WWE Elimination Chamber 2017: Biggest Talking Points Following SmackDown PPV

WWE Elimination Chamber 2017 has come and gone, and in its wake is a SmackDown Live brand with new champions at the helm and uncertainty running rampant.

The Wyatt Family, members both past and present, and Naomi were the biggest stars of the night, but which talking points had the WWE Universe buzzing loudest?

Was it the sudden realization that we are on track for another WrestleMania main event featuring Randy Orton or the shocking revelation that it will not be John Cena's face at the forefront of the event? Maybe it was the continued tag team dominance of American Alpha.

Perhaps something else caught the attention of the passionate fanbase.

Whatever the case may be, these are the biggest talking points following SmackDown Live's most recent pay-per-view offering.

Deserving Champions

For so long, Bray Wyatt and Naomi found themselves victims of disjointed booking or storylines designed specifically to get someone else over. They were heated up and then cooled down for reasons that never made sense or benefited them.

Sunday night, after years of professional frustration, Wyatt and Naomi ascended the ranks, sitting atop their respective divisions as champions.

Both celebrated accordingly, emotional about their victories and what they meant to them personally.

Just two weeks after John Cena won his 16th world title for reasons that made little sense at the time and make even less now, Wyatt captured the WWE Championship. Naomi, in her first women's title match since September's Backlash pay-per-view, pinned Alexa Bliss to win a title that has eluded her since her debut in 2011.

In an industry that demands its performers to "grab hold of the brass ring" when given the opportunity, Wyatt and Naomi proved that constant devotion to one's craft in the face of repetitive disappointment can still net the desired outcome.

Three Women's Matches

Not only did Naomi win the women's title at Elimination Chamber, but she also did so in what was the third women's match of the night.

That is unheard of—a feat that has never happened on WWE pay-per-view before.

SmackDown Live has done a brilliant job of spreading its female talent out across three different programs, developing intriguing stories for every one of them.

Becky Lynch and Mickie James got things off to a hot start with a traditional wrestling match that saw Lynch score the win off a jackknife roll-up. Nikki Bella and Natalya continued the roll for women, delivering a match that descended into a brawl and left things unsettled between them.

Then there was Naomi, whose dynamic offense put Alexa Bliss down for the count and scored her championship glory.

Even Carmella, who was not involved in a match, was a central figure of the show, as she watched every match from the sky boxes with her boy toy, James Ellsworth, by her side.

At a time of revolution in women's wrestling, every character on the roster has an ongoing story and definable traits fans can associate with, ensuring the revolution is not one in name only.

Harper's Defining Night

Luke Harper has been one of the best big men in wrestling for years—an agile athlete with speed not typically seen in performers of his size.

But despite a 2014 singles push that saw him feud with Dolph Ziggler over the Intercontinental Championship in which he showcased some of that ability, he has remained primarily a tag team competitor.

Sunday night, he broke out of his shell with a stellar match against Randy Orton.

Harper looked every bit The Viper's equal, benefiting exponentially from Orton's willingness to sell for his high-impact offense. Harper looked like a main event star—a guy who could easily slide into a Triple Threat match with Orton and Bray Wyatt and look like he belongs.

On a night when hard work and dedication were repaid in a big way, it only made sense that Harper was celebrated.