WWE Elimination Chamber 2017 Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades

credit: WWE.com

Luke Harper vs. Randy Orton

Result: Randy Orton defeats Luke Harper via pinfall.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

Despite Harper being a face, the Talking Stick Resort Arena let it be known that they are in favor of Orton. He’s the more popular of the two and Harper’s good guy run is still in its infancy, as fans are still transitioning to being told to root for him. This is despite him getting plenty of cheers of the previous episode of SmackDown.

A highlight of this would also see Orton mock Harper by posing for the WWE Universe multiple times, further putting the fans on his side. It made it a bit confusing with who the face and heel was in this.

However, this match was terrific. It injected some life in what had been a weak pay-per-view through the first 100 minutes. Orton and Harper are both very good in the ring, with the latter even being a bit underrated since he never received much in-ring singles time.

The star of this would be Harper, however. First off, Orton sold for him like a champ, especially those two huge superkicks. The former Wyatt Family member then hit a sitout powerbomb and worked some great moves to get the crowd into this match. The fans never had much to cheer about throughout the first half of this PPV, but he helped change that.

As for Orton, he’s off to WrestleMania 33 with momentum. While this match may have put Harper on the map, the decision to give the Viper the victory was a smart one. Why take away the momentum from someone who’s about to compete for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 33?