By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Shield Challenged The Wyatt Family

After The Wyatt Family cost them their chance to contend for the world title at Elimination Chamber, it was only logical for The Shield to move into a program with them, and I couldn't be any more excited. All three members of The Shield cut good promos, showed nice intensity, and did a swell job of explaining their motives for targeting The Wyatt Family. The Shield's confrontation with Triple H was also very well done, as it also hinted at a potential Roman Reigns-Triple H for later down the line. I have been looking forward to seeing these two feared factions face off for a while now, and if it isn't going to held at WrestleMania 30, Elimination Chamber is the next best thing.


Antonio Cesaro def. Dolph Ziggler in an Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match

Cesaro and Ziggler are two of the best wrestlers in the company today, so I was a bit disappointed by this matchup. They have had far better matches in the past (on WWE Superstars and Main Event coincidentally enough, where no one will ever see them), and this bout was nothing more than a showcase for Cesaro. I am not saying that it is necessarily a bad thing, but I was hoping Ziggler would get in more offense than he did. It is a shame, too, considering the great reaction he received at the Royal Rumble and his subsequent win on Raw. I am very glad to see Cesaro advancing to the Elimination Chamber and contending for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in his career. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for the rising star.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle Interrupted TNA World Heavyweight Champion Magnus

Magnus has always been a great mic worker and this promo was pure proof of that. It was a refreshing chance of pace for him to garner his own heat as opposed to coming out with Dixie Carter, who thankfully didn't appear until the very end. Joe has seemed motivated in recent weeks, which is good to see. They hyped their main event match well and it was nice to see Magnus stand up to Dixie, even though the tension between her and Magnus is too reminiscent of Randy Orton and The Authority.


Knockouts Champion Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky def. Gail Kim and Lei'D Tapa

The biggest difference between the Divas division and Knockouts division is that Knockouts matches are usually given much more time than Divas matches. That being said, why did this match not even last two minutes? It was over before it even started and essentially served no purpose. I lost interest in the Rayne-Kim feud when Rayne won the title so quickly a few weeks ago and this quick contest did the rivalry no favors. It only set up Sky officially dumping Chris Sabin afterward, but couldn't that have been accomplished without a match being held?

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NXT Tag Team Champions The Ascension def. Local Athletes (Non-title)

It was yet another basic squash match for The Ascension, which did nothing to boost their momentum. Competing in squash matches has been their thing for close to two years now, and it got old a long, long time ago. Thankfully, the live crowd didn't appear to be completely bored by the action, as they had a "Yah!" chant going on for some strange reason. Tom Phillips noted on commentary that the tag team division was "nonexistent", and he couldn't have been any more right. When will we see some actual tag teams form (no, not Hunico and Camacho) and challenge for the belts?


Corey Graves def. Camacho

After two long months away from NXT, it was good to see Graves back. He cut a quality promo before his match that reestablished his heel persona nicely. His match with Camacho was nothing noteworthy, but a good first win for him upon his return to the ring. I don't see him reigniting his feud with Adrian Neville, but I hope he has some sort of direction going forward. On a side note, how ridiculous does Camacho look coming out on a tricycle?

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Alberto Del Rio def. R-Truth

It was a well-wrestled match for what it was, but similar to Del Rio taking on Kofi Kingston on this week's Raw, we have seen it so many times in the past that it virtually means nothing at this point. That is in addition to the fact that both Truth and Del Rio are stagnant at the moment, thus giving viewers no incentive to care about the match. It was given good time, sure, but it was nothing more than a long, drawn out squash match for Del Rio with a finish that came out of nowhere.


Natalya def. Tamina Snuka

Again, how many times have Natalya and Tamina faced off in recent months? Their matches are always cut short and this was no exception, despite the fact it took place on Main Event. Why are officials so hesitant to allow them to go out there and do what they do best and wrestle? It was a nice win for Natalya, but a disappointing bout as a whole. The post-match attack from AJ Lee furthered her feud with Naomi, who she will hopefully defend her Divas Championship against at some point in the near future.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Daniel Bryan Interrupted The Authority

I have my doubts that putting Bryan in the title picture despite not being involved in the Royal Rumble was WWE's master plan all along, but at least they are righting their wrong from last night. The Authority actually came off as heelish for once while Bryan cut an intense promo, one of his best to date. I am glad to see the Bryan chants acknowledged in storyline and hope to see Bryan contend for the championship at Elimination Chamber. The run-ins from Sheamus and John Cena helped set up the main event match for later in the night.


The Real Americans def. Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara

I like the team of Mysterio and Cara, but I have pretty much lost all hope for a potential match between the two. It doesn't even matter this point considering Cara is now played by Hunico. Speaking of which, Hunico is noticeably taller than Mistico, and it really showed when it stood alongside Mysterio. Does anyone not know Cara is Hunico by this point? Anyway, it was a nice match while it lasted, but nothing special. Swagger showed signs of a babyface turn after Colter slapped him at ringside during the bout, but they showed no tension following their win. I would rather see Cesaro turn face if anything, but we will see what it leads to.