Daniel Bryan won the Elimination Chamber Match to earn a Universal Title opportunity
Daniel Bryan is finally getting the chance against Roman Reigns that he wanted, but he went through hell and back to get it.
The “Yes!” Man outlasted five other Superstars to win the Elimination Chamber Match for the right to challenge Reigns.
Bryan went wire to wire to claim the win, starting the match against Cesaro, who was arguably the hottest competitor coming in. Bryan made The Swiss Superman quickly feel the wrath of the sadistic structure, launching Cesaro into the steel chains.
But Bryan was soon favoring his left knee, and King Corbin, the first Superstar to emerge from a pod, targeted it viciously after pummeling both Bryan and Cesaro.
Zayn entered next, though largely against his will. Already heated after having his documentary film crew ejected from ringside prior to the bout, Zayn forcibly kept his pod shut until Cesaro surprised him, entering Zayn’s pod from the other side and repeatedly bashing him against the paneling.
Cesaro later elevated Zayn atop the pod containing Jey Uso and immediately chased him upward. With Zayn climbing across the chains in an attempt to flee, Cesaro stomped his hands, sending him crashing to the floor of the Chamber below.
Cesaro remained on a roll, forcing Corbin to tap to the Sharpshooter for the first elimination.
Entering next was Kevin Owens, with whom Zayn immediately tried to negotiate a truce for old times’ sake, only to be sent flying into the pods by his former best friend.
Owens dominated much of the action until the entry of the sixth and final man, Jey Uso. Owens and Uso teed off on each other right away with Owens getting the better of the exchange. KO then took out all four opponents with a spectacular moonsault off the pod before hitting a series of Stunners, including one on Zayn to eliminate The Great Liberator.
But with Zayn exiting, Uso smashed Owens’ arm between the door and the Chamber, softening him up for a barrage of superkicks and a frogsplash before pinning KO, likely to the delight of Reigns.
Bryan and Cesaro fought tooth and nail with The Swiss Superman hitting a massive gutbuster off the ropes. However, Cesaro ate a superkick out of nowhere from Uso and found himself eliminated by a frogsplash as well.
Uso tried to seal the win as quickly as possible, following with another splash on Bryan, but The “Yes!” Man kicked out. Moments later, Bryan dug deep to connect with a Running Knee to claim victory, though it cost him dearly, and he was far from 100 percent for his ensuing matchup with Reigns.
