4am came very early in Chicago on Saturday morning, but the novelty of waking up before dawn to watch a WWE wrestling show was a fun thing to do and usually an event that strictly takes place for New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom extravaganza in early January.
The dog was confused and annoyed as I flipped the lights on and began brewing some tea to help keep my eyes from shutting during what I hoped would not be a PLE marathon from the WWE.
Overall, I liked the show. The PLE card screamed “B level show,” but the WWE did everything they could from a production standpoint to make sure it didn’t look one. The building in Perth, Australia looked marvelous. Not only was it lit up, but it was packed to the brim with WWE fans that clearly were ready to see a major show.
WWE also sprinkled in their new production techniques of not only showing the major stars arriving to the show a la NBA players ahead of a major game, but they also took to featuring the Chamber Match participants getting ready in their respective locker rooms like a UFC fighter would do on a PPV. The bells and whistles worked as the event felt like a big deal and grabbed attention early forcing your eyes to stay open.
Here are my Brass Ring Ratings for the show and here’s how they work … I call it like I see it. Period.
Women’s Elimination Chamber Match: Becky Lynch vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Liv Morgan vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Naomi vs. Bianca Belair
A good opener. The women were very ambitious in terms of the spots attempted. They hit on some and missed on others. The setups to some of the major moments including the Tiffany Stratton dive off the top of the chamber were sloppy. Stratton and Lynch essentially helped each other climb to the top of said chamber, looked surprised that they were both up there, and then started brawling before the dive. Odd. Liv Morgan appearing out of nowhere to hit a Senton Bomb off the chamber was equally as bizarre and forced.
All that said, there was good action throughout and the finish, which saw Liv Morgan roll up Bianca Belair for a pin and then Becky Lynch drop Morgan with a Man Handle Slam, was the high point as it was designed to be.
Lynch winning was the only way to go and that reality made it hard to generate true investment in anyone else coming out on top, rendering most of the near falls and other dramatic moments ineffective.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO 3/4
The Judgement Day vs. Tyler Bate & Pete Dunne - WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championship
A very good tag team match and good palette cleanser after the Elimination Chamber Match opener. Dominik Mysterio started things off hot with an introduction of his Judgement Day brethren that was literally drowned out by the booing audience. From there, the match was well-worked by both teams. In the end, Judgement Day got the victory in clean fashion.
Bate and Dunne have something as a tag team. They don’t have a very clear path or role on the main roster as singles acts, but together, they can easily have a run with the tag titles one day and stay relevant long term.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO 3/4
Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins on The Grayson Waller Effect
This was fine. Nothing special and on the low end of what I expected. Rhodes challenged The Rock to a match, which was notable from a news perspective, but nothing else was officially setup at WrestleMania or elsewhere during the segment. Overall, things were a little awkward due to the fact that heel Grayson Waller was getting hometown cheers. WWE wrote Austin Theory into the segment to combat that reaction from Waller, but it still made for mixed up psychology.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO
Men’s Elimination Chamber Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Logan Paul vs. Bobby Lashley vs. LA Knight vs. Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton
WWE juggled a lot of balls within this match. The Drew McIntyre story was the centerpiece story and everything else played out around that. Logan Paul and Kevin Owens furthered their feud with one another during the bout with some intense and violent moments. They have a strong chemistry together and it feels like both men truly hate the other. LA Knight didn’t have a lot to work with from an in-ring perspective, but was a player in a major angle that saw AJ Styles sneak into the cage and attack him with a steel chair. He’s now set for WrestleMania. Randy Orton got to hit some RKO’s, Logan Paul was a wild child with the chamber, and Lashley was around.
Much like the women’s Chamber Match, this one had a hard time conveying true drama thanks to the certain victory by McIntyre. Still, it was the right call to book him to go over and now he takes his rightful spot in a title match against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO
Rhea Ripley vs. Nia Jax - WWE Women’s World Championship
The match of the night. Because of the Elimination Chamber gimmick on the show itself, I was surprised to see this match get the main event slot. It was a pleasant surprise, though. Since the moment the WWE machine landed in Australia this week, hometown star Rhea Ripley was the centerpiece of their show promotion, so it made perfect sense to feature her in the top spot.
The match went exactly as it should have and the way that guaranteed Ripley to get the most cheers. Jax dominated for most of the match and beat Ripley down, Ripley came back and hit two huge power moves — a superplex off the top rope and then a Riptide for the win — that were impressive due to Jax’s size.
Ripley got to celebrate with her hometown fans that gave her incredible reactions throughout the match. The reactions from the audience were special, but nothing about the match was. They kept it simple and it worked perfectly.
Ripley vs. Becky Lynch is a marquee WrestleMania match this year. Will WWE even try to keep Ripley as a heel going into that after the momentum she has because of this show? I doubt it, but time will tell.