Kevin Owens and John Cena had been exchanging words for weeks beforehand, with Owens debuting on Raw and interrupting Cenas U.S. Title Open Challenge, only to refuse to fight him until the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Many regard the resulting match as a top contender for match of the year. Owens hung with Cena throughout the entire 20+ minute contest, each trading signature moves with Owens even hitting the AA on Cena himself. It would be Kevins own Pop-Up Powerbomb though that would ultimately defeat Cena cleanly. An NXT star arriving on the main roster and beating the top star in their first match was unprecedented, and although Owens would end up losing the other two of their PPV matches, it firmly put him on the map.
