WWE Elimination Chamber Review - March 1, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Bianca Belair def. WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Liv Morgan, Alexa Bliss, Roxanne Perez, Bayley and Naomi in a Women's World Championship No. 1 Contender's Elimination Chamber Match

I did not at all expect Jade Cargill to return on this show, let alone at the very beginning before the Chamber match even got underway. That said, I loved how this was executed. Cargill going right after Naomi seems to confirm it was her who attacked her and Belair not being able to intervene due to being inside the Chamber pod was a cool touch, but it's possible there's more to the story and Belair was somehow involved in the attack on Cargill as well. We'll find out in due time. The matchup itself was great and possibly the best women's Chamber WWE has done to date, though I feel like I say that every year. Perez and Bayley not eliminating each other was probably the biggest surprise once the bell rang. The finishing sequence was strong and Morgan deserves a ton of praise for the incredible performance she had. It's safe to say Rhea Ripley will retain against IYO SKY on Monday's Raw so it's her and Belair one-on-one at WrestleMania 41.

WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton and Trish Stratus def. Nia Jax and Candice LeRae

Obviously, this was the "weakest" match of the show, but by no means was it bad. In fact, it was fun while it lasted despite being a basic tag team matchup. Stratus worked hard and the crowd was behind her and Stratton throughout, though Stratton still doesn't look completely comfortable as a babyface yet. I assumed LeRae would take the pinfall loss for her team, but I have no issue with Jax getting pinned as it seemingly puts an end to her story with Stratton, at least for now. I'm also glad Charlotte Flair (Stratton's WrestleMania opponent) didn't interfere as that would have been unnecessary.

Kevin Owens def. Sami Zayn in an Unsanctioned Match

Let the record show that these two had at least one other match that was more brutal than this (in Ring of Honor), but this was a hell of an Unsanctioned match, nonetheless. It started out like your average WWE Street Fight but turned into an absolute war by the second half. The only thing missing was some blood, but I understand they likely wanted to save that for the show-closing segment. Owens and Zayn beat the shit out of each other and deserve credit for having the best bout of the night. Similar to Cargill, I figured Randy Orton wouldn't return until at least SmackDown next Friday, but I'm happy to have been wrong since he got a huge reaction from this crowd when he came out. The tease for him hitting his patented punt kick on Owens was brilliant, so the stage is set for them facing off at WrestleMania and Orton connecting with that being the payoff.

John Cena def. CM Punk, Seth "Freakin" Rollins, Logan Paul, Damian Priest and Drew McIntyre in an Undisputed WWE Championship No. 1 Contender's Elimination Chamber Match; Cena Attacked Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Aligned with The Rock and Travis Scott

Most of the men's Chamber matches in recent years blend together for me quality-wise because they're typically excellent and this was no exception. McIntyre was eliminated a little too early for my liking, but at least we know now for certain that Priest will be his 'Mania opponent based on what went down here with them. The pace picked up after that and we got plenty of entertaining action, especially whenever Cena and Punk were going at it for old time's sake. I thought the finish was flat with Rollins costing Punk the win (largely because McIntyre had just done the same thing to Priest earlier on), but I get what it was supposed to accomplish. That was immediately overshadowed by the mind-blowing post-match angle with Cena turning heel and aligning with Rock. Yes, they actually went through with it, so shocking is an understatement. I'm skeptical it was the right call in the long run, but I am excited for the potential it has. Plus, the way it played out was masterful. They sold me on Cena vs. Rhodes with that. This will be remembered as being one of the all-time endings to a WWE show.

Overall Show

Wow, what a show. I previously said that Elimination Chamber 2023 was among the best B-level shows WWE has ever produced, but this installment easily eclipsed it. Even with four matches, this was an outstanding card with two top-notch Chamber matches, some major returns, an enjoyable women's tag team bout, and an "unsanctioned" banger between Owens and Zayn. That's in addition to all of the setup for multiple matches at WrestleMania and arguably the biggest heel turn in WWE history. Of course, it's all about the aftermath and I hope WWE follows up accordingly because the buzz this event had was insane. Props to Toronto for being a lively crowd throughout as well.

SEE MORE: WWE PLE Reviews