WWE
Staples Center (Los Angeles, California)
One side benefit of the Elimination Chamber build is that we usually get a bunch of otherwise random singles and tag matches with the chamber participants on TV leading up to the show. That results in matches such as this one that was a lot of fun, but would have been totally random if not for the Chamber build giving it a reason to exist. It is hard to envision another scenario where these four would be given a longer, featured tag match on RAW anytime soon if not for the Elimination Chamber.
This was really good in its own-right. If the promotion embraces it, Sheamus has a valuable role in being the big, gate-keeping bruiser that hits hard and gets hit hard in return. His European uppercut exchange with Cesaro was great. He worked well getting tagged in, clubbing guys for a couple of minutes, then tagging out. That really should be his role. You team him with any other babyface that needs a partner on any given night and he does his thing. He occasionally works some mid-card singles feuds where he clobbers his opponent for eight minutes. It is the perfect spot for him and a much better fit than the babyface main-eventer they tried to pass him off as last year.
We will see how long Cesaro’s push lasts post-Elimination Chamber but you can tell he was fired up here and making the most of it. His scream after nailing the “spring over Swagger’s back” double team move was intense – almost frighteningly so. Christian was solid – as always – in the match and I do like Swagger in this tag team. It is a shame they are breaking them up. Even if Cesaro is in-line for a singles push, that doesn’t mean the team needs to totally go away.
TV Match | Worthwhile | Quality
