15 Things We Learned From WWE Unreal
5. A Pre-Chamber Clip You Need To See
Michael Hayes knew he was selling the cast of the men's Elimination Chamber match on John Cena winning, but he relented to the crew that WWE didn't have a firm finish in mind. Leaning on their experience and knowledge of their own characters, Hayes was seen asking the wrestlers if they had any suggestions. CM Punk came up with some real gold on the spot.
He was the one who pitched the whole already-eliminated Rollins stomp business and Seth watching as Punk faded to Cena’s STF right at the end. Cena absolutely loved that idea, because he hadn’t been sure about looking dominant over the rest of the field when WWE had clearly portrayed him as somebody who might be a step behind full-timers involved in the match.
There's a fascinating piece of footage showing everybody in the match going over it, then Punk masterminding that scenario. Cody Rhodes was nearby watching them all put the match together, and he said it was interesting for him to see everyone vying to wrestle him at ‘Mania. Ha!
The kicker is that Triple H didn’t tell anyone that Cena was turning heel. He told the talent involved in the Chamber match that there'd be “aftermath”, so they figured something huge was in the works, but the actual turn was a guarded secret right up until it happened. There's something fun about watching Punk, Cena and Rollins take centre stage during the pre-Chamber conflab as the likes of Damian Priest, Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul just listen.
Honestly, watch this clip if you've ever wondered how wrestlers pitch match ideas to one another hours before big shows.