WWE Elimination Chamber onsite report: Elimination Chamber pod opens prematurely, notes on the live crowd's C.M. Punk chants, anti-Batista sentiment, and more

Dot Net reader Dan Strauss attended the WWE Elimination Chamber event in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Sunday and sent the following report.

We were on the floor eight rows behind the announcers. I heard a few loud "CM Punk" chants. I also saw a "Why Punk Why" sign at ringside that had to have made it on TV at some point.

I thought the efforts of both men in the IC Title match were solid and I was glad to see them rewarded with a "This is Awesome" chant. I would assume that hearing that chant might be some sort of measuring stick for the talent and it says something when you get it in the opening match of the night.

The Shield vs. The Wyatts was an intensity that I couldn't believe. It was kind of fun to see a match where instead of your run of the mill entrances, both teams come out to unique and crowd-pleasing entrances. The crowd seemed very hot all match and genuinely split on the favorite. Great booking and great effort from all six men who most likely felt some pain when getting out of bed today.

Batista vs. Alberto Del Rio was almost sad. Batista isn't a bad character or worker, but at the moment WWE fans want new material and they want to see the rewards and opportunities go to grass-roots talent who have had to work against stacked decks. These guys never had a chance and the WrestleMania title match is in grave danger of being an afterthought behind Taker, Hogan, WWE Network, Daniel Bryan, Total Divas (I'm just joking about one of those).

The only significant in-person thing I have to add is the way Randy Orton was let out of his pod. When there were still a few wrestlers left in pods, the referee on the floor spent a fair amount of time talking with Orton, who was crouched down with his back turned to the match. When John Cena entered the match, I was watching him while I heard my brother say "I think they just had a f*$# up." He said that when they released Cena from his Pod the ref on the ground also opened Orton's Pod. This was apparently unexpected and possibly a blown spot, as my brother said Orton looked at the ref and seemed genuinely upset at what happened.

A good main event. I give the talent tons of credit because even when the writers/HHH/Vince can't make compelling storylines, these wrestlers still go out and completely wreck themselves, all in the name of big pops and entertainment. You can't teach that effort and dedication; you either have it or you don't.

I enjoyed most of the in-ring work but the recycled storylines are driving WWE fans nuts. People say they miss the Attitude Era, but we relive The Corporation storylines every episode with this Authority crap. The story of the Corporate/Authority champ getting cheap wins with outside help has been done at almost every PPV and Raw since Bryan got screwed last August at Summerslam and its getting old.