WWE Elimination Chamber (2020)

The road to an opportunity against Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Title at WrestleMania goes through the Elimination Chamber. Natalya, Liv Morgan, Shayna Baszler, Asuka, Ruby Riott and Sarah Logan will step inside the dreaded structure with the winner challenging Lynch at WrestleMania 36.
For Baszler — who already has her sights on Lynch after taking a bite out of The Man on Raw — it represents a chance to make the match she wants a reality. The only two-time NXT Women’s Champion has plenty of experience in high-pressure situations, though the Chamber represents an entirely new dynamic for The Queen of Spades.
In fact, the only two women with previous Elimination Chamber experience are former allies — Morgan and Logan — who represented the now-defunct Riott Squad in last year’s Women’s Elimination Chamber Match to crown the first-ever Women’s Tag Team Champions. Both Morgan and Logan have shown the WWE Universe new sides to themselves in recent weeks, but neither made as big of an impact as their former leader, Riott, did in her shocking return to Raw. Morgan, initially delighted to see her friend back on the scene after a nine-month absence due to injury, was instead treated to a savage beatdown and apparent loss of any regard for their former bond.
Asuka — one-half of the Women's Tag Team Champions — and Natalya are no strangers to the limelight either, with Asuka a former Royal Rumble winner and women’s champion who has challenged for the title on the Grandest Stage of Them All, while Natalya has competed in more pay-per-view matches than any other woman in WWE history.
==Event recap==
===Kayla Braxton interviews Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode===
Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode were interviewed backstage by Kayla Braxton. Roode said that they will walk out of their match as the new Smackdown Tag Team Champions. Kayla Braxton said good luck, Ziggler said they don’t need luck and there was some blue/white envelope graphic on the TV behind them. Ziggler did a shoutout to his babe Mandy Rose, he’ll dedicate the match to her and they’ll steal the show.
===US Championship: Andrade vs. Humberto Carrillo===
Give Humberto Carrillo credit for persistence. The daring, dimpled scion of Latino wrestling greatness has doggedly chased the United States Championship almost since the second he came to Monday Night Raw. But for all that heart, it seems like Andrade simply has his number, as he once again turned back Carrillo at WWE Elimination Chamber to hold firm to the title as WrestleMania approaches.
As ever, Carrillo kept the match close. (He’s very, very good.) Charges into the ring post, sprinting back elbows and a full-bore set of running knees into the corner couldn’t keep him down. Neither could the threat of another Hammerlock DDT to the arena floor. But a familiar sequence of events led to Humberto’s defeat, as Andrade — much like Humberto’s own cousin Angel Garza — stacked up his challenger after a series of roll-up attempts and grabbed a handful of tights to steal the win. And for Carrillo, the story remains the same where the U.S. Title is concerned: So close, and yet somehow, farther than ever.
===Charly Caruso interviews AJ Styles===
Styles said that Aleister Black has no friends, he sits in a dark room, listens to weird music and Styles continued ripping on Black. Styles said that Gallows and Anderson will be in his corner. Caruso asked if this will even be a fair match. Styles said it’s not a fair match when anyone is in the ring with him. Styles said if anybody is going to get disqualified from this match it’s him.
===Shayna, Asuka backstage===
Shayna Baszler was shown taping up her left arm. Asuka was also shown getting ready with Kairi Sane.
===Charly Caruso interviews Natalya===
Natalya was interviewed backstage by Charly Caruso, who asked about Beth Phoenix, who was RKO’d by Randy Orton. Natalya said that Beth was one of the strongest women she’s known while adding that Edge will get his hands on Orton on Monday. Natalya said that there is nothing that Edge and Beth take more pride in than being amazing parents. Natalya said that Edge and Beth are like family to her while adding that she’ll unleash her legacy because she was born to do this.
===Kayla Braxton interviews Cesaro, Sami Zayn, & Shinsuke Nakamura===
The trio of Sami Zayn, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura were interviewed in the Gorilla Position by Kayla Braxton. Zayn said he was very confident. Zayn pointed out that Strowman has not gotten to him even once. Zayn said not one hair on his pretty little head has been harmed this entire time. Zayn claimed that tonight he’ll go toe-to-toe with Strowman, he’ll go man to man and he told his buddies to just stand on the apron. Zayn said he’ll make sure that justice will be served and the IC Title will come back where it belongs.
===Women's Elimination Chamber match===
Shayna Baszler is going to WrestleMania, and it wasn’t even close. With a Raw Women’s Title Match against Becky Lynch at stake, The Queen of Spades routed the entire field in the Women’s Elimination Chamber Match, eliminating all five of her opponents to earn the fateful match against The Man on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
With all due respect to Natalya, Ruby Riott and Sarah Logan, their early scrap was just a preamble for Baszler’s entry at No. 4. The two-time NXT Women’s Champion submitted Ruby and Logan within the span of 60 seconds and brutalized Natalya with a Chamber pod door to set up her own submission. Liv Morgan put up a fight, but she went quickly as well, passing out in a Kirifuda Clutch in full view of Asuka, the last Superstar to enter the Chamber and the one who was hungriest to fight The Queen of Spades.
While The Empress of Tomorrow briefly trapped Baszler in the Asuka Lock, The Queen of Spades escaped the hold and torqued Asuka’s injured wrist to leave the former SmackDown Women’s Champion screaming in pain. Shayna applied the Kirifuda Clutch to her as well, putting The Empress of Tomorrow to sleep and setting her WrestleMania match in stone.
Needless to say, Becky Lynch had eyes on the match, watching from a monitor in the locker room area. The Man seemed somewhat satisfied that Baszler was the Superstar who escaped the Chamber to earn a fight against her at WrestleMania. It was, after all, exactly what she wanted. If tonight was any indication, however, anyone who seeks a fight with Baszler ends up much the worse for wear. As they say, be careful what you wish for.
==Featured women==
==Match results==
* Singles match for the United States Championship: Andrade (c) (w/ Zelina Vega) defeated Humberto Carrillo to retain. (12:20)
* Elimination Chamber match for a WWE Raw Women's Championship match at WrestleMania 36: Shayna Baszler defeated Natalya, Liv Morgan, Asuka, Ruby Riott and Sarah Logan in an Elimination Chamber match (21:00)
==Critical reception==
* John Canton: **1/2 It was one of the most dominant performances ever in an Elimination Chamber match with Baszler eliminating all five opponents. This was the right way to book the match because if it was a longer match where Baszler struggled to win then it wouldn’t make her stand out heading into WrestleMania against Lynch. By having Baszler booked this strongly, it will make fans think that Baszler is unstoppable. It made sense to make Natalya and Asuka look like the toughest of the opponents, but this match did not help any of the three Riott Squad women. This wasn’t a PPV main event level match. It was just a dominant performance for Baszler to try to make her look like a credible threat to Lynch.
==Notes==
Category:WWE pay-per-view events
Category:2020 pay-per-view events
Category:Asuka
Category:Becky Lynch
Category:Charly Caruso
Category:Kairi Sane
Category:Kayla Braxton
Category:Liv Morgan
Category:Natalya Neidhart
Category:Ruby Riott
Category:Sarah Logan
Category:Sarah Schreiber
Category:Shayna Baszler
Category:Zelina Vega
Category:Women's matches in WWE