WWE Elimination Chamber 2014: The Match That Never Was
The Elimination Chamber has been a mainstay in the WWE since its debut at Survivor Series 2002. At the event in 2014, a 6-man tag pitting the Shield and Wyatt Family took place. However, the WWE missed a major opportunity with the booking.
Towards the end of 2013 and into early 2014 both The Shield and the Wyatt Family were running the WWE. The pair of 3-man squads were merciless with their treatment of the roster. On a weekly basis, they would select their targets with a plan in mind and execute. As both factions began to build momentum it became very clear that they would soon be on a collision course. Enter, Elimination Chamber 2014.
With the Elimination Chamber event fast approaching, fans began to get excited at the possible face-off between the premier factions of WWE. Each time the teams would square off the arenas would swell with cheers to the point the cameras would be shaking. The thought of the top two factions going toe to toe was something wrestling fans have always dreamed of. We never got DX against the NWO, we’ll never see the Four Horsemen against the Bullet Club, so this was something fresh and new.
Then the match was announced, SHIELD vs. Wyatt Family in a 6-man tag team match. At first, this seemed like a dream come true, we were gonna get the match we wanted. However, when it was never turned into an Elimination Chamber match, some disappointment kicked in. With how hot these teams were and their involvement with each other’s business, the Chamber seemed like the perfect scenario to settle this feud. Just imagine Roman spearing someone through a pod door, or Wyatt hitting a Sister Abigail into the chained shell of the Chamber.
That match that should have been
So if done to maximize the possibility of this feud, it would’ve been inside the Elimination Chamber. Considering it is already a 6 man match as it is, this wouldn’t have been difficult at all to pull off. Hell, the video games have had 6-man tag Elimination Chamber matches for years. The Chamber would also allow for easy booking as far as the heels getting heat on one of the babyfaces.
So the match could start with let’s say, Ambrose, and Harper. It’s back and forth for the most part but then as the clock winds down, Rowan is next. Now the two monsters of the Wyatt Family begin to beat the tar out of Ambrose. And just when it seems like Dean can’t take any more punishment, the buzzer sounds and here comes Seth. With the odds now even, the match can really begin to roll.
As the two teams begin to tear into each other, with the SHIELD getting an advantage due to their size and speed, the buzzer sounds, in walks the Eater of Worlds. Back to having the advantage, the Wyatts start dissecting Dean and Seth while Roman can only look on from his pod. Bray then picks up Dean and hits a Sister Abigail, but as the ref begins to count, the buzzer sounds and Roman makes the save. With the match all tied up all 6 men begin to turn it up a gear.
Eliminations start coming left and right until finally we’re left with just Roman and Bray. The two leaders of their respective squads battle it out for another handful of minutes. Right when Bray thinks he has the upper hand and locks in the Sister Abigail, Roman counters into a spear for the victory. The SHIELD being victorious could then go on to still have their series of matches with Evolution.
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Now they way I booked this may not seem like it does much for the Wyatts. But I used the same methodology that was used for the original Hardy Boyz/Edge & Christian feud. Their rivalry was capped off with a ladder match that won over not only the crowd but the locker room. The next night on RAW both teams would receive a standing ovation. This Elimination Chamber would do that for these two factions. It’d be a match with no losers as all 6 men would be better off for competing within the structure. Sadly fans weren’t given the opportunity to witness what could’ve been a career altering match.