WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) (c) def. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell

In a match not previously announced until a press event on Thursday, February 22, Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell, in the latter’s home country of Australia, attempted to capture the titles from Damage CTRL’s resident tag team. The hard-hitting match was dominated by “Indi” chants and the crowd erupted whenever Hartwell was tagged in.

The match was a much better fit for the main card instead of the kickoff show given the overall lack of women’s tag title defenses at premium live events, not to mention the venue taking place in Hartwell’s home country.

While Optus Stadium rallied around LeRae and Hartwell, The Kabuki Warriors proved they were at the top of the women’s tag team wrestling scene as Sane performed the Insane Elbow on LeRae to retain the titles. Despite the outcome, LeRae and Hartwell received a standing ovation from the Aussie crowd after the match.

Even though the match felt short at just under nine minutes, it was a solid bout and set the tone for the show. There is a shortage of female tag teams in WWE, but this match featured two of the very best.

Becky Lynch def.  Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Naomi, Raquel Rodriguez and Tiffany Stratton

The women’s Elimination Chamber match featured six women battling for a Women’s World Championship match at WrestleMania XL. The MVP of the match was undoubtedly Stratton in her premium live event debut. Stratton cemented her status as the next big thing in the women’s division.

Ultimately, Belair, Morgan and Lynch were the final three participants standing. In a very fast-paced finish, Morgan pinned Belair with a roll-up. Lynch then performed the Manhandle Slam on Morgan for the victory to earn the title match at WrestleMania XL.

Lynch is one of the greatest female wrestlers of all time though this was her debut match inside the Chamber. All six women were featured prominently throughout the match, a thrilling way to begin the show.

The Judgment Day (Finn Bálor and Damian Priest) (c) def. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate)

Despite New Catch Republic’s former tag team name, British Strong Style, having a nicer ring to it, Dunne and Bate got an opportunity to introduce themselves under this new nom de guerre and they delivered. The crowd erupted as Bate spun Bálor around in the air for ten straight seconds.

The match was riddled by interference from Judgment Day member, “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio. His attempt at an introduction for Bálor and Priest was met with a chorus of boos and cheers as the referee ejected him from ringside. Dominik continued his run as the most hated man in wrestling, a far cry from his beloved father, the legendary Rey Mysterio.

Bálor and Priest have an undeniable chemistry as a tag team. Priest’s double South of Heaven Chokeslam and Bálor’s Coup de Grace to end the match was a sight to behold. It was a great match between two great tag teams.

After being introduced by his tag team partner, Austin Theory, Australia’s own Grayson Waller hosted a live recording of his talk show, “The Grayson Waller Effect”, featuring guests Cody Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion Seth “Freakin” Rollins.

Rollins, who had been dealing with a legitimate MCL tear and partially torn meniscus, announced he was on the cusp of being medically cleared to return to the ring while Rhodes challenged The Rock to a match at any time and place of his choosing. Rollins assured Rhodes that he will not fight this battle alone.

Theory then taunted the two with The Rock’s catchphrases, but Rollins and Rhodes asserted their solidarity with each other by hitting their respective finishers on Theory. A solid segment to continue the road to WrestleMania XL.

Drew McIntyre def. Bobby Lashley, Kevin Owens, LA Knight, Logan Paul and Randy Orton

The men’s Elimination Chamber match featured six men battling for a World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania XL. The match featured nonstop action, including a devastating Spear from Lashley to Paul through a chamber pod.

AJ Styles, who failed to qualify for the match and had been feuding with Knight since December, broke into the structure and repeatedly struck Knight with a steel chair, allowing McIntyre to pin Knight and put a damper on his WrestleMania dreams, much to the dismay of the crowd and fans watching at home.

In spite of Paul’s polarizing reputation on and off camera, he proved he belonged in the ring with the best. Despite being eliminated by Orton, Paul made his way back into the structure and struck Orton with brass knuckles, allowing McIntyre to pin him and earn the title match.

The six men put on a show for the WWE fandom, but it was McIntyre taking advantage of the chaos and embracing his inner villain that stole the show. Rollins may not make it out of WrestleMania XL alive.

Rhea Ripley (c) def. Nia Jax

Despite Ripley’s villainous character as a member of The Judgment Day, Optus Stadium came unglued for her grand entrance in her first match in Australia as a WWE superstar. Ripley, affectionately called “Mami,” had her work cut out for her as she defended the Women’s World Championship in the main event against the unstoppable Irresistible Force, Nia Jax.

The Australian-born Jax dominated most of the match, hitting a Samoan Drop on Ripley on the announcer’s table, an Elbow Drop through the table, followed by her finishing maneuver, The Annihilator. This sequence of moves would put away most competitors, but not Mami.

After an earth-shattering superplex from the top rope and a kick, Ripley finished Jax off with her finisher, Riptide, to retain her title to the delight of 52,590 fans, some of which included members of Ripley’s family seated front-row.

Jax gets an unwarranted bad rap from fans, but the match was her best to date and proved she belongs in the main event scene. But Ripley’s successful homecoming proved her dominance over the women’s division and set the stage for her much-anticipated title defense against Becky Lynch at WrestleMania XL.

International WWE events are always a treat to watch and Elimination Chamber was no exception. The crowd was treated to five great matches, including a main event victory for their hometown girl. This was an electric crowd for an electric event.

While the event featured no surprising booking decisions for the fans who faithfully tune in to WWE television every week, it was worth getting up at 4 a.m. to watch.