Customer Reviews

WWE: No Way Out 2009

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I give this ppv a solid A. The crowd was into it the whole night which always makes it better and the matches were awesome. Best thing about this ppv...it was hard too predict with how the matches turned out.

The first chamber match was the better one in my opinion. Undertaker, HHH and Jeff Hardy put on awesome performances. Kozlov was okay and big show was pretty good. Edge...well he was eliminated in like 4 mins which i don't think any one saw coming because it has always come down to the champ and someone else. Great spots though, great back n fourth wrestling, and it coming down to HHH and Undertaker made the match that much better. Actual match lasted like 37 mins as well. 10/10 2nd best chamber match of all time

Orton vs. Shane was a very brutal match-up. They slowly beat the living h*ll out of each other and there were plenty of spots. Orton's cut was just nasty and it played to his sick character really well. Shane going from the coast to coast to the flying elbow drop was just awesome. I have never seen anyone go from a big spot to another with in about 30 seconds. Great Match with no disappointment's...except Orton winning. 10/10

Swagger vs. Finlay was decent. Some good old school wrestling but the problem was...this match followed a chamber match and a no holds barred match that both lived up to the hype soooo this match in some ways was boring. Should of been first or 2nd or mayb just not on the card. 6.5/10

JBL vs. HBK was put together very well. There is a couple times when it seemed like HBK might just lose. HBK's wife being ringside though sitting there crying really made the match that much better. The sweet chin music that HBK hits JBL with was justas beautiful as always. Good match, very entertaining and HBK wins. 8/10

There's a lot to say about this match, first of all Edge takes Kingston's place after beating him down, Mysterio surprisingly eliminates Kane, then Y2J eliminates Knox, then here comes edge who puts on a good show with Mysterio and Y2J and then good old 8 to 9 move Cena comes in, beats the h*ll out of edge and then right when he was going to hit the F-U, Y2J hits the codebreaker which leads to the 619 and then a spear and then...guess what, Cena is gone. So guaranteed new champ. Mysterio eliminates Y2J after rolling out of the Walls of Jericho and then this is when it gets very exciting. Mysterio in my mind was MVP of last night with all his spots he pulled off. He came so close to winning on about 4 pinfalls but once he ran to Edge and was thrown into the bulletproof glass...that is when it was all said and done. Edge the n hits the spear and the guy who lost title then won another.

Overall this was a great ppv and the road to Wrestlemania is so fat very good. Be interesting to see what the two title matches are now that Edge and HHH are the guys to beat!

"No Way Out 2009" can divided up into its three individual hours.
The first one features the "SmackDown" Elimination Chamber Match
The second hour includes a No Holds Barred Match and an ECW Title contest.
The third hour has an HBK/JBL grudge match and the "RAW" Elimination Chamber Match.

I'll give you the short version first:
---HOUR #1
I think the "SmackDown" Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship is solid overall, but really drags in a few spots.

---HOUR #2
I liked all three matches that occurred at this point: The No Holds Barred Match (Randy Orton v. Shane McMahon), ECW Title Match (Jack Swagger v. Finlay), and the JBL/HBK All-or-Nothing contest.

---HOUR #3
The main event was one of my favorite matches of the year ("RAW" Elimination Chamber Match for the World Heavyweight Championship).

Bottom line - This DVD is well worth a purchase.
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Still here? Alright, here's the long one. Hope it helps!

1) Elimination Chamber Match - WWE Championship
The Undertaker v. Big Show v. Vladimir Kozlov
v. Triple H v. Jeff Hardy v. Edge (champion)
---I agree with pretty much everything you've read about this contest. It starts with a great surprise, slows down for way too long once Big Show & Kozlov start beating the tar out of Jeff Hardy, and then finally picks up again once the final two wrestlers enter the match. Honestly, I think everyone will get a nice chuckle out of the early quick pinfall. I also think everyone will enjoy the last few minutes where the remaining wrestlers try everything to win. The make-or-break for you is gonna be whether you can enjoy watching Big Show & Kozlov take turns to beat down Jeff Hardy when he's all alone. It's really that simple. I've grown to appreciate it more on repeat viewings, but not by much. Overall, this is an enjoyable match, but that middle patch just killed it for me.
"6.5 / 10" (Would've been higher if it weren't for that slow middle portion)
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2) No Holds Barred
Randy Orton v. Shane McMahon
---When the February PPVs come out, the WWE has a difficult job of keeping the Royal Rumble winner in a good storyline. Using Orton as a violent jackass threatening to ruin "WrestleMania" was a good start; having him take on the McMahon family was even more fun than it should've been (at this point in time). I got into this match simply because it was violent AND believable. These two really beat each other, something you can count on in Shane's matches. There's even BLOOD, which WWE doesn't allow these days. Better get it while you can, right? I'm not sure wny I haven't scored this one higher, so I guess I'll have to rewatch it another time. I can live with that.
"7.0 / 10" (I might've underrated this one)
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3) ECW Championship
Jack Swagger (champion) v. Finlay
---First off, the crowd didn't into this one very much, and most people think this is the worst match on the card. I actually liked it, because I enjoy technical contests. I love watching Finlay's rugged style, and I haven't seen a bad match from Swagger yet. Sure it isn't the most exciting, but it's the most realistic on this PPV. There's a rumor that this match was so poorly received that Jack Swagger didn't get to defend his belt at "WrestleMania 25" because of it. If that rumor is true, then the "art" of wrestling is slowly dying. Sad news, if you ask me.
"7.0 / 10" (Give this a chance if you enjoy straight-up physical competition)
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4) All-or-Nothing Match
Shawn Michaels (Free From JBL's Contract If Victorious)
v. JBL (Earns HBK's Assets If Victorious)
---I loved this storyline from the getgo. JBL is always an entertaining character, and HBK is actually a pretty good actor when it comes to these dramatic storylines. I guess that's what I love best about this scenario: It's very compelling 'DRAMA'. Although the physical action is very good, it's the facial expressions and emotion that make it worth your time & money. However, I want to emphasize that this match isn't just about charmisa & emotion. JBL and HBK actually have a good contest, easily one of Bradshaw's best since he became the "JBL" persona. All in all, this is another fine addition to the PPV.
"7.5 / 10" (One of my favorites from 2009)
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5) Elimination Chamber Match - World Heavyweight Championship
John Cena (champion) v. Mike Knox v. Kane
v. Edge v. Chris Jericho v. Rey Mysterio
---Okay, you now know that Edge somehow is in the main event after losing his belt (he beat up Kofi Kingston out of nowhere, and stole his Chamber pod). While this might be a spoiler for some (surprise entrances like ths usually win), I don't think it hurts this main event at all. The action is fast-paced, the surprises all work, and everyone gets their chance to shine. Believe me, I could not care less about Mike Knox, but he earned his spot in this match. I'm kinda sad that Kane seems to always get the shaft in big matches like this, but he got to make an impression while he lasted. John Cena's involvement in the main event is still a shock even if you know what's gonna happen. The most popular guy on the WWE roster rarely has a role this unusual, I'll leave it at that. And when the final few participants compete for the gold...oh my goodness, what an exciting display of athleticism! Simply put, this PPV ended on a very strong note. I thought this PPV was already good, but this main event kicked it up a few notches, and is another one of my favorite matches from 2009.
"8.0 / 10" (Probably my favorite Elimination Chamber Match)
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I was worried when the opening "SmackDown" Elimination Chamber Match didn't meet my expectations. Honestly, I wasn't entirely convinced even after the next two matches entertained me. But after HBK/JBL and the "RAW" Elimination Chamber Match, I am confident that "No Way Out 2009" is sure to please everyone, even after its rough start. And to be fair, a lot of people love the "SmackDown" Chamber Match, some even calling it their favorite.

So there you have it: A PPV that is sure to please just about everybody for different reasons. "No Way Out 2009" was easily my favorite WWE PPV of the year.

Elimination Chamber Match: WWE Champion Edge vs. Triple H vs. Undertaker vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Big Show vs. Vladimir Kozlov - This match would set off a chain of events full of suprizes thoughout the night. However, I feel that this is easily the worst Chamber match they've done because due to the 10 min. period where it was first Kozlov just beating up Jeff Hardy who didn't get in any legit offense before Big Show entered & just joined in taking turns beating up Hardy. Normally, the Chamber match is like how the Royal Rumble or Money In The Bank Ladder Match is where it's just non-stop action but that wasn't the case here as that Big/Kozlov/Hardy period just seemed to drag, got boring, and took the crowd out of it. Eventhough this match had a bunch of fun highlights like the shocking first elimination along with the final showdown at the end, it wasn't a bad chamber match but all the other ones they've done have were better. And for those history buffs, this is the first time in the history of the WWE Championship that it's ever changed hands in some type of official cage match.

Shane McMahon vs. Randy Orton - Normally when it comes to a "Shane McMahon" match, it's full of him taking a bunch of bumps weather it's in the ring, outside the ring, or the entry way with the occassional comedy relief at times but that wasn't the case here as this resembled the HBK/Jericho matches from Unforgiven & No Mercy in that this took a more serious tone instead of trying to be a hardcore weapons spotfest. This was a slow but intense brawl that saw some tables come into play, Shane's "Coast To Coast/Van Terminator" and even some blood spilled by Orton.

ECW Champion Jack Swagger vs. Finlay - Unfortunally, this is one of those incidents where your spot on the card can hurt more than help because eventhough this was a good wrestling match with both men putting on good performances with their storytelling & inring wrestling but they couldn't follow the previous two matches which lead to a dead crowd reaction. Again, good match but this would probably been recieved better if it was the opening match.

Shawn Michaels vs. J.B.L. - With the stipulation for HBK being that he could either win from or lose everything to J.B.L., this match told a great story. Bradshaw was in full mode here by willing to win any way he could by going as far taunting HBK throughout the bout & even getting in his wife's face at one moment while Shawn had to keep resisting temptation, controlling his temper, and never giving up. Good match here was based on the storyline & emotion more than the inring wrestling...which wasn't bad either.

Elimination Chamber Match: World Champion John Cena vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Edge vs. Chris Jericho vs. Mike Knox - As if the previous chamber match wasn't full of suprizes & certain highlights, this one topped it. Various highlights include what happened to Kofi Kingston, John Cena's time (or lack of) in the chamber, and Rey Mysterio being the M.V.P. of the match by putting on his best in-ring performance in over a year with his various "spiderman" moments using the chamber walls & his interaction with Edge throughout the match. This was the best chamber of the night as it had non-stop action from the beginning to middle to the end.

Bonus Match:
Unsanctioned Fight: Shane McMahon vs. Randy Orton - This was the match that you would expect from Shane McMahon as it had a quicker pace with these guys fighting on the floor & in the crowd but the real highlights here was everything that happened afterwards involving members of the McMahon family...including one that would resemble the phrase "art imitating life"

The other DVD extra was an interview with the new World Champion after the event but overall, this was the second No Way Out to use the "double chambers" concept and this event was better than last years when it came to the undercard which delievered for the most part. The RAW World Title match was what you would expect from the Elimination Chamber & even pulling out some of the best performances from people we've seen in a while (Mysterio & to a lower extent, Mike Knox) while the second one had a good beginning & great ending but got so dull...maybe even boring...during the middle but overall, the entire event was solid quality that I would recommend going to get.

Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship (Smackdown):
Edge VS Triple H VS Undertaker VS Vladimir Kozlov VS Jeff Hardy VS Big Show-The big shocker was Edge was pinned quickly by Jeff Hardy and a new champion would be crowned. I hate Edge but will admit, he puts on a good show. Kozolv comes in and bores me to tears, I fast fowarded until anther superstar entered. Big Show and Kozlov beat on Hardy for a long, boring while and do not bother to pin him but rather go after each other. Triple H comes in and cleans house and the process is repeated when Taker enters the fray. This match had a few good spots but the match was disappointing overall. I would have loved to see Hardy as champion but WWE isn't ready to let a smaller, quicker wrestler hold the belt. I know Hardy was champion for a few months but it felt as a there you happy? gesture by WWE and he lost within a few months to Edge. Triple H wins the title in the end and this is why people do not watch WWE anymore. Same people holding titles (Cena, Triple H, and Edge) and boring storylines that have been over and over again.

Randy Orton VS Shane McMahon: I've always enjoyed Shane O'Mac in hardcore matches but you know who would win the match. Still, a hell of a hardcore match.

Jack Swagger VS Finlay: I hate Hornswoggle and wish WWE would do away with him. Finaly is not a clown like Doink and he doesnt need this useless midget around him. Swagger is the next generation but needs wrestlers like Evan Bourne or Christian to shine. Finlay is a good brawler but he's old school.

JBL VS HBK: Ok, i'll admit it-JBL is a great heel. He cannot wrestle like he use to, but he can rise to occassion. This match felt more like a Raw main event rather then a PPV match up. A decent match but everyone already knew the outcome.

Elimination Chamber Match for the World Heavyweight Championship (Raw)
John Cena VS Edge VS Chris Jericho VS Rey Mysterio VS Mike Knox VS Kane: Kofi Kingston is taken out by Edge before the match and gets locked in a pod, jeez who is going win this match? I thought Kingston would be a welcome change to the match rather then have the usual suspects. Knox was a change but he is a power guy with little upside. Jericho and Mysterio steal the match and make it worthwhile. Edge of course wins in the end and even though I hate him, eight title reigns in two years? Thats a hell of a feat.

Overall, a pretty good PPV. Edge sets anther record by wrestling in two chamber matches, someone loves Edge over at the WWE offices. I'd add this to any wrestling collection.

The Elimination Chamber Match has became an annual event now for the No Way Out PPV. Last year we witnessed two Elimination Chamber Matches to determine a new #1 contender at Wrestlemania 24. This year the Elimination Chamber Matches contested either the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship. And at this year's No Way Out, nobody saw what was to occur in both of the Elimination Chamber Matches. So both Champions John Cena and Edge were at a disadvantage from the start.

Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship
Edge (C) vs. Triple H vs. Undertaker vs. Vladimir Kozlov vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Big Show
For the second time in under two years, a WWE Title Match opened up a PPV (last time was at No Mercy 2007). The biggest shocker of this match was Edge being eliminated within the first four minutes of the match. So with Edge being pinned first, we were guaranteed a new WWE Champion. Everybody has a good showing in this match, even Kozlov. Undertaker and Triple H put on a tremendous dream match for everybody that people wanted to see for a very, very long time. If they didn't performed like they did being the final two, this match could've been close being the worst ECM in history. But overall, awesome match and a great way to start things off. Match of the night for me. 5/5

No Holds Barred
Randy Orton vs. Shane McMahon
It was very nice to see Shane back in the square circle. He didn't look to be showing any rust since not wrestling in about two years or so. The match went very good but don't expect anything like Shane's previous Street Fights with the likes of Kurt Angle and Test (RIP). Shane takes two thundering shots through two tables. Orton takes some sick shots from Shane and a kendo stick. But in the end as Shane tries to punt Orton to avenge his father, Orton hits Shane with a sudden RKO for the win. A very good match, even with a small cameo appearence from Orton's Legacy. 4.5/5

ECW World Championship
Jack Swagger (C) vs. Finlay
If this match didn't follow the Elimination Chamber and the No Holds Barred Match, it would've been better then what it was. The crowd was completely dead during this match except for the early "WE WANT CHRISTIAN" chants in the match. Swagger applies some old school wrestling moves to wear down the arm of Finaly. A decent ECW Title match but really couldn't deliver like the first two matches placed infront of it. 3.5/5

All Or Nothing Match
Shawn Michaels vs. John "Bradshaw" Layfield
A very good follow up to the ECW Title match. The crowd started to come back alive here in this match. JBL was a classic heel in this match, taunting HBK's wife who was sitting at ringside. At times it seemed JBL was going to put away HBK. Even taking out HBK with two hard hitting Clotheslines From Hell. But after Shawn's wife slapped JBL, Shawn delivered, and to quote from Michael Cole, "The Sweetest Sweet Chin Music of his life" to get the pin. A good match and with Shawn's wife crying at ringside made it more then what it already was. 4/5

Elimination Chamber Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
John Cena (C) vs. Edge vs. Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Mike Knox vs. Kane
Before the match got underway, Edge came down during Kofi Kingston's entrance, took out Kingston, and then locked himself into one of the chambers. Mysterio and Jericho has impressive showings here in this match. Mysterio brought new things to the chamber that we haven't seen before. Kane being eliminated first was the shocker of the match to me. Also Cena being eliminated as quickly as he was became a shocker as well. Edge and Mysterio put on a good battle being the final two. But they didn't deliver like Undertaker and Triple H did. A very good match but the endig was a little weak to me. Especially after seeing the awesome showdown between Taker and Triple H. But still a good main event nevertheless. 4.5/5

The extra's consist of Todd Grisham interviewing Edge after making history by competing in two Elimination Chamber Matches in one night and becoming the new World Heavyweight Champion. Also the Un-Sanctioned Fight between Shane McMahon and Randy Orton on RAW where Orton punts Shane and then RKO's Stephanie McMahon.

Overall I recommend getting this PPV. No Way Out along with the Royal Rumble were very good starts to the new year of 2009. If WWE keeps delivering PPV's like No Way Out and the Royal Rumble, 2009 should be one great year.

OK, now recently I've fallen out of love with WWE. Over the years I've just become bored of wrestling as a whole and really haven't had my interests enlightened by the product until this PPV and the build up to it. Well this pay per view was just immense and easily the best way to start 2009.

WWE Championship - Triple H vs Jeff Hardy vs Edge (C) vs Vladimir Koslov vs Big Show vs The Undertaker - Smackdown Elimination Chamber: What a way to open a PPV with some of the biggest stars in the business fighting for one of the most prestigious prizes in the company. A great opener that the crowd seemed to appreciate.

Rany Orton vs Shane McMahon - No Holds Barred: The show stealing match of the night that did everything we expected. Shane's return to the ring in years was bound to be heart stopping and having Randy Orton in the mix, it was undoubtful this would be remembered for years to come.

ECW Championship - Jack Swagger (C) vs. Finlay: No Comment. The ECW brand is nothing without the originals.

All or Nothing - HBK Shawn Michaels vs. JBL: Well this has been an okay story, but I'm not really fond of JBL's matches, so I stayed clear.

World Championship - John Cena (C) vs Rey Mysterio vs Kane vs Mike Knox vs Chris Jericho vs Kofi Kingston (Edge) - Raw Elimination Chamber: Absolutely superb and was made even more incredible by the surprise entry of Edge into the match. I wasn't happy about Kingston being in the match as to me, he will never be world champion contender material. A great all round match with some great spots and an interesting conclusion which shook the WWE.

Overall this was a really top quality PPV that displayed the best of WWE booking and showed that when they try, they can present a 5 star PPV.
Randy Orton has been at his best as of late and this along with what's to come, Orton will definitely be in the Hall of Fame one day. The whole PPV reeked of 5 star booking and to have the two main titles change hands is a decision you know doesn't come easily.

This was a great buildup to what will undoubtedly be an intense Wrestlemania 25.

WWE Championship Elimination Chamber: Jeff Hardy and Edge start things, go at it for awhile and Edge is eliminated after he goes for the Spear and is rolled up by Hardy. Koslov then comes in and dominates Hardy for awhile. Big show then comes in.

Then Triple H and then the Undertaker. Taker eliminates Kozlov with a Last Ride of the turnbuckle. HHH hits a Pedigree on Show and Hardy then hits a Swanton Bomb on Show and HHH covers him to eliminate the Big Show. Hardy, HHH and the Undertaker are then the last 3 men. Hardy gets tombstoned though, leaving Undertaker and HHH. Taker hits a Tombstone on HHH but HHH gets his foot on the rope. HHH then hits the Pedigree but Taker kicks out. Triple eventually reverses the Last Ride into a Pedigree for the win.

I would be impressed by Triple H now being a 13 time World champ if he wasn't greedy as hell. I mean Hardy only got to be champ for a month so HHH can go on to push himself to the title once again. The title has been won at a ppv 4 months in a row now. So HHH will probably have the belt for a few months now. I also predict that he'll push himself to beat Taker at this WM. The more title reigns he has, the more I'm tired of him.

Shane McMahon vs Randy Orton: they brawled a lot with Orton getting cut open by Shane. End came when Shane went to punt Orton in the head but got RKO'd.

Finlay vs Jack Swagger (ECW World title): I wasn't that into this one since I just want to see Christian vs Swagger for the title now that he's in ECW. Finlay did good but having dumb Hornswoggle with him caused him to lose. Hornswoggle kept causing a distraction for him. End came can Hornswoggle stood on the apron when Finlay had Swagger up for his move. Swagger then pushed Finlay into Hornswoggle and then hit his gutwrench powerbomb for the win.

JBL vs HBK: JBL hit the closeline from hell 2 times on Shawn and even tried to get him counted out. But once JBL started taunting Shawn's wife is when HBK came back and it was all Michaels after that. He hit his elbow off the top and then Sweet Chin Music for the win.

World Title Elimination Chamber: Before it could start Edge attacked Kofi Kingston and locked himself in his cell, Rey Mysterio and Jericho then started things. Kane then entered and was eliminated by Rey when Rey flew off on of the chamber things on to Kane. Mike Knox was then in and eliminated by Jericho and the Codebreaker when Knox tried to hit Rey with his finisher. Edge then entered and then Cena.

Cena surprisingly didn't make much of an impact at all. He went right after Edge and after like 5 minutes of being in there he was eliminated. He went for the FU on Edge but got a Codebreaker and then a 6:19 kick to the face and then a Spear by Edge. Jericho was then eliminated when Rey reversed the Walls of Jericho into a roll up. Edge and Rey then fought for awhile until Edge hit the Spear for the win.

It seems like yesterday when Edge wasn't even a World title holder once but now he's a 8 time World champ already. He must be sleeping with Shane lol.

This has to be in the top 10 greatest pay per views ever. I love it so much I'm only writing this review to give in 4.5 stars again. Anyway, this pay per view had 2 elimination chamber (as usual) from Raw and SmackDown which were for the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship that were both great and also, including: Randy Orton vs. Shane McMahon, HBK vs JBL and Jack Swagger vs Finlay.

1. WWE Championship Elimination Chamber:
Edge(c) vs Jeff Hardy vs Triple H vs The Undertaker vs Vladimir Kozlov vs The Big Show
First match of the card and the BEST one. My personal favorite elimination chamber. It lasted about an hour and had the best superstars. WWE tried this the following year in 2010 and failed. 5/5

2. NO Holds Barred Match:
Randy Orton vs Shane McMahon
This had a good storyline and build up. Another fantastic match that you thought you would never see. It was kind of random but worth it. A lot of use with the kendo stick, a lot of blood and mostly action. I give this 4/5

3. ECW Championship:
Jack Swagger(c) vs Finlay
ECW usually would bring intense but time consuming championship matches. Even though this match was short and sweet, it was decent enough to deserve to be on this card. I wish this was earlier in the card so it could make more sense. 3.5/5 and not an insult

4. All or Nothing Match
HBK vs JBL
I liked this match a lot. It was not as good as the elimination chambers but was better than I thought. This was definitely perfect for a no way out card. It had back and forth changes in who's in control. Good build up and background as well. 4/5 NO SPOILERS

5. World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber:
John Cena(c) vs Kane vs Mike Knox vs Chris Jericho vs Kofi Kingston vs Rey Mysterio
I don't want to give away the substitute entrant for people who have never seen it. This was well put together. Mysterio and Jericho made the big highlight of the match because they use more high flying and technical. The fans weren't really on Cena's side. Shocking ending. Amazing. 4.5/5

WWE did a great job with this pay per view. Elimination Chambers never fail to amuse me. (Except for 2010) Great effect on the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania. Keep up the good work in the future.

Now, it's not often you see a WWE PPV with a paltry five matches outside of the Royal Rumble. Yes, the last PPV named No Way Out (the PPV in February was renamed Elimination Chamber for the 2010 edition) manages to fill up almost three hours with just five matches.

Why? It's all thanks to the Elimination Chamber. Two of these matches, one for Raw and one for Smackdown, featured on the card, which helped eat up a lot of PPV time. The card also features three other singles matches - one for the ECW Championship, one a grudge match and the other a 'All Or Nothing' match.

This was a great PPV, helped along by the incredibly vocal and enthusiastic Seattle crowd. They were hot all night and their loudness really helped me enjoy the PPV more. I hate it when a crowd is quiet and uninterested. It made me happy to see the crowd having so much fun at the show.

Here's my rundown of the show:

Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship

Edge (champion) vs Triple H vs The Undertaker vs Big Show vs Jeff Hardy vs Vladimir Kozlov

This was a great way to begin the show, as the crowd was excited right from the the get go. One thing I must point out, though, is the entrances for this match took over ten minutes! The match itself was 35 minutes, but including the entrances, the entire segment was 45 minutes. However, this was an absolutely fantastic match! This is one of my favourite Elimination Chambers to date. It had everything!
Edge and Jeff Hardy started things off with a fast paced battle. There was a shocker though, as 3 minutes in, Jeff eliminated the champion! The crowd's reaction and Edge's reaction made the entire sequence hilarious.
Vladimir Kozlov entered third, and this is the only bad bit of the match. Kozlov was easily the most boring person in this match and I think he didn't have the starpower the other five guys had. When Big Show entered fourth, we had a bit of slow down while the two giants beat up Jeff Hardy constantly. But the odds were evened when Triple H entered fifth. In something I haven't seen before, there was a gap of nearly 20 minutes between Edge's elimination and the next, which was Kozlov. Undertaker entered sixth and went on to destroy everybody in a fashion I haven't seen from him in a long time.
Big Show was eliminated third after an awesome Swanton Bomb spot from Jeff from the top of one of the pods. Jeff himself was eliminated two minutes later by Undertaker, leaving him and Triple H to battle for the newly vacant title. This was exciting because it guaranteed a new champion. In the end, Triple H managed to pull out the victory and become the new WWE champion. A fabulous match if you can ignore the slow bit in the middle. (5/5)

No Holds Barred match

Randy Orton vs Shane McMahon

This is the grudge match I mentioned earlier. This storyline was probably the biggest thing in WWE at that time, and ended up involving Triple H and the WWE Title. But at this point, Shane was fighting for his father's honour after Vince McMahon was punted by Randy. Anything went in this match and I believe this is one of the last matches to feature a large amount of blood. Randy bled a lot after a shot from a TV monitor midway through the match. This match was mostly brawling and weapon use with the occasional wrestling move. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase got involved on Randy's behalf, and Cody took a sick Coast To Coast from Shane. Shane also attempted an elbow to Randy who was lying on the announce table but Randy rolled out of the way. The match ended with an RKO. This wasn't exactly a five star match, but it was a good way to spend 20 or so minutes, mainly due to the high spots and Randy's general evilness. (4/5)

ECW Championship

Jack Swagger (champion) vs Finlay (w/ Hornswoggle)

We hit the midway point of the PPV, and unfortunately, we also hit the worst match on the card. That's not saying much though, as there's only five matches. But it was during this match that the crowd were at their quietest. I don't think at this point Jack Swagger had convinced them of his ability. Finlay and Hornswoggle did get a reaction out of the fans however, and they kept this match from being totally boring. Swagger's mat based offence didn't thrill me, and I found myself wishing for the match to end at points, despite it only being almost eight minutes long. The ending was better though, due to some miscommunication between Finlay and Hornswoggle, thus Swagger retained. The worst match here. (3/5)

All Or Nothing match

Shawn Michaels vs JBL

This match also resulted from another interesting storyline going on at the time. Shawn Michaels was broke and turned to millionaire JBL for a loan, JBL took this too far and began bossing Shawn around. Shawn got sick of it, and this match came of it. The stipulation was that if JBL won, he'd own Shawn's name and likeness forever, and if Shawn won, JBL would pay Shawn all the money he owed him and would be free from him.
I keep debating to myself whether this match or the Randy/Shane match was better. I think the Randy/Shane match had better spots in it, but this match had better storytelling behind it. I say this because Shawn's wife Rebecca was sitting ringside and JBL kept taunting her. Shawn got to finally get his hands on JBL and he went all out on him. There was a completely annoying bit in the middle where JBL kept hitting continual elbows on Shawn, which brings the rating down a little. But the end redeems it, as Rebecca gets some revenge on JBL by hitting him and Shawn pulls the victory. Rebecca and Shawn then embraced and it was a sweet moment. It was a great ending to a frustrating storyline. (3.5/5)

Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship

John Cena (champion) vs Rey Mysterio vs Chris Jericho vs Kane vs Mike Knox vs Edge (supposed to be Kofi Kingston)

A lot of people prefer this Elim Chamber over Smackdown's, but I think Smackdown's is better. I think Raw's Chamber match was a bit messy and all over the place. Firstly, there's the whole issue of Edge attacking Kofi Kingston before the bell and taking his place. This was a great twist, but definitely confused the live crowd.
Then there's the issue of the superstar who doesn't belong in this match. Mike Knox. As the rhyme goes 'one of these things is not like the others, one of these things doesn't belong' - Knox is very out of place in this MAIN EVENT match, compared to Cena, Edge, Mysterio, Kane and Jericho, who are all main eventers. I think it was a mistake having Knox in here.
Finally, the repetition of the champion lasting only a couple of minutes in the match. John Cena was the final person out of the pods, and within 2 minutes he'd been eliminated after multiple finishers. They'd already eliminated the champion fast in the first Chamber, so doing it again was a bit boring. And it made John look very weak. But I digress, at least he didn't go before Mike Knox, I guess!
The match itself was good though. Rey Mysterio was the star, flying all over the place. He and Chris Jericho began the match, and that five minute period was exciting and fun. Kane entered third and spent five minutes destroying Mysterio and Jericho, before being eliminated by Mysterio. Knox entered fourth and proceeded to bore everybody, thankfully he was eliminated shortly after, courtesy of Chris. John was eliminated third (after entering last and having a funny moment where he mocked Edge by waving at him), after a flurry of activity, followed by Chris, leaving Rey and Edge as the final two. Edge had entered and Rey had blasted him. They had a fast and furious battle for around seven or eight minutes, until Edge pinned Rey and won the WHC. The fans were not happy, and this ended the PPV on a sour note. Fun match, but definitely not better then Smackdown's effort. (4/5)

So what does this leave us with? Two Chambers, one fantastic and one good; Three singles matches - one dull, one very good and one good; and one very loud and enthusiastic crowd. I think I'll rate four stars, as I enjoyed this show a whole lot. Just watch out for the slowdown in the middle.

The WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match was a hard-hitting,high-flying,smash-mouth brawl and the same goes for the World's championship Elimination Chamber match. The Randy Orton-Shane McMahon-No Holds Barred match was a good reminder of the 1990's ECW. The Jack Swagger-Finlay-ECW World Championship match was not great but pretty good. The JBL-HBK match was a solid,smash-mouth,entertaining bout. I give this PPV a 8 out of 10.