WWE Elimination Chamber 2015 results, recap, reactions: VETERAN ADVICE

WWE went rolling right on through the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas last night (Sun., May 31, 2015) with Elimination Chamber, an event that started as a surprise booked in just two weeks and ultimately gave us one of the best matches we'll see all year while making the next big star for the promotion.

Let's not waste time with pleasantries and get right to reactions to the show (click here for the live blog with full match coverage).

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POPPA POWERBOMB

This happened.

Kevin Owens, in his first WWE match, went move-for-move with John Cena, the biggest star of the past decade, and won. There was no interference. No foreign objects. No cheating.

Just a dude who said he would beat up another dude beating up that other dude.

He did that.

Kevin Owens pinned John Cena, clean, in the middle of the ring, in his first ever WWE match. It's so unbelievable it has to be said more than once to sink it in, and even then it doesn't feel real.

But it is. Owens is a made man, and Cena deserves a world of credit for making him. Oh, sure, Owens was already a star in his own right, what with his highly successful career on the independent scene and his even more successful run through NXT. But this is the main roster in WWE, and he needed to be established as a top star for years to come.

There was one way to do that, and this was it.

It required Cena to do something he hasn't done often, and that's a clean job. Sure, he'll probably get his win back at Money in the Bank next month but it won't do anything to diminish what happened here.

That was a WrestleMania main event level match, and both wrestlers within it turned in the performance of a lifetime. Owens is a made man, Cena further solidifies his status as one of the top stars in history, and all feels right in the world.

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Bit Dusty in here

Here's what I don't understand: if the idea of this entire card was to give free subscribers a reason to continue subscribing to the WWE Network into the month of June when it will cost them money, why on Earth would you end said show with a Dusty finish? Why tease Dean Ambrose winning the WWE world heavyweight championship from Seth Rollins then take it away? Why do it in such a way that it felt like such a huge slap in the face?

This wasn't even like the Daniel Bryan deal from 2013. This was just an indefensible booking decision that does nothing to entice fans to stick around. Wouldn't it have been better to just give Ambrose the two week title run to put across the idea that ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN ON THE WWE NETWORK MAGGLE?

Instead we got classic "you win but don't really win" booking and "oh, yeah, just take the WWE title with you, it will make you look like a real antihero outlaw rulebreaker everyone loves."

To a certain degree, that works fine, and maybe if this came at a different show with separate goals it would have been great, but it didn't work here.

The match was too good for a finish like that and Ambrose hasn't been booked well enough to pull this off properly. Remember when they announced that he would get the title shot on Raw and literally no one in the audience reacted to it?

This is why.

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All the best to all the rest

Intercontinental Chamber: Like the tag team Chamber match, this just didn't work. It should have, in theory, but the pace was slow, there were no big spots, and a serious lack of meaningful action. Mark Henry was hardly a surprise as a replacement for Rusev and while Ryback winning was unexpected, it fell flat after the way he's been booked. This is the problem WWE runs into so often, when it comes time to give a guy a big win and it feels like anything but due to recent (and in this case not so recent) history. The moment with Daniel Bryan after was touching but Ryback will be fighting uphill, especially considering Sheamus has been outstanding since his heel turn and will likely be hanging around outperforming him.

Red Arrow: Neville has earned my undying love and respect for going out in the worst spot imaginable (following that incredible Kevin Owens win over John Cena), with 2015 Bo Dallas for an opponent, and working his ass off to get the crowd back. By the time it was over, that's exactly what he did. Let's not sell that short.

Divas championship: Nikki Bella is still the face of the WWE women's division and that's fine. The work in this match wasn't bad but Nikki, Paige, and Naomi were all loudly calling spots and while they were clearly trying to make the most of their time, there were too many missed spots for my liking. It wasn't bad, necessarily, but it wasn't all that good either.

Tag team Chamber: It wasn't a bad idea, in theory, but I'll be damned if it was a disaster in practice. Kalisto, who has been outstanding since his main roster call up, looked completely lost and nearly hurt himself on two separate occasions. There was very little rhythm, hardly any timing, few big spots to save the match, and while everyone involved clearly worked hard, nothing was connecting with the crowd. It was badly disjointed and by the finish it was clear what we were getting -- a letdown.

Miz TV: I'm not sure The Miz has ever been better than he was in this segment here. I've never hated someone more, never wanted to see someone get his head kicked in more, never wanted someone to shut him up more. He just oozes douche bag, and it's the best thing.

There were some good bits sprinkled throughout the evening but that Cena-Owens match carried this show. The main event was also good, though that finish will always inspire hate. Make no mistake, most of this grade is because that champion vs. champion match was one of the best things we'll see all year.

Grade: B

That's it from me, Cagesiders. Now it's your turn to sound off in the comments section below with all your thoughts on last night's show. How did you like it, if you liked it at all?

All photos via WWE.com