high bar. What was particularly surprising was AJ Styles' involvement. He felt like the most forgettable element in this contest outside of Jeff Hardy.
Still, I cannot rate this lower just because its final 10 minutes were a reminder of why I love wrestling.
Honorable Mention: Women's Tag Team Championships Elimination Chamber, WWE Elimination Chamber 2019 (Rating: 9/10)
While a better overall match than the men's match, this contest did not reach those highs. To its credit, it was far better than I expected it could be. The road agent deserves serious credit for keeping this intensely focused and giving everyone a spotlight that they fully embraced.
While Billie Kay and Tamina are still not great wrestlers, even they played their roles well while some took it to the next level with The Riott Squad feeling like the highlight of the whole match and Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville earning their final two spot.
