Over the past decade, WWE Elimination Chamber has become a regular PPV on the Road to WrestleMania. It’s usually among the final stops of putting the final pieces together for all the big matches and feuds we can expect to see on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
This Sunday, the 27th and 28th Elimination Chamber matches will take place in the WWE ThunderDome. Since 2002, this PPV-only match has not happened very often because of the gruelling structure and the toll it can take on the human body. Randy Orton will enter it for the eight-time, Kofi the sixth, Daniel Bryan the fifth. Any of them would tell you they came back from this match as if they were coming back from hell each time.
There are five matches confirmed for the show, including two Chamber matches and three title matches. Lacey Evans’ pregnancy announcement didn’t make WWE change the Championship match. Some fans may find this show a little low on Star power as the likes of Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt are all currently absent. But there should still be a lot to enjoy here, especially if you’re a fan who enjoys WWE’s gimmick matches.
Note: Predictions are pure that, predictions. Nobody at SteelChair has heard anything ahead of time, we promise.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler (c) vs Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair
With her impending WrestleMania decision looming, Bianca Belair puts that on hold to team up with a potential future opponent and SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks for a chance to become WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. During a heated confrontation on SmackDown one week ago with current champs Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler, Belair and Banks seemed to bond over their mutual amusement at Jax and Baszler’s recent struggles and even pulled off some impressive double-team offence against the champions.
The tension only escalated after Banks and Belair joined forces with Reginald to defeat Jax, Baszler & Bayley in an unconventional Six-Person Tag Team Match the following week on SmackDown, begging the question: Do The Boss and The EST of WWE have the number of the Women’s Tag Team Champions, or will Jax & Baszler be able to capitalize on any existing WrestleMania-related friction between the SmackDown Women’s Champion and this year’s Royal Rumble winner? Remember, keep your friends close but your enemies even closer…
Danny Cause’s Prediction: Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair – WWE loves enemies who become Tag Team Champions. Look at Cena doing so with Batista and Shawn Michaels, in both instances in the build of WrestleMania feuds. This would surely be a brief reign, but it should still be entertaining to see Belair and Banks as teammates before the wheels inevitably come off.
Steph Franchomme’s Prediction: Due to the fact they have contenders waiting both on RAW and NXT, Jax and Baszler.
WWE United States Championship Triple Threat Match
Lashley (c) vs Riddle vs Keith Lee
At the time of writing, this is a match that may be a little up in the air, due to Keith Lee reportedly having a niggling injury. Of course, this will be a frustrating situation for the Limitless One, who has had a bright start to his time on the main roster – most of it working with the likes of Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton and Sheamus. If Lee isn’t able to compete, one would imagine this match will become a singles affair instead.
The feud between Riddle and the Hurt Business has been an ongoing affair. While Riddle often gets the better of Shelton Benjamin, Cedric Alexander and MVP, he often seems like a fish out of water whenever he ends up against Bobby Lashley. Despite both having an MMA background, Lashley does have the size and power advantage over Riddle. Having held the United States Championship since Payback, back in August, Lashley looks set to continue his reign of dominance right into WrestleMania. But he could be a fool if he’s already looking past the King of Bros.
Danny Cause’s Prediction: Bobby Lashley – Even with question marks over Keith Lee’s involvement, I still have Lashley leaving Elimination Chamber as the US Champ. Keith Lee dethroning Lashley sounds like a WrestleMania moment waiting to happen.
Steph Franchomme’s Prediction: Bobby Lashley, mostly if Keith Lee is unable to compete.
RAW Women’s Championship Match
Asuka (c) vs Lacey Evans
Is this match going to happen? While WWE hasn’t announced anything since Monday’s RAW, what is certain is the fact Lacey Evans is pregnant and she won’t compete in this match. She is said to remain involved in the Flair vs Flair storylines for a few weeks but that doesn’t change the fact this match is not going to be the one announced. We can imagine Evans sending Peyton Royce to replace her… Then, we’ll probably have to wait until Sunday to have an answer to all these questions.
Danny Cause’s Prediction: Asuka.
Steph Franchomme’s Prediction: Asuka, whoever the opponent is.
WWE Championship – Elimination Chamber Match
Drew McIntyre (c) vs Kofi Kingston vs Sheamus vs Randy Orton vs AJ Styles vs Jeff Hardy
The reigning WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre may have survived Goldberg at the Royal Rumble, but things don’t get any easier, on the Road to WrestleMania. In what may be the biggest challenge in McIntyre’s WWE career, he needs to survive five other Superstars if he wants to leave the Chamber with his WWE Championship intact. If those odds weren’t great enough, the five challengers are all former WWE Champions, in their own right. In fact, there are a staggering twenty-six combined World Championship reigns between all six men.
On paper, the favourite for the victory here should be Sheamus. The Celtic Warrior won a gauntlet match on the most recent episode of RAW, which allows him to enter the match last. While this should mean that Sheamus is the freshest, when he does eventually enter the Chamber, even this won’t guarantee him a win. Randy Orton is the veteran and the most experienced inside this structure. The Viper also has unfinished business with the Champion, but is Orton too easily distracted by Alexa Bliss and “The Fiend”?
As if the threat of the participants in the Chamber wasn’t enough, there is also The Miz to bear in mind. Originally scheduled to be a part of this match, The Miz withdrew. This is smart considering he can keep himself fresh and still has the Money in the Bank contract. Will he be waiting to cash-in on whoever is Champion after the bell?
Danny Cause’s Prediction: Drew McIntyre – It’s taken some time, but in the absence of John Cena, Drew has finally been positioned as the poster boy baby face of WWE. With that in mind, Drew needs to overcome all the odds and cement his position.
Steph Franchomme’s Prediction: Drew McIntyre.
SmackDown Elimination Chamber Match – The winner will challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship on the same night
Cesaro vs Daniel Bryan vs Kevin Owens vs Jey Uso vs King Corbin vs Sami Zayn
At WWE Elimination Chamber, Kevin Owens, Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn and King Corbin will battle inside the career-altering Elimination Chamber for the right to challenge Universal Champion Roman Reigns on the same night.
On the February 8 edition of Monday Night RAW, 2021 Royal Rumble Match winner Edge sent shock waves through multiple World Title landscapes when he announced that he will wait until after WWE Elimination Chamber to pick which World Champion he will face at WrestleMania. Four days later on SmackDown, WWE Official Adam Pearce initially planned for The Head of the Table to defend the Universal Title inside the Elimination Chamber the same way that WWE Champion Drew McIntyre would. Special Council Paul Heyman, however, found a technicality in Roman’s contract to explain that Reigns would not complete in the Chamber, but would instead face the winner of the SmackDown Elimination Chamber Match on the spot on the February 21 PPV.
In response, Pearce announced that they would have Superstars qualify to be in the SmackDown Elimination Chamber Match. The exception to that, though, would be a Superstar that had taken The Big Dog to the limit, Reigns’ cousin, Jey Uso. Once out of the ring, Pearce also revealed that Kevin Owens would automatically cut – a decision that infuriated the titleholder.
Later that night, Sami Zayn and King Corbin qualified with a tag team victory over Rey and Dominik Mysterio, and Daniel Bryan and Cesaro grabbed the final two spots in the Chamber with a win over SmackDown Tag Team Champions Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode.
Danny Cause’s Prediction: Daniel Bryan – While all the clues would indicate that Kevin Owens would win this – all the talk about “unfinished business”- but that seems a little too obvious.
Steph Franchomme’s Prediction: Cesaro.
WWE Universal Championship Match
Roman Reigns (c) vs the winner of the SmackDown Chamber Match
WWE Official Adam Pearce initially planned for The Head of the Table to defend the Universal Title inside the Elimination Chamber the same way that WWE Champion Drew McIntyre would do, Special Council Paul Heyman used a technicality to explain that Reigns would not complete in the Chamber. Instead, Reigns will face the winner of the SmackDown Elimination Chamber Match on the spot at the February 21 pay-per-view and earn a chance to become Champion after winning one of the most challenging matches in WWE.
Danny Cause’s Prediction: Roman Reigns – I think it was smart booking that Roman’s not competing in the Chamber. It keeps SmackDown’s creative direction a little different from RAW’s, plus it puts more heat on Roman, in the process. Don’t expect this match to be a classic. Roman would be fresh while whoever he faces will have just survived the Chamber. This should be a really quick match, but that’s all the more fitting for Roman’s character.
Steph Franchomme’s Prediction: Roman Reigns.
WWE Elimination Chamber is streaming this Sunday at 7 PM EST (midnight GMT) on the WWE Network. The Kickoff Show begins at 6 PM EST (11 PM GMT) on WWE Network and WWE social platforms.
All pics and videos courtesy of WWE