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Elimination Chamber (2022)

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Elimination Chamber
Promotional poster featuring Brock Lesnar, and the Elimination Chamber structure
PromotionWWE
Brand(s)Raw
SmackDown
DateFebruary 19, 2022
CityJeddah, Saudi Arabia
VenueJeddah Super Dome
Attendance33,328
WWE Network event chronology
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Crown Jewel (2022)

The 2022 Elimination Chamber (Arabic: إليمنيشن تشامبر; known as No Escape in Germany) was the 12th Elimination Chamber professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on Saturday, February 19, 2022, at the Jeddah Super Dome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

It was the seventh event that WWE held in Saudi Arabia under a 10-year partnership in support of Saudi Vision 2030. It was also the first Elimination Chamber event to take place outside of the United States, the first to be held on a Saturday, and the first to air on the livestreaming service Peacock. It was also WWE's first previously-established event to take place in the country.

Seven matches were contested at the event, including one on the Kickoff pre-show. The event featured two Elimination Chamber matches, one for the men and one for the women; both were for the Raw brand. In the main event, Brock Lesnar won the men's eponymous match to win the WWE Championship, while Bianca Belair won the women's match to earn a Raw Women's Championship match at WrestleMania 38. In other prominent matches, Becky Lynch defeated Lita to retain the Raw Women's Championship, and in the opening bout, Roman Reigns defeated Goldberg to retain SmackDown's Universal Championship.

Production

Background

See also: WWE in Saudi Arabia

Elimination Chamber is a gimmick event first produced by the American promotion WWE in 2010. It has been held every year since, except in 2016, generally in February. The concept of the event is that one or two main event matches are contested inside the Elimination Chamber, either with championships or future opportunities at championships at stake.[1] The 2022 event was the 12th event under the Elimination Chamber chronology and featured wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brands. In addition to airing on pay-per-view worldwide and the WWE Network in international markets, it was the first Elimination Chamber to air on Peacock after the American version of the WWE Network merged under Peacock in March 2021.[2][3]

In early 2018, WWE began a 10-year strategic multiplatform partnership with the General Sports Authority in support of Saudi Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia's social and economic reform program.[4][5] On January 17, 2022, the seventh event under this partnership was announced as Elimination Chamber, scheduled for Saturday, February 19, 2022, at the Jeddah Super Dome in Jeddah. It was in turn the first Elimination Chamber event to take place in Saudi Arabia, the first to take place outside of the United States, and the first to be held on a Saturday. It was also WWE's first previously-established event to take place in the country.[6]

In 2011 and since 2013, the show has been promoted as "No Escape" in Germany as it was feared that the name "Elimination Chamber" may remind people of the gas chambers used during the Holocaust.[7][8]

Storylines

The event included matches that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands,[9][10] while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown.[11]

At the Royal Rumble, Bobby Lashley defeated Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Championship due to Paul Heyman betraying Lesnar.[12] On the following episode of Raw, it was announced that Lashley would defend the WWE Championship in an Elimination Chamber match at Elimination Chamber. Lesnar then came out and demanded a rematch against Lashley that night as Lashley did not fairly win the title; however, on MVP's advice, Lashley declined. WWE official Adam Pearce then announced that Lesnar would be competing in the Elimination Chamber match. Later, Seth "Freakin" Rollins also announced that he would be one of the participants due to technically winning his match at the Royal Rumble. The final three spots were determined in qualification matches that night: Austin Theory, Riddle, and AJ Styles qualified by defeating Kevin Owens, Raw Tag Team Champion Otis, and Rey Mysterio, respectively.[13]

Roman Reigns was originally scheduled to face Goldberg for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36 in April 2020; however, due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic shortly before the event, Reigns pulled out of the match due to his immunocompromised state from past battles with leukaemia.[14] Goldberg faced another challenger at that event who defeated him for the title.[15] Nearly two years later on the February 4, 2022 episode of SmackDown, with Reigns now as champion after winning the title at Payback in August 2020, Goldberg appeared and challenged Reigns to a match for the Universal Championship at Elimination Chamber, which was made official.[16]

At Day 1, Drew McIntyre defeated Madcap Moss, who was accompanied by Happy Corbin. Later that night, while McIntyre was interviewed backstage, Corbin and Moss attacked McIntyre, injuring his neck, which was reported to require surgery.[17] At the Royal Rumble, McIntyre made a surprise return from his injury during the Royal Rumble match and eliminated Corbin and Moss, after which, McIntyre attacked Corbin and Moss further with the steel steps following their elimination.[12] On the following SmackDown, McIntyre stated he would continue to target the two due to them almost ending his career. A rematch between McIntyre and Moss was scheduled for Elimination Chamber.[16] The rematch was then stipulated as a Falls Count Anywhere match.[18]

On the February 7 episode of Raw, a women's Elimination Chamber match was scheduled for Elimination Chamber with the winner earning a Raw Women's Championship match at WrestleMania 38. Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Rhea Ripley, Doudrop, and Nikki A.S.H. were announced for the match with one spot to be filled.[19] The following week, Belair won a gauntlet match to earn the right to enter the match last. Additionally on that episode, after weeks of therapy sessions after her doll Lily had been destroyed at Extreme Rules in September 2021, Alexa Bliss completed her final session and named herself as the sixth competitor for the match.[20]

Event

Other on-screen personnel
Role: Name:
English commentators Michael Cole
Corey Graves
Byron Saxton
Arabic commentators Faisal Al-Mughaisib
Jude Aldajani
Ring announcer Mike Rome
Referees Danilo Anfibio
Jessika Carr
Dan Engler
Eddie Orengo
Chad Patton
Darryl Sharma
Interviewer Kevin Patrick
Pre-show panel Jackie Redmond
Matt Camp
Peter Rosenberg

Pre-show

During the Elimination Chamber Kickoff pre-show. Rey Mysterio (accompanied by Dominik Mysterio) faced The Miz. During the match, Miz retrieved a chair, however, Rey performed a Crossbody on Miz. As Miz tried to use the chair again, Dominik thwarted Miz, however, Miz feigned getting attacked by Dominik. This resulted in the referee ejecting Dominik from ringside. In the end, Rey performed a roll-up on Miz to win the match. Following the match, Rey and Dominik performed double 619's on Miz.[21]

Preliminary matches

The actual pay-per-view opened with Roman Reigns (accompanied by Paul Heyman) defending the Universal Championship against Goldberg. Reigns cut a quick promo stating that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia must acknowledge Reigns before Goldberg made his entrance. At the start of the match, Reigns threw Goldberg out of the ring. The two fought at ringside where Goldberg threw Reigns into the barricade. Back in the ring, Goldberg performed a Spear on Reigns. As Goldberg attempted a Jackhammer, Reigns countered into a Uranage for a nearfall. Reigns performed a Superman Punch on Goldberg. As Reigns attempted a Spear, Goldberg countered into a Spear of his own. Goldberg attempted another Jackhammer, however, Reigns countered into the guillotine submission hold on Goldberg, who passed out, thus Reigns retained the title.[22]

Next, the women's Elimination Chamber match was contested where the winner would earn a Raw Women's Championship match at WrestleMania 38. Liv Morgan and Nikki A.S.H. started the match. The third entrant was Doudrop followed by Rhea Ripley. Ripley went after Nikki where both climbed the Chamber wall and fell onto Morgan. Ripley performed a Riptide on Nikki to eliminate her. The fifth entrant was Alexa Bliss. Morgan performed a Sitout Powerbomb on Doudrop to eliminate her. The last entrant was Bianca Belair, who earned the opportunity to enter last by winning a gauntlet match on the preceding episode of Raw. Belair and Ripley performed double vertical Suplexes on Morgan and Bliss, respectively. Bliss performed Twisted Bliss on Morgan to eliminate her. Belair performed Kiss of Death on Ripley to eliminate her. In the end, Belair performed a Kiss Of Death on Bliss to win the match and earn a Raw Women's Championship match at WrestleMania 38.[22]

After that, Ronda Rousey and Naomi faced SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair and WWE official Sonya Deville where Rousey had to wrestle with one arm tied behind her back. In the end, Rousey forced Deville to tap out to the arm bar to win the match.[22]

In the fourth match, Drew McIntyre faced Madcap Moss (accompanied by Happy Corbin) in a Falls Count Anywhere match. In the end, McIntyre performed a Claymore Kick on Moss to win the match.[22]

Backstage, The Miz was interviewed about his loss during the pre-show where he accused Rey Mysterio of cheating due to help from his son Dominik. Miz said he would find a tag team partner and that it would be a "global superstar".[22]

In the penultimate match, Becky Lynch defended the Raw Women's Championship against Lita. Lynch performed a Man Handle Slam on Lita to retain the title.[22]

Before the main event, The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) were scheduled to defend the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against The Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar), but The Usos attacked The Viking Raiders before the match could begin, thus the match was called off.[22]

Main event

In the main event, Bobby Lashley defended the WWE Championship against AJ Styles, Brock Lesnar, Riddle, Austin Theory, and Seth "Freakin" Rollins in an Elimination Chamber match. Theory and Rollins started the match. Rollins performed a Buckle Bomb on Theory into Lashley's pod. The impact incapacitated Lashley resulting in medical personnel and referees removing Lashley from the match due to concussion protocol, which was later announced as his elimination (in reality, Lashley had legitimately injured his shoulder prior to the event and the "concussion protocol" was used to write him out of the match).[23] The third entrant was Riddle followed by Styles. The fifth entrant was supposed to be Lashley, however, since Lashley was gone, Lesnar broke through his pod and entered the match. Lesnar performed F5s on Rollins, Styles, and Riddle, respectively, to eliminate them. After a low-blow and DDT from Theory onto Lesnar ended in a near-fall, Lesnar performed an F5 on Theory from the top of a chamber pod. Lesnar then pinned Theory to win the WWE Championship for a seventh time, becoming the first Royal Rumble winner to win a world title before WrestleMania. WWE then confirmed that his WrestleMania match against Universal Champion Roman Reigns would be a Winner Takes All match to unify both the WWE and Universal Championships.[22]

Aftermath

Raw

On the following episode of Raw, new WWE Champion Brock Lesnar set his sights on facing Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 38. Paul Heyman then interrupted, stating that Lesnar would not make it to WrestleMania as the WWE Champion as he had a scheduled rematch against former champion Bobby Lashley on March 5 at the WWE Live show in Madison Square Garden in New York City, although if Lashley was not cleared from his concussion protocol, Heyman would find another worthy challenger.[24] Lashley was not cleared and was replaced by Austin Theory who Lesnar defeated to retain the title. Following the match, Lesnar was attacked by Roman Reigns who was also accompanied by The Bloodline (Paul Heyman, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso). Lesnar in response attacked Reigns and The Usos with German Suplexes, however, Heyman attempted to attack him with a chair only to cower in fear when Lesnar confronted Heyman. Reigns took advantage of the distraction and attacked Lesnar with a chair and a steel steps, busting Lesnar open. Reigns then placed a bloodied Lesnar onto the steel steps and posed with both world titles atop the steel steps.[25]

Also on the following Raw, The Miz stated that he had found a tag team partner to face Rey and Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 38. After Miz teased the identity of his partner, the Mysterios interrupted, stating it did not matter who Miz had chosen. The Miz then revealed it was social media personality Logan Paul, after which, both Miz and Paul attacked the Mysterios.[24]

SmackDown

On the following episode of SmackDown, Universal Champion Roman Reigns and WWE Champion Brock Lesnar had a contract signing for their Winner Takes All match at WrestleMania 38. During the segment, it was announced that the match would also be a championship unification match, which WWE began billing as "The Biggest WrestleMania Match of All-Time".[26]

The Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar) attacked SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) backstage, stating they wanted their title match since they did not actually get to have their match at Elimination Chamber.[26] They received their championship match the following week where The Usos retained.[27]

Also on SmackDown, Drew McIntyre defeated Madcap Moss in a rematch.[26] McIntyre was then scheduled to face Happy Corbin at WrestleMania 38.[27]

Results

No.ResultsStipulationsTimes[21][22]
1Rey Mysterio (with Dominik Mysterio) defeated The Miz by pinfallSingles match[28]8:20
2Roman Reigns (c) (with Paul Heyman) defeated Goldberg by technical submissionSingles match for the WWE Universal Championship[29]6:00
3Bianca Belair defeated Alexa Bliss, Doudrop, Liv Morgan, Nikki A.S.H., and Rhea RipleyElimination Chamber match for a WWE Raw Women's Championship match at WrestleMania 38[30]15:45
4Naomi and Ronda Rousey defeated Charlotte Flair and Sonya Deville by submissionTag team match[31]
Ronda Rousey had to wrestle with one arm tied behind her back.		9:14
5Drew McIntyre defeated Madcap Moss (with Happy Corbin) by pinfallFalls Count Anywhere match[32]9:00
6Becky Lynch (c) defeated Lita by pinfallSingles match for the WWE Raw Women's Championship[33]12:10
7Brock Lesnar defeated Bobby Lashley (c), AJ Styles, Austin Theory, Riddle, and Seth "Freakin" RollinsElimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship[34]14:55
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match

Women's Elimination Chamber match

Eliminated Wrestler Entered Eliminated by Method Time[22]
1 Nikki A.S.H. 1 Rhea Ripley Pinfall 6:20
2 Doudrop 3 Liv Morgan Pinfall 8:50
3 Liv Morgan 2 Alexa Bliss Pinfall 12:10
4 Rhea Ripley 4 Bianca Belair Pinfall 12:45
5 Alexa Bliss 5 Bianca Belair Pinfall 15:45
Winner Bianca Belair 6

WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match

Eliminated Wrestler Entered Eliminated by Method Time[22]
1 Bobby Lashley (c) 5 Unable to compete
2 Seth "Freakin" Rollins 2 Brock Lesnar Pinfall 9:50
3 Riddle 3 Brock Lesnar Pinfall 10:05
4 AJ Styles 4 Brock Lesnar Pinfall 11:00
5 Austin Theory 1 Brock Lesnar Pinfall 14:55
Winner Brock Lesnar 6

References

  1. ^ "Elimination Chamber Match rules". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-02-02.
  2. ^ WWE.com Staff (March 8, 2021). "WWE Network to launch on Peacock March 18". WWE. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  3. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (January 17, 2022). "WWE Confirms Elimination Chamber Event In Saudi Arabia". Fightful. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  4. ^ "Saudi Arabia to host the Greatest Royal Rumble". WWE. March 5, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  5. ^ "National Transformation Program 2020" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-28.
  6. ^ "WWE returns to Jeddah for WWE Elimination Chamber 2022". WWE. January 17, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  7. ^ "WWE No Escape". WWE (in German). Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  8. ^ Hoffmann, Martin (February 20, 2018). "Darum hat eine WWE-Show zwei Namen" [This is why a WWE show has two names]. Sport1 (in German). Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  9. ^ Grabianowski, Ed (13 January 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  10. ^ "Live & Televised Entertainment". WWE. Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  11. ^ Steinberg, Brian (May 25, 2016). "WWE's 'Smackdown' Will Move To Live Broadcast On USA (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  12. ^ a b Powell, Jason (January 29, 2022). "WWE Royal Rumble results: Powell's live review of the Royal Rumble matches, Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship, Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship, Becky Lynch vs Doudrop for the Smackdown Women's Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  13. ^ Powell, Jason (January 31, 2022). "1/31 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of the Royal Rumble fallout show, Brock Lesnar chooses his WrestleMania opponent, Ronda Rousey and new WWE Champion Bobby Lashley appear, Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory and Rey Mysterio vs. AJ Styles in Elimination Chamber match qualifiers". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  14. ^ Satin, Ryan (March 26, 2020). "Roman Reigns Out Of WrestleMania 36 Match". Pro Wrestling Sheet. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  15. ^ Powell, Jason (April 4, 2020). "WrestleMania 36 results: Powell's live review of night one featuring Goldberg vs. Braun Strowman for the WWE Universal Championship, Undertaker vs. AJ Styles in a Boneyard match, Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler for the Raw Women's Championship, Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  16. ^ a b Barnett, Jake (February 4, 2022). "2/4 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Barnett's review of Royal Rumble winner Ronda Rousey announces which championship she will challenge for at WrestleMania, Paul Heyman rejoining WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre's return". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  17. ^ Powell, Jason (January 1, 2022). "WWE Day 1 results: Powell's review of Big E vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Championship, Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan for the Raw Women's Championship, The Usos vs. Kofi Kingston and King Woods for the Smackdown Tag Titles, Edge vs. The Miz". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  18. ^ Powell, Jason (February 11, 2022). "2/11 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of Charlotte Flair vs. Naomi for the Smackdown Women's Championship, Goldberg's latest appearance, Natalya vs. Aliyah in a Dungeon Style showdown match, Sami Zayn's In Zayn with Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  19. ^ Powell, Jason (February 7, 2022). "2/7 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of the Seth Rollins vs. Riddle, Lita's latest appearance, Chad Gable and Otis face Randy Orton and Riddle in the quiz bowl portion of the academic challenge, the continuation of the build to Elimination Chamber". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  20. ^ Powell, Jason (February 14, 2022). "2/14 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of the Damian Priest vs. AJ Styles for the U.S. Championship, Brock Lesnar and Lita appear on the Elimination Chamber go-home show, Randy Orton and Riddle throw a Broga Party". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  21. ^ a b Powell, Jason (February 19, 2022). "WWE Elimination Chamber Kickoff Show results: Powell's review of Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Powell, Jason (February 19, 2022). "WWE Elimination Chamber results: Powell's live review of two Elimination Chamber matches, Roman Reigns vs. Goldberg for the WWE Universal Championship, Becky Lynch vs. Lita for the Raw Women's Championship, Ronda Rousey and Naomi vs. Charlotte Flair and Sonya Deville". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  23. ^ Guzzo, Gisberto (February 19, 2022). "Report: Bobby Lashley To Undergo Shoulder Surgery, Expected To Be Out For At Least Four Months". Fightful. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  24. ^ a b Powell, Jason (February 21, 2022). "2/21 WWE Raw Results: Powell's live review of the milestone episode featuring new WWE Champion Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton and Riddle vs. Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens, and Miz TV on the Elimination Chamber fallout edition". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  25. ^ Harris, Jeffrey (March 8, 2022). "Backstage Notes on Booking of Brock Lesnar & Roman Reigns' Matches at WWE MSG House Show". 411mania. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  26. ^ a b c Powell, Jason (February 25, 2022). "2/25 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of the contract signing for WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in a title vs. title match at WrestleMania, Sami Zayn celebrates his Intercontinental Championship win, Drew McIntyre vs. Madcap Moss". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  27. ^ a b Powell, Jason (March 4, 2022). "3/4 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of Ronda Rousey vs. Sonya Deville, Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso vs. The Viking Raiders for the Smackdown Tag Titles, Sami Zayn vs. Ricochet for the Intercontinental Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  28. ^ Bryant, Nathan (February 19, 2022). "Rey Mysterio def. The Miz". WWE. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  29. ^ Bryant, Nathan (February 19, 2022). "Universal Champion Roman Reigns def. Goldberg". WWE. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  30. ^ WWE.com Staff (February 19, 2022). "Bianca Belair def. Alexa Bliss, Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Doudrop, Nikki A.S.H. inside the Elimination Chamber". WWE. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  31. ^ Bryant, Nathan (February 19, 2022). "Ronda Rousey & Naomi def. SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair & Sonya Deville". WWE. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  32. ^ Bryant, Nathan (February 19, 2022). "Drew McIntyre def. Madcap Moss in a Falls Count Anywhere Match". WWE. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  33. ^ Bryant, Nathan (February 19, 2022). "Raw Women's Champion Becky Lynch def. Lita". WWE. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  34. ^ Bryant, Nathan (February 19, 2022). "Brock Lesnar triumphed inside the Elimination Chamber Match to capture the WWE Championship". WWE. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
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