WWE Elimination Chamber 2014 Results: Randy Orton Retains Title Over Daniel Bryan, Will Headline Wrestlemania 30 Against Batista
By the end of the night, the main event at Wrestlemania 30 became clearer with the Elimination Chamber cage helping to determine who Batista would face for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in New Orleans.
Elimination Chamber Kickoff match: Cody Rhodes & Goldust (w/ Dusty Rhodes) vs Ryback & Curtis Axel (w/ Larry "The Axe" Hennig)
With both teams jostling for position to earn a WWE Tag Team Championship title shot, the Rhodes battled Ryback and Curtis Axel in the Elimination Chamber Kick-off Show - available on YouTube.com, WWE.com, the WWE App, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo!, Google+, Samsung Smart TVs, Sony PS3, Pinterest or Pheed prior to the start of the pay-per-view (PPV). Axel, battling in front of his hometown crowd, brought out his grandfather, Larry "The Ax" Hennig to the ring but could not help with outcome of the match. Ryback went for a clothesline late in the match but ended up missing and getting dragged out the ring by Goldust, allowing Rhodes to hit Axel with a Crossroads to win the match for the Rhodes clan.
Winner: Cody Rhodes & Goldust
WWE Intercontinental Championship match: Jack Swagger of the Real Americans (w/ Zeb Colter) vs Big E (champion)
Swagger earned a title shot at Big E after defeating Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, and Mark Henry in a Fatal Fourway match to determine the number one contender to the Intercontinental title. The match proved to be a display in power and athleticism between the two former amateur wrestlers, trading Belly-to-Belly Suplexes and clotheslines in trying to gain an advantage, with Big E gaining the upper-hand at one point after spearing Swagger through the ropes. Swagger attempted the Patriot Lock late in the match, but Big E countered with an Enziguri Kick, setting Swagger up for the Big Ending finisher, retaining his Intercontinental title.
Winner and still champion: Big E
WWE Tag Team Championship match: The Usos vs The New Age Outlaws (champions)
The six-time and current WWE Tag Team champions, the New Age Outlaws - "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn and "Road Dogg" Jesse James - were looking to put the young upstarts in their place after a series of losses leading up to Elimination Chamber. The Usos used their youth, speed, and agility to keep the older Attitude Era champions off-guard, but the wily veterans reached into their bag of tricks to outsmart the Usos. Jimmy Uso attempted a Samoan Drop on Gunn, who countered the move before Jimmy Uso could end the match with a Superkick. Uso caught James instead, which allowed Gunn to roll Uso from behind and score the pin for the wily veterans.
Winners and still champions: The New Age Outlaws
Darren Young vs Titus O'Neil
Young wanted payback on his former Prime Time Players tag team partner, Titus O'Neil, who attacked him after a tag team bout on Friday Night Smackdown, accusing him of dragging down his career. Young showed his former partner he was no slouch in the ring, attempting a vicious Neck-Breaker on the ring apron but only getting a two-count. O'Neil's power proved to be too much for Young, with O'Neil hitting Young with a kidney punch, setting up Young for the Clash of the Titus finisher to come out victorious, earning bragging rights over his former friend.
Winner: Titus O'Neil
The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, & Erick Rowan) vs The Shield (United States Champion Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, & Roman Reigns)
The match lived up to the hype in what proved to be an old-fashion brawl between two very tough stables that have been feuding since the Wyatts robbed The Shield of an opportunity to be in the Elimination Chamber championship main event. There were no signs of dissension between The Shield, working efficiently as a unit, wearing down Harper. But Rowan eventually distracted Ambrose long enough for Harper to take advantage, catching the US champ with a rare but devasting drop-kick. The Wyatts worked on Rollins and Ambrose throughout the match, with Rollins regaining the advantage using his athleticism, flipping out of German Suplex off the top rope, landing on his feet before tossing Harper outside the ring, and nailing the big man with a Suicide Dive.
Rollins eventually made the tag to Reigns who cleared out the ring, with Ambrose and Wyatt taking their fight into the crowd while Rollins fought with Harper outside the ring. Wyatt returned to ringside, having taken care of Ambrose, and helped his boys put Rollins through an announcers table with a Chokeslam before focusing on their wrath on Reigns, now left to fend for himself. Reigns dug in deep, trying to counter the "numbers game" he uses to prey on others on the WWE roster, countering Wyatt's Sister Abigail with a Samoan Drop, setting up the leader of the creepy clan for a Spear. Harper sacrificed his body for his leader, taking the brunt of Reign's Spear, allowing for Wyatt to hit Reigns with Sister Abigail as The Shield fell to the Wyatt clan despite a hard-fought battle.
Winners: The Wyatt Family
WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee (w/ Tamina) vs Cameron of The Funkadactyls
Taking the slot originally slated for her injured partner, Naomi, E! Total Divas cast-member Cameron competed admirably in her last-minute title match against the longest reigning WWE Divas champion. Cameron fought hard, taking the action to the outside, where Tamina attempted to interfere unleashing a Super-kick on Cameron that missed the target, with Tamina hitting her employer instead of the challenger. Cameron capitalized on Tamina's mistake, attempting a pin to defeat the champion, only for Tamina to interject again in the match, blatantly sliding AJ closer to the ropes to break up the pin. The referee, left with no choice, disqualified AJ, giving the win to the Funkadactyl member. Despite coming out of Elimination Chamber victorious, due to the disqualification, AJ retained the championship, though she looked very annoyed with her bodyguard after the match.
Winner by disqualification: Cameron
Albert Del Rio vs Batista
Batista, who won the Royal Rumble last month, begins his Road to Wrestlemania against Alberto Del Rio, who has been running his mouth since Batista returned to the WWE. Del Rio came out in a neck brace and a crutch, as a result of Batista's attack in which he put the Mexican aristocrat through a table with a Batista Bomb a couple of weeks on Raw. ADR informed Batista he would not be able to compete in the match before attacking "The Animal" with his crutch, destroying it over Batista's knee before the start of the match. After Del Rio demanded the official ring the bell to start the match, Batista fought back, only to have Del Rio regain control of the bout after his sneaky attack. Batista battled back despite the trickery, attempting a Batista Bomb on Del Rio, only for Del Rio to counter him with a Super-kick that led to a two-count. Del Rio attempted to end the match with Cross Armbreaker but Batista reversed the submission, setting up Del Rio for a Batista Bomb to earn the three-count, as he moves on to his title match at Wrestlemania XXX.
Winner: Batista
Elimination Chamber WWE World Heavyweight Championship match: Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Sheamus, Christian, Cesaro, and Randy Orton (champion)
Orton steps into the confines of the Elimination Chamber steel cage against John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Sheamus, Cesaro, and Christian with his WWE World Heavyweight Championship, a ticket to headline Wrestlemania XXX on the line, and never having won such a match in his career. With the rules of the match set for the last man standing after the other competitors are pinned or submitted, the rules were stacked against the defending champion.
Cesaro and Sheamus were the first two competitors to start off the match before Bryan, Christian, and Cena were released from their pods to fill the cage full of competitors, wearing each other down as the champion awaited his turn. With Orton finally released into the match, the other five contenders turned on the champion, who fled back into his pod, locking himself in looking for protection. Sheamus eventually got Orton involved in the match, shattering the pod with a huge Brogue Kick. With all six competitors now in the cage, Orton recovered, delivering a Superplex on the "Celtic Warrior" off the top rope, allowing Christian to hit Sheamus with a Frog Splash to eliminate him from the match. Christian would meet Sheamus' fate right away, eating a Running Knee from Bryan, getting eliminated from the bout.
Cena recovered, taking control of the match away from Bryan, and hitting Cesaro with an Attitude Adjustment through one of the pods before making him tap out to the STF to eliminate The Real American. Cena managed to get the champion in the STF right away, on the verge of taking out the "Apex Predator" when the lights went out in the arena. When the lights came back on, the Wyatts somehow got inside the cage and mauled Cena, directing their attack strictly at him, before Bray Wyatt hit him with Sister Abigail. "The Viper" literally slithered back into the ring after the Wyatts were done with their rampage, pinning and eliminating Cena from the match.
Bryan, now left with just Orton standing between the title and Wrestlemania XXX, diverted his attention towards WWE Director of Operations Kane, who helped get the Wyatts out the structure after their attack on Cena, with the WWE exec eating a Flying Knee from Bryan. Orton attempted to capitalize on the distraction but Bryan would not be denied, managing to wear down Orton for the apparent win. But Kane prevented his from tag team partner from achieving his dream, first by dragging the referee out the ring to prevent him from making the three-count and later distracting Bryan by taking a cheap-shot at him, allowing Orton to hit the beared former champion with an RKO, retain his WWE World Heavyweight Championship and guaranteeing his spot at Wrestlemania XXX.
Winner and still WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Randy Orton