WWE Elimination Chamber 2017 Results: Twitter Reacts to Top Stars, Moments, More

For both heroes and monsters, career-changing moments marked WWE Elimination Chamber 2017.

Sunday's SmackDown-exclusive pay-per-view saw Bray Wyatt climb his way to the top of a mountain of men and raise the WWE Championship above his head. Naomi dethroned Alexa Bliss to achieve the peak of her career to date. Luke Harper looked like a star ready for a supernova, despite ending his match on his back.

Twitter was there to celebrate it all.

From the odd narrative the company tried to sell us on with Mickie James to the war that went down inside the Elimination Chamber, WWE analysts and writers had plenty to dive into online. What moments provided water-cooler talk? What warriors earned the most praise?

Read on for a look at the Twitter response to what unfolded in Phoenix on Sunday's PPV.

Ring Rust?

James and Becky Lynch kicked off the show with an engaging opener.

This was James' first WWE PPV bout since she left the company in 2010. To explain her absence without mentioning rival company TNA, WWE offered some alternative facts. Announcer David Otunga claimed that James had been out of action for the past seven years and that ring rust may be a major factor in the bout.

The trouble with that statement, though, is that fans are fully aware that James hasn't been idle in that span. She was a champion for TNA and competed in Mexico.

PW Torch writer Greg Parks laughed off Otunga's claim:

The former women's champ battled Asuka at NXT TakeOver: Toronto a mere three months ago. As both Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful and Titan Screwed co-author Justin Henry pointed out, Otunga forgot that recent bout on James' resume:

Lynch and James thrived in their first match against each other.

After a stalemate at ringside, the two foes took to the ring where James controlled the action for much of the contest. She outwrestled Lynch early, using her veteran craftiness to keep The Irish Lass Kicker off balance.

The story and the wrestlers' chemistry led to an opening bout that garnered praise from the likes of Bleacher Report's Mike Chiari and the Voices of Wrestling account:

Like Chiari, John Canton of The Comeback, wasn't thrilled with the result, however: 

James is certain to get another crack at Lynch, though. That meeting smelled like it was the first chapter of many.

Solo Harper in the Spotlight

As many predicted, Harper fell to Randy Orton as the two former members of The Wyatt Family collided.

Orton has a spot on the WrestleMania 33 marquee awaiting him. It made perfect sense for him to charge toward that direction with momentum in hand. An RKO to the big man made that happen on Sunday night.

Harper, though, was the story of the bout, as the often-underutilized bruiser looked tremendous in one of his biggest singles matches to date.

His slugfest began with a sluggish pace, but it picked up in intensity as it went on. Harper stunned Orton with superkicks and survived multiple crashes into the announcers' table. Fans showered the wrestlers with "This is awesome!" chants.

After the action ended, Daily DDT was among those to send kudos Harper's way:

Harper's strong performance was a clear indication that WWE needs to showcase him more moving forward. The fact that so much of the post-bout discussion revolved around him is proof of that.

New Age Insiders co-host Bill Neville, Denny Burkholder of CBSSports.com and PWMania columnist Jason Solomon all walked away impressed with Harper at the PPV:

"

Harper is something else.. wish a man of that talent wasn't just some creepy looking mechanic guy and had a real chance to be World Champ.

— NAI's Bill Neville (@BillNevilleNAI) February 13, 2017"

It's hard to tell what's ahead for him, but anything less than him being a midcard title contender will be a disappointment. SmackDown has to find a significant spot for him. The blue brand needs more slobberknockers like the one he composed with The Viper.

New Women's Champ

Naomi's time atop the women's division began in Phoenix.

The dynamic babyface survived Bliss' best shots. She flustered the champ with her resilience. And a pair of knees to the gut left Bliss vulnerable.

Naomi then pinned Bliss in the most surprising result of the night. As ESPN.com's Arash Markazi noted, she is now the new SmackDown women's champ:

One can criticize the timing of the title switch, but the move certainly had people talking.

Naomi's win left much of the audience excited. Count Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet, as well as the folks at Three Man Booth and the Shoulders Up podcast, among them:

Bliss was terrific as a heel champ. She'll definitely get future shots at the gold. For now, though, this is Naomi's time in the sun.

She began her WWE career as a backup dancer and worked her way up to a championship reign. And as Brandon Stroud of UPROXX pointed out, that's a transition that maybe should have already happened:

Now the WrestleMania speculation is on its way.

Who does Naomi face at the marquee event? Will James move up the ranks in time to challenge Naomi, will Bliss score a rematch or is Naomi going to have to face multiple opponents at once?

There's plenty of time to think about that later. She should be sure to allow Sunday's win to soak in first.

The Chamber Survivor

The brutal battlefield that is the Elimination Chamber took its toll on the six gladiators inside it.

AJ Styles and John Cena began the bout as the first two combatants, continuing their ongoing saga. Dean Ambrose flew off a Plexiglass pod. The Lunatic Fringe slammed Styles' head against the structure.

The wrestlers made the most of the newly designed Satan's Prison before The Eater of Worlds emerged as the victor, kicking off what TDE Wrestling called "the era of Wyatt": 

After the field shrank to three, Wyatt drove Cena's head to the canvas with a Sister Abigail to assure that a new WWE champ would be crowned. That result had Most Ridiculous host Anna Bauert and FightBooth PW intrigued:

It came down to Styles and Wyatt, the two titans extending a tremendous match with more hard-hitting action.

The Phenomenal One hurt his ribs at some point during the battle. Wyatt took advantage and eventually pinned Styles to claim the first singles title in his WWE career. 

Vaughn Johnson of Philly.com pointed out that Wyatt is the only member of his famous family to ever win that prized championship:

The reaction to Wyatt's win was mostly elation. The New Face of Fear has been inches away from a crowning moment like this, and when he finally got it, the audience erupted.

The result certainly left the A.V. Club's Kyle Fowle and Bleacher Report writer Donald Wood happy:

Now it's time to tell the story of Wyatt and Orton's battle, as they are poised to meet at WrestleMania for the gold. Orton appeared inside the Elimination Chamber to stare down his former patriarch to drive that home.

Men who fought alongside each other will now revert back to rivals, as The Apex Predator meets a man looking to cement his spot as SmackDown's new alpha male. Let the hype begin.