WWE’s latest premium live event in the form of Elimination Chamber went down on (2/18/23) from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada! Roman Reigns successfully defended the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Sami Zayn in the main event of the evening!
Live Coverage
Asuka vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Nikki Cross vs. Natalya vs. Carmella vs. Liv Morgan — Elimination Chamber Match (Winner Faces Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 39)
Liv Morgan and the home country hero Natalya are starting this one off. Natalya plans Liv with a German suplex, Liv rolls her into a pin but Natalya kicks out. Liv tosses Natalya to the outside and smashes Nattie face-first into the steel floor. Liv rakes Natalya’s face across the cage wall but the hometown hero launches Liv into the cage to regain momentum. Nattie locks Liv’s head in-between the cage’s grates and locks in a nifty submission. The countdown is on and Raquel Rodriguez is the next competitor out! Raquel goes right after Natalya and plants her with a slam back inside of the ring. Raquel tosses Liv to the corner, then another corner. Raquel sends Natalya into Liv and crushes them both with a double splash in the corner. Raquel nails both Liv and Natalya with a pair of over-head slams before sending Natalya over the top rope. Raquel shoves Natalya into the cage wall and flattens her with an Alabama slam into the cage. Liv goes up top and takes out both Raquel and Nattie with a dive from the top turnbuckle and all three competitors are down.
Natalya is the first to her feet, tosses Liv back into the ring and slams her to the mat. Raquel comes in and it’s a brawl between the three. Natalya slams Raquel and goes for the cover but Raquel kicks out. The countdown is back on and Nikki Cross is next to enter the fray! Nikki starts going after everybody but Raquel grabs her and launches her face-first into the middle turnbuckle. Liv cracks Nikki with an up kick to the chest but Nikki sends Liv to the outside. Nikki fires Liv into one of the pods and does the same to Raquel. Carmella is next to come in and everyone is brawling. Carmella sends Raquel and Nikki into the pod she just came out of then tries to lock herself into another pod but she’s chased off by Raquel. Natalya tries to attack Raquel but Raquel tosses her into the corner. Liv pops up on top of one of the pods and plants Raquel with a diving Canadian Destroyer and Carmella covers Raquel for the elimination! The Montreal crowd is white hot as the final countdown begins and here comes Asuka! The Empress takes just about everyone down, she quickly gets Liv to tap out with an arm bar before she locks eyes with Natalya.
Asuka plants Natalya with a slam, Carmella shoves Asuka out of the way and pins Natalya for the elimination! Asuka and Carmella trade super kicks onto Raquel and they make the double pin to eliminate Raquel. Carmella clocks Asuka with a super kick and goes for the cover but Asuka kicks out! Carmella rolls Asuka up, Asuka rolls Carmella back, Carmella rolls Asuka up once more but Asuka rolls her into an arm bar and Carmella taps out! Asuka is headed to WrestleMania 39 to face Bianca Belair for the RAW Women’s Championship!
Winner – Asuka
Bobby Lashley vs. Brock Lesnar
Lesnar dumps Lashley out of the ring right off the bat. Lashley rushes back into the ring and scoops and slams Lesnar. Lashley lines Lesnar up for a spear and he crushes Lesnar with a massive spear. ‘The Almighty’ looks for the Hurt Lock but Lesnar slides out and plants Lashley with an F-5 then goes for the cover but Lashley lifts the shoulders at two-and-a-half! Lesnar lifts Lashley for another F-5 and he lands it! Lesnar goes for the cover once again but Lashley kicks out for a second-time! The Montreal crowd is asking for one more F-5 and Lesnar looks for a third one but Lashley slips out and drill Lesnar with a spear. Lashley lines Lesnar up for the Hurt Lock and he has it locked in! Lesnar is struggling and he kicks Lashley in the nether-regions and the referee disqualifies Lesnar!
Winner – Bobby Lashley (via DQ)
After the match, Lesnar immediately plants the referee with an F-5 and hits yet another one on Lashley to a raucous ovation. The crowd wants another F-5, Lesnar tosses Lashley out of the ring, clears off the announce table, and crushes Lashley through the table with a FOURTH F-5. Lesnar drags the referee to the outside and F-5’s him onto the broken table and the crowd is in a frenzy for the former WWE Champion! Lesnar laughs at the damage and makes a swift exit.
Edge & Beth Phoenix vs. The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & Rhea Ripley) (with Dominik Mysterio)
Edge and Balor start this one off. Edge tosses Balor into the corner and makes the tag to Beth, who crushes Balor in the corner with a splash and Rhea is automatically tagged in as per WWE rules it must be man vs. man or woman vs. woman for inter gender tag matches. Rhea challenges Beth to a test of strength and the ‘Glamazon’ is more than happy to oblige. Rhea gets the better of the exchange then goes for a slam but Beth slides out but eats a back elbow from Rhea. Beth trips Rhea to the mat, Rhea rolls to the outside and Beth chases after. Dominik Mysterio gets in Beth’s way but backs off and Beth tosses Rhea back into the ring. Beth knocks Balor off of the apron and goes up top but Dominik trips her off as Balor distracted the referee. Edge chases Dominik off and Dominik runs out of the ringside area and heads backstage as Edge gets back on the apron. Rhea is working over Beth in the corner and hits a ‘suck it’ chop towards Edge’s direction.
Both Beth and Rhea are trading heavy forearm strikes until Beth plants Rhea with a tornado DDT. Beth goes to make the tag but Balor slides under the ring and rushes over the Edge and Beth’s corner and trips Edge off of the apron before Beth can make the tag. Dominik makes his way back down to ringside as Rhea and Beth are both perched on the top turnbuckle. Beth plants Rhea with a super-plex and both competitors are down! Beth shoves Rhea into Balor and makes the tag to Edge and now Edge and Balor are both legal. Balor trips Edge to the mat and nails him with a double stomp but Edge trips Balor to the mat this time and locks in the sharpshooter. Rhea comes to break it up but Beth rushes in and has a sharpshooter locked in on Rhea as well! Dominik distracts the referee and Rhea shoves Beth to the outside and drills Edge with a pair of brass knuckles. Rhea puts Balor on Edge and the referee makes the count but Edge lifts the shoulders at two-and-a-half! Balor slams Edge and goes up top. Beth trips Balor off the top rope and Rhea fires Beth head-first into the barricade for her troubles.
Edge and Balor are fighting on the top turnbuckle, Rhea and Beth come into the mix and Rhea and Beth plant Edge and Balor with simultaneous power-bombs! Everyone is down in the ring, Rhea is up first and and drags Beth to the outside. Dominik moves the steel steps out and sets Beth’s arm up on the steps. Rhea grabs a steel chair and tries to whack Beth with it but Beth slides out of danger. Edge dives to the outside and takes out Dominik before rushing back into the ring and lines up Balor for the spear. Balor dives out of the way and lays Edge out with a sling blade but Edge rushes back towards him and crushes him with a spear for the 1-2-3!
Winners – Edge & Beth Phoenix
Austin Theory (C) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Montez Ford vs. Bronson Reed vs. Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano — Elimination Chamber Match (United States Championship)
Rollins and Gargano start this one off. A chain of roll up attempts come to nothing and Rollins lifts Gargano but the latter slides to the outside. Gargano goes for a spear but Rollins catches him between his knees and looks for a pedigree but Gargano flips him over the top rope and onto the cage floor. The countdown begins and the United States Champion Austin Theory is first out. Theory sends Gargano face-first into the cage wall and drags his former mentor’s face across the steel grates. Theory slams Rollins back into the ring and fires Gargano into the pod. Theory remains in control over both Rollins and Gargano but Rollins and Gargano double team the champion for the time-being. Theory tries to convince Gargano to team with him to take out Rollins, Gargano agrees but immediately turns on Theory, much to the pleasure of Rollins. Theory locks himself back into the pod, Gargano tries to open the door but Theory holds it shut.
Rollins sneaks onto the back side of the pod and opens the other door and he and Gargano attack Theory as the countdown occurs and it’s time for The Judgement Day’s Damian Priest to enter the fray. Priest goes after both Rollins and Gargano as Theory recovers back inside of the pod. Theory comes back and pats Priest on the back but Priest wallops him with a super kick and a moonsault over the top rope and onto the cage floor. Priest is in firm control of this one and goes to the top turnbuckle but Rollins rushes up and plants Priest with a super-plex. Rollins rolls Priest into another suplex, then a third and Bronson Reed is next in the match. Reed takes everyone out and launches Gargano into Rollins with a Rock Bottom. Ford is now the sixth and final participant in the match and he goes right after Reed. Ford then focuses his attention on Theory and goes for a People’s Elbow but Reed cracks him with a shoulder tackle. Gargano plants Reed with a poisonrana and Ford covers Reed but Reed kicks out.
Priest goes for Razor’s Edge but Ford leaps onto the cage wall and climbs the cage. Ford continues his climb and is now all the way at top of the structure and dives down onto the field and takes everyone out! The Montreal crowd is on fire and all six competitors are showing out here in the co-main event of the evening. Ford cracks Reed with a super-kick and Gargano and Rollins also land super-kicks on the big man. Gargano lands another kick, Rollins lands a stomp, and Ford hits a splash from the top turnbuckle and pins Reed for the elimination! Everyone is paired off brawling and Rollins and Gargano both clim to the top of the pod and are sitting there relaxing and joking with each other. Rollins chops Gargano in the chest and the brawl is on. Rollins drills Gargano’s head into the plexiglass and both men come crashing down onto Priest, Ford, and Theory! What a spot!
Gargano plants Theory with DDT over the top rope and onto the cage floor. Gargano is on fire and lights Priest up with some kicks to the chest but Priest catches him and plants him with the Razor’s Edge for the elimination! Rollins attacks Priest and goes for the pedigree but Priest evades and Ford jumps in the mix. Ford and Priest are brawling on the top turnbuckle, Rollins comes in and lifts Priest and Ford leaps off the top turnbuckle and crushes Priest with a flying neck-breaker over the top of Rollins and Ford pins Priest for the elimination! Our final three are Austin Theory, Montez Ford, and Seth Rollins! Ford takes out Rollins with a dive through the ropes and into the cage wall then leaps onto both Rollins and Theory with a flying senton over the top rope! Back in the ring, Ford plants Theory with a Rock Bottom, goes up top and looks for the splash but Theory gets the knees up. Rollins hits Ford with a stomp and Theory makes the cover and Ford is eliminated! Our final two are the current United States Champion and former WWE Grand Slam Champion Seth Rollins!
Rollins plants Theory with a massive sit-down power-bomb and goes for the cover but Theory kicks out. Ford could be seriously injured as the referee signals for more officials to come down and check on him. There are now five officials in the ring and Ford has wide eyes, this doesn’t look great, let’s hope it’s part of the story. The crowd is on their feet for Ford as he’s up with help from the officials and making his way to the back. Great performance from the former tag team champion. Back in the ring, Rollins lines Theory up for a stomp, Theory rolls out and looks for the A-Town Down but Rollins evades and plants Theory with the pedigree. While the cage door is open to allow Ford out, Logan Paul appears and drills Rollins with the Buckshot Lariat, then a stomp before exiting right back out! Theory lifts and plants Rollins with A-Town Down for the 1-2-3 and the win!
Winner – Austin Theory (C)
Roman Reigns (C) (with Paul Heyman) vs. Sami Zayn — Undisputed WWE Universal Championship
The crowd is beyond hot for this one as Roman is waving his titles in the face of Sami Zayn’s wife at ringside. The Montreal crowd is pouring in the ‘F*** YOU ROMAN!’ chants and here we go! After about five minutes of nobody touching each other and the crowd mixing in about 20 different chants, Reigns rushes Zayn and nails him with a running shoulder tackle before shushing the crowd. Zayn applies a headlock but Reigns powers out and cracks the challenger with a back elbow. Reigns looks for a running lariat but Zayn dumps the champion out of the ring and nails Reigns with a dive through the ropes onto the outside. Zayn tosses Reigns to the corner and unloads a bunch of shots as the crowd counts each and every strike. Zayn cracks Reigns with a diving elbow and goes for the cover but Reigns kicks out.
Reigns tosses Sami to the outside and launches the challenger into the barricade. Reigns sets Sami up on the apron and drills him with the Drive-by. Reigns sends Sami back into the ring and Reigns starts hurling insults at the Montreal crowd. Reigns tosses Sami into the corner that’s in front of Sami’s wife and lays into the challenger with some clotheslines. Reigns tosses Sami to the outside right in front of his (Sami’s) wife and tells Sami that it’s his fault that this is happening in front of his family. Reigns tosses Sami back into the ring and is slowing down the pace quite a bit. Reigns tosses Sami into the ropes, Sami leaps off the middle rope and flips behind Reigns and flattens the champion with a lariat. Reigns eats a bunch of shots from Sami, and Sami clotheslines Reigns out of the ring. Sami starts unloading strikes onto Reigns right in front of his wife (Sami’s) and sends the champion back into the ring. Sami plants a big kiss on his wife and climbs the turnbuckle but Reigns cracks him with a big uppercut. Reigns climbs up top but Sami plants him with a diving sunset flip and goes for the cover but Reigns lifts the shoulders at two-and-a-half!
Reigns plants Sami with a Rock Bottom and goes for the cover but Sami kicks out. Sami tosses Reigns into the corner and looks for the Helluva Kick but Reigns plants him with an exploder and goes for the cover but Sami kicks out. Sami ducks under a spear and sends Reigns to the corner and rolls him up but Reigns kicks out. Sami lands an exploder on Reigns and cracks Reigns with a Superman Punch and a Helluva Kick and goes for the cover but Reigns kicks out at two-and-a-half! Sami looks for another Helluva kick but Reigns slides out of the ring. Sami dives through the ropes but eats a Superman Punch from Reigns. The champion circles the ring and looks for a spear but Sami evades and Reigns goes through the barricade. Sami tosses Reigns back into the ring and plants him with the Blue Thunder Bomb and goes for the cover but Reigns lifts the shoulders at two-and-a-half!
Reigns backs Sami up into the referee and Sami cracks Reigns with a Helluva Kick and goes for the cover but the referee is out. Jimmy Uso rushes the ring and cracks Sami with a super-kick. Jimmy goes up top and plants a splash onto Sami and drags Reigns onto Sami but the referee is still out but another referee comes down and makes the count but Sami kicks out! Jimmy and Paul Heyman are both beside themselves! Both Reigns and Zayn struggle to their feet and trade heavy strikes. Reigns goes for a Superman Punch but Zayn ducks and Reigns has to stop himself because he almost knocked out the referee. Reigns rolls to the outside and Sami crushes Jimmy with a Helluva Kick but Sami turns around and gets laid out with a spear but Reigns lays him out with a spear and goes for the cover but Sami lifts the shoulders at two-and-a-half!
Reigns starts insulting Sami and keeps slapping him but Sami cracks him with a hard slap and Reigns goes for a Superman Punch but Sami ducks and Reigns lays out referee number two with the punch. Sami hits a Superman Punch on Reigns, the champion hits one of his own on Sami and both competitors are down. Heyman retrieves a steel chair for Reigns and as the champion turns around with the chair, Jey Uso is standing in-between Reigns and Sami! The crowd is on fire for Jey and Reigns is yelling at Jey to move. Reigns hands Jey the chair and tells him to hit Sami with it. Reigns takes the chair back from Jey and Reigns shoves Jey twice. Sami goes for a spear but Reigns moves out of the way and Sami takes out Jey on accident. Reigns wallops Sami with a bunch of chair shots and nails Sami with a spear and gets the 1-2-3!
Winner – Roman Reigns (C)
After the match, Reigns directs Jimmy Uso to continue the attack, and Jimmy obliges. Kevin Owens’ music hits and out comes Sami’s fellow Montreal hometown hero! Owens lays out Jimmy Uso and rushes the ring and takes out Reigns. Owens plants Reigns with a stunner and does the same to Jimmy! Owens crushes Jimmy with a pop-up power-bomb through the announce table. Owens grabs a steel chair and Paul Heyman stops Owens from hitting Reigns with it. Owens drops the chair and plants Owens with a stunner before directing his attention back to Reigns. Sami pops up behind Owens and Owens moves out of the way and Zayn crushes Reigns with a Helluva Kick! Sami’s music sounds and the Montreal crowd will go home with a shining light after Reigns defeats Sami! Owens is on the ramp and Sami is in the ring as the two hometown boys lock eyes as the show comes to an end with the Montreal crowd singing Sami’s theme song!
