Running Time: 189 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: April 8 2019
(Thanks to Fetch Publicity for arranging this review.)
The ninth Elimination Chamber PPV did not seem particularly appetising when it was first held, seemingly existing solely to set up feuds that would culminate in WrestleMania 35 (which is just days away as I write this). That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the line-up could still have been more appealing. Nevertheless, though there were two low points, the two Chamber matches carried the show on the night, and it’s entertaining to relive them again on DVD.
We open with the crowning of Women’s Tag Team Champions in a six-way tag team Chamber match. Bayley and Sasha Banks come out on top having put forth a strong effort in a bout that, while slightly overrated, is a fitting way to set the standard for these new (or reintroduced) championships. Next up, we get The Miz and Shane McMahon against The Usos which is actually pretty fun, and the outcome is a key step in the developing plotline with Miz and Shane.
From there, Finn Balor clashes with Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush for the Intercontinental Championship; this is okay and has a feel-good ending, though it is little more than a standard TV bout. Ronda Rousey’s quick squash of Ruby Riott is also a Raw-style moment, but this is compensated for by the wild post-match angle which sees a hobbling Becky Lynch absolutely destroy Rousey and Charlotte Flair with a crutch to the delight of the fans. Less exciting is a slow-paced No Disqualification match between Braun Strowman and Baron Corbin; encounters like this explain why fans aren’t enthused about Corbin wrestling Kurt Angle in the latter’s final bout.
Things end on a major high with the Elimination Chamber main event, though. It’s a star-studded title defence for Daniel Bryan, with his opponents including AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, Randy Orton and Samoa Joe, but the real story is Kofi Kingston. Only inserted into the bout to replace an injured Mustafa Ali, Kingston shone in the pre-PPV Gauntlet on SmackDown, and his efforts here against Bryan lead to an incredible final stretch. Fans are begging Kofi to win the WWE Title, and though he ultimately comes up short, his fantastic performances that week and the massive crowd support were the deciding factor in Kingston earning a WWE Title match against Bryan on the grand stage of WrestleMania this Sunday.
On the whole, then, Elimination Chamber 2019 isn’t a bad show. It had the potential to be utterly forgettable, and it does seem inferior to what we will get from Mania 35, but judged on its own merits, it has enough entertainment to maintain one’s interest. Watch this for the two Chamber matches and the Becky Lynch angle.
Overall Rating: 7/10 – Respectable
