11. The "Cena Wins, Then Loses" Chamber (Elimination Chamber '10)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJK-f1Bnl4M By 2010, the WWE had found a nice formula of mixing major names with talents that they wanted to test. This bout was a good example. John Cena, Triple H, and Randy Orton were the alphas attempting to capture the WWE Championship on the Road to Mania 26 from Sheamus. As an upstart champ, the Celtic Warrior was turning heads already with his in-ring ability and tendency not to look out of place when battling his more accomplished peers. Thrown into the mix to see what they could do were Ted Dibiase, Jr. and Kofi Kingston. The biggest thing that the match had going for it was unpredictability. It was not so much that the Mania card was up in the air, as we had seen in years past with the Chamber's presence in February, but the placement of the title into one of the matches that was becoming a clearer addition to the "Show of Shows" by the week. Sheamus vs. Triple H, Cena vs. Batista, and Orton vs. Dibiase were all heavily rumored and/or obviously in the making. Which would be for the title? That was the major question at EC '10. When Sheamus was eliminated, it made it obvious that Cena would win...and he did. The surprise came after the match, when Batista got a random title shot and won it. It set up a fantastic championship feud for WrestleMania, with Bats doing the best character work of his career.
Chad Matthews
Contributor
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
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