Dave Meltzer and I are back with a Saturday night edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.
We talk about Derrick Lewis’ one punch knockout of Curtis Blaydes in the main event of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ show and the rest of the main card.
We also cover the Bloodsport 5 card and the news of the main event for Bloodsport 6 during WrestleMania weekend featuring Jon Moxley vs. Josh Barnett.
We discuss the two New Japan roster injuries, AEW Dynamite and NXT ratings, the Elimination Chamber, Bad Bunny, Konnan, and finish off with Dave’s story on Tom Cole in the latest WON.
Women’s Royal Rumble winner Bianca Belair and her potential WrestleMania opponent are set to challenge for the Women’s Tag Team titles.
WWE has announced that Belair & SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks will challenge for Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler’s Women’s Tag Team titles at this Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. The match was announced after Belair, Banks & Carmella’s sommelier Reginald defeated Jax, Baszler & Bayley in a six-person tag match on SmackDown tonight.
Belair & Banks were confronted by Jax & Baszler on SmackDown last week. Jax & Baszler tried to attack Belair & Banks but were sent packing. Tonight, Jax & Baszler appearing on Bayley’s “Ding Dong, Hello!” talk show led to the six-person tag match.
WWE has yet to announce which title Belair will be challenging for at WrestleMania 37. WrestleMania 37 is taking place over two nights on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11.
Jax & Baszler became two-time Women’s Tag Team Champions by winning the titles from Raw Women’s Champion Asuka & Charlotte Flair on last month’s Royal Rumble pre-show.
The team that wins Sunday’s Women’s Tag Team Championship match will be in line to defend their titles against Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez on the Wednesday, March 3 episode of NXT. Kai & Gonzalez got the title shot by winning the first-ever women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
Naomi & Lana are also set to receive a Women’s Tag Team title shot at some point. They defeated Asuka & Charlotte and Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke in a triple threat match on Raw earlier this month to get an upcoming shot at the titles.
Here’s the updated card for Elimination Chamber:
Elimination Chamber match: WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends against Sheamus, Randy Orton, AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, and Kofi Kingston (Sheamus will enter the Chamber last)
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against winner of SmackDown’s Elimination Chamber match
United States Champion Bobby Lashley defends against Riddle and Keith Lee in a triple threat match
Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler defend against Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair
Elimination Chamber match: Kevin Owens vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Cesaro vs. Jey Uso vs. Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin (winner challenges for Roman Reigns’ Universal Championship later in the night)
A change has been made to the lineup for Sunday’s WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match.
Kofi Kingston has been added to the WWE title Elimination Chamber match, replacing The Miz. Drew McIntyre will defend his WWE Championship against Kingston, Sheamus, Randy Orton, AJ Styles, and Jeff Hardy at Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
The Miz, who holds the Money in the Bank briefcase, announced on tonight’s Raw that he was removing himself from the Elimination Chamber match. The Miz wanted John Morrison to take his place, but Kingston approached WWE authority figure Adam Pearce and said he hoped Pearce wasn’t taking Miz’s suggestion seriously. Pearce made a match to decide who would replace Miz.
Kingston defeated Miz to take his spot in the Elimination Chamber match. If Miz won, Morrison would have been added to the match instead.
McIntyre was the guest on a Miz TV segment earlier on tonight’s Raw. It ended with McIntyre headbutting Miz and throwing Miz’s Money in the Bank briefcase toward the stage. Miz then announced that he was removing himself from the Elimination Chamber match, saying the Money in the Bank briefcase means he isn’t under the same pressure McIntyre is. Miz said there are so many things that could go wrong for the Elimination Chamber participants, but he only needs one thing to go right.
Miz said that — whether he cashes in his briefcase at Elimination Chamber or not — he wants everyone vying for the WWE Championship or the Universal Championship to be on notice. Kevin Owens, Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, and Baron Corbin are also facing off in an Elimination Chamber match on Sunday, with the winner challenging for Roman Reigns’ Universal Championship later that night.
An Elimination Chamber match was part of Kingston’s road to winning the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35 in 2019. Kingston lasted until the end of that year’s WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match before being defeated by Daniel Bryan. Kingston went on to win the title from Bryan at WrestleMania.
Kingston returned to the ring on Raw last week after being out of action for more than a month due to a jaw injury.
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns will defend his title at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view but will not be in the match itself.
Instead, Reigns will defend against the SmackDown Chamber winner on Sunday, February 21st, following the events of Friday’s SmackDown which saw Jey Uso, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, King Corbin, Cesaro and Daniel Bryan added to the match in various ways.
This is one of two Chamber matches that night as the WWE Championship will be on the line in the other.
Early on, Adam Pearce and Paul Heyman were having a disagreement about whether Reigns had to be in the Chamber match with Heyman claiming he had to defend the title on the show, but not in the match itself. Pearce then said there would be qualifying matches, but the first two entrants (Uso and Owens) didn’t have to qualify. He later added that two tag team matches would determine the final four entrants with the winning teams qualifying.
In the first match, Zayn & Corbin defeated Rey & Dominik Mysterio to earn their spots while in the show’s main event, Bryan and Cesaro defeated Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler to qualify, overcoming a Cesaro knee injury at the hands of Seth Rollins earlier in the show. The participants closed the show with a brawl that saw Owens standing tall after delivering stunners to everyone.
The United States Championship will be on the line in a triple threat match at this month’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
WWE has announced that United States Champion Bobby Lashley will defend his title against Riddle and Keith Lee in a triple threat match at Elimination Chamber. The PPV is taking place on Sunday, February 21.
Lee defeated Riddle on Raw tonight after hitting the Spirit Bomb. Lee helped Riddle up after the match, but Lashley then attacked them both. He dropped Lee with a slam and put Riddle in the Hurt Lock. Lashley then continued to attack Lee, threw him into the ring post, and then hit him with the steel steps. Lashley posed with his United States title belt on top of the announce table.
There had been a backstage segment earlier on tonight’s Raw where Lee asked if Riddle really wanted to keep pursuing the United States title when he keeps getting beat up by Lashley and the Hurt Business. Riddle vowed to defeat Lashley, but Lee said it might be time for someone new to make the attempt. Lee said he has what it takes to defeat Lashley.
Riddle challenged for Lashley’s title on Raw last week, but the match ended in a disqualification when Lashley had Riddle in the Hurt Lock in the ropes and wouldn’t let go. Lashley then put Riddle (who had helped eliminate Lashley from the Royal Rumble the night before) in the Hurt Lock two more times after the match and threw him over the barricade.
Lashley has been United States Champion since August of last year.
Tonight was the first time Lee has appeared on WWE programming since January 11.
Here’s the updated card for Elimination Chamber:
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends against Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles, The Miz, and Sheamus in an Elimination Chamber match
Raw Women’s Champion Asuka defends against Lacey Evans
United States Champion Bobby Lashley defends against Riddle and Keith Lee in a triple threat match
Lacey Evans is getting a shot at the Raw Women’s Championship.
WWE has announced that Asuka will defend her Raw Women’s Championship against Evans at this month’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Evans got the title shot by defeating Charlotte Flair by disqualification on Raw tonight.
Evans is aligned with Ric Flair on WWE television, with the two of them feuding with Charlotte. Evans appeared with Ric on Raw tonight and took part in a face-to-face segment with Charlotte. The segment ended with Evans telling Charlotte that Ric had heard from WWE officials that Evans would get a Raw Women’s Championship shot if she defeated Charlotte in a match. Charlotte wanted to have the match right then, but Evans gave Charlotte a cheap shot with a microphone and threw her into the steel steps before accepting.
Evans defeated Charlotte by disqualification in their match when Charlotte wouldn’t stop attacking Evans in the corner and shoved the referee.
Asuka & Charlotte lost the Women’s Tag Team titles to Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler on the Royal Rumble pre-show after Evans and Ric Flair got involved and Evans struck Charlotte with a foreign object. Charlotte then walked out on Asuka during a tag match on Raw last week after Evans and Ric started to come out to the ring.
Asuka has been Raw Women’s Champion since August of last year.
Elimination Chamber is taking place on Sunday, February 21. Here’s the updated card for the PPV:
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends against Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles, The Miz, and Sheamus in an Elimination Chamber match
Raw Women’s Champion Asuka defends against Lacey Evans
Drew McIntyre’s next WWE Championship defense will take place inside the Elimination Chamber.
WWE has announced that McIntyre will defend his WWE Championship against Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles, The Miz, and Sheamus in an Elimination Chamber match at this year’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. The PPV is taking place on Sunday, February 21.
Shane McMahon returned to Raw tonight to make the Elimination Chamber match announcement alongside on-screen authority figure Adam Pearce. It was said that McIntyre’s challengers were chosen because they’re all former WWE Champions.
The Miz also currently holds the Money in the Bank briefcase.
Styles defeated Hardy in a singles match on Raw tonight, targeting his leg and submitting him with the Calf Crusher. McIntyre is facing Orton in a non-title match later on tonight’s show.
McIntyre retained his WWE Championship by defeating Goldberg at the Royal Rumble on January 31. The next night on Raw, there was an angle where Sheamus turned against McIntyre and laid him out with a Brogue Kick.
There was a backstage segment on tonight’s Raw where McIntyre approached Shane McMahon as he was leaving the building. McIntyre said he would have liked a heads up and said he thought it was going to be him facing Sheamus one-on-one at Elimination Chamber, but Shane said there’s nothing bigger than McIntyre defending the title in an Elimination Chamber match. Shane said if McIntyre wants to prove his mettle, this is the place to do it.
Elimination Chamber on Sunday, February 21 and Fastlane on Sunday, March 21 are the last two remaining WWE PPVs before WrestleMania 37. WrestleMania 37 will be a two-night event taking place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 10.
