WWE Elimination Chamber 2023 PPV Review

• Feb. 18th 2023
• Montreal, Quebec Canada
• 17,271 in Attendance

Tanner, Prince, and MrDCWood of SmarKDown look at WWE’s latest PPV, Elimination Chamber. Did Sami Zayn win big? Or did he fail an entire city of people? Find out below!

Natalya vs. Liv Morgan vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Nikki Cross vs. Carmella vs. Asuka | Elimination Chamber Match for WWE Raw Women’s Championship Match at WrestleMania

• Nikki Cross Eliminated by Raquel Rodriguez via Pinfall at 11:39
• Liv Morgan Eliminated by Asuka & Natalya via Submission at 16:39
• Natalya Eliminated By Carmella via Pinfall at 17:24
• Raquel Rodriguez Eliminated by Carmella & Asuka via Pinfall at 18:23
• Carmella Eliminated By Asuka via Submission at 19:30

Tanner: Overall, it’s a pretty fun way to open the show. It gets a little sloppy at times, but it isn’t enough to really drive the match down. I’m looking forward to finally seeing the Bianca and Asuka single match that I’ve been looking for! ***

Prince: Another year & another sprint of a chamber match from the ladies. Every woman gave their best, had ample moments to shine even though the final stretch felt obvious. Apart from Asuka, Raquel & Morgan stood out once again as the MVPs after pulling off two marvelous spots & a great performance. This is Carmella’s return match & needed a concrete showcase, so kudos on giving it. The winner was predicted with ease, setting the road to Hollywood on a deadly note. ****

MrDCWood: A fine Chamber match featuring the ladies. Nice wrestling from Liv Morgan (who just continues to improve) and Natalya (who got a great ovation from the Montreal crowd). Some very good spots like Nikki’s cross body from the top of the pod, and Raquel smashing Nikki through the plexiglass. Pacing was a bit iffy in places, but the booking was fine, such as Carmella being the cowardly, opportunistic heel. Asuka was definitely the right choice for winner, and she’s gained a lot of momentum back since her return. Nothing spectacular overall, but a very good opener nonetheless. ***½

Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley | Singles Match

Bobby Lashley def. Brock Lesnar via DQ at 4:40

Tanner: Annoying finish aside, probably their best match in ring wise. I can see them bringing this to Mania with perhaps an actual war that we’ve been waiting for. What we got from the just under 5 minutes they had was pretty decent, and if they went 5 minutes longer with an official finish than I would probably be satisfied with this. *¾

Prince: The same old “finisher fest” pattern was followed here which suits both men, but at the same time, it’s been tried & tested too many times by Lesnar & Lashley on separate occasions. The finish was one of the ways I expected to end & I believe that Wyatt could be blurred out by Uncle Howdy possibly so that these two goliaths can have their befitting end at WrestleMania. Could it be a Fight Pit encounter or an “I Quit” match as Corey pressurized in the commentary? Fingers crossed! **

MrDCWood: Ugh…the problem I’ve had with this feud is that we KNOW it can be amazing. Two legitimate athletes/bad-asses tearing each other apart. Unfortunately, the matches have been let down by poor booking, a truncated length, or both…and THIS match has been the worst offender of them. Far too short, and a daft finish. If there’s gonna be anothet match at WrestleMania, fine…but it’s GOT to live up to the hype this time. WE KNOW THEY CAN DO BETTER. *½

Edge & Beth Phoenix vs. Finn Bálor & Rhea Ripley | Mixed Tag Team Match

Edge def. Finn Balor via Pinfall at 13:48

Tanner: A few mishaps and illogical moments all involving Beth and Rhea kinda stoop this down, but overall this was a very enjoyable match that was a feel good way to close this chapter of the feud Edge and Balor are having. I’m hoping they have that planned Hell In A Cell Match at WrestleMania! **¾

Prince: Another sick match from Edge in his home country. The crowd is simply magnificent from start till end. Beth did great as well, so she still got it! The heat seeking moments by Judgment Day (especially Dominik) were executed really good. Speaking of moments, Edge & Beth delivered a nice shoutout to FTR with the finish. Nicely done! ***½

MrDCWood: Edge and Beth Phoenix vs. Finn Balor & Rhea Ripley (w/Dominik): Say what you want about the feud, this match was really entertaining. The Montreal crowd continue to be awesome tonight, and Dominik’s NUCLEAR HEAT allowed us to invest in this. Took time to get going, but once it shifted into a higher gear, it was a great mixed tag-match. Beth can still go and she had a great tussle with Rhea. Finn taking the pin doesn’t hurt Rhea going into WrestleMania, Edge and Beth get their revenge. Good stuff. ***½

Austin Theory(c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Damian Priest vs. Bronson Reed vs. Montez Ford | WWE United States Championship Elimination Chamber Match

• Bronson Reed Eliminated by Montez Ford at 18:00
• Johnny Gargano Eliminated by Damian Priest at 23:00
• Damian Priest Eliminated by Montez Ford at 24:54
• Montez Ford Eliminated by Austin Theory at 27:45
• Seth Rollins Eliminated by Austin Theory at 31:30

Tanner: This slogs at times but is a pretty entertaining match overall, with the crowd backing that up. Loved Montez getting his time to shine, and everyone else also got some pretty neat stuff in. Logan’s interference, while annoying, makes complete sense as it looks to be Seth vs. Logan at WrestleMania, which is bound to be great given Logan’s past appearances. Solod match! ***¼

Prince: Another marquee addition to one of the best Chamber wars till date. This had zero expectations on any form of upset, but there were clear moments where that could happen. Priest & Reed were pretty menacing as the villains doing a very good job. But, the flowers should be given to Gargano & Montez – two of the phenomenal MVPs in this match. They cemented their ability of singles stardom in the strongest way possible. Even Rollins was overshadowed by these men’s energy. Great night, lads! As expected, Theory won over all the odds, thanks to Logan Paul costing the title for Rollins & placing a concrete foundation for the WrestleMania battle. ****½

MrDCWood: United States Title Chamber Match: WOW! This was an excellent Elimination Chamber match! The best I’ve seen in a long time! Great pacing and great work from all involved! Seth and Johnny were as exemplary as always, Bronson Reed was a TANK in this match! Damien Priest gave a great effort, Montez Ford delivered some AMAZING spots and sold like a singles star, and Theory retained the title. Great story overall, amazing spots… Logan Paul vs. Seth Rollins is definitely happening at Mania, and I’m more than okay with that. ****½

Roman Reigns(c) vs. Sami Zayn | Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match

Tanner: This match is absolutely beautiful. Sami Zayn, the “wuss” almost beat the unbeatable. He represents his city of Montreal and displays one of the best efforts towards Roman’s long title reign going over 30 minutes. Roman’s character work was phenomenal, slowly beating down Zayn while gloating to the crowd and Sami’s own family. Sami’s comebacks are magical, and every move he hits has an impact toward everyone in the room and everyone watching at home. Roman is a master at convincing the crowd that he’s finally being dethroned before kicking out at the last millisecond. The silence when Roman finally beats Sami is a testament to how truly over Zayn was that night. Brilliant. ****¼

Prince: The template of Reigns’ matches w/marquee story-driven opponents was followed here as well & this has been the very best work in that pattern. Similar to how Owens had last month, the action could’ve been so better undoubtedly, but the character drive from both men as well as external acts (Heyman, Zayn’s family, the commentators) were magnificent than the Rumble match. The trajectory of the story took a really good turn revealing the end is near for the dominant faction. ****½

MrDCWood: Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn: Holy cow…where do I start? The atmosphere, the Montreal crowd, the psychology, the storytelling, the character work from Roman, and Sami…they may have wrestled the match of their lives here. It was a thirty-minute epic that made me believe several times that Sami could actually do it! Quite possibly the greatest match out of Roman’s entire reign (after all those amazing classics!)…you could argue that it was overbooked towards the end, and maybe the wrong man won…but the aftermath was glorious and I haven’t felt like this watching wrestling for a long time. SOD IT. *****

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Tanner: I really enjoyed a lot of the content on here. Nothing really all that bad happens on here, and that rarely happens with WWE’s shows these days. Loved the crowd throughout who showed energy for pretty much all the matches, which is great to see. The main event solidified this show with some of the best crowd reactions in a while, and something genuinely brilliant happening on a WWE show, which is becoming more and more common, which I love to see. Good show! 7/10

Prince: The string of successful PPVs under the Hunter regime is alive & kicking as the whole package was rad as heck! From the match flow to the massive breakouts in both the chamber matches, the consistent graph of match quality & the miraculous crowd reception (can we come back to Canada for a WrestleMania already?) – such a super cool event from top to bottom! Even though Lesnar/Lashley was too short & clichéd, the story is still intact with an expectation of a befitting end in Hollywood. Now the road is clear to the spectacle at SoFi Stadium & I’m pumped! 8/10

MrDCWood: Elimination Chamber 2023 was really brought to life by the amazing Montreal audience, but the show had a top-notch card throughout. Roman vs. Sami is my MOTY candidate so far, the US Title Chamber match was excellent, the Mixed Tag-Match was great, the women put on a very good Chamber match tonight as well…Lesnar/Lashley may have been a let down, but on the whole, this was an exciting show that’s got me all the more hyped for WrestleMania. 9/10

Did you enjoy Elimination Chamber? What was your favorite match? Let us know and please support SmarkDown for more posts just like these!