Kester's WWE Elimination Chamber Rundown: Jack Swagger survives the chamber, The Rock bests CM Punk, and The Shield overcome John Cena, Ryback, and Sheamus

By Ryan Kester

Elimination Chamber

This was easily my match of the night. WWE managed to make the Chamber feel important, and I enjoyed the surprise of Swagger going over. WWE will need to do more with Swagger than have him tied to a xenophobe, but for now his character is enough to garner heat. WWE will not likely treat the World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania as a big event, but I will personally be excited to see what Alberto Del Rio and Swagger can come up with.

Also of note, Mark Henry looked like an absolute beast in the chamber match. He was easily one of the biggest factors to why it was such an entertaining match. Everything I enjoyed about his last heel run is back, and he seems to have improved his mannerisms to make the character even more intimidating. I still think it will be a few months before he finds a real storyline, but for now I am enjoying him playing the part of a beast.

The Rock vs. CM Punk

I was looking forward to this match and while I didn't expect The Rock to take many chances so close to WrestleMania, I was expecting it to have a certain intensity given the brief feud these two have had. Unfortunately, it seems that WWE wanted to take care of Rock to the point that the match's pace suffered.

Ultimately, I think the match was overbooked. It did manage to get Punk something to chew on with the visual pin he obtained, but otherwise it didn't live up to what one would expect from a championship match between these two. Understandable given the importance of The Rock's title defense at WrestleMania, but that doesn't make the match any more enjoyable to watch.

The Shield vs. John Cena, Ryback, and Sheamus

This match exceeded my expectations. I went in rather apathetic to the outcome due to Cena's obvious departure from the angle and a general feeling that they were going to have the babyface team go over to keep Cena looking strong.

Luckily, WWE managed to find a means for Cena to look strong while the Shield still went on to win. I must admit, I am rather impressed with how well WWE is treating The Shield. I worried that they would find a ratings slump along the run and would have them lose too early. WWE has shown a better discipline with this faction, however, and it's great seeing a fresh act getting elevated in this manner.

Overall Show

Last night's show was solid. Several of the matches delivered great action and the card for WrestleMania is shaping up to be fun. While the evening ended on a bit of a flat note, I still left the show feeling satisfied with my purchase.

If you have any questions or comments or just wish to chat with a fellow wrestling fan about whatever, then feel free to email me at ryan.kester@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter.