8 Match Star Ratings For WWE Elimination Chamber 2020
4. AJ Styles Vs. Aleister Black - No Disqualification Match
Dull, overlong, and psychologically inept, this was also very, very painful-looking and well-worked beyond the gaping plot hole. It was, in summary, a distilled example of the definitive and sad gulf between talent and creative.
This No Disqualification match, in which the babyface sought to exact retribution against the man who had incapacitated him, began with a collar-and-elbow tie-up, as if it was just another WWE match, echoing the strange Dean Ambrose Vs. Seth Rollins disaster of TLC '18. Whomever agented this needs a word.
It settled into a dull and plodding exchange of holds before Aleister Black ran wild with a kendo stick, after which the story emerged; Styles worked over Black's leg to minimise the effects of his Black Mass finisher, and it all made sense, and Black sold it very well, but the methodical rhythm and excessive, draining duration failed to ignite the crowd. At no point did the OC think to interfere in a No Disqualification bout until the finish, which broke the immersion; it asked a revealing question of the story, which failed to maximise all of its moving parts for maximum dramatic effect. They instead watched on innocently as Styles and Black beat the absolute sh*t out of each over, very slowly, to very little heat.
The Undertaker's interference gave Black the win, in the only moment fans truly cared about.
This was a waste of time so brutal that it made the fans feel nothing beyond mild guilt.
Star Rating: ★★½