10 Impulse Reactions Following WWE Elimination Chamber 2017
SmackDown Live!'s final stop on 'The Road To WrestleMania'.
With two major title changes, an imposing new structure in the main event, and a host of WrestleMania teases, SmackDown Live! delivered yet another engaging supershow that brought the best out of several members of the fledgling roster.
Resisting the temptation to put all their eggs in one basket with the return of the Elimination Chamber itself, the card was loaded with every major conflict currently under scrutiny on the blue brand.
Finding room for nearly every key performer and breaking a company record in booking three separate and competitive women's singles matches, WWE seemed determined to place improved focus on the Tuesday crew following a grossly unfair leaning towards Monday Night Raw in the build-up to January's mammoth Royal Rumble.
But did the show achieve everything it set out to do, and crucially, is 'The Showcase of the Immortals' now looking better or worse for Sunday's nights happenings?
Breaking down the good, the bad, and the Kalisto, here are 10 impulse reactions following Elimination Chamber.
10. New And Improved
Whilst WWE can often be criticised for making adjustments just for the sake of it, and are commonly guilty of a 'bigger is always better' attitude, neither philosophy was without merit in the presentation of the brand new Elimination Chamber structure.
From the perspectives of the performers, it looked to be a comfier experience, with endless space atop the pods in comparison to the sort of haunched high-spots that saw Triple H's throat crushed from an awkward Rob Van Dam frog splash back in 2002.
Furthermore, the metal grates surrounding the ring were replaced by some form of solid base, which at worst appeared to have the same consistency as the ring itself for the wrestlers to bump off.
As a viewer, other production changes made for the most satisfying televisual experience a Chamber match has ever afforded.
The squared glass panels behind each pod allowed for a far cleaner wide shot of the ring, and the larger structure overall removed the unintended sense of congestion the chain-link fence often created.
Like steel cages, ladder matches, and cells before it, the Chamber was grossly in need of a facelift anyway, and if the aesthetic alterations also made for a safer environment, the company can be congratulated for ringing the changes.