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Triple H addressed the fallout from Thursday’s explosive WrestleMania kickoff press event in Las Vegas, in which The Rock and Roman Reigns appeared to bond over their family ties when they faced off against Cody Rhodes, who revealed he will challenge the Tribal Chief by Undisputed WWE. Universal Championship at The Showcase of the Immortals in Philadelphia.
What did the face of WWE say about Thursday’s events? Would there be any further indication of what exactly this path to the biggest show of the year will look like?
Find out with this recap of a broadcast that also featured the crowning of the number one contenders in tag teams, the latest from Royal Rumble winner Bayley, and another qualifying match for the Elimination Chamber.
Announced before Friday’s show were:
- An update on the aftermath of Triple H’s WrestleMania start
- bayley promotion
- #1 Contenders Match: Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate vs. DIY
- Elimination Chamber Qualifier: Bianca Belair vs. Mia Yim
Triple H kicked off SmackDown, joined in the ring by Raw and SmackDown general managers Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis, to address the events of Thursday’s WrestleMania kickoff press conference.
He sidestepped a power struggle between himself and The Rock before acknowledging that the final decision rests with him. It will be Cody Rhodes against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania in Philadelphia for the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship.
From there, Aldis and Pearce announced that the challenger for Seth Rollins’ World Heavyweight Championship will be determined in Perth, Australia, at Elimination Chamber.
Participants include:
- Drew McIntyre
- AJ Styles
- Bobby Lashley
- ivar
- Randy Orton
- Dominic Mysterio
- Mrs
- Knight of Los Angeles
- Sami Zayn
- logan paul
- Kevin Owens
- Bronson “large” rod
Matches to determine the six Superstars who will compete in the live premium event will begin on tonight’s broadcast.
McIntyre came to the ring, landed some blows on CM Punk, took credit for Rhodes choosing to end his storyline against Reigns, and vowed to save the world title by beating Rollins at WrestleMania.
This was a hot start to the show that escalated the tensions we saw between The Rock and Triple H in Las Vegas, reiterated the main event of the biggest show of the year, and focused attention on deciding a No. 1 contender for Rollins. through a series of what could be super in-ring matches, all culminating in the Elimination Chamber on February 24.
Good thing.
Qualification
TO
Main moments and conclusions
- The boos appeared real high for The Rock in Thursday’s WrestleMania kickoff recap video, cementing the idea that he is the intended heel in this equation.
- “Maybe some people don’t know your role“said Triple H, the first of a couple of references to The Great One.
- “I don’t really care where you sit… the answers come from one place and one place only, and you’re looking at it.”
- “IT DOESN’T MATTER if you don’t like that decision.”
- McIntyre referring to himself as “DM Hunk” while keeping his issues with CM Punk at the forefront is the kind of thing that will inadvertently make him the coolest babyface.
Drew McIntyre advanced to the Elimination Chamber match with a victory over AJ Styles in the opening match of the night, thanks in part to a distraction from LA Knight.
Growing tensions between the two arose late in the match when McIntyre threw his opponent towards Knight, who accidentally (or not) poured water on The Phenomenal One.
They fired at The Megastar, providing enough of a distraction for McIntyre to attack Styles with the Claymore for the win.
Any time two professionals like McIntyre and Styles get together, a certain level of quality is expected. They played a strong match, backed by the public’s reaction. Could it have been done without Knight’s incessant interference?
Sure, but it fomented a feud, which will only intensify now that Styles has had his dreams of headlining WrestleMania dashed.
Result
McIntyre defeated Styles to advance to the Elimination Chamber
Qualification
b
Main moments and main conclusions
- Justified “this is amazing” chants for the party. No tweet from Triple H, though.
- It looks like we’re heading towards Knight vs. Styles, whether in Perth or at WrestleMania. What that match means for either man as it stands now is questionable, but it’s refreshing to see that The Megastar won’t take a backseat.
Bianca Belair is one step closer to returning to championship contention at WrestleMania with her victory over Michin in an Elimination Chamber Qualifier.
The EST defeated a game opponent, absorbing everything The OC’s first lady threw at her and giving her a Kiss of Death to cash in on her ticket to the live premium event in Perth, Australia.
This was the latest in a series of solid in-ring performances from Michin, who should be in line for a bigger push after WrestleMania. She has proven herself repeatedly and it is no coincidence that she is receiving the television time she is receiving now.
Beliar’s victory was the right decision as she is an elite performer in the women’s division and brings star power to the Elimination Chamber match.
She may not win on February 24, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who wouldn’t want to see her and Michin return at some point in the near future.
Result
Belair defeated Michin to advance to Elimination Chamber
Qualification
b
Main moments and conclusions
- Michin is on his best streak on the main roster and is just waiting for his chance to shine at this point.
- Michin countered the Kiss of Death and delivered the Eat Defeat, only for Belair to fall to the floor and prevent the win in a good spot.
Bayley and Iyo Sky are headed to a clash at WrestleMania, with the latter’s WWE Women’s Championship on the line, but it was another former Damage CTRL teammate who the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble winner found herself demanding answers.
Dakota Kai interrupted Bayley and found herself on the defensive, explaining that she didn’t know how to tell her friend that Sky, Asuka and Kairi Sane were planning her expulsion from Damage CTRL.
This brought out the heels, with Damage CTRL surrounding the square circle. Kai grabbed a chair and at first, jokingly hit Bayley with it before helping fend off her heels.
Although Kai seemed to help Bayley, there is still tension between them and, just like Babyface did with her now ex-teammates a week ago, it wouldn’t be surprising to find out that Kai was playing with her.
Especially considering some of the recent cases where Kai showed the same reactions towards Bayley as the rest of Damage CTRL.
Still, this was the logical next step given Kai’s absence a week ago and helps generate intrigue with just under two months of television before WrestleMania.
Qualification
B+
Main moments and conclusions
- “We’re okay, right? We’re okay?” Bayley asked the fans, who chanted her name for the first time in what seemed like forever.
- One night after CM Punk promoted Bayley, who was not invited to the WrestleMania kickoff event, The Role Model returned the favor by turning the microphone upside down and preparing to use it as a weapon, old punkism.
Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne will face Judgment Day’s Finn Balor and Damian Priest for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship at Elimination Chamber via their victory over DIY’s Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.
The match was as good as could be expected from the collection of talent involved and if there was one negative, it was that it was limited by the limits of television time.
The action was non-stop, saw Bate put on a hellish display of strength, earning him the nickname “Big Strong Boi”, and concluded with Dunne countering Gargano’s slingshot into the Bitter End for the win.
The idea of Dunne and Bate against Balor and Priest should excite anyone who loves great in-ring action, especially the tag team variety. In a program that will have many other stars and high profile events, it could well be the match that will steal the show at the PLE.
Result
Bate and Dunne defeated DIY to earn a shot at the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championship
Qualification
B+
Main moments and conclusions
- Bate lifted Gargano on his shoulders for an airplane spin and at the same time gave Ciampa a big swing in an incredible image.
- Bate exited the Ciampa Project on a pretty sweet near fall.
- Backstage, Kevin Owens revealed that he would fight Dominik Mysterio in an Elimination Chamber qualifier and said he would dedicate the match to the greatest wrestler in history, Rey Mysterio.
- Truth interrupted Owens, calling him “Miz” and telling him not to let “Nick” get him. Owens asked, “Nick Mysterio?” to which Truth replied: “No, Nick Aldis.” Fun.
Randy Orton will return to Elimination Chamber wrestling for the ninth time in Perth via his victory over Sami Zayn in the main event of Friday’s show.
Zayn dominated the action for the most part, taking advantage of The Viper’s previously injured back after tossing him onto the announce table. Frustration came late, however, as he failed to put the third-generation star on the scoresheet.
Later, he jumped, bouncing off the ropes and receiving an RKO as Orton proved his words from earlier in the night were prophetic: all it takes is one.
The show went off the air with Drew McIntyre facing off against Orton, causing new problems between the two and promoting two top stars who have already qualified for the eponymous match at the premium live event on February 24.
Result
Orton defeated Zayn to advance to the Elimination Chamber Match
Qualification
b
Main moments and conclusions
- Elimination Chamber qualifying fights for next week’s show: Logan Paul vs. The Miz, Kevin Owens vs. Dominik Mysterio, Shotzi vs. Tiffany Stratton and Zelina Vega vs. Naomi.
- Paul insisting he got “the Rock treatment” flying around, slapping fools and going out instead of working free TV matches was a bit of fun.
- Additionally, The Rock and Roman Reigns will be in the house with responses to Triple H and the main event of WrestleMania.
- The confrontation between McIntyre and Orton to close the show felt like a big deal and was reminiscent of their intense rivalry from 2020 when the latter ended McIntyre’s first run as WWE Champion. Hopefully that will be remembered in the coming weeks.