[01-08-2006] John Cena vs Carlito vs Chris Masters vs Kane vs Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels (Elimination Chamber)*
The customary lacuna between John Cena PPV main events featured another Angle/Cena match at Survivor Series, this time with a crooked special referee. Cena won, after angle bumped the referee, Shawn Divari, causing a Smackdown referee to run into the ring and count the subsequent Cena pin. This displeased Ray GM Eric Bischoff, and determined to get the title off of Cena, announced an Elimination Chamber for New Year's Revolution. After a bevy of qualifying matches, the field became John Cena, Kurt Angle, Carlito, Chris Masters, Kane, and Shawn Michaels.
Cena and HBK start things off, and we get a heavy chorus of Cena Sucks chants, a first here for this project. Pretty standard stuff here. Chops punches, spots to get over the physicality of the chamber match; standard fare. Shawn does some overselling of kicks while draped over the corner. Goofy stuff and the sort of thing that his worst detractors are always keen to point out.
Carlito is in next, and the crowd is more into Carlito than either other guy so far. Carlito hits a somersault plancha onto HBK and onto the steel outside the ring. With 3 guys in, things get clunky, and Cena in particular looks bad, running off the ropes, only to stop, go back to hanging on the ropes, and wait for Carlito to come and punch him. Cena and HBK form an alliance and gang up on Carlito, but seconds later Angle comes into the match and throws a half-dozen german suplexes and then suplexes HBK and Carlito onto the steel, leaving Angle and Cena to fight it out.
Angle beats on Cena, takes a quick detour to slingshot HBK into the chamber. and then goes back to Cena for a few seconds, goes back out to deal with a bleeding Shawn, throwing him into one of the glass pods. It leaves a smear of blog on the glass -- we make movies, you know. Carlito eventually gets back into the fray, only to get caught in an ankle lock, but before he can tap, in some Chris Masters.
Masters dominate with power offense. Master Lock attempt on Angle, countered into an ankle lock, Cena breaks it up, gets caught in an ankle lock for his trouble. Cena looks like he'll have to tap, but Angle eats a superkick from HBK and he's the first one out. The wrestlers pair off from here, Shawn and Carlito, Cena and Masters. Carlito gets the better of Shawn, and he and Masters team up on Cena.
Kane is the last guy in and its all Kane for the next little bit. HE gets a bit cocky climbing to the top rope. Carlito and Masters gang up on him but he's able to fight them off. Flying clothesline on Masters. Chokeslams for Michaels and Cena. Masters and Carlito gang up on Kane again. Backstabber from Carlito, but Kane does the Undertaker sit up. Double DDT from the midcard duo. Kane sits up, again. Masters powerslams Carlito onto Kane, dogpile pin, and Kane is out. Cena and Masters trade punches, Carlito pounds on a blood Carlito. Masters gets Cena down for a bit, and HBK is isolated. Shawn fires up, trademark stuff, kip up, atomic drop, but Cena is back up now. He's no match for a fired up Shawn though, HBK hits a flying elbow on Cena, but can't get to the cover. He's a bloody mess. He starts to tune up the band, Cena is up and eats one flush, but Carlito and Masters are back in. Carlito hits a spinning neckbreaker type deal and Michaels is out; 1-2-3.
Masters and Carlito gang up on Cena. Cena fires up gets a little offense, but the numbers catch up with him eventually. Masters DDTs Cena on the steel and now Cena is bloody. Now Cena's getting pummeled. Carlito convinces Masters to apply the master lock, which up until this point had never been broken. Carlito low blows masters, schoolboy roll-up, and Masters is eliminated. Cena quickly rolls up Carltio and Cena runs the gauntlet and is still WWE Champion. But, Vince McMahon's music plays, he demands the cage be raised, and announces that Edge is cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase.
A bloody Cena stands up and the bell rings. Edge punches the shit out of Cena, goes for the cover, but only 2. Goes for another cover, but it's two. Edge retreats to the corner hits a spear, but Cena kicks out. Edge hits another spear, and this time it's enough. Edge is the new WWE Champion, and John Cena's first world title reign is over.
A strong main event. There aren't a lot of great chambers, and this isn't really on the level of the best ones, but it was very good, and the first-ever Money in the Bank cash-in makes this a very memorable night. Obviously, we know how things pan out from here for Cena, but this is an obvious crossroads. He went from mega over in the JBL match just a few months ago, to being decidedly disliked here tonight, and now he's lost the WWE title.
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